Naruto Shippuden - Eps. 197 & 198 | REACTION

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan I know people say Shippuden is pain and we focus a lot on actual Pain himself and the recent arc with that, but Naruto taking a beating just for Sasuke is painful in a lot of ways. Not only is he obviously standing up for a homie, but he's standing up for a homie who in every aspect, might not feel the same way and would be prepared to kill him.

I could write an essay about this (and probably will one day LMFAO), but Naruto and Sasuke's relationship is complicated yet simple, and while many might believe Naruto is just barking up the wrong tree so to speak, this is literally what relationships are like in the real world. Why is it frustrating to see Naruto defend Sasuke at the expense of his own life when Sasuke himself has given him no reason to? (I know we have reason but for many that reason would be long gone)

Because that's how partners can be with each other. Some people stay with others in order to try and positively influence them or to change them, or some stand by their partners because they can appreciate and see the good under the rubble, whereas all other people see is the bad and dirty. I'm not saying either is more admirable than the other or that one is right and wrong, because each situation is different and sometimes these intentions while good in nature become toxic or hurt the one who stays / burdens the other, etc. The beauty of this relationship though lies in its complexity in that regard. Is Naruto just standing by a friend for no reason? Maybe. That's why it's frustrating. How many times have you seen a friend do that in real life and seen them get hurt? A lot, probably. on the other hand, how many times have we read stories of people who have been able to stop others from entering darkness only to come out with a new reason to live - a new life. A lot! This is just my theory / perspective, but I like how despire the criticism it receives, Naruto and Sasuke's relationship isn't one built on sandstone, but one that has been quite literally forged through beatings, tough situations, common struggles, common enemies and rivalry. But also...how many friends have you ever made or people have you come to know and get along with even though you had a negative first impression? The answer again for a large number of people is probably: a lot.

All this to say that I love how he stands up for his friend and won't rat him out. That's family. If we're talking about breaking the cycle of hatred and breaking the cycle of this generational pain passed on to not just everyone in this world but also Sasuke, then the only ways to do it are with understanding, patience, compassion and communication. Surprisingly, Naruto has embodied all of these since the beginning with Sasuke. No matter how much it feels like he just started on his journey to breaking the cycle of hatred, he's actually been doing this since the very beginning. Whether or not Sasuke remains a best friend to Naruto or not isn't really the focus imo, but it's rather just Naruto drilling into Sasuke's head at this point that he can empathise, and there are other ways. Revenge won't bring Itachi or the Uchiha back, and having grown up with him, Naruto knows that Sasuke is more than just 'vengeance'.

Don't know why I wrote all this but lets just chalk it up to: this isn't one of my favourite stories ever for no reason. Lmao

More parts dropping over the next few days y'all! Sorry they've been slow. I'm in a new place with pretty ass internet, I'm looking after some reeeeeeeeeeeally needy and very loud puppies 24/7 and so my filming and posting times have been pretty dramatically impacted along with the sleep lmao. I ran them ragged yesterday so I could film this (hence the yawns at the start because I ran myself ragged too 😭🥹) but I really hope you enjoy this one!

Oh and let's not even get fucking STARTED on Danzō being the 6th man my goodness LMAO