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Naruto Uzumaki can sometimes be too kind for his good, as some fans of Naruto have stated. This is especially true where Sasuke Uchiha is concerned, given the many crimes he committed throughout the anime.
That's not to say Sasuke's atonement was insufficient or that he hasn't been working towards being a good person at all, only that people tend to be surprised when Naruto Uzumaki and the show itself decide to throw a bone at Sasuke now and again even when he was in his anti-hero/villain phase.
This article will indulge in this, showing where Naruto, the show, was kind to Sasuke in many areas and how surprising it was for most fans.
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Note: This article is the author's opinion and will contain spoilers for Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto.
10 Times Naruto was surprisingly kind to Sasuke
1) Reduced Sasuke's jail time drastically
One of the more controversial points at the end of Shippuden was Sasuke being let out of jail after a year. Sasuke was instrumental in ending the Shinobi World War and dealing with Kaguya afterward. His crimes of betraying his village, actual murder of the samurai, and practically murdering Danzo, not to mention holding the Tailed Beasts and other Kage hostage, should've been given life imprisonment if Kakashi was to be believed.
So, naturally, fans were surprised that Sasuke was let out after only a year. But given plenty of schools of thought where prison sentences are not rehabilitation, together with several examples of this in Naruto and the fact that redemptions tend to pay off more times than not in the series? It's not surprising that Sasuke was given a reduced sentence, and holding a grudge wouldn't look good given that Naruto's a world hero and Kakashi was the Sixth Hokage.
2) Sakura marrying Sasuke
This one had fans and critics riled up, considering the number of times Sasuke attempted to kill her. While Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke preceded Naruto, most fans found their relationship drastically one-sided. Sakura crushed on Sasuke somewhat hard during the first part but seemingly got over it during Shippuden.
Sakura still decided to marry him and even have Sarada with him. This was shockingly nice given Sasuke's hostility, especially towards Sakura. That being said, Sasuke accepted his prison sentence, didn't get a new arm when offered, and self-imposed a world walking atonement quest. He sincerely apologized when he was broken and weakened, and Kishimoto himself stated that Sasuke genuinely fell in love with her.
3) Karin forgiving Sasuke
With Sakura marrying Sasuke at the end of the series, rankling more than a few fans, Karin forgiving him easily was a weird turn for many more. For context, Karin was a part of Hebi and Taka and was heavily infatuated with Sasuke. The trouble was that the further they went along, the more grim Sasuke got, and the more Karin started to worry about him.
During the Five Kage Summit, Sasuke shot through Karin to nail Danzo with a Chidori spear. Sasuke didn't seem to have any feelings for Karin other than seeing her as someone in his way; Karin being done with Sasuke was more than appreciated afterward. But then, when they met up again toward the end of the Ninja War, Karin bounced back and forth between anger and giddy appreciation that Sasuke was alive. In the end, Sasuke was forgiven as Karin couldn't stay mad at him for long.
4) The Sage of Six paths granting half power to Sasuke
Whether it's the boost of the Tailed Beasts or the growth that the Sage of the Six Paths gives Naruto and Sasuke, they tend to turn the tide of battle quickly. Which led some fans to ask one fundamental question: why was Sasuke given half that power?
The answer is simple: the sage saw the reincarnations of his sons Indra and Asura in Naruto and Sasuke. They had the power to change the world, for good or ill. So, feeding them both the story of Indra and Asura from different perspectives also helped shape or reaffirm their world views. It was also necessary to stop Kaguya, and Naruto wasn't strong enough to hold all of it.
5) Itachi's last words to Sasuke
Frankly, Sasuke's been through a lot as a kid. So too has everyone else in the series, but Sasuke saw his family butchered and was subjected to endless looping, Sharingan illusions of being killed. That would be enough to mess anyone up, but discovering the whole truth about Itachi further messed him up.
So he and Itachi have to team up to fight Kabuto and discover he was used as a pawn and was to be given to Kabuto later? It resulted in Sasuke nearly mentally breaking further were it not for him having to help Itachi redeem himself. Plus, Itachi did reconcile with him as his spirit faded away and stated he'd love him no matter what. This caused Sasuke to start snapping out of his anger and hate and looking for the Hokage's whole truth.
6) The Curse of Hatred
As far as destinies go, being destined to be a lonely, sad, and hateful person sucks. The Curse of Hatred was imposed on Indra's descendants after Indra tried to kill Asura. The curse was the opposite of the Will of Fire. Whereas the Will of Fire emphasized sacrificing for the many, echoing the "Needs of the Many" Vulcan saying from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Curse emphasized offering the many for the few, specifically the Uchiha Clan.
The Curse did affect Sasuke as he was looking out for his interests, betraying Orochimaru, and killing Itachi. It also died following his and Naruto's final battle, when Sasuke's eyes finally opened to Naruto as a friend, Sakura as a romantic partner, and recognized his own strength, among other things.
7) Both his teams stuck by him
Sasuke betrayed both Team 7 and Hebi/Taka twice over. He tried to kill Team 7 multiple times. He likewise left his team for dead during the Five Kage Summit. Naruto, and Sakura, to a lesser extent, always professed that Sasuke should be brought back instead of killing. Team 7 wanting this, with Sai coming around, was expected given Naruto's whole thing was becoming Hokage.
To see Taka do the same was a little strange, considering that Taka was formed in Naruto Shippuden as a hastily assembled band of misfits. Then again, Suigetsu wanted to get out as soon as possible and was only cowed because he was surrounded by influential people and at least two monsters; Jugo was always loyal to Sasuke and Karin's reasoning was already detailed.
8) Killing Danzo with no consequences
Danzo Shimura was, at best, an acting Hokage by the time of his death. Despite Sasuke's assault on the Five Kage Summit resulting in the death of multiple Samurai, Sasuke was not held in contempt for this or Danzo's end. It might seem odd to some people until they realized the exact depths of depravity Danzo had gone to.
Danzo was responsible for way worse things than Sasuke ever did throughout Naruto, including the Uchiha Clan Massacre and creating Pain, plus the horrible arm of his having Sharingan forcibly taken from Uchiha corpses. Nobody mourned Danzo either, especially not where Root was concerned.
9) Getting to train Boruto
Whatever fans may have thought of Sasuke during his youth, his mentorship with Boruto seems to have turned many people around. For one thing, Boruto and his dad didn't get along at first, and Boruto needed the training. Sasuke at first was hesitant, but Naruto and he made a wager, and Sasuke stuck to it. It was rough going at first, with Boruto just wanting his dad's weaknesses.
Since then, Sasuke and Boruto have trained regularly. He made sure Boruto got better power and ability and also personality-wise. It helped the two were trapped in the past in the Boruto anime, but Boruto gained a new respect for Naruto after that. It was still shocking, but less so given Sasuke's unique outlook on life.
10) His family situation
A list like this shouldn't end without showcasing Sasuke's family in Boruto. Sasuke's family used to be a point of contention when Boruto started, but as has gone on, many fans have taken a shine to them. It helps that Sarada had her identity crisis arc that was thankfully resolved with Sasuke and Sakura reaffirming that she is their daughter.
This also came with complications, like Sasuke attempting to connect with Sarada awkwardly. Sasuke stumbles so much as a father but is helped by Sakura every step of the way.
Fans loved seeing Sasuke struggle to explain the Sharingan and agree that Sarada shouldn't go through the level of trauma the Sharingan requires. This, thankfully, has been happening as Sarada continues to grow better and healthier despite the constant danger.
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