justsasuke

[justsasuke]

Juugo's turn for an Oni Design!

>:3

[justsasuke]

Team Taka Matsuri day 4 ・Juugo

((I need to finish his little graphic and head canon list and that is going to take until tomorrow so in the meantime here’s a piece of a thing I wrote that I will not be giving anymore context on at this time.))

"How did you get here?" Sasuke asks when they've relaxed their embrace enough to talk. They're still in the entryway, standing with fingers intertwined and foreheads pressed together.

Security in the hotel was tight and as far as Sasuke had heard from the other new village leaders, visitors weren't really welcome.

Juugo presses his face into Sasuke’s.

"I asked the birds" he murmurs

[justsasuke]

Low-quality drawing. But please accept some Juugo

[justsasuke]

ok

[justsasuke]

Team Taka Matsuri day 3 ・ Sasuke’s birthday

It’s Sasuke’s birthday, so ofc Fugaku needs to host the biggest barbecue of the year. Japanese style. And it’s not that he’s in competition with the Hyuuga twins over who throws the biggest parties but he totally is and makes it a point to invite both of them even though he knows they’re busy and really have nothing to do with Sasuke’s life.

The day goes something like:

Fugaku disappears early in the morning to go buy as much seafood as he can get his hands on. Grilled scallops are some of Sasuke’s favorites so naturally he buys 50

Suigetsu is in charge of gathering people because he knows everyone and their contact information

Juugo is put in charge of getting meat and drinks so that’s what he does, going to the local butcher to pick up Sasuke’s favorite cuts of meat

Karin shows up early to help setup everything and get the food arranged

Neji is the first of the guests to arrive (no, him being there is not part of Fugaku’s scheme) and ofc he brings a giant gift he knows will make Sasuke roll his eyes. Last year it was a giant plush tomato, this year it’s a green dinosaur bottle opener that he is sure Sasuke won’t use but won’t throw away either bc their friendship is close but hella petty

The night starts chill, with food on the grill and drinks in everyone’s hands and a steady stream of banter that keeps everyone laughing.

It ends in a karaoke battle and confetti shower that Suigetsu orchestrated just because he wanted to see how Sasuke would react. (He loved it)

They split a watermelon (where you blindfold someone, give them a stick and put the watermelon on a tarp, taking turns until the watermelon is split open) halfway through the night and Suigetsu nearly decapitates Juugo and Neji runs into the wall. Sasuke is the one that splits it open, no surprise. He’s so good at it they always make him go last otherwise no one else will get a turn.

Itachi isn’t in town for the celebration but he sends an obnoxiously large crate of tomatoes and that confuses everyone except for Sasuke’s friends who know.

Sasuke always gets embarrassed at these things, being the center of attention is always weird but he mostly gets embarrassed because all the love of his friends makes him sappy and emotional and he doesn’t want to show it. But they all know he feels loved when he has that small smile on his face and that softness around his eyes.

[justsasuke]

Back on my hobby of drawing Sasuke in clothes he'd never wear.

Yes, he's wearing heels. No, I don't think he'd wear heels, I just don't know how to draw shoes so I used the ones from the reference (and even then they look wonky)

[justsasuke]

Training with mama

I like to think that since Itachi and Fugaku always seemed busy it was actually Mikoto who taught him the basics

happy birthday Sasuke!!

[justsasuke]

Karin's turn for an Oni Pop up shop design! I like these. These are fun.

For the Team Taka Matsuri!

[justsasuke]

Quick Karin for Team Taka Matsuri

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Vampire Karin out for revenge

I can never get over the fact that people bit into Karin!!

[justsasuke]

Team Taka Matsuri day 2 ・ “night is when you live”

Late night karaoke with her friends, singing and screaming until all of their voices are hoarse and her score is never perfect but what she lacks in pitch she makes up with heart and when she sings break up songs all of her friends cry

Constantly documenting every moment, all the little things, all of the highs and lows because she wants to treasure every moment of summer.

Spontaneous trips down the crowded side alleys of the city to get all of her favorite foods on a stick, dragging Sasuke by the arm wins Suigetsu and Juugo try to keep up without stepping on drunks.

Late night reading or watching a comfort movie while sitting in pajamas on a huge pile of pillows.

Summer is for horror and Sasuke won’t show up to movie nights anymore unless someone else is picking the movie.

Playlists for every mood of summer; sad girl summer, brat summer, beach parties, late night cries, clubbing, you name it.

Loves running down the streets right after the rain has stopped and stream is rising off the pavement like a cursed fog.  Blasting music from her phone

Was a kendo champion in middle school before she switched to judo but every summer she’ll find herself back in the community center practicing kendo with her friends (Suigetsu mostly)

On her playlist all the time: 365 by Charlie XCX Tokyo 4 am by CHANMINA Good Luck Babe by Chapell Roan Girls Never Die by tripleS

[justsasuke]

First day was fun and we’re back for day 2!!

Today is for our favorite redhead, Karin

[justsasuke]

taka matsuri: SUIGETSU!

I don't really got no type...

[justsasuke]

So about that Oni pop up shop designs... I decided Team Taka gets a piece of the pie. as a treat!!!

for 2025's team Taka Matsuri :3

[justsasuke]

Team Taka’s dynamics & the theme of autonomy

One of the reasons I appreciate Team Taka’s dynamics is the presence of free will in their bond, at least to a certain extent. Sasuke didn’t force any of the members to join him or stay with him. He freed Suigetsu, then he asked both Juugo and Karin in a way that involved no coercion or manipulation on either side. And the members’ decisions to follow Sasuke in the end were all voluntary, which already sets their group apart in a series where most alliances are shaped by duty, ideology, or control.

Now, I don’t think their bond is especially deep or intensely emotional or anything, mostly because they were constantly on the move so there was barely any space, if any, for genuine heart-to-heart conversations; and also because Sasuke’s mental state was rapidly deteriorating at the time. His instability, combined with the ever-changing circumstances around them, likely prevented him from forming any deep, emotionally invested relationships during that period.

But there’s one thing about fighting alongside others in life-and-death situations: it can forge trust quickly since you have to watch each other’s backs and quite literally place your life in someone else’s hands. And as shown in the manga, during the time they’re together, Team Taka had great synergy in combat. They all saved each other when possible, knew when to jump in or step back, and followed Sasuke’s lead in dire situations without resisting his decisions, showing a certain level of trust in each other’s abilities and, by extent, assessments and judgements.

There’s also an instance when Sasuke awoke his second Mangekyou Sharingan’s ability to save Karin when the black flame caught her. And as we all know, the evolutions and/ or developments of the Sharingan are tied to strong emotions (love, protectiveness, hatred, grief, fear—any feeling that’s intense enough can trigger the transformation, not just hatred only as the anti-Uchiha crowd would like to scream about the so-called Curse of Hatred propaganda.) Sasuke even includes Team Taka, along with Team 7, in the list of people he wants to protect, which is also a good indication that they hold a meaningful place in his heart.

From the members’ side, they could have left at any time they wanted to. It wasn’t like Sasuke held his sword to their throat then dragged them along with him by a forced loyalty, like, ever. They remained by his side on their own volition, which means they chose to stay for reasons that mattered to each of them (which I’d like to dive deeper into in another post when I have time to re-review the manga.) Their bond might not be the deepest or most profound connection in the series, but it’s certainly real. And honestly, it doesn’t matter what we, the readers, choose to label it—friends, comrades, found family, teammates with benefits, assortment of Orochimaru’s experiments gone rogue, whatever.

Sasuke did have a goal in mind when choosing Team Hebi/Taka, but he didn’t manipulate them into following him out of obligation for being freed. They knew they had a choice. And while I’d objectively categorise their relationship as “good comrades” at best and “mutually beneficial allies” at worst, the key thing here is that no one’s autonomy was denied. And to me, that’s a rare and valuable dynamic, an aspect that should be highlighted and held in higher regard, especially when you consider:

Every member of Taka had previously been subjected to varying degrees of captivity, experimentation, or psychological manipulation, often without genuine consent (even in cases where it seemed like they had agreed, it’s hard to ignore how both Orochimaru and Kabuto relied on coercion, deceit, and power imbalances to secure that compliance.)

How many people in Sasuke’s life approached him with an agenda or ulterior motive, with their own vision of what he “should be” or “should act like”, rather than seeing him as a person with his own desires and trauma. Very few ever truly cared about his feelings, wants, thoughts, or even his autonomy. Almost no one, even those closest to Sasuke, genuinely saw or treated him as a person instead of a tool to use, a pawn to control, or a prize to gain.

Yes, including the two people who supposedly loved him most: Itachi and Naruto. Not at first or always, at least. While I can give Naruto some benefit of the doubt since he eventually made an effort to understand Sasuke’s perspective as the story progressed (though how successful he truly was is still debatable in my opinion), Itachi, on the other hand… his love for Sasuke is deeply complicated. I want to believe it was genuine, that he truly loved Sasuke from the bottom of his heart, but the way he showed it was so explicitly entangled in manipulation, lies, deception, and gaslighting; a love so complex and twisted that it felt like a “great in theory, terrible in execution” case.

There’s one panel where Killer Bee asked Itachi why he didn’t use Shisui’s eye to brainwash Sasuke earlier, to which Itachi replied that he couldn’t at that time because the ability has a 10+ years cooldown. That choice of word—“couldn’t”, not “wouldn’t”—is horrifying in its implication. And he still planned on doing it in the future by giving Naruto that eye! (Though, in his defense, he did say that he hoped Naruto’d never need to use its power, but still, the intention here is clear enough to suggest that Itachi was willing to go as far as completely erasing his brother’s autonomy if he deemed the act necessary.)

Naruto, on the other hand, was very adamant and insistent about taking Sasuke back to the village without trying to truly understand the logic behind his actions for more than half of the story. Most of the time, Naruto prioritised Sasuke’s survival and reintegration into Konoha over respecting his free will. While his intentions may stem from care, his actions still reflect a disturbing willingness to sacrifice Sasuke’s agency for a greater ideological goal.

So… to both of them (at least at the points of the story I’ve listed), as long as Sasuke’s alive and potentially moldable, even as a docile puppet without free will to serve Konoha, then it’s alright? His own feelings and thoughts might as well be ignored and discarded since they didn’t benefit—and even actively went against—their pro-Konoha view? I’m sorry, but what the actual fuck?

And this is coming from the two individuals who we’ve been told repeatedly that they love Sasuke the most. That’s without even delving into the broader, deeply unsettling pattern of how the people around Sasuke have treated him: projecting their own ideals onto him without considering him as an individual with a mind of his own (as seen with Kakashi), idolising him superficially without making any real effort to understand him (as many), or reducing him to a tool for their own purposes (as Orochimaru, Kabuto, Obito, and probably more but you got my point with those three already.)

Sasuke’s autonomy is repeatedly undermined, ignored, or outright stripped and taken away from him throughout the manga. He is used, manipulated, and burdened with expectations that weren’t his own, and then vilified when he constantly attempts to break free and reclaim the ability to make his own choices, independent of others’ influence or control.

How is that in any way fair?

All in all, that’s why I think Team Taka’s relationship with Sasuke is such a breath of fresh air. While it might not be that deeply sentimental, there’s trust, there’s respect, and no emotional blackmail or narrative of control disguised as love. Each of them had their own reasons for joining, and none of those reasons involved denying Sasuke his agency. That’s more than I can say for most of the people in his life.

By no means do I think their relationship is perfect: it’s messy, pragmatic, occasionally dysfunctional, and sometimes strained by Sasuke’s deteriorating psyche, but it’s real, authentic, and valid. They trust each other in battle, respect each other’s individuality, and operate without the manipulation that defines so many of Sasuke’s other connections. I’d go even further to argue that this dynamic offers a counterpoint to the series’ broader themes of control and sacrifice, showing that bonds can be meaningful without requiring someone to surrender their free will.

So, in my opinion, Kishimoto really missed the opportunity to explore the richness of Team Taka’s relationship further. The groundwork for a found family built on mutual respect and autonomy was right there, but it was sorely underutilised. They could have become a symbol of true partnership, where each person is respected not as a tool, but as an individual. Instead, they were sidelined far too early, with their bond relegated to a secondary narrative that didn’t get the development it deserved.

In the end, it was such a waste, and that’s what I truly lament. Their relationship to me was one of the few in the series that felt genuine and not overshadowed by political agendas, manipulation, or power dynamics. I wish that they’d have gone on the journey with Sasuke after the war ended.

(Which is why I’m writing post-war canon divergence fictions to see the vision I dream of for them, but well, that’s another story entirely. And while I’d love to see them as a found family, they’re by every means still very dysfunctional and chaotic at times, but that’s my cup of tea so you won’t hear me complain LOL)

…

[justsasuke]

Quick drawing for Day 1 of Team Taka Matsuri

Please accept some mermaid! Suigetsu

[justsasuke]

For Team Taka Matsuri 2025 ・“Hey Sasuke, let’s go to the beach”

For Suigetsu summer means water and water means the ocean.

summers for Suigetsu look like

long days on the beach basking in the sun and being in the water

When he was a kid he collected shells to decorate the giant sand fortresses he and Mangestu would build together, now he hunts for jellyfish and sting rays

He was the Jr surfing champion for Kiri and competed in the 5 great country championships, placing silver.

Now he just shows off to kids and their parents

Backwards snap-backs and hand woven bracelets with traditional Kirigakure motifs that mean things like ‘connection’ and ‘strength through friends’ but he tells Sasuke they mean ‘ruler of the ocean’ and ‘silent killer in the waves’. (Sasuke actually believes him until Karin calls Suigetsu out for lying, then Sasuke did a deep dive and finds ancient symbols that mean just those things and he makes a bracelet for Suigetsu)

Living off of frozen desserts and all the yogurt

Long conversations with Sasuke sitting on the docks watching the sun go down over the horizon.

The roar of the waves mixed with music blaring from the old speaker he stole from his parent’s garage

Champion on catching fish in the water, always catches goldfish for his friends at festivals

Murder at beach volleyball, he and Sasuke are still undefeated

Will. Not. Tan even though he’s trying so hard.

Has a swimming trunks collection bc he buys a pair wherever he goes

Also collects sunglasses but loses those as far as he collects them.

Eating watermelon until he bursts, challenging Juugo to seed spitting contests and watermelon splitting competitions.

Trying to make friends with the stray cats on the beach because Kiri has so many superstitions about cats and good fortune and cursing/blessing the water and “if I befriend them they’ll bring good weather, right Sasuke?”

Bonus:

Suigetsu’s favorite bands: SEKAI NO OWARI, Mrs Green Apple, the killers, foo fighters