Had a thought today that other people have probably had before about Naruto.
This is very free flowing thoughts, so no panels. Not analysis more rambling.
So, I was thinking about Kabuto and Itachi and Sasuke and how, in all three cases, the paranoia Danzo plays on to destroy their families is not really justified by the narrative.
Like with the Uchiha. We hear that it could start a war, an invasion, if the coup goes through. But when we see this play out in canon, a hokage dead and the village wrecked, the only invading force taking advantage of the confusuon is Itachi and Kisame. The Akatsuki. Not an enemy village, but an organization of rogues created through the villages' systems and cruelty. Same with the Pain invasion, no one attacks Konoha after. Sure there's an argument to be made that times were different when the Uchiha were planning the coup but! I think it's very telling that when the circumstances arise it's Itachi who takes advantage and slips into the village.
Kabuto's backstory has this element too. We get told that his work as a spy amounted to something, that it was hard. Danzo lost a shinobi to Iwa spying, and they need Nonou to take over that mission and a child to make up the difference. (Side note but like, he takes a kid who possibly has nothing but medical ninjutsu, and didn't even request Kabuto it could have been any kid; not a trained shinobi?) But we never see this. We don't see Kabuto's spy work for Root as something that protects the village. We dont see the information he gathered nor what was done witu it. We don't see it as necessary or helpful. In fact textually we get the opposite. He and Nonou knew too much and needed to be killed. Once again, we are told that they are having their lives ruined for Konoha’s safety but never seeing the tangible effect of that. Like, after what happened to Kabuto and Nonou can we be sure the original spy killed wasn't also killed for knowing too much?
There's always this pretext of the other villages as Konoha’s enemies. That they need to sacrifice people to protect the village from these outside threats, especially Danzo. But we see like, a grand total of 1 time another village directly attacks Konoha and that was Suna working with Oto. And Suna threatened to back out so I'd call that more Oto's deal, especially since Oto remains antagonistic and Suna has its reasons explored. Wouldn't you know it, part of the reason for the invasion was Konoha getting missions off the Land of Wind's Daimyo. Sure, Kumo tried to kidnap Hinata but that was more against the Hyuga than a direct attack on Konoha by way of invasion. The other instances I can think of were war. (I may fully be missing something don't get me wrong).
I feel like it's just Danzo inventing dangers to justify his power and methods at the end of the day. Otherwise, wouldn't it be wise to show the dangers the other villages pose more forwardly? It feels like the pretext is paranoia.
Idk I admit I may fully be missing instances of this explored better.
“W-WAIT! MOTHER STOP! IT’S-!” *SLASH!* The white haired teen pleaded until the older woman overpowering him swiftly chakra scalpels his torso repeatedly, stabbing and slashing at him instantly in the heart and lungs, completely destroying them. Blood spurts from his mouth like a popped water balloon as he reaches upwards to try to reach for her, only for her to get off of him, away from his reach. The intense pain in his chest makes his attempt to talk turn into weak wheezes as he violently coughs out more blood out and his arm lowers down onto the pebbles. Tears slide down from his face as despite his blurred vision, he was able to see Nono’s emotionless expression.
“W-why... didn’t she...”
With one final wet gasp for air, the boy’s body stills after minutes of flinching. More blood seeps out from his chest and onto the rocks below him, his dark lifeless eyes still staring sadly at her as Nono stands up properly, panting as she wiped the blood off of her hands. She didn’t want to kill him because he was so young, but she had to. She needed to. It was finally over. “Mission accomplished. Now Kabuto-kun can finally be returned home...”
The three Iwagakure shinobi accompanying the pursuit land behind her, “Nanigashi! Are you alright?” The woman nods as she turns to the team. “I’m fine, I found him but unfortunately I couldn’t bring him back alive. He resisted and tried to kill me.” The older man gives her a reassuring pat on her shoulder, “Look, I know how you feel about killing kids, but it had to be done. We’ll have to have his body examined immediately so that we can know who he is and where he come-”
*SPLAT!* A blade emerges from his mouth abruptly and it sticks out in front of his face, almost piercing Nono’s face as well. The katana was thrown from the hills and it pierces the back of the man’s head and it emerges from his own mouth, spraying his blood at Nono’s direction. The man looked shocked himself as his eyes roll back as he drops dead into the ground. She gasps as she leaps backwards, now close to the corpse behind her. The men raise their swords and they quickly spread out to find the attacker, “ANOTHER ASSASSIN! BE CARE- AAAHHH!” The Iwa nin shouting was suddenly set upon by dozens of snakes that whirled and overcame him like piranhas at a meal. “I’M COMING!!!!” The other man tries to attempt to save his comrade by slashing at the snake’s bodies, but then a flurry of kunai flying from the dark shadows of the rocks impale the man’s torso and face. Immediately killing him when the shurikens hits his throat and jugular.
Nono stands on her guard as she scans around the area, “Who are you?! Show yourself!” A hand reaches out from the ground and grips the rocks tightly, it climbs out and black hair emerges as another arm emerges until the rest of their body comes out from the ground. The powerful chakra energy sends a cold chill in the back of Nono’s neck, she knows exactly who they are.
“Orochimaru. But why is he...?”
She firmly stands her ground at him despite her uneasiness, “Orochimaru, I’ve done my mission. I’m done with Root. Now what does Danzo want from me this time?!” She keeps a strong grip at her kunai as the other steps towards her. Swallowing her spit nervously as her skin is soaked in sweat.
Olive-colored slit eyes glower at her direction and he turns to the boy’s corpse with a disappointed sigh, “It seem that the worthless one survived. What a pity. I had such high expectations of him.” His pale hands casually grip the hilt of his sword and he pulls the sword from the head of the man in a sickening splat. “All that is left is to get rid of you. There’s no need to keep you alive any longer.” She lightly gasps as she takes another step back, this wasn’t part of the deal. Unless... “No... you bastards. What did you do? Where is Kabuto?!”
He gives an unimpressed stare at her despite holding the katana in hand, seeing this assassination as casual as a janitor cleaning up a mess someone made. He opens his palm as he gestures at Kabuto, “That boy behind you is Kabuto or was him before you mercilessly killed him. Can you not see it?” Nono raises her kunai at his direction, “You’re lying! That’s not Kabuto! I saw the pictures they were sending me! He looks nothing like him!” She takes another step back, her only chance to get out of this alive is to try to run away from him. She has to live... she has to find Kabuto!
A pause before he pulls down his left eyelid and his pupil constricts, a force of dread overcomes Nono as she falls victim to his evil intent and she freezes in her tracks. Her flight or fight senses disabled completely and she struggles to move, her heart rate increasing by the second. He trends towards her as he reaches into his pockets and he takes out a series of photos and he hold them up in front of her face, she shudders at the sudden unexpected action, “You mean these photos? They’re all false. You of all people should know about Root’s favorite tactic, long and slow brainwashing.”
Her lips quiver as she stares at the photos in his hands, she tries to find the will to move but she still felt paralyzed in fear, “The pictures and the memories of the boy you know and loved was replaced by another. Altered to the point of unrecognition. You out to be ashamed of yourself for falling for such an easy trick.”
Analyzing her expression as she slowly comes to terms of this shocking revelation. She closes her eyes and quietly sobs as she falls down to her knees, her mind keeps denying the truth. But as she turns to stare at the body more, she notices a tiny detail that would prove that Orochimaru was telling the truth. The clear hidden scar near the top of Kabuto’s head and next to his right temple, there was no mistaking it anymore. This boy was Kabuto. She had killed her own child... no. She was tricked into killing him. She contemplates on the cruelty of Root as more tears slide down her face. Orochimaru bends down to take the kunai from her hand and they grab her by the top of her hair to lift her head up to expose her neck and he rests the kunai’s sharp edge against the soft muscle. “Wait... please don’t. The children...” She begs with pleading tearful verdant eyes as she starts to tremble at the unavoidable outcome.
He isn’t moved or show any sign of hesitation on his part as he easily pushes the blade in, making her gasp and he slowly slits it across her tender neck, slicing both jugulars in one slow sweep. Her blood spurts out and coats his pale hand like a crimson glove. She grips her throat in a poor attempt to stop the bleeding as she tries to crawl away from Orochimaru and towards Kabuto. “You couldn’t even recognize your own child or have seen the signs that you were being deceived, how could the children at the orphanage be safe with someone as ignorant as you?” He replied coldly.
A loud sloppy gag as she collapses on the ground next to the white haired corpse who seems like it was staring at her tragically as if it witnessing her dying moments, gasping and choking on her own blood as she tries to reach for him. She pitifully clings onto her slashed throat to stop the bleeding but she was spilling so much blood that she was already fading.
Her blood soaked hand reaches over to Kabuto, reaching for him until she couldn’t move anymore. Her vision blurs and she coughs her last breath.
“Kabuto... forgive me...”
Orochimaru stands solemnly between the two corpses, casually dropping the blood soaked kunai near her head. Two lives torn apart tragically all in the name of love. He stares down at the broken glasses of Kabuto’s as he puts away Kusanagi and he turns to leave.
“Shisui’s eyes used to always be so bright and happy but now they've been dull and tired. Itachi kun used to love sweets but he's turned down dango every time i bring it to him after missions.” her head hangs low “Anytime I ask them whats wrong they say ‘nothing’ and put on a fake smile and pretend its all ok but i can tell it isn't. i just don't know what to do...”
