The shadow of the Uchiha massacre hangs over Konoha in “Naruto.” This tragic incident is constantly brought up in the series in relation to Sasuke Uchiha, one of the last surviving members of the Uchiha clan. A part of Kakashi’s Team 7 alongside Naruto and Sakura, Sasuke has been haunted by the incident since he was a child, which directly shaped his trajectory as a future defector seeking revenge. To add insult to injury, the massacre in question was carried out by his brother, Itachi, whose seemingly violent motivations (and constant instigations for Sasuke to get stronger) veered Sasuke off the well-treaded path of an honorable shinobi.
But honor has little place in a world brimming with convoluted machinations and deceptive intentions. Sasuke’s defection is a complex subject, but so are Itachi’s actions — to better understand the latter, we need to contextualize the incident in question. You see, Konoha was shaken up after the attack of the Nine-tailed fox, and some of the leaders started suspecting the Uchiha clan due to their ability to use the Sharingan (which could be used to control the beast). This brewing suspicion/mistrust led to the Uchihas being completely isolated, leading to the clan’s decision to organize a coup d’état (and overthrow the existing leadership).
However, a coup cannot be carried out overnight, especially in a society where being a shinobi is the default. The Uchiha clan appointed several spies, including Itachi, to infiltrate Konoha’s command structure for information. The plan was to identify structural weaknesses and remain up-to-date about any counter-moves. Sadly, the Uchiha were never able to anticipate the terrible string of events that would eventually lead to their demise.
