Uchiha Family Analysis Ep. 21
I have been a quiet Sasusaku shipper for a while, but I want to share some of my thoughts about the current episode. We haven’t gotten the Uchiha family together in a while, so I wanted to celebrate this episode with my interpretation of some key scenes. I had a lot of feels in this episode so this is a long read 😂😂.
Sasuke Reunites with Sarada: In this scene, obviously, Sasuke is regretting not being able to recognize Sarada after they had reunited after so long. He’s obviously been too caught up in his mission and never imagined that Sarada would unexpectedly appear in front of him. Not only that but he threatened her with a sword and saw the fear in her eyes and her Sharingan activated. Maybe a part of him imagined that when they would finally reunite as a family, he would be free from his mission and duty and they can finally all be happy together. Accidentally threatening his daughter with a sword was not his dream of their reunion and he is angry and regrets this lost chance.
Unfortunately, he knows that he doesn’t have the luxury to comfort her because of the looming threat over their heads, so he pushes her away to protect her. He questions Naruto about why Sarada is here, which Sarada interprets as her father not wanting her to be there.
Sarada doesn’t understand the Uchiha connection and how their hearts are connected even with distance, a distance needed in order to protect her. She starts attacking him and questioning whether he cares about his family at all, and Sasuke is shaken by her words and how he is being misunderstood in that way. Sarada resents him, which he expected, but was not prepared for.
Especially having her in front of him unexpectedly and given the situation of their reunion, Sasuke is being consumed by guilt and simultaneously a longing to return to his family after seeing Sarada all grown up.
Sasuke and Naruto discussing Sarada: Like Naruto had said before he had left on his mission…
Sasuke is so misunderstood as a character because his intentions in this scene are pure, but he struggles with communicating these intentions with the people he loves (in this case Sarada). He is being so selfless in this scene, giving up the opportunity to be next to his family to protect them and the village, going on the mission alone so that Naruto wouldn’t have to leave his own, while keeping it a secret so that Sarada won’t unnecessarily worry about him and his safety. Even if he is misunderstood and Sarada resents him, it is more important to keep her future and Konoha’s future safe (bright).
Side Note: I was also livid that the Kage Summit was not animated as well. That scene was SO important, especially for those who didn’t read the manga, but what can we do about SP? I am trying to remain positive. Obviously, it happened before this scene which is right before he is leaving on his mission. Naruto asks only about Sarada, which means that Sakura is well-aware of his mission and his reasons. Plus, I kind of liked how they highlighted Sasuke’s relationship with Sarada and his reasons for keeping it a secret from her.
I had mixed feelings about this scene. I find this scene sad because Sasuke almost ended the world in order to fight for his family, and now that he finally has one, he is unable to be there with them because of his mission to keep them safe. It’s such a sad circle because Itachi pushed Sasuke away to protect him and the village and now he is doing the same with his daughter, all along with the additional knowledge of how it hurts to be on the other end being pushed away. He understands Sarada’s resentment well and has regrets about not being able to be there for her, but I feel like he is trying to convince himself of the importance of his mission in this scene and how everything will be okay if he keeps them safe from the outside while Sakura is there to take care of and protect Sarada from the inside. He obviously trusts and has faith in Sakura to take care of Sarada when is away (a part of him maybe even believing that Sarada is better off in Sakura’s care than his own because he will never fully forgive himself for his past), but he is trying to conceal the part of him which regrets not being there next to them.
Sasusaku Reunite: His regrets are further elaborated when Sakura enters.
Here is where the Uchiha connection/Sasusaku connection is beautifully portrayed. First off, when he asks Sakura the same question about why she’s here like he did about Sarada, unlike Sarada, Sakura just smiles at him being well experienced with Sasuke’s method of communication. Just one look, and she understands that Sasuke is worried about why they are here near him where danger looms when they should be safe in the village.
I know people are angry over how dramatic this next scene was and how it seemed like Sakura was ignoring him, but I personally didn’t interpret it that way. This scene just KILLED ME with feels. The way I interpreted it, Sasuke is regretting how everything went down with his reunion with Sarada. He is struggling with his emotions after seeing his wife and daughter after so long so he shoots his wife a look…
If there is one person who understands Sasuke and his silent pleas for help, it would be his wife Sakura. Sakura obviously misses him after all this time apart (Ino vacation date reminiscing scene) but she selflessly puts her daughter and husband’s feelings first in this scene and holds back her own. She’s the emotional anchor in the family and Sasuke is lucky to have her because she understands Sasuke’s true intentions better than anybody else. I find it beautiful that the Sasuke who keeps to himself has truly allowed himself to depend on another person. That’s why he trusts and depends on Sakura to take care of things with Sarada when he’s gone and here again he is pleading for her help. Sakura sees in his eyes her husband’s love and longing for their family. She coped with the distance better than Sarada because she understands the Uchiha connection and how Sasuke and their family are connected by hearts even through the distance. Despite being away from each other so long, their connection and bond is stronger than ever and one look from her husband and Sakura immediately understands his pain, regret, and apology in regards to Sarada and their family. Being the amazing wife she is, she wants to put her husband’s worries to ease (like she’s done all this time when he was away) so she shoots him a quick smile, takes over and walks past him to Sarada to comfort her in his stead.
Additionally, the way I interpreted it, the reason why the scene was edited to seem dramatic with her walking past him was because it represents the current disconnect Sasuke feels from his daughter. Obviously, the Uchihas’ hearts are connected even with the distance which Sakura understands, but Sarada is too young to and Sasuke doesn’t expect her to. As Sakura is walking passed him, his feet remain planted to the same spot because while Sakura can walk passed him and comfort Sarada, he is “stuck” in the same place. She has questions about his absence which he cannot answer. He just threatened her with his sword and saw the look of fear in her eyes, but he cannot comfort her with answers without fully disclosing the truth about his mission and putting her in further danger. When Sasuke sees Naruto outside of the village, he tells him to deliver an apology in his place to Sakura. Uchihas value family bonds more than anything else, his family is obviously always on his mind, and Sasuke is trying so hard to conceal how much he needs to be next to them. He longs to be with his family, next to his wife and wants to run over to Sarada to embrace her, but there needs to be a distance between them until his mission is complete.
When Naruto questioned him if Sarada’s resentment towards him was worth it, he convinced himself that if it meant he can keep his family safe and the future “bright,” that’s only thing that mattered. However, as he looks back to Sakura hugging Sarada, you can see the look of regret on his face. He is her father and should be able to comfort her in her time of confusion like Sakura is doing, but he can’t be honest to Sarada and there for his family in the present without compromising his mission to keep them safe.
He is trying to convince himself that this is what is best situation in order to keep his family safe, but he is affected by Sarada’s pain and the distance from his family as much as Sakura and Sarada are, if not more. It is heartbreaking how he blames himself for his family’s pain due to his absence, even if his absence is to protect them.
I frankly don’t understand claims that Sasuke doesn’t love or care about his family. This episode proved that he is willing to sacrifice everything in order to keep them safe and protects them at the cost of his own happiness. Of course, that’s expected from a Uchiha who always puts family #1.
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