~*~*~*Why Uchiha Sasuke*~*~*~

[W]ithout Sasuke, the series just seemed to have nowhere to go. I was thinking this was bad and I'd get cancelled after ten weeks. [laughs]. The editor then suggested creating a rival. And what was born was Sasuke." - Masashi Kishimoto, The Toriyama World Interview

I adore Sasuke, inspite and despite of everything. My poor, pressured love, who at a very young age, was given the difficult role of an "Avenger". Whenever I am in forums and I happen to drop by any Naruto thread, Sasuke was always at the losing end. He's always taunted, mislabeled and criticized and only defended by crazed fangirls who likes him just because he's good-looking and a cool bad-ass. Why? Why can't they understand him? That's when I decided to stop defending him against those incapable of knowing who the real Sasuke is. Don't get me wrong and call me a hypocrite. I liked Sasuke the moment he's introduced in the series because of his looks and demeanor too. But my admiration for him deepens until I find myself accepting him along with his flaws. Sasuke is known to have an aristocratic air of sophistication around him and in school, he's a genius rookie who either meets or breaks all expectations. Sasuke is idolized, much as he is envied. He is not a coward and certainly no fool. He is not whiny and he's not gay. He was driven to be the way he is because of his past. I dare say NO ONE would've chosen the path he took because NO OTHER is brave enough to do it. He couldn't even be compared to Naruto because Uzumaki-kun didn't get to see his whole family killed by his very own brother. And they presume Naruto is any better than Sasuke. They share the same loneliness and they were both alone and abandoned but it's due to diffrent circumstances therefore Sasuke's pain cannot be compared to Naruto's. Sasuke may be living in fear that he may not live up to the Uchiha name and the role of the avenger but he's willing to give it a shot. He even go as far as sacrificing his own happiness just to take up on that responsibility he didn't even choose but was appointed to him. He was doomed with ridiculously high expectations. As if his prestigious pedigree wasn't pressure enough, the esteemed reputation his father and older brother held within the clan and the village was also weighed down on his small shoulders. Sasuke is also a gifted child but he will NEVER be Itachi. Long before the night that forever altered the course of his life, Sasuke lived with the painful knowledge that he would never quite measure up to the standards set before him. First by his father, then his older brother whom he idolized *and in a way, still does*. As much as I love Sasuke, I also pity him. Though a good portion of his hatred is alloted to Itachi, majority of it is focused on himself. The brief return of Itachi in the village and his sudden interest in Naruto Uzumaki than his own brother further fuel Sasuke's insecurity. As a result, Sasuke come to the conclusion that should the day come that he is defeated by Naruto before he can get to Itachi, then his life's dream of surpassing Itachi and avenging his clan would be nothing more than that - a dream. And it would destroy him. Why can't anyone understand him? Why? But I do. From the bottom of my heart... I do. Not because of love or pity but because he is the epitome of purity stained with human desire and the eternal quest for salvation and freedom. I love my Sasuke and nothing will ever change that.