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Being true to yourself and your ideals is one of the most important traits any Shinobi from Naruto’s world can possess. Sasuke is one of the ninjas who has been trying to follow this moral code for most of his life. However, during his time as a villain, he broke this principle more than once.
His thirst for power and revenge was able to cloud his mind and made him forget his values during some of his most vulnerable moments. That is why this list mentions five times Sasuke was all talk during Naruto, and five where he stayed true to his word.
Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s opinion and contains spoilers.
Joining Akatsuki and four other times Naruto’s Sasuke sacrificed his integrity
1) Wanting to destroy Konoha
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For the majority of Naruto and the beginning of Shippuden, fans could empathise with and even understand Sasuke's actions. He was grieving the loss of his family and desired nothing more than vengeance. However, considering the things Sasuke learned after his fight with Itachi, including the truth behind the Uchiha massacre, his subsequent actions aren't justified.
Sasuke learned from his brother that the reason he'd killed their family was to protect the people of Konoha. Instead of following his brother’s example and protecting the innocent from men like Danzo, Sasuke decided that the best course of action was destroying the village and everyone who lived there.
Instead of learning his lesson and admitting he was wrong all along, Sasuke tried to look for a new way to justify his revenge. He knew the people of Konoha were not guilty of what happened, but he nevertheless tried to kill them in order to make himself feel less guilty.
2) Hurting Karin
One of the core principle of Sasuke’s life while studying under Orochimaru was not harming the people who once brought him happiness, like he did when sparing Naruto's life. While they were not his closest friends, Sasuke did have a degree of respect for the other members of Taka, including Karin.
Nonetheless, while they were fighting against Danzo, Sasuke did not care about possibly killing Karin in the process. He was willing to sacrifice her in order to eliminate his adversary, breaking his promise to never act like the Itachi he envisioned as a child.
This would not be the first or last time Sasuke broke his code of not endangering those close to him, but it was the most shocking example of the same.
3) Trusting Obito
It is true that Sasuke went willingly to Orochimaru in order to obtain power and knowledge. Still, even when he was training under the Sanin, he never once let his guard down. Sasuke was constantly suspicious of those around him because he didn't know who was a friend and who was a foe.
The first time he met Obito, who was disguised as Madara, Sasuke almost immediately took his word as gospel and started working for him. He never did once stop to think that maybe Obito was taking advantage of his fragile mental state after the death of his brother.
At the time, Sasuke let go of all his morals and convictions by giving Obito his entire trust, just to obtain more power.
4) Lashing out against Kakashi
Before betraying Konoha and becoming Orochimaru's apprentice, Sasuke had a last talk with his teacher, Kakashi. The silver-haired ninja told him revenge was never a good option, and reminded Sasuke that he was not alone anymore, he had Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi himself by his side.
Sasuke did not even try to comprehend Kakashi's words before becoming enraged with his teacher. He threatened Kakashi, telling him he would kill every person he loved in order for the teacher to learn what it was like to lose everything. Kakashi confessed that he indeed knew what it was like since he had already lost everyone he loved long ago.
Sasuke did not attempt to empathize with the pain of others, but he wanted his own pain to be acknowledged by everyone around him, proving once again the hypocrisy that drove him for most of his life.
5) Trying to execute the 5 Kages
The Fourth Great Ninja War was a difficult time for everyone involved. By this point Sasuke’s new objective was to create a world where people like his brother would not have to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
While this was a noble objective, the methods he proposed to achieve it made no sense and contradicted everything he should have learned during the war. Sasuke was convinced that the Kages were corrupt and the only way to save the world from their devious minds was to eliminate them.
By making his new intentions known, Sasuke proved that all the sacrifices and lessons Itachi and Naruto tried to endow upon him over the years were in vain. Sasuke was slowly becoming the type of power-thirsty individual he promised to never become, just because this would grant him the power he needed for his plans to succeed.
Killing Danzo and 4 other times Sasuke remained true to his principles
1) Fighting for the Shinobi alliance
After joining forces with Obito, Sasuke realized his brother would not have wanted him to destroy Konoha. Weirdly, he arrived at the conclusion that becoming a new Hokage and ruling with an iron fist would be the best course of action.
Fortunately for the Shinobi Alliance, this realization came to Sasuke at just the right moment, considering they needed to stop Madara from accomplishing his plans at the time. Sasuke stayed true to his word and fought with Naruto and the rest to not only protect Konoha but the entire Shinobi World.
2) Killing Danzo
Danzo was a ruthless man who wanted to obtain power without caring who he could hurt along the way. One of his worst crimes was preventing Shisui from stopping the Uchiha clan coup, causing the death of most Uchihas. After Sasuke learned about this, he immediately claimed he would be the one to end this horrible man’s life.
Thanks to Karin’s sensory skills, Sasuke was finally able to find Danzo’s location and the two engaged in a bloody fight. Although it took a long time and a lot of effort, Sasuke was the victor of this encounter, proving that he would not give up until his clan was avenged.
3) Going with Orochimaru
For a while after he graduated, Sasuke became accustomed to the love and affection his teammates and friends gave him. Sadly, after encountering his brother years after the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke became aware of his lack of strength. He proclaimed he would do anything to obtain the necessary power to kill Itachi one day.
Sasuke took the opportunity to join Orochimaru and tap into the potential that would help him avenge his family without hesitation. Even if he had to betray his entire village and his friend, Sasuke would stay true to his dream of becoming stronger to kill Itachi.
4) Not killing Naruto
Before learning the truth about his brother, Sasuke considered Itachi a greedy man who killed their clan only to prove himself to be the strongest. Sasuke swore he would never become someone like that so never resorted to hurting his friends to obtain power.
When Naruto tried to stop him from leaving with Orochimaru, Sasuke had the perfect opportunity to kill the blonde ninja and awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan. Yet, Sasuke did not stray from his path and refused to hurt his best friend even more, refusing to break his vow of not becoming like Itachi.
5) Defending Naruto from Sakura
During the beginning of the show, Sasuke and Naruto’s relationship was not the best. They both despised each other, so finding out they would be teammates was a hard blow for the Uchiha. Despite this, when Sakura made fun of the blonde ninja because he had no parents to lecture him, Sasuke did not stay quiet.
Sasuke may not have been good friends with the Uzumaki boy at the time, but he did know the pain of not having a family to go back to. No matter how much he hated his male teammate at the time, Sasuke defended him because he knew the pain of solutide and loss.
Even if he disliked Naruto, he was not going to start acting like his life was easier than his, considering that would be against everything he believed in at that point.
