We have always felt a special kinship with anime. Even now, when we are older, we want to enjoy our spare time watching them. It makes us remember our old times and lets us feel young. Out of every anime, the Naruto series has been my favorite one. It had so much fun all together in it.
Watching it felt like living in two worlds at the same time. Itachi was a character of the same series. People wonder why he killed his clan. Let us dig deeper into the life of Itachi and the reason for him killing his kin.
Background of Itachi’s Life
Itachi was a shinobi of Konohagakure’s Uchiha clan. From the get-go, he was trained to be an extraordinary Shinobi. He graduated from the academy at an exceptionally early age. Most parts of the series were dedicated to the atrocities he committed.
He slaughtered his very own clan, sparing only his younger brother, Sasuke. Later, he joins a criminal organization, the Akatsuki. Their activities brought Itachi face to face against the Konoha several times, including Sasuke, who eventually takes the life of his elder brother.
Do you find any reason from Itachi Life about the killing of the clan?
Why did the Uchiha Clan Plan a Coup?
The Uchiha clan was a warrior clan known for their spectacular Chakra and Sharingan. The Konoha and the Uchiha clans were constantly at each other’s throats since the warring state period. Also, the entire village thought the Uchiha clan to be responsible for the attacks by the nine-tailed beasts. To monitor the clan as the whole, they were secluded on the outskirts of the village, agitating them.
Also, Fugaku, who was Itachi’s father and the Uchiha clan leader, wasn’t given fair consideration for the Hokage post when Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, was stepping down. This biasedness further fueled the hatred that was already brewing between the Konoha and the Uchiha clans. So, the Uchiha clan planned a rebellion.
Why did Danzo Tell Itachi to Kill his Clan?
The coup planned by the Uchiha clan was foreseen by the elders of the village, especially Danzo. The threat of the civil war led Danzo to recruit Itachi, who was, at that time, one of the captains of ANBU, a team of elite ninjas responsible for carrying out high-risk tasks and protecting the village from exceptional threats. Itachi was given the task to quell the rebellion by any means necessary.
Why did Obito Help Itachi Kill his Clan?
The actual reason that pushed Itachi over the edge was Madara Uchiha, a former Uchiha clan leader. In the era of warring states, the Uchiha clan and the Senju clan were rivals. The members of both families who thought that the endless fighting between the clans could lead to their destruction managed to form an alliance, known as Konoha or the Village of the Hidden Leaves. Madara Uchiha started to hate Konoha and his clan for abandoning him and his ideals, so he left the village and became an avenger.
Itachi spotted a masked man and thought him to be Madara, and it was later revealed that it was Obito in disguise. Madara had manipulated Obito by sealing the three tails in Rin, his former teammate and lover, which led to Kakashi, another of their teammates, killing Rin. Obito vowed to destroy the hidden leaf village.
Itachi assumed that Madara/Obito was planning a sinister plot against the Konoha. Hence, he approached him and made a deal to wipe out the Uchiha clan to spare the village. In a span of one night, both Itachi and Obito wiped out the entire Uchiha clan, including the women and the children.
Why did Itachi Spare Sasuke?
The reason why Itachi spared Sasuke in the massacre was that he was his younger brother. When the coup planned by the Uchiha clan was brought to the attention of the third Hokage, Danzo, and the other elders, Danzo voted to eliminate the entire line. Still, his suggestion was tormented by the Third Hokage Hiruzen himself, who ordered Itachi to delay the coup for as long as possible so that another means of dissolving the dispute can be figured out.
The same night Danzo held a meeting with Itachi and gave him two options, either wipe out the entire clan by himself٫, leaving only his brother, or eradicate family as the whole that seemed inevitable in case of rebellion, including his brother Sasuke. Danzo knew that Itachi loved his brother and would do anything to protect him, hence manipulating Itachi into killing his clan. Also, sparing Sasuke meant that one day the Uchiha clan could be restored.
Role of Akatsuki
Akatsuki was a criminal organization with plans of world domination by collecting all the tailed beasts. Shortly after the assassination of the Itachi Uchiha clan, Itachi joined the Akatsuki as he knew he couldn’t stay in the village. He acted as a spy for the Hidden Leaf so he could inform them of any potential threats on one condition, protecting his little brother Sasuke so no harm may come to him.
Why did Sasuke Kill Itachi?
Itachi despised himself for his heinous acts against the Uchiha clan, and he knew that his brother, who he spared in the massacre, would forever hate him for wiping out their kin. He directed Sasuke’s hatred to be the driving force of him becoming a powerful shinobi so that one day he can avenge the Uchiha clan by killing Itachi.
Final Thoughts
It can be debated upon whether Itachi was an unsung hero or a villain. He wanted to end this loop of violence as he had experienced the casualties that war brings along first-hand. The horrors of the 3rd ninja war had etched themselves into the memory of young Itachi.
It can be safely said that he was a pacifier who took some extreme measures to prevent a civil war that would’ve weakened Konoha’s ability to protect themselves against attacks by other villages, leading to the 4th ninja war. All his actions were in favor of saving his town and his beloved brother. In doing so, he became a consequentialist, a character that performed evil acts for the greater good.
