A DANGEROUS AFFECTION [I - SASUKARIN - THEIR DEVELOPMENT, PART II]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
kanae_881008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpjDNHqdIxG
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mG3qqZNL5
I.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpNCb7yxoNO
SASUKARIN
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAawXhCL77h
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUroIKX6V7
Their Development
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxpEq7OkOqq
b) Sasuke's Downfall
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzLmhRkO14F
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzUtEBnO9n
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnPWMX5TTt
There is one more thing that must be kept in mind throughout this section, in order to not miss the point Kishimoto was trying to make. That one thing is: contrast. Contrast to everything we learned in the previous section.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKb9FzvpoX
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyX1RPqNxHG
That is the keyword.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAA1VjPsCa
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh6IePvEYAd
From the get-go, there was a brief moment in 457 that already denoted this. For the first time since their introduction, Suigetsu gets to mock Karin due to something Sasuke has said to her; even if this ‘something’ is no more than a mere “just focus on tracking the enemy’s positions for the moment, Karin”, it still gives Suigetsu the chance to laugh at her over it because Sasuke isn’t addressing her input with some of his own (as he has always done in the past), but rather, ultimately dismissing it.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJyMooUEkVz
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz1qzitFRBF
Nevertheless, it’s only in 460 that things get real. Taka is set-up by Zetsu, who alerts the Kage about their presence and intentions; as such, Karin’s worst fears come to pass as they are ambushed by a group of Samurai, and later by the Raikage himself. What is remarkable about this chapter, however, is that it bluntly marks the beginning of a sudden but steady downward: that of Sasuke into darkness.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNt3KBQCq1K
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6gbvqPGCi
Sasuke, who always made a point of not killing (anyone but Itachi) and avoiding the enemy’s vitals at all times, is now “pissed and unable to hold himself back”. He uncharacteristically mercilessly slaughters the samurai. Suigetsu is understandably annoyed at that, but Karin?1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ47KpHnKYg4
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeK3K6lX4Xy
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgeaCba2eyg
Karin is shaking. As a sensor (and one that is so sharp and in tune with others chakra that she can even notice when people lie, at that) she is able to notice the changes in Sasuke’s chakra, and what she feels in him right then is different. Moreover, in her own words, it just isn’t the same Sasuke she has known until then.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98qWtWrDSb
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ93cagkSOxV
I emphasize that because it will come to play a huge role later. So do keep in mind that from the first moment that Kishimoto made Karin comment on Sasuke’s change, she isn’t just commenting on his ‘cold’ chakra as a sensor. There is, in fact, another sensor present during this fight; but it is through Karin that Kishimoto voices Sasuke’s change because she is commenting about it as someone who knows Sasuke. The Sasuke ‘she has known until now’, her Sasuke, is the touchstone that allows her to tell there is a difference and point it out so accurately. It is her Sasuke that is explicitly contrasted with the Sasuke he is becoming.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvYpiurlT6Y
"[...] Revenge is the Uchiha clan's destiny. Sasuke has taken on the hatred of the entire clan... and he will inflict that curse's hatred on the world. Hatred is his greatest weapon, his friend... and his strength. That is Sasuke's dogma!!"1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZWGXhvsp4
- Tobi, chapter 462
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP8I4IJsdIy
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfFZNWOp7G
The battle carries on, and soon Karin becomes focused on tracking Danzou (but not without being concerned over Sasuke’s well-being, of course). However, a second reminder is issued to us in chapter 464; “… this chakra… it’s like he’s a completely different Sasuke… it’s just too cold…!!” are Karin’s thoughts as Sasuke fully awakens and employs Susano’o. Notice the side-text, and also the chapter title; both reference a ‘darkness’.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBj7pPeTNcy
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIs1bTL4H16
Sasuke himself bluntly states it in that very chapter. Sabaku no Gaara tries to talk to him, to remind him that living for revenge does not solve anything and that since they’ve “walked through the darkness of this world, they are able to see even a sliver of light”. Sasuke, however, does not bulge; “I have long since closed my eyes… my only goal is in the darkness.”1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCMifknrir
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQkHvgv7kY3
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNZOjxp0GnY
His hatred is consuming him. And at an immoderately swift pace.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOoUSrBPBk
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu00dOYC9AR
Chapter 465 opens with “an evil darkness surrounds Sasuke…”, and it is in this very chapter that we get a wake-up call about the extent to which Sasuke has changed during this battle. While up to this point Kishimoto had been reminding us of the contrast between this cold Sasuke and the old one through Karin’s observations concerning his chakra, this time around he directly establishes it through their interaction.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ907EBLhFv7
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW4cmdPvDlx
In 465, Sasuke creates an opening by crushing the pillars, thus causing the roof to fall. Everyone is caught in the commotion, Karin included; Sasuke realizes this, and fetches her. Saving her is something the usual Sasuke would have indeed done. Yet, the contrast and reminder of the fact that we’re dealing with a different, changed Sasuke comes immediately afterward.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGK3nPC81p5
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ75qn0Za8mz
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBSu92fen3r
Whereas exactly 50 chapters ago he went to extreme lengths (remember, he even risked his, Juugo’s and Suigetsu’s lives) to ensure Karin’s safety, his Susano’o now callously throws her after saving her. Whereas 51 chapters ago Sasuke cast an Amaterasu after being moved by his team, he now discards Suigetsu and Juugo and leaves them to fetch for themselves without a second thought. On top of that, he now outright orders Karin around; these are all clear differences to the way Sasuke used to behave. They’re scenes meant to be contrasted with the Sasuke we knew, and meant to reaffirm what Karin had stated in previous chapters: it is like he’s become a completely different Sasuke.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1pAqqSLAmG
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqTyBbvIwF
And all those differences prompt Karin to ask herself a question that us readers are meant to echo:1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFnVjBPm9N
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4uU9vygKI
“What's happened to you... Sasuke?!”
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvuKzCtCju8
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiq91KjZ3rC
Notice that Karin’s behavior itself—her reaction when in synergy with this new Sasuke, is also different from her usual conduct. His behavior is a total alteration to their usual dynamic, and since a dynamic works two ways, Karin herself briefly responds differently to him by keeping her upset thoughts to herself rather than giving him an earful.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDgZAiyMfX
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ22vdUQQ8WO
She is at a loss as to what prompted Sasuke’s sudden change, and she is understandably concerned over it; not having a reply to her inward question, she does as she is told and they go to Danzou together. In 466, Karin does not fail to notice that Sasuke’s chakra is getting weaker since he has been overdoing it. However, it isn’t until a couple of pages later that Sasuke meets what could—and would—have been his demise.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKTrDJ1Jxh
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbo8w0UPss
And it’s then that, for the first time ever, we see Karin being moved to tears.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK2RgLQPLxC
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtT1vOnTZgZ
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBElCoL3px6
Aside from stressing that this is the first time we see tough, level-headed and collected Karin being moved to tears (much like how the first time we saw Karin look distraught was also due to concern over Sasuke’s safety), I believe those panels speak for themselves as to just how deep do Karin’s feelings for Sasuke run.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkV7OFPRGBa
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLLesMtUiXe
Luckily, the situation turns out to be a false-alarm as Tobi has saved Sasuke. He warps him to safety in 467 and then goes to fetch Karin as well so that she can heal him. And together in Boxland is where we leave them, as the manga shifts its focus to other characters.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvC1LpM6vxm
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwVJLTAh2YP
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAlGQOOeVRd
It isn’t until chapter 475 that Sasuke and Karin return to the manga. And if the Kage Summit signified the beginning of Sasuke’s downfall into Darkness (or his Slowly Slipping Into Evil), his upcoming fight with Shimura Danzou—and what happens during it. What Sasuke does during it—cements his change, and shows us just how deep he has sunk.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMHBrud01i
“The [end of the] battle against Danzou will determine Sasuke’s Path. He [Kishomoto] told us that he wrote something big happening with Sasuke.”1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Fw5tBZs1T
- Report of Jump Festa 2010.
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9Bjrhyato
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW8uRL668VB
The fight lasts for 6 chapters, so I will skip commenting on the details (like Karin’s reaction to Sasuke’s Susano’o, what seems to be confirmation of the fact that Karin was aware of the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, etc.) and focus on the most important parts. From the beginning of the fight, Karin does her best to support Sasuke; from trying to stay focused and figure out Danzou’s ability to warning him of incoming danger. The highlight of this comes in 478 when Sasuke has been paralyzed by a seal; as previously stated, Karin isn’t the offensive type. She is top-notch support in all ways, but up to that point, her attack power had been nothing short of limited. As such, she would not have been able to do much in a fight as crazy as Danzou vs Sasuke.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLH1MGUzWRI
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ55qBCV4wiQ
She herself knew this. But that did not stop her from trying.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqMmilon4o
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGyeybRJ48N
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6cA4vaYOG
Yet again, prompted by her concern and feelings for Sasuke, we see the usual cautious and rational Karin spring into action and willingly endangering herself all for a chance to ensure his own safety. Even while hurt, she attempts to move and go to him once more. And with details like these, Kishimoto effectively proved wrong (for the umpteenth time) those who mistakenly downplayed the strength of Karin’s feelings for Sasuke.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYHz7Iwd6O7
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvF5EjAjJ6x
Sasuke’s pain and hatred give him a surge of power strong enough to ‘level-up’ his Susano’o and break the seal. And for the first time since 464, we get another notice of Sasuke’s change.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEL8aRS9kz7
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKqovDZjMa
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC4Rg6eingr
479’s cliffhanger features Sasuke and Danzou impaling each other. 480 reveals that Sasuke outsmarted Danzou and came out on top; take a close look at his reaction and behavior immediately afterward—it will become relevant soon enough.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBsvI1sHkQ
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIJARN5a6C
Sasuke is badly hurt and drained, so Karin hurries to go to his side and heal him. As he bites her, we pan to Tobi, who is watching them and comments on the scene: “that girl… it was a good thing to bring her along. She is useful… and Sasuke specifically chose her as his favorite.”1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT6OW9s9pCk
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9bXsuQRml
(there is the raw, in case anyone doubts the wording)
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5IBj199AyP
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2Exbu30jE
However, Danzou refuses to give up. And he uses a cheap tactic that backfires on him and ultimately leads to what becomes Sasuke’s real turning point (or his Moral Event Horizon).1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccyalNGO5m
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTELrUEhpoD
He takes Karin hostage.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYww5BV6pyk
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAbkcWCkhCk
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEZ1xD7cpOf
Tobi himself wonders what Sasuke would do, now; which by itself already implies that usually, Karin's safety being on the line would put Sasuke in a tight spot.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqzuTlARp8
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD4cmVe4fd0
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwA11LP9OC
Sasuke begins by remarking on the hypocrisy of Danzou’s earlier words; all this talk about self-sacrifice, and you take a hostage? Notice how while Kishimoto skillfully shows us the scene from various angles, he never shows us Sasuke’s eyes; we are supposed to wonder what would Sasuke choose to do, much like Tobi himself did.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzXcqzeiXKI
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTgGNhTvTT
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ453uggjOmY
And the answer is supposed to be dismaying, and outrageous.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNhjxbTrXMG
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwL2e6ywgE
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHz8KhzpUbf
He actually opts to take his revenge through Karin’s body, and it is then that the title of the chapter, Sacrifice, makes all the sense in the world. And it is also now that you must recall his behavior immediately after the first time he thought he had beat Danzou, and compare it to his face right here, 1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdT0Z37wo1D
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgewYlfv9G
and here.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvrl9TDd4Xb
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRon5wX21sD
The contrast is colossal; and what marked the difference between relatively-sane-but-changed Sasuke and mad-man, gone-off-the-deep-end Sasuke?1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjqwfBX1qRZ
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeMrVsfeaY
Sacrificing Karin.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2z4EWgEWfz
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW9HqonoPFI
Notice also how in that very chapter, Karin was fittingly individualized from Taka and highlighted as Sasuke's 'favorite'; in other words, the fact that she does mean something to Sasuke was highlighted. As such, even the side-text itself doesn't fail to illustrate that the point isn’t only that Sasuke callously stabbed someone, but that it was Karin; the girl for whom he risked his life in 415—which was, coincidentally, the biggest and last remarkable good deed the usual Sasuke did before his downward into darkness.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡin4XZELXJ7
“Sasuke sacrifices Karin for his revenge and enters true darkness…!!”
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2beMCcQwzn
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMrOkBwyC6
And so in a split-second everything Kishimoto had been alluding to since 465 comes to a head; and much like how Karin was the commentator throughout the whole process of Sasuke’s change, and how Kishimoto established the contrast even more through their interactions—it is Karin (and their bond) that ultimately becomes the threshold to Sasuke stepping into “true” darkness (much like how Naruto was Sasuke’s threshold back in VotE).1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcBiCV0q9o
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9brzrnmMkN
Teachan, from Naruto Forums, summarized the meaning of this very accurately in the following comment:1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvpF9wNe7y
“This is Kishimoto's proof that Sasuke is not himself anymore: stabbing Karin mercilessly after a page-panel of madness. Kishimoto wants us to believe that what Sasuke is doing is a monstrosity. While he had Sakura going there, he could easily make her the victim. But, no, he chose another one for the job. What does this mean?1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTLShN0yyR
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6QOh3z3wu
Karin is important. She is the means to show how far Sasuke has gone into the darkness. Not anyone else is fit for the job. Why? Because Karin is the person closest to Sasuke right now.”1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlpf7A274Zo
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkY4CDOy27h
- original post here.
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhdMnAMheF0
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6imu2SsPgu
If one stops to consider it all from a writer’s perspective, it honestly is as simple as that; as previously mentioned, she was the only person Sasuke has risked his life for in the entirety of Part II so far. It was for her that he awakened a new power. It was she the one he deemed as necessary, and the one he trusted his back to; it was she who loyally stuck to him through thick and thin through Part II, who never condemned him for seeking revenge for his clan, and to whom he owed his life in equal measure as to how she owed him hers. She has been there to witness or aid him during many of the most pivotal moments of his development. As such, Sasuke actually going as far as sacrificing her on his own free will effectively cement the contrast Kishimoto was aiming for—much like how it was through Sasuke’s bond with Naruto that we got to witness just how far Sasuke was willing to go to obtain the power for his revenge, back at the end of Part 1 (which was casually the last time we witnessed a “[...] completely changed Sasuke!”).1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrEuHqNEj4q
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyxCpa0B7V
Before continuing to address the following chapters, however, I must do a quick fast-forward to bring up the quote that best illustrates this. And said quote happens to belong to Sasuke himself.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNJmW13RrSQ
"[...] You are someone, who knows the same pain of loneliness as I do. And... that pain makes a person stronger. Because of that, by severing these bonds... I'll gain even more strength."1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuoXK3BVC7a
- Sasuke to Naruto, here and here.
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXGTNAxiSz
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zk9SDBw9L
That was in Chapter 230. Sasuke casually does not mention that philosophy of his again until Chapter 574, where he flashbacks to that very scene. “Did you forget it, Naruto…? What true strength is…?” it’s funny that he wonders if Naruto has ‘forgotten’ it, considering that Sasuke himself found a different source of strength back in 414 and 415. Yet, here we find that he has regressed into his end-of-Part-1 mindset.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgHguF6Spd
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcKrk9t76px
Something Kishimoto has him do only after he has stabbed Karin, severing his bond with her (which was the last one he had consciously allowed himself to carry, as he claims to have severed his bonds with T7 back in Part 1, and he already left Suigetsu and Juugo behind in 465). That alone is telling enough. That stab was meant to showcase a lot of things, yes; but Sasuke not caring about Karin was not one of them. Just about the opposite, actually.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9vt4oOKhl
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo21IOjC8Z4
Now that has been said, we can go back to focusing on the chapters following 480. 481 begins with yet another reminder of what Sasuke has done (and to whom he has done that too), and it features a clear-cut contrast to chapter 348 as well.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGqpdQjTcJ5
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOw681vGFrt
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2w8ci7gWuY
Where Sasuke once found her necessary, he now deems her as an encumbrance. Two things are worth pointing out about this short but meaningful exchange: the first is that this is the first time his bond with Karin has directly stood in the way of his revenge. Before this fight, Karin was always an asset, to the point Sasuke took her with him without hesitating even after going dark. His bond with her was something he simply did not need to question or think about because it represented no hindrance to him or his purposes.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzg2uKIwDK
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡix5rfQF8kD
However, that does effectively change the moment Karin is caught hostage; because this time around he was faced with a dire and conscious choice between his revenge and her well-being—between his revenge and his bond with her. He made a selfish, foul choice, and it prompts Karin to question just what was she to him.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMm2U8z3uJ
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFYjsh863i
And that is precisely the second thing worth pointing out; Karin actually does not ask that aloud. She does not even finish the question in her own mind. All she gets out is a simple “I…” and yet, Sasuke reacts to it and actually bothers to reply.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡakxYjYCBir
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJRBXInjx0
The rest of the 481 focuses on Danzou and his dying flashbacks, but we return to SasuKarin in Chapter 482. A chapter that, much like 415, would go down as one of the most important chapters for this pairing.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmIF7XcLap
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvw3iSdzEvu
Tobi advises Sasuke to finish Karin off properly. We see Sasuke looking up at the sky in thought, before approaching Karin. Meanwhile, Karin is remembering something.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnnxLd6F8hm
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGFLoo3lwd
The first time they met. Which unexpectedly took place back in the Chuunin exams, when they were 12-13 years old. Sasuke jumps in (using his Shishi Rendan for the very first time, chronologically) and saves her from being eaten by a wild bear. Karin, however, possesses the earth scroll—just like Team 7. Looking at the water canteen Sasuke is carrying with him, it’s evident that this flashback canonically takes place during Chapter 60, during which Sasuke was considerably stressed out and on edge because they were running out of chances to get the Heaven Scroll they needed.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrTrAY6bmF
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcqXoF1rp9o
So one would think that Sasuke would have been annoyed at the fact that Karin did not have the scroll he was looking for, right? Moreover, considering Sasuke’s personality, it would have been only natural if he were to find Karin pitiful; helplessly sprayed on the ground like that and half-blind to top it off.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLDkR5W2JIh
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKxaXRvFWuf
Yet… what is it that we see?1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl2NTsYQnVO
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTz1x2EweB8
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSoC9BAvVP
Sasuke smiles at her. The very first (and only) smile of its kind that 12-year-old Sasuke gave anyone in the manga. And it is that smile—literally, Karin’s Sasuke that Kishimoto directly juxtaposes with the current one. We are literally seeing Sasuke’s change through Karin’s own eyes, in the culmination of the process that began back in 460; from commenting on the changes of his chakra to the changes of his attitude and behavior to experiencing it all in her own flesh—Karin and SasuKarin undoubtedly were Kishimoto’s instrument to drive home Sasuke’s descent into Darkness, and just how far he sunk. Though we have already been over how meaningful that is.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSd9v3oyYKH
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVY4EC5OWt
It’s also worth noticing how Sasuke uses the exact same words but for opposite purposes. The casual ‘See ya’ that was once a greeting and marked the beginning of his bond with her, is now a farewell that marks the moment when he is about to irrevocably sever their bond.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVhCVAz7GVI
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ44UsTHNw8m
Lastly, there is one last thing that made 482 (titled “once more…”) so special.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAnYsgjfvAn
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFsGlyEHHqe
“I just wanted… to see that face once more….”
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyf2gvKNKby
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5TJw4FnYgE
Karin’s fuel—the reason why she stuck with Sasuke through thick and thin and helped him in any and every way she could, was in hopes of being able to witness him making such an expression again. All along, all Karin wanted to see was Sasuke being happy. Love does not get more selfless than that. And it is also a very nice bonus that the chapter itself was titled after Karin’s words; meaning, SasuKarin, and Karin’s flashbacks were the core of this chapter.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHc8xUIRxp
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSwZoDF20s
For some reason or another, Sasuke (luckily) does not go through with it [finishing her off] right away. Three pages later, Sasuke is still merely readying his Chidori—and this gives Sakura enough time to arrive at the scene and interrupt it. In 483, we see yet another showcase of just how selfless Karin truly is—Sasuke is bluffing, tricking Sakura into thinking that if she kills Karin, he would let her join him. Yet when Sakura turns her back to him, Sasuke does not hesitate to go for the kill. Karin, who has not asked to be spared not even once, addresses him then—and asks him not to do it. Despite what he has done to her, Karin does not want Sasuke to take another innocent life; she does not want to watch him sink even further.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEt9xo2DApJ
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7EMi8pxNWB
484 highlights Karin’s emotional strength; but also her pain, and her empathic nature. The boy she loves sacrificed her, yet just like she never asked him to spare her life, she does not shed a single tear for herself, either. 1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡalhUhvWrku
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV1o2FhE5GY
It is only through empathizing with Sakura’s tears that Karin loses hold of her emotions and the tears finally come out, but she is evidently not happy to be crying. This scene only served to show just how big Karin tearing up at the thought of Sasuke dying truly was, back in Chapter 466.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwCCohEFccE
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1L7mJf0QwV
But by now, given everything, the fact that Karin selflessly loves him with all her heart is nothing but a given.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVrEFduKwr
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqlghRc1fdS
484 also features Sasuke’s hatred reaching yet another high, and Karin pointing out that he simply is not the person any of them used to know. Given everything that happened, Karin knows this better than anyone. And it is that knowledge that which makes her words in 485 all the more meaningful:1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk6Y7oY6Jqn
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdyS4wyKbAl
“Sasuke… I may have healed you a little, but this is too much…1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCplWiikrJ
No… that’s enough… [of] about Sasuke…”
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Twg9wenGE
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFu7eQKP4c8
I am using the raw of the second panel rather than its scanlation, so that the tone and feeling of the original line can be captured better. It is evident due to them alone that Karin is hesitant; which is not only backed up by the mood of the panel (look at it, it’s deliberately made so that Karin looks small, lonely and desolate) but also by the panel that came directly before it. Karin’s instinctive reaction is to be concerned over the fact that Sasuke is overdoing it, as she would have usually been; yet then her mind steps in. And her mind, her assertiveness tells her that no, it’s enough. Because Sasuke betrayed her. He hurt her.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfTNCaeI4a
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1NtVOs8g8q
And more than that, he simply is “not the Sasuke you used to know”. He is a “completely different Sasuke.” He has essentially changed into a stranger. His essence and his chakra and his behavior and his words are the opposite of how he usually was; of the Sasuke Karin fell for, bled for, fought for.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQb4edbjGM
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNJa5WlE5u
It is enough. But that does not mean she has stopped loving him; far from it.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZ9WLhF8tq
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVvNxX1czun
This scene is actually the best thing any SasuKarin and Karin fan could have asked for, given what happened. With a single line, Kishimoto adeptly demonstrated two things—the first, is that Karin has the self-respect and assertiveness enough to not put up with just about anything Sasuke may pull; she is not about to knock herself down a notch below him and let him do as he pleases, which is one of the fundamental traits that make her such a good match for Sasuke. The second, is that it reiterates that Karin is not in love with an illusion. It also suggests that we eventually will see the stab being addressed, which is great because no one ever seems to actually want to confront Sasuke about this sort of thing, which they should; because motives aside, these are things Sasuke chooses to do himself and is, as such, responsible for them. (update: as of 627, this assumption was proven to be right on the money.)1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPRSLIxcdlG
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YVS4XdIsT
Lastly, to finally wrap this section up (I swear I never intended for it to be this long, but there truly is a lot to say—I'm actually leaving out some stuff I will touch on other sections) there is a scene in 487 that may come to play a role later.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWY0asc6WQE
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXt7sVF5wC7
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSvZ8SeKt9
This is Karin reacting to the very moment Sasuke decided to give in and accept Naruto’s request (meaning, Naruto did reach him); making a promise that, as we later found out, he does intend to uphold.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6qnzkyFh6J
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPtNwiBLEL
Sasuke leaves with Tobi and Karin is then taken into custody by Konoha (coincidentally, getting to interact with Team 7 while she is at it. It may not look like it now for some, but is important that Kishimoto let Karin be present in the Team 7 reunion) and we don’t see her or Sasuke again for nearly 90 chapters.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgFPrFzwBh
1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLHI5dK3q2y
Yet, Kishimoto still found ways to deliver SasuKarin.1008Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu7PM4WszUC
Their Development: c) Their Rising
ns216.73.216.82da2
