Sasuke & Sakura: An Analysis

49. Sasuke Retsuden

Sasuke Retsuden is a tale about SasuSaku's relationship from the perspectives of the husband and wife themselves. Presently, there are no official English translations of Sasuke Retusden (though Viz Media has announced that they are releasing the Retsuden novels trilogy this summer and Sasuke Retsuden additionally earned its own manga adaptation to be released later this year). I cannot speak Japanese, so I've only read fan translations online and all my knowledge of those novels stems purely from fan translations, not the official translation. 

I've heard fans complain that Sasuke is not acting like himself in Sasuke Restuden because he's too affectionate. I strongly disagree. As someone who has analyzed Sasuke's character in-depth for over 3 years and has written several essays on his character and is very picky about how Sasuke is written (I hate his portrayal in some of the novels and sometimes in the Boruto manga and Boruto anime), I think author Jun Eska portrays Sasuke's character excellently and has a great grasp of his character. Sasuke was consistent with everything we've seen before; nothing about his character in Sasuke Retsuden surprised me or seemed revolutionary in my perception of his character nor of SasuSaku. Sasuke Retusden only followed up on what had already been previously established in their relationship. The difference is that Sasuke Retsuden takes an explicit approach to characterizing SasuSaku, instead of the usual implicit approach, so for a change, fans are directly given Sasuke and Sakura's thoughts about each other instead of fans having to read between the lines like we are typically accustomed to.

There are several great SasuSaku moments in the novel as Sasuke and Sakura operate undercover together on a mission at a prison.

Sasuke feels upset when some of the men in the prison take an interest in Sakura due to her being so beautiful and kind. Eventually Sasuke jeopardizes his undercover identity somewhat by intervening when a prisoner, Gigi, makes unwanted advances towards Sakura. Sasuke feels compelled to stop Gigi and to reveal that Sakura is his wife, showing his protectiveness of his wife. I've heard some criticize Sasuke stepping in to stop Gigi from touching Sakura, complaining that Sasuke should allow Sakura to take care of herself and he shouldn't treat her like a damsel in distress. These complaints are absurd. Touching someone (with the intention of sexual attraction/affection) without their consent is sexual assault. No decent husband would idly stand by and do nothing while another man makes unwanted sexual advances towards his wife. And no woman in her right mind would want a husband who stood by and did nothing while another man sexually harassed her. It was chivalrous for Sasuke to put a stop to Gigi's unwanted advances. As Sakura's husband, it is his job to protect his wife's dignity and purity and put a swift end to men hitting on her when she doesn't want them to.

The novel provides insight into Sasuke's inner thoughts, as Sasuke muses how his long missions are lonely and how he would prefer to spend more time with his family, but he sees his mission outside the village as imperative while also recognizing that Sakura's healing skills are greatly needed within Konoha. They are a couple called apart by necessity: Sakura's abilities are most beneficial within the village and Sasuke's abilities are most beneficial outside it.

While I may be one of the only people who thinks this, one of the most romantic parts in the novel for me was in Sasuke's internal thoughts when mused that he views Sakura as family as much as his blood brother Itachi was, and that no matter what happens between them, Sasuke will always think of Sakura as a permanent fixture of his family as much as any blood relative is. To me this is a beautiful expression of the depth and extent of Sasuke and Sakura's relationship. No matter how their feelings or lives may change over time, Sakura will always be his family, no matter what, because for him that's an unchangeable fact, as much as it would be if they were blood relatives. Maybe some won't find this romantic, but to me this is a very beautiful perspective of what a romantic bond should be; marriage should be as unchangeable and permanent as any other familial relationship. Sasuke makes it clear that Sakura will always be his wife, no matter what transpires between them, and it's something that cannot change, because that's how devoted and dedicated Sasuke is to his wife, and vice versa.

Also in the novel, Sasuke makes a wedding ring for Sakura as a symbol of their love. When he learned it is customary for married women to wear a wedding ring in the indigenous lands, Sasuke gives his wife a wedding ring to ward off the prisoners who are taking an unhealthy interest in his wife. Giving her the ring is his way of claiming that Sakura is his wife and making sure that the other prisoners know she is already married and belongs to someone else. The best part is that Sasuke makes the ring himself, using his own chakra to create the materials to fashion her ring. But in case Sakura was dissatisfied with the handmade wedding ring, Sasuke offered to buy her a "real" ring if she so desires, though Sakura turns down his offer because she preferred the one Sasuke had personally crafted for her to any ring that money could buy.

When one of Sasuke's cellmates learns Sakura is Sasuke's wife, he tells Sakura that every day Sasuke would stare at a tree outside the prison's window, a habit that changed when Sakura arrived at the prison. As Sasuke's cellmate tells Sakura, the reason why Sasuke stopped looking at the tree's pink blossoms was because Sasuke was thinking of his wife as he waited for the pink flowers to bloom, but once Sakura was at the prison with him, Sasuke no longer needed to focus on that reminder of his wife because she was there with him.

Near the end of the novel, Sasuke feels panicked when he realized his wife was buried under rubble, terrified of the thought of losing her forever. Sasuke manages to locate her because of the ring he gave her earlier and dig her out. His level of panic and fear over losing Sakura is yet another instance signifying his deep love for Sakura. Sakura apologizes to Sasuke for being unable to defeat the enemy, and Sasuke tells her that there is no need for her to apologize. Sakura and Sasuke apologize to each other more than once over the course of Boruto, yet both always respond the same way: they tell their spouse that there is nothing to apologize for. It shows they don't hold it against each other should they make mistakes or fail. Instead, they remain supportive and encouraging towards each other and refuse to let one another beat themselves up over their failures and shortcomings.

There are other sweet moments in the novel between the couple, such as Sasuke and Sakura holding hands as they admire the starry skies above them together, talking about their daughter and how they will always treasure each other even as they grow older, telling each other that it won't matter when their physical beauty fades, because they will always love each other forever.

The novel also explores the relationship from Sakura's side, showing that she understands what her husband means to say even when he fumbles with putting his words together. She can understand him when he trails off, and she's adept at reading his moods. Sakura also knows when to give Sasuke a push, such as when she kicks him under the dinner table when he failed to realize he needed to compliment Sarada for cooking their meal.