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"The one thing Itachi failed to do, was kill his little brother" 

really fucking long and rambling meta under the cut

I saw a post saying that since Sasuke’s actions and feelings are justified (which yes, they are, Sasuke Uchiha did Nothing Wrong 2k17) he didn’t need to be “saved” by Naruto, and Naruto “saving” him was selfish on Naruto’s part. 

So I’m here to prove why that’s wrong!

While the narrative of Naruto is fucked cuz kishimoto can’t write, Sasuke is never framed as “evil” in the series proper. Yes, he is framed as the one in the wrong when his beliefs are pitted against Naruto’s, but while a lot of the fanbase somehow took that to mean “evil,” Kishimoto himself says that Sasuke is a very “pure” person:

“Sasuke is basically a very pure person who doesn’t think about whether what he does is good or bad. He just does what he wants to do, which causes trouble for others. He is very self centered, only concerned with himself. Some people might think what he is doing is good, like avenging his parents or trying to realize his brother’s ideals. But he is troubling others in his pursuits, so that aspect is bad. So it’s hard to say with clarity, but it’s all about whether it’s right or wrong to be self centered about your goals. I’d say he’s not good or bad, he’s just pure.”

he’s framed as in the wrong (which is arguably unfair) yes, but Sasuke is also always framed as redeemable. one of the main things we’re supposed to like about Naruto is that he never gives up on Sasuke. Because Naruto is framed as the best person ever, we are supposed to support him always, and we in turn are supposed to not give up on Sasuke. 

Hell, even Naruto who the narrative consistently frames as the Perfect Person, admits that he could easily end up like Sasuke.

We, as the reader, are supposed to see Sasuke as redeemable. We are supposed to see the good in him. If Naruto is the best person in the entire series, and Sasuke is supposed to be framed as a terrible person, why would the narrative go out of it’s way to have Naruto empathize with Sasuke’s feelings of anger and revenge? It doesn’t make sense. The narrative consistently tries to frame Sasuke in a semi-positive light. Yes, his actions hurt others, but it is clear he thinks he’s doing what’s right. Naruto understands this, and because Naruto is in many ways the character we are meant to project on, we are supposed to understand this as well.

Oh yeah just for more proof the narrative portrays Sasuke as kinda decent, there’s also this bit where Sasuke remembers all his old bonds showing they still mean something to him before he freaks out a bit

AND EVEN WHEN HE SAYS HE WANTS TO KILL THE ENTIRE VILLAGE AND KILLS DANZO A HIGH RANKING MEMBER OF THE VILLAGES GOVERNMENT…

…Naruto who is framed as the best person ever in this entire god foresaken series, understands. We are supposed to understand as well. 

So Sasuke is framed as a decent enough person in the narrative. He’s a good (”pure”) person! So what about the darkness? It no longer makes sense for the darkness that Sasuke is being saved from is his emotions of anger and such, because these feelings are framed as kinda :/ but not nearly as bad as the darkness Sasuke is supposed to be trapped in.

The darkness Sasuke was “saved” from was never who he was as a person, because he as a person, is good(ish. I’d say he’s good but the narrative settles for halfway decent), and the narrative frames him as such! “The darkness” is something else.

These panels are shown immediately after Sasuke resolves to hate Itachi and to kill him, but Kishimoto himself said that him avenging his parents is “good” and most people see it as such, so that aspect of Sasuke’s decisions isn’t the part that needs saving. The “darkness” is not Sasuke’s anger. Sasuke’s anger is meant to be understandable. His wish to kill his brother is meant to be understandable. It’s his ways of dealing with the anger that is unhealthy, and therefore is the constantly mentioned “darkness.”  

The scene right before Sasuke defects is really good in my opinion. The narrative gives many mixed signals about who is right or wrong. It’s an interesting moral gray area. Most of us want to root for Sasuke to kill his brother (especially because at this point in time Itachi had no explanation for the massacre and by extension, exactly no redeeming qualities) but also we know that Sasuke’s solution to the issue (especially because he saw Naruto’s rasengan’s strength a chapter ago) is going to be to go to Orochimaru for power, and that is decidedly framed as a really bad idea.

While this scene definitely frames Kakashi as the Right One, we as the reader have at this point become invested in Sasuke’s revenge. We’ve seen Itachi at this point, and we’ve seen him put Sasuke in a coma. We’re supposed to be conflicted here. The narrative wants us to understand Kakashi’s side, because Kakashi’s arguement is the only thing potentially keeping Sasuke from leaving with the Sound Four (who WE know are in the village right this second) but the entire series has set us up to empathize with Sasuke’s pain and desire for revenge. It’s not his revenge that later evolves into his darkness.

The darkness that Naruto wants to save Sasuke from is completely for Sasuke’s own benefit, because the darkness hurts Sasuke. He wants bonds (specifically his bond with Naruto) but thinks that they make him weak, and also evidently thinks of himself as not deserving of happiness since he straight up says that he’s okay with suffering forever if it in some way is similar to what Itachi did. 

His way of fixing the kage system was to literally completely isolate himself from people and have them all hate him and him alone. That is objectively a bad way to live your life, even if it helps others. THIS is the darkness. It’s his refusal to allow himself to be happy.  Naruto really just wants Sasuke to be able to value himself and his own happiness and not constantly sacrifice his happiness for some higher goal like killing his brother or his revolution. 

As revealed in 698 Sasuke wanted to have bonds (specifically one with Naruto) but thought that it made him weak. 

The strength that Sasuke is referring to is framed as Naruto’s ability to form lasting bonds and relationships. Sasuke has always wanted bonds deep down but has viewed them as detrimental to his final goal. This way of viewing the world was the darkness from which he needed to be saved. And which Naruto does save him from! He still believes in Naruto to change the system (which in an ending that made a remote amount of sense he totally would do)

He isn’t just saying he lost the battle. He’s saying he lost the fight he had against his desire for bonds (especially one with Naruto) and THIS is how Naruto saves him from the “darkness.”

THA’TS what this means. The rest of the ending is painfully out of character but this part makes sense! Naruto saved Sasuke from his self-imposed restrictions on his relationships! This feels obvious in retrospect but I saw people disagreeing and felt the need to write this out.