Uchiha Itachi

Uchiha Itachi (うちはイタチ) was a prodigy of Konohagakure's Uchiha clan. He became an international criminal after murdering his entire family, sparing only his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. He then joined Akatsuki where he comes into frequent conflict with Konoha, and its ninja. Which includes Sasuke, who seeks to avenge their family. Sasuke eventually succeeds in killing him, but in doing so discovers Itachi's motivations were more complicated than they seemed, and that his actions were only ever in the interest of his brother and village, remaining a loyal shinobi of Konohagakure to the very end.

Background
Itachi was born into the Uchiha clan as the eldest son of Fugaku and Uchiha Mikoto, 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 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. Because no other child his age cared about the ancestors of the village, Itachi grew up isolated from his peers to the point he didn't even care about being liked or even making friends. His isolation seemed to extend to even his own family as he rarely had dinner with them and his own father Fugaku, couldn't figure him out.

During the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha, Itachi was left alone to take care of his infant brother, Uchiha 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. After the Nine Tails attack, Itachi and his mother went to the Konoha Hospital to visit the newborn Uzumaki Naruto who he found out was Uzumaki Kushina's son. 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 Ninja Academy at the top of his class after only one year. He then mastered the Sharingan at age 8, and passed the Chunin Exams at age 10. He was also under orders from his father, to enroll 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 Hatake Kakashi. While other members questioned the wisdom of letting one so young join Anbu, Kakashi quickly recognized 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 Prajna 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.

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.

During the next few years, Itachi continued to serve in the Anbu (under the guidance of Kakashi in the anime). 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'etat would only trigger the beginning of another Shinobi war, Itachi became a double agent, feigning loyalty to the Uchiha while secretly passing on information of their plans to the Third Hokage and Konoha elders. Itachi's best friend and Surrogate Older Brother, Uchiha Shisui, opposed the coup d'état as well, but after having his right eye stolen by Danzō for its powerful Mangekyo ability, Shisui realized 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 left eye to him, requesting that Itachi protect the clan's good name before proceeding to "erase his existence". (in the anime, he cast himself off the cliff and presumably drowned in the river below). The grief of losing his closest friend ultimately led Itachi to awaken his Mangekyo Sharingan.

When the following day came 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. A rift was created between Itachi and his family, and his warnings to them to reconsider what they were doing fell on deaf ears. Itachi then braced himself for combat but Sasuke pleaded for Itachi to stop. Not wanting Sasuke to witness such a scene or wanting him to know the truth, Itachi bowed and "apologised" for his actions.

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, Shimura Danzo and the Konoha Council ordered Itachi to wipe out the Uchiha clan, Danzo pressuring Itachi by inveigling him into choosing the lives of his clansmen or that of his little brother. Itachi chose his brother.

After receiving the final order to massacre his clan, Itachi made contact with Uchiha Obito (under the guise of Uchiha Madara), who was infiltrating the village and attempting to rekindle the flames of war in Konoha. In return for not attacking Konoha or harming Sasuke, Itachi offered to help him claim vengeance against the Uchiha for turning their backs on him decades earlier, to which Obito agreed. On the fateful night Itachi and Obito slaughtered his entire clan, despite his betrayal, his parents stated that they were still proud of their eldest son, and requested 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 facade. 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 Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke had to kill the person closest to him, and that when they met again, they should have the same eyes.

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 went to Sarutobi Hiruzen, and asked him to protect Sasuke. Knowing that Konoha would still want to eliminate Sasuke, Itachi also warned Danzo not to harm Sasuke, 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 but secretly with a new mission: to infiltrate Obito's organisation, the Akatsuki, and keep it from moving against Konoha. He was partnered with Hoshigaki Kisame, with whom he bonded over their shared notoriety for killing their own countrymen.

At some point after joining Akatsuki, 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. 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. Itachi at some point contracted an incurable 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.

Personality
From a young age, Itachi was quiet and insightful. He lived at a distance, observing individuals and ideas without getting directly involved so that he could fully understand them. Although this approach prevented him from becoming close with 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 was so common among the Uchiha; though he loved his family and wanted the best for them, he knew there were more important things than the Uchiha's aspirations.

In the anime, Itachi had a very strong bond with Shisui, so much that he had an off feeling during his mission when Shisui was in danger and rushed back to investigate.

Despite being a pacifist by nature, Itachi felt his own needs were secondary to the greater good's; to that end he became a shinobi. He trained tirelessly to improve himself as quickly as he could and subjected himself to all of the shinobi life's inconveniences without complaint for the simple motivation of being useful to others. Being so accomplished as a 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 moved toward the Uchiha Clan Massacre; he did not want to harm his family and sought a peaceful resolution, but knew that the path with the least bloodshed would be the clan's extermination. As the inevitability of the massacre became more apparent, Itachi's normally polite attitude to his clansmen became more violent, criticising them openly and lashing out at them for the choices that sealed their fates and his own.

Despite the traumas he endured from killing his own 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 interests at heart. But Itachi – partly out of the necessity of his assignment to join the Akatsuki – was greatly changed after the massacre, rarely if ever showing emotion. He became more prone to displays of force and permitted certain violent habits of his partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, under the pretence that it furthered Akatsuki's goals. Itachi could not and would not fully shake his pacifist ways, and would run from confrontation or rein in Kisame if the likelihood of collateral damage became too high for themselves or others. While Kisame would sometimes protest, he considered Itachi a good friend and would listen to his instructions.

Konoha's protection was always forefront in Itachi's mind, but it was his dedication to his brother, that took priority in every situation. From the time of Sasuke's infancy, Itachi tasked himself with looking after him. They'd spend whole days together in the woods around Konoha having adventures and accomplishing self-appointed missions. When Itachi began to become an accomplished ninja and took much of their father's attention, Itachi would make special time to fill their father's shoes for Sasuke's benefit, at times even refusing his father's wishes in order to make Sasuke happy. Sasuke, wishing to be just like his older brother, would often ask Itachi to train him in the ninja arts. Itachi would almost never do so, poking his forehead and promising to train him some other time.

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 ensured Sasuke's survival. Even though he did it for Sasuke, Itachi wanted to be punished for his crimes and selected Sasuke as the one to take vengeance against him. To push Sasuke in this direction, Itachi withheld the true reason for his actions and instead took on the persona of a man who had no love for his younger brother. Per the persona, Itachi cared about Sasuke only because of the eyes that he could take to gain Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. His actions in the 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 massacre, and if he did he hoped the memory of a hateful older brother would cause him to not believe it.

After he died and was reincarnated, Itachi discovers that his plans largely failed; Sasuke is not a hero but n international criminal and he did find out the truth about what Itachi did. Uzumaki Naruto points out to Itachi the flaw in his plans: he had been trying to manipulate Sasuke rather than be honest with him and trust in his own strength. Acknowledging the mistake, Itachi is free to be himself instead of the persona he fabricated, being openly kind to others 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 already know. He apologize to Sasuke for failing in his responsibilities as an older brother, wondering if being up front with Sasuke from the beginning might have allowed them to avoid the Uchiha's destruction. In their final moments together, Itachi tells Sasuke he does not need forgiveness and that he will always love him no matter what.

Appearance
Despite his status as an infamous shinobi, Itachi's appearance was not the most intimidating, apart from the intensity of his gaze. While living in Konoha, he would regularly have a gentle look in his eyes, especially directed towards his younger brother. After joining Akatsuki, they would regularly have a stern look to them.

Itachi was a young man with onyx eyes, and jet-black hair that was pulled back with a red elastic in a low ponytail which extended to his shoulder blades. The ponytail was, however, later obscured by the high collar of the Akatsuki cloak he wore after joining the organisation. He also had centre-parted bangs that framed his face, extending to his chin. When grown up, Itachi's most distinguishing feature were the long, pronounced tear-troughs under his eyes. Itachi and Sasuke also bear similarities to one another in terms of their appearance as Naruto nearly mistook Itachi for Sasuke when they first met, while Obito and Kisame commented upon their resemblance when they first encountered Sasuke. In Part II, Itachi's appearance remained mostly unchanged, with the exception of being slightly taller, along with his hair growing a little longer.

When he lived in Konoha, his casual clothes consisted of a black shirt with the Uchiha clan symbol on the back with bandages around his ankles and black sandals. He also wore tan pants with a weapons pouch strapped to his back. While his hair was still worn in a ponytail, his bangs were considerably shorter; accentuating his forehead in a manner similar to Kabuto Yakushi's hairstyle in Part I and for a majority of Part II. When on duty, he would wear the standard ANBU uniform complete with arm guards, a flak jacket, and a porcelain mask which was fashioned to resemble a weasel with a dark, triangular marking on top. As a member of Akatsuki, he wore a slashed Konoha forehead protector and the standard Akatsuki cloak. Sometimes, he would unbutton his cloak to mid-chest and rest his left arm there, rather than in the sleeve. After his cloak was incinerated by Sasuke's Kirin during their fight in Part II, it was revealed that he wore similar clothes to that of the rest of Akatsuki. His attire consisted of mesh armour with navy accents under an identical T-shirt with a simple white belt around the waist, and dark blue pants. Like most members of Akatsuki, he wore the forehead protector of his home village with a horizontal line gouged through it to symbolise his broken ties with the village. On his right ring finger was his Akatsuki ring, which was red and bore the kanji for "vermilion" (朱, shu). He also wore purple nail polish on his fingers and toes and a necklace which had three silver rings with red gems inside them.

After being reincarnated, Itachi's eyes appear to have black sclerae like the other shinobi that Kabuto reincarnated, and was clad in a dark-red cloak. After Kabuto strengthened the technique's power on Itachi, he developed various minor cracking about his being.

Abilities
A child whose genius manifested at youth, 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 Hatake Kakashi, Yuhi Kurenai, and Sarutobi Asuma, 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. Obito 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, noting that if he fought Jiraiya, even with assistance, they would at best end up killing each other.

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 War, Itachi did not actively take part in battle, only acting in self-defence, and mostly incapacitating his enemies instead of killing them if possible.

Taijutsu
Itachi possessed high-level taijutsu skills despite not specialising in it. This was demonstrated when he easily defeated Tekka, Yashiro, and Inabi — all of them his seniors and members of the Konoha Military Police Force. In Part I, he stopped Sasuke's Chidori with one hand and effortlessly disabled him during their reunion in the Land of Fire despite Sasuke's extensive taijutsu training for the Chūnin Exams. His skill in taijutsu allowed him to keep up with Uzumaki Naruto in his Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Killer B respectively in individual fights.

Itachi was also noted to possess impressive reflexes and speed, particularly with his hand movements. This extended to collectively weaving both hand seals and throwing weapons, making it appear as if he could perform his techniques without seals; even skilled Sharingan users like Kakashi and Sasuke had difficulty seeing his movements. He was also proficient with the Body Flicker Technique and was able to attack a target, then immediately move to the location they had retreated to, giving them no time to initiate a counter-attack.[44] In the anime, he also displayed a fair amount of physical strength, enough to cause small craters on the ground with a few kicks.

Ninjutsu
Itachi's most identifiable techniques were those involving the use of crows. He was able to summon a large flock of them which he utilised in his ninjutsu and genjutsu. This is seen primarily with his creations of clones which dissolve into crows, and crows that would dissolve into shuriken for surprise attacks.

He was also able to create shadow clones and from them create explosive clones. As an ANBU, Itachi was also able to pass through the Sensing System Technique barrier without setting it off.Itachi also had high skill with fūinjutsu as seen when he performed Transcription Seal: Amaterasu on Sasuke, just moments before his death. Itachi, while never seen using Kotoamatsukami himself, could program another Mangekyō Sharingan able to use it to active the effects under a specific situation and give a particular programming on the target.

Natural Transformation
Traditional to the Uchiha clan, Itachi could use Fire Release techniques, including the clan's giant fireballs the intensity of which was enough to bother even Samehada, and he could combine his proficient weapon skills with his fire attacks. He was also proficient with Water Release, able to perform them without an already existing water source. Itachi could catch his opponents off guard with drilling masses of pressurised water, and large water dragons.

Kenjutsu
As a fully-trained Konoha ANBU, Itachi was also proficient in kenjutsu. While not prominently displayed, he made use of a sword during the massacre of his clan. Mostly, his skills with this field of combat were demonstrated during his battle with Kabuto Yakushi after being reincarnated. Using Sasuke's sword, he was able to fend off Kabuto's Sage Mode enhanced attacks a few times, though ultimately gave the sword back to his brother for the remainder of the battle.

Shuriken Technique
Even in his youth, Itachi could perfectly hit an intricate set of nine targets, one of which was hidden in a blind-spot, by accurately deflecting one kunai off another to ensure they struck their mark. Itachi was so skilled with shuriken, that Sasuke stated that Itachi was best with such tools, even more so than their own father. He was able to throw shuriken so fast to keep up with Sasuke, who could throw his shuriken at an increased pace. He could also infuse shuriken with fire for a devastating two-fold attack.

He also showed equal skill with kunai predominantly seen during his fight against the controlled Nagato, where he was able to blind Nagato's summons, attacking them from blind spots despite the shared field of vision granted by the multiple Rinnegan.

Another attribute of his skill in shurikenjutsu was his accuracy against skilled kenjutsu users, keeping up with Kisame Hoshigaki's Samehada and Sasuke's Sword of Kusanagi, with just a kunai in individual battles.

Sharingan
A true successor of the Sharingan, Itachi awakened and mastered the dōjutsu by the age of eight. Later, alongside his friend Shisui, he was praised for superior skill and sheer power in its use even among his clan. Using it, he gains access to the dōjutsu's generic abilities such as seeing chakra, predicting movements, and placing a victim under paralysing genjutsu with just a single glance. He reached the stage where he could even have his Sharingan activated for extended periods of time, with minimal drain on his chakra levels.

Itachi was especially known for his skills with Sharingan-based genjutsu, and was considered one of the Uchiha's most powerful users. His skill was such that he could cast one by merely pointing at someone or turning opponents' genjutsu against them.[60] According to Ao, he was the only person who could use his genjutsu to take control of other individuals outside the range of the even the Sensor Division. With the Sharingan, Itachi reached the point where he could use one of the Uchiha clan's ultimate dōjutsu, Izanami, and also at least understood its counterpart, Izanagi.

Mangekyo Sharingan
Itachi possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, designed with three evenly spaced curves spiralling around the pupil, which enabled him to use his most powerful techniques. His proficiency allows him to use any of these techniques without activating this form. With his left eye, he could use Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu that trapped opponents' minds in an illusory world, torturing them for what felt like days in a matter of seconds. With his right eye he could use Amaterasu, which created controllable black flames that could burn anything, including fire itself. His final technique was Susanoo, the "Tempestuous God of Valour" (勇武の荒神), a technique that used both eyes to create a spectral being.

It wielded the Sword of Totsuka, an ethereal sword with the ability to seal any person it pierced into the gourd that served as its hilt, and the Yata Mirror, a shield that was said to reflect any attack. Zetsu remarked that both of these weapons essentially made Itachi's Susanoo invincible. With the Susanoo also came his most powerful long-ranged attack: the Yasaka Magatama. The defensive power of his Susanoo is great enough to protect him from the full effects of a technique as powerful as Kirin despite it being destroyed and needing to be reformed from the technique.

He also demonstrated the ability to manifest different individual segments or the various stages of Susanoo and control them with great skill. During his battle against Kabuto, he was also able to form a single arm of Susanoo to protect Sasuke despite the Sage Art: White Rage Technique interfering with his hearing, sight and equilibrium.

Despite his mastery of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi suffered greatly from its side effects. Each of the techniques bestowed by the Mangekyo Sharingan required vast amounts of chakra to perform, and left him fatigued afterwards, requiring him to deactivate his Sharingan altogether. From Part I, three uses of the Mangekyo seemed to bring him to this point. The other side effect was that his eyesight would gradually worsen since the awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan, and the degradation would only quicken after every time he used it, which would lead him to eventually go blind, with his Sharingan forever sealed away. By the time Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan during his final fight with Sasuke, Itachi's eyesight had deteriorated so much that Sasuke appeared to be a mere blur, his eyesight was so close to blindness that by the time he activated Susanoo, both Sharingan had lost the Mangekyo design, with only the red iris remaining. Due to his illness and low stamina, prolonged use of the Susanoo caused immense strain on his body, almost dispelling the technique altogether during his battle against Sasuke and ultimately causing him succumb to his illness.

Upon his reincarnation in the Fourth Shinobi War, Itachi's disease was gone and his sight was fully restored, allowing him to maintain Susanoo for long durations and use his two other known Mangekyo techniques without having any problems.

Intelligence
Ever since he had been a child, Itachi had a keen sense and awareness of what was happening around him. He had also been blessed with the innate ability to perceive someone's nature. It was because of this that Itachi took great interest in the history of the village, and what their ancestors left behind. Due to his way of thinking, he was never bound by the limited view of "the clan" but actually thought of the village as a whole. It was also noted that at the age of seven, the young man reasoned on the level of a Hokage.

Itachi has been shown to be analytical and perceptive, being able to deduce the inner workings and weaknesses of powerful techniques, even while under pressure. He orchestrated his battle against Sasuke to bring about his desired outcomes, and even account for the possibility that his plan wouldn't go as intended by placing a special crow inside of Naruto Uzumaki. In the event that Tobi would come in contact with Sasuke, he transcribed Amaterasu to Sasuke's eyes in an attempt to kill Tobi when his guard was down. This lead the masked man to note that had he not kept a few secrets from Itachi, he would have died from his last trap.

On top of his perceptive skills, Kabuto also noted that Itachi possessed skill in deception due to latter's ability to read people's feelings, and this made him a ninja of lies up until his death.

Search for Tsunade arc
After the Invasion of Konoha and the death of Hiruzen, Itachi infiltrated Konoha with Kisame to use his presence to remind everyone in the village that he was still alive. Itachi used the Akatsuki's goal of capturing Naruto to disguise his true intentions in order to keep his cover intact. While Itachi stops for tea after Kisame suggested it, they attract the attention of Hatake Kakashi, who had Asuma and Kurenai follow them. Making it out of Konoha with Asuma and Kurenai still in pursuit and seeing no more need to conceal their identities, Itachi and Kisame proceed to overpower them and Kakashi. After a short skirmish while learning that Kakashi is aware of them, Itachi activated his Mangekyo Sharingan and used Tsukuyomi on him before instructing Kisame to silence the Konoha ninja. Maito Gai arrived in time and deflected Kisame's attack.

Learning that the ANBU have been informed of their presence, Itachi tells Kisame to fall back to avoid further confrontation as dealing with four jonin-level shinobi would be problematic enough. They then track Uzumaki Naruto down to a hotel where he was staying with Jiraiya at the time. To ensure the Sannin did not get involved, Itachi uses a genjutsu on an attractive woman to draw Jiraiya away from Naruto. As he and Kisame confronted Naruto, Itachi is then confronted by Sasuke before Jiraiya arrives. As Jiraiya arrives to save Naruto, Itachi learns that the Toad Sage told Kakashi about the Akatsuki. While being allowed to fight his brother, Itachi uses his Mangekyo Sharingan to easily defeat Sasuke. However this reaffirms Sasuke's desire to get stronger, but also inadvertently subjecting Sasuke to the Curse of Hatred once again as well. Jiraiya takes over the fight from there, using the Summoning: Toad Mouth Bind technique to trap the Akatsuki members before Itachi risked his health by using Amaterasu to allow himself and Kisame to escape.

Despite his seemingly intentions to capture Naruto, Itachi's only real reasons for returning to Konoha were to. Upon the Third's death, remind Danzo and the rest of the Konoha Council that he was still out there, and that they should not do anything to harm Sasuke.

Sasuke Retrieval arc
At the end of Part I, Itachi made a cameo appearance as a silhouette during an Akatsuki gathering where they discussed Orochimaru's taking of Uchiha Sasuke as well as both capture of Kurama for the furthering of their plans.

Kazekage Rescue arc
While Akatsuki was sealing the One-Tailed Shukaku, the members discovered that Team 7 and Chiyo were en-route to their location. Itachi volunteered to distract them, so Pain used the Shapeshifting Technique on Yūra to create a body-double for Itachi. The lookalike, under Itachi's control, engaged the Konoha ninja. Itachi was impressed by Naruto and Kakashi's improvements in strength. However, because the clone had only a portion of his ordinary strength, it was killed by Naruto's Big Ball Rasengan. Nevertheless, he was able to buy enough time.

Hidan and Kakuzu arc
Itachi was present during the sealing of the Two-Tails.

Itachi Pursuit arc
As Sasuke defeated Orochimaru, Itachi sensed something odd yet assured Kisame that it was nothing. Following Kisame's capture of Son Goku's jinchuriki, Roshi, Itachi and Kisame met with the rest of Akatsuki. There, they discovered that Sasuke, after being trained by Orochimaru for two and a half years, had killed his teacher. Sometime after Son Gokū was sealed, Zetsu informed them that Sasuke had been killed by Deidara's C0. However, though asked by Kisame if he was troubled by his brother's death, Itachi remarked that Sasuke is still alive.

Knowing that his end was near, Itachi sent one of his shadow clones to meet Uzumaki Naruto, who was looking for Sasuke. Although he only wanted to talk, Itachi is forced into defending himself as he asks why Naruto cares so much about a traitor like Sasuke. Upon hearing Naruto's intent to bring Sasuke back to Konoha, along with finding a way to stop Sasuke without killing him should he ever attack their village, Itachi smiled and is content with the youth's resolve. He then has one of his crows enter Naruto's body, telling the boy that he hopes he may never need to use it.

After his business with Naruto was done, another of Itachi's shadow clones went to meet with Sasuke. Sasuke exhibited an improvement in his abilities during their confrontation, so Itachi agreed to have their final battle at the Uchiha Hideout. He waited there for Sasuke's arrival, instructing Kisame to not let the other members of Sasuke's team interfere with the fight. Itachi and Sasuke met face-to-face and, while exchanging genjutsu, had a conversation about Madara Uchiha, and Itachi's "true" motives of wanting to take Sasuke's eyes. When Sasuke managed to escape Itachi's Tsukuyomi, the genjutsu battle ended and the ninjutsu battle began.

Itachi used Amaterasu, but Sasuke uses Orochimaru's power of shedding his skin to catch his brother off guard with a Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique at Itachi's direction above although he only managed to burn one of Itachi's arms. Out of chakra, he told Itachi about his final technique that, like Amaterasu, was impossible to avoid. Sasuke then used his trump card, on Itachi.

However, with only his Akatsuki cloak burned off, Itachi managed to survive by using his Susanoo to defend himself. With Kirin having expended all of Sasuke's chakra, Orochimaru gained control and reappeared through his Eight Branches Technique. However, Itachi was easily able to cut off the seven snake heads, leaving only one behind whose mouth Orochimaru appeared out of. Orochimaru thanked Itachi for pushing Sasuke so far, thereby setting him free and allowing him to take control of Sasuke's body. Itachi, however, stabbed Orochimaru with the Totsuka sword to seal him away with Susanoo, removing the cursed seal from Sasuke's body.

As Itachi began to weaken, the Susanoo started to fade and Sasuke saw an opportunity to strike. This was in vain, as Susanoo was still able to protect Itachi with the Yata Mirror. His last option gone, Sasuke was pushed against a wall as Itachi stumbled closer to him, seemingly reaching for Sasuke's eyes. However, he instead poked Sasuke's forehead and smiled before saying, "I'm sorry, Sasuke...this is the last time" before he finally succumbed to his illness and died.

Konoha History arc
In the anime, some time before Sasuke's defection from Konoha, Nekobaa mentioned about Itachi, but was stopped by Sasuke from talking about him. Nekobaa tells Naruto and Sakura how close Itachi and Sasuke used to be, including how Sasuke used to throw tantrums when Itachi had to leave for a mission and Itachi kept his little brother occupied by coming up with a game on collecting cat's paw prints. After Sasuke defeated Nekomata, he told Sasuke that Itachi had defeated him in the past along with his ninja cats and asked Nekomata to fight Sasuke with all his might when he got older.

Later, Sadai, an assailant who entered the Land of Fire to capture Naho, spoke poorly to Sasuke about Itachi, the Uchiha Clan Massacre, and even about Sasuke being weak, which led Sasuke to defeat and punch him repeatedly.

Adventures at Sea arc
In an attempt to both impede Obito and convince him into joining forces during their initial encounter. Kabuto demonstrated his capabilities by reincarnating many of the late members of the Akatsuki, including Itachi, using Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation.

Chikara arc
In the anime, a reincarnated Itachi was summoned by Kabuto to battle Team Kakashi, who were investigating the massacre that he brought about in the Tonika Village to gain access to The Hole. Quickly after being summoned, Itachi's coffin vanished with Kabuto questioning if the Impure World Reincarnation was still incomplete.

Fourth Shinobi War arc
When the Fourth Shinobi War against the Allied Shinobi Forces commenced, Itachi was mobilized alongside Kakuzu and Nagato — who due to being crippled was being carried by Kakuzu. Later supporting the latter as they walked, the now isolated pair continued throughout the night, conversing about the Akatsuki. Itachi remarked that their two dojutsu together could achieve anything which was likely why their summoner would wait for the opportune moment to use their abilities. After pausing at a shrine and discussing Kabuto's influence on Obito's plan, they marched onwards until they encountered Uzumaki Naruto and Killer B.

Surprised by Naruto's growth and the fact that he had subjugated the Nine-Tails, Itachi attempted to ask him something, but he instead attacked the pair involuntarily with his Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. He discerned Kisame's death from B's possession of Samehada, and while exchanging both dialogue and blows with Naruto, was shocked and disappointed to learn of his brother joining with the Akatsuki and of Sasuke's decision to destroy Konoha to avenge him, and Obito's awareness of the truth behind the Uchiha clan massacre. Imploring Naruto to keep the truth secret for the sake of his clan's honour, he then entrusted dealing with Sasuke to him. As Itachi confronted B, he caught him in a genjutsu after using his Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson technique to attack him. However, fending off several attacks, he retreated atop Nagato's summon and activated his Mangekyo Sharingan. Much to Naruto's shock, the crow Itachi had placed inside him during their last encounter emerged.

As Itachi and the crow's eyes met, Itachi readied Amaterasu. However, instead of hitting Naruto, it had hit Nagato's other summon. Freed from Kabuto's control, Itachi turned to Nagato and engulfed him in black flames, before leaping towards Naruto. Itachi explained how he had implanted Shisui's eye into the crow, rigged it to use Kotoamatsukami with the command "protect Konoha" on whoever used his dojutsu. This was originally meant for Sasuke in case he attacked Konoha with the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, overrode Kabuto's control over himself instead. Asked by B why he didn't just use Kotoamatsukami on Sasuke from the beginning, Itachi revealed that he had other intentions and that excluding augmentations, such as Hashirama's DNA, Shisui's Mangekyo would take a decade to regenerate after using Kotoamatsukami. Itachi, along with Naruto and B, was then assaulted by a regenerated Nagato.

As Naruto and B fought Nagato directly, Itachi blinded both the King of Hell and the chameleon summon with a barrage of kunai. This allowed him to move undetected and free both jinchuriki from danger with his incomplete Susanoo. In response, Nagato used Chibaku Tensei in an attempt to lift and crush them with gravity. After careful analysis, Itachi surmised that attacking the sphere at the centre of the technique would effectively dispel it, so he proposed that they take advantage of Chibaku Tensei's attraction force to gravitate their strongest long-range techniques directly towards it. Using Yasaka Magatama in combination with the others' attacks, they confirmed his assumption and the sphere was broken. Before the dust settles, Itachi impaled Nagato with his Sword of Totsuka and asked Nagato to impart any final words before the sword sealed him.

After Nagato was sealed, Itachi stated that he would deal with the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique as he had already formulated a plan, allaying Killer B's concerns by reiterating that every technique had a weakness. However, when Naruto decided to stop the war on his own, Itachi told him that despite becoming stronger, Naruto was forgetting all those who he wanted acknowledgement from and that with those egotistical thoughts, he would become like Obito. Reminding him that his father became Hokage because of Kushina and those around him, he stated that if Naruto had the same dream, he should not forget his friends. Itachi then incinerated his crow, stating that the eye could not be reactivated for another decade and that Naruto, having inherited Shisui's will, could stop Sasuke without it. Realizing that he tried to do everything on his own and still failed, Itachi refused to see Sasuke and resolved to leave Sasuke to his friends instead. After asking B to look after Naruto, Itachi departed from the scene.

On his way to stop Kabuto's technique, Itachi encountered Sasuke but pressed on. This caused Sasuke to chase him down and attempt to catch him with a hand of his Susanoo, but Itachi deflected this with one of his own. Bombarded by a flurry of questions from Sasuke, Itachi said he spared Sasuke at the massacre because of Sasuke's childhood innocence and his own desire to eventually be judged for his actions by a fellow Uchiha. Expressing his regret about the path Sasuke had chosen and partially blaming himself, he resolved to talk no further, which led Sasuke to retort that Itachi was still running away from him even in death. Itachi broke his silence to refute this, stating that he was not running away but going to stop the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique. Itachi attempted to prevent Sasuke from following by using a flock of summoned crows to obscure Sasuke's vision. Upon arriving to Kabuto's location, he answered Kabuto's intrigue of how found him, stating that he could feel the source of Kabuto's chakra while under his control. However, Kabuto advised Itachi to not kill him if he sought to stop the technique. Detecting Sasuke behind him, Itachi noted that things were not proceeding as intended.

Kabuto tried to persuade Sasuke to his side, but failed and caused Sasuke to attack. Itachi deflected Sasuke's shurikens, informing his little brother that the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique couldn't be stopped if Kabuto die. When Sasuke joined forces with Itachi, Itachi promised his brother that he would speak to him once Kabuto was defeated. Kabuto obscured his vision to prevent being caught in genjutsu, and sent his snakes out to attack, but the brothers used their Susanoo to intercept and sever their heads. However, Kabuto eluded their attack and concealed his location by scattering his chakra. Then to Itachi's surprise, Kabuto revealed that he had found the Ryūchi Cave and attacked with his Sage Art: White Rage Technique.

As Itachi rushed to Sasuke's side, he was both deafened and blinded by Kabuto's technique, but still managed to protect Sasuke from Kabuto's advance. When Kabuto questioned whether Itachi could sense his chakra, Itachi replied stating that he possessed no such ability as he had made Kabuto think, but merely predicted Kabuto's intent instead. Kabuto then used Itachi's deceit to implant doubt and mistrust amongst the brothers, but Itachi retorted by asking if Sasuke remembered the time they dealt with a giant boar, with the two immediately taking action after Sasuke affirmed that he did. Itachi launched his Yasaka Magatama at the area surrounding Kabuto to prevent his escape, providing Sasuke with an opportunity to pin his snake tail to the ceiling. As Kabuto — now dangling from the cave's roof — seemingly attempted to use Sasuke's sword to sever his navel-snake, Itachi intercepted the swing but found himself impaled in the process. However, his body dispersed into a flock of crows, which allowed the real Itachi to commandeer the blade and sever one of Kabuto's horns.

Kabuto once again attempted to inveigle Sasuke's loyalty, but Itachi told his brother to not heed Kabuto's words, as Kabuto was an even more convincing liar than he was. He then explained that while their village does have its dark side and inconsistencies, he still remained loyal to it as Konoha's Uchiha Itachi (木ノ葉のうちはイタチ). Despite his admitted fault for Sasuke's current state and as such, not being in any position to criticise him, he still desired to tell Sasuke something after Kabuto's defeat. In response to Kabuto's later claims of invincibility, Itachi declared that Kabuto wasn't aware of the true power of the Uchiha and that the ultimate eye technique which would decide his destiny was already prepared.

Anticipating Kabuto's next attack, Itachi used his Susanoo to protect Sasuke, but was himself incapacitated. As Kabuto moved to rewrite the talisman in Itachi's head, Sasuke encircled them both with a ring of Amaterasu, cancelling out Kabuto's technique through the flames intense heat. After his recovery, Itachi apologised to his brother, and then turned his attention to Kabuto and told him that though Kabuto was very different from himself, he could sympathise because in the past, he too couldn't appreciate his true self nor his limitations. He then went on to declare that comrades were there to do what you couldn't and that those who weren't able to acknowledge their own selves were bound to fail.

Itachi asserted that he had failed in the past and that the "Uchiha" name alone was nothing more than a display of his roots. Imploring Sasuke to not kill Kabuto but instead wait until his preparations were complete, the siblings came under attack once more, as a copy of Sakon — which emerged from the base of Kabuto's naval snake — transformed into Jirōbō and breached the protective circle of flames. Without pause, the brothers simultaneously used Amaterasu to incinerate the approaching, uncuttable web created by a copy of Kidōmaru. Trapped between more webbing and numerous invasive bones created by a Kimimaro copy, the two separated — with Itachi focusing on destroying the latter — and used their Susanoo to eliminate the threats. The siblings then retreated further into the cave, but this evasion was short-lived as Kabuto produced a copy of Tayuya to use an auditory genjutsu, which paralysed them both. As Kabuto produced a copy of Orochimaru's true form, Itachi chastised his belief that a person's reason to exist could be found through the imitation of someone they respected.

Telling Sasuke to look into his eyes, he cast Tsukuyomi as Sasuke used his Sharingan genjutsu, effectively allowing them to enter each other’s minds and counteract Kabuto's technique in time to stop the copy of Orochimaru's true form from attacking them. After declaring that he would now use Izanami, Itachi was suddenly bisected by Kabuto who launched a surprise attack by emerging from the mouth of the subdued Orochimaru copy.

After being told the seals, Itachi has Kabuto perform them while his brother states he still could not forgive Konoha for what they had done to Itachi. Before the Impure World Reincarnation was cancelled, Itachi moved towards Sasuke with his hand outstretched to poke him as he always did in their youth, and stated that he could still make it. Before his consciousness faded completely, Itachi used his Sharingan and shared with Sasuke his memories and the truth of what had happened, leading up to the coup d'etat their clan had planned. Showing him this, Itachi told Sasuke that he no longer wanted to lie to Sasuke and contemplated whether things would have turned out differently had he told Sasuke the truth of what was happening at the time. Seemingly gesturing to poke Sasuke once more, Itachi told his little brother that he didn't have to forgive him, but no matter what happened to him from that point onwards, he would always love him, resting his forehead on his little brother's as he imparted his final words to him, and then disappeared. His spirit went to the afterlife, leaving the corpse of an unknown Konoha shinobi behind.
 * Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi Dream

In Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, the Uchiha Clan Massacre also never happened. So Itachi never defected the village, and Sasuke never grew to hate him. During Sasuke's childhood, Sasuke looked forward spending time with Itachi. But Itachi was summoned by Minato, so he suggests Sasuke spend time with their father who compares him unfavorably to Itachi when he tries the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique for the first time. Years later Itachi saw Minato accompanying the Third to a meeting with the Uchiha, to ensure their continued allegiance. The next day while at the front door at his house, he happily greeted Naruto who was coming to pick up Sasuke. He told Naruto that he is happy for him being his kid brother's friend, since Sasuke is always unfriendly.

When Sasuke returned from a mission. Fugaku berates Sasuke for failing to stop his team-mates from breaking the rules. Itachi arrives to deliver a report to Fugaku, so Sasuke leaves. Itachi and Sasuke discuss their father, and the recent negotiations between the Uchiha and the village. Itachi learns from Minato he intends to keep his promises to the Uchiha clan. Including that Itachi and Minato also wonder if Naruto could be the Child of Prophecy. But Itachi also watches Sasuke learn the Chidori from Kakashi. Later when Sasuke came home from learning the chidori, Fugaku thought that Itachi was with him upon seeing Sasuke by himself.

Later that night after Sasuke is home, thinking about the Chidori. He considers asking Fugaku for advice, so he asks Fugaku if he can speak with him but he tells him he's busy. But Itachi invites Sasuke to participate in a discussion with their father. Fugaku questions Itachi, who reports he believes Minato's efforts in changing the way the Uchiha are treated as sincere. Itachi adds that for it to happen, the Uchiha must change as well, meeting them in the middle. Sasuke is appalled by Itachi's comment but is cut off by Fugaku, who tells him that Itachi is the one talking along with being certain Itachi came to that conclusion after careful consideration, and considers finding common ground a good decision. Which makes Sasuke resents Fugaku for always siding with Itachi. Itachi reveals the Uchiha have been chosen for a long term mission that would keep some of them away. Fugaku agrees with this mission and gives Itachi full support. Unknown to him that this made Sasuke more angry at his father even more.

Two years later after returning from his mission with his clans men, Itachi welcomed Sasuke's home. But Itachi noticed how cold his little brother had become due to Sasuke ignoring him by walking away from him. Later Itachi discussed with Minato and Hiruzen about Sasuke's unit group escalating violence in their duties, agreeing they must treated carefully. Then when Sasuke's unit gets arrested for threatening Kushina at her house telling her, that they will arrest her while the unit is looking for Naruto. Itachi tells Minato how sorry he is about his clan, and also tells Minato that his father will handle Sasuke with desperate measures.

Later upon learning from Minato that Sasuke left the village to go to Orchimaru, Itachi leaves the village to go after his little brother before it is too late. Upon getting to his little brother's location, as he is in a deadly fight with Naruto. Itachi gets implanted through the chest by Sasuke's stage two Chidori that was meant for Naruto, this shocks Naruto and Sasuke overall. Itachi reveals that he heard everything, and had made it too late to help bring Sasuke back home. As his final moments are near; he turns to Naruto (who is in his version three Nine Tail Chakra cloak) telling him not to give up on being friends with his little brother, he then turns back to Sasuke by poking his little brother's forehead one final time. Itachi then happily smiles while departing into the afterlife. Due to Itachi's sudden death, it made Naruto and Sakue's attacks collided with each other. Then Naruto went unconscious after he scratched Sasuke's headband, whereas for Sasuke; he left an unconscious Naruto on the ground so he can continue to follow Orchimaru on foot while remembering all the wonderful times he had with Itachi.

Right after Sasuke joined the Akatsuki, Sasuke is shocked when he sees Itachi appear in front of him. Itachi says he actually survived from his injuries and he came back to make Sasuke realize the wrong path he was following before disappearing. While fighting against Sasori and his human puppet army, Sasuke tries to fight alone but Itachi arrives and saves Sasuke from the Mizukage's Lava Release, while berating him for not working with his comrades. The brothers both use their respective Susanoo and defeat the Kage puppets. Naruto tells Sasori that all he needs is his comrades before finishing him off with a combination of Rasenshuriken and Sasuke's Kagutsuchi. With the battle over, Itachi heads back to Konoha to take a group photo with Sasuke's friends and Team Jiraiya.

Naruto Shippuuden movie 6
In the alternate world, Itachi appears as the leader of Akatsuki in the alternate universe Naruto and Sakura end up at. Working for Konoha, they help Naruto in the battle against Menma's pawns as Itachi rescues a captured Sakura.

Legacy
By his own design, Itachi had a profound influence on Sasuke's life. His instructions on the night of the Uchiha Clan Massacre for Sasuke to gain power at any cost caused Sasuke to isolate himself from other people and avoid companionship. When he realised that he was getting attached to the members of Team Kakashi and, from his perspective, failing to get stronger because of them, he joined with Orochimaru, propelling him along the path towards Itachi's death. But once Itachi is dead, his plans start to fail due to the interference of Tobi, who continues the trend of power and vengeance started by Itachi to Sasuke's detriment. Itachi is able to make amends with Sasuke once he's reincarnated, wiping Sasuke's prejudices clean and allowing him to start deciding things for himself.

Upon learning the entire truth about Itachi, Sasuke reverts to the great admiration he had for him when they were children and follows in his brother's footsteps. He does not want to see Konoha, the village Itachi sacrificed so much for, destroyed and therefore works against Obito and Madara to end the Fourth Shinobi War. He also sees the reason in Itachi's decision to make difficult choices and be hated for them, and for that reason gives himself the task after the war is concluded to become the world's darkness, using his power to force peace and unapologetically kill any that threaten it. Though this is again a great divergence from Itachi's plans, another one of Itachi's plans redeems him: Uzumaki Naruto, at Itachi's insistence, eventually convinces Sasuke of the errors he has made without killing him after their final battle. In the the war's aftermath, Sasuke adopts Itachi's habit of poking others' foreheads as a sign of affection. He does this in particular with his wife, Haruno Sakura, and with their daughter, Uchiha Sarada. Sasuke also takes up Itachi's habit of being emotionally distant with his family for the sake of his duties, but he realizes this mistake when he sees how badly it affects Sarada and makes significant attempts to spend more time with her and remind her how much he cares about her. Upon understanding Itachi's way of living, Sasuke devotes the rest of his life to protecting the village in the shadows and tailing any threats. The only difference is that he is not hated by others but is warmly welcomed back into the village by his family and friends, who greatly appreciate and accept his duties.

Itachi's influence would extend beyond Sasuke: Danzo, despite his difference of opinions with Itachi, believed him an unsung hero of Konoha who worked selflessly for the village's good; the five Kage, despite not knowing about Itachi's involvement, hailed him as the world's saviour for ending the Impure World Reincarnation; Kabuto Yakushi remembered who he truly was as a result of Itachi's Izanami and, inspired by him, to resuscitated Sasuke when he was on the verge of death.

Years after the Fourth Shinobi War, one of Orochimaru's experiments would develop an admiration for the Uchiha clan and a fixation on Itachi, taking the Uchiha name for himself. Believing that Sasuke murdered Itachi and condemning him as a disgrace to the clan, he made it one of his goals to eliminate him, along with trying to kidnap Sarada so he can use her against Sasuke, as revenge for Itachi's "murder".

In the anime, Hiruzen realized that kind-hearted people should never be in Anbu because of the nature of their missions. After the Uchiha Clan Massacre, Hiruzen was determined not to do the same with Kakashi, and chose to retire him as an Anbu and made him commandeer a team of genin in hopes it would help restore his light and kindness and eliminate his darkness.

Video Games
Uchiha Itachi is a playable character in the following video games:
 * Naruto RPG 2 Chidori vs Rasengan
 * Naruto Shippuuden Clash of Ninja Revolution 3
 * Naruto Shippuuden Gekito Ninja Taisen! EX
 * Naruto Shippuuden Gekito Ninja Taisen! EX 2
 * Naruto Shippuuden Gekito Ninja Taisen! EX 3
 * Naruto Shippuuden Gekito Ninja Taisen! Special
 * Naruto Shippuuden Kizuna Drive
 * Naruto Shippuuden Legends Akatsuki Rising
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ninja Council 4
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ninja Destiny 2
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ninja Destiny 3
 * Naruto Shippuuden Shinobi Rumble
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja 4
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja 5
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Heroes 3
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Impact
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 2
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 3
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations
 * Naruto Shippuuden Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolution
 * Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution
 * Naruto Clash of Ninja Revolution 2
 * Naruto Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 3
 * Naruto Gekitō Ninja Taisen! 4
 * Naruto Ninja Council 3
 * Naruto Ninja Destiny
 * Naruto Path of the Ninja 2
 * Naruto The Broken Bond
 * Naruto Ultimate Ninja 2
 * Naruto Ultimate Ninja 3
 * Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes
 * Naruto Ultimate Ninja Heroes 2 The Phantom Fortress
 * Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm
 * Naruto Uzumaki Chronicles 2

Uchiha Mikoto
Prior to the massacre, Itachi was close to his mother, Uchiha Mikoto. As a child, Itachi would always ask her where his father was. Mikoto would always tell him that his father is at a meeting. But Mikoto would always warn Itachi not to eavesdrop on his father's meetings. Once Itachi enter the Ninja Academy, Mikoto would always be on point when Itachi had to do his homework. She even tells Itachi that he and Sasuke can't play to together until his homework is finish. Once when Itachi was at the age of thirteen, he stop eating dinner with his family completely which made Mikoto sad. Since she would always ask him to come eat dinner with the family once in a while, but she would also leave Itachi's dinner trap at the front door of his bedroom, to which Itachi would thank her for. When he decided to go through with killing the Uchiha Clan, Itachi took the responsibility of killing his mother, who accepted his decision to side with the village over the clan and told him that she alway knew from the start. Itachi hesitated to kill his parents and was shaking and crying as he promised that he would take care of Sasuke as he successfully killed Mikoto.

Uchiha Fugaku
Prior to the massacre, Itachi was close to his father, Uchiha Fugaku. As a child, Itachi would always happily ask for his father to train him. But he would from his mother that his father is at a meeting. But Mikoto would always warn Itachi not to eavesdrop on his father's meetings. Itachi eavesdropped a way and learn that the clan showed hatred for Minato being pick as the Fourth Hokage instead of Fugaku. When Itachi was four, his father took him to see dead corpses of war victims in order for Itachi to learn the hardships of being a shinobi but it made Itachi become a pacifist. Once Itachi enter the Ninja Academy, Fugaku would always be on point when Itachi had got good grades. He would even be happy to learn from Sasuke that Itachi is learning new techniques such as the substituting technique. When Itachi was seven, Fugaku taught him the Great Fireball Technique. By he was surprised that Itachi was able to master the technique on his first try. Once Itachi was at the age of thirteen, he stop eating dinner with his family completely which made Fugaku wonder if he'll ever understand his son.

Even though Itachi was favored by his father for being a prodigy, he disapproved of his father neglecting Sasuke. Even telling Fugaku to hold off on the clan meeting so he can accompany Sasuke to his Ninja Academy entrance ceremony; since the meeting was on the same day. Since Itachi didn't come to any of the clan meetings, Fugaku would ask him where he was. But Itachi would tell him that he was on a top secret mission and he would tell Fugaku that Sasuke is eavesdropping on their conversation which shocked Fugaku. Once Itachi was suspected to be Shisui's murder, Fugaku would defend his son, and would make sure that his clan members wouldn't put Itachi in jail.

When he decided to go through with killing the Uchiha Clan, Itachi took the responsibility of killing his parents, who accepted his decision to side with the village over the clan and didn't hesitate to fight for their lives. Fugaku then asked Itachi to take care of Sasuke as his last request and telling him not to hold back on his emotions, to which Itachi agreed for both terms. Itachi hesitated to kill his parents and was shaking and crying as he promised them that he would take care of Sasuke when he successfully killed Fugaku.

Uchiha Sasuke
Uchiha Sasuke is Itachi's younger brother, by four years. From the time Sasuke was born, Itachi felt a deep attachment to his brother and vowed to always protect him, which he first did during the Nine Tails' attack on the village and Itachi was left alone to care for him. during their childhood, Itachi and Sasuke had a close relationship and were openly kind and affectionate to each other. Sasuke idolized his older brother and was prone to throw tantrums when Itachi was too busy with missions. Itachi tried to appease his brother by keeping him occupied with made-up games and often poked him on the forehead with the words "Sorry, maybe next time."

By the time Sasuke was in the Ninja Academy and Itachi was promoted to captain in the ANBU, Itachi found out about the Uchiha Clan's plan to revolt against the village. Knowing this would only result in another war and lead to the death of innocent people, including Sasuke, Itachi acted as a spy on his clan for the village, with the sole purpose of protecting Sasuke from getting involved. After Shisui's suicide, Itachi started rebelling against the clan and acted cold towards his clan members, which worried Sasuke about his relationship with his brother. Despite this, Itachi still did what he could to comfort Sasuke and was crucial in helping Sasuke bond with their father, who often favored Itachi over Sasuke.

On the night of the massacre, Itachi pretended to hate his little brother and tortured him with the words that he murdered their family simply to test his powers. But he only spared Sasuke for being too weak, and told him to get stronger if he wants to kill him and avenge their family. Although it pained him to do this to his little brother, Itachi knew this was necessary to not only save Sasuke from harm since Danzo, Homura and Koharu still wanted to eliminate the boy. But he truly felt that Sasuke was the only one entitled to punish him for his sins.

After his death during their battle, Sasuke was deeply saddened when Obito told him the truth about Itachi and how his brother always loved him. Sasuke while being guilt-ridden for killing his brother, mourned Itachi. Although aware that Itachi's wish was for Sasuke to return to Konoha and protect it, Sasuke was unwilling to obligue due to the grief of losing Itachi and the rage for the villagers being ignorant of this, and felt Itachi's life was more precious than the village. Upon being reincarnated, Itachi was deeply shocked when he learned from Naruto that Sasuke had turned against the village, and had joined the Akatsuki. But Itachi never gave up on hope that Sasuke could still be saved from darkness.

Upon being reunited and facing against Kabuto, the two brothers joined forces, on the condition that Itachi tell Sasuke the whole truth. In their final moment together, Itachi spoke to Sasuke that he was proud to have protected Konoha one last time and he has no regrets, despite whatever darkness and contradictions lie within the village. This enraged Sasuke, who said he can forgive Itachi but not the village, and he still can't accept Itachi's wish for him. Instead of naturally being angry at his little brother, Itachi said to Sasuke that he didn't need forgiveness and he would always love Sasuke no matter what path he took before his soul returned to the afterlife.

When he was alive and when he was dead, Itachi's most important goal was to protect Sasuke and he harbored nothing but unconditional love for his brother, whom many people deemed to be the person Itachi loved the most. Although Itachi's actions steem from doing what he felt were in Sasuke's best interest, he was naïve of the damage it could cause Sasuke over the next several years. Which left Itachi feeling guilty and blaming himself for how Sasuke turned out. Despite this, Itachi never stopped loving his brother and always worried for his well-being, and his final words to Sasuke were able to make Sasuke second-guess his decision to destroy Konoha and ultimately convinced him to follow in Itachi's footsteps in protecting the village from the shadows.

Uchiha Shisui
Uchiha Shisui was Itachi's best friend. From their childhood, the two became fast friends due to their devotion to the clan and their desire to protect the village. Itachi idolized Shisui for his impressive abilities and trained under him. However, when news of the clan's plan to revolt against the village got to them, both became spies for the village to make sure their clan doesn't bring chaos and endanger the lives of their family and the villagers.

On the day Shisui died, his right eye had already been stolen by Danzo befor ehe could use his Sharingan genjutsu abilities to protect the village and spoke to Itachi about this. While being worried that Danzo would come back for his left eye, Shisui entrusted it to Itachi, since he is his best friend including that he had wrote suicide note that he had left at the bottom of the cliff. Shisui then asked him to protect the Uchiha's good name, which Itachi vowed to do. He then committed suicide by throwing himself off a cliff, and into a river. Witnessing the death of his best friend had awakened Itachi's Magekyo Sharingan.

The clan suspected Itachi had murdered Shisui to gain the Magekyo but could never find proof of his guilt due to never being able to find his body. Itachi continued to follow his firend's last wish by protecting the village at all costs, and keeping the Uchiha's name in honor. Even if it meant eliminating the entire clan for the sake of protecting the village, and keeping the clan's plan to revolt a secret so that Uchiha's name wouldn't be tarnished. Itachi also credits Shisui for teaching him the true meaning of being a shinobi: self-sacrifice, moving in the shadows while caring and protecting the village.

Uzumaki Naruto
Itachi first met Uzumaki Naruto when the boy was an infant, while being in the hospital the day after Kurama's attack on the village. Itachi saw Naruto for the first time, and curiosity looked at Mikoto who felt bad that the boy was an orphan. Twelve years later, Itachi met Naruto again when he and Kisame snuck into Konoha to kidnap the boy. Itachi knew that Naruto was the Nine-Tails jinchuriki and the son of the Fourth Hokage. Upon learning the truth about the Uchiha clan massacre and why Sasuke wanted to kill Itachi, Naruto felt sympathy for his friend by showing resentment at Itachi for Sasuke's pain and suffering.

The two had more interactions during Part II; while searching for Itachi to bring him back to Konoha as bait to lure Sasuke, Itachi asked Naruto why he was obsessed with Sasuke and adamant on saving him after betraying him. Naruto replied that, to him, Sasuke is his best friend and like a brother. This convinced Itachi that Naruto was the only one capable to saving Sasuke from darkness and trusted him enough to pass on Shisui's left eye to Naruto.

When Naruto learned the truth about Itachi from Obito, he initially didn't believe it because there was no proof of what Obito was telling him. He also partially blamed Itachi for how Sasuke turned out and creating such a mess with Sasuke's mental state. When they met again after Itachi had been reanimated, Naruto was surprised to see Itachi, who was equally surprised to see that Naruto gained control of the Nine-Tails' chakra. Itachi was forced to fight Naruto while under Kabuto's control and each took the opportunity to ask questions; Itachi wanting to know where Sasuke was and Naruto wanting to know if Obito's words were true. Itachi confirmed it was all true and Naruto said he understood what Itachi did for Sasuke but felt Itachi carried some blame for Sasuke's actions, which Itachi agreed with. Rather than expressing anger, Naruto convinced Itachi of his error in manipulating Sasuke rather than being honest with him. Naruto even told Itachi that he can make up with Sasuke now that he isn't controlled by Kabuto. But Itachi refused saying that he rather let his comrades handle things.

Despite not being friendly, Itachi always had faith in Naruto and was always appreciated that Naruto had always looked out for Sasuke. Itachi also noted that Sasuke never realized how lucky he was to have a friend like Naruto, who cared so much about him. Before parting ways forever, Itachi lectured Naruto on the true meaning of being a ninja and to never let power cloud his judgment, including not to forget your friends and to never become arrogant. Itachi then decided to entrusted Sasuke to Naruto.

Kisame
Kisame is Itachi's partner from when he was in the Akatsuki. Despite their opposing personalities (Itachi being pacifist and calm while Kisame being violent and blood-thirsty), they got along well due to that they both killed members of their clan.

While they oppose each other's fighting ways, they have respect for the other and look out for each other. Kisame often follows Itachi's orders, such as holding back his urge to kill his opponents. When Itachi died, Kisame expressed brief sadness for his death. Whereas Itachi did the same upon learning that Kisame was dead when he saw the formers weapon being attach to Killer Bee.

Nagato
Although both were members of the Akatsuki, they apparently had no interactions until they were reanimated during the war. Both spent some time wandering around, while trying to figure out what to do, and asking each other what the other knew about the organization. Both said they knew little about it, and admitted they were simply used by the organization for their powers.

They were forced to fight Naruto and Killer B while under Kabuto's control and offered the two jinchurikis ways to avoid their attacks. When Nagato was unable to resist Kabuto's control, he didn't hesitate to let Itachi burn him with Amatersau to kill him. However, Nagato became completely controlled, and Itachi had no choice but to seal him away, to which Nagato was grateful for.

Uchiha Obito
Itachi first encountered Uchiha Obito right before the massacre took place. Obito, however, told Itachi that he was Madara Uchiha, which Itachi found suspicious but never questioned him. Obito knew about Itachi given the choice to kill the clan to protect his brother and the village, or die with the clan as it revolts against the village. Obito offered to help Itachi wipe out the clan as part of getting revenge on it for betraying him. Despite his suspicions for the man, Itachi agreed but warned him to not harm Sasuke. He then took Obito's offer to join the Akatsuki right after the clan was murder, to which Itachi had told Hiruzen before leaving the village.

Years later, a reanimated Itachi learns from Naruto that Obito told Sasuke the truth about the massacre, and felt anger at the man for turning Sasuke further against the village.

Haruno Sakura
Even though Itachi never met Haruno Sakura, who was Sasuke's childhood classmate and teammate before she became his wife. In Part II she found out that Itachi killed the Uchiha clan and was responsible for Sasuke's pain, to which she vowed to hate him. However, she never learns the truth about Itachi due to Naruto respecting Itachi's request to keep it quest, although she suspects there is more to the original story of him killing the clan in cold blood. But in the end Sakura also learns to forgive Itachi overall. When she learns Sasuke forgave him, and she learns to respect Itachi's memory for Sasuke's sake.

Uchiha Sarada
Sarada is Itachi's niece and Sasuke's daughter. Sarada hears stories about her uncle from her parents, often from her father, and Sasuke tells her that Itachi would have been the best uncle in the world and he would have loved Sarada dearly.

Hatake Kakashi
Hatake Kakashi is Itachi's former ANBU partner. Although they worked together for a short time, they got along well. When Kakashi learned that Itachi murdered the Uchiha clan, he defended Itachi by saying that Itachi would never to such a thing. Kakashi was deeply saddened when Itachi committed the massacre and defected from the village. Kakashi even felt that he never understood Itachi. They would battle each other years later when Itachi and Kisame snuck into Konoha to kidnap Naruto. When he learned the truth about the massacre from Obito, Kakashi thought he was lying but told Naruto and Yamato (who also heard it) to keep quiet to prevent more chaos.

Sarutobi Hiruzen
Itachi always had the most respect for the Third Hokage, who was proud of Itachi as a prodigy and a firm believer in the Will of Fire. Hiruzen always wanted to reach a peaceful resolution with the Uchiha clan, but when that failed, he accepted Itachi to act as a double spy in order to keep tabs on the clan. Hiruzen was the only village elder who was against eliminating the clan and criticized the other elders for saying such words in front of Itachi.

Hiruzen was deeply saddened upon learning Itachi had killed his clan but didn't blame him for it. Accepting Itachi's choice to also leave the village and join the Akatsuki to make sure it doesn't come after the village. Hiruzen told Itachi he was always allowed to enter the village to check on Sasuke whenever he wanted to, and would use any means to protect Itachi's whereabouts from shinobi who wanted him dead.

Hiruzen always had nothing but good things to say about Itachi and credits Itachi for preventing another war from breaking out by killing his clan. Because of what happened to itachi, Hiruzen decided that children no longer belonged into the ANBU and, up until his death, he stayed true to his promise to Itachi that he would look after Sasuke.

Shimura Danzo
Danzo was the Konoha elder who felt killing the Uchiha lan was necessary for protecting the village and he gave Itachi two choices: die witht the clan in the revolt or kill his clan and protect the village. Itachi chose the latter, despite the pain and guilt he felt for killing his parents and forcing Sasuke to grow up as an orphan. Upon learning Itachi's mission was a success, Danzo considered Itachi a hero for protecting the village but was condemned by Hiruzen for what he made Itachi do.

Itachi never trusted Danzo and correctly suspected the elder still planned to kill Sasuke sometime in the future, and before leaving the village, he warned Danzo to never harm Sasuke or he will tell the village's secrets to its' enemies. Although he never trusted him and disapproved of the elder's methods of protecting the village, Itachi still felt Danzo was doing what he felt was best for the village.

Knownable Relatives

 * Uchiha Mikoto (Mother/dead)
 * Uchiha Fugaku (Father/dead)
 * Uchiha Sasuke (Younger Brother)
 * Haruno Sakura (Sister in law)
 * Uchiha Sarada (Niece)
 * Uzumaki Naruto (Friend and Ally)
 * Uchiha Shisui (Best Friend and Surrogate Older Brother/dead)

Trivia
According to the databook(s): There are several differences between his character in the current time line and in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream: In the current time line, Itachi was dead before he was reincarnated to fight against Kabuto. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, he remains alive to fight Sasori and returns home with his reformed little brother. To which he takes a group photo with Naruto's family, the Konoha 11, Team Jiraiya and Gaara.
 * The name Itachi (鼬) can be translated as "weasel".
 * Itachi ranked highly in the Shonen Jump popularity polls for the series, continuously placing in the top ten and reaching sixth place once.
 * In the seventh popularity poll, he rose to fifth place, where he remains in the latest poll.
 * He and Kisame were the first active Akatsuki members to appear.
 * Itachi and Kisame made a brief cameo appearance in the Hidden Leaf Village Grand Sports Festival!, where they were standing in line to use the bathroom, along with many other random characters.
 * Itachi's hobby was visiting traditional Japanese cafés.
 * Itachi wished to fight Sasuke.
 * Itachi's favorite foods were cabbage and onigiri with seaweed in it, while his least favorite was steak.
 * Itachi had completed 340 official missions in total: 53 D-rank, 152 C-rank, 134 B-rank, 0 A-rank and 1 S-rank.
 * Itachi's favourite word was "peace" (平和, heiwa).
 * Itachi had always poked his younger brother, in the forehead when they were younger, saying "Forgive me Sasuke… Again, next time" (「許せサスケ…また今度だ」, "Yuruse Sasuke… Mata kondo da"). This is referred to very poignantly with Itachi's last words, as he pokes his brother's forehead again and says, "Forgive me Sasuke… …It ends with this" (許せサスケ……これで最後だ, "Yuruse Sasuke… …Kore de saigo da")
 * Itachi is tied with Jiraiya for having the highest stat total in the databooks.
 * Itachi is one of the few people who knows the identities of both Naruto's father and mother.
 * Fittingly, the shinobi that was sacrificed for his reincarnation was a Konohagakure shinobi, indicating his affiliation with the village.
 * Amaterasu, the Shinto goddess of the sun, had a three-legged crow named Yatagarasu. In addition to having a technique named Amaterasu (which he used against Pain’s Giant Drill-Beaked Bird, which also had three legs), Itachi uses crows in his techniques.
 * According to Shinto mythology, Yatagarasu's appearance was regarded as an omen for either something really good or bad. His permanent appearance was through the Koto Amatsukami, namely Takagi no Kami and Amaterasu who sent Yatagarasu as a saviour to end Emperor Jimmu's war. This closely resembles Itachi's role, where he is freed through Koto-Amatsukami and becomes an important asset in the Alliance's efforts to end the shinobi war.
 * He and his mother, Uchiha Mikoto are the only two Uchiha Clan members that knew the identities of Naruto's parents.
 * In the current time line, Itachi met Naruto when he was an infant. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, he met Naruto when the boy was at the age of 12.
 * In the current time line, Itachi would have meetings with his father privately. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, he would have his meetings with his father by including Sasuke to join in on the conversation.
 * In the current time line, Itachi realize that Sasuke would become cold after the clans massacre. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, Itachi sees how cold Sasuke became he welcome him home from his three year training with the clans police force.
 * In the current time line, it was Kakashi who fail to stop Sasuke and Naruto's final fight before Sasuke went even further to Orchimaru's location. However in the anime during Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, it is Itachi who fail to stop Sasuke and Naruto's final fight before Sasuke went even further to Orchimaru's location.
 * In the current time line, Itachi dies while stumbling to an unknown illness that he had. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, he accidentally dies while getting implanted by Sasuke's stage two Chidori that was meant for Naruto. But it turns out that Itachi survived and went into hiding to heal.
 * In the current time line, Itachi lectured Naruto on becoming arrogant by wanting to end the war on his own without his comrades help. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, Itachi was angry at Sasuke's choice to destroy Konoha and not working with his comrades.
 * In the current timeline, it was Kabuto who Sasuke and Itachi fought against. However in Tsunade's Infinite Tsukuyomi dream, it was Sasori's Raikage, Mizukage, and Tsuchikage puppets that Sasuke and Itachi fought against.

Voice Actors

 * Japanese : Hideo Ishikawa


 * English : Crispin Freeman

all information on Uchiha Itachi is from http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Itachi_Uchiha