Itachi Uchiha

Template:Infobox Naruto character Itachi Uchiha (うちはイタチ, Uchiha Itachi) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto created by Masashi Kishimoto. He is a member of Akatsuki and the partner of Kisame Hoshigaki.

"Itachi" means "weasel", which are considered bad luck in Japan. His surname, Uchiha, is another way of pronouncing "uchiwa", or a paper fan, which is actually the Uchiha clan symbol. Uchiwa can be used to fan flames, making the flame hotter — referring to the fact that the Uchiha is a clan of fire-jutsu users.

Background

Itachi has been considered a genius since a young age, graduating at the top of his Academy class at age 7, mastering the Sharingan by age 8, becoming a Chunin at age 10, and a squadron leader of the ANBU at age 13. These accomplishments led the members of the Uchiha clan to think of Itachi as the clan's strongest member and, in turn, the clan's future. Itachi's father, Fugaku Uchiha, was the biggest proponent of this idea and focused much of his effort into bettering Itachi's career and status within Konoha.

Because of his focused attention on Itachi, Fugaku paid little attention to his other son, Sasuke Uchiha. As a result of the neglect he felt, Sasuke did all in his power to win his father's attention, which largely came in the form of trying to outdo Itachi. To help him achieve this goal Sasuke would frequently ask Itachi to help him train, and while his older brother agreed, he would never fulfill the promise. Despite this, Itachi did force their father to spend time with Sasuke by refusing to carry out his other tasks unless his father complied. While Fugaku did so, much of the time he spent with Sasuke was still focused around Itachi, and Sasuke continued to desire his father's attention.

Approximately six months after joining the ANBU, Itachi's standing within the clan began to falter. In addition to no longer doing the things he was assigned to do, Itachi became a prime suspect in the death of Shisui Uchiha. While Shisui was a good friend of Itachi and appeared to have committed suicide, the clan's older members began to suspect the suicide was faked and that Itachi killed Shisui. In response to these claims, Itachi attacked the investigation team and easily defeated them under the guise of losing faith in the clan. After being confronted by his father he apologized, though the damage had been done. From that point forth Fugaku's relationship with Itachi became estranged, and he spent his time training Sasuke in an attempt to steer him away from following in Itachi's footsteps.

Not long afterwards, Sasuke returned home one day to find all the members of his clan dead and Itachi standing over the bodies of their parents, explaining to have killed them "to test his ability". Claiming that he had never loved Sasuke and had only pretended to fit the role of a caring brother, Itachi decided that Sasuke was not worth killing. Before leaving he encouraged Sasuke to live a life of hate and get strong enough to defeat him and avenge the clan. To help in this regard, Itachi told Sasuke of how to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan: one must simply kill his or her closest friend, just as he had done to Shisui Uchiha.

At some point in time Itachi joined Akatsuki. While it stands to reason that he joined after massacring the Uchiha clan, the timeline that has been given throughout the series (coupled with his age) suggests that he joined the organization prior to killing his clan. As a result, the exact time at which Itachi joined is as of yet uncertain. After joining Akatsuki, Itachi was confronted by Orochimaru who attempted to steal his body for his own use. With his Sharingan, Itachi was able to negate Orochimaru's efforts and sever his left hand, forcing him to flee the organization. He later proves instrumental in recruiting Deidara to Akatsuki, forcing him to join by defeating him in battle. He has a lot of issues. He can be really nice, but a lot of other times he is really really mean. That little comment by Brianna Uchiha.

        Yeah, I have different thoughts about him...more like his little buddy, more like BIG, FISHY BUDDY! Anyway, I think he's cute. I enjoy watching him have his issues, and take it out, on Brianna Uchiha! She's his little sister! That comment by Journey Cambell, Shadows Lil Sister!

Abilities

In the few battles he has been seen in, Itachi has done little in terms of fighting, primarily remaining stationary and only attacking in defense. This tactic is made particularly easy with his Sharingan, which allows him to properly assess an opponent's actions and respond accordingly. When faced with a genjutsu, Itachi can use his Sharingan to perform Demonic Illusion: Mirror Heaven and Earth Change (魔幻・鏡天地転, Magen: Kyō Tenchi-ten) and turn the genjutsu against its user. His prowess with genjutsu is one of his few recurring abilities, and he can catch someone in an illusion by merely pointing at them.

File:NarutoEpisode131.png

Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan.

Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan enables him to use some of the Uchiha clan's most powerful techniques. With Tsukuyomi he can trap an opponent in an illusionary world where he can seem to torture them for days on end in only a matter of seconds. Amaterasu allows him to create a black flame that is capable of burning through the strongest of materials. Despite his mastery of the Mangekyo Sharingan, Itachi seems to be falling prey to its side effects. In addition to being left fatigued after each usage, it has been suggested that his eyesight is getting increasingly worse as well, though this has never been addressed in full.

In terms of standard ninjutsu, Itachi can create shadow clones to carry out the close-combat that he seems to avoid. These clones can also be commanded to explode with Clone Great Explosion (分身大爆破, Bunshin Daibakuha), which is easily capable of killing those caught in the blast. As a member of the Uchiha clan he can perform Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique to catch opponents in a blast of fire. With Water Release: Water Fang Bullet (水遁・水牙弾, Suiton: Suigadan) he can also catch unwary targets in a circle of crushing water.

Itachi is also noted to be very fast with his techniques and movements, as Kakashi Hatake experienced during their first confrontation in Part I. It is unknown whether or not this speed is another of Itachi's illusions, however, as even Kakashi's enhanced vision- his own Sharingan- was unable to see the formation of chakra seals, and the use of genjutsu and clones figured heavily in this battle.

Plot overview

In Akatsuki's goal of acquiring all of the tailed beasts, Itachi is assigned to capture the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within Naruto Uzumaki. After going to Konoha with Kisame in search of Naruto, Itachi is forced into battle with the village's elite ninja, with ever more appearing to join the battle. Uninterested in starting a war, Itachi orders Kisame to retreat. When they later find Naruto and try to kidnap him, Sasuke shows up in an attempt to kill Itachi. Uninterested in their brotherly quarrel, Itachi quickly defeats him by breaking his wrist, and is disappointed to see that Sasuke still isn't strong enough to defeat him. After Jiraiya arrives, Itachi and Kisame are driven off, and the two make no further contributions during Part I.

In Part II, Itachi holds Team 7 at bay with a remotely controlled copy of himself while Akatsuki seals one of the tailed beasts. Impressed by Naruto's increase in skill, Itachi's copy is soon defeated, though he succeeds in buying enough time to complete the sealing. After news of Orochimaru's defeat by Sasuke reaches his ears, Itachi is put on alert by the Akatsuki leader in case Sasuke uses this opportunity to try and kill him.

Sources

• First Official Data Book (秘伝・臨の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, Hiden: Rin no Sho Character Official Data Book)
• Second Official Data Book (秘伝・闘の書キャラクターオフィシャルデータBOOK, Hiden: Tō no Sho Character Official Data Book)
• Jump's 2nd Great Hero Book's Mini Data Book (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini, Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini)
• Naruto anime and manga Guidebook (秘伝・翔の書オフィシャルキャラクターデータBOOK mini, Hiden: Shō no Sho Official Character Data Book mini)
• Taken directly from the Naruto manga chapters and anime episodes.