Itachi was the first child born to Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha. His early childhood was marked with violence: when he was four years old, the Third Shinobi World War waged and he witnessed first-hand many of the war's casualties. The death and destruction he experienced at such a young age traumatised Itachi and made him a pacifist.[6] Furthermore, meeting Orochimaru, who viewed life without eternity as meaningless, also made Itachi greatly consider how to carry out his life. He became somewhat anti-social, focusing more on his training than enjoying his childhood. At the same time, he developed a kinship with crows.[7] At age 5, Itachi met Shisui. With their similar views, the two quickly became best friends and formed a brother-like bond, training together and teaching each other new skills.[8] During the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's Attack, he was responsible for looking after his infant brother, Sasuke, and with his parents occupied, evacuated with his brother and Izumi Uchiha, to the south-east shelter.[9] The Nine-Tails' attack had soured relations between Konoha's leadership and the Uchiha, the former believing the latter to be responsible. The Uchiha were relocated to a corner of the village, isolating them from the rest of the village and making it easier to monitor them.
Though peace-loving, Itachi was a natural prodigy in the shinobi arts, praised as the best of his generation.[10] He would consistently score the highest in each subject and quickly learn any skill taught to him, even teaching himself jōnin-level techniques. Ultimately, he became very popular amongst his peers.[9] He began to study history, not just of his clan or his village but of the world, and by doing so he gained a broader appreciation of what was important. Learning so much enabled him to understand how events of the past came to happen and, when he applied that same understanding into the future, he became concerned for where things were going.[11] With his talents soon being recognised, at age 7, Itachi graduated from the Academy at the top of his class in a single year. In the anime, he subsequently joins Team 2 and at age 8, the team was tasked with guarding the Fire Daimyō during his annual visit to Konoha. During the mission, the convoy was attacked by a masked individual, who killed Tenma Izumo before Itachi, resulting in him awakening his Sharingan,[12] which he mastered at the same age.[13] At age 10, Konoha officials allowed Itachi to compete in the Chūnin Exams by himself, which he passed and became a chūnin.[8]
Uchiha Anbu
Itachi as an Anbu.
At age 11, he entered the Anbu.[14] Itachi's accomplishments were a source of great pride for his family, his father viewing him as proof of the Uchiha's future prosperity and his brother viewing him as a model to live up to. Itachi spent a great deal of time with Sasuke, training with him (though rarely actually training him) and giving him the recognition their father did not. However, for all the attention he received, few truly understood Itachi,[13] believing his isolation to be a result of the gap between his abilities and theirs and not his dissatisfaction with the shinobi's life of conflict. Eventually, the Uchiha's disdain for their unfair treatment lead them to plan a coup d'état. Fugaku, head of the Uchiha and the coup's chief conspirator, encouraged Itachi's advancement into the Anbu's ranks as a means of spying on the village. Itachi, however, knew an Uchiha coup would lead to intervention from other villages and ultimately start another World War, something he could not support. He instead became a double agent, reporting the Uchiha's actions to the Third Hokage and the Konoha Council in the hopes it would help them find a peaceful resolution.[15]
Shisui's Parting Gift
Itachi accepting Shisui's eye
Itachi shared the burden of betraying his clan with Shisui. But as time went on it became increasingly clear that peace could not be achieved. Shisui intended to use his Kotoamatsukami on the Uchiha's leaders to compel them to negotiate, but his right eye was stolen by Danzō Shimura before he had a chance. His own options exhausted, Shisui entrusted his remaining eye to Itachi and begged him to protect the village and their family name before drowning himself in the Naka River.[16] Itachi was anguished by Shisui's death, enough to awaken his Mangekyō Sharingan. When the following day some Uchiha, already suspicious of Itachi, accused him of murdering Shisui and staging a suicide, Itachi lost his composure and attacked them, defeating them easily.[17] A rift was created between Itachi and his family, and his warnings to them to reconsider what they were doing fell on deaf ears. By age 13, he was promoted to Anbu captain.[18]
Although the Third Hokage still wished to negotiate with the Uchiha, Danzō Shimura recognised that there was no longer an outcome that could see the Uchiha clan's survival. He explained this to Itachi and left him a choice: support the Uchiha's coup and have the whole clan, including Sasuke, killed in the ensuing conflict, or accept the assignment to wipe out the clan before the coup started and be allowed to spare Sasuke. Itachi chose his brother.[19] While making final preparations, Itachi discovered a masked man sneaking around Konoha. From observing him, he came to believe the man was truly Madara Uchiha bent on provoking some new conflict. Itachi approached him with an offer: he would assist "Madara" with wiping out the Uchiha, taking vengeance against them for abandoning him decades earlier, if Madara would spare the village, to which he agreed.[20]
Uchiha Clan massacre
Itachi spares Sasuke after massacring their clan.
In one night Itachi and Tobi slaughtered the entire clan. Itachi took it upon himself to personally execute his parents. Despite his betrayal, they bore him no ill-will, instead telling him in the moments before they were killed that they were proud of him and requesting that he take care of Sasuke.[21] Racked by grief for his actions, Itachi saw in Sasuke the only person suitable to punish him for his crimes. In order to set Sasuke on this road he cast himself as the villain, done by allowing Sasuke to find him standing over their parents' bodies and using Tsukuyomi to torment him with visions of their murders. Sasuke fled, fearing his own death, but Itachi chased him down to divulge the lie he had concocted: he killed their family to test his mettle and now wanted to test himself against the only remaining challenge to him, the little brother he'd never loved. He encouraged Sasuke to become strong enough to kill him and take revenge, and to that end suggested he acquire a Mangekyō Sharingan of his own. Itachi left, but was surprised to find Sasuke already pursuing him with a newly-awakened Sharingan. Sasuke's attempt at vengeance failed and he passed out, but not before seeing Itachi cry with remorse.[22]
Afterwards, he disguised a crow clone as a member of Root to threaten Danzō he would leak Konoha's secrets to enemy villages if he touched Sasuke, having realised Danzō could not be trusted to keep his promises. 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.[23] Itachi left the village publicly a traitor but secretly with a new mission: to infiltrate Tobi's organisation, Akatsuki, and keep it from moving against Konoha.[24] In the anime, at some point after joining Akatsuki, he was initially partnered up with Jūzō Biwa.[25] While growing accustomed to his new setting and working well with his partner, the duo was eventually given a mission in the Land of Water. After completing it, they were ambushed by a hunter-nin squad led by Yagura. While initially pressed by the perfect jinchūriki, Itachi was able to defeat him with Amaterasu, but not before Jūzō was slain.
Orochimaru's failed attempt
Itachi effortlessly overwhelms Orochimaru.
Some time later, Orochimaru tried to steal Itachi's body in order to gain the Sharingan, but Itachi easily deflected him and severed his left hand, forcing him to leave the organisation.[26] Later, Itachi was partnered with Kisame Hoshigaki, with whom he bonded over their shared notoriety for killing their own countrymen.[27] To find a replacement for Orochimaru, Itachi helped recruit Deidara, whose art he defeated with his Sharingan's genjutsu; Deidara would forever after swear vengeance for the humiliating defeat.[28] In the anime, Itachi also aided in the recruitment of Hidan. Pain eventually caught wind of Orochimaru's attempt to destroy Konoha and requested a team to investigate, which Itachi immediately volunteered out of concern for Sasuke's safety.
At some point, Itachi contracted a terminal illness. 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.
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