Itachi Uchiha is one of the most beloved and well-written characters of all time. He was introduced in Naruto as en elder brother of Sasuke Uchiha. Everyone looks at Itachi as a hero except for the fans who are yet to know the truth about him. In the first part of Naruto, Itachi Uchiha is one of the most intimidating antagonists who killed his entire clan. Not only that, but he was also a part of the terrorist group known as “Akatsuki.” Now the question lies, Why Did Itachi Kill the Uchiha Clan?
Itachi told Sasuke that he assassinated his entire clan to test his own limitations. It made Sasuke and the fans hate him alike. Itachi Uchiha went from a cold-blooded killer to a hero who saved the Hidden Leaf village. So, how did this happen? Here is everything to know.
Naruto: Did Itachi Kill Uchiha Clan Out of His Own Free Will?
Itachi did kill the Uchiha clan, but Danzo Shimura was the one who manipulated him into doing so. Danzo was the leader of the Anbu and one of the elders of the Hidden Leaf Village. He convinced Itachi to wipe out his entire clan in order to save the life of his beloved little brother Sasuke Uchiha. At that time, Itachi was working as a spy for Danzo and revealed to him that Uchiha Clan was planning a coup d’etat due to all the discrimination they faced in the village.
Danzo took advantage of this situation and manipulated Itachi that this coup would result in a civil war among the residents of Konohagakure. Being his superior, Danzo forced Itachi to massacre the Uchiha clan in order to save his village and his little brother.
Naruto: Why Itachi Killed The Uchiha Clan?
The reason behind Itachi killing the Uchiha clan wasn’t his cold blood. Neither did he want to test his abilities. The elders of Konoha forced this heart-wrenching mission on Itachi in order to maintain the peace in the village. Itachi Uchiha was there when the Third Great Ninja war broke out. He even tried to save a life during the war, but the very guy attacked him. As a result, from the very beginning, Itachi Uchiha hated wars. Also, there was a dispute among the villagers and the Uchiha clan from the very beginning of the Shinobi world.
It all started with a revolution by Madara Uchiha. The Nine-tailed Fox incident was also enough to convince everyone that the Uchihas are a threat. When the members of the Uchiha Clan were planning a coup, Itachi, Shisui, and the Third Hokage tried to look for a peaceful resort. However, Dano was against this idea. He convinced that the elders that eliminating the Uchiha Clan was the only option. Shisui was also against this coup and even tried to stop it.
However, in the end, he failed and committed suicide. It was the very moment when Itachi awakened his Mangekyou Sharingan. Eventually, Danzo managed to convince everyone that in order to maintain peace in the village, they must massacre the Uchiha clan. Itachi was given this mission as he was the only one who could do it without disturbing the peace in the village. Also, Danzo promised him that no one would lay a finger and he would have a great life. Sasuke’s protection and peace of the village were more than enough of a reason to kill Itachi, his entire clan.
Consequence
This event filled Sasuke with hatred towards his beloved brother. He began to train desperately so that one day he could become powerful enough to kill Itachi. The latter fueled the fire in Sasuke from time to time. So that he could become strong as he wanted Sasuke to be the one to end his life. It is because of Itachi that Sasuke is currently two of the strongest Shinobis. After learning the truth about Itachi, Sasuke even went on to kill Danzo Shimura in order to take revenge for his clan.