Sasuke Uchiha
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Uchiha Sasuke (ordered Sasuke Uchiha in the English anime) is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Naruto.
A Genin level Ninja, Sasuke is the natural genius offspring of the once powerful Uchiha Clan. One of the more outstanding clans in Konohagakure, the Uchiha clan was known for its Kekkei genkai, the Sharingan, as well as their use of fire element jutsu after their country's namesake. The clan also formed much of the Konohagakure's village police force. Sasuke is one of two known remaining survivors.
Early Childhood and Academy
The second son of a Konohagakure police captain, Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi, who was acknowledged as a prodigy, mastering the Sharingan by the age of 8, attaining Chūnin rank at the age of 10, and becoming an ANBU captain at the age of 13. As a result, the Uchiha clan took great pride and interest in Itachi and viewed him as a genius whose work would further strengthen the bonds between the village and the clan. In particular, Sasuke's father took an active interest in him. Itachi, on the other hand, was rather ambivalent and full of oddly conflicting undercurrents, acknowledging Sasuke by taking interest in his progress as a Ninja when even their father wouldn't, yet spending little quality time with Sasuke.
After an incident between Itachi and other Uchiha clan members, relations between Itachi and Sasuke's father began to deteriorate. Itachi's behavior became increasingly bizarre, estranging him further from other members of the Uchiha clan. During this time, Sasuke's father, on a whim, decided to spend time with Sasuke, teaching him Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique). Sasuke (age 8 at the time) eventually succeeds in performing the jutsu in front of his father, surprising him. At that moment, Sasuke finally receives his father's recognition; the ability to perform the katon is considered a sign of adulthood in the Uchiha clan. Sasuke can now proudly wear the clan's emblem on his back. He also receives a stern warning not to follow in Itachi's footsteps.
One day, on the way home from shuriken practice, Sasuke is horrified to find his entire clan massacred by Itachi, who wanted to test his "capacity". Confronting Itachi in their home, his broken, sobbing self is further subjected to intense psychological torture by Mangekyō Sharingan. Itachi tells him to use his hatred of him to grow stronger with one of the more memorable lines in the series:
"Foolish little brother, if you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me, and survive in an unsightly way, run, run, and cling to life."
Sasuke takes these twisted words to heart, later vowing absolute vengeance against his brother and all he stood for by setting his sight on two goals, the death of his brother and the resurrection of the fallen Uchiha clan (although this second goal is disregarded later on).
Driven to match Itachi and, after the Uchiha Massacre, to kill him, Sasuke excels in every field of study at the Ninja academy, becoming the #1 Academy ninja and the #1 Rookie Genin of that year. It is possible that his academy graduation was so much later (He graduates when he was older than Naruto and Sakura, even though his grades were so much higher)because of his clans massacre. Handsome, extremely talented and from a pedigree background, Sasuke becomes the most popular student in his class, especially among the girls, and even attracts Temari from Sunagakure when Temari first sees him (his introduction was stopping Kankuro from bullying Konohamaru with a small pebble). However, he is admired from afar and he seems not to have had any personal relationships or any close friends in his Academy years, nor was he interested in these relationships to begin with. Even his relationship with Naruto at that stage is merely that of plain dislike, with nothing more than seeds of slight rivalry, intrigue and identification. His all-consuming ambition, the shadow of his trauma and the endless admiration showered upon him had largely forged his character: arrogant, even-minded, apathetic to human inquiry and fixated on revenge at all costs. It is not until his prolonged exposure to Naruto's comradeship that this disposition changes.
Team 7
Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are forced to cooperate against their will when they become the members of the newly-founded Team 7 of academy graduates. Naruto initially has a one-sided rivalry with Sasuke, because Naruto spent his whole life shunned, scorned and desperately seeking to attain the very same recognition and popularity Sasuke has been getting; this is only made worse by the fact that Naruto has a crush on Sakura who, in turn, is head over heels for Sasuke. Sasuke initially looks upon Naruto and his admirer, Sakura, with an equal smug distaste, viewing them as annoyances who would only get in the way; his loner attitude is one of the negative factors responsible for Team 7's initial state of borderline non-existent teamwork, which Hatake Kakashi, the team's sensei, notes and berates him for. However, Naruto and Sasuke's relationship slowly shifts from an incompatible mix of frustration and dislike into a mutually positive rivalry - while Sasuke appears to always be one step ahead to Naruto, Sasuke sees Naruto as constantly gaining ground each moment, which results in a state where they push and motivate each other to improve. Similarly, Sasuke's relationship with Sakura slowly changes for the better as a friend and teammate, while she slowly comes to understand the troubled person behind the "popular, brooding, pretty boy" image she initially crushed on. Sakura is the person Sasuke first confesses his motives and purpose in life to in any detail.
His first major mission was escorting an architect and bridge expert, Tazuna, to his home in the poverty-stricken Wave Country. Sasuke showed exceptional skill when attacked by two Chùnin-level ninja from Hidden Mist village. Later on in the same mission, during an exercise to improve tree climbing, he managed to stay ahead of Naruto for a good length of time. He also stood toe to toe for a while with Haku, an exceptionally dangerous ninja with extreme speed and dexterity. It was during this battle that Sasuke awakened the legacy of his clan, the Sharingan, and in which he first demonstrated a willingness to put others before himself, selflessly putting himself in the way of Haku's attack on Naruto in a move that would have resulted in his death if Haku had meant to kill him rather than just create the illusion of death. Although he claimed his body moved on its own, his actions show that, even at that early stage, he was willing to put himself in mortal danger for Naruto's sake.
Sasuke makes a point out of taunting Naruto on occasion, goading and egging him on with his air of superiority. He also continually disappoints Sakura by repeatedly informing her that he is not interested in going out with her. However, a bond between the three forms and Sasuke gradually learns the value of teamwork. As he does, he eventually begins to learn to trust and pushes his thoughts of revenge into the recesses of his mind.
Naruto's positive influence on Sasuke does not please Orochimaru, who is interested in Sasuke as his next potential body, thanks to the Sharingan's technique copying ability, which would help greatly in Orochimaru's ambition to master all jutsu in the world. Orochimaru decides that it is imperative to somehow counter Naruto's positive influence on Sasuke and "dye him to his own color". To advance this cause he puts his cursed seal on Sasuke's neck during the second stage of the Chūnin exam (which, coincidentally, has the same design as a fully-developed Sharingan). As Sasuke lies unconscious, he is haunted with hallucinations of his parents dying and Orochimaru blaming him and his weakness for their death, exploiting his trauma to subvert the bond he has with his comrades with promises of power.
Sasuke turns out to be strong enough to survive the nine out of ten chance of death from the seal and regains consciousness, but its influence is far from over. The cursed seal will from then on activate and forcefully pull out his chakra whenever he molds it, while causing intense pain, corroding his body and his free will. Though Sasuke wakes up in a psychologically twisted state, colored by the seal in a sinister black flame-pattern and influenced by Orochimaru's suggestion, this is still far from enough to destroy his bond with his teammates - the first thing he sees is a very wounded Sakura, and he consequently almost kills the Sound ninja who did it to her. At the last minute, he is stopped by Sakura pleading for him to stop, knowing that the maniacally grinning Sasuke she sees before her "couldn't possibly be the Sasuke-kun I know".
Though the cursed seal slowly recedes at the sound of her pleas, Orochimaru, on a later encounter with Kakashi, leaves him with lingering, ominous words:
"He will eventually seek me out... For power, that is. He carries that kind of disposition."
Defection from Konoha
Sasuke's willpower is surprisingly strong enough to hold back the cursed seal, and after Kakashi performs his Evil Sealing Method technique on him, the cursed seal enters a dormant state that remains as long as the Evil Sealing Method is fueled by Sasuke's will. However, a series of events unfolds that changes Sasuke's outlook on life, causing a regression back into his former absolute fixation on revenge. With Sasuke already pressured by a growing jealousy over witnessing Naruto's leaps of improvement - culminating on Naruto defeating Gaara and saving Sakura, while Sasuke failed to even when using the cursed seal - Itachi visits Konoha in search of Naruto and the Kyūbi, and upon challenging him, Sasuke is again subjected to Mangekyō Sharingan by Itachi, and gets such a horrid beating that his already manifesting inferiority complex drives him over the edge, and he sets his mind on his original goal: gaining enough power to kill his brother.
When Naruto returns from Tanzaku City, Sasuke immediately challenges him to a fight, enraged that Itachi was more interested in Naruto's power than he was in Sasuke. The two go to the roof of the hospital, where Sasuke reiterates that he is the superior of the two. Naruto retorts that he never considered himself to be inferior to be Sasuke, and that their forehead protectors indicated they were equal Leaf ninjas. With that, Sasuke and Naruto spar with such intensity that Kakashi has to stop them from using Chidori and Rasengan on each other. Kakashi deflects their attacks into adjacent water towers, and Sasuke momentarily revels in the sight of his tower being more damaged, taking this as proof his Chidori was stronger than Naruto's Rasengan. However, upon closer inspection, Sasuke is shocked to find that the back of Naruto's tower had completely been blown out by the power of the Rasengan. Frustrated by Naruto's increasing power, Sasuke is then lectured by Kakashi, who forcibly ties him to a tree so he'll listen. Kakashi tells Sasuke that his comrades are the most important thing about being a Konaha ninja, and that Chidori should never be used on a fellow team member. Sasuke seems slightly receptive of Kakashi's message, but he has no time to contemplate any of it. As soon as Kakashi leaves, Orochimaru's Sound Four attack and give Sasuke a thorough beating. Sakon proceeds to goad Sasuke by telling him that if he can be beaten so easily by the Sound Four, he has no chance of ever exacting revenge on Itachi. The Sound Four then extend an invitation to Sasuke: Follow them to the village of Sound and align himself with Orochimaru, who in turn will grant him the power he so desperately wants.
For this cause, Sasuke decides to take Orochimaru up on his offers of power. He advances his Cursed Seal into Stage Two instead of attempting to contain it, and he turns his back on Konoha to join Orochimaru's Hidden Sound Village, betraying Team Kakashi and all of Konoha in the process. As he sneaks out of the village, Sakura finds him, and soon understands the magnitude of what he is about to do. Crying and desperate not to lose Sasuke, Sakura does anything she can think of, confessing her love for him and even offering to join his twisted journey so they at least can be together. Sasuke's cryptic last words before swiftly knocking her out and departing are "Sakura... Thank you". The databook elaborates on this a bit, saying that "Sasuke is unable to answer her feelings - At the end, he leaves her with only a word of gratitude rather than words of parting".
A genin team consisting of Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyūga Neji and Akimichi Chōji and led by Chūnin Nara Shikamaru is sent to retrieve Sasuke, but encounters opposition from Orochimaru's "Sound Four", a team of elite ninjas who by activating their cursed seal can overpower even Jōnin, dispatched especially by Orochimaru to make sure Sasuke arrives without interference. Naruto manages to reach Sasuke with tremendous aid from his teammates, several of whom are critically wounded and nearly die. It is then revealed that in his famous speech after slaughtering the Uchiha clan, Itachi did not only tell Sasuke to "run, run and cling desperately to life", but also that he will only be able to match him in battle when he has the same eyes as him, the Mangekyō Sharingan - which can only be attained by killing one's best friend. This was not revealed the first time Sasuke is forced to recall this scene, which suggests that he refused to remember until this moment in time.
Naruto refuses to accept Sasuke's decision, as by his own admission Sasuke is like a brother to him and he can't bear to lose him to the twisted path of self-destruction he has chosen. They therefore engage in battle, and Sasuke's Sharingan develops into the final stage prior to the Mangekyō Sharingan, with three of the tomoe in each eye. The battle from this point onward tips drastically into Sasuke's favor with Naruto barely managing to keep up, as the two shoot very ambivalent statements back and forth attempting to persuade one another to stop the fight and accept the falsity of their world-view. Though Sasuke maintains a show of indifference to the obvious moral conflict at first, this pretense deteriorates gradually throughout the fight, as Sasuke slowly starts acknowledging that whether his avenger self wishes it or not, Naruto - while his greatest rival - is also his best friend. Once Naruto realizes that he cannot beat Sasuke at the level he is at, he calls upon Kyūbi for power, and assumes a very animalistic state in which opaque, orange-red chakra surrounds his body in the shape of a fox. To counter the release of the Kyūbi's Chakra, Sasuke activates the Second Stage of his cursed seal, becoming a demonic figure with a pair of huge, hand-like wings sprouting from his back. Before Sasuke does this, he puts on his Hidden Leaf forehead protector, indicating that he was finally acknowledging Naruto as strong and as an equal, which Sasuke was not willing to do during their first fight on the hospital roof.
At this point, the two rivals clash in a final display of power, Naruto attacking with a Kyūbi-powered Rasengan, and Sasuke with a level two Ten no Juin -powered Chidori. Upon impact, a massive black dome of energy forms around the two. As the scene unfolds, Naruto only reaches far enough to scratch Sasuke's forehead protector, while Sasuke hesitates, striking Naruto with the back of his hand instead of the Chidori, and sparing his life, as he realizes that killing Naruto to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan would be exactly what Itachi wanted. Itachi saw his family as nothing more than measuring sticks to test and prove his power; Sasuke desires nothing more than to be a different person from his brother, as his father advised him. He chooses to leave Naruto unconscious but alive on the ground, thus giving up his chance to gain Mangekyō Sharingan and proving that he is indeed not like his brother and Naruto is, ultimately, his best friend and not a measuring stick. In the aftermath Kakashi finds Naruto - hanging on to Sasuke's old headband, symbolically scratched by his own Rasengan, as Itachi's is - and returns him to Konoha for medical treatment. Sasuke descends to the darkness, still headed for Orochimaru, and in his mind resolving (to Itachi) that
"I will not be your puppet! I will gain power in my own way! I will surpass you in my own way!"
Sasuke is also briefly seen in episode 170 of the Anime with Orochimaru. He shows off his Sharingan on one of Orochimaru's acquaintances and says to Orochimaru that it is unnecessary to refer to him as Uchiha Itachi's little brother.
Naruto II
In manga chapter 296, Orochimaru mentions that his current body is rejecting him (probably due to fighting Naruto or perhaps the body is not compatible with his soul) and says "Patience...Have patience. I have Sasuke." This is taken to mean that Orochimaru will take Sasuke's body very soon.
Sasuke has recently re-emerged in chapter 300, as a silhouette showing only his Sharingan eyes. What is known is that Sasuke has greatly improved in using his Sharingan. He is shown being introduced to Sai, expressing his indifference towards him. When Sai states that he might be able to get along better with Sasuke than he did with Naruto, Sasuke freezes him with a stare, exuding a large amount of killing intent. Sai is amazed that even an emotionless person such as himself was affected by Sasuke's gaze, showing the power of his Sharingan.
When Sai informs Sasuke about his former teammates, Naruto and Sakura, and their new attempt at rescuing him; he appeared to be unsettled by the revelation. But due to his icy demeanor, whether or not he was annoyed or happy to hear about the news isn't really decipherable. However, he does seem angry when Sai told him that Naruto sees him as a brother, saying that he only has one brother: the person he has sworn to kill.
Recently, Sai has found Sasuke in his room and attempted to attack him with ink snakes while he was apparently asleep. Finally, Sasuke asks him what his mission is, and Sai declares that he plans to rescue and return Sasuke to Konoha, despite earlier orders from Danzō to assassinate him. This is due to his wishes to 'protect Naruto's bonds with Sasuke'. Sasuke's reaction to this is unclear because he has his back to the door (once again hiding his face).
In chapter 306, Sasuke's full appearance is finally revealed. Apparently, he has now donned an outfit similar to that worn by other Sound ninja, especially Kimimaro, and is also carrying a black metal chokuto (a variant of Orochimaru's Kusanagi, as revealed in chapter 308) at the back. The curse seal still appears on his neck as well, but the outer seal appears to have been removed. On the back of his clothing is the Uchiha symbol.
As Sasuke observes the new Team Kakashi from above, Sai explains to Naruto and Sakura that his desire to protect the bond between Naruto and Sasuke had overridden the mission that Danzō had given him. Sasuke then says that he has broken his bond of friendship with Naruto, and the only bond he has left was the bond of hatred he shared with Itachi. Angered, Naruto demands to know why Sasuke did not kill him when they fought each other. Sasuke replies that he left Naruto alive on a whim and that killing Naruto would only be a measuring stick for his power (Naruto doesn't get this, as Sasuke is alluding to what Itachi told him on the day that the Uchiha clan was exterminated). Sasuke then shows off his new powers by moving down next to Naruto with blinding speed and tells Naruto that someone who dreams of becoming Hokage shouldn't risk it all by chasing after one man. Sasuke then proceeds to draw his sword, saying that just like he spared Naruto on a whim before he will now kill Naruto just because he can. In response, Naruto comments that someone who can't save their comrades should not become Hokage.
In chapter 308, it appears Sasuke has greatly improved in his fighting abilities, as evidenced by his new jutsu, Chidori Nagashi (One Thousand Birds Current), which allows Sasuke to project a Chidori-like effect from his body, both defensively and offensively. Sakura recognizes the nature of this jutsu, but nevertheless, decides to attack him head on with her monstrous strength, but is blocked by Yamato, who takes a blow from the Kusanagi meant for her. Sasuke uses the Chidori Nagashi to get around Yamato's defenses and pin him to a rock with his sword, and flows the Chidori down the sword, numbing Yamato's body in the process. While Yamato and Sai are on the floor from being stunned by the Chidori and unable to fight, Sasuke looks down to see Naruto crawling over to him in a partially transformed state with the eyes of the Kyuubi, deeper whisker-marks and claws and fangs. Sasuke is able to get into Naruto's mind and make contact with Kyūbi, much to the surprise of Naruto. Shockingly, the Kyubi itself knew about the Uchiha clan. The precise relationship between these two is unknown as of now. The chapter ends with Sasuke saying, "Who would have guessed that "this" monster was inside you?"
In chapter 309, it appears that Sasuke can repress the 9 Tailed Fox's chakra. The Kyūbi mentions a Uchiha Madara, saying that Sasuke possesses that same "cursed" chakra, which is more evil than the Kyūbi's at the time. As Sasuke represses the Kyūbi's chakra, the fox leaves him with a strange message:
"Don't kill Naruto, you would regret it."
Orochimaru returns just in time to stop Sasuke from performing a "certain jutsu" (we are left wondering what it is). Kabuto also tells Sasuke that letting the Konoha shinobi manage the other Akatsuki would make his revenge easier by 1%. Sasuke tells Kabuto that's a poor excuse to not kill Naruto. The trio then disappear in a puff of smoke. We learn that, despite his greatly increased abilities, Sasuke still doesn't believe he can beat Itachi at this time. It also makes quite clear that Sasuke is well aware of what Orochimaru plans for him, and that he welcomes it, if it improves the chance that Itachi will die.
Trivia
- Sasuke is named after the legendary ninja Sarutobi Sasuke.
- "Uchiha" is another way of pronouncing "uchiwa", or a paper fan, which is actually the Uchiha clan symbol. In ancient Japan, uchiwa were used in court ceremonies, as souvenirs, and to protect soldiers from arrows. Most importantly, it can be used to fan flame, to make it hotter—which allude to the facts they are a clan of katon-jutsu users
- Since Sasuke can be intepreted as 佐助 (helper), and Uchiha can be intepret as Uchiwa, a type of fan that can protect warriors from arrows, as a whole, the name of Sasuke can be intepreted as protector. He is actually known as this in the Chinese dub.
- Sasuke appears to be left-handed, and is commonly seen in both the manga and anime taking a preference to both left-handed combat and jutsu. For example, he uses his left hand to perform the Chidori, while Kakashi, who taught the technique to Sasuke, uses his right hand. However, Sasuke's weapon holster is on his right leg and he uses his right hand for filling out the answers to the first part of the Chuunin exams, so it is possible he is ambidextrous. It is also noted that he holds his katana in his right hand, although it is very rare for even left-handed people to use swords in their left. He may also use his right hand for swordplay to keep his left hand free for the Chidori. It could also be because Sasuke's hand may be burned after using the Chidori, and thus would take preference towards his left hand rather than his right (if he was right-handed).
- Sasuke's ability to forcefully repress the Kyuubi's chakra is similar to that of the Shodaime Hokage and Yamato, who can both control biju. Interestingly, the Shodaime Hokage's physical appearance bears alot of similarities to Uchiha clan members. He looks especially like Uchiha Itachi. The Shodaime Hokage may be the 'Uchiha Madara' that the Kyuubi mentioned, as the Shodaime's real name is unknown, and it stands to reason that the Kyuubi would know about the Shodaime as he had a unique ability to control biju, and 'the same chakra' may refer to the ability to repress the chakra of the tailed beasts.
- According to the official handbook, Sasuke's favorite food is tomatoes and rice balls (with katsuobushi flake filling). His least favorite is natto (fermented soy beans). Also, he does not enjoy sweets. His favorite phrase is "chikara" (strength, or power). His hobbies are training and taking walks.
- Sasuke has completed the following number of missions: 7 D-rank, 1 C-rank, 0 B-rank, 1 A-rank 0 S-rank. However, his only C-ranked mission (Land of Waves) actually should have been classified as A-rank, but was recorded as C-ranked.
- In chapter 300, when Sasuke greets Orochimaru, his eyes are Sharingan, but in 306, upon seeing his former teammates, his eyes are black. Looking at past chapters it seems that the Sharingan is automatically used when the wielder is on guard or angry. Black eyes may be an indication that Sasuke does not view Sakura or Naruto in a negative manner, although apathy or the belief that his old friends pose little threat to him seems possible.
- Often, Team 7 is drawn with a frog, snake and slug. An example can be found in volume one of the manga, on the cover of chapter four, where Sasuke was drawn standing on Orochimaru's snake summon Manda, along with Naruto and Sakura on Gamabunta and Katsuyu, respectively. This is especially notable as the Densetsu no Sannin had not been introduced yet, nor had Naruto started training under Jiraiya, or Sakura and Sasuke had with Tsunade and Orochimaru. This could possibly hint at them being the second Legendary Sannin, or their link to the Sannin.
- It has been hinted a great deal in Part One that Sasuke is unusually fast, specifically when he fights Haku and Gaara. His speed since then has been increased. In chapter 308, Sai was able to block Sasuke's attack and Yamato was able to defend Sakura, but it did seem that Sasuke was not trying to stop them from doing so as he seemed to be testing them.
- Like Orochimaru, Sasuke now wields a Kusanagi.
- Kyūbi's warning not to kill Naruto may have something to do with the Mangekyou Sharingan.
- As of chapter 309, it is becoming clearly obvious that Sasuke has become completely possessed by his desire for revenge against Itachi. So much so, that without hesitation, he attempts to kill Naruto and would have stabbed Sakura with his sword had Yamato not intervened. In fact, Sasuke would knowingly allow Orochimaru to take control of his body if it would increase the chance that Itachi will die.
- The mystery of Uchiha Madara may be linked to the 'original purpose' of the Uchiha clan, alluded to in chapter 225 but not yet expanded upon.
- As of now, Sasuke and Naruto both have an unknown jutsu that their Masters, Orochimaru and Jiraiya, have not permitted them to use. Sakura may also have a new jutsu that Tsunade has told her to keep secret.
- To many people the story of Naruto is closely linked with ancient japanese mythology. It is speculated for this reason that Sasuke represents the weather god, Susanoo, due to his mastery of the chidori and Orochimaru represents yamato no orochi the eight tailed demon whom Susanoo killed and claimed the Kutsunagi sword from his stomach. Since Orochimaru also has a sword coming out from his stomach, it is theorized that that mystical sword will come into Sasuke's possession should he one day kill Orochimaru.
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