The following contains spoilers for Chapter 2 of Naruto: Sasuke’s Story — The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust by Masashi Kishimoto, Jun Esaka, Shingo Kimura, and Snir Aharon, now available in English from Viz Media.
One of the most intriguing components to Sasuke’s game in the Naruto franchise is how he doesn’t like playing by the rules or an honor code. He was always a rogue, whether as a kid in Konoha’s Team 7 or a vengeful teen seeking to destroy the Hidden Leaf. Thankfully, he would see the light and become an Uchiha Ranger, further atoning in Boruto.
Still, Sasuke never learned to do things by the book — which is admittedly a key trait that helped win the wars against the likes of Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. It’s also allowed him to keep Boruto in check and monitor Kawaki as a possible weapon of mass destruction. This redeemed him in the eyes of many, but come Chapter 2 of Naruto: Sasuke’s Story — The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust, a key sequence has reminded folks that no matter how much of an asset he is, Sasuke won’t ever have Naruto’s nobility.
Sasuke Cheats at the Redaku Prison
Sasuke wants to investigate the prison in Redaku, sensing that, while he can find the cure for the ailing Naruto, he can also figure out what’s going on with the boss, Zansūru. He knows there are scientific secrets at hand — including the truth behind the raptor, Menō, that’s patrolling — so Sasuke rigs a dice game. He uses his Earth-jutsu to pull up a gem from the ground, buying into the session.
He claims he can land triple snake eyes, using his Wind Release Technique to influence the outcome. Sasuke wins, freaking out the prisoners who claim he’s cheating. They can’t prove it, but Sasuke makes it clear that what he wants from winning the wager is simple: they need to cover for him while he investigates the place. After strong-arming the convicts, he sneaks out to gather more intel about the warden, leaving them begging him not to involve them in his plot.
Sasuke Puts His Fellow Prison Inmates at Risk
Now, there’s a major problem with this sort of gambling on their lives. Firstly, they could have sold Sasuke out yet still been punished with him as part of the crime. Secondly, if Zansūru finds out they kept quiet, the overlord could take out his rage on them — especially as he picks up clues that Sasuke beat his dino up in the hallway. Simply put, Sasuke’s selfish act could have dire domino effects, trickling down to unwitting pawns he deceived in a game that innocent inmates just wanted cigarettes from.
Sasuke has been told the warden is murderous as well, but this sort of attitude is an Uchiha trait. They love using folks as pawns, as seen with Itachi (Sasuke’s brother) manipulating the Akatsuki, and the likes of Madara and Obito being puppet masters who didn’t know they were aiding Kaguya’s rebirth. Honestly, there’s always mass casualties and collateral damage, which Sasuke knew from how he ran his own Taka squad.
Endangering others like this, however, is something the Hokage would never do, so clearly Sasuke hasn’t learned this particular lesson from Naruto yet in Heavenly Stardust. Ultimately, it’s a cold tactic and a military strategy that proves how Sasuke and Naruto really are the yin (light) and yang (dark) in this shinobi world where some, like the Uchiha, do what needs to be done in the cruelest fashion.
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