Hmm... I don't think you understood what I tried to convey. I'll try to rephrase stuff better, but before I begin please know that I'm not here to start a fight with you. I completely understand your POV though, despite having to disagree with a few things.
Except I don't try to justify Nagato's actions/intentions. And Nagato had a much rougher childhood than Sasuke. Not only was he caught in the middle of this "system" you guys keep talking about, but the Hidden Rain was caught in the middle of everyone's damn "systems". The only person to ever show him love and mercy was Jiraiya.
Even though you claim that Nagato had a rougher childhood than Sasuke, an unfortunate event is still an unfortunate event. Both Nagato and Sasuke, no matter what degree their past experiences were, has made it a point that it deeply affected their psyche in such a way that it impacts with their core characteristics. In the end it all settles down with differences- what may be a disaster for you may not be a disaster for me. In Kishimoto's perspective, a writer has this unspoken (yet very mandatory) responsibility to give a character (especially one that he has given an important role to play) a proper back story in order to validate his purpose for doing things that greatly affect the main plot. In this case, Sasuke,
Sasuke also had a messed up childhood, what with his brother murdering his whole family, but after that, the village did everything to comfort him and protect him. He even had an apartment to himself lol. In return, Sasuke left and betrayed the village and spat on team 7's face. And keep in mind that at this time he didn't even know about Danzo's involvement. He was already misguided way before the truth came out.
I actually do keep that in mind. Always. I don't know about you, but I don't think an introverted, family-oriented child who once lived in a complex with all his other kin whom he loved so much would be feeling miraculously better and optimistic after having one WHOLE 4-walled empty apartment all to himself and outsiders to deal with. You do know what a complex is, right? And since I take it that you like this manga, you must be aware that the Uchiha weren't really... as welcome as they seemed to be. You can actually see people talking bad about them from behind their backs. They even live in their own "settlement" so to speak. Even if Sasuke was welcome after the whole massacre thing, I doubt a boy coming from such a prideful clan would feel happy about people pitying him.
You call him a "helpless victim caught in the middle"... I think it's safe to say Sasuke has never been helpless, not since he was throwing up fireballs at 5 years of age. And now he's one of the two strongest people in the world. Poor wittle Sasky, with his totally not haxxed eyes.
This isn't about being helpless, it's about FEELING helplessness. If you payed attention to Sasuke's character as a whole (even if you're not a fan, this info is quite basic enough for you to know) then you should be aware that Sasuke's character is all about power. But it's not just power in general, he wants to feel it in his veins for every step he takes in life. This word has been his center since part 1 and it's even his favorite word. Power to avenge his clan, power to kill Itachi, power to test his limits, power to know his ground, power to defeat Naruto, power to protect his loved ones, power to crush the system... etcetera. As crazy as it sounds, that's how he was built.
And finally, to the bold: Sasuke always had the same opportunities that Naruto had. They were both orphans who were put in the same team. They both had access to friends, a mentor (Kakashi), Hiruzen, and, you know, whatever. He could have made different choices, but instead was obsessed with revenge. He chose his path, and his path led to him capturing 8-tails chakra and helping bring about this whole war, both on Kabuto's and Obito's side.
They may have had the same opportunities from the start (keyword from the start), but Naruto had a lot more coming for him. Don't forget that the reason why he left in the first place, and no it wasn't just because he wanted power, but it was because he was handicapped by the cursed seal in the first place. Remember the rules Kakashi set out for him to follow after they sealed Orochimaru's mark? I think you do.
Furthermore as I said, even though they were both orphans, their backgrounds weren't exactly the same. They have completely DIFFERENT lives, and you know that.
One huge difference is this: Sasuke CAME from having a family to NOT having one at all. Remember the time at VotE where he even told Naruto that he "didn't know how it was like to lose a family?"
Naruto on the other hand NEVER had a family/comrade/relationship to having LOTS of them as he grew up?
View it as you would a spectrum of colors. Sasuke goes from uphill to downhill, while Naruto starts from the latter.
And yes, he had one flaw and it's because he was bent on getting revenge. I agree with you that much. HOWEVER, I don't think it escalated to the point where he was obsessed with it, he merely loathed Itachi that much to want it. If he was obsessed with something, it would be power. And BECAUSE of the cursed seal, he couldn't live up to his best potential. Which led to frustration, to succumbing to the rivalry, to following Orochimaru, to... you know the rest.
