Itachi Uchiha is Sasuke Uchiha’s older brother. Many fans think of him as one of the best characters in manga and anime.
It can be seen in the second part of the story that Itachi murdered the entire Uchiha clan, leaving only Sasuke and making him berate him and want to kill his elder brother, whom he used to look at.
The fact that the media showed Itachi as a cold-blooded killer who killed his whole Uchiha clan and was one of the most powerful people in Konohagakure is a testament to his skills and showed that he would be a tough opponent from the start of Naruto.
Itachi informs Sasuke that he murdered the Uchiha clan to check his capabilities, which makes his younger brother and fans hate him for a very long time.
But the actual reason behind Itachi’s killing of his family was revealed later, and it was a huge surprise.
Spoilers to come!
What was the reason Itachi Uchiha killed his clan?
Long answer, short!
Itachi destroyed the Uchiha clan, acting on instructions by Danzo Shimura, the chief of the Hidden Leaf Village (Konohagakure) to stop the plot, by the clan to take over the village.
Danzo, along with the elders, decided that they believed that the Uchiha clan should be destroyed when it was discovered that they had planned an attempt to control the Hidden Leaf Village.
Itachi cared about his brother Sasuke, so he made a deal with the elders to keep him from being killed along with the rest of the Uchiha clan.
In the dark, he was assisted in the Uchiha clan’s downfall by Tobi, whom he claimed was Madara Uchiha.
The truth is that Itachi’s taking down the Uchiha clan is not a pure desire to test his abilities, but actually, a heart-breaking task imposed by the superiors of his village to ensure the preservation of peace in Konohagakure.
Let’s look at the details of his story to gain a better understanding of what he was thinking about doing.
Tensions are rising between the Uchiha Clan and the Hidden Leaf Village:
From the very beginning, when the village hidden among the leaves was just beginning to form, the people of the Uchiha clan were distrusted and widely disregarded by many, including Hashirama’s older twin brother, Tobirama Senju.
Madara Uchiha’s rebellion against Konohagakure was also a factor in the majority of the village being skeptical about the Uchiha clan.
For the Uchiha, the primary issue was the fact that their clan was forced to the sidelines as the 2nd Hokage, Tobirama Senju, as well as other elders who accompanied them, played a key part in the process.
Following the Nine-Tailed Fox’s attack on the Hidden Leaf, the village’s superiors, in particular Danzo Shimura, as well as the senior advisors, became suspicious of the Uchiha clan.
They were skeptical that the Uchihas were responsible for the attack, but were unaware that the attack was coordinated by Tobi.
The authorities have confined the Uchihas to a particular area of the village, and they have placed them under surveillance in secret.
The lack of respect and lack of trust shown by others further angered the Uchihas and they felt that there was a need to take action to avert this situation.
The Uchihas are guided by Fugaku Uchiha, Itachi’s father and the chief of the clan, who formulated an idea – the coup d’etat’ to take over the leaders who were averse to the Uchihas.
They began the process of preparing for the coup by incorporating Uchiha spy agents into the organization and hierarchy of the village administration.
Itachi and the Uchiha Coup have a connection
Being a genius and possessing an extraordinary understanding of his time, Itachi was placed in the Anbu Black Ops. His father, Fugaku, was the mastermind of a coup and was acting as an agent for the Uchihas.
To convince Itachi to join his Uchiha Cause, Fugaku divulges his Mangekyou Sharingan and informs Itachi about his plan to execute this Uchiha coup without fear of death.
Fugaku did not tell anyone about his Mangekyou Sharingan because he was afraid they could make him take over the charge of Nine Tails and cause chaos in the village to take over.
Itachi with the help of his partner, Shisui Uchiha Itachi, backed by Shisui Uchiha, attempted to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict by soliciting the help of his Third Hokage.
Peace talks started breaking down in the middle and Danzo began to press his superiors to get rid of the Uchihas without causing bloodshed.
Shisui Uchiha, who too opposed an idea of a coup, chose to make use of his Mangekyou Sharingan to force Shisui Uchiha to force Uchiha leaders to reconsider their decisions.
However, Danzo, who was determined to end the Uchihas, was a hindrance to Shisui’s plans. Shisui ended up taking his own life by using Itachi to serve as a witness, which allowed him to awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan within him.
The Burden On Itachi’s Shoulders
To fully understand why Itachi made the decision that he did, we must examine the issue from his perspective.
When he was a kid, Itachi was traumatized by the horrors that occurred during The Third Great Shinobi War, which caused him to hate the bloodshed, violence, and.
He was also unsociable and was lonely a lot of times. This could be due to the trauma suffered as an infant. The only real person he could call a friend was Shisui Uchiha.
His views were ridiculed by his father, making him unpopular with his family.
Itachi, a pacifist, realized that a revolution could cause a lot of deaths, something he didn’t wish to see happen. The same thought was shared by Shisui, who prompted the latter to inform Hiruzen Sarutobi of the imminent coup.
Both Itachi and Shisui, together with the Third Hokage, were looking for peace. However, they could not stop the clan members from staging a planned coup.
Then Danzo, who was not open to the thought of bargaining with the Uchihas and Shisui, began to manipulate Itachi to convince him that removing all the Uchihas was the most effective option.
How did he manage to achieve this? He used the trauma of his friend Itachi and his affection for his older brother Sasuke to alter his mind.
Danzo’s goal was to protect the village. Danzo believed that if his actions were unchecked by the Uchihas, they might launch an identical revolt against Konoha in the future.
The suspicion he had regarding the Uchiha family was so great that he removed Shisui’s eyes to deter him from making use of the Mangekyou Sharingan and stop the coup without bloodshed.
The peace talks fell apart, and Shisui took his own life so that Danzo was unable to see with his other eye.
Itachi was left alone with no idea what to do and who to confide in. His displeasure with his clan increased as Uchiha leaders believed Itachi was the cause of Shisui’s suicide.
This meant that Itachi was in the perfect position to be controlled by Danzo. Danzo explained to Itachi that eliminating the Uchihas-Uchihas is the sole way to stop the possibility of a revolution.
He also explained how the rebellion could trigger the next Great Shinobi War, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of innocent citizens.
A 13-year-old boy’s anxiety and fear of being traumatized were being used against him. Danzo suggested the idea to him as if there were no other choices.
Additionally, Itachi loved Sasuke with all his heart. He was determined to safeguard Sasuke’s innocence.
It could be that Itachi was afraid that his son would be influenced by his family and become exactly like the clan members he disliked.
He was afraid that the innocence of his son would be damaged. Similar thoughts are portrayed to Naruto when he informs Naruto that it is because Sasuke is a pure slate and is not affected by his surroundings.
A clan that, as per Itachi himself, was empty and that was lost to its pride, could allow the innocence of their brother to grow and become more of a person and bring Uchiha to its former glory. Uchiha family to greater levels.
Danzo uses this aspect of Itachi against him too.
Some believe that Itachi was genius enough to be able to tell whether he was being tricked or not.
But the possibility that he was susceptible to being controlled because of his past trauma and his affection for his younger brother is the only thing that makes Itachi less than perfect or more human.
Danzo can pull off the most egregious trick by using the life of Sasuke as a bargaining device to force Itachi to comply with his demands.
In the end, Itachi accepts Danzo’s paranoia partly because he doesn’t wish to see innocent lives destroyed and also because he wants to shield his brother from all negative about his family.
He’s confused and under a lot of stress and is weighed down by the expectations placed upon him.
However, he decides to go ahead with the plan regardless, and eventually seeks assistance from a mask-wearing Tobi who believes that he is Madara Uchiha and then kills off the Uchiha clan.
It is difficult to determine whether Itachi is correct or not when he followed Danzo’s and the elders’ instructions. In the environment that the Shinobis were living in, killing some to save others was a plausible rationale.
Additionally, Itachi truly understood the idea of a village according to what Hashirama told Sasuke and Orochimaru.
Itachi was faithful to Konoha and understood that as an oath-bearer village Shinobi, it was his obligation to remove any danger to the village, no matter if it belonged to family members, acquaintances, or even one’s clan.
