the emphasis on darker themes of greed, human nature, war & corruption, etc. is probably the only reason why i actually care enough about and empathize with most characters’ backstories in naruto, because it makes it that much more realistic and impactful (it sounds heartless ik, but that talk-no jutsu has its limits).
now this is not to downplay or excuse the actions or crimes committed throughout the show, but rather to showcase how they were simply a product of their environment—even more so in the case of ongoing war and corruption, and most of these characters being children at the time.
and yes i’m aware that i’m stating the obvious, but rewatching og naruto now that i’m older made me realize how incredibly fucking dark it is. i just never realized because of all of the filler smh