Sasuke and Naruto were never friends and the manga proves it 

While Naruto and Sasuke together are considered to be one of the best duos in the franchise, fans often forget how hostile they were against each other throughout the majority of the series.

Given that their rivalry began at the age of 12, it is often unclear how close the duo were to each other, as opposed to what they believed.

Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto follows the titular character as he was an orphan boy who was made the Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Beast upon his birth. Since then, he's been on his own as he strives to become the Hokage and earn the respect of his fellow villagers.

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Why wasn't Sasuke as close to Naruto as fans thought him to be?

The Shadow Clone Jutsu as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While the franchise is based on ninjas, the story itself does not focus much on the stealthy parts of ninjas. Instead, the ideals of a Shinobi are held at a much higher ground, closer to that of samurais. Thus, in the story, it was often considered to be cowardly for one to gang up on their opponents in a handicap.

Nevertheless, the same criticism did not apply to the titular character when he would use his iconic Shadow Clone Jutsu. While it can be considered that he did not face such criticism as he was the protagonist, the unfair treatment is quite evident.

Naruto was often left alone given how other students had their parents pick them up (Image via Studio Pierrot)

If any other character did the same thing in every fight, they would be branded cowardly by other characters. Because the protagonist did it, no one batted an eyelid, except for Sasuke.

Sasuke Uchiha during his fight at the Valley of the End (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Unlike other characters, Sasuke knew why Naruto relied on the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Since his birth itself, the Fourth Hokage's son lived alone and often found himself with no friends to spend time with. Thus, he relied on his Shadow Clones to enjoy his time alone.

Sasuke knew that loneliness was a painful part of Naruto's past. Nevertheless, he was the only one who called him out for using the Shadow Clone Jutsu. During their fight in the Valley of the End, Sasuke criticized him for using his iconic jutsu, however, the reason he stated for the same was his loneliness.

Sasuke Uchiha during his fight at the Valley of the End (Image via Studio Pierrot)

This incident proved how Sasuke did not mind hurting Naruto's feelings as long as he was able to accomplish his goals, which at the time was to kill his opponent and become the Sixth Hokage. He wanted to reform the Shinobi World and wanted to get rid of the biggest obstacle out of his way.

While his goals were huge, there could have been other ways for Sasuke to achieve them, rather than wanting to kill his so-called best friend.

Moreover, he mocked the titular character for using his most iconic jutsu, that too, by connecting it with his deepest pain. Thus, it can be concluded that Sasuke was not as close to Naruto as depicted by fans.