“Shikamaru’s revenge had a broader moral justification, sasuke’s was purely selfish from the beginning”
Even putting aside the obvious fact that retribution on the behalf of hundreds of murdered people is in itself necessary and inherently justified, this really isn’t true
Shikamaru wants to pass on the “will of fire” to the next generation and protect asuma’s unborn child, yeah, but his motives are obviously a little more complicated and personal than just that - it’s obviously important to him that he is the one to take hidan out and that hidan should suffer at his hands, he feels it’s necessary for his own closure and peace of mind and I don’t think he should be condemned for that
But the fact is sasuke’s revenge against itachi had a broader moral justification as well, even though personal fulfillment/itachi having tortured him into the mindset of an “avenger” are also factors at play
He compares orochimaru to itachi in his head, the common denominator being what he perceives as their selfishness and careless disregard for life
And this occurs immediately after hidan/kakuzu concludes, almost as if the parallel is intentional.
I think it’s a missed opportunity for shikamaru and sasuke to literally never interact and provide a more explicit comparison of their circumstances. Shikamaru is consumed with feelings of rage and helplessness just like sasuke was, and like sasuke he is a firsthand witness to sudden death
But he has people who step in - his dad who urges him to let it all out and not be ashamed of his feelings, his teammates who have a personal investment in this mission and wholeheartedly support him (I think naruto and Sakura were fine with sasuke killing itachi, but I don’t think they had the level of investment ino/chouji obviously do and Sakura wouldn’t have offered help if sasuke wasn’t literally about to leave). Most significantly, orochimaru steps in to exploit sasuke’s need for revenge while kakashi steps in for shikamaru to basically look out for him
It’s just really clear that shikamaru was sasuke’s good end, and while this doesn’t justify everything sasuke does or plans to do, I think it definitely contextualizes his actions and sheds light on how unique and isolating his circumstances were
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