Itachi Uchiha is one of the most tragic characters in the Naruto series. Itachi was one of the strongest ninjas ever in a world where ninjutsu reigns supreme and shinobi compete for supremacy. As a member of the prestigious Uchiha clan, he was a master of his craft. When he joined the Akatsuki gang, he was a formidable adversary. He died, however, with a smile on his face in the final moments of his life. What brought on that tinge of sadness?
While still young, Itachi found himself working for the Hidden Leaf Village, an assassination ring. He was ordered to spy on his fellow clan members and report back on their insurrection plans. Itachi was forced to kill his entire clan at the height of the conflict. When Sasuke learned the truth about his actions, he spared his brother’s life. When Itachi was exiled from the Hidden Leaf, he wept as he did so.
They would face each other again in the future.
When Itachi Uchiha dies, what causes him to smile? Sasuke is a factor.
There was a time when Itachi and Sasuke were like brothers, and it was not uncommon for Itachi to tease and poke fun at his younger brother, all the while keeping dark secrets from him. Sasuke made a vow to exact revenge on Itachi for the death of his fellow Uchiha. He even goes as far as defecting from the Hidden Leaf Village and betraying Naruto Uzumaki in an effort to gain the strength necessary to defeat his monstrously powerful brother.
Sasuke was ready to take on Itachi after years of practice. When Itachi and Sasuke begin their final battle, despite Itachi’s considerable skill, he is quickly approaching his limit. Achieving mastery over the Mangekyo Sharingan would lead to blindness, and the only solution was for Itachi to steal his eyes.
As they trade blows with their respective ninjutsu mastery, they are now on equal footing. After a long and exhausting battle, Itachi finally triumphs, but only after a tremendous amount of chakra was expended.
Itachi appears to be reaching for Sasuke’s eyes in the final moments of his life. It isn’t that he doesn’t like him; it’s just that he doesn’t like him anymore. Sasuke dies with a grin on his face, his revenge now hollows in his mind.
Sasuke later learns the truth about Itachi’s actions from Madara Uchiha, discovering that the Hidden Leaf Village forced Itachi to murder the Uchiha against his will.
In the Hidden Leaf Village, Itachi’s desire to keep the peace was only matched by his love for his younger brother. The act of betrayal would leave him scarred for life, but in his own way, he encouraged Sasuke to become strong enough to face the cruelty of their society and the dangers of being a ninja..” Itachi was confident that Sasuke would be fine after defeating his big brother because he had given him a reason to become so powerful. It’s hard to be sad when you see how much your younger sibling has grown.
Because of this power, Itachi was hoping that Sasuke would be able to break free of the chains that had bound him to vengeance and instead use it to become an even better Ninjutsu than him.
After that, Sasuke vowed vengeance on the Hidden Leaf Village right away.
