What Teuchi and Ayame are to Naruto, Uruchi and Teyaki are to Sasuke.

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Uruchi and Teyaki probably provide the best insight on what Sasuke’s relationship to the clan in general was, as they are the only common people Kishimoto used to provide a peek into Sasuke’s daily life.

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Sasuke refers to Uruchi and Teyaki as “aunt” and “uncle”, an affectionate and familiar term denoting closeness. This could be a term of endearment indicating that Uruchi and Teyaki are special to Sasuke. Or possibly Uruchi and Teyaki actually are Sasuke’s blood aunt and uncle, or great-aunt and great-uncle, perhaps being some of the mysterious relatives of Mikoto mentioned in Shippuden episode 481. Though I personally always interpreted the honorifics of “aunt” and “uncle” to be merely a term of endearment rather than Uruchi and Teyaki actually being blood relatives of Sasuke, so that’s the interpretation I’m sticking with.

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That means Sasuke somehow came to a point where he was on such good relations with the elderly couple that he began referring to them by a familial titles of aunt and uncle. Perhaps this speaks to the collectivist group mentality within the Uchiha, that several of the members view themselves not just as clanmates, and not even “just” nakama, but as family. Or it's possible that Uruchi and Teyaki are warm, approachable folk who allow several Uchiha children to refer to them as aunt and uncle. Or they could be Sasuke’s actual relatives, or perhaps there exists some special bond between the Uchiha couple and little Sasuke that we viewers are not privy to. Certainly it would be interesting to know the story behind how Uruchi came to be named as Sasuke’s “aunt” and Teyaki as Sasuke's “uncle”, but that tale remains unknown.

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The Uchiha couple were kindly folk who ran a bakery, a business Sasuke appeared to frequent regularly, seeing as how in his memory he was familiar enough with Uruchi and Teyaki enough to comfortably visualize (or hallucinate) them lounging outside their little shop together, Uruchi fondly asking young Sasuke what he would like for the day’s order and Teyaki nonchalantly browsing a newspaper, a depiction of them in their usual routine. Seeing how Sasuke can clearly visualize the couple upon his return to the empty Uchiha compound, we can assume that Sasuke was very familiar with the elderly couple. He was delighted to see them there, only to have that fleeting joy be replaced by an expression of heartbreak as he realizes that the bakers too are gone forever.

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Uruchi sheds light on how much pressure being the younger brother of the prodigy Itachi was. We know how Sasuke felt like a disappointment to his father, but evidently influences from other clanmates further added to the pressure Sasuke felt. Sasuke's insecurities over his “lack” of progress and achievements became evident in him at a young age, showing that familial and clan pressures had already taken root in Sasuke and were shaping his life since early childhood.

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Uruchi gushes about Itachi’s feats, subtly signaling that those who are successful get the spotlight and lots of praise, while those who are average, mediocre, or below average are ignored. Young Sasuke lives under the terror of living his life being ignored because he’s too weak and too mediocre, terrified of being unqualified to be ranked among his clanmates. That explains why later on as a genin he’s so riled up by enemies claiming that he is too weak or lacking in skill/power to be worthy of his clan name, because it speaks directly to his fears. Uruchi’s comments in part show where Sasuke feeling pressured to succeed came from.

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Starting from a very young age, Sasuke was a sensitive, thoughtful, and perceptive soul, perhaps too often reading too deeply into things. Uruchi listed Itachi’s achievements and the list is a tall order indeed, and she unintentionally insinuates that success and achievements in one’s career are the clan’s pride, which is natural. It’s how everything is: everyone celebrates the special and prominent successes, the people who accomplished impressive things, achievements worthy of note and praise because not everyone can do them. Sasuke’s own record simply isn’t as impressive as Itachi’s career (though Sasuke was too far removed from village politics to know that this was partially due to a shift in political policy than due to his own competency and talent, as in Itachi’s academy days, the ninja army, desperate to fill its ranks, pushed students through the academy more quickly than normal. Sasuke might’ve been allowed to graduate earlier if not for the procedure changes that came with “peacetime”). In comparison to Itachi, Sasuke’s success was not exceptional enough to be celebrated as spectacular.

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Uruchi pressures Sasuke by wondering at his accomplishments, but Teyaki chastises his wife by telling her not to pressure Sasuke. Teyaki reassures Sasuke he doesn’t need to worry about his performance, nor does the clan yet need to know of his achievements. Sasuke is a member of the proud Uchiha clan, and that belonging itself is enough to be proud of and reason enough for other Uchiha members to be proud of him. Teyaki encourages little Sasuke by telling him to believe in himself, saying that Sasuke will be fine and he shouldn't worry about his performance but merely try to do his best.

 

Teyaki represents a calmer side of the clan; he's relaxed and laid-back, not pressuring fellow clan members to succeed when they are already trying their best. Like Mikoto Uchiha, Teyaki recognizes that not everyone’s best is the same and he has patience with those taking life at their own pace. Teyaki finds belonging to the clan to be a source of pride in and of itself, no feats necessary. A clan member does not need to be phenomenally fantastic to be acknowledged as worthy of the Uchiha name; merely being born into the clan and being yourself are enough to make one a proud Uchiha, no matter their achievements or accomplishments.

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Uruchi is shown to be a kind person, cheerfully observing that Sasuke's older brother is the pride and joy of the clan (which, after all, is a compliment to Sasuke’s family and addressing a source of pride for Sasuke and his family), while also making a friendly inquiry into Sasuke's own life, wondering how things are going for Sasuke at school. Her inquiry is only intimidating to Sasuke because the Uchiha boy is daunted by the tall order his brother set through precedence. After having just boasted about how cool Itachi was, Sasuke is mortified to find that his own school record in lackluster in comparison to his older brother’s.

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But when Uruchi praised Itachi for his prodigious performances, Sasuke was delighted to chime in, being immensely proud of how cool his brother was; he wasn't at all bothered by his brother's renown, which is evidently widespread within the clan. When asked about his brother's skill, Sasuke doesn’t treat Uruchi’s gushing about Itachi with scorn, bitterness, or irritation. He has no negative feelings towards his brother whatsoever. Sasuke even adds to Itachi's lists of achievements by happily chiming in that Itachi had awakened the Sharingan by the young age of 8 years old. It's frankly endearing how enthusiastic Sasuke is to leap upon any opportunity to boast about his brother’s skill as a shinobi. Sasuke is as excited about Itachi’s strength as anyone else – actually, even more so, seeing as how no one seems more readily willing to praise or defend Itachi’s prowess as a ninja than young Sasuke is. Sasuke doesn’t exactly pull punches about observing how superior Itachi is in fighting ability, as Sasuke was blunt about observing that he believed Itachi was stronger than Shisui and also better than Fugaku with shuriken jutsu, as “even a kid like him” could plainly see.

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Sasuke isn't bothered by his brother's prodigiousness and powers except for when Sasuke is compared to his brother and inevitably found lacking. Sasuke loves Itachi his brother, but he dislikes Itachi his measuring stick. Sasuke understands the reasons why he is recurrently measured against Itachi, since Itachi is his family and in the spotlight as the clan’s pride and joy, not to mention being the clan’s future leader. Many big hopes ride on Itachi for the future of the Uchiha clan. Meanwhile, Sasuke is a sidelined element, not in the spotlight. His performance and progression appear lackluster when compared to the prodigy Itachi's, as is plain for everyone to see. Sasuke doesn’t mind his role as Itachi’s little brother, yet at the same time Sasuke doesn’t want to live an entire life ignored, overlooked and forgotten, all because his brother is a special prodigy, and Sasuke feels pressured to succeed and perform excellently the way his brother does.   

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Uruchi is friendly and outgoing, always shown cheerfully greeting Sasuke whenever they cross paths, and she inquires into his life, showing she cares about the young boy’s progression and growth. Uruchi seems considerate and at least a moderately (or decently) observant and attuned person, seeing as how she notes Sasuke’s abruptly sullen demeanor and asks him what’s wrong in a friendly tone, showing she is not oblivious to his feelings, but rather attuned to the young Uchiha’s moods.

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Teyaki appears more sensitive and perceptive still, as he chastises Uruchi for “talking nonsense”, realizing that young Sasuke probably feels overwhelmed at the measuring stick Itachi has created for Sasuke to live up to. Where Uruchi is oblivious and clueless to the problem she made in making Sasuke feel bad about not being as successful as his brother was at his age, Teyaki steps and smooths things over by promising that so long as Sasuke does his best, he’ll become as strong as Itachi one day.

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Teyaki’s words cheer Sasuke up, because they show that Sasuke is not forgotten or lost in Itachi’s shadow. This belief in him is precisely what Sasuke needs to hear. He’s not an extraneous, unnecessary second-born of the clan leader, but someone that the clan also has hopes in, just like they do with Itachi. Sasuke needed the encouragement of belief, and the kindly Teyaki gave that to him. Teyaki believed Sasuke would succeed if he put his mind to it, which helped Sasuke believe in himself and boosted his self-confidence.

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Teyaki illustrates the Uchiha’s collectivist mentality and a sense of clannish superiority when he described the Uchiha as the “brightest gem of the Leaf”. In all fairness, seeing how much stronger the Uchiha are than the other clans, I can’t say he’s wrong, though it still indicates arrogance underlying the clan. The Uchiha clan’s impressive abilities and strength would be hard to ignore, judging from the clan’s impressive track record, their history of influencing many significant historic events, and their international reputation as being one of the strongest clans (if not the strongest). It’s not just the Uchiha who reinforce this belief, but everyone around them as well. As a result, evidently members of the Uchiha view their clan as an impressive source of pride and strength and the most impressive clan in the entire village. Though I imagine that anyone would boast about their own clan, since other clans seem to possess a semblance of clan pride as well. But regardless, the Uchiha aren’t blind to the impressive track record of the clan or the strength that can come from it, and one can fairly say it has made them arrogant, something Teyaki’s comment illustrates.

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***********the Uchiha the brightest gem of the Leaf

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Teyaki and Uruchi emphasize the clan’s pride, that the clan is a tight-knit community with a collectivist mindset. They are all tied to each other, and what affects one member affects the entire clan. When one member of the clan succeeds, it is not a closed-off matter of pride only for the individual, but a matter of pride for the entire clan. The performance of one clan member affects the clan as a whole for good or for ill.

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Outside of Shisui and his family, were Uruchi and Teyaki the Uchiha that Sasuke was closest to? I can’t answer definitively, since there’s not enough information to say for sure.

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Perhaps Kishimoto focuses on the baker couple perhaps not because Uruchi and Teyaki are necessarily the closest people to Sasuke after Itachi, Fugaku, Mikoto and Shisui, but because it is a quick way of providing a general sketch of what Sasuke’s relationship to his clanmates was like. In that case, Uruchi and Teyaki stand as a quick overview to illustrate the extent of Sasuke’s tragic backstory. If Sasuke was on such warm terms with the local bakers, isn’t it reasonable to assume that Sasuke may also have had warm ties to other Uchiha, whether they be other local storeowners, neighbors, or extended relatives? Who knows have many “Uruchis” and Teyakis” Sasuke knew in his life apart from the baker couple? Kishimoto could have spent extra scenes writing a detailed exploration of every Uchiha Sasuke had ever personally known and his relationships to them, but for the sake of plot and keeping the story focused, I imagine Kishimoto would exclude the not-immediately-relevant moments of Sasuke’s life, including Sasuke’s interaction with other Uchiha members that Sasuke knew but who do nothing significant to impact the story except to be slaughtered by Itachi or Obito. For all we know, Sasuke could have had several or many people like Uruchi or Teyaki in his life; neighbors he was familiar with and loved or was fond of.

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Uruchi and Teyaki are the only people Sasuke remembers upon his return to the empty compound in the aftermath of the Uchiha massacre. That could be general or specific. Maybe Uruchi and Teyaki were especially special to Sasuke (and that would make sense, since Sasuke can so clearly visualize them there that’s it the fact that they are not there that’s so jarring, which indicates a very familiar bond), or maybe Kishimoto used Uruchi and Teyaki to give a general idea of what Sasuke is going through. Imagining the ghosts of his many Uchiha brethren as they normally were in their day-to-day lives without actually detailing a lot of panels for many characters. Either way, the point of Uruchi and Teykai show is to show that Sasuke lost people he knew, people like the warm baker couple who were always ready to address him with a cheerful greeting.