Naruto: Was Itachi’s Name Ever Cleared After The War?
Published on February 25, 2022
The name Itachi Uchiha resides in the hearts of many Naruto fans, always reminding us of the bond between two brothers. Itachi's story was a tragic one. The leaf shinobi of the Uchiha Clan, who desired peace more than anyone, was recruited into the ANBU Black Ops at 11. There, under the command of Danzo Shimura, he undertook several missions for the benefit of Konoha for two years.
However, Itachi was one of the few people of Konohagakure who truly inherited the First Hokage's Will of Fire. From a young age, Itachi was able to think beyond the limitations of his clan and desired peace for the village, nay the world. He witnessed the Third Shinobi World War first-hand at the age of four. At such a young age, the death and destruction he experienced traumatized Itachi and made him a pacifist who wanted to erase fighting from the world.
Was Itachi Uchiha's Name Ever Cleared? Why Was He Not Declared A Hero?
Itachi spied on his clan for the village's good, who planned a coup d'etat against the Third Hokage in disdain for their unfair treatment. Danzo and Itachi both knew that whether the Uchiha coup was successful or not, it would lead to intervention from other villages and ultimately start another World War. However, when it became clear that the Uchiha coup could not be stopped, Danzo Shimura gave Itachi a special assignment.
To prevent an impending war, which would likely result in the death of all the Uchiha anyway, Danzo offered Itachi a way to save his younger brother Sasuke. Itachi would be allowed to spare his brother on the condition that he kill his entire clan by himself. At age 13, Itachi slaughtered the Uchiha clan, leaving only his younger brother Sasuke Uchiha. He then joined the Akatsuki, so he could continue to keep an eye on those who wished for the destruction of Konoha.
Declared a rogue ninja and a criminal mass murderer, Itachi served Konohagakure from behind the shadows. Unaware of his brother's true story, Sasuke killed Itachi, who sowed the seeds of vengeance in his younger brother's heart. During the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Itachi was resurrected via Kabuto's Edo Tensei, AKA Reanimation Jutsu, to destroy the Allied Shinobi Forces.
However, with the help of Shisui Uchiha's eye, Itachi was able to break out of the genjutsu of the Edo Tensei and counter it with another one, which commanded him to protect Konoha. While most people were unaware of this at the time, Itachi single-handedly defeated Kabuto Yakushi and released the Edo Tensei, freeing all the souls that were forcibly brought back to fight against their loved ones. Many years after the war, only a few are still aware of Itachi's true story.
No, Itachi's crimes before his death were never cleared by Konoha. There is a simple reason for this: Itachi did not want his name to be cleared. Even though Itachi killed his entire clan, he didn't want their name tarnished. If word got out that Itachi was ordered to kill the Uchiha clan, people would soon find out about their attempted coup, disgracing the Uchiha name. Itachi preferred to take on the world's hate on himself rather than tarnish the name of his clan, of which his father was the head.
Another reason behind Itachi's name never being cleared was that there was little to no proof behind the story. Danzo, Itachi, and the Third Hokage were the only ones aware of everything that happened, and all of them were dead by the time Kakashi and the others found out. While Itachi's crimes were never forgiven, Naruto did justice to his name after the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
In Kakashi's light novel, it was stated that Naruto declared Itachi, a war hero for his help in releasing the Reanimation jutsu and essentially saving them all. But don't be sad; this was what Itachi wanted after all. In any case, even if Itachi's intentions were not evil, he did massacre his entire clan. Itachi himself did not think he deserved forgiveness for his crimes against the Uchiha, which is why he wanted Sasuke, an Uchiha, to kill him.
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