5. Sasuke vs Itachi

Itachi had annihilated the entire Uchiha Clan in Konoha, including his parents, but he spared his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke. Itachi left Sasuke with a message: if Sasuke ever wanted to seek revenge, he needed to foster deep hatred and kill his closest friend to awaken the Mangekyo Sharingan, just like Itachi had.

As a result, Sasuke made it his life’s purpose to seek revenge on Itachi. When Sasuke was a teenager, he once fought Itachi in Konoha but was brutally defeated because his strength was insufficient to defeat his brother. Frustrated by his weakness, Sasuke decided to approach Orochimaru and asked to be trained to become stronger.

Finally, the time for Sasuke’s long-awaited revenge against Itachi arrived. The battle between Itachi and Sasuke began with Genjutsu. They were shown engaging in physical combat, but Sasuke only managed to stab a flock of crows—an illusion created by Itachi—while Itachi himself remained seated, calmly watching Sasuke.

However, the Sasuke that Itachi saw in front of him was also an illusion made of snakes. In reality, Sasuke was behind Itachi’s chair, thrusting his sword toward the backrest, creating the illusion that he had pierced Itachi’s torso. Sasuke then realized that the Itachi he attacked was also an illusion, as the real Itachi was still sitting calmly, observing Sasuke’s movements.

Sasuke then challenged Itachi to fight outside the world of Genjutsu. However, Itachi mocked Sasuke for not yet awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi believed Sasuke lacked the resolve since he hadn’t dared to kill his closest friend. Sasuke, undeterred, urged Itachi to use his Mangekyo Sharingan and fight him seriously.

Confidently relying on his ordinary Sharingan to battle Itachi, Sasuke listened as Itachi explained that the highest level an Uchiha could reach involved awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan. Itachi mentioned Madara and Izuna as examples of exceptional Uchiha who had awakened their Mangekyo Sharingan by taking the lives of their closest friends.

One day, Madara went blind due to the effects of the Mangekyo Sharingan and took his brother Izuna’s eyes to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. To surpass Madara and become the greatest Uchiha in history, Itachi threatened to take Sasuke’s eyes to achieve the same power.

The battle escalated into a shuriken duel, where both fighters matched each other equally. At one point, Sasuke grabbed Itachi’s wrist to prevent him from stabbing with a kunai, while Itachi held Sasuke’s arm to stop his sword strike. Despite their mutual holds, Itachi managed to create a Shadow Clone with one hand and launched three kunai at Sasuke. Sasuke protected himself by summoning white snakes. He then attacked with a Chidori-infused Fuma Shuriken, severing Itachi’s arm. However, Itachi’s body disintegrated into crows that swarmed Sasuke.

Eventually, Sasuke found himself trapped in Itachi’s Tsukuyomi. Within the Genjutsu, Itachi was shown removing Sasuke’s Sharingan, causing Sasuke to scream in agony. However, Sasuke managed to break free from Tsukuyomi and transform into his Stage 3 form. Sasuke attacked Itachi with a serpent that pierced his torso. As a result, Sasuke momentarily collapsed from the Tsukuyomi’s effects, but Itachi also fell after his Genjutsu was overcome.

Seeing Sasuke masterfully resist Genjutsu, Itachi prepared to fight Sasuke with Ninjutsu. As Itachi readied Amaterasu, Sasuke attempted to stop him by throwing two Fuma Shuriken. Itachi evaded them by slipping between the spinning blades. However, Sasuke had attached wires to the shuriken, guiding them to strike Itachi’s thigh, causing him to fall. Sasuke took advantage of Itachi’s pain and attacked with a fire blast and Chidori, but Itachi dodged both attacks.

The two clashed with massive fireball Jutsu. Sasuke’s fireball overwhelmed Itachi’s, but Itachi’s Amaterasu erased Sasuke’s flames. Itachi directed the Amaterasu at Sasuke, forcing him to run across the battlefield to evade the black flames, setting the forest ablaze. Despite his best efforts, Sasuke was eventually engulfed by Amaterasu. However, Sasuke survived using Orochimaru’s Kawarimi Jutsu, which allowed him to shed his skin and escape the fire.

Sasuke then used all his remaining chakra to launch continuous fire blasts toward the sky. This caused the atmosphere to heat up, increasing air pressure and triggering a lightning storm. Harnessing the storm’s energy, Sasuke summoned a massive lightning dragon Jutsu known as Kirin, which struck Itachi.

Protected by Susano’o, Itachi survived Sasuke’s devastating Kirin attack. However, Sasuke’s chakra depletion made it difficult for him to suppress Orochimaru’s sealed presence within him. Consequently, Orochimaru emerged from Sasuke’s body through the curse mark on his neck, taking the form of an eight-headed white snake.

The battle shifted to a clash between Itachi’s Susano’o and Orochimaru’s eight-headed serpent. Susano’o used its shield to block the serpent’s strikes and slashed its sword, severing six of the serpent’s heads. Orochimaru then revealed himself from the serpent’s mouth, wielding the Kusanagi sword.

Orochimaru declared that he had long awaited the chance to possess Sasuke’s body once Sasuke’s seal weakened. However, as Orochimaru was speaking, Itachi stabbed him with the Totsuka Blade, which sealed Orochimaru away in an eternal Genjutsu world.

With Susano’o active, Itachi walked toward Sasuke, stating that he would take Sasuke’s eyes. Despite being drained of chakra, Sasuke still hoped to win as he noticed Itachi coughing up blood due to the strain of using Susano’o. Sasuke attempted to attack with explosive kunai, but Susano’o’s Yata Mirror, a divine shield, deflected all assaults. When Sasuke tried to stab Susano’o’s shield, the force hurled him backward.

Realizing he was powerless, Sasuke panicked as Itachi stood before him, wielding unimaginable power. With Sasuke cornered and helpless, Itachi suddenly reached out and tapped Sasuke’s forehead with two fingers—the same way he used to tease Sasuke as a child. Then, Itachi collapsed, his head hitting the wall, and he died at Sasuke’s feet.

# Why Sasuke Was Able to Defeat Itachi

Although Sasuke defeated Itachi, Itachi had long been suffering from a terminal illness. Aware that his death was imminent, Itachi relied on medication to prolong his life until he could face Sasuke when he was strong enough.

During the battle, Itachi’s vision blurred several times, making it difficult for him to dodge Sasuke’s Fuma Shuriken. His condition worsened as he used Amaterasu and Susano’o, causing him to cough up blood multiple times throughout the fight.