In the story of Naruto an ongoing theme is highlighting innate human hypocrisy and duality. As humans, we thrive for conflict but advocate for peace. Either its through competition, greed or jealousy. In this thread i will be talking about Sasuke Uchiha and >>

how his progression and hypocrisy culminates in his ending monologue and resolution. A wide misconception frequently seen in Naruto discourse is that Sasuke’s resolution came out of nowhere. I hope this thread helps clear that up so now lets get into it.

Sasuke Uchiha was a happy, young, out-going boy. He deeply loved his family and zealously admired his father and older brother. This desire to impress Fugaku and emulate Itachi pushed Sasuke to pursue strength very early on in his youth. But his world was >>

turned upside down when Itachi killed their entire clan. This would eventually send Sasuke down a path filled with darkness and loneliness. He would later be consumed by his pursuit of power, aiming to kill Itachi and avenge his clan all the while. This lonely path eventually >>

lead Sasuke to come to the conclusion that loneliness/ pain were the way to obtain the strength. While enjoying adventures with Team 7, he slowly felt as if he was losing focus and had ceased to progress toward his goal. To make matters worse, a reunion with Itachi opens old >>

wounds and seemingly validates the doubts and insecurities Sasuke’s been harboring. Seeing Naruto actively try to gain acknowledgement and bonds, Sasuke was reminded of his own family and situation. As he came to better know this kindred spirit and the rest of Squad 7, his >>

happiness made him lose sight of hatred and revenge. And as those feelings became less focused, Sasuke began to fear and doubt both himself and the path he was on. Naruto had a strength Sasuke didnt have. No matter what, Naruto stayed true to his convictions. He was getting >>

stronger while Sasuke felt like he’d stagnated. And the more Naruto closed the gap between them, the more Sasuke was reminded of his own insecurities. By severing his ties, he would no longer be faced with reminders of his weakness or distractions from his goals.

Hypocrisy is claiming to have moral standards that are contradictory to one's heart/actions. Sasuke's hypocrisy lies within his heart. He actively tries to cut his bonds, claiming its a way to gain power, but as Tobirama tells us: "sharingan are the eyes that reflect the heart".

The progression mirrors what the user truly wants or feels. The 1st stable awakening Sasuke gets is in LOWs. He awakens it trying to save Naruto. His love for his comrades awakened new powers. Therefore their bond is the first stepping stone to greater power, not loneliness.

He risked his dream for Naruto, showing how much he cares for his comrade. This is the start of Sasuke's progression of power. This also shows that Naruto was more important to him than his revenge. His wavering heart not only shows his hypocrisy but the weakness he saw within.

Conviction was what he felt he lacked. While Naruto stayed firm with his goals and built bonds, Sasuke could only doubt his own commitment. The more he saw Naruto grow. The constant battle of choosing love or hate would lead him to believe that only one course was correct.

In the forest of death, Sasuke convictions were tested by Orochimaru and the curse mark. He was happy with team 7, he finally found bonds again but to tame the curse mark he had to remind himself of his goal of revenge. This power would highlight Sasuke's lack of growth.

Later Orochimaru, the man that exposed the Leaf’s weaknesses, would offer him power at the cost of leaving the Leaf and severing all his ties there. After Sasuke lost to Gaara, who claimed his hate was stronger, the path of loneliness only looked more promising to Sasuke.

The 2nd progression Sasuke has tht contradicts his beliefs is during the 1st valley battle. Sasuke tells Naruto that he doesn't understand and never will because he never had any bonds to lose to begin with. Because he had the bonds to lose, Sasuke wants his pain acknowledged.

Naruto counters by describing the bonds he currently has with the people closest to him, saying that he imagines having Sasuke in his life is what it feels like to have a brother. Sasuke connects with this because he feels the same in his heart but Sasuke must betray his feelings

This connection awakens Sasuke's 3 tomoe sharingan, once again showing his ongoing hypocrisy as his bonds continue to strengthen him.
Sasuke even admits that if he were to cut his bond with Naruto he would be in even more pain, therefore he would become even stronger.

Sasuke’s power only increased because he understood Naruto's words and feelings. He acknowledged Naruto and therefore the bond grew and gave him strength. He felt the same way that Naruto did. Without love/bonds Sasuke cant gain power but without hate he cant achieve his goal.

Naruto didn’t understand Sasuke’s pain, instead he was fighting to avoid coming to know that pain. He was ignorantly forcing his will onto to Sasuke in a partly selfish display. But Sasuke understood Naruto’s dilemma and acknowledged him as a true friend all the same.

He enters the darkness and casts everything aside to pursue his goal. His conviction to pursue Itachi would be now absolute. The only thing that would matter was his hatred. He later calls out Naruto's conviction as well, saying that precious things cause people to lose sight.

As implied before, Itachi was the symbol of everything wrong in Sasuke’s world. So if Itachi could be killed, Sasuke could finally live a great life and indulge in happiness. That all changes when he learns the truth. Itachi’s death was only the beginning of his true pain.

The 3rd sharingan progression Sasuke has that highlights his hypocrisy is the awakening of the MS. Just after hearing the truth about his brother, Sasuke realized just how loving his older brother was.He knew how much pain Itachi was in. Itachi did everything for Sasuke and > >

harbored deep guilt. Itachi's loving bond with Sasuke awakens new power for him. The precious bonds Sasuke called distractions were not only the key to this awakneing but the very reason Itachi could stay so firm and focused on his ultimate mission.

But Sasuke wanted to surpass Itachi. After hearing the truth, every thing Sasuke does stems from his denial. If his path was constructed by Itachi, then all the bonds he severed and his revenge would be meaningless.

The desire to surpass his older brother would turn into a desire to avenge him. The symbol of wrong in the world went from Itachi to the leaf; to the elders that ordered the mission, to the system that willingly commits genocide for peace.

This flaw to surpass and truly understand Itachi would further lead him down the path of darkness. Not the path Itachi laid for him but a path he chose himself. Sasuke decides to enact justice and destroy the vile system that destroyed his clan and beloved brother.

The Truth of Itachi was the first step for Sasuke in learning how important bonds truly are. Be they those with his old teammates or the teammates he used as tools, Sasuke’s journey requires comrades in order to come to fruition.

During the fight against Bee, Sasuke awakens amaterasu. These “tools” aka Taka deeply cared for Sasuke. During this fight they risked everything to protect him; he reciprocated those feelings and they reminded him of team 7. Once again his bonds were the source of his power.

Being the srouce of his power but not quite the source of his success. Later seeing them as a liability in the five kage summit, Sasuke escapes without Suigetsu and Jugo and strikes Karin in order to kill Danzo. By sacrificing his bonds he was able to succeed in his goals.

To make matters worse, he meets Sakura and Kakashi and because they failed to redeem him, they show up to cut Sasuke down. He mocked them but he didn’t mock Naruto when he arrived.
When Naruto says he was his friend he just repeated his convictions to further reaffirm himself.

Naruto told Sasuke either he would succeed in bringing him back or they both would die in the process of him trying. It was no longer just Naruto’s job, part of the task and consequences would lie with Sasuke.

In Naruto, fighting doubles as a form of communication, where when two high level shinobi clash, they can learn of each other’s thoughts. Sasuke seeks out more power to crush Naruto but the more power they gain the better understanding they will have of one another as well.

As stated previously, one of the key cores for Sasuke’s character is acknowledgement, when he was young he just wanted his father to see him as his own person but he felt he was always in Itachi’s shadow. Itachi and Sasuke would encounter each other in the war and face Kabuto.

Sasuke talks to his brother one last time and Itachi admits his mistakes and apologizes to Sasuke for manipulating him. If Itachi told him the truth, Sasuke possibly could have changed the Uchiha. Itachi acknowledges Sasuke as his own person, not just as his little brother.

Itachi acknowledges Sasuke's path and tells him that regardless of whatever he does, he will always love him.This sparks questions within Sasuke. How could Itachi die for the village that put him through so much pain? Itachi stayed true to his mission to the very end. >>

Sasuke seeks out the past hokages that know all the answers to his questions to learn more about the bonds that Itachi valued so much that he forfeited his life to them.

Sasuke meets the kages and learns of the past, the system, and the world. The First Hokage tells him the tale of he and Madara and through this Sasuke comes up with his ultimate answer. Which leads me to his 4th hypocrisy: the rinnegan.

After Naruto and Sasuke were almost killed by Madara, they met with Hagaromo, the sage of six paths. Hagaromo told them about the endless cycle of hatred and shinobi life throughout the years leading up to their era. He then told them about the upcoming threat.

Once again faced with the choice of who to entrust his power to, Hagaromo hears out their answers to the ultimate question of the shinobi world. Naruto and Sasuke bond and their answers impress Hagaromo enough to entrust both of them the power of both paths.

Once again, Sasuke’s hypocrisy is shown and he is granted even greater power as a byproduct of the bonds he has built throughout the story.

This answer would be Sasuke’s resolution. Sasuke states he wants to commit revolution and cast out the past that made genocide for the greater good acceptable. His answer would also be a mixture of the two people he looks up the most.

Itachi and Naruto are the two people Sasuke acknowledges the most. Just like Itachi, he would smother the flames of hatred with his own flame. And Like Naruto, he would have the villages cooperate in pursuit of a new future.

But Sasuke was only forcing the world to acknowledge his way of thinking. Just as Itachi says “those who are acknowledged become Hokage, not those who seek acknowledgment through becoming Hokage.

Doing everything yourself will only lead you down a path obsessed with obtaining power. Also the people you care about are the ones who help you become strong, if your forsake those bonds and forget them during your journey, you risk becoming just like Madara.

Sasuke’s hypocrisy highlights what he forgot, the bonds that helped him throughout his journey. He wanted to destroy/forget them in order to achieve his version of peace, just as itachi did. By acknowledging Naruto and finding understanding, Sasuke admits he >>

was also chasing after Naruto as Naruto was chasing him. The rivalry and bond they shared pushed Sasuke to become stronger and hide his weaknesses he found in himself while watching Naruto. The core of Sasuke's character is acknowledgement.

By getting stronger than Naruto, Naruto would acknowledge Sasuke is stronger. But Naruto was the symbol of Sasuke's weakness. As they trained he found happiness but as Naruto got stronger rapidly he found jealousy within himself. Naruto had a strength Sasuke didnt have.

Sasuke would finally find someone who understood and acknowledged his pain by communicating thru conflict to surpass each other.

Thru his journey Sasuke got to reflect on his days with Naruto and better understand why he never gave up on him. Naruto and Sasuke endured hardships and pain to better understand each other and find those answers to cure their ignorance.

To keep enduring until u find an answer or achieve your goal. To keep searching for hope no matter wht. Thts wht it means to be a ninja.