Itachi dies at the hands of Sasuke in Episode #138, titled “The End” of Naruto: Shippuden. In the episode, Itachi finally succumbs to his death due to his fight with Sasuke and his severe illnesses. Sasuke wasn’t the complete reason behind Itachi’s death, as Itachi was already suffering from a respiratory illness.
Toby later confirmed that Itachi was taking medication to prolong his life.
Most believe that Itachi purposely ran out of chakra so that Sasuke can kill him. Even with such a serious illness, Sasuke could’ve never been able to overpower Itachi, let alone kill him. Itachi was one of the strongest shinobis of all time and he died only because he allowed Sasuke to kill him.
Was Itachi holding back against Sasuke?
Yes, Itachi was holding back during his fight against Sasuke. Itachi’s intention for fighting Sasuke was not to kill him but to test his strength. Itachi wanted Sasuke to kill him just so his younger brother could get more powerful.
Itachi is an incredibly powerful Shinobi who is capable of defeating Sasuke without even lifting a finger. When Sasuke entered the room to fight Itachi, he was already trapped in his Genjutsu, and if Itachi wanted him dead, he would’ve killed him right then and there.
The reason why Itachi held back was that he never wanted to hurt his younger brother. What’s more, Itachi was aware that Orichomaru is after Sasuke, and he wanted to lure him out. He was waiting for Sasuke to run out of chakra so he can finally get rid of the curse mark on his neck.
Furthermore, Itachi prolonged his life just so Sasuke can kill him and obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan. Another reason why Itachi wanted Sasuke to kill him was so that he could be seen as a hero. Sasuke had committed a lot of crimes and killing Itachi meant that some of them would be pardoned.
What did Itachi say to Sasuke?
Itachi before dying at the hands of Sasuke said to him “Sorry, Sasuke, this is it”. He then poked his head like he always did when the two brothers were young.
Before dying, Itachi abruptly apologized without giving any context to Sasuke. The head poke was Itachi’s way of keeping Sasuke at a distance. Itachi would always poke Sasuke’s head when he didn’t have enough time for him and wanted to silently apologize for it.
Did Itachi love Sasuke?
Yes, Itachi really does love his younger brother Sasuke. For Itachi, Konoha and Sasuke are extremely important, and he’s willing to do anything for them. Itachi even expressed his love and support for Sasuke in his final moments.
Growing up, Itachi has always cared deeply for his younger brother and tried to shelter him from the brutal reality of the world. Itachi did whatever he could to protect Sasuke and to make him strong. What’s more, Itachi let Sasuke kill him just so he can get the Mangekyou Sharingan and be seen as a hero.
Itachi’s love for Sasuke had no bounds, but he didn’t know how to express it to him while he was alive. The Akatsuki member always kept Sasuke at a distance, asking him for forgiveness. After the reanimation Jutsu was undone, Itachi, for the first time, told Sasuke that he will love him no matter what.
Why did Itachi smile at Naruto?
Itachi smiled at Naruto because he was happy to know that Sasuke had a good friend in his life. In Episode #152, titled “Sombre News”, Naruto remembers his last encounter with Itachi and when he smiled at Naruto.
In the encounter, Itachi asks Naruto whether he would kill Sasuke if he attacked Konoha. Naruto told him that he would try to find a way to save both the Village and Sasuke. Naruto emphasized that he would never give up on Sasuke.
Itachi felt relieved after hearing Naruto’s reply and that’s when he smiled at him. Itachi was happy to know that his younger brother had someone he could rely on. He then proceeded to share his power with Naruto in the form of a crow.
Was Itachi blind during his fight with Sasuke?
Yes, Itachi was partially blind during his fight against Sasuke. Itachi’s vision was so poor that he could barely recognize his own brother. Throughout the fight, Itachi’s vision was getting worse to the point that he almost completely got blind.
Itachi’s vision was bad due to the constant use of Mangekyou Sharingan all the time and especially during his fight with Sasuke. Mangekyou Sharingan puts immense stress on the eyes of the user, completely blinding them if overused. Even Sasuke almost got blind and had to use Itachi’s eyes to recover his vision.
Furthermore, Itachi was also critically ill during his encounter with Sasuke. Activating Susano further worsened his eyes, almost leading him to blindness.
Does Itachi come back to life?
Yes, Itachi comes back to life in the fourth Ninja war. He is brought back by Kabuto using the reanimation Jutsu. Kabuto was trying to use him as a pawn, but Itachi freed himself from his Jutsu.
Kabuto used Edo Tensei to reanimate Pain, Itachi, and Madara. He intended to use them as his pawns in the war to overpower the Allied forces. However, Itachi managed to free himself using the crow he implanted in Naruto.
The crow had Shisui Uchiha’s eyes, the strongest Genjutsu user in Naruto Universe. Itachi used Shisui’s eyes to put himself under the Genjutsu, Kotoamatasukami, that commanded him to protect Konoha. The technique helped Itachi break free from Edo Tensei and then he freed the others as well.
Afterward, Itachi fought with Sasuke to defeat Kabuto and undid the reanimation Jutsu completely, which lead to him dying again.
Who did Itachi fight before Sasuke?
Itachi fought with Kisame, just before his fight against Sasuke. In the fight, Itachi had Kisame in a Genjustu the whole time and easily won as well. He then asked Kisame to keep the remaining Akatsuki members out, while he fights with Sasuke for one last time.
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