Explaining ItaSasu

Written by Host, Viri, and Nyla

Okay for me to explain this properly I'll have to layer the topics I'll be discussing:

1. What is Emotional Incest and what it means between 2 siblings.

2. Difference between normal and emotionally incestuous siblings dynamics in which Sasuke and Itachi aligns to. How they fit this label.

3. Romantic undertones under their relationship, the symbolism, and more.

Number 1 - What is Emotional Incest?

Emotional incest (covert incest/enmeshment) is a dysfunctional dynamic between family. In which an older figure relies on the younger family for emotional support, attachment ect. Although this is different for siblings.

Emotional incest in siblings is psychological abuse where siblings have a very inappropriate level of emotional intimacy and blurred boundaries.

 Signs can be;

1. Over Possessiveness: a sbling may act extremely possessive towards the other. treating them as their emotional property. Constant monitoring, and over protectiveness on an unhealthy level.

2. Attachment in which levels self harm. Harming oneself for the other's attention, or in sacrifice for the other. Yes it's fine to sacrifice for your sibling, although too much of this + other signs listen may cause unhealthy attachment that leads to emotional incest.

3. Secretive or dependant relationship. With Intense bond that excludes other family members or outsiders. Treating them weirdly different from normal family.

4. Parentification; rather than being a sibling figure, they take a role to parent , keep, love and control the other instead of their actual parents.

5. Self hatred/Problems in Identity where siblings can't tell apart their decisions from the others' control. Unable to see themselves as nothing but an extension of their sibling's identity rather than their own. Mentally revolving their relationship around each other. Such as goals, relationships, and many important things in life being affected due to the other sibling. 

Let us keep this information and move for the 2nd part.

Number 2 - Difference between normal and emotionally incestuous siblings dynamics in which Sasuke and Itachi aligns to. How they fit this label.

Let us check back all the signs we covered in the first topic for this.

1. Over possessiveness;

Itachi saw Sasuke as nothing but someone to protect, someone he needed to keep alive. He didn't care the consequences, nor what Sasuke would feel. If it meant to save him he would have him suffer for the rest of his life. He monitored him everywhere, he killed his own clan for him. And even if people say "he did it for the village" he was willing to cause war by leaking village Intel to other enemy nations if they so as much touch Sasuke. It was simply his desire, job, and wish of peace that made it plausable for him to kill his own clan. He spent his whole life under darkness until Sasuke came forward to him as his shining light of innocence. In the light novel he quite literally saw him as his only happiness.

 Itachi was forced to feel nothing as a child through the war he faced at 4 years old, those kept emotions were mustering this poor child's heart and once Sasuke was born, the first innocence, light and life, right fter witnessing so much darkness and death.

And so he treated him as nothing but someone he can dump his warm and overwhelming emotions to. 

2. Severe attachment to a point of self harm. 

Sasuke's attachment to Itachi was so insane but people miss on it because their moments was all so deamed cutesy and sad. Our first sign of this is the moment Itachi had to leave in the middle of their training, and Sasuke initially BREAKIGN his own ankle in order for Itachi to carry him and slow the moment down just so they could be together. Sasuke as a child would have done anything in order to get Itachi to show his rare emotions of love towards him. All he wanted was Itachi's love. More than his father's approval, more than to be a great Shinobi, he just wanted to be with Itachi. And Itachi felt the same. Itachi was out for peace, he would give anything for his dream to be HOKAGE someday and make peace with other villages(all this is sourced from his novel)

But when it came to Sasuke it's as if he can sacrifice that peace for HIM.

During his last moments, despite saving the leaf. He completely had given up persuading Sasuke to stop the attack on Konoha. Rather he pulled him by the head and told him that whatever he does from here on out he will love him forever. Whether Sasuke goes against his wish for peace and destroys the village or not didn't matter to him anymore. If it meant securing Sasuke's safety and supporting his decisions, that alone is all that matters to him now. Sacrifice is well such a big story on every anime we got nowadays. It's not new to kill, die or sacrifice for your sibling and someone you love in general. But their devotion to that is beyond comprehensive. It's that they don't even care what the other wants, as long as they know that this is what's best for them. As much as I love Sasuke, it was a terrible idea to keep him alive than kill him w the rest of the clan. 

Tell me, if you had a sick dog who suffers for eternity. Would you put it down to save it from it's suffering or keep it due to your attachment to it?

That's how Itachi felt for Sasuke. 

Itachi wasnt naive as many people say that he's stupid for letting Sasuke live and suffer. He knows that, he knows Sasuke would suffer but he didn't care. If it meant to keep him alive and under his care and his care alone then sure for sure.

Just as Sasuke did not care whatever Itachi wishes and died for. Even if Itachi died danced and kissed Konoha's feet he would not give a shit as long as he knows he can avenge Itachi.

What is a normal siblings dynamic?

A healthy dynamic between siblings is one with boundaries, genuine love and empathy. A sibling would understand to sacrifice their heart in order to save their sibling from suffering.

A healthy sibling dynamic would kill, die and sacrifice for their siblings but not in a genuine point it gets unhealthy and starts actually affecting other people.

No, theey don't follow that.

3. Secretive and dependent relationship.

As said from the previous, it's self explanatory but I'll go further for this one. In the novel we hear Itachi saying that the moment he had said Sasuke's name, he felt his love for him was deeper and different from the love he felt for his own family.

4. Parentification

 from the very beginning, Itachi was the one who practically raised Sasuke. Their parents are ass, neglectful and more or so strict. Their mother is fine but the fact she doesn't do anything but abide the Father's words makes her just as bad.

Itachi was the only one who could hold Sasuke as a baby without him crying. He fed him he trained him he raised him he controlled his life like he was his parent.

No, he didn't atleast consider Sasuke growing strong in other ways than hate nor his own way of healing from the trauma. Instead he made him and forced him into this path of hatred , to be a hero of the leaf. Something Sasuke never asked for, for all he wanted was just to be with Itachi. (Sasuke Jinraiden novel)

5. Self hatred. 

Insane levels of it. Sasuke and Itachi both. It's self explanatory. Their identities are unstable because they rely it on the other. Just as Obito says mid Shippuden to Naruto. "The story of Sasuke cannot be told without mentioning Itachi"

By fate they are intertwined. It affected their relationships. Sasuke's whole life only revolved around either idolizing and wanting to be like itachi or to kill him. For the rest of his life he existed as an extension to Itachi's story. Both of them. When itachi said he will always be there for him, So many people missed this scene as just him being there for Sasuke. That he will be there even if Sasuke hates him. But it actually could mean a whole lot more than just that.

it is infact showing he loved Sasuke deeply as a brother. It also showed that his love was insanely toxic. He was technically cursing Sasuke to be stuck with Itachi for the rest of his life, dead or alive, happy or not.

It doesn't matter what path they both take, Itachi will always be there. Whether it be that hes always there for him when he needs someone, or when Sasuke sees him as an obstacle, someone to beat, someone to be better than. Hate or love, he will stain Sasukes life forever..

We are finally seeing a glimpse of how Itachi thinks. He wants to guide Sasuke yes, but in HIS way. He's making sure he's in control of Sasukes life. He thinks he's responsible for choosing Sasukes' path on whatever he wants, forcing Sasuke to depend to him on his own path / life. All out of selfish love he has to protect him. This unhealthy attachment and obsession.

Sasuke never had the chance to choose his own future because of Itachi because Itachi couldn't bear the thought of letting Sasuke away from his grasp of protection. He'd rather make him suffer than see him dead, and I think that is the cruelest way to love somebody.

And it worked. Sasuke was heavily stuck into unhealthily obsessing over Itachi too much(hate or love). During the fight with Kabuto, Itachi compared himself to Kabuto. Sasuke then gets mad and calls Itachi a perfect being.

And I mean this genuinely when I say it's INSANE to call someone who massacred your entire family as "perfect"

He saw nothing but black and white towards him. Either he was his perfect older brother he would literally kill and die for. Or a cruel demon who had led him to a path of hatred who deserves nothing but death. Either way, he haunted his very narrative.

Even after Itachi's death— in Sasuke's Jinraiden novel, he had started hallucinating Itachi inside his mind, touching his own forehead in hopes to feel Itachi's fingers once more. He even hallucinate Konoha mocking Itachi's death. How insane they are for each other, really.

In the same novel, he even refused to eat till it was Itachi's favorite food. The level of grief is beyond insane. "I could feel the presence of Itachi in the cracks of the trees, behind the rocks and in the wind" he had himself hallucinating him.

By chance if the translation alot of people are talking Abt is right or not, he might have purchased hallucinogenic drugs in order to see Itachi once more. But I'm not sure. Could be but that's insane either way?

Sasuke idolized Itachi so much even when he hated him. While he was actively trying to kill him, he still fell for his realm of lies and illusions. He really had 'Madara" himself tell him the truth yet he believed Itachi's words more. (whom he claimed to be a cruel monster/liar)

By that we end by number 3, romantic undertones under their relationship.

Here we have their jutsu names Amaterasu and Tsukoyomi. Which in Japanese is the Sun and the Moon Gods. Who were deemed siblings (and married)

Take this Reddit post for this explanation because they explained it more than I can ever:

(Bolded means I didnt write it)

https://www.reddit.com/r/Naruto/comments/cxj6r4/romantic_undertones_on_sasuke_and_itachis/

Sasuke and Itachi are depicted of Japanese gods Amaterasu and Tsukoyomi respectively. Sasuke in the story represents Amaterasu, the sun goddess, and that is evident in many circumstances, such as the fact that he is born in the heart of the summer with sun bathing the whole Uchiha family (also being the only hope for them-as Amaterasu was for people in Japan), the fact that he awakens his Mangekyo staring at the sunset, and also his Mangekyo abilities being based on Amaterasu black flames. Extra evidence to Sasuke being Amaterasu is a Japanese myth where Amaterasu is hidden in a cave (episodes 334-340 where Sasuke is in a cave with edo Itachi), and the whole world falls in darkness (the world was at war with Obi-Madara), and after many attempts, only goddess Ame-no-Uzume who appeared naked dancing in front of Amaterasu seductively was able to convince her to leave the cave and the world was filled with light once and for all (goddess Uzume is our boy Naruto Uzumaki, who stands ''naked'', revealing his true emotions in front of Sasuke, after ''dancing'' aka fighting -''you dance well'' as Madara said to those who were worthy opponents- more fiercely than Sasuke could imagine-and Sasuke was bathed in the morning light). Also, Amaterasu was a female. In our story, Sasuke is mistaken by both Kushina and Izumi as Itachi's sister, is pale as in Japan pale skin is considered a female characteristic that adds to a woman's looks, and in personality he is more on the yin side with the main characteristic of his physche being that he is submissive to the superiority of others, mainly to Itachi and Naruto.

On the other hand, Itachi represents god of the Moon, Tsukoyomi who is a male that has a unique balance of female and male qualities as the Japan poems say. So Itachi has a warm skin tone and a strong jawline which are a male characteristics in Japan, but also has long hair and eyelashes which are obviously female qualities. He is also headstrong and dutiful about his decisions, never wavering when he has to do something, and he generally is dominant, especially towards Sasuke. Further evidence of him representing Tsukoyomi, is that he is almost always depicted with a full moon in Naruto's series in countless circumstances, and of course his Mangekyo awakening on a night with full moon, and his abilities being mainly Tsukoyomi-which is the technique he uses the most. Also, his skin emits a coldness as Japanese mythology said about Tsukoyomi,and that is evident in the night of the massacre.

According to Japanese mythology, Amaterasu and Tsukoyomi lived happily together in their palace located at the sky, and were a married couple of siblings. In our story, Itachi and Sasuke share the same room, sleeping together, sharing their thoughts in Uchiha's compound balcony that is filled with the sunset's light. Also, outside the Uchiha household there is a red umbrella, which is an umbrella carried by couples being married in Japan. This balcony scene plays over and over again in Sasuke's mind cause it was when Itachi first declared his love and protection for his little brother (at least to his knowledge, cause when he first said it Sasuke was a baby). To add more to Itachi's feelings towards Sasuke having romantic undertones, when his mom says he will have a little brother, it starts snowing, which is a symbol of the sparkle of a romantic love interest in Japan. Edo Itachi also, says in ep339, at 13.10 with an exact Japan translation ''the night you and I broke up''-wakareta is a verb used in couples. And of course, the ''I love you'' part which is more than it first looks like. Aishiteru is the ultimate word for I love in Japan, and it is rarely, if ever used in real life, and exclusively between couples. The fact is, that this word is used in anime more than in real life, but in the Naruto anime and manga we only witness it 2 times-the first being from Kushina to Naruto, and the second being the above. However, in my opinion, Itachi's love declaration was far more stronger in the way it was depicted through Kishi's art. Whereas Kushina sits near Naruto closing her eyes as she said I love you, Itachi is pulling Sasuke's head to his, saying those magic words looking him straight in the eyes. Also, their faces when touched form a heart. Itachi's love confession feels bold, so much so that it makes Sasuke reconsider his whole crush Konoha plan. On Sasuke's side, I will mention a few facts not discussed as they should, such as the moment he lays his eyes on Itachi at ep 134, he awakens his Sharingan, and most notably at The Last Naruto movie when Sakura says ''When a girl truly falls in love with someone, her feelings won't change that easily; they can't'', we see Sasuke staring at the full moon which is always linked in his mind and heart with Itachi (as he says in ep. 142 to Tobi: ''when I look at the full moon, I remember Itachi''). So, Sasuke's feelings are paralleled after a girl's strong romantic emotions, thinking of his lost love that can't be taken away from his heart in front of the full moon. Fun fact is that I get the impression that the double size bed in Sasuke's room is the same one as the one he shared as a small child with Itachi.

In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu sent Tsukoyomi to Uke Mochi, the food goddess as her representative, but Tsukoyomi killed Uke Mochi because he was disgusted with the way she produced food. When Amaterasu became aware of the incident, she declared Tsukoyomi an evil god, and thus the couple seperated, making day and night. In our story, Itachi is disgusted with his family (the ones that bring food on the table-as a parallel to uke mochi) and the whole clan's way of thinking, killing them all, and leaving a hurted Sasuke believing only the surface of his actions, and not the actual reason behind them, just like Amaterasu did with Tsukoyomi. In Itachi's novel Itachi thinks to himself that '' Sasuke would walk in a road where the sunlight will reach, whereas he will be living in the darkness and in shadows''. He will be allowed only one more reunion with him to give him strength and honour-again this is a reference to the moon eclipse where the sun and the moon meet each other rarely. Sasuke also says at Orochimaru before killing him that people like him-thinking back at Itachi- ''disgust him'', and at Tobi that ''Itachi is evil''. Also, the Black Night Town ending song says ''there is no moonlight in this town, and only loneliness exists here''-meaning there is no Itachi here, and Sasuke is consumed with loneliness.

Last but not least, we have the union of the couple through their eyes, and also the famous forehead tap: the forehead symbolises divine love and protection according to the Bible, and is the place where the love manifests in its full strength, as the forehead is located between the eyes that symbolise wisdom after having faith in this love.

Anyways, we have Sasuke reminiscing itachi and his first flashbacks he can think of are itachis lips, neck, eyes, fingers and hair. Theres a part u can see he literally used the triangle method on looking at itachi. Literally I'll pull up videos if u don't believe me.

Although their situation was inevitable especially in their place as an Uchiha and a Shinobi, it doesn't erase the fact that their bond is simply just not that of a normal brothers'...

Also narusasu related.Many people who debunk Narusasu by saying they saw each other as brothers is not realizing it can both be true.

With what Sasuke has with Itachi not being normal, he thought that a brother is someone like itachi who would go all that lengths and extremities for him. Which he saw in Naruto, that leading him to think that his bond with Naruto was similar to how he was with Itachi; brotherly.

Which is true, but we know that neither relationships are brotherly. And Naruto never had a brother and thought what he felt with Sasuke was what a brother was.

Now lastly this is entirely my analysis. I'm sorry if it's too long but I am pationate about them on an extreme amount. If you readers don't agree that's fine but I hope it's clearer now. I admit I ship them but I also can't say it's like that for everyone. I have different opinions towards things as someone with DID/OSDD Who has alters who doesn't ship them if that makes any sense