Sasuke and Sarada VS Sasuke and Fugaku: RE: “Sasuke should know better/be a more attentive parent, he had a family!”
Or “Why it’s not the same,” an essay by me.
I’ve seen the arguments. They’ve been there since 2015, when Gaiden was fresh and new and we all learned Sasuke hadn’t seen his daughter since she was born. How could he? How could a man so torn by having his birth family ripped from not even deem to see his own flesh and blood for twelve long years?
Well, I could end it right here and say it’s because the family was forced upon him instead of him choosing to settle and have children when he was ready, but okay, let’s go a little deeper, because this also has to do with the translations of the new novel I’ve seen. But now both sides are arguing that Sasuke somehow has no room to be an inattentive/absent father. And man, does this ignore a lot of things that have happened to Sasuke as well as the exact nature of the relationship with his own Father as opposed to his current relationship with Sarada.
First of all, there are some things to keep in mind that I have seen repeated elsewhere but I feel the need to repeat them again.
Sasuke had his family killed as a small child.
Sasuke wasn’t a parent. He was a child. He was seven. Children aren’t done forming social bonds yet and suddenly, he was all alone.
The dynamic of the OG Uchiha family wasn’t perfect and serene, and Sasuke was going through a self-esteem struggle when his family was killed.
There was the looming threat of Danzo and the village. The clan pressuring Fugaku to take action. Fugaku and Itachi not Seeing Eye to eye. Sasuke felt ignored and not strong enough to get his Father’s attention. And when he began getting his Father’s attention, he was suddenly told not to follow Itachi (like he had been before) and to take a different path. He’s confused.
Sasuke feels that his “conflict” with his Father was posthumously resolved.
It’s kind of hard to continue to feel neglected/ignored by your own Father when he dies. Sasuke was never allowed the ability to fully process this, and he never gets to speak to his Father personally again. Now, before anyone gets the wrong idea, this isn’t an anti Fugaku post, Fugaku had his own problems that resulted in the conflict and neglect of his two sons and there’s nothing we can really do about that. It wasn’t done on purpose or maliciously.
But what happens to Sasuke here is that he forces a resolution by himself. His Father’s a victim now. His Father died, Sasuke would feel like shit if he tried to put any sort of blame/wrongdoing on his late Father’s part.
Add in Itachi’s memory of Fugaku asking Itachi to take care of Sasuke? There just isn’t any room in Sasuke’s mind to even begin to accept the notion that his Father did him any sort of harm. You could say it to his face and he would get pissed at you. How dare you? He died for me. Etc. So on.
Note how, in this snippet, it isn’t Sasuke who compares his situation with Sarada to that of Fugaku…..it’s Sakura. (How she knows is a different question, but…) If Sasuke should already know better because he’s the one with the family why is it Sakura who’s telling him “this is exactly like the problems you had with your Father”?
And this brings us to point B: Sasuke already is using his actual feelings RE his Father in regards to Sarada. Sasuke would, and has, twice, (perhaps once in the novel since it’s not clear if this is post boruto movie or pre, but it will be twice if pre), used his body as a shield and stood in harm’s way for her. This is how he shows he cares, even if it doesn’t translate in that exact way to Sarada. He would, if it meant she would survive, lay his life down for her. Like his Father did to him.
But yes, look, I understand. Sasuke does value family. You guys aren’t wrong here. But all of your complaints fail to understand that this family was forced upon him. Did we all forget that Naruto and Sakura have been trying to drill it in Sasuke for the longest time that all he needs is “love uwu” and a new family to replace the one he lost and things will be “fine”? A relationship and a child do not function as therapy. I am happy that the writing reflects this even if it’s not word for word. He disassociates. He struggles. This was a “rebound”, something new to fix something he lost and had not had the proper time or help to process and move on from. It was a rebound other people said he needed.
No one should be surprised he’s struggling. He’s not out-of-character. He is a product of his loss at seven, at his loss at seventeen years old and everything people have been teaching him since then. He’s had his ability to trust in his own decisions when it comes to domestic/family matters seriously degraded, and no, it will never be the author’s fault.
Blame Naruto and Sakura. Don’t be cheap and blame an author who at least has enough respect to not pretend Sasuke is fine.
