Why did Itachi Uchiha kill his clan in Naruto?

This post contains Major spoilers “Naruto” and “Naruto: Shippuden.”

The shadow of the Uchiha massacre hangs over Konoha in “Naruto.” This tragic incident is constantly brought up in the series regarding Sasuke Uchiha, one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha clan. As part of Team Kakashi 7 alongside Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke has been haunted by the incident since he was a child, which directly shaped his path as a future renegade seeking revenge. To make matters worse, the massacre in question was carried out by his brother, Itachi, whose apparently violent impulses (and Sasuke’s constant goading to become stronger) led Sasuke to stray from the good path of an honorable shinobi.

But honor has little place in a world full of complex machinations and deceitful intentions. Sasuke’s defection is a complex topic, but so are Itachi’s actions – to understand the latter better, we need to put the incident in question into context. Do you see, Konoha was shaken after the attack of the nine-tailed foxand some leaders began to doubt the Uchiha clan due to their ability to use the Sharingan (which can be used to control monsters). This growing suspicion and mistrust completely alienated the Uchiha family, leading to the clan’s decision to organize a coup (and overthrow the current leadership).

However, a coup cannot be carried out overnight, especially in a society where being a shinobi is the default. The Uchiha clan hired several spies, including Itachi, to infiltrate Konoha’s command structure to obtain information. The plan was to identify structural weaknesses and stay aware of any countermoves. Unfortunately, the Uchiha were never able to anticipate the horrific chain of events that would ultimately lead to their demise.

I should preface by saying that Itachi was classified as a prodigy, as he displayed exceptional talent that helped him quickly rise to the ranks of Anbu Black Ops (the morally gray elite shinobi faction). Moreover, he was also a very affectionate person and Sasuke looked up to him when he was a child. To think that someone like Itachi would mercilessly slaughter his clan (and parents) and mock Sasuke for the rest of his life is unthinkable, so what exactly happened here?

While Itachi was spying for his clan, he did not agree with the coup, as he wanted to prevent unnecessary bloodshed. Sensing this conflict, Konoha’s leadership manipulated Itachi’s well-intentioned motives and convinced him to become a double agent. The Third Hokage was the only one who was truly aiming for a peaceful resolution to the conflict, but the others, specifically Danzo Shimura, strongly believed that eliminating the Uchiha was the lesser of two evils. In the midst of this chaos, Itachi’s friend Shisui attempted to use his Kotoamatsukami of the Mangekyō Sharingan to change the minds of these leaders, but Danzo took one of his eyes (!) instead. Fearing that his other eye would be misused, Shisui left it to Itachi for safekeeping before committing suicide. Unfortunately, the Uchiha mistakenly concluded that Itachi killed Shisui after betraying his clan.

Shisui’s death reinforced Itachi’s belief that a peaceful solution was impossible. Once again, Danzo took advantage of this and convinced Itachi that he only had two options: allow the coup to happen, but it would lead to the legal annihilation of the clan, or Itachi could assassinate everyone himself while sparing Sasuke’s life. With the inevitable threats of civil war looming, Itachi decides to bear a terrible burden that will crush his sense of self forever.

Sasuke was only 7 years old when the Uchiha massacre happened. He returned home to find his entire clan slaughtered, along with his parents, and Itachi standing over their lifeless bodies. To make his brother believe he was a ruthless killer, Itachi attacked him, while urging him to take revenge. Broken and shocked, Sasuke retaliated, trying to do exactly what his brother asked of him and attacking Itachi in an attempt to awaken his Sharingan. Although he was able to strike Itachi’s forehead protector, Sasuke was knocked unconscious from the impact, and his mind erased this violent retaliation to protect him.

As Itachi intended, the damage was done, as Sasuke spent every waking moment trying to become strong enough to kill Itachi and avenge his clan from then on. After Orochimaru’s repeated interventions to corrupt him (along with some chosen visits from Itachi to provoke him further), Sasuke defected from Konoha, choosing a dark path marked by pain and anger. The truth of that fateful night has been lost to time, however Sasuke learned the truth too late in “Naruto: Shippuden”Which made him realize that Itachi’s actions only stemmed from the need to protect him.

Instead of waking him up, the truth enraged him even more, leading Sasuke to want to destroy Konoha, as he held the village responsible for what happened to his brother. Eventually, the reincarnated Itachi stops Sasuke, urging him to realize that he has already achieved the goal of becoming stronger and that attacking the village would be the opposite of what he sacrificed everything for. This marked the beginning of Sasuke’s gradual reformation, as he continued to protect Konoha alongside Naruto through every crisis.