When the Second Hokage degrades the Uchiha race as “possessed by evil”, Sasuke doesn't take kindly to his clan being stereotyped by Tobirama, when the Uchiha were the people Sasuke had known firsthand as kind, good civilians, living and enjoying life the same as anyone else, the people he lived with and treasured as his comrades.

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It couldn’t be clearer that Sasuke doesn't appreciate Tobirama's rude, uncalled-for stereotyping of his people, made evident in several ways, one being the death glare Sasuke levels at Tobirama for writing his entire race off as “evil”, and another being Sasuke's hostile battle-readiness to go toe-to-toe with Tobirama if necessary.

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At this point, Sasuke is in control of his emotions, so he calmly inquires why Tobirama is so compelled to degrade Sasuke’s entire people group as “possessed by evil”, wanting to know what evidence Tobirama has to back his claim.

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While Sasuke outwardly remains surprisingly calm throughout this discourse on his clan's alleged genetic deficit of morality (I shouldn’t have to explain this, but morality is not, in fact, a genetic trait as Tobirama attempts to claim with his nonsense “Uchiha's curse of hatred” hypothesis), it is clear that Sasuke is hacked at having his clan stereotyped as innately evil down to their DNA. Sasuke is protective of his clan and doesn’t appreciate them being negatively stereotyped as evil.

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Sasuke notes that isn’t it ironic that an Uchiha, of all people, understood Hashirama’s philosophy better than anyone? Neutrally and objectively speaking, there is of course absolutely nothing ironic about that observation whatsoever. In an unbiased perspective, there is absolutely nothing ironic, surprising, unusual, or noteworthy in any way that an Uchiha would follow Hashirama’s ideology. Only a biased person would find it “ironic” that an Uchiha had a philosophy similar to the First Hokage.

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This line of Sasuke’s show that he is fully aware of Tobirama’s racism; Sasuke is responding to Tobirama’s racial discrimination with an indirect reprimand, alerting us the audience to the fact that Sasuke is irritated and infuriated by Tobirama’s discrimination. Tobirama treats the Uchiha as inferior, and Sasuke reacts negatively to that prejudice by assuming the Senju believe he is inferior, so whenever Sasuke speaks to the Hokage brothers, Sasuke makes snide remarks about how “lowly” his clan is. Sasuke is rankled at Tobirama looking down on his clanmates, and though Sasuke remains more or less calm in the face of such discrimination, his annoyance at Tobirama makes itself glaringly evident in passive-aggressive ways, such as noting the “irony” that Itachi understood Hashirama’s philosophy better than most non-Uchiha villagers did. Through this line of dialogue, Sasuke subtly points out that the Senju have a superiority complex. They look down upon the Uchiha, as if the Uchiha are too egotistical or arrogant or stupid to learn and share the Senju’s philosophy. Tobirama Senju parades about as an enlightened fellow holding a superior philosophy of what government should be, one that the Uchiha (who Tobirama believes are genetically inclined to treachery and betrayal) could not much understand. Only a certain few “enlightened” of the Uchiha would be able to comprehend it, such as Kagami, one of the few Uchiha Tobirama doesn’t have a problem with.

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Let’s not forget that Sasuke personally doesn’t agree or align with Itachi’s philosophy, so he’s not exactly praising Itachi here. The point is not to praise his older brother, but to point out that for all Tobirama de-humanizes the Uchiha, the Uchiha are people too, not so different from the Senju, and they too can learn and follow the Senju’s philosophy, despite Tobirama’s prejudiced assertion to otherwise. Sasuke’s observation of his brother being what the First and Second Hokage viewed as a good shinobi was Sasuke taking a jab at Tobirama’s open racism against the Uchiha. Sasuke doesn’t approve or like his clan being stereotyped as all the same when his people are far more diverse than all that, so he hints to the Second Hokage that his clan are far more diverse and varied than Tobirama gives them credit for, noting that they are not all stereotypically homogenous.

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It's understandable that Sasuke is aggrieved and angered when the people of his childhood, his parents, and the sacrifices Itachi suffered through on Konoha's behalf all being stereotypically being degraded as “evil” by Lord Second Hokage. Konoha is the one to commit genocide on its own civilians, yet they still have the audacity to claim that the Uchiha are the only ones who are morally bankrupt? Riiiiight.

 

Needless to say, Sasuke isn't impressed by Tobirama's self-righteous posturing. Since Sasuke isn't the type to easily forgive and forget, he harbors a grudge towards Tobirama's discrimination of his clan beyond that conversation. Although he's able to shelf those differences in order to cooperate for the war, Sasuke still resents Tobirama for insulting his clan, as we see during the battle against Obito and Madara. When Hashirama tells Sasuke he wishes to grant some of his power to Sasuke, Sasuke doesn't snap up the opportunity for more power, but instead treats Hashirama's proffered gift with suspicious caution. Sasuke confrontationally questions why a Senju would stoop to helping the hated Uchiha race. Sasuke wants to know why Hashirama would choose him, the Uchiha, of all people, when there were plenty of non-Uchiha warriors in the vicinity.

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Why me, an Uchiha? Sasuke questions Hashirama. His subtext is clear because of the way Sasuke specifically distinguishes his status as an Uchiha as the barrier for why Hashirama's offer is surprising and unorthodox, drawing their clan names into the discussion: Aren't the Uchiha the hated race, the feared and disgraced race, the race of arrogant thugs, a people possessed by evil? Aren't the Senju and the Uchiha bitter enemies? Isn't my clan full of twisted criminals with black, warped hearts, evil to their core, as you Senju claim? Why trust an Uchiha?

 

Sasuke hasn't asked for pity, he hasn't even asked for acceptance. After Tobirama's racist spiel, it has been made clear to Sasuke that he will never be accepted, so ostracization and non-acceptance are all he expects at this point. Any form of acceptance or semblance of love thrown his way is treated with hostile suspicion and hesitant, distrustful caution. Especially in light of the war, which features the last two of his Uchiha kin pitted against everyone else on the enemy side…the Uchiha’s reputation has gone to pot and appears irredeemable at this point.

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Even so, Hashirama shows kind grace to Sasuke. Hashirama is no stereotypical racist like his brother. On the contrary, where Tobirama treats the Uchiha with rude and hostile distrust, Hashirama treats them with honorable respect. Hashirama seems exceptionally fond of the Uchiha clan, as Hashirama doesn’t hate the Uchiha clan or their culture. There is strength to the Uchiha clan that Hashirama respects and values, unlike Tobirama, who carelessly stomps all over Sasuke’s feelings for his people with his cold-hearted words. Hashirama shows respect to Sasuke because he has respect for Madara and the Uchiha clan. After all, Hashirama could have co-founded the Konoha village with several other clans, but he persisted in starting a village with the Uchiha. Hashirama didn’t write the clan off as terrible enemies, although he was painfully aware that the Uchiha were fearsome and heartless enemies, yet he foresaw that they possessed the qualities to become admirable, loyal allies, the way the Uchiha clan had been closely allied to themselves throughout the ages. Ever notice how strange it is that Indra’s descendants stuck together as a group for thousands of years, despite the clan’s seeming inclination for their members to develop big egos and arrogance problems? That in itself speaks volumes, that the Uchiha clan is such a powerful clan full of several stubborn, arrogant, headstrong, independent, and/or strong-willed individuals, yet they remained a cohesive unit for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Meanwhile, Asura’s descendants dispersed into many different groups, groups that became detached and independent from each other without a strong link between them. I’m not trying to say which clan was right or wrong in this regard (since it’s perfectly fine either way), I’m just pointing out that this state of events is an interesting historical commentary on the differences between clan cultures.

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Anyway, Sasuke is oddly resistant to Hashirama’s offer to gift of more power. Instead of accepting Hashirama’s gift, he tells Hashirama that he should use the power himself. Sasuke even offers to help pull out the rods restricting Hashirama’s movements for the First Hokage. Evidently Sasuke would rather help Hashirama out of his plight or search for other alternatives before agreeing to receive the power himself.

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Possibly Sasuke is weary of accepting the power from the Senju, showing that Sasuke has now inherited his clan’s hostility and distrust of the Senju. Sasuke had just learned about the long-standing enmity between the Senju and the Uchiha, so maybe learning the historical hostility sowed seeds of distrust and suspicion in Sasuke towards the Senju clan (and thanks to Itachi’s abusive treatment of Sasuke and a plethora of other irresponsible adults in Sasuke’s life, Sasuke already had plenty of trust issues, particularly towards adults). Hashirama’s history lesson and Tobirama’s open racism possibly had the effect of reverting the remaining Uchiha back to square one: the Uchiha were once again enemies of the Senju. Hashirama has no apparent reason to trust Sasuke and Sasuke has no apparent reason to trust Hashirama, so Sasuke is skeptical and suspicious of this Senju offering him a gift of power when Hashirama’s younger brother had been so hateful and bitter towards the Uchiha.

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Sasuke makes it clear that he is associated and affiliated with his clan by demanding to know why Hashirama would help an Uchiha like himself. In doing so, Sasuke stands firmly by his nakama and his family name, standing as one of them, no matter what, pointedly emphasizing his identity as an Uchiha. The subtext correlates to Sasuke affirming his identity as a member of the Uchiha: When you speak of my clan, you speak of me and everything I love. Sasuke is not going to reject his clan name or leave his family name by the wayside for Tobirama’s convenience or preference; he stands proud and firm in his Uchiha identity, willingly taking all the hatred or hostility that comes with the clan name, if that’s what it means to be Uchiha. If the Uchiha clan are hated, then Sasuke will be hated too. But Hashirama not hating Sasuke for his Uchiha identity is an unexpected twist that throws Sasuke a curveball, as the behavior is unexpected.

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During the war, Madara, Tobirama, and Hashirama all reinforce the societal idea that Uchiha is an inextricable and impossible-to-ignore aspect of Sasuke’s character, personality, history, and being. Even if the story took a different approach and we had a completely different Sasuke attempting to reject his Uchiha identity and roots, no one in his world would ever let him forget his affiliation with his clan. How could Sasuke forget he was an Uchiha, when virtually everyone in his life he encounters throws that fact in his face? Of course, Sasuke most definitely does not want to ever forget he is an Uchiha. His identity as an Uchiha marks his pride in his family, his nakama, his history, his ethnicity, his power, his path as a shinobi. Essentially everything that Sasuke is, was, and will be is because of his Uchiha roots. And Sasuke would never want to change that; why shouldn’t he take pride in the circumstances and the family name and the kin in his life who shaped and influenced him into who he is?

 

Of all the thousands of people on the battlefield, Madara offered an alliance to only one: Sasuke Uchiha. Madara wasn’t ignorant of Sasuke’s Uchiha affiliation, he was in fact drawn to it, especially because Sasuke bore a striking resemblance to Izuna. Madara himself said that he and Sasuke were united in being the last of the kin, yet another instance reinforcing the Uchiha’s cultural collectivist mindset (you can also see this in the interaction between Obito and Sasuke as well, but that intriguing relationship will have to wait for its own book for an analysis). It’s not only Sasuke that feels a strong kinship to his Uchiha brethren; other members of the clan feel it as well, even the independent-minded Madara who abandoned he clan.

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Madara specifically stated that his reasons for asking Sasuke to join him was because of their shared clan affiliation – about the only force that connected them. Madara waxes unexpectedly sentimental in the presence of Sasuke, promising to spare the teenager on the condition that his younger clanmate accept an alliance with the former Uchiha clan leader. It’s hardly because Madara felt he needed Sasuke’s power to win (can we imagine Madara believing he needed someone to help him achieve victory?), but because Madara wanted Sasuke on his side. However, Sasuke viewed Madara as relic of the past and a traitor for wanting to abolish the memory of his clan, and Sasuke intended to destroy Madara, not help Madara succeed in his goals.

 

Tobirama treats Sasuke’s clan name with scorn, almost ridicule and derision. Tobirama views Sasuke as depraved and hopeless, commenting that an Uchiha with a criminal for a companion is an Uchiha in their natural state. Tobirama doesn’t see the Uchiha rising above anything but criminal life, so long as they can’t abandon their Uchiha clan roots and dismiss their cultural identity in favor of only caring about their larger identity as Konoha citizens (ironically despite the fact that Tobirama never is able to fully put aside his Senju identity for the good of all, seeing as how Tobirama retained a personal and unprofessional distrust of his Uchiha comrades for the rest of his life). Hiruzen shares Tobirama’s sentiment, seeing as how he complimented Itachi for rising above the “trappings” of a clan. Evidently, Tobirama and Hiruzen hold the philosophy that a clan and the culture that comes with that clan is merely a trap and a cage for people, a limiter holding people back and preventing them from making good decisions for the greater good.

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Hashirama is different. Hashirama has respect of culture and diversity, as he respects the Uchiha and how their unique ideologies and culture shapes them into who they are. Tobirama coldly rejects Sasuke’s identity as an Uchiha, whereas Hashirama warmly embraces all of Sasuke for who he is. Hashirama doesn’t try to strip away Sasuke’s unique identity as an Uchiha the way Tobirama does, but graciously accepts it and in fact welcomes it.

 

It’s buried in the subtext, but what Tobirama and Hiruzen are essentially telling Sasuke is that: You are an Uchiha, and I reject you until you reject the part of you that is Uchiha.

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Meanwhile, what Hashirama is signaling to Sasuke is essentially this: You are an Uchiha, and I accept you for who you are and for what you bring to the table as a proud member of your people.

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If you further boil down the thematic value of this conflict between Hashirama, Tobirama, and Sasuke, it comes down to this: Hashirama embraces and welcomes diversity, and Tobirama welcomes and embraces homogeneity. Hashirama is trusting and embraces differences and how one's unique identity and viewpoint contributes to a larger cause in a uniquely interesting way. Meanwhile, Tobirama seeks to retain control by suppressing individual will, expression, and differences by working to maintain a homogenous force collectively serving a greater purpose.

 

Both parties make it clear that being Uchiha is an intrinsic and inescapable part of Sasuke’s identity. Hashirama shows that Sasuke shouldn’t be trying to escape his Uchiha ties; it’s a part of who Sasuke is and he shouldn’t reject himself or his devotion to the Uchiha, especially if he does not wish to. To kill his ties with his identity as an Uchiha would be to kill a part of his identity and who he is. After all, despite knowing Sasuke’s first name, Hashirama fondly refers to Sasuke not by his first name, but as “Uchiha lad”, a pointed statement. Tobirama may spit out the Uchiha name with spite, but Hashirama means the title respectfully and kindly, not a thing of shame, but a surname to be proud of (and it’s exponentially more meaningful because this transpires during a war that is entirely the fault of two Uchiha, Obito and Madara, yet Hashirama still refers to the Uchiha with respect).

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Conversely, Tobirama references Sasuke’s clan affiliation in a scathing manner, pronouncing Sasuke full of Uchiha evil, deriding Sasuke’s Uchiha name as negative and synonymous with evil (not exactly something Sasuke wants to hear about his family and nakama after all they and he have been through).

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Meanwhile, Hashirama denotes Sasuke’s surname with positive and wholesome connotations.

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For those who have tried (and failed) to protest that Tobirama isn’t actually a racist, let me clarify that it is glaringly obvious that Tobirama is, in fact, a racist. Some of Tobirama’s single lines are enough to prove it, as Tobirama makes pointed attacks on the Uchiha clan as a whole.

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Tobirama comments that of course you’d find an Uchiha associating with a criminal like Orochimaru. An obvious racial remark, as it directly insults Sasuke’s clan in a stereotypical fashion. Tobirama wasn’t wrong to think little of Sasuke upon witnessing his demeanor and the type of people he surrounded himself with. Yet all Tobirama had to do to keep his remarks non-racial and non-discriminatory was to judge Sasuke as an individual, instead of unnecessarily dragging the whole clan’s reputation into the conversation.

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The same thing happened again when Tobirama discriminated against the Uchiha by stereotypically lumping them all together as collectively all Uchiha, claiming that they were “possessed by Uchiha evil”.

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For context, put yourself in Sasuke’s shoes.

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Imagine someone tells you: “You are full of evil.”

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Now imagine someone tells you: “You are full of <insert your race here> evil.”

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It changes the meaning, intention, and impact of the insult quite a lot, doesn’t it? It may seem dissimilar from an outsider’s point of view, but putting yourself in Sasuke’s shoes makes you realize that the single-word inclusion of his clan name changes the impact and meaning of Tobirama’s insult significantly. 

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Tobirama was not wrong to criticize Sasuke for his behavior and choice of companions, since Sasuke was a criminal surrounded by criminals, but Tobirama was way out of line to turn that into an excuse to hate on a race of people.

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Sasuke didn’t care that his own personage was being attacked – in fact Sasuke himself bluntly pointed out that he shouldn’t be regarded as innocent, candidly identifying himself as his brother’s murderer. But verbally attacking the Uchiha clan? That’s an entirely different matter, and Sasuke took full offense at it (despite Sasuke saying that he didn't care, he visibly did care a lot). And in this case, he should – Tobirama was a racist bigot. All Tobirama had to do was omit a single word (“Uchiha”) from his dialogue to keep things racially neutral. But nah, I guess that was too hard for the blatantly prejudiced Tobirama. Why remain neutral and professional when you can make snippy, childish digs at a teenager for the actions of his entire people group and the deeds of ancestors he couldn’t control?

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When Tobirama’s racism is brought into question, many fans don’t consider the Uchiha clan race and thus make the argument that Tobirama can’t be racist against a non-race. So I’ll say here that I do classify the Uchiha as a race. If you want to see my reasons for classifying the Uchiha clan as their own race, there’s a chapter at the end of this book explaining why I classify the Uchiha a race; feel free to reference it at your leisure. In any case, it doesn’t matter. Either the Uchiha clan is a race, and Tobirama is a racist, or the Uchiha clan is a certain people group, and Tobirama is prejudiced against a certain people group – either way ends up at the same issue.