1. Mother and Son

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There aren't many chapters in this book, not because Mikoto's relationship to Sasuke isn't important – Sasuke's relationship to his mother is among Sasuke's most important relationships – but rather because Mikoto doesn't have all that many scenes in the series, even in the filler. Mikoto is a background supporter, someone who wields great familial influence but in a subtle, behind-the-scenes way. But I don't want lack of pages to imply a lack of importance in Sasuke's life, since that isn't the case. Sasuke was always very close to his mother and Mikoto's influence on Sasuke has an ever-present significance on his character arc, albeit in a subtle, less noticeable way. After all, Mikoto herself was a usually subtle and unnoticeable person, not flamboyant, and she was someone who worked quietly behind the scenes without seeking recognition for herself. 

If Mikoto's relationship to Sasuke seems less interesting than Sasuke's other relationships, it's because there is never really any conflict between Sasuke and his mom. Sasuke's relationship to his mother was pretty much the only thoroughly healthy and untroubled relationship Sasuke had, as there isn't really anything negative about the relationship between Sasuke and Mikoto.

Every other relationship that Sasuke has its points of strife and conflict, but his bond with his mother doesn't really. There's no hurt, bitter feelings to his connection to Mikoto, neither are there harmful psychological repercussions that Mikoto intentionally nor unwittingly inflicted upon him. Their bond is pure and positive, and needless to say, Sasuke and Mikoto got along very well.

Perhaps it's telling that the first time I ever watched Sasuke's backstory, my initial conclusion (though woefully incorrect it was as I later realized) was that the scenes depicting Sasuke's past were meant to show the audience that of his family members, he was closest to his mother during his childhood. Now that I understand Sasuke's character better, I know that that isn't true, as Itachi is the family member that Sasuke was closest to. But the point is that Sasuke and Mikoto shared a warm relationship that even a newbie first-time viewer like myself could pick up on the closeness of the mother and son duo.

Mikoto and Sasuke were kindred spirits, since in his childhood days before the massacre, initially Sasuke took after his mother in a lot of ways. Mikoto and Sasuke were both quiet, patient, optimistic, endurant, and understanding in nature. They had a shared bright, cheerful nature, though after the massacre Sasuke underwent a personality shift and became more sullen and reserved, turning out more like his father than like his mom. Since personality-wise Sasuke and Mikoto were alike, it's no surprise that Mikoto and Sasuke got along so well.

Mikoto is a woman of subtle optimism and quiet, often unrecognized, strength. She doesn't have the openly spirited nature of characters like Kushina, Fu, or Himawari, but she is possessed of a cheerful disposition, just a quieter kind of cheerfulness. She's not exuberant, but she is optimistic and ebullient, as we see in small moments like Mikoto's joy at seeing snow on the day she learns that she is pregnant with her second child. She handles and expresses her feelings of joy and cheer in a more formal, reserved, subtle way, but she has an ever-burning cheerful disposition nonetheless, though as the Uchiha clan's impending doom looms ever closer, that cheeriness starts to fade and becomes somewhat shrouded by political tensions.

 She handles and expresses her feelings of joy and cheer in a more formal, reserved, subtle way, but she has an ever-burning cheerful disposition nonetheless, though as the Uchiha clan's impending doom looms ever closer, that cheeriness starts to ...

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