Archive of Our Own

Since I’m obsessed with analysis and love explaining things, who better to explain my work than the artist themself?? So here’s the meaning behind my comic!!🖋️

First, I wanted to create a comic centered on Hidari that captures both Sasuke’s deep sadness and melancholy, as well as Hidari’s sense of existential emptiness. 

My approach is shaped by my own analysis and interpretation of these characters. At first, I struggled to find the right direction. I kept wondering how to portray these themes in a way that stays true to canon while also expressing my vision. It was especially challenging because, even though Hidari is Sasuke’s so-called “true face”, he still feels different, which made capturing that duality difficult.

At the beginning of the comic, the moon appears partially melted, symbolizing how Hidari is lost and unsure of who he truly is. Though he reflects the real Sasuke, his perception of reality is warped and fragmented. 

Later, we follow Hidari as he walks through the dark hallway of Naruto’s house, surrounded by silence and shadow. A thin sliver of light spills from a slightly open door, it ends leading him to Naruto’s study, where the glow comes not from a lamp, but from the moon. 

I wanted to show that within Sasuke’s darkness, there is still a source of light, and that light is Naruto. At the same time, it represents Hidari catching a glimpse of his own identity, because inside that room lie the memories of his original self. 

The moon (Sasuke) is illuminated by the sun (Naruto), and through that light, Hidari sees himself reflected in the moon’s silhouette, circling back to his endless question of who he really is.

Building on that, the reason I think Hidari shows attraction toward Naruto in the manga, yet Naruto is not his target and he doesn’t consciously recognize him, is partly because I believe the original Sasuke considered Naruto dead. 

In this sense, the door is “closed” to Hidari. Not that the room has disappeared, but it is “sealed” and locked, so to speak. Still, Sarada is very important to Sasuke as his daughter, so it is natural that she would be his target. 

On that note, I think the targets of the clones are probably the last person they think of before being sealed = the person most important to them in that moment. I have discussed this idea in other posts in Tumblr (I am @anime97-99).

In the end, I decided to focus on a more visual comic rather than one heavy with text. It’s filled with visual metaphors, heavily inspired by Sasuke’s ending Black Night Town (ending 27 of Naruto Shippuden). Beyond being one of my favorites, I think the lyrics fit Sasuke perfectly, and perhaps even more so to his “true face” Hidari. That’s why I incorporated metaphors like the moon to represent Sasuke’s identity: it first appears on the cover, and later it reflects Hidari’s silhouette in the window, framed against the full moon.

I also chose to make continuous use of drops and melting imagery. Not only to add visual mystery and atmosphere, but because it can be interpreted in multiple ways. It might suggest a soft and quiet rain, water leaking through the house, or even Hidari’s blood dripping down. At the same time, these drops evoke Sasuke’s tears and the weight of his sorrow, extending the sense of distortion Hidari feels. And there’s this sense of emptiness from Hidari, like a single drop falling endlessly, seemingly without purpose or end. Until, at the very end, when the drop reaches its final fall. In that moment, he finally feels a human emotion, realizing an important truth about himself, even if the answer still escapes him.

As for when it came to choosing the photo, I settled on the one of Team 7. Not just to portray Naruto, but also to serve as a guide for Hidari. 

That photo defines Sasuke. 

It represents his found family, the bond that shaped him, and the part of his identity Hidari can never fully escape. I know that in canon the photo was no longer framed. But for this story, I imagined Himawari had framed all the family pictures, trying to preserve her parents’ memory. 

Now, thinking about that night in the story, let’s say Himawari either stayed at Sarada and Sakura’s house, or she was training with Kurama. In any case, the framed photo was left behind as a trace of what Sasuke treasured most. This lingering memory of Sasuke and his newfound family is exactly what Hidari instinctively reaches for in the comic, even as he struggles to recognize Naruto’s face.

Yet by instinct, he wants to know more.

He keeps reaching out, trying to observe and analyze him, but he never succeeds and only ends up cutting himself. 

It is painful, not because of the wound, but because deep down he knows he has forgotten something very important, essential. Now, with the photo broken and stained with his blood, he will never understand what it was that called to his very being. 

And yes, there are other photos, but none quite like this one. Because none of the others would hit him the way this one does.

Adding to this, the blue butterfly, in Japan, whispers of a precious, fleeting memory and a love that can never be, yet feels eternal, drifting between melancholy and hope. It lingers as a gentle and quiet herald of change, hinting at the quiet transformation stirring within Hidari’s heart.

I chose the Morpho butterfly, even though it isn’t native to Japan, because beyond symbolizing change and transformation, it’s also considered the most beautiful blue butterfly in the world🦋

And because blue is a special color to Sasuke, it is the color of Naruto’s eyes.

On this note, what happened was that Hidari was so focused on the photo, trying to figure out who the blurred person was, that he didn’t notice the butterfly. That’s why, when he saw it resting on Naruto’s face, he was caught off guard and that’s when it slipped from his hands.

Also, you’ve probably noticed that one of the windows in Naruto’s study is open. I like to think of Himawari as the kind of daughter who always leaves a window slightly open, hoping that, in some way, her dad will come through it and she’ll find him next morning, just like always, napping on the study sofa (or bed, since now I think there is a bed) after coming home late from work.

For this comic, I chose “The Loneliest” by Måneskin, both the instrumental and the original. The instrumental captures Hidari’s silent emptiness and the haunting shadows he walks through, while the lyrics speak of love lost and the pain of separation from someone irreplaceable. Together, they reflect the ache of longing, memory, and what cannot be reclaimed, echoing Hidari’s inner struggle and the ghost of Sasuke within him.

For Sasuke, Naruto is “the loneliest” part of himself he can’t forget.