according to some, apparently, Sasuke saving Karin in chapter 415 was due to team 7 & it wasn’t even a new power
Believe me, I know how it sounds, haha. If you’re of the opinion that claims like those are not really worth debunking, I’m actually with you 100%. But given how often this one gets thrown around (I’ve seen it a lot) after a member of the FC brought it up today I offered to write something regarding it for the FC’s Misconceptions section (though I guess this doesn’t even qualify as a misconception, but let’s pretend it does!).
So, copy-paste-no-jutsu incoming:
Did Sasuke manage to extinguish the Amaterasu flames in 415 have anything to do with Team 7?
I believe those who claim it did probably are just mixing up the order of the events; whether unknowingly or deliberately.
Fact is, Sasuke’s flashback to Team 7 takes place in Chapter 414:
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Not in Chapter 415. (Being the Taka fan that I am, I also can’t help but point out that he remembers them because of Taka. Seeing how far Taka was willing to go for him moves Sasuke and it is due to this that he remembers Team 7. I’m addressing this here because most of the people I’ve seen using this argument also tend to completely disregard or downplay Taka’s importance in this scene, and I believe it’s time to start giving credit when credit is due. Because this has been the only time thorough Part II where Sasuke has been explicitly shown to remember Team 7 on a good, positive note. And it was due to Taka. This scene was meant to show that both teams are important to him. Please, there should be no reason to dismiss either).
As a matter of fact, Team 7 is not shown nor alluded to in the entirety of Chapter 415. So while they were related to Sasuke’s use of Amaterasu, they have nothing to do with Sasuke extinguishing the black flames.
And the same thing happens to apply to Taka. While Sasuke’s feelings for the team as a whole were related to Sasuke using the Amaterasu, his feelings for the team as a whole were not what made him gain access to the power able to extinguish those flames.
By staying to save Karin, Sasuke is essentially opposing the Team because Juugo is explicitly shown trying to pull him away. In other words: this is not something Sasuke is doing for the team as a whole.
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Moreover, by refusing to listen to reason, Sasuke is not only putting his own life at risk, but Suigetsu's and Juugo’s too:
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While his Amaterasu in 414 was an effort made for and born out of his feelings for the Team as a whole (hence why his flashback to Team 7 took place there), Sasuke’s efforts in Chapter 415 - right from the get-go - are shown to be for one person and one person only:
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And this is explicitly shown to be the case when it comes to Sasuke accessing the power able to extinguish the Amaterasu flames.
Let’s break it down:
He is facing her:
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Then we focus on his right eye. First, he turns on his Sharingan (his eyes were back to normal after he used the Amaterasu and stayed that way until this very moment). Then his right Sharingan shifts into his Mangekyo:
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He calls Karin’s name in his mind, which leaves no room for doubt about she being the target of his focus:
We then see just what kind of expression he is making as he calls her name in his mind:
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And then the flames begin to recede and ultimately disappear:
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Something that even takes Sasuke himself by surprise:
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I won’t go into the meaning of Sasuke actually awakening a new power for her because I’ve already been over that that’s beyond the point. The nature of Sasuke’s feelings for Karin is also beside the point; it’s up to everyone to perceive them as they see fit, there is no correct response as far as this goes IMO.
My only point is: throughout the duration of Sasuke managing to put out the Amaterasu flames for the first time, there is no reference made to anything nor anyone other than Karin. Once Karin is in danger, the one thing we canonically see going through Sasuke’s mind is Karin! and this is consistent with the amount of focus he pays to her and her peril.
So if you come across anyone wanting to argue that Sasuke saving Karin was about anyone other than Karin herself, the burden of proof lies entirely upon their shoulders.
Also, another thing that usually accompanies this claim is that Sasuke’s new power was Amaterasu and not him handling its flames at his will.
Which is yet another proof that the people saying this haven’t bothered to re-read the chapters since they came out. If they had, they would know that:
a) Sasuke using Amaterasu is the focus of 414, not 415. Moreover: Sasuke already showed that he had Amaterasu back in chapter 397. In other words: Sasuke already knew Itachi had equipped him with Amaterasu. We already knew Sasuke had Amaterasu. As such: it was not a new power at all.
b) The very title of Chapter 415 (415. Not 414) is “A New Power!!” for a reason.
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The only jutsu Sasuke uses throughout the chapter is bending the Amaterasu flames to his will (in this case, making them recede).
c) As mentioned above: Sasuke himself is repeatedly shown being surprised by said power.
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A surprise he does not show when he uses Amaterasu, which again proves that having Amaterasu was not any news nor to him, nor to the reader.
And just in case anybody had any doubts left, the raw is even more conclusive:
c) Sasuke does not say: “Is this what the Mangekyo Sharingan is capable of?” He outright wonders if “Is that the power of THIS Mangekyo!?” (“それがこの万華鏡の動力なのか!?”)
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And on cue, he then proceeds to use THAT POWER again but on Killerbee:
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So the only NEW power that Sasuke got throughout the fight was indeed the one he awakened not for Team 7, not for Taka as a whole, but for Karin.
There’s no validity in any claim that says otherwise.
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