[[ No. Because that implies the massacre was the fault of Fugaku and the higherups.
Danzo wanted all of them dead. Danzo wanted every Uchiha dead since the beginning. So no, Itachi couldn’t have just killed the “instigators” and be done with it. This was Danzo’s order, and he wouldn’t be satisfied until every Uchiha was dead. ]]
[[ Itachi after his revival and right before his second death has come to terms with who he is, and what he’s done. While he is aware he’s not the best person, he doesn’t hold any vitriolic self loathing. He also does not stay long enough for those kinds of feelings to re-emerge. He would not try to defend himself from criticisms of his actions, but he would also not speak about how much he hates himself. He can reflect on his actions without trying to excuse them. ]]
[[ Itachi didn’t tell Sasuke to kill Naruto specifically.
You have to remember, when Itachi said those things to Sasuke, he was acting under a fake persona. This was the path he felt Sasuke needed to take to overcome him.
Normally, yes, Itachi would be against that logic. He wouldn’t, under neutral circumstances, tell his little brother of all people, that he needs to commit murder to become more powerful. But we’re dealing with “villain” Itachi now, who pretends that’s how he got the power, and thus that’s how Sasuke needs to get it. And again, he didn’t know Naruto would become Sasuke’s friend. It could’ve been anyone.
It’s meant to make Itachi look bad. It’s meant to make him look like a monster. A monster who is hungry enough for power that he would sacrifice his best friend for it. Obviously we as readers know that’s not how it happened, but that’s what Itachi wants Sasuke to believe.
At the tail end of the plan, it’s also likely meant to ensure that Sasuke gets Itachi’s eyes. Say that Sasuke did do it, and got the Mangekyo at that time? By this time, he’d have surely gone or was going blind. If we factor in that then, and only then, does Sasuke discover that the cure for the blindness is to take a relative’s eyes, then Sasuke will have to take them, as Itachi intended. ]]
itachi was 13. He was only fucking thirteen. (He was 13) he was tHIRTEEN hE W A S T H I R T E E N {hE wAs ThirteeN} h e was ThiRTeeN he was thirteen [he was thirteen] h e w as thirteen.
[[ What I mean specifically is that the timing of Sasuke being born + the things Itachi was going through at the time resulted in Itachi’s obsession. Itachi was still dealing with his Father showing him the battlefield– a gorey mess of shinobi from all nations. Though Fugaku’s intention was to show Itachi the world would always be at odds and he needed to become strong so he wasn’t a body on the field, Itachi disagreed. He wanted to become strong to end the fighting once and for all.
When Sasuke is born, Itachi swells of feelings with protection. He wants to be more grown-up so his job can be protecting his sibling. Sasuke is innocent, he has yet to see the things Itachi has. And if Itachi does his job well? He never will. He wants Sasuke to have the peace he never got.
Itachi is an oddball in the case of kids who get an infant sibling. He never once feels jealous, and he actively wants Sasuke to get more attention from his parents. It actually ends up making Itachi angry when Sasuke gets ignored, or when people act in a way that Itachi thinks is negligent of Sasuke. Fugaku is too pre-occupied with Uchiha clan business to come to Sasuke’s Academy Ceremony? How dare you, I’m going to threaten to abandon my own mission. I’ll show up if you won’t, I actually love Sasuke, etc etc. (not at all saying Fugaku doesn’t love Sasuke, just how Itachi sees it.)
I’m going to pull the section where Sasuke is born. ]]
[[ From around Part 1 to 4th World war, no, or at least, definitely not as bad as Itachi had it.
Sasuke always had a home and amenities available to him. Itachi’s case is different– he is traveling with one more person, they are criminals, and they are constantly being hunted. They do not have the time to brush their teeth daily nor to carry around the tools to do so. It’s secondary to survival.
Sasuke’s always had the district, and if his Mother instilled the habit, then it would’ve stayed after she died. Sasuke was alone but learned to take care of himself.
There may have been a few periods where dental hygiene became secondary, such as the day (two days) ??? when he left the Leaf to travel to Orochimaru. Or when he left Orochimaru’s, collected Taka, and hunted down Itachi, or the period of the war. All times when his “home” was not one stable location, and he was constantly moving. But the times when Sasuke’s residence is stable, and he has the amenities to brush his teeth/enact hygiene, he will.
Adult Sasuke wouldn’t be as bad as Itachi, though. It is the future, and it’s likely he can carry around a little more to take care of himself while he’s traveling and finding out info about the Otsutsuki. ]]
[[ Well, that answer is dependent on details. Such as…how old is Sasuke when he dies. Where does he die? Who is the person/people that killed him? If it is not a person, in which environment did he die in? (ties back to where.) Did Sasuke have people with him when he died, people whose task it was to protect him and ensure he didn’t die? Was his death a political move that can be backed up via other sources, or a pure accident with no one truly at blame? (ties into if anyone was around to protect Sasuke, and did they at least do their best?)
All of these are important things to take into consideration when assessing Itachi’s reaction. They can all slightly change his course of actions.
For example, if Sasuke is killed by Danzo anytime before his fight with Itachi (from part 1 to post orochimaru), Itachi will release the information about the Leaf he has, and kill himself.
In situations where Sasuke’s death was an honest accident, he would just kill himself. He has no reason to live anymore– Sasuke was it.
Had Orochimaru killed him, he would kill Orochimaru, defile/possibly kill all his bases, and then kill himself.
Most of the time– it will end in Itachi’s suicide. ]]
You could have just said this sooner Orochimaru, cuz this one does make sense in so many aspects!
Konoha wants to keep its “innocent” image but still needs people like Orochimaru and Kabuto and their power and all the things they achieved. The village need to control them and use them whenever they want… Same goes for Sasuke actually. That’s how cruel their system actually is.
It will forever bother me how pro-ending Naruto apologists excuse Naruto’s perpetuating of Konoha’s barbaric systems. The only reason Konoha accepted Naruto at all was because he finally proved to be useful as a weapon, and that same logic was applied to Sasuke, Orochimaru, Kabuto, etc.
And with Sasuke Shinden we now know that it wasn’t Naruto that set up those mechanisms, it was Kakashi. Kakashi established an orphanage and put Kabuto in charge. Kakashi ordered Yamato to spend the rest of his days babysitting Orochimaru. And why? Because, as Orochimaru says, despite their dark deeds they’re considered assets to the village…weapons. It’s the same reason why the villages created Jinchurikis to begin with yet still ostracized these individuals and treated them like monsters. They like to create and have these weapons at their disposal but they always want to keep them at an arm’s length, never growing attached to them or treating them like people. It’s why no one felt any guilt about treating babies, like Naruto or Gaara, like monsters.
And it’s all still a passive-aggressive game of who can hoard the most dangerous weapons in a universe where those weapons more often than not turn out to be people. And supposedly this used to bother Naruto back in Part 1, where he made Zabuza cry by pointing out how cruel it was to treat Haku like nothing more than a weapon or for shinobi to be considered barely more than tools for their respective employers or villages. But he certainly did jack shit to actually change that when he finally did come into power.
All of this
[[ I wouldn’t say Madara– I’d say Obito and Danzo.
Madara had stopped caring about the Uchiha clan when they didn’t back him up the first time he tried to rebel, but he didn’t try to orchestrate their deaths. He was dead by the time Obito first attacked the village with the Kyuubi.
But you are right, Itachi had very little power when it comes to it. And not enough people realize that. Too many people think it’s cool to be “anti Itachi” when it comes to the massacre, despite that just about being out of his control. Danzo wanted them dead. All Shisui and Itachi could do was delay it, and not stop it completely. It would happen, one way or another. ]]
[[ Yes, he would. As much as I love Itasasu, Itachi would be an obstacle to it. There are several reasons for this.
1) They are blood brothers.
2) They are both men.
3) Even if Itachi came to terms with #1 and #2, the most important thing is he doesn’t feel worthy of being in a relationship with Sasuke. He’s hurt him too much, and it’s likely he’ll hurt him again. He would much rather Sasuke find someone else– someone else who hasn’t hurt him in the way Itachi did. All of these apply even if Itachi shares the feelings Sasuke does. He just ultimately doesn’t think he’s the right person for him.
Mind you, a rejection likely wouldn’t be enough to halt Sasuke. If he’s determined, he’ll keep pushing. With enough pushing, Itachi will eventually relent. Sure, it’s going to be difficult for him to get past the “not worthy” thing, but if it makes Sasuke happy, he will give in. ]]
UchihaSavior 