Template:Important
| “ | "If I had been open with you from the start… and looked you straight in the eyes and told you the truth, then I wouldn't have had to stand before you, from above, as a failure, telling you all of this. So this time, I want to impart this truth to you… You don't even have to forgive me. And no matter what you do from here on out, know this… I will love you always." | „ |
| ~ ~Itachi's final words to his brother |
Itachi Uchiha (うちはイタチ|Uchiha Itachi) was one of the supporting characters in the Naruto franchise. He was an ANBU Captain and a prodigy from Konohagakure's famed Uchiha clan. He had joined the criminal organization Akatsuki to serve as a double-spy, to later become an S-rank missing-nin as he participated in murder of his entire clan on orders from higher-ups, in what would become known as the Uchiha clan massacre, defecting from the village subsequently. He was also Sasuke's older brother.
He is voiced by Hideo Ishikawa in the Japanese version of the anime, and Crispin Freeman in the English version of the anime.
History
Itachi was born into the Uchiha clan from Fugaku and Mikoto, when he was 7 years old, his younger brother Sasuke was born., being himself the firstborn of his parents, he was a genius above all others. Even by the standards of the battle-adept Uchiha clan, Itachi's prowess far outshone their own. However, few could understand him. When he was only four, Itachi had already witnessed countless lives lost due to the Third Shinobi World War, which emotionally traumatized him and consequently turned him into a pacifist. Itachi spent much of his time researching the history of the village from the writings their ancestors left behind. During the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha, Itachi was left alone to take care of his infant brotherSasuke and promised to protect him no matter what.In the anime, it was shown that during their childhood, Itachi made a game of collecting paw prints of cats with his brother. The last paw print to be collected was Nekomata's, who Itachi had defeated and asked him to fight Sasuke with all his might when Sasuke got older. At age 7, Itachi graduated from the Academy at the top of his class after only one year,mastered the Sharingan at age 8,passed the Chūnin Exams at age 10, enrolled in ANBU half a year laterand became captain by 13.At some point in time in their childhood, Sasuke helped Itachi on one of his missions to capture a giant boar. Itachi told Sasuke to avoid his vital points. He then threw kunai with explosive tags around the boar, to confuse it and to give Sasuke an opportunity to shoot the boar. Sasuke, however, missed completely. After Sasuke apologised, Itachi told him he needs to train more.Itachi was praised highly by Fugaku, his father, who spent most of his time grooming Itachi to inherit the title of leader of the Uchiha, and hence inadvertently neglected his younger son. However, during this time Itachi showed great affection towards his little brother and even encouraged his father to come to the Academy enrolment ceremony for Sasuke, something their father had otherwise forgotten, caught up an important mission that would establish Itachi a place in the ANBU ranks. When the Uchiha clan began planning to overthrow Konoha, Itachi, as an ANBU, was tasked with spying on the village. Knowing that a coup d'état would only escalate to the beginning of another ninja-world war, Itachi began spying on the Uchiha instead, passing on information to the Third Hokage and Konoha elders. Though the Third Hokage ultimately decided to reason with the Uchiha in order to dissuade them from their actions, Danzō Shimura met secretly with Itachi Uchiha and inveigled him into choosing the lives of his clansmen or that of his little brother.Itachi eventually discovered the existence of Tobi — under the guise of a vengeful Madara Uchiha— who was attempting to rekindle the flames of war in Konoha. In return for not attacking Konoha, Itachi offered to help him claim vengeance against the Uchiha for turning their backs on him decades earlier to which Tobi agreed. Itachi joined Akatsuki, but did in fact in order to keep an eye on the organisation. During his time in Akatsuki, Orochimaru tried to steal his body to gain the Sharingan, but Itachi trapped him in a genjutsu and severed his left hand.Itachi was further partnered with Kisame Hoshigaki, who initially tried to intimidate him.However, they eventually became good partners. During this time he began to act strangely, not attending the clan meetings, speaking out against the clan, and becoming the prime suspect for the murder of his best friendShisui Uchiha, who was drowned in the Naka River. In reality, Shisui died after he entrusted his left eye to Itachi, the other having been taken by Danzō Shimura during Shisui's failed attempt to stop Danzō from carrying out his plan to commit genocide. Due to this the clan lost hope in Itachi, and his father began shifting his focus to Sasuke instead. Meanwhile, the Third's attempts to negotiate a bloodless end to hostilities between the two parties were proving ineffective, so against Hiruzen's wishes, Danzō Shimura and the Konoha Council ordered Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha clan. Before the fateful night arrived, Itachi with the help of Tobi under the guise of Madara Uchiha slaughtered his entire clan overnight.Despite this action, his parents stated that they were still proud of their eldest son, and requested that he took care of Sasuke. Itachi spared Sasuke because he loved his little brother, and as per the agreement between him and Danzō, did not want to take the life of the person most important to him. He lied to his brother, making himself out as a villain who had killed their innocent family only to test his capacity, and told Sasuke he was not even worth killing. Itachi also revealed to Sasuke the secret meeting place of the Uchiha, where Sasuke can learn the true history and purpose of the Sharingan. Itachi told him that in order to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke had to kill the person closest to him, and that when they met again, they should have the same eyes. Sasuke managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan, and pursue Itachi. Upon reaching Itachi, he managed to knock off his forehead protector. Itachi shed a tear as he was picking up his forehead protector and Sasuke fell unconscious before he awoke in the hospital, only remembering up to Itachi's speech. Hoping that his little brother would someday be powerful enough to kill him, Itachi left the village as a traitor.Knowing that Konoha would still want to eliminate Sasuke, Itachi pleaded with the Third Hokage to keep Sasuke safe and threatened Danzō not to harm Sasuke or else he would reveal everything he knew about Konoha's secrets to enemy nations.
For his final business in the village, Itachi visited the Third Hokage and reported his mission completed, much to the Third's surprise and disappointment. Itachi requested that the Third look after Sasuke, which the Third vowed to do. Concerned not all of Konoha's elders would follow this request, Itachi threatened Danzo that he would tell every secret he knew about Konoha to rival villages if any harm came to Sasuke, which Danzo assented to. Itachi left the village publicly a traitor but secretly with a new mission: to infiltrate the Akatsuki as a spy to keep it from attacking Konoha. He was partnered with Kisame Hoshigaki, with whom he bonded over their shared notoriety for killing their own countrymen. After joining the Akatsuki, he encountered Orochimaru, who tried to steal his body in order to gain the Sharingan, but Itachi easily deflected him and severed his left hand, forcing Orochimaru to defect from the Akatsuki. To find a replacement for Orochimaru, Itachi recruited Deidara, whose art he defeated with his Sharingan genjutsu, causing Deidara to swear vengeance against Itachi for humiliating him. At some point, Itachi contracted an incurable terminal disease. He kept himself alive through the years with medicine and sheer willpower so that he could live long enough to die by Sasuke's hand.
Personality
From a young age, Itachi was quiet and insightful. He lived at a distance, observing individuals and ideas without getting directly involved so he can fully understand them. Although this prevented him from becoming close to many people, it enabled him to think and act without prejudice or preconceptions, instead evaluating things strictly on their own merits. He would think about shinobi and origins of the village and its future. For this reason he never had the self-righteous loyalty to his clan that so common among the Uchiha: the Curse of Hatred. Although he loved his family and wanted the best for his clan, he knew there were more important things than the Uchiha's aspirations. Despite being a pacifist, Itachi felt his own needs were secondary to the greater goods; to that end he became a shinobi. He trained tirelessly to improve himself as quickly as he could and subjected himself to the shinobi life's inconveniences without complaint for the simple motivation to be useful to others. Being an accomplished ninja enabled Itachi to approach problems less violently than others would, satisfying his peace-loving nature. These two extremes of his personality came into conflict as events towards the Uchiha Clan Downfall; he did not want to harm his family and sought a peaceful resolution, but knew the path with the least bloodshed would be the clan's extermination. As the inevitability of the clan's massacre became apparent, Itachi's normally polite attitude to his clansmen became more violent, criticizing them openly and lashing out at them for the choices that sealed their fates and his own.
Despite the trauma he endured from killing his family, Itachi did not blame those among Konoha's leadership who gave him the mission; though he did not trust Danzo on a personal level, he knew Danzo only had the village's best interest at heart. But Itachi - partly out of the necessity of his assignment to join Akatsuki - was greatly changed after the massacre, never showing any emotion. He became more prone to displays of force and permitted certain violent habits of Kisame under the pretence that it furthered Akatsuki's goals. Itachi could not and would not fully shake his pacifistic ways and would run from a confrontation or rein in Kisame in the likelihood of collateral damage became too high for themselves and others. While Kisame would sometimes protect, he considered Itachi a good friend and followed his instructions. Protecting Konoha was always the forefront in Itachi's mind, but it was his dedication to Sasuke that always his main priority. From the time Sasuke was born, Itachi tasked himself with looking after him. They'd spend whole days together in the woods having adventures and accomplishing self-appointed missions. When Itachi became an accomplished ninja and took much of their father's attention, he would make special time for Sasuke in order to make him happy. Sasuke, wishing to be like his older brother, would often ask Itachi to train him. Itachi almost never did so, poking him on the forehead and promising to train him next time, none of which were never kept. It was Sasuke's safety that ultimately convinced Itachi to go through with killing the rest of the Uchiha, believing his own damnation was worth it if it meant Sasuke's survival. Even though he did it for Sasuke, Itachi wanted to be punished his crimes and decided Sasuke would be the one to take vengeance against him. To push Sasuke towards this direction, Itachi lied about his reasons for the massacre and took on the persona of a man who never loved his brother. His actions in Akatsuki were meant to reinforce this persona and whenever he met Sasuke over the years, he would taunt his weakness and encourage him to get strong enough to kill him. His plan was that, once he had been killed, Sasuke would be hailed as a hero. Itachi never wanted Sasuke to learn the truth surrounding the Uchiha's demise, and if he did, Itachi hoped the memory of a hateful brother would cause Sasuke to not believe it.
After he died and was reanimated, Itachi discovers that his plan largely failed; Sasuke is not a hero, he did find out the truth about what Itachi did, and now aims to destroy Konoha. Naruto points out the flaw in Itachi's plan: he had been trying to manipulate Sasuke rather than be honest with him and trust his own strength. Acknowledging this mistake, Itachi is free to be himself instead of the persona he fabricated, being openly kind to other and displaying a dry sense of humor, even in stressful situations. He is finally open with Sasuke when they meet again, admitting what he did and even sharing information Sasuke did not know about. He apologizes to Sasuke for failing in his responsibilities as an older brother, wondering if being honest with Sasuke from the beginning might have prevent the Uchiha's demise. In their final moment together, Itachi tells Sasuke that he does not need forgiveness and that he will always love him no matter what.
Abilities
A child whose genius manifested at a young age, Itachi's teachers at the Academy noted that his progress hardly required any help, having been quickly promoted through the ninja ranks while still a child, further showing his remarkable capacities and ultimately gaining great prowess with all of the three main types of techniques. In his battles, Itachi was shown to be an immensely powerful ninja and gained praise from allies and foes alike. During his battle against Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yūhi, and Asuma Sarutobi, Kakashi commented that Itachi was not fighting with even half his strength despite clearly pressuring his enemies.Orochimaru, reputed as one of the three legendary Sannin, openly admitted Itachi was stronger than he was.Tobi has also stated that Itachi never ceased to amaze him. Despite his own impressive abilities, Itachi never underestimated his opponents, given his praise of Jiraiya,in which he noted to Kisame that, provided he had the latter's help, if he fought Jiraiya, they would either kill each other or Itachi himself would lose. As an Uchiha, Itachi had very strong chakra. However, he had low supplies of chakra which made him unable to participate in prolonged battles. In Part I, he could only use the Mangekyō Sharingan for a maximum of three times in a day before he needed a significant amount of rest. Even with that, and Itachi's health failing, along with the fact that he was holding back, Sasuke still could not defeat him during what would be their final confrontation with Itachi controling the direction and outcome of the battle. Being a technical pacifist due to traumatic experiences from the Third Shinobi World War, Itachi did not actively take part in battle, only acting in self-defense, and mostly incapacitating his enemies instead of killing them if possible.
Part I
Search for Tsunade
after the Konoha Crush and the death of the Third Hokage, Itachi and Kisame use Itachi's prior experience as an Anbu to enter the village undetected. They are noticed by Kakashi, who sends Asuma and Kurenai after them to determine their identities and purpose. Asuma and Kurenai engage them but pose little challenge and it is due to the timely arrival of Kakashi that they are saved. Itachi uses Tsukuyomi on Kakashi but is surprised that Kakashi not only remains standing but he knows that the Akatsuki is seeking the Nine-Tails. Itachi instructs Kisame to capture Kakashi to find out what else he knows and kill the others but Kisame is parried by Might Guy. With things escalating, Itachi and Kisame decide to withdraw.
Itachi and Kisame tract Naruto (the Nine-Tails jinchuriki) to Shukuba Town. Because Naruto is under the protection of Jiraiya, Itachi uses a genjutsu on an attractive woman to draw Jiraiya away. They confront Naruto and contemplate how to capture him but are interrupted by Sasuke, who heard of Itachi's return and attacks him with Chidori but Jiraiya returns before things can go further. Not wishing to get drawn into a fight with Jiraiya, Itachi taunts Sasuke's weaknesses, incapacitates him with Tsukuyomi, and then makes to escape. Jiraiya attempts to stop them with Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind but Itachi uses Amaterasu so he and Kisame can flee. Despite his seeming intentions to capture Naruto, Itachi's real reason for returning to Konoha was, in wake of the Third's death, to remind Danzo and the rest of the Konoha Council that they are not to do anything harmful to Sasuke.
Sasuke Recovery Mission
Itachi and the rest of the Akatsuki assemble to discuss the progress of their plans as well as Sasuke's recent alliance with Orochimaru.
Part II
Kazekage Rescue Mission
While sealing the One-Tail, Akatsuki learns the Konoha shinobi are converging on their location. Just as Kisame volunteers to delay Team Guy, Itachi offers to delay Team Kakashi. Nagato uses his Shapeshifting Technique to make body-double of Itachi that he controls remotely, which he uses to intercept Team Kakashi, who coordinates against him. Itachi is impressed by Naruto's growth but he still mamanges to catch him in a genjutsu. He torments Naruto for his failures to protect his friends, specifically Sasuke, until the genjutsu is broken by Naruto's teammates. Itachi, hi sbody-double not having his full power, is eventually defeated by Naruto's Big Ball Rasengan. He nevertheless succeeds in buying enough time to complete the One-Tail sealing.
Itachi Pursuit Mission
After Kisame captures the Four-Tails, the Akatsuki convenes to seal it. Before the ssealing gets underway, they are informed that Sasuke killed Orochimaru after training with him for two-and-a-half years and is now coming after Itachi. Deidara and Tobi go after Sasuke after the sealing and the Akatsuki receives reports that all three had been killed in battle. Kisame consoles Itachi afterwards for now being the last Uchiha, but Itachi replies that Sasuke is still alive. Even had he died, he says there is still another Uchiha, alluding to Tobi's survival as well.
Tale of Jiraiya the Gallant
Knowing his end is near, Itachi sends a shadow clone to find and meet with Naruto. He asks Naruto what Sasuke means to him and what would he do if Sasuke ever attacks the village. Naruto replies he considers Sasuke to be a brother - even describing himself as a better brother than Itachi - and he will defend the village without killing Sasuke. Itachi is happy with this answer and gives Naruto some assistance for this purpose: a special crow that he stores within Naruto's body, though he doesn't tell Naruto about the crow's purpose. The crow, implanted with Shusui's Mangekyo Sharingan, will react to seeing Itachi's eyes and compel whoever had the eyes to protect Konoha. Since he expects Sasuke will take his eyes at some point, the plan was for the crow to reestablish Sasuke's loyalty to the village after Itachi is dead. With this business done, the shadow clone disperses.
Another shadow clone follows Sasuke to track him to one of Akatsuki's lairs. Sasuke attacks him, displaying his new abilities, and in doing so convinces Itachi that he has gotten strong enough. The shadow clone arranges to meet with Sasuke at the Uchiha Hideout before it disappears. while Itachi waits for Sasuke, he has Kisame patrol the hideout's perimeter and permit nobody but Sasuke to enter.
Fated Battle Between Brothers
When sasuke arrives at the hideout, they start off by discussing Itachi's actions in the massacre and Itachi confesses he had help from Madara Uchiha, but Sasuke doesn't believe him due to Madara being dead for many years. The battle begins with them trading genjutsu and Sasuke requests that Itachi tell him about Tobi, who goes by Madara, as well as the mysteries of the Mangekyo Sharingan and the more powerful Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi expresses disappointment that Sasuke had not gained his own Mangekyo but says he can use Sasuke's eyes to gain an Eternal Mangekyo all the same. The genjutsu exchange ends when Sasuke breaks free from Itachi's Tsukuyomi, thus beginning the real fight. The volleys of ninjutsu quickly spill outside, where Sasuke and Itachi compare their Great Fireballs. When Sasuke starts to pull ahead, Itachi uses Amaterasu. While trying to hit Sasuke, he ends up igniting the surrounding forest but doesn manage to catch Sasuke, who sheds his own skin to escape the flames and performs multiple Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Techniques while Itachi is off-guard. Itachi avoids them but Sasuke informs him that Itachi wasn't his target.
After Sasuke's attack, storm clouds gather and lightening brews, allowing Sasuke to attack Itachi with Kirin. Although the hideout is destroyed, Itachi survives thanks to his Susanoo. With his Susanoo activated, Itachi approaches Sasuke, who activates his Cursed Seal of Heaven out of desperation to defeat Itachi but unleashes Orochimaru. Orochimaru springs from Sasukes body using the Eight Branches Technique and states his intentions to take Sasuke's body as his own, Itachi, have prolonged the battle in order to draw Orochimaru out, pieces him with Sisanoo's Sword of Totsuka, sealing Orochimaru away and removing Sasuke's cursed seal. Itachi resumes the approach, telling sasuke his resolution to now take his eyes and Sasuke makes futile attempts to keep him away, Susanoo continues to protect Itachi but it degrades he gets close and Itachi starts coughing up blood. When he finally reaches Sasuke, Itachi appears to grab for his eyes but instead pokes him on the forehead )the poke seals Amaterasu in Sasuke's eyes, set to activate against Tobi's Sharingan in order to protect Sasuke from him). Itachi smiles and apologizes to Sasuke be telling him this is the end before succumbing to his illness and falling dead to the ground with a smile on his face.
Power
Kabuto reanimates Itachi to be used against Team Kakashi. The summon fails almost immediately afterwards, causing Kabuto to wonder if the Impure World Reincarnation was still incomplete.
Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown
When the Fourth Shinobi World war looms, Kabuto approaches Tobi - who survived the implanted Amaterasu - offering to join forces. To that end, he reanimates Itachi and four other dead members of Akatsuki as offering for Tobi's war plans.
Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation
When the war begins, Itachi is mobilized witht he rest of Kabuto's collection of reanimated ninja. Itachi is paired with Nagato, who he carries around because of Nagato's damaged legs. They discuss the Akatsuki and how little they, particularly Nagato, actually knew about the organization; both were pawns kept by Tobi because of their abilities and now they've been revived so Kabuto can use them for the same reason.
Itachi and Nagato are found by Naruto and Killer B. Itachi learns several things as kabuto forces him to fight them: Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode proves he's finally gained control of the Nine-Tails and Killer B's use of Samehada is proof Kisame is dead. Naruto tells Itachi that Saske now works with the Akatsuki to destroy Konoha because he found out the truth about Itachi's actions in the Uchiha massacre from Tobi, much to Itachi's horror and dismay. Itachi and Nagato continue attacking them but give advice Naruto and B about how to avoid them. When he has an opening, Itachi calls out the crow he planted in Naruto before his death and allows it to use its genjutsu on him, overriding Kabuto's control with its pre-programmed mission to protect Konoha. Now free to do as he wishes, Itachi joins Naruto and B against Nagato, using Amaterasu on him and his summons. Itachi continues to eliminate Nagato's summons and also saves B and Naruto from being killed. Nagato uses Chibaku Tensei to try and restrain them but the three join forces to destroy it. Itachi stabs Nagato with the Sword of Totsuka before the dust settles, sealing him away and ending the battle. Itachi then decides to personally take care of Kabuto in order to end the Impure World Reincarnation. Before leaving, he destroys the crow and Shisui's eye with Amaterasu so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands and entrusts Sasuke to Naruto, whom Itachi believes is the only person capable to reforming Sasuke.
Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
Nagato had been able to locate Kabuto's location while they were together and Itachi moves on a direct course there. He inadvertently crosses paths with Sasuke along the way. Feeling he is unworthy of Sasuke, Itachi tries to avoid him and his questions about why he spared Sasuke. When Sasuke persists, itachi admits he made a mistake in manipulating Sasuke along a path that he wanted, which has put Sasuke in a worse position than he ever intended. As they near Kabuto's lair, Itachi tries one last time to avoid him but is disappointed when Sasuke joins him shortly after he confronts Kabuto. Sasuke moves to kill Kabuto but is blocked by Itachi who explains that Kabuto must be kept alive to break the Impure World Reincarnation. Sasuke offers to help on the condition that Itachi will talk to him afterwards, which Itachi agrees.
Kabuto obscures his vision to prevent being caught in a genjutsu and attacks the brothers. Itachi and Sasuke block with their Susanoo, only to find they lost track of Kabuto. Itachi realizes that Kabuto has achieved Sage Mode and quickly defends Sasuke before he can come to harm in Kabuto's sneak attack. Itachi reminds Sasuke of a mission they went on as children to hunt a boar, which they reenact with their Susanoo. Kabuto avoids them and commandeers Sasuke's sword to attack Itachi, who takes the sword back from him and uses it to cut the tip of one of Kabuto's horns. Kabuto tries to turn Sasuke against Itachi by pointing out all the lies Itachi has been telling Sasuke for years. Itachi admits his faults but promises to tell Sasuke something after he's performed his Izanami. Kabuto is confident that he cannot be defeated since they can't kill him and because of the precautions he's taken to avoid genjutsu. He manipulates the cave to confine them and uses Strange Transmission Distant Shadow to perform a variety of other ninja's long-range jutsu, trying to create an opportunity to access Itachi's head and gain control of him. Sasuke becomes increasingly eager to kill Kabuto but Itachi pleads for him to wait until Izanami is ready. While the brothers deal with Kabuto's recreation of Orochimaru, Kabuto bisects Itachi, who's reanimated body regenerates and he uses Sasuke's sword to cut off even more of the same horn as before. This creates a sensory loop independent of vision that traps Kabuto in eternal battle, which is Izanami. Kabuto has the chance to escape from Izanami by accepting the fate he now tries to fight by taking on others' powers. Itachi's ift to him because of their perceives similarities. He realizes the brille that cover Kabuto's eyes and uses a genjutsu to make Kabuto preform the hand seals that will end the Impure World Reincarnation.
While Kabuto preforms the hand seals, Sasuke tells Itachi that he can forgive him but not Konoha for forcing Itachi to do what he did and that because the reunion between them reminded him of Itachi as the brother he loved and admired, Sasuke will continue to with his plot to destroy the village despite it being against Itachi's wishes. Itachi listens to this but doesn't respond. When he is engulfed in light as the Impure World Reincarnation begins to break, he faces Sasuke and admits to everything Sasuke has been told about him; he had been given a mission to eliminate the Uchiha clan in order to prevent it from revolting against the village and was allowed spare only Sasuke out of love. However, he imparts some memories to Sasuke about how Itachi made the choice to go through with the massacre on his own rather than being forced and their parents didn't blame him for siding with the village rather than the clan. As he reaches for Sasuke, Itachi tells him that he didn't want Sasuke to forgive him and apologized for everything that has happened, and said he now believes their clan's fate could have been changed if he had been honest with Sasuke from the start. Instead of poking him on the forehead, itachi head bumped with Sasuke, symbolizing he no longer saw Sasuke as a child but an equal. Itachi promises Sasuke that no matter what he did from now on, he will love Sasuke always before his reanimated body dissolves and his soul returns to the afterlife.
Legacy
Itachi had a profound influence on Sasuke's life. His instructions on the night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall for Sasuke to gain power at any cost caused Sasuke to isolate himself from other people and avoid companionship. When he realized he was getting attached to Team 7 and, from his perspective, failing to get stronger because of them, he defected from Konoha and left to train under Orochimaru, propelling him along the path towards Itachi's death. Following the brothers' battle, Itachi's plans start to fail due to Tobi's interference; Tobi refocuses Sasuke's hatred that Itachi engineered for himself to be used against Konoha, turning Sasuke into a criminal against Itachi's intentions. Itachi is able to make amends with Sasuke upon beign reanimated, wiping his prejudices clean and allowing him to make his own choices.
Upon learning the full truth about Itachi, Sasuke reverts to the great admiration he had for Itachi when they were children and follows in his brother's footsteps, concluding he does not want to see Konoha, the village Itachi sacrificed so much for, destroyed and works against Tobi and Madara to help end the war. He also sees the reason in Itachi's decision make difficult choices and be hated for them, and for that reason, gives himself the task after the war ends to become the world's darkness, using his powers to force peace and kill nay that threaten it. Though this again is in conflict with Itachi's plans, another of Itachi's plans redeems him: Naruto, as Itachi's insistence, eventually convinces Sasuke of the mistakes he made without killing him after their final battle. In the war's aftermath, Sasuke adopts Itachi's habit of poking others on the forehead as a sign of affection, which he does with his teammate and eventual wife, Sakura, and their daughter, Sarada. Sasuke would continue to protect the village for many years to come - ultimately causing Itachi's wishes for his brother to finally be realized.
Itachi's influence would exptend beyond Sasuke: Danzo, despite his difference of opinions with Itachi, believed him to be an unsung hero of Konoha who worked selflessly for the village's good; the five Kage, despite not knowing Itachi's involvement, hailed him as a hero for saving the world from the Impure World Reincarnation; Kabuto remembered who he truly was as a result of Itachi's Izanami and, inspired by him, saved Sasuke when he was mortally wounded by Madara. Years after the war, a test experiment of Orochimaru's, named Shin, becomes fixated on Itachi that he tries to kill Sasuke, along with Sarada, Sakura, and Naruto, in order to avenge Itachi's "murder". The Third Hokage, despite being saddened by Itachi's decision to kill his clan for the interest of the village, praised Itachi for his selfless choice because a revolt from the Uchiha clan would have led to another war that would have caused numerous casualties, including innocent children like Sasuke. Because of Itachi, the Third realized kind-hearted people should never be in the Anbu and, following the Uchiha clan's downfall, he was determined not to do the same with Kakashi and chose to reture him as an Anbu and made him commandeer of a team of genin in hopes it would help restore his light and kindness and eliminate his darkness.
Trivia
- Despite the rare times they got to spend time together, Itachi was the one who taught Sasuke shurikenjutsu and Sasuke picked up Itachi's habit of pulling off tactical tricks in combat.
- Itachi had a girlfriend named Izumi Uchiha, whom he killed on the night of the massacre. This is mentioned once in the series by Tobi but more information on their relationship is revealed in the novel Itachi Shinden.
- The kanji for "Da" in the name of Itachi's niece, Sarada, is the same one used for "Ta" in Itachi's name. This strongly implies that Sasuke chose the name Sarada for his daughter in honor of his older brother.
Gallery
