Sasuke Uchiha

is a main character in the anime and manga series Naruto.

Sasuke's given name comes from the legendary ninja Sarutobi Sasuke. His surname, Uchiha, is another way of pronouncing uchiwa, or a paper fan, which is actually the Uchiha clan symbol. Uchiwa cannot be folded. In contrast, ōgi, which Temari uses as her weapon, can be folded. Although both uchiwa and ōgi produce wind by fanning, the former is used in more practical/everyday situation such as cooking or commoners cooling themselves down during a hot summer day. The latter is considered to be more formal. Uchiwa can be used to fan flames, making the flame hotter — referring to the fact that the Uchiha is a clan of fire-jutsu users.

In Shonen Jump's June 2006 edition, Masashi Kishimoto (in Kakashi's voice) remarks that while Sasuke is a genius, he is a little dull to teach because he learns everything easily compared to the less predictable Naruto.

In Shonen Jump's character popularity polls, Sasuke usually ranked the 3rd or 4th spot for the majority of the series. More recently, however, he has been ranked at 1st.

Background
The second son of Konoha Military Police captain and Uchiha clan head, Fugaku, Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi. Itachi was an acknowledged prodigy who graduated at the top of his Academy class at age 7, mastered the Sharingan by age 8, became a Chunin at age 10, and an ANBU squad leader at the age of 13. 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 Itachi. 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 did not, but spending little quality time with Sasuke. Even after Sasuke enrolled in the Ninja Academy, he still was unable to escape Itachi's shadow. Despite consistently scoring at the head of every class, Sasuke failed to receive any recognition from his father, who defined Sasuke's success only in terms of his older brother. Itachi acknowledged the rivalry Sasuke felt, telling him, "We are unique siblings. I am the barrier you must overcome, so you and I will continue to exist together."

Itachi's relationship with his father deteriorated further when Itachi was questioned by other members of the Uchiha clan regarding the death and suicide note of his best friend, Shisui. As Itachi's behavior became increasingly bizarre, Sasuke's father, on a whim and partly due to Itachi's growing distance, decided to spend time with Sasuke. He taught him the Great Fireball Technique, a common family jutsu. Sasuke (age 7 at the time) eventually succeeded in performing the jutsu in front of his father after only one week of training, surprising him. At that moment, Sasuke finally received his father's recognition; the Uchiha clan considered the ability to perform fire jutsu as proof that one had become an adult. Sasuke's father told him that he could now proudly wear the clan's emblem on his back. More forbiddingly, Sasuke also received a stern warning not to follow in Itachi's footsteps.

Shortly thereafter, Itachi massacred every member of the Uchiha clan, sparing only Sasuke. Itachi said that Sasuke was not even worth killing. In addition, Itachi told him, "You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live." Itachi also revealed to Sasuke where the secret meeting place of the Uchiha was hidden and suggested that Sasuke go there to learn what the true history and purpose of the Sharingan is. Sasuke thought he has fainted after this, but he recently remembered that he managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan and chase after Itachi. Sasuke managed to knock off Itachi's headband, and Itachi was seen shedding a tear after picking up the headband.

Personality
During Part I, Sasuke was considered the best Genin of the Rookie Nine, and could have been the strongest. To this end, Sasuke's only desire as a shinobi was to get stronger, and he saw everything from his teammates, to the other villagers as simply being in the way. In fact, during their bell test with Kakashi, Sasuke's reason for not working with Naruto and Sakura was because he thought they were respectively weak and annoying, and they would get in his way. However when he was proven wrong by Sakura's knowledge, and Naruto's desire to also become stronger he began to value his teammates and even began to risk his life to save them if he needed to, valuing their lives more than his desire to kill Itachi. Masashi Kishimoto, in the voice of Kakashi, remarks that while Sasuke is a genius, he was dull to teach because he learned techniques easily compared to Naruto.

During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru noticed how Sasuke's desire for revenge seemed to have lessened, and branded him with the Cursed Seal of Heaven to give him a taste of the power he could have if he keeps to his previous path of vengeance. Even when Kakashi sealed the Cursed Seal, Sasuke began to draw more and more power from it in hope to get stronger himself. However even with the Cursed Seal, Sasuke began to envy Naruto, whom he saw as being much weaker than himself, because in their brief encounter, Itachi says that Naruto has a "special power" and that he came back to Konoha to find him, not to Sasuke. Slowly Sasuke saw Naruto surpass him, and in the end, Sasuke decides to defect from Konoha to join Orochimaru to make himself stronger. Sasuke remembers that Itachi told him to be as strong as him, Sasuke had to gain the Mangekyo Sharingan and to do that, he had to kill his best friend. When given the chance to kill Naruto and get the Mangekyo Sharingan, Sasuke simply punched him in the chest, sparing him as to not give Itachi the satisfaction of seeing him follow his path.

In Part II, Sasuke showed he had stayed true to his original personality. When first meeting Sai, he did not care the slightest and was interested more in Orochimaru's presence. 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, catching Sai in a genjutsu which involves 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 comments on how Naruto and Sakura have been searching for him, Sasuke once again regards him with indifference.

It would appear that during his time with Orochimaru, he has come to the conclusion that if he ever wishes to stand a chance against Itachi, he needs to push away all of his past bonds with his friends and make revenge a priority, above even his own life. Because of this, he shows that he no longer cares about Konoha or anyone from the village. In spite of this, he scolds Naruto about risking the lives of an entire squad to save one man, and comments that it could damage his chances of becoming Hokage. He also states that, unlike their last encounter at the waterfall, he has no more reservations about killing Naruto, and attempts to do so. He's also aware of the fact he is intended to be the container for Orochimaru's soul, showing that he doesn't care what happens to himself as long as it results in Itachi's death. This attitude seems to have changed, however, as Sasuke comes to the conclusion that Orochimaru only wants him as a container and attempts to kill him. During his attack, he emphasized to Orochimaru the superiority of the Uchiha clan, demonstrating that he still holds his clan in the highest regard, and that Orochimaru taking his body would be an insult to the clan's reputation.

Unlike Kabuto or any of Orochimaru's subordinates, who address Orochimaru as "Orochimaru-sama" (which shows that they highly respect him), Sasuke simply refers to him as Orochimaru. Sasuke also never called Kakashi "Kakashi-sensei" (teacher) like the others did, something the Japanese would consider as very insulting or rude. Despite his association with the Sound Village, Sasuke does not wear a Sound headband, unlike most other subordinates of Orochimaru. He still wears the fan symbol of the Uchiha clan on his back, albeit much smaller and higher up by his shirt collar. Despite this lack of allegiances to those close to him, Sasuke seems to be unable to bring himself to needlessly harm those that have nothing to do with his quest for vengeance against Itachi, and makes it a point to prevent their deaths when possible. However, this attitude appears to have changed after he learns the truth about Itachi's death and swears revenge against Konoha. Not only does he resolve to destroy all of Konoha(despite the majority of its villagers having no involvement in the Uchiha massacre), but he also seems to be willing to take the lives of anyone who stands in the way of his revenge. In a recent chapter, he appears to have killed a Cloud ninja who was spying on him and Team Hawk.

Upon learning the truth about Itachi, Sasuke is filled with sorrow and, for the first time since the night of the Uchiha massacre, weeps for his brother's sufferings. After he has mourned Itachi's death, he resolves to avenge Itachi and tells Team Hawk that they would 'crush Konoha'. He later states that he only intends to kill the three elders of Konoha who were responsible for it. However, it is eventually revealed that Sasuke's true intention, which he hid from his team, is to kill everyone in the village, not just the three elders, thus going against Itachi's wishes. Sasuke holds all of Konoha guilty for the death of the Uchiha clan, and believes that the entire village must pay for it with death.

Despite this, during their fight with Kirābī, Sasuke saw Team Hawk in a similar light as Team 7 (prior to his defection), and realized he was never alone.

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 could often be seen glaring at Sasuke and in one case, he ended up kissing him when he was bumped in the back. 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, has a crush on Sasuke. Sasuke initially looks upon Naruto and Sakura as annoyances that would only hold him back. This attitude is one of the negative factors responsible for Team 7's initial state of borderline non-existent teamwork, which Kakashi Hatake, the team's teacher 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 of 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. In Part I, Sasuke wore a blue shirt and white shorts with the Uchiha crest, or an ent ertirely black outfit, still with the Uchiha crest. In one episode, he is shown wearing shireken briefs and in another he is shown in kunai briefs, as opposed to Naruto who is shown in green boxers with golden lucky wish bones. Though Naruto is usually the instigator, Sasuke makes a point out of taunting Naruto on occasion, goading and egging him on. He also disappoints Sakura by ignoring her flirtations and attempts to go out with him. 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.

Land of Waves
Sasuke's first major mission was escorting the bridge builder, Tazuna, to his home in the poverty-stricken Wave Country. Sasuke showed exceptional skill when attacked by two missing-nin, The Demon Brothers, from the Hidden Mist village. Later on in the same mission, during the tree climbing exercise to improve chakra control, he managed to stay ahead of Naruto for a good length of time. He took care of Zabuza's water clones impressing Zabuza and his apprentice Haku. He also stood toe to toe for a while with Haku, who was extremely dangerous because of his extreme speed and dexterity. It was during this battle that Sasuke reawakened 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 induce a temporary death-state. 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. Naruto and Sasuke didn't know why though; they both hated each other but they were considering the other one a friend even though they didn't admit it.

Chunin Exam
Before the Chunin Exams even started, Sasuke fought Rock Lee, who easily overcame the power of his Sharingan through an amazing display of speed, for if the user can't keep up with the target then the Sharingan is useless. However, before the finishing blow could be given, Might Guy interrupted the match by appearing just as Rock Lee was about to use his Front Lotus, forbidding him to use it.

In the first part of the exam, Sasuke realizes that to succeed in the written test, it is required to cheat without getting caught, as the written exam tests a ninja's information gathering ability. Sasuke is shown using the Sharingan to copy the movement of a student in front of him, effectively copying the answers.

In the second test of the Chunin Exam, the Forest of Death, Sasuke battles a Rain ninja and manages to keep him from getting the scroll, which was the objective of the exam. Sasuke also battles a Grass ninja, who is actually Orochimaru in disguise. During the Forest of Death, Sasuke's bond with Naruto seems to strengthen and Sasuke realizes that Naruto is catching up to him, when Naruto stops Orochimaru's summonings from harming Sasuke. At this point, Naruto uses the exact phrase that Sasuke used to taunt him earlier, asking: "Hey, are you hurt, scaredy-cat?". This was a pivotal moment in their bond, as Sasuke realizes that he is in the position Naruto was in when they were attacked by the Mist ninja during the Land of Waves arc. Naruto's words as well as his actions spur Sasuke to fight Orochimaru even while knowing that he is hopelessly out matched.

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 their fight in the Forest of Death causing Sasuke so much pain that he falls unconscious. While in that state he is haunted with hallucinations of his parents and clans deaths and another version of himself blaming him and his weakness for their death. This other version peels of part of his face to reveal Orochimaru underneath who tells him they wouldn't have died if only he had been strong enough at the time. Revealing part of Sasuke's desire for strength to stem from his desire to protect those important to him.

Sasuke turns out to be strong enough to survive the one in ten chance of withstanding the seal and regains consciousness. Sasuke is filled with the curse seals power and wakens up from the visions of his dead family and sees a very wounded Sakura and unconscious Naruto next to him on the verge of being likewise killed. The first thing he does is to ask Sakura who hurt her. When one of the Sound Ninjas tries to attack them with his sound waves Sasuke seemingly, effortlessly carries both Naruto and Sakura with him to safety and is in the next instant right beside him. He then proceeds to easily beat him up, breaking both his arms. He than turns to attack the next sound ninja, but stopped by Sakura who hugs him and pleads for him to stop. Thinking to herself that something is wrong and that the maniacally grinning Sasuke she sees before her "couldn't possibly be the Sasuke I [she] know[s]."

Sasuke's match up in the preliminaries is against a member of Kabuto's team, Yoroi Akado. Before the fight starts, Kakashi warns Sasuke that if his curse seal gets out of control, he'll have to intervene and stop the match to control the seal, which bars Sasuke from using his Sharingan or any Jutsu aside from Taijutsu. The match starts with Yoroi stealing what little chakra Sasuke has left through his hands and being in constant pain from his curse seal. The match seems hopeless for Sasuke, until he hears Naruto shouting at him for doing so poorly. When he turns back to look at his spectators he sees Rock Lee, which gives Sasuke the idea to use the part of Lee's move, kicking Sasuke up in the air and than getting underneath him, to make his own move from that, the Lion Combo. Yoroi is knocked out, and Sasuke advances to the next round. After the fight, Kakashi takes him to seal the curse seal.

During the main matches, Sasuke is matched up against Gaara. Sasuke arrives late (because of some last-minute training by Kakashi), but his time is extended because most of the spectators had come just to see it. Sasuke demonstrates that his speed has vastly increased, to the point where he moves as fast as Lee without weights. Kakashi actually had Sasuke imagine Lee's movements so he could mimic them. Sasuke also unveils his Chidori, which Kakashi taught him, to injure Gaara. Before the match could finish, it is interrupted by the start of Orochimaru's attack (Operation: Destroy Konoha).

Invasion of Konoha
After Gaara, Kankuro and Temari flee from the arena Genma instructs him to follow the sand siblings. before Sasuke left on his mission, the procter told him he reached the rank of Chunin. Sasuke chases them and, after some minor fights with Kankuro and Temari, Sasuke fights Gaara. Sasuke useses Chidori once again wounding Gaara who by now has started to transform into his Shukaku state. Feeling physical pain is a new sensation for Gaara and he grows more unbalanced wanting to feel pain again. Having used chakra earlier, Sasuke has reached his daily limit of two uses on his Chidori technique that Kakashi warned him surpassing would kill him. He is able to dodge Gaara's attacks, but discovers that his fire technique is useless against Gaara in his increasingly bizarre form as he transforms more into Shukaku. Gaara angry that Sasuke didn't hurt him tells Sasuke that he is weak and that his hatred isn't strong enough which is similar to what Itachi had told Sasuke the night he killed the clan. Sasuke tries to use Chidori for a third time, but it depletes his chakra and causes his curse seal to activate.

Too exhausted to move out of the way, Gaara is about to land a hit on Sasuke when Naruto and Sakura arrive just in time to save him. Gaara again tries to attack Sasuke, who hasn't moved and is trying to push his curse seal back, but Sakura stands up to protect him resulting in her being pinned to the tree by one of Gaara's hands. Gaara leaves his hand on the tree and tells Naruto that unless Naruto can defeat him, Sakura will die as the sand around her gets tighter. Naruto is at first easily repelled by Gaara, but manages put a bomb on him, after much effort, which doesn't hurt Gaara, but destroys his form. Sasuke, still covered by the curse marks shields Naruto from the explosion and then tells Naruto that he has to save Sakura and run, that he will be able to hold Gaara off for a little while, saying "Never again..., I already lost everything once before..., I don't ever want to watch those dear to me die before my eyes again." This makes Naruto remember what Haku said and realize that true power comes in protecting someone else. This sudden epiphany fills him with determination and he taps into the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's chakra and creates so many clones that everyone is amazed. Naruto tells Sasuke to take it easy and leave the rest up to him.

Sasuke watches as Naruto defeats Gaara after a long and hard battle, during which Gaara transforms into the life-sized version of Shukaku and Naruto along with Gamabunta transform into the demon fox's form. Sasuke is amazed by Naruto's power. Later on, Sakura, who had been unconscious for most of the fight, thanks Sasuke for saving her; Sasuke tells her that Naruto was the one who saved her, not him (while this was happening, Naruto was asking Kakashi if he could teach him the Chidori. This was obviously impossible, since Naruto didn't have the necessary speed, the Sharingan, and the lightning affinity).

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 and — culminating when Naruto defeated Gaara — Itachi visits Konoha in search of Naruto and the demon fox, and upon challenging him, Sasuke is subjected to the Mangekyo Sharingan for the second time by Itachi, and the beating he receives drives him over the edge, returning him to his original goal: gaining enough power to kill his brother. Also, in the anime, Team 7's journey to the Land of Tea results in another humiliation for Sasuke and another victory for Naruto. Aoi of the Rain also taunts Sasuke with the fact that Itachi is better than him. This infuriates Sasuke even more.

When Naruto returns from his search for Tsunade (in the anime, after they return from the Land of Tea), Sasuke immediately challenges him to a fight (right after heartlessly knocking away a gift of chopped apples presented to him by Sakura), enraged that Itachi was more interested in Naruto's power than he was in Sasuke's. 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 Sasuke, and that their headbands indicated they were equals, but Sasuke refuses to wear his. With that, Sasuke and Naruto spar with such intensity that Kakashi has to stop them from duelling 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 indicating if Kakashi had not stepped in he would have suffered major or even fatal damage from the attack.

Frustrated by Naruto's increasing power, Sasuke is lectured by Kakashi, who tells Sasuke that his comrades are the most important thing about being a Konoha 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 (Jirobo, Kidomaru, Tayuya, Sakon and Ukon) attack. Sasuke tries his best, but his every attempt is rendered useless. Sakon proceeds to goad Sasuke by telling him that if the Sound Four can beat him so easily, 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 offer, advancing his Cursed Seal into Stage Two instead of attempting to contain it, and turning his back on 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. Desperate not to lose Sasuke, Sakura does anything and everything 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".

A Genin team consisting of Naruto, Kiba Inuzuka, Neji Hyuga and Choji Akimichi and led by Chunin Shikamaru Nara is sent to retrieve Sasuke, but encounters opposition from Orochimaru's Sound Four, who, by activating their cursed seals, can overpower Jonin-level ninjas. Naruto manages to reach Sasuke with tremendous aid from his teammates, several of whom are critically wounded. It is 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 Mangekyo Sharingan - which can only be attained by killing one's best friend, which is now Naruto for Sasuke.

Naruto refuses to accept Sasuke's decision and decides to drag Sasuke back to the village by force if he has to. They therefore engage in battle, with Sasuke initially having the upper hand thanks to his cursed seal and Sharingan. When he manages to pierce Naruto's right shoulder with his Chidori, however, the demon fox's chakra kicks in to protect Naruto, giving him a massive power increase.

With the demon fox's chakra now active, Naruto easily tosses Sasuke about in an attempt to knock some sense into him. Sasuke merely retorts that Naruto could never understand what it's like to lose family members, as he never had them to begin with. Naruto reasons that Sasuke is like a brother to him, therefore he will not let him destroy that bond. Accepting Naruto's strength, Sasuke puts on his headband to indicate this point and his Sharingan fully develops, forming three tomoe in each eye. He still scoffs at the idea that Naruto would even be able to scratch his forehead. The battle from this point onward tips towards Sasuke's favor, with Naruto barely managing to keep up. Though Naruto lands a couple hits, he is injured once again by a piledriver from a high cliff by Sasuke. Like with his previous injury, the demon fox's chakra once again comes to his rescue, enveloping him in a fox-shaped shield of chakra and boosting his power once more.

With the demon fox's chakra shield, Naruto is again more than Sasuke can handle, even with his cursed seal active. During the fight, Sasuke realizes that his brother must have been more interested in Naruto because of the strange power he has, though the source of that power still escapes him. To counter Naruto's power, 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. The two are now even and in fairly bad shape (their respective states, though powerful, are also detrimental to their bodies), so they finish their battle with a final display of power. Naruto attacks with his signature Rasengan (enhanced by the demon fox's chakra) and Sasuke attacks with his Chidori (also enhanced by his current state). Upon impact, a massive dome of black energy forms around them. Sasuke is able to punch Naruto in the chest an knock him out while Naruto scratches Sasuke's head band.

After the energy dome dissipates, Sasuke is seen to be the victor, now standing over an unconscious Naruto. He considers killing Naruto, but realizes that doing so would be exactly what Itachi wants him to do. Leaving behind his headband, which fell off from Naruto's last attack, Sasuke makes his way to Orochimaru. While doing so, Sasuke resolves to surpass Itachi in his own way, instead of relying on the same skill Itachi uses.

Naruto the Movie
Sasuke played a small role in the first movie. Sasuke was the one who had the tickets to a Princess Fuu'un movie and encountered Fubuki Kakuyoku through out the movie and defeated her with the Lion Combo. Sasuke used Chidori to damage Doto Kazahana's armor, which led to him getting knocked out. He was seen looking out at the newly created Spring country with Sakura holding him and presented Naruto the autograph that he got him from Fuu'un in the ending credits. He also appears in the trailer of the 5th installement.

Reunion
When first meeting Sai, he did not care the slightest and was more interested in Orochimaru's presence. 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, catching Sai in a genjutsu 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 comments on how Naruto and Sakura have been searching for him, Sasuke once again regards him with indifference.

Later, when Sai enters his room while resting he tells Sasuke that he wants to repair his and Naruto's bond together. Sasuke however blows up the room, angered that he was woken up to hear about bonds. Following the explosion, Sakura and Naruto found Sai and Sasuke. While the two looked on at him, Sasuke showed his usual indifference to his former team. Sasuke scolds Naruto on while he spent so much time trying to save him, he could have made himself stronger to become Hokage. Sasuke also told Naruto that he spared his life on a whim, and he would now end it on a whim. However, Sai and Yamato jumped in, forcing Sasuke to reveal his Chidori Current, to paralayze them. When Naruto began his conversation with the demon fox, Sasuke used his Sharingan to enter Naruto's mind to meet the demon fox itself. The demon fox comments that Sasuke's eyes and chakra is far more sinister than its own, because he reminded it of Madara Uchiha. Sasuke then shows the ability to forcefully supress the demon fox's chakra, blasting it back inside its gate. Before releasing Naruto, the demon fox warns Sasuke to not kill Naruto, or he will live to regret it forever. When Sasuke released Naruto, they continued their one-sided fight until Sasuke claimed he was tired of dealing with Konoha and planned to finish them off with Kirin, only to be stopped by Orochimaru. Listening to Orochimaru's plan to use them to thin the Akatsuki numbers, he dissappears with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Defection from Otogakure
Sasuke later appears with Orochimaru after having defeated a large number of Sound ninja while training. Orochimaru scolds Sasuke for not killing a single one of them, to which Sasuke replies that they aren't the ones he wants to kill. Orochimaru also observes that Sasuke wasn't damaged once during the fight, and that Sasuke's abilities far surpass his own when he was Sasuke's age. Later, as Orochimaru lies sick in bed, Sasuke stabs him with a Chidori blade, stating that he is now stronger than Orochimaru and has nothing more to learn from him. He then reveals his pride in his Uchiha heritage, saying that even a genius like Orochimaru is no match for an Uchiha. He expresses his disgust at Orochimaru's attempts to gain the power of the Uchiha (by possessing Sasuke's body) and states his intention to kill him. Having anticipated this, Orochimaru reveals his true form, a giant, white snake, in preparations of taking Sasuke's body. To keep up, Sasuke advances to level 2 of his cursed seal, and does battle with Orochimaru. Sasuke seems to defeat Orochimaru with great ease, but is paralyzed by the snakes' poison. Using his Living Corpse Reincarnation, Orochimaru transfers Sasuke to a dimension within himself where the body transfer is to be made. As Orochimaru takes hold of Sasuke, Sasuke uses his Sharingan to fight the process.

When Kabuto enters the room, he finds Sasuke standing over Orochimaru's dismembered true form. When Kabuto asks who he is, Sasuke replies by using his Sharingan to show Kabuto the confrontation with Orochimaru. In doing so, Sasuke reveals that he managed to take control of the dimension within Orochimaru and that he turned it against him. Although Kabuto believes this to mean Orochimaru is dead, Sasuke merely says that he has taken over and walks away.

Formation of Snake
After arriving in one of Orochimaru's labs, Sasuke releases Suigetsu, a former understudy of Zabuza Momochi. After picking up Zabuza's sword in the Land of Waves for his new ally, the two head off to get two more members of their new team. When asked why he is looking for teammates, Sasuke replies that he has a task he needs to carry out, something that he has been planning since going to Orochimaru years earlier. He also adds that the people he is trying to recruit are the most capable for the job due to their unique abilities, despite the fact that Sasuke could recruit basically anyone he wanted. After arriving at another base and having the prisoners there freed, Sasuke recruits Karin, and the three head out to find their final member, Jugo. Jugo is recruited at the North base. It is revealed that Jugo was the source of the cursed seal and that he has a split personality: before the cursed seal he is gentle and kind, but when he is influenced by the cursed seal he becomes an uncontrollable killer. Kimimaro was the only one who could control him, causing his gentle side to prefer imprisonment. However, Sasuke is able to use his killer intent to frighten Jugo into releasing the seal. With his group established, Sasuke sets out to find Itachi. Snake splits up to search for clues on Itachi's whereabouts, but Sasuke runs into Deidara and Tobi. After a fierce battle in which Deidara kills himself in a suicide attack in attempt to kill Sasuke, and in which Sasuke loses one of his wings in the Cursed seal's level 2 form (though replacing it with snake summons he seems to be able to fly), he rejoins Snake to rest and to restart his mission to find and kill Itachi.

Battle with Itachi
They check out an Akatsuki base that Jugo discovered. Sasuke goes into the base by himself and encounters Itachi. After a short fight, Itachi reveals himself to be a Clone, and tells Sasuke to meet him at an Uchiha Hideout. Sasuke takes "Snake" with him to the meeting place, though he leaves them behind with Kisame Hoshigaki once he reaches his destination.

Sasuke and Itachi meet again, and Sasuke prepares to kill Itachi. Their fight begins using Sharingan Genjutsu. Sasuke appears to have stabbed Itachi, but it was a Genjutsu, with the real Itachi on the throne. Sasuke reflects it and appears to have stabbed Itachi through the chest, and questions Itachi. Itachi reflects it on Sasuke, who dispels it and returns things to reality. Itachi reveals that he had a fellow conspirator, and reveals him to be Madara Uchiha. Itachi then speaks of Madara's history, and tells him the secret of the Mangekyo Sharingan. He told Sasuke that he was his spare, and that he must take his eyes to gain the power Madara once had. Sasuke prepares to finish Itachi.

A fight ensues. Sasuke summons scores of shuriken from seals sewn on his wristbands and throws them at Itachi, who blocks them all. Itachi then creates a Shadow Clone to attack Sasuke, but it is easily destroyed by one of Sasuke's shuriken, energized with the Chidori Current. Itachi then captures Sasuke in Tsukuyomi and appears to have taken his eyes. Sasuke activates his Cursed Seal and dispels the technique. Itachi then falls to the ground, with his eyes being in pain due to the use of Tsukuyomi.

He continues the fight with his brother by throwing shuriken with wires attached to them at Itachi. They are too fast for Itachi to avoid, and he is wrapped in wires and thrown on the ground. Sasuke then uses Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, so Itachi breaks the wires and substitutes himself with a Shadow Clone as a shield. It stops the attack and another Shadow Clone of Itachi jumps towards the roof, so Sasuke leaps up and hits it with a Chidori Current punch, destroying it. The real Itachi performs Great Fireball on Sasuke from on the roof, but Sasuke shields himself with his Cursed Seal wing. Itachi and Sasuke then shoot Great Fireballs at each other, and then he uses Amaterasu, and his eyes begin to bleed. Sasuke shields himself by shedding his skin with Orochimaru's Oral Rebirth Technique, and repairs the damage to his body.

Sasuke then prepares to end the battle with his technique Kirin. With Kirin, Sasuke controls the thunderclouds and almost kills Itachi, but Itachi survives with his technique, Susanoo. The small part of Orochimaru still living in Sasuke emerges due to having forced out the remainder of Sasuke's chakra, but he is easily sealed away by Susanoo's Totsuka Sword, removing Sasuke's Cursed Seal.

Itachi then goes to get Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke is helpless after having his Cursed Seal removed, and is unable to get away. Itachi then attempts to take Sasuke's eyes but stops instead, suddenly falling and dying, and he taps Sasuke on the forehead, which he used to do to him before he wiped out the Uchiha clan. Sasuke is frozen with surprise as he watches Itachi collapse, for reasons completely unknown to him. Zetsu, who was watching the fight, comments that something was wrong with Itachi because he noticed it was difficult for Itachi to maintain his full power since he started experiencing pain, and then started bleeding whenever he used his Mangekyo Sharingan Eye Techniques. Some of Itachi's blood seeps into Sasuke's left eye. Seeing this as his victory, Sasuke smiled before he too loses consciousness.

He is later rescued by Madara Uchiha and takes him to an unknown location. There, Madara gives Sasuke some first-aid. Madara then claims to know the truth about Itachi as he removes his mask revealing a glimpse of his Sharingan. Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan appears in Sasuke's left eye when this happens. There it is revealed that Itachi transferred his Mangekyo Sharingan techniques to Sasuke with Amaterasu was set to activate when it saw Madara's Sharingan. However, the Amaterasu disappears due to Sasuke being unable to control it. Madara tells Sasuke that Itachi did all of this to protect Sasuke. Madara also reveals that it was he who helped Itachi slaughter the Uchiha clan. He also urges Sasuke to ask him questions and continues to explain that Itachi's true intentions have always been to protect the Shinobi World, Konoha, and Sasuke.

"Truth" Revealed
Madara explains the truth about Itachi to Sasuke. He says that Itachi, ANBU member at the time, killed the Uchiha clan upon Konoha's orders. Sasuke is doubtful, but Madara continues, explaining that the only four that knew the truth were Danzo, the Third Hokage, Homura Mitokado and Koharu Utatane, the two elders from Konoha. Madara remarks that since the Third died, the other three probably would refuse to reveal Itachi's true purpose. Madara goes on to explain his and Konoha's past. He starts by explaining that 80 years back, during many shinobi wars, there were two supreme clans, the Senju and the Uchiha. The two clans were by far the most powerful. It got to the point where if one country hired Senju, their enemies were certain to hire Uchiha. Eventually the rivalry pushed both clans to their limits. They negotiated a truce. The united clans then made an agreement with the Land Of Fire. Konohagakure was born. Eventually, one village per country became the norm, as every ninja village hastened to mimic the most powerful force in the ninja world.

Madara went on to explain that he wished to be Hokage to avoid seeing Uchiha destroyed, but that he was the only one who wanted this: everyone else wanted Hashirama Senju. He sought revenge against Hashimara and Konoha, but was defeated in a battle against Hashirama despite summoning the demon fox. Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage and Hashirama's brother, though he attempted to act in good faith was also suspicious of the Uchiha, and began trying to distance their clan from governing the village, instead giving them the job of controlling the Konoha Military Police Force. Later it was speculated that the Uchiha, or later specifically Madara, attacked Konoha using the demon fox, but Madara claims it was a natural disaster.

The village, however, suspected the Uchiha, and the discrimination which had always existed got worse. Eventually, the Uchiha began plotting a coup, installing Itachi in the ANBU as a spy. Itachi, who had witnessed the countless slaughter of people during the third great ninja war as a four year old, and wished to avoid bloodshed, instead informed the Council of the plan. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, tried to negotiate with the Uchiha to no avail, and was eventually forced to order Itachi to attack. Itachi, who figured out that Madara still lived, offered Madara the chance to destroy the Uchiha as revenge, if he swore not to touch the rest of the village. Madara agreed, but Itachi was unable to kill Sasuke. Instead he asked Sarutobi to spare him, and threatened to leak Konoha's secrets to other countries if Danzo interfered. After, Itachi joined Akatsuki. He returned to the village with Kisame a few days after the Chunin Exam Finals and Hiruzen's death in order to show Danzo, that he is in fact still alive. As Madara reaches the end of his story, he states that the only reason Itachi pushed Sasuke so hard during their fight was to bring Orochimaru out. By doing this he was able to seal Orochimaru away and erase his influence and taint as well as the curse mark on Sasuke's neck. Itachi had always planned to die at Sasuke's hand and orchestrated everything to make Sasuke stronger culminating in his own death, thus killing the closest person to Sasuke, the only person he had a bond with his whole life...himself, Itachi. This allowed Sasuke to gain his own Mangekyo Sharingan, and before dying, Itachi planted Amaterasu in Sasuke's eyes as a last line of defense against Madara. Sasuke in shock, refuses to believe what Madara has told him. Madara then explains that Sasuke has accepted the "illusion" that Itachi has made for him. That all this time he was just trying to give Sasuke more power, so that he can be killed and revenge could be taken for the Uchiha clan, by Sasuke himself, to make Sasuke look like a hero in the eyes of the Leaf Village. Even while a disease was killing Itachi from inside, he took all kinds of medicine just to live for the moment when he dies at the feet of his little brother. He left the name "Uchiha" to Sasuke and deceived him all the way to his end. Sasuke is now released and must cope with the "truth", recalling all the happy memories he once had with Itachi, to the point that he begins to shed tears for the first time since his clan was killed. Afterwards he informs Snake that they will now be called "Hawk" and that their new goal is to crush Konoha. It is then revealed that Sasuke has indeed unlocked his own Mangekyo Sharingan.

After the revelation, Sasuke remembers that when he attempted to fight Itachi after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, he noticed Itachi was crying but thought he was seeing things. This memory cements his new dedication for revenge against Konoha. Madara asks him whether he wants to transplant Itachi's eyes (which would grant him the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan). Sasuke refuses, saying that the future he would see would be different from the future Itachi wanted to see, and that he couldn't do things the way Itachi had wanted. Later Team Hawk, Madara, and Kisame began to discuss their plan to attack Konoha. Sasuke states that he intends to target only the village elders. Due to the difficulty of this mission, Madara suggests that Akatsuki and Hawk work together. He promises to give Sasuke the power of the Eight-Tailed Beast in return for his assistance in capturing it.

Hunt for the Eight-Tails
After being sent by Madara to capture the Eight-Tails' host, Sasuke arrives in the Land of Thunder. Here, he confronts a ninja who's clan has ties with the host's clan. Suigetsu tries to extract information about the host by forcible means but Sasuke orders him to move out of the way and uses the left eye of his newly awakened Mangekyo Sharingan and entraps the enemy in a genjutsu which he claims can "exploit fearful hearts". He orders the man to reveal the host's location and appearance, and gets the information quite easily. After this, Team Hawk sets off immediately and confronts the host: Kirābī.

The capture attempt gets off to a bad start, as Kirābī easily defeats both Suigetsu and Jugo and mortally wounds Sasuke by impaling him in the chest with multiple swords. He is saved from death by his team, which drives away Kirābī, following which Karin removes the swords and asks Sasuke to bite her. As he does his wounds heal from her chakra.

Sasuke resumes battle alongside Jugo and Suigetsu, this time without holding back their strength, but to no avail. As Kirābī gets bored and leaves, Jugo uses his strength to lob Sasuke into Kirābī's direction. There he sees Kirābī going into a tailed state and Sasuke recognizes it from his fight with Naruto at the Valley of the End. He dodges Kirābī's attack only to realize that Kirābī was aiming for Team Hawk. Sasuke grows concerned for his teammates as they barely escape Kirābī's wrath. Sasuke then uses his Mangekyo Sharingan to place Kirābī in a Tsukuyomi-like Genjutsu and as he lowers his guard; Kirābī strikes. Kirābī's blow rips open Sasuke's chest and neck; he is once again fatally wounded. Jugo transfers some of his flesh and chakra to Sasuke to save him. Jugo says that he had to save Sasuke because he was the last thing that reminded him of Kimimaro. Seeing how far Jugo, Karin and Suigetsu will go for him, and also is reminded of Team 7, Sasuke realized he was never alone from the start. Sasuke then activates Mangekyo Sharingan and casts Amaterasu at the Eight-Tailed Kirābī, which knocks him out. Team Hawk then proceeds to capture him.

Carrying Kirābī' as well as their wounded teammates, Sasuke and Jugo travel to another Akatsuki hideout, where he hands over the unconscious Kirābī to Madara. Madara asks him where he intends to go next. Sasuke replies that after healing his injuries, he will go to Konoha. At this, Madara remembers a conversation he had with Sasuke before the latter left to capture the Eight-Tails. Madara was skeptical about Sasuke's stated intention to crush Konoha (which would go against Itachi's wishes) and questioned his motives. At this, Sasuke said that although he wanted to respect Itachi's sacrifice, his feelings of anger and sorrow at Itachi's fate were much greater. He further said that he considered Itachi's life to have been more important than Konoha in the same way Itachi felt about him, and because of that he could never forgive the three Konoha elders for their actions. He then revealed that he had lied when he said he only wanted to kill the three elders and that he instead wanted to destroy the entire village, whom he considered accomplices for going along with the Senju's discrimination of the Uchiha, and for enjoying a temporary "peace" at the cost of Itachi's life and the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Thus, he made it clear that he had no intention of following in Itachi's footsteps, to which Madara remained silent. Madara thinks to himself, "In all those who feel love, there lies the capacity for hate".

The Wait for Pain
As his team rests, Suigetsu asks Sasuke if they will really get the power of the Eight-Tails, but Sasuke surmises that he doesn't need it. He then thinks to himself that he already has the power to destroy Konoha (with his Mangekyo Sharingan) and reaches for a glass of water. Much to his surprise, Sasuke accidentally knocks over the glass. In horror, he realizes that his eyesight has gotten hazy. Karin asks him if he is all right, to which Sasuke lies, telling her that nothing is wrong.

Suddenly, Karin senses an enemy outside their base and Sasuke and Jugo go to intercept him. This enemy turns out to be a spy sent by the Raikage to keep tabs on Hawk's movements. Later, other Cloud ninjas sent by the Raikage arrive, only to find that Team Hawk are gone and the spy (apparently) dead.

Afterwards, it is revealed that Sasuke actually failed in capturing the Eight-Tails, as Kirābī fooled him into taking a tail of the Eight-Tails disguised as his body, instead of the beast itself.

Abilities
Sasuke is established as a natural genius at the series' start, excelling at all that he does and finding little difficulty in more challenging tasks, which is most immediately evident through his proficiency with the Uchiha clan's Fire Release Techniques, as well as a number of other weapon-dependent attacks. In addition, both Madara Uchiha and Orochimaru have stated that Sasuke possesses the ability to become much stronger than Itachi. By Part II, he develops most of his potential and becomes a very powerful ninja, strong enough to hold the upperhand against Itachi for some of their fight in Part II (though Itachi was sick and in a weakened state at that point, and wasn't even trying to win), and has also proven capable of easily defeating a small army of shiobi without even getting a single scratch on him. As a member of the Uchiha Clan, Sasuke possesses the Sharingan, the clan's Bloodline Limit, which first develops during Itachi's departure from Konoha after the Uchiha Clan Massacre and eventually reaches completion during his battle with Naruto at the end of Part I. While his ability with the Sharingan is fairly ordinary during Part I, Sasuke is able to develop a number of more novel uses for it in Part II. During his encounter with Naruto, Sasuke is able to use his Sharingan to enter Naruto's subconscious where he proceeds to suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox residing within Naruto. In this instance, the demon compares Sasuke's eyes and chakra to that of Madara which it claims is even more sinister than its own. When Orochimaru later tries to take over his body, Sasuke is able to use his Sharingan to fight the process and turn it against Orochimaru. His Sharingan Genjutsu abilities have also increased over the timeskip, allowing him to easily hypnotize opponents. His skill with the Sharingan has grown to the point where he could overcome the Mangekyo Sharingan Genjutsu, Tsukuyomi.

Sasuke is able to put the Sharingan to good use in Part I after his brief encounter with Rock Lee. Although their fight is ended soon after its start and Sasuke is unable to see much of Lee's arsenal, what he is able to copy with his Sharingan is utilized for the duration of the Chunin Exams. His newfound Taijutsu abilities are first seen in the form of Peregrine Falcon Drop, which consists of wrapping himself around an airborne opponent to ensure they are unable to save themselves upon impact with the ground. A derivative of this jutsu is seen again as the Lion Combo, and after kicking an opponent into the air Sasuke delivers a series of blows to them, eventually culminating in a debilitating kick to the chest. Sakura mentions after their first encounter in Part II that his growth rate wasn't normal, even suggesting that Sasuke has been taking special drugs.

An important aspect of Sasuke's growth as a shinobi in Part I is his acquisition of the Cursed Seal of Heaven. Orochimaru, recognising his potential, bestowed the seal on him as a gift in order to grant him greater strength and entice him to seek Orochimaru for further power. Initially, Sasuke suppresses the seal on Kakashi's advice, but later on, his frustration with his inadequate strength forces him to rely upon its power in battles. When activated, the Curse Seal grants him enhanced speed, strength, durability and chakra. However, it corrodes both his body and his mind, giving him a darker personality and making him vulnerable to Orochimaru's influence.

After defecting from Konoha, with the help of the Sound Four Sasuke activates his Cursed Seal to Level 2, allowing it to cover his entire body. This grants him power comparable to One-Tailed Naruto. The Second Level of the Cursed Seal turns Sasuke's skin dark grey, grows his hair longer without losing its style, a dark star-shaped mark on the bridge of his nose and hand shaped wings on his back. In this form, not only are from his physical attributes increased, but his jutsus are also enhanced by the Curse Seal's dark chakra. However, this form corrodes his body at a much faster rate, so he cannot use it for prolonged periods. In Part II, Sasuke gains complete control over the Cursed Seal, and can even acess its power without keeping it constantly active, as shown in his fight with Itachi in Part II.

As with Jiraiya passing the Toad Contract to Naruto, Orochimaru gave Sasuke the Snake Contract to use the Summoning Technique to snakes such as Manda. Sasuke can also use Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to summon snakes from his hands to attack opponents or wrap around him as a shield. After absorbing Orochimaru, Sasuke gains regenerative powers that allow him to heal at a much faster rate than usual. He is also able to use Orochimaru's Oral Rebirth Technique to shed his skin, repairing any damage to his body. After Itachi seals Orochimaru away, he loses these powers and his Cursed Seal also disappears.

To encourage Sasuke not to use the cursed seal, Kakashi teaches him how to use the Chidori, made more effective when combined with his Sharingan and the speed he has copied from Rock Lee. With this combination Sasuke can punch through the strongest obstacles with relative ease, as well as severely damage any opponent. In Part I, Sasuke is limited to using the attack only twice a day, with a third usage after the initial activation of his cursed seal. Over the timeskip, Sasuke puts great deals of development into the Chidori's ability to manipulate lightning-based chakra. When first seen in Part II he is able to use Chidori Current to emit electricity from all over his body as a shield that stuns those it comes into contact with. If need be, Sasuke can channel this force into his new Kusanagi, creating a destructive blade. He can even concentrate this chakra into highly condensed needle-like forms, which he can throw in volleys with pinpoint accuracy. Sasuke has also taken to using form manipulation on the Chidori itself to create an extendable blade form, although he is only able to extend it to 5 meters in length. This blade is also capable of splitting into multiple additional blades upon contact with an enemy, drastically increasing the number of wounds it can inflict. He has also shown the ability to send the chidori through the ground, creating an electric current beneath his opponent's feet. His most powerful technique is the Kirin, a technique which requires real lightning as opposed to his chakra. If there are no clouds available, Sasuke can use Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique to make the right storm conditions and Sasuke simply has to use his chakra to draw the lightning towards his foe.

During his battle with Itachi, Itachi permanently seals away the part of Orochimaru still residing in Sasuke with his Susanoo technique (Kabuto integrated the majority of Orochimaru's remains into himself), removing Sasuke's Cursed Seal, then dies himself but passes all his Mangekyo Sharingan techniques to Sasuke through a poke on the forehead. Itachi did so in an effort to help him fight against Madara, setting to activate when it catches sight of Madara's Sharingan. Later, when he realizes that Itachi was good all along, and did all he could to protect Sasuke and help him grow, Sasuke awakens his own Mangekyo Sharingan.

Having recieved all of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan techniques, Sasuke is now able to use Amaterasu and presumably Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. In his fight with Kirābī, he used a genjutsu which has been speculated to be Tsukuyomi due to having similar effects. He has also showed the ability to extinguish the so-called unextinguishable flames of Amaterasu, which he used to save Karin and Kirābī's lives when they were being burnt by it. As with Itachi, Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan techniques damage his eyesight and drain his chakra every time he uses them. While resting after his fight with Kirābī, Sasuke finds that his vision is slightly blurred, which shows that he is gradually going blind.

Creation and conception
When developing the original Naruto manga, Masashi Kishimoto had not initially intended to create Sasuke. After speaking with his editor about the future of the series, he was advised to create a rival character for the series' protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, resulting in Sasuke's creation. To learn more about creating an effective rivalry, Kishimoto read a variety of manga to gather ideas on what constituted such a rivalry, and he coalesced these ideal elements into one relationship. Because Sasuke is intended to be Naruto's opposite, Kishimoto is always careful to make sure Sasuke is never too emotional. With Sasuke's character being that of a "cool genius," Kishimoto feels he has created the ideal rivalry.

Sasuke's design gave Kishimoto a number of problems, making him the most difficult character he had to create. Because he lacked a proper idea of what Sasuke's face should look like, initial drafts of Sasuke appeared too old or mature for a character the same age as Naruto. Once settling on a proper face, Kishimoto worked on Sasuke's attire. Original designs of Sasuke had a number of necklaces and ties around his arms and legs, a result of Kishimoto's habit of giving characters as much ornamentation as possible. Realizing he could not draw such a complex character on a weekly basis, Kishimoto simplified the design to a basic contrast of Naruto's costume.

For Kishimoto, Sasuke remains the most difficult character for him to draw. While drawing, errors and mishaps commonly result in Sasuke's youthful appearance being lost, a result of Kishimoto's inexperience in drawing characters mature beyond their years. Sasuke's hair, originally kept short to save Kishimoto time, has slowly gotten longer as the series has progressed, increasing the amount of time needed to draw Sasuke. Sasuke received a new costume during the final portion of the Chunin Exam arc, which featured a number of belts strapped around his arms and legs. Due to the time needed to draw a costume of this design, Kishimoto returned Sasuke to his original costume in the following arc. Despite the time and energy Kishimoto spends drawing Sasuke, Sasuke has become his favorite character to draw.

Appearance
Kishimoto has stated that Sasuke is his favourite character to draw. This is perhaps the reason why he gets the largest number of costume changes in Naruto. At the beginning of Part I, Sasuke's clothing made up a blue, short-sleeved shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back and white shorts. By the end of the Chunin exams, he had a black version of this outfit but eventually went back to his original clothes. In Part II, Sasuke wears a white jacket with a smaller version of the Uchiha symbol high up on his back. He wears dark blue pants with a blue cloth hanging from his waist to his knees. He also wears a purple rope belt tied in a bow fashion found on many Sound ninja.

After battling Deidara, his upper body fatigue was changed to a sleeveless-black shirt, his armguards were also removed and he started using bandages on his hands.

After he encountered and battled Itachi, he reverted to a white shirt, similar to the one he used at the start of Part II, but with shorter sleeves. He also started using armguards again, though these were smaller than the orignal ones.

He currently wears an Akatsuki cloak along with this.

Sasuke has black hair with a blue tint that lengthens as the story goes with onyx eyes.

In his curse seal form, he has light brown skin with wings on his back that resemble giant webbed hands. He also has hair similar to Madara Uchiha except in a greyish-blue.

Trivia

 * Sasuke was never intended to appear in Naruto at all. He was suggested as a concept for a rival character by Masashi Kishimoto's editor and publisher; shortly after, he was added to the series.

Quotes

 * "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. What I have is not a dream, because I will make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone."
 * "You are not hurt are you, scaredy cat?"
 * "Sakura...., thank you."
 * "I..., am an avenger!!!"
 * (In a flashback, shortly after the massacre) "Brother..., no matter how deep I have to plunge myself into darkness, I will do it in order to kill you! No matter what happens, I will get that power!!"
 * (To Naruto) "What do you know about me, with no siblings or parents?! You were alone from the start! What the hell do you know?! Huh?! I suffer because of the bonds I once had! You don't know what it's like to lose all that!"
 * "I will not do as you say. I will obtain power in my own way. I will surpass you in my own way!"
 * "...Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage one of your dreams...? If you have the time to chase me around, you would have been better off training..., don't you think, Naruto? And that's why this time..., you're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine."
 * (To Madara) "...The elders who discriminated against Uchiha! Who ordered my brother to kill his own parents! Who drove him to his own death! And the whole village who worships Senju! They're nothing but a pile of shit! I want revenge on them all!"
 * (To Madara) "If you think I'm just some stupid kid ruled by his emotions, then so be it. Saying I should follow in Itachi's footsteps is nothing but pretty words. It's nonsense meant for those who don't know hatred. If anyone wants to deny my way of living, I'll kill everyone they cared about! Maybe then they'll understand..., a little of my hatred."