Why Did Itachi Kill His Clan And Parents?

Itachi is one of the fan-favorite characters from the Naruto series. One of the reasons for this overwhelming love for the characters is his backstory. We are introduced to him as the traitor of his clan and the person who organized the massacre of the members of the clan and the person who tortured his younger brother. However, later down the line, we get additional information prompting the viewers to wonder why did Itachi kill his clan?

Although killing his clan wasn’t a decision Itachi made on his own, he wind up going through with it because he wanted to protect his village and his younger brother, who Danzo promised to spare if Itachi goes through with the plan.

Saying that there is more to the story of Itachi killing his clan. This is an extremely interesting part of Itaachi’s storyline and the one that made many fans love him, so keep reading as we get into the details and explain everything about this event.

Which Clan Does Itachi Belong To?

The Uchiha Clan is one of Konohagakure’s four aristocratic clans, reputedly the village’s most powerful due to their Sharingan and innate fighting ability. 

After helping to create Konoha decades ago, the Uchiha became increasingly separated from the village’s affairs, eventually leading to the Uchiha Clan Downfall, which saw the majority of the Uchiha die. Only a few Uchiha have survived to this day.

The Uchiha are descended from Hagoromo Otsutsuki’s older son, Indra Otsutsuki. The Uchiha received Hagoromo’s “eyes” through Indra, which granted them immense spiritual energy and chakra. 

Uchihas are prone to intense emotions as a result of the so-called “Curse of Hatred” originally demonstrated by Indra: these feelings generally begin as love for a friend or family member and then turn into overpowering hatred when the object of their affection is gone. 

An Uchiha’s Sharingan awakens when he or she suffers a loss, whether it is real or imagined. The Sharingan is responsible for a great deal of the Uchiha’s renown and reputation.

For millennia, the Uchiha have been at odds with the Senju clan, an enmity that dates back to the days of Indra and his younger brother, Asura. When the Sage of Six Paths was nearing the end of his life, he chose Asura as his successor, believing that Asura’s goal for peace through love was superior to Indra’s desire for peace by might. 

Indra battled Asura to reclaim what he felt was his birthright, propelled by his Curse of Hatred. The descendants of Indra and Asura, the Uchiha and Senju, continued to fight through the years, albeit no one knew why they were fighting.

Why Did Itachi Kill The Uchiha Clan? 

The Uchiha’s dissatisfaction with their treatment drove them to plot a coup. Itachi’s rise into the Anbu’s ranks as a method of spying on the village was supported by Fugaku, the head of the Uchiha and the coup’s primary conspirator. 

The Uchiha family was one of Konohagakure’s founding families. Together with their Senju clan enemies, they founded the world’s first Shinobi hamlet during the feudal period in the Naruto universe. 

Other clans and fiefdoms followed their lead, bringing the globe from the small-scale conflict of the “Warring States” period to the global superpowers of Naruto’s beginning.

Despite the fact that they were able to put their differences aside to stop the slaughter and find Konoha, the residual bitterness between the two great families never completely vanished. 

Ill will arose as the Uchiha clan was regularly overlooked when it came time to award responsibilities in the village administration. Senju family members have held authority from the village’s inception, and appointments for their friends and clansmen have followed. 

Because the Uchiha refused to assist in the defense of the town against a huge beast, other clans and village residents grew increasingly distrustful of them. The clan was gradually withdrawn from Konoha’s political concerns, and they retired to their own part of the village, where tempers boiled and clan chiefs stewed in their own rage. 

Clan head Fugaku Uchiha planned to shake things up by staging a coup against the village’s authority. When word reached the village elders, the clan’s strongest young member was faced with an almost unthinkable choice: kill out his own clan for the sake of Konoha, or perish with them.

Itachi, on the other hand, understood that an Uchiha coup would prompt involvement from other villages, resulting in a new World War, which he could not accept. Instead, he became a double agent, informing the Third Hokage and the Konoha Council about the Uchiha’s acts in the hopes of facilitating a peaceful settlement.

Shisui and Itachi shared the burden of betraying their clan. However, as time passed, it became obvious that peace would not be possible. Shisui planned to use his Kotoamatsukami on the Uchiha commanders to force them to compromise, but Danz took his right eye before he could do so. 

Shisui handed his remaining eye to Itachi and implored him to safeguard the hamlet and their family name before killing himself in the Naka River, his own choices exhausted.  Shisui’s death caused Itachi enough grief to awaken his Mangeky Sharingan.

When several Uchihas, who were already suspicious of Itachi, accused him of murdering Shisui and faking a suicide the next day, Itachi lost his cool and fought them, easily beating them.  

Itachi and his family were estranged, and his cautions to them to reconsider their actions fell on deaf ears. Due to Danz’s request and Hiruzen’s acceptance, he was promoted to Anbu Captain at the age of 12, with his publicly reported promotion age being 13 years old.

Despite the Third Hokage’s desire to engage with the Uchiha, Danz Shimura recognized that the Uchiha clan’s existence was no longer a possibility. 

He told Itachi about this and gave him two options: assist the Uchiha’s revolution and have the whole clan, including Sasuke, murdered in the subsequent war, or accept the mission to wipe out the clan before the coup and be spared Sasuke. Itachi went with his brother.

Itachi Uchiha consented to carry out the slaughter on the condition that certain conditions be met. Danzo Shimura exploited the fact that Itachi was very protective of his younger brother Sasuke to sweeten the pact. 

He stated that if Itachi carried out the attack and took the fall, they would leave Sasuke alive. He accepted, not realizing that his action would set Sasuke on a path of vengeance that would end with Itachi’s death.

Itachi was very devoted to Konoha, as seen by his deeds, and took his oath as a village shinobi very seriously. In addition to the possibility that his younger brother might perish, Konoha operatives warned Itachi that if his family was successful, another world war may erupt. Itachi was determined to prevent this at all costs, and he carried out the heinous scheme.

Itachi noticed a masked guy creeping about Konoha while making final preparations. After studying him, he concluded that the guy was really Madara Uchiha, intent on inciting a new battle. 

Itachi presented him with an offer: he would help “Madara” wipe out the Uchiha in retaliation for their abandonment of him decades before, in exchange for Madara sparing the village, which he agreed to.

What Did Itachi Do To His Clan? 

Itachi was an Uchiha Anbu spy who discovered that his own clan was planning a coup that would result in a civil war, weakening the village and making it exposed to outside dangers such as other ambitious villages who would take the chance. Danzo then informed Itachi that if he killed his whole tribe, his brother would be saved, or he would perish with his kin. 

This is where Itachi established himself as one of the most stupid and crazy characters in all of Naruto and anime. So let’s go at the Uchiha clan a little further to see why Itachi was basically a murderous crazy and a failure. The Uchihas were loathed and feared by the community, were pushed to the outside, were looked down upon, and even their leader was treated like garbage like the rest of them. 

So the Uchiha leader (Fugaku) grows weary of his clan being treated so poorly by the town and makes it his mission to put a stop to it so that the Uchihas are no longer oppressed and looked down upon in perpetuity. He plots a coup to depose the village leaders so that he may become Hokage and liberate his people. What did Itachi do to put a stop to the coup? He killed his whole tribe (women, men, and children) with his plus one.

When Itachi was four years old, he witnessed the third shinobi global war, which shook him; the mere notion of another war like the one before terrified him, and he wanted to prevent it at all means.

So the plan was for Shisui Uchiha to mind control the leader of their clan, Fukasku, to stop the coup, but Danzo took one of his eyes, and Shisui, not wanting people to know about any of this (so the public doesn’t realize the Uchihas coup), made it appear like he committed suicide and left a note saying he ruined his eyes so no one goes after them.

Then Danzo assigned Itachi an alternative assignment to kill the Uchiha in exchange for saving his younger brother Sasuke.

Why Did Itachi Kill His Parents? 

Itachi took it upon himself to put his parents to death. Despite his treachery, they showed no ill will toward him, instead assuring him that they were proud of him and asked that he look after Sasuke in the moments before they were murdered. 

Itachi, distraught about his deeds, regarded Sasuke as the only one capable of punishing him for his wrongdoings. To get Sasuke to go down this path, he made himself the villain by letting him discover him standing over their parents’ deaths and employing Tsukuyomi to torture him with visions of their murders.

Itachi’s parents were just like any other parents; they valued their child’s life above their own. They already knew Itachi had made up his mind to murder the Uchiha in order to thwart the coup. 

They didn’t have it in them to battle their kid in a deathmatch. As a result, they chose to sacrifice themselves.

Fugaku’s remarks summed up the issue perfectly: “Though our views may disagree, I am proud of you, Itachi.” He told Itachi to look after Sasuke even before he died. This demonstrates how much he cared about his children.

He even recognized Itachi’s anguish at making this decision, so he supported him, telling him, “You truly are a wonderful guy, Itachi.” In comparison to yours, our suffering will be over in an instant.”

As a result, they chose to gladly commit themselves in order to relieve his burden since they loved him.

Another reason why Itachi’s parents let him kill them may lie with some Japanese traditions and the fact that they had no clan to come back to at that point.

Everyone else was murdered before Itachi proceeded to kill his parents. Fugaku may have suspicions that his whole clan has been slain, imprisoned, or taken at that time, but he also knows that the Leaf Village has ruined their plot, and the clan is doomed.

It was pointless for him to remain as Uchiha’s commander. There is no one to take the lead. Itachi is clearly not with him. As the clan’s leader, he bears the greatest responsibility for the clan’s demise.

Up to World War II, it was common in ancient Japan for a disgraced leader to commit suicide. Actually, by killing his parents, Itachi has spared them the embarrassment and dishonor of dying honorably at the hands of their foe. Perhaps this is why his parents looked at ease and unconcerned by his treachery.

Did Itachi Regret Killing His Clan? 

Despite his decision, Itachi was plagued with remorse, especially knowing that Shisui would almost certainly not forgive him for destroying the clan. However, recalling his father’s advice that he should not allow others to dictate what he should do with his life, he vowed to continue on his path.

Killing his clan was something Itachi never regretted. His sole regret was that he never informed Sasuke about any of his business and therefore caused Sasuke to go the incorrect road.

Itachi didn’t feel bad about murdering the Uchihas since he knew they were attempting to disrupt the tranquility in the Hidden Leaf Community, and Itachi was someone who always sought to keep the village calm. He sought to strike a balance between the village and the Uchihas at all times. He tried his hardest, but he eventually understood that Danzo and the Uchihas were like two sides of the same coin, and he ended up murdering the clan for the sake of village peace because of Danzo.

When he was ready to execute Fugaku and Miko Uchiha, he was shown sobbing, but those were his own sentiments as a child of his parents.

Itachi was someone who always wanted the greater group of people to benefit, and he always used nonviolent tactics to persuade the minority to alter their opinions, the Uchiha clan. He always did what was best for Leaf Village and never regretted his actions as long as they were beneficial to the community.

The preservation of Konoha was Itachi’s passion. In terms of devotion, he put Konoha ahead of his own tribe. His clan also became highly contradictory to him since they did not share Itachi’s vision of Konoha’s future. 

The Uchiha clan intended to invade and take control of Konoha, but Itachi wanted Konoha to stay protected as a single-family. He never regretted the massacre since he knew Konoha would be in terrible shape if he hadn’t done it.

The only thing he may have regretted was having to leave Sasuke, knowing that after awakening his Sharingan, Sasuke’s life would become a nightmare. He also felt horrible about killing his parents since he didn’t want to, but he had no choice because it was for the sake of the entire town.

How Many Uchihas Did Itachi Kill? 

The night when the clan got killed, all of the members died, aside from women and children.

Itachi and Tobi devise a strategy to enter the complex from separate directions. He offers to deal with as many of the women and children as possible, but Tobi cautions against it, claiming that Itachi already has enough nasty acts on his plate. 

The man further claims that his skill qualifies him to deal with targets who are likely to scream. Itachi kills most of his enemies fast and painlessly, but he allows Inabi and Tekka to fight back. 

Although this is the story most people believe to be true we later learn that Itachi killed a total of 2 people, his parents. Later in the series, when Itachi is retelling the story to his brother Sasuke, he tells him that Tobi killed everyone else while he only killed their parents.

In the present day, there are only a handful of the members of the clan who are still alive and this is caused by the event of that night.

Why Did Itachi Kill His Girlfriend?

Izumi belonged to the Uchiha clan. He had to exterminate everyone in his clan, including her. That was the requirement for putting an end to an insurrection. Even Izumi, who was proven to have significantly improved in taijutsu, might have posed a risk to everyone in the community if she succumbed to hatred and aroused her sharingan during the nine tails attack.

It was great storywise since she loved him and he had to murder her, but Itachi placed her under genjutsu as she died and showed her a life of them together. It demonstrated Itachi’s devotion to peace and the community over his kin. He was not without sympathy, but he did what had to be done, even if it tore him apart.

In her fantasy, Izumi strives to become a chunin ninja before retiring and marrying Itachi. They have offspring, and Izumi lives to be eighty before succumbing to old age with Itachi. The girl was able to live through the illusion for all of those years while just a few seconds elapsed in the actual world. When Izumi returned to reality, Itachi held her in his arms as she died, thanking her for her love.