What power Itachi gave to Naruto?
The Untold Truth Of Itachi Uchiha From Naruto
One would be hard-pressed to find any character in any series who takes as dramatic a 180 from perceived villain to suffering antihero as Itachi Uchiha, the tragic older brother of Sasuke Uchiha in «Naruto.» Itachi killed everyone in his clan apart from Sasuke, who trains hard so he can fight his brother and avenge the people he slaughtered. When they finally meet in battle, Itachi is calm and in control, yet he still loses. How and why did his little brother kill him? Well, there’s a lot more to Itachi than first meets the eye.
We later learn that Itachi did what he did for the good of his village and his little brother. The shinobi and Anbu Captain made great sacrifices, though very few people know the real him. He’s one of the most interesting and misunderstood characters in the «Naruto» story and the world of anime in general, and this is his untold truth.
Itachi had a deep connection to crows
Itachi’s crow clones are straight-up cool. Several other shinobi can create clones made of animals or materials (like Yamato’s wood clones), but there’s something about Itachi’s crow clone technique that makes it memorable. Crows have long been revered as important and highly intelligent animals in many cultures. In Japanese history, the crow was associated with Emperor Jimmu, said to be a descendant of the gods Susanoo and Amaterasu (the names of two of the greatest ninja abilities in «Naruto»). When it comes to Itachi, there are even more crow connections.
Shisui planted his remaining Sharingan in a crow, which followed Itachi. Itachi kept that crow as an ace up his sleeve, which he eventually used to free himself from Kabuto’s Reanimation, a forbidden summoning technique. Then there’s the fact that Itachi once tried to kill himself by jumping off a cliff because he saw the futility of his life. He decided to live after spotting a crow and even ended up befriending the bird, which led to his eventual ability to summon crows.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
Itachi could have easily beaten Sasuke
When Sasuke finally gets his epic battle against his older brother, the younger Uchiha emerges victorious. It’s pretty obvious that Itachi only fought his brother to pull out Orochimaru’s curse and give him the Amaterasu. Zetsu even mentions that Itachi let his little brother win, confirming what many suspected.
After the iconic confrontation, we discover that Itachi would never have killed his brother. It’s revealed that part of the reason Itachi agreed to wipe out his clan, aside from preventing a civil war in Konoha, is that it would allow him to demand Danzo spare his little brother. Itachi had told Sasuke all sorts of lies about how he did what he did to help propel his brother to greatness, knowing that it would mean the young boy would hate him.
The fact of the matter is that Itachi’s mastery of the Mangekyou Sharingan was so far beyond his little brother’s that Sasuke wouldn’t have stood a chance in a legit battle. Itachi’s last act involved him touching his brother’s forehead while Sasuke stood frozen, unable to move. He threw the fight, and he did so out of love.
Itachi saw that Naruto could save his brother
One of the most interesting things about Itachi is that he always had faith in Naruto. Through his relationship with Shisui, Itachi learned how important having even just one friend is to a shinobi. He knew his brother was on a bad path and recognized that the only person who could help him was the friend who never gave up on him. It was for this reason that Itachi attempted to «capture» Naruto, with the hidden agenda of simply sizing him up.
Later on, Itachi meets Naruto in secret and gives him Shisui’s crow with the Kotoamatsukami, a mind control technique. He wanted Naruto to use it on Sasuke and bring his brother back to the village (Itachi is forced to use it on his reanimated form to overthrow Kabuto’s control). He leaves Naruto with the message that the young shinobi must trust in his own power and in his allies and friends.
Itachi had major trust issues
Itachi had a long history as a clandestine operative before he met his end. He was smart enough to know not to trust the people manipulating him and powerful enough that they never tried to take him out. Itachi wiped out his own clan in Konoha, a sure sign that the Uchiha shouldn’t have trusted him. They had long thought he was spying for them when he was actually spying on them. He executed the massacre at Danzo’s request, but he knew Danzo was not to be trusted — he reminded him on numerous occasions that Sasuke was not to be harmed.
Obito (posing as Tobi) helped Itachi commit the massacre of the Uchiha clan and then invited him to join the Akatsuki, a renegade shinobi group. Itachi then spied on the Akatsuki — or at least worked from the inside to thwart their goals. Obito had an idea that this was going on and so never trusted Itachi with the grand plan, despite him being one of the only other Uchiha still alive. Itachi was always scheming and keeping his cards close to his chest, right up until the end.
Itachi was always a loner
Itachi never had many friends, but that’s how he wanted it. He spent his formative years training instead of playing with his schoolmates. When he eventually gained the companionship of his fellow students and they considered themselves part of his gang, it was a one-way street — he never really wanted to have an entourage. The only friend he would ever make was Shisui Uchiha.
Itachi was not unlike his little brother Sasuke, who also eschewed friendships and preferred to train. It was Naruto’s stubborn nature that won Sasuke over, not any real desire to have somebody in his life who cared about him. Of course, Sasuke eventually found redemption in this friendship, and the two became something akin to brothers. Itachi, unfortunately, never got the chance to develop any real, meaningful friendships. This lack of human contact just adds to the tragedy of Itachi Uchiha, one of the greatest Konoha heroes of all time and a truly memorable character.
The 10 Strongest Characters In Naruto
Over the duration of the Naruto television series, the wildly popular anime that launched in 2002, we’re introduced to plenty of extremely powerful characters. Traditionally, the strongest ninja of each village is said to be the Kage, and while these village heads are strong, towards the conclusion of the show we get a much clearer idea of how their strength compares to many of the other characters in the show.
In this list, we’ll be breaking down our picks for the strongest characters in Naruto. Each choice will be decided from their most powerful form that is either shown or referred to in the series. There were plenty of other ninjas that just missed out on making it into the top ten. And that’s because these are most definitely the top tier of Ninja in the show.
The 10 most powerful characters in Naruto
10) Minato Namikaze
For the first part of the series we are only told stories of Minato Namikaze, the Leaf Villages fourth Hokage. In Shippuden, however, we get a first-hand look at his strength in battle. While Minato is extremely powerful in his base form, having a plethora of jutsu to draw from including the fabled flying thunder god jutsu as well as the Rasengan, Minato is at his strongest during the fourth shinobi world war when it is revealed he has half of the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within him.
With his mastery of technique, skill in combat, and nine tails chakra, Minato is most definitely one of the more powerful characters in Naruto.
9) Itachi Uchiha
A fan favorite, when we first meet Itachi his immense power is clear. In this encounter, Itachi takes on three Jonin level ninja include Kakashi Hatake himself, and has little to no trouble. Throughout the rest of the show, Itachi’s power is explained further showcasing his mastery of technique alongside the Uchiha clan’s Kekkei Genkai, the Sharingan. With his eternal Mangekyo Sharingan Itachi is able to weave powerful genjustu that can distort its target’s reality as well as use the devastating Susanoo ability to create a massive armor-like suit around his person. He also wields the Tosca blade, a weapon that will seal away anything it touches.
Although Itachi is shown to be ill in the latter portion of the show, at his peak Itachi could easily take on most ninja in the series.
8) Nagato
A member of the Akatsuki alongside Itachi, Nagato is able to control a small group of soldiers referred to as the “six paths of pain” using his Rennegan. These paths are Nagato’s ultimate weapon and each boasts its own unique abiltiies. Working together in combination, it is almost impossible to take out each of these paths one-by-one, especially as the Naraka path has the ability to restore any other path that is taken out in combat.
While Nagato himself is severely injured and incapable of moving or fighting himself, these six paths at his control make him still one of the most dangerous and powerful ninjas in the show.
7) Hashirama Senju
The first Hokage of the leaf village, Hashirama Senju is one of the most important characters in the history of Naruto. Referred to as the God of Shinobi, Hashirama was able to take out Madara Uchiha while he wielded both the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan and the Nine-Tailed Fox. Hashirama’s strength comes both from his mastery of Ninjutsu, his powerful chakra prowess, and life force, and also his ability to use senjutsu to enter sage mode. Within sage mode, Hashirama uses his wood-style techniques for both offense and mobility within a battle. In this mode, he even boasts the ability to seal powerful targets, binding them to a location.
With the names that Hashirama is said to have beaten in his prime as well as the display of power he showcases during the fourth shinobi world war, it is undeniable that Hashirama is a top-ten fighter.
6) Obito Uchiha
Famously remaining a mystery for the majority of the series, Obito Uchiha is in fact the person behind the mask of Tobi, a member of Akatsuki. When his identity is revealed, Obito boasts not only the Sharingan as part of his Uchiha heritage, but also the Rinnegan, which he had taken from the corpse of Nagato. Having this power allowed Obito to use all of the Six Paths techniques. On top of this, Obito’s Sharingan has the unique ability of Kamui which allows him to teleport between dimensions and become invulnerable to attack.
At the peak of the series, Obito seals the Ten-Tailed Beast within himself becoming its Jinchuriki and gaining access to its power. Giving him extremely powerful attacking and healing abilities as well as the ability to fly.
5) Madara Uchiha
While in the early stages of the show, Madara is said to be slightly weaker than Hashirama, thanks to his reanimation and some experimentation with Hashirama’s DNA, Madara is able to gain access to the power of the Rinnegan alongside his already powerful Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Unlike Obito, Mada has this power in both eyes and can use every one of the Six Path’s abilities in uniscent with his Sharingan even creating meteorites to deal devastating damage to the battlefield.
Similarly to Obito, Madara reaches his peak of strength when he absorbs the ten-tails for himself. At this point, he gains complete control over the beast, the ability to fly, and unmatchable speed, even being fast enough to react to Kamui. The ultimate power unleashed by Madara is the Rinne Sharingan, as the name suggests a form where both Kekkei Genkai become one.
4) Hagoromo Otsutsuki
The Sage of Six Paths himself, Hagoromo Otsutsuki isn’t seen fighting in the show, however, he is most definitely one of its strongest characters. The ancestor of ninja, Hagoromo is the son of Princess Kaguya, who became the ten-tails jinchuriki before he and his brother Hamura defeated her and sealed the beast within themselves.
Many of the characters are regarded as the most powerful in the show and use some of Hagoromo’s powers including Obito, Madara, and Sasuke, so it only makes sense that he take a high place on our list.
3) Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha is at his strongest during the final battle of the series. After the pair take down Kaguya, Sasuke has access to plenty of extremely powerful techniques, including Susanoo and the Rinne Sharingan. During their final battle, Naruto and Sasuke have an extremely close contest so the second place on our list can go either way, but there is no doubting that these are two of the strongest ninja and their efforts during the show’s final act cement that.
2) Naruto Uzumaki
It should come as no surprise that, as the series ends, Naruto Uzumaki is one of the most powerful characters. Boasting both full synergies with the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Six Paths Sage Mode, taking down Naruto is a feat that only a single character could do alone.
As alluded to earlier, there is debate whether Naruto or Sasuke are stronger at the conclusion of the series. It’s more likely they are intended to be an even match and so either character could take second place on our list.
1) Kaguya Otsutsuki
After consuming the fruit of the God Tree, Kaguya Otsustsuki became the first wielder of chakra on earth. After she merged with the Ten-Tails, her children had no choice other than to seal her away. In the final act of the series, the seal is broken as the Ten-Tails reappears and so does she. Kaguya has access to all, including Kekkei Genkai like the Byakugan and Rinne Sharingan. Combined with her tailed beast transformation, she is most definitely the most powerful entity in the Naruto series.
Defeating Kaguya in combat took the combined efforts of Naruto, Sasuke, and fellow team seven-member Sakura. Even in the past, it took the combined efforts of both brothers Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki to seal her away.
