Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-34277398-20180314193639/@comment-34752936-20180324092051

They are both very formidable ninja. And geniuses. I think a lot would depend on their foreknowledge of each other.

Minato doesn't have many defenses or countermeasures for the powers afforded by the Sharingan eye. At a very basic level, he rarely uses chakra transformations and elemental releases for his attacks. So copying him couldn't be done well. His Flying Thunder God technique cannot be copied, as it is fuinjutsu sealing on his kunai. His movements could also not be tracked, as he literally teleports instead of moving through space. However, the Sharingan could very well track the locations of the kunai and Itachi would definitely deduce their use in a short amount of time, and take note of his possible destinations. Rasengan is not a technique that can be learned through Sharingan copying, as Kakashi did not do so, and even when he figured it out his skills were not useful for maintaining and executing it. About Minato's markings,Itachi would soon realize that his eyes cant keep up with his speed and so,Itachi figures out his FTG and starts neutralizing all of Minato's FTG Kunai as he throws them or places them, probably by burning the markings or something.

The full extent of Minato's abilities and knowledge of jutsu is never revealed so this may be hard to determine his entire arsenal. Itachi on the other hand is more fleshed out as a combatant. Minato is a lot like Batman, in that if given the time to prepare, his fuinjutsu seals become very threatening to his enemy. Itachi however is also a tactical genius and can think several steps ahead when he is set on getting an outcome.

The Mangekyu Sharingan would pose a grave threat to Minato. Luckily, I do not think Amaterasu would catch him due to his insane speed, however I do not know if there would be an escape even if he used teleportation once successfully targeted. He may just burn up at his destination. Tsukiyomi would also not be nice. He has no defense against this, as he does not possess any form of Sharingan, let alone Mangekyu, the sole condition for breaking the genjutsu. This would be the most likely win outcome for Itachi, as he specializes in this jutsu and is very cunning in its use. Minato would have to completely avoid eye contact and that is a deadly mistake with Itachi's skills at your throat.

Let's say he got past Tsukiyomi. If Itachi then pulled out Susanoo, Minato would have a real problem on his hands. If I had to guess, he would probably just send Itachi far away or something and escape instead of fight to his death. He has no known way of breaking the ethereal armor nor indefinitely avoiding the Sword of Totsuka, which would seal his fate for eternity, literally. Also the Mirror of Yata would nullify any ninjutsu attacks directed towards him.

But let's say he pulls some crap out of his buttocks and seals away or nullifies Susanoo. I wouldn't say it's above his ability, he is the the Fourth Hokage that defeated Kyuubi. Itachi still has Izanagi and Izanami, both inescapable chains of fate that I severely doubt Minato could survive and think his way out of before he was ultimately defeated. Izanagi would give Itachi 60 seconds to destroy Minato utterly, just by feinting being brutally hit by Rasengan or some such, coming back, and using Amaterasu or Dragon Flame, etc. Izanami, if all else fails, and he decides to sacrifice his other eye, would put Minato in a genjutsu with odd conditions. However, he may not be so stubborn as to stay forever. In fact, he'd probably be one of the easiest candidates to release it.

They are both very fast, very skilled, and very experienced. I think I have to hand it to Itachi Uchiha though. His ability and arsenal are just too much to handle for even the strongest characters. The only stipulation however is that Itachi must be in good health, and not dying slowly as he did. If his stamina reserves were still low and his eyes already in disrepair, then I doubt he could beat Minato, who wastes no time in defeating his enemies. Itachi definitely qualified for Hokage material.