UCHIHA ITACHI

 

Itachi was born into the Uchiha clan as the eldest son of Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha, and was praised by all as the best of his generation and 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 traumatised 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 brother Sasuke and promised to protect him no matter what. When the Nine-Tails found its way to the Uchiha district, Itachi ran with Sasuke, determined to get him safe from harm. 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 wasNekomata's, who Itachi had defeated and asked him to fight Sasuke with all his might when Sasuke got older.

A young Itachi with his family.

At age 7, Itachi graduated from the Academy at the top of his class after only one year, mastered the Sharinganat age 8, passed the Chūnin Exams at age 10, and, under orders from his father, enrolled in the Anbu half a year later. 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, Itachi showed great affection towards his little brother and even encouraged his father to come to the Academy enrollment ceremony for Sasuke, something their father had otherwise forgotten, caught up an important mission that would establish Itachi a place in the Anbu ranks.

In the anime, Itachi was assigned to Team Ro under the command of Kakashi Hatake. While other members questioned the wisdom of letting one so young join Anbu, Kakashi quickly recognised Itachi's talents. For his first mission, he joined Kakashi in a two-man team to observe a potential alliance between Konoha and the Land of Woods, but was instructed to kill the shinobi of the Prajñā Group if they betrayed Konoha for their scroll a peace offering. Quickly, the group revealed their treachery, to which Kakashi and Itachi swiftly killed them. Afterwards, Kakashi congratulated the latter for his exceptional work. As Itachi commented on Kakashi's borrowed Sharingan, Kakashi merely said he sees it as a gift and a means to protect his friends. Later, Itachi found inside the Naka Shrine during a secret clan meeting a stone monument, reading shocking information through his Sharingan. During the next few years, Itachi continued to serve in the Anbu under the guidance of Kakashi. 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 during his early career in Anbu.

Eventually, at age 13, he was promoted to the rank of Anbu captain.When the Uchiha clan began planning to overthrow Konoha, Itachi was tasked with exploiting his position to spy on the village. Knowing that a coup d'état would only trigger the beginning of another ninja-world war, Itachi became a double agent, feigning loyalty to the Uchiha while secretly passing on information about them to the Third Hokage and Konoha elders. Itachi's best friend and brother-figure, Shisui Uchiha, opposed the coup d'état as well, but after having his right eye stolen by Danzō for its powerful Mangekyō ability, Shisui realised that it was beyond his power to stop the Uchiha clan's impending doom. Meeting Itachi in secret on a cliff overlooking the Naka River, he entrusted his remaining eye to him, requesting that Itachi protect the clan's good name before proceeding to "erase his existence". The grief of losing his closest friend ultimately awakened Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan, which he soon after used to read more of the secret stone monument.

The next day, Itachi was aggressively questioned by three members of the military police at his home about his absence during the previous night's clan meeting. Reporting that they had found a suicide note from Shisui, the only other person who had missed the meeting, they made little effort to hide their suspicions that Itachi was somehow responsible for his death. Fully aware that he was their prime suspect, Itachi challenged them to stop beating about the bush and accuse him openly. As they confirmed that he was a suspect and warned Itachi not to betray the clan, Itachi lost his composure and soundly thrashed them. His inner turmoil became even more apparent when began speaking out against the clan, prompting even his doting father to lose hope in him and begin focusing on his younger brother Sasuke instead. As the escalating turmoil between the Uchiha clan and the village continued, the Third Hokage ultimately decided to reason with the Uchiha in order to dissuade them from their actions. However, the prospects for a bloodless end to hostilities between the two parties at that point were slim to none. Against Hiruzen's wishes, Danzō Shimura and the Konoha Council ordered Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha clan, Danzō pressuring Itachi by inveigling him into choosing the lives of his clansmen or that of his little brother.

Itachi discovers Tobi, convincing him to help eliminate the Uchiha clan.

After receiving the final order to massacre his clan, Itachi made contact with Tobi (under the guise of Madara Uchiha), who was infiltrating the village and attempting to rekindle the flames of war in Konoha. In return for not attacking the village or harming Sasuke, Itachi offered to help him claim vengeance against the Uchiha for turning their backs on him decades earlier, to which Tobi agreed. On the fateful night Itachi and Tobi slaughtered the entire clan, the former took it upon himself to personally dispatch Fugaku and Mikoto. Despite his grave betrayal, Itachi's parents neither put up any resistance nor bore any ill will towards their son, instead telling him that they were proud of him and requesting that he take care of Sasuke. In the end only Sasuke's life was spared, out of Itachi's immense love for him. However, he was forced to lie to his brother, making himself out as a villain who had killed their unsuspecting family only to test his capacity, and callously dismissing his kind, caring personality as an empty façade. Itachi also revealed to Sasuke the secret meeting place of the Uchiha, where he could learn the true history and purpose of the Sharingan. Lastly, he 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.

Itachi begins his final mission for Konoha, slaying his clan.

Despite the trauma he had endured, Sasuke managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan, and pursue Itachi. Upon reaching him, Sasuke managed to knock off his forehead protector. Itachi silently picked it up and fastened it around his head, shedding a tear as he took a final look at Sasuke before the latter finally fainted. Before deserting the village, Itachi appealed to the Third Hokage to keep Sasuke safe. Knowing that Konoha would still want to eliminate Sasuke, Itachi also warned Danzō not to harm him, threatening to reveal all he knew of Konoha's secrets to enemy nations if he broke his word. Hoping that his little brother would someday be powerful enough to kill him, Itachi left the village as a traitor.

While accepting his fate as a wanted criminal, Itachi pleads with the Third to protect Sasuke.

Still desiring to protect Konohagakure even after becoming a wanted criminal, Itachi accepted Tobi's offer join Akatsuki, using it as a means to keep a watchful eye on the organisation. He was partnered withKisame Hoshigaki, who initially tried to intimidate him. However, they eventually became good partners. 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. Some time later, Itachi helped recruit Deidara by defeating him in battle using only genjutsu, to which Deidara swore vengeance.[29] At some point, Itachi also contracted an incurable terminal illness. He kept himself alive by taking various medicines, along with sheer "willpower" so that he could live long enough to battle Sasuke and die by his hand as retribution for killing their clansmen.