Sasuke Uchiha

is one of the last surviving members of Konohagakure's Uchiha clan. After his older brother, Itachi, slaughtered their clan, Sasuke made it his mission in life to avenge them. He is added to Team 7 upon becoming a ninja and, through competition with his rival and best friend, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke starts developing his skills. Dissatisfied with his progress, he defects from Konoha so that he can acquire the strength needed to have his revenge. His years of seeking vengeance become increasingly demanding, irrational and isolates him from others, leading him to become an international criminal. After proving instrumental in ending the Fourth Shinobi World War and being happily redeemed by Naruto, Sasuke decides to return to Konoha and dedicates his life to help protect the village and its inhabitants.

Background
Sasuke is the second and youngest son of Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha; they named him after Sasuke Sarutobi in the hopes that he would someday be just as strong a shinobi. Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi, a natural prodigy who many in the Uchiha clan and the village would constantly compare Sasuke and any of his accomplishments to Itachi. Sasuke himself adored Itachi, never passing up an opportunity to spend time with him. Although Itachi welcomed his company, letting Sasuke watch him train and taking him on adventures into the forests, Itachi in return rarely helped Sasuke himself become a better shinobi; when asked, he would often instead poke Sasuke's forehead and promise to do so some other time. Sasuke found this annoying, but didn't allow it to blemish his high opinion of his brother.

On entering the Konoha Ninja Academy, Sasuke proved to be the standout of his class, consistently getting top grades. However, he could never meet the same milestones Itachi had set, resulting in their father paying Sasuke little attention. Aware of this neglect, Itachi, despite being increasingly busy, tried to stand in for their father by giving Sasuke the recognition he craved, at times even blackmailing Fugaku to spend time with Sasuke. As time went on, Itachi started becoming distant with and cold towards their family, culminating in a falling out with much of the Uchiha clan on their suspicion that he'd killed his best friend, Shisui Uchiha. Sasuke did not understand the reason for this, but he didn't mind the side-effect: his father began taking an interest in his development. Fugaku taught Sasuke how to perform the Great Fireball Technique, which he mastered in a week. Fugaku stated his pride in Sasuke for this accomplishment, but at the same time encouraged him not to follow in Itachi's footsteps.

After a long day of training, Sasuke returned home one night to find the streets littered with the bodies of the Uchiha. He rushed home to notify his family of this Uchiha Clan Massacre, only to find Itachi standing over the bodies of their parents. Sasuke tried to solicit help and comfort from Itachi, who responded by using Tsukuyomi on him to torment him with visions of him murdering their family. Horrified by what Itachi had done, Sasuke pleaded for an explanation, to which Itachi replied that it was to test his own power. Fearful that he would be next, Sasuke tried to run. Itachi cornered him and explained that Sasuke, as he then was, would not be worth killing. Only by becoming stronger, such as by acquiring his own Mangekyō Sharingan, could he prove a worthwhile challenge to Itachi's abilities. Before leaving, Itachi encouraged Sasuke to hate him, to desire revenge, and to gain power from that. Sasuke immediately followed through, pursuing Itachi and using his newly-awakened Sharingan to attack him. The attack failed and Sasuke passed out, but not before glimpsing Itachi crying; Sasuke would forget this had happened for many years.

Sasuke, now one of the last surviving Uchiha, was alone. He spent the first few days after the massacre wandering his family's compound, reflecting on the people who were now gone, killed by Itachi. Sasuke decided to do what Itachi had instructed and dedicated his life to vengeance, having no other interest than bringing about Itachi's death. He threw himself into his studies at the Academy, making no efforts to form friendships and ignoring all of the girls' attempts to gain his affection. One of his classmates, Naruto, disliked Sasuke's cool personality and the attention he received, and developed a one-sided rivalry in his pursuit to prove himself just as good as, if not better than, Sasuke. For his part, Sasuke thought little of Naruto and was usually annoyed by his outbursts, but would, at times, secretly smile at how hard Naruto worked because of him. Ironically, for all the attention he received, Naruto was the only person among his peers who understood Sasuke due to the painful experiences he had.

Personality
Sasuke was a happy child, eager to please and be worthy of his family name. This changed after his entire family was killed by Itachi, the person he most admired in the world. He became cold toward others, unmoved by and uninterested in what they do or think of him, choosing instead to keep to himself. He stopped using honourifics like "sensei" or "sama", something considered rude in the Japanese language. His only goal in life became to take revenge for his family's deaths and, by extension, acquire the power needed for that revenge, even if it meant acquiring an external power that wasn't his own.

The pursuit of power, difficult enough on its own, is something that Sasuke repeatedly struggles with. Whenever he meets new people, he makes an evaluation of their abilities: those he perceives to be weaker than himself he arrogantly disregards, giving them as little attention as possible so that they won't hold him back; those he perceives as stronger he fixates over and tries to surpass, especially when he believes he should be their equal. As a member of Team 7 he is repeatedly exposed to Kakashi Hatake's philosophy that there is strength in teamwork. For a time, Sasuke accepts this, experiencing it first-hand on several of Team 7's missions. He even starts becoming attached to his team-mates and starts to forget the vengeance he craved. But when he meets Itachi again in Part I and is summarily defeated, Sasuke decides the team is making him weak and chooses to leave them and Konoha entirely, focusing solely on himself.

Prior to Sasuke's defection, Kakashi tries to point out the contradiction in Sasuke's viewpoint: he is driven to gain power because he lost his family, yet sacrifices the family he still has (Team 7) in order to gain that power. In Part II, Sasuke allows Orochimaru to experiment on him as long as he becomes stronger, only to turn against Orochimaru for using him in the first place and acquires new teammates with abilities that could further his goals. Sasuke initially set a no-kill policy for himself and his team against those unrelated to his revenge. This was dropped as his hatred increased: at the Kage Summit, he slaughtered numerous samurai in cold blood and recklessly challenged the five Kage before killing Danzō Shimura; he tries to kill Karin and Team 7 when they impede or attempt to dissuade him from his objectives; he allies with Tobi and Akatsuki when their goals align, but leaves them without comment when he no longer needs them. His abandonment of all his former loyalties and his criminal acts convince his former classmates that Sasuke is beyond salvation.

After his final encounter with Itachi, Sasuke is left uncertain about what course to take; Orochimaru hypothesises this indecision is due to Sasuke, for the first time, being without anybody to tell him what to do. From long contemplation, Sasuke decides that the desire for retribution that drove him for so long is the perfect solution to the world's problems: if a single individual, what Sasuke calls the "Hokage", is solely responsible for making the difficult decisions, killing and the like for the greater good, then everybody will be unified in their hatred of that individual. He volunteers himself for that responsibility and, in order to prepare himself, plans to eliminate what few friendships he still has, namely Naruto. But Naruto, by refusing to give up on saving Sasuke from darkness, demonstrates that their friendship is too fundamental to who Sasuke is and that it cannot nor should it be broken. On coming to terms with this, Sasuke stops fighting the many bonds he's made and chooses to die so the Curse of Hatred would die along with him. However, after further convincing from Naruto, Sasuke chose to live to find redemption instead.

One of Sasuke's most significant bonds is the one he has with his older brother, Itachi, who by merely being mentioned can elicit strong reactions from Sasuke's otherwise calm demeanour. Sasuke adored Itachi when he was a boy, enjoying his company above all others'; as an infant, he would cry whenever he was held by someone besides Itachi and immediately be happy once held by his big brother again. When Itachi murdered the rest of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke was crushed not only by the loss of his family but also by what Itachi told him: that he had never loved Sasuke. Sasuke devotes years of his life to avenging their family by killing Itachi, which Itachi encourages whenever they meet. Sasuke is accordingly careful not to follow Itachi's instructions too closely, such as by not acquiring a Mangekyō Sharingan, as he doesn't want Itachi to have the satisfaction. After Itachi dies in battle with Sasuke, however, Sasuke learns that the hateful older brother that Itachi seemed to be was an act and that, in truth, Sasuke was the most precious person to Itachi; his murder of the Uchiha was done on instructions of Konoha, in order to protect Sasuke. Sasuke becomes overwhelmed by this discovery and starts conspiring against Konoha and all its citizens for ruining his and Itachi's lives, knowing full well it isn't what Itachi would want him to do. He changes his mind after he is able to speak to a reincarnated Itachi, adopting some of Itachi's views: he decides to fight for Konoha's future so that Itachi's actions aren't made meaningless and bases his understanding of the "Hokage" around the decisions Itachi made. He also starts poking the foreheads of others as a sign of affection, something Itachi used to always do with him.

Sasuke first met Sakura Haruno when they were children in the Academy, where his good looks caused her to become infatuated with him, which later grew into love. On his part, Sasuke was aware Sakura had feelings for him, but he showed no interest in her and considered her to be annoying. After they became team-mates, they began to interact more and acknowledge each other's strengths and weaknesses, causing Sasuke to think of her as someone he needs to protect. Despite feeling grateful of how much she is willing to do to make him happy, he still abandons the prospect of being with her to pursue revenge and defect Konoha. By the time the Fourth Shinobi World War gets underway, Sasuke had becomes so consumed with hatred that he was willing to kill Sakura, who had never given up on bringing him back home but was left devastated of how cruel he had become. After the war, a redeemed Sasuke apologizes to Sakura for how much he hurt her and she tearfully forgives him, allowing them to reconcile. They later maintain a long distant relationship while he pursues a journey of redemption. Sasuke was indecisive of whether to settle in Konoha until he learns from Naruto's letter that Sakura never lost faith in him, causing him to return to the village. They later marry and have a daughter, Sarada. As a father, Sasuke seems to be a loving and doting one, as he can never bear to see Sarada sad and is willing to do anything to make her happy. However, Sasuke tends to be emotionally distant with his family for the sake of his duties, though he feels a strong connection to them when they are apart. Sasuke loves his daughter dearly, as he puts her safety before his own, and promises her to come home before returning on his traveling. While Sasuke is happy in his marriage to Sakura, he enjoys teasing her by declining to show her affection.

During his time as a wanderer, Sasuke was a recluse, keeping contact with people to an absolute minimum and maintained his strong sense of pride; he is willing to help the villages if their problems are beyond their expertise but ignores their requests if facing insignificant issues. He also sometimes act independently on his own and helps the five nations, but does not even bother to interact with anyone during such instances, although he does leave strong hints he was responsible. Acknowledging his mistakes and once free from hate and vengeance, Sasuke reverts back to the type of person he was prior to the massacre; being kind to others and displaying a sense of humour but maintaining his aloof exterior. Although publicly regarded as a hero for his role in the war, Sasuke feels that his crimes and imperfections out weigh anything heroic he has ever done.

As an adult, Sasuke becomes wiser and mature, as well as genuinely warm and caring, although he retains his habit of insulting others, albeit more comically than coldly. Although he fulfils Itachi's wish for him to live and protect Konoha, his duty of protecting it from the shadows and investigating the mysteries of Kaguya leave Sasuke unable to spend time with his family, to the point where he failed to recognise his daughter Sarada. Sasuke takes his duties as a shinobi and a father seriously: he spends most of his daughter's childhood investigating threats greater than Kaguya; he is protective of Sarada and is very supportive of her goal to become Hokage and not end up like him. Sasuke admits his mistakes as a father, but he has strong parenting skills, as he has faith in Sarada's abilities. Nevertheless, Sasuke loves his family dearly, as he tries to spend time with them when he is able to come home, and expresses pride in his daughter's growth and achievements.

Appearance
Hashirama Senju says Sasuke strongly resembles Izuna Uchiha: he has black eyes and spiky black hair with a blue tint. Sasuke's hair has hung over his face as bangs since he was a child, which as he gets older he allows to grow longer and, in turn, cover more of his face; by adulthood, his hair completely covers his left eye. He is considered handsome by most girls near his age.

Sasuke loses his left arm at the end of the Fourth Shinobi World War, though unlike Naruto, he opts not to have it replaced. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, he wears a black high-collared shirt, a midriff-exposing flak jacket, and light blue pants. Most of this goes unseen, as he wears a tattered light brown poncho over it. He wraps bandages around his ankles and a blue sash around his head during this appearance. In Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise, he wears a black cloak over a black shirt and pants with a white belt and white bandages wrapped up to his knees on both legs. In his later adulthood, Sasuke dons a black cloak with lavender lining, and an grey, long-sleeved, collared shirt, over which he wears a periwinkle vest. He also wears black pants, a purple belt, and dark grey fingerless glove on his remaining hand. He once again wears his forehead protector, letting it hang from his left hip. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Sasuke's outfit is revised, having his black cloak gain a storm flap, a maroon cinch on the collar, and maroon lining. His long-sleeved shirt gains light grey cuffs, and he wears a pair of brown leather belts with a black sheath for his sword, a brown leather shuriken holster, and brown leather shinobi boots.

Abilities
Like his older brother Itachi, Sasuke is recognised as a natural prodigy of the Uchiha clan, graduating at the top of his class in the Academy. He makes a strong impression on Kakashi Hatake in the bell test and fights on par with strong shinobi such as Haku and Gaara in Part I. Powerful individuals have noted Sasuke's great potential: Orochimaru offers to help drastically increase his power; Madara Uchiha notes he would have liked to recruit Sasuke had he only been born a few years earlier. Under Orochimaru's tutelage for two-and-a-half years, Sasuke grows strong enough to fight members of Akatsuki such as Deidara and Itachi, two of the Five Kage, and defeat Danzō Shimura, one of Konoha's strongest ninja. With the Six Paths Chakra, he could help overwhelm Madara as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, and Kurama compared Sasuke's prowess to that of the Sage of Six Paths. As an adult, despite losing his left arm, he could defeat all the kekkei genkai shinobi of the coliseum, and years later could fight on par with Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki. Also, as an adult, Sasuke is stated to be the only shinobi who is on par with Naruto.

Chakra and Physical Prowess
Sasuke's chakra is quite strong, in part because he is the reincarnation of Indra Ōtsutsuki. Though this quality is never really touched upon in Part I, it is frequently noted in Part II: whenever Sasuke's Curse of Hatred deepens, others remark how much stronger, darker, and more sinister his chakra becomes. His reserves are also quite large, enough to use Chidori twice a day during Part I without aid. They increase by Part II as Sasuke becomes able to use Chidori and related techniques multiple times in a single day as well as summon creatures as large as Manda. His chakra control, though less refined than Sakura Haruno's, is nevertheless very high. In the anime, he could effectively perform hand seals between his own and an enemy's hand. In adulthood, after losing one of his arms, he learned to use one-handed hand seals. Various times throughout the series, Sasuke has shown the ability to sense specifically Naruto's chakra. During his final battle against Naruto, he was once again able to sense Naruto's build-up of chakra and natural energy from Kurama. He likewise was able to sense Naruto's chakra from a different dimension when Naruto was captured by Momoshiki. However, due to not being a sensor, Sasuke has not shown the ability to sense anyone else's chakra as he can with Naruto.

Sasuke is very capable in taijutsu, enough to hold his own in hand-to-hand combat against multiple opponents at once. His most consistent physical display is his speed, and by extension his reaction time: Haku remarks on how impressive Sasuke is in both regards during their battle. After re-awakening his Sharingan, Sasuke concentrates on honing his speed and reflexes so that he can react to the Sharingan's heightened visual information, which he accomplishes by imitating Rock Lee's movements. His speed is even shown able to match, if not exceed various other fast techniques like Shield of Sand or Lightning Release Chakra Mode respectively, and enough to physically incapacitate opponents before they realise he's even approached them. Between his increased speed and taijutsu prowess, it becomes very difficult for his opponents to find enough time to perform even a single hand seal.

Sakura, after re-encountering Sasuke for the first time in Part II, finds the improvement to his abilities unnaturally high and hypothesises that he was given drugs by Orochimaru. Orochimaru is known to have experimented on Sasuke, enough to make him immune to poisons, but it's not known what other modifications he may have received. He acquires some of Orochimaru's attributes after absorbing him, such as additional chakra reserves, a faster healing rate, and the ability to shed his body, all of which are lost when Orochimaru is removed from him. He later receives half of Hagoromo's power, which he evidently is able to keep.

Cursed Seal
Orochimaru brands Sasuke with the Cursed Seal of Heaven after their first encounter in Part I. When active, the cursed seal saps Sasuke's own chakra and replaces it with a larger amount of Orochimaru's, in turn increasing his strength and speed. Though useful, Sasuke's early uses of the cursed seal are often involuntary, painful while active, and leave him briefly unable to move afterwards. These shortcomings are either minimised or eliminated once he becomes able to enter the cursed seal's second state: a transformation that turns his skin grey, lengthens his hair, and causes him to develop wings. The transformation's boosts to his physical parameters are similar to a jinchūriki's version 1 forms, which by Part II he can isolate to parts of his body.

Itachi removes the cursed seal from Sasuke's body during Part II, preventing him from using it again. However, he remains compatible with the cursed seal's source, Jūgo, allowing Jūgo to provide him flesh or chakra as the need arises.

Ninjutsu
Sasuke learns to summon snakes during his time with Orochimaru. He typically summons them as shields, rapid ground transportation, or to bind targets. Unseen outside of the Animal Path, Sasuke can also summon a second animal species: hawks. His use of hawks is more limited than snakes, using them only for flight and the additional manoeuvrability that allows. By adulthood, Sasuke is able to use the Shadow Clone Technique.

Bukijutsu
As an Uchiha, Sasuke is trained with a variety of different ninja tools. When he was a child, he once used (inexpertly) a bow and arrow to hunt a boar with Itachi, practice that later becomes useful for his Susanoo. His area of expertise is in shurikenjutsu, allowing him to throw shuriken and kunai with precision; for complicated or moving targets, Sasuke can guide shuriken to their mark using either wire strings or deflecting them off each other. Though his throwing speed is faster than most, it doesn't compare to Itachi, prompting him to devise the Lightning Flash Blade Creation: by sealing shuriken and kunai into his arm bracelets, Sasuke can always have a large supply ready, allowing him to barrage targets in an instant.

Sasuke begins using a sword after training with Orochimaru, wielding it just as skillfully in either hand. He uses what he calls his "Sword of Kusanagi" regularly throughout Part II, often to cut down multiple opponents in a short period of time. He uses it defensively as well, blocking incoming attacks or holding off skilled swordsmen; Mifune, a samurai, praises Sasuke's swordsmanship. By adulthood, Sasuke becomes skilled enough to instantly switch between wielding his sword backhanded and normally even during a clash.

Nature Transformation
Sasuke can use all five basic nature transformations, as well as Yin Release; he could already utilise two natures at age 13. As an Uchiha, he has a natural affinity for Fire Release, mastering the clan's Great Fireball Technique years before becoming a genin. Sasuke can also coat fire around his shuriken, guide his flames along wire strings, or create a succession of dragon-shaped fireballs. His Fire Release-prowess is shown strong enough to easily disperse most Water Release technique.

Sasuke's other natural affinity is Lightning Release, the Chidori he learns from Kakashi being his first. While effective at piercing most targets, the standard Chidori is a very close-range attack. For this reason, Sasuke uses the principles of Chidori to create several long-range jutsu in Part II, such as throwable needles, extendable swords, and scattershot streams. He often channels his lightning chakra into his Sword of Kusanagi to increase its cutting power. When using his cursed seal or the Six Paths Chakra, his lightning chakra becomes darker in colour, though it's not clear if this changes its actual properties in any way.

Sharingan
Sasuke first awakened his Sharingan on the night of the Uchiha Clan Downfall, though he isn't able to do so again until several years later, at the start of Part I. With the Sharingan, Sasuke can see the flow of chakra, accurately reproduce any movement he sees (his own physical skill permitting), track fast-moving objects, and, by the end of Part I, predict opponents' movement to a degree. He can also use Genjutsu: Sharingan for broad purposes such as distraction, interrogation, knocking targets out, or placing them under his control. He can use his Sharingan to relay information to others or enter their subconscious, which in the case of jinchūriki allows him to suppress their tailed beasts.

Mangekyō Sharingan
Sasuke awakens his Mangekyō Sharingan after Itachi's death, once he comes to terms with the fact that Itachi was the single most significant relationship he had. Its design gives the appearance of three intersecting ellipses. Sasuke is warned before receiving his Mangekyō that using it deteriorates the user's eyesight, and for that reason Tobi repeatedly recommends that Sasuke take Itachi's eyes to gain "eternal" Mangekyō. Sasuke puts off doing this until he's nearly blind, just before the start of the Fourth Shinobi World War; the transplanted eyes resemble a cross between Sasuke's and Itachi's Mangekyō. His Eternal Mangekyō is a type, granting him fluidity in his movements when fighting.

With his left Mangekyō, Sasuke can use Amaterasu, igniting whatever he looks at with black flames that can burn anything. With his right Mangekyō, he can use Kagutsuchi to shape the flames into a variety of forms for offensive or defensive purposes. This ability to manipulate his Amaterasu makes him more skilled than Itachi was with his own. Having awakened the Mangekyō in both his eyes, Sasuke can use Susanoo, a spectral warrior that protects him and acts on his behalf. It takes repeated uses before he's able to fully form Susanoo. Its evolutions are often marked by moments of intense hatred. Initially, Sasuke can only create Susanoo's skeletal features, such as ribs for defence or arms to interact with his surroundings. He is steadily able to layer musculature and skin over the bones, and later armour to increase its defences. Upon receiving the Rinnegan, with its supreme ocular power, he is able to create the significantly larger Complete Body — Susanoo, comparable in power to Tailed Beast Mode.

Like all Susanoo, Sasuke's has several swords at its disposal that it can use against larger targets or to easily destroy nearby structures. More commonly, his Susanoo employs a bow that can fire arrows at rapid speeds and that can, when needed, double as a shield. Though most of these arrows are made of the same chakra as Susanoo itself, Sasuke can also fashion arrows made from Amaterasu's flames or, by channelling the tailed beasts' chakra, lightning; Sasuke calls the latter Indra's Arrow, his strongest attack. Susanoo can also be formed around the Nine-Tails in order to give it a sword and armour of its own, and serve as a medium for his various techniques like Chidori.

Rinnegan
After receiving half of Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki's chakra, Sasuke's left Sharingan awakens the Rinnegan. Unique to it, Sasuke's has six tomoe that, when present, indicate his eye is fully charged. If it loses its charge, Sasuke cannot use the Rinnegan eye's full abilities until the tomoe returns, and he can't activate the Mangekyō in his right eye as well; keeping his eye closed is shown to speed up the recharge rate. After first obtaining it, Sasuke was unable to deactivate his Rinnegan, forcing him to close it if he used too much chakra to control it properly. Sometime during the first two years of his travels, he mastered it enough to deactivate it at will.

Sasuke's Rinnegan grants him access to the Six Paths Techniques, though he's only been seen briefly using the Preta Path to absorb chakra and the Deva Path to create Chibaku Tensei (or make use of the attractive force in the anime). He can use it to see invisible targets, repel the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and turn his Susanoo into a vessel for the tailed beasts' chakra, much like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path. He can sense Naruto's chakra through dimensions and accordingly travel dimensions by himself or with others; in Boruto: Naruto the Movie, these inter-dimensional portals manifest as dark oval-shaped spirals. His most frequent usage of his Rinnegan is for Amenotejikara, which allows him to instantly swap places with anything in a specific range.

Intelligence
Sasuke is very intelligent, having earned top grades in his Academy class. In combat, he usually remains on the offensive, rarely pausing in his attacks or falling back to regroup. Rather, Sasuke observes as he goes, being mindful to all factors on the battlefield and analysing his opponents' techniques to understand their mechanics and purposes. He is accordingly accustomed to coming up with tactics on the fly, choosing whatever approach, no matter how elaborate, will be most successful at the exact moment. His strategies could be considered irresponsible or risky, as he has on more than one occasion placed himself or allies in harm's way. Despite this, his actions have the tendency to pay off, earning praise for his analytical skills from Minato Namikaze and Madara Uchiha.

Despite how he proceeds in the midst of combat, Sasuke does tend to be prepared before entering a fight, or as best as he can: he specifically trains to be faster than Gaara's sand; he attacks Orochimaru at the moment when his body is weakest; he equips himself with the Lightning Flash Blade Creation so that he can compete with Itachi Uchiha's speed. He may even have a strategy in mind that he can work towards throughout a fight, as when he spends part of his fight with Itachi creating conditions for Kirin, even relying on Itachi's own jutsu to facilitate in its use. He has shown tactical sense in teamwork, able to instantly understand an ally's battle plan with little communication and act accordingly to make it successful.

Prologue — Land of Waves
Upon graduating from the Academy, Sasuke is added to Team 7 under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake. Sasuke makes clear during their first meeting how little interest in the team he has, his only goal in life being to kill Itachi. One of his team-mates, Sakura Haruno, tries to bond with him by sharing her envy of their other team-mate, Naruto Uzumaki's, lack of parents, but this only offends Sasuke. To test their qualifications, Kakashi gives the three a bell test, stating that whichever of the three takes one of the two bells on his person will officially become genin. Of the three, Sasuke comes closest to taking a bell, his skills being great enough to force Kakashi to stop reading his copy of Icha Icha. He ultimately fails, just like Naruto and Sakura. Kakashi explains that the goal of the test was to use teamwork, to do together what none of them could do by themselves. He is persuaded to allow them to try again after lunch, but instructs Sasuke and Sakura not to feed Naruto. They feed him anyway, needing him in top-form if they're to work together. Kakashi sees this and, because they care more about the team than listening to his instructions, allows them all to pass.

After a series of uneventful D-rank missions, Naruto is able to secure a C-rank mission for Team 7: escorting Tazuna to the Land of Waves. Soon after leaving Konoha they are attacked by the Demon Brothers. Naruto is paralysed with fear, forcing Sasuke to step in to disarm them and protect Tazuna until Kakashi can capture them. Tazuna confesses that assassins have been hired to kill him but that he couldn't afford the bodyguard detail he needs. Although the mission is now A-rank in nature — far beyond the skill of genin — Team 7 decides to continue with it; for his earlier indecision, Sasuke declares Naruto an. When they arrive in the Land of Waves, however, and are confronted by Zabuza Momochi, Sasuke experiences a crisis of his own, overwhelmed by the battle between Kakashi and Zabuza. He quickly regains his composure and, when Kakashi is caught in a Water Prison, he teams up with Naruto to break him out. In the end, Zabuza is seemingly killed by Haku, allowing Team 7 to escort Tazuna back to his house.

Kakashi finds Zabuza's death suspicious and decides the train the team in case he returns. He has them perform the Tree Climbing Practice to improve their chakra control, which will help them against Zabuza. Although Sasuke's control is initially much better than Naruto's, Naruto improves rapidly using advice from Sakura, who herself mastered it from the start. Sasuke asks for Naruto to share Sakura's advice with him, and from competition between them they each climb to the top of their trees. Naruto is exhausted from the training, so Team 7 leaves him behind the next morning as they resume their escort duties. They are met by Zabuza and Haku, the latter of whom Sasuke faces in battle. Because of Sasuke's speed and refined chakra control, Haku imprisons him with his Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals. Naruto arrives to help but, unaware of how Haku's mirrors work, joins Sasuke within the prison.

Sasuke is unable to melt the mirrors with his fire and Naruto is unable to break free with his shadow clones, leaving them at the mercy of Haku's senbon. As time passes, however, Sasuke becomes increasingly able to dodge Haku's attacks, a benefit of his awakening Sharingan. Seeing this, Haku decides to finish off Naruto so that he can focus on Sasuke. Sasuke shields Naruto from Haku's attack with his own body; when Naruto asks him why, Sasuke claims his body acted on its own. Sasuke seemingly dies from his injuries. In truth, Haku only struck Sasuke's vital points to put him in a temporary death-like state, so he wakes up a short time later. By the time that he does, both Haku and Zabuza are dead, so their bodyguard services are no longer required. When their injuries heal they return to home via the newly-constructed Great Naruto Bridge.

Chūnin Exams
Team 7 resumes its series of unremarkable missions. For their performance in the Land of Waves, however, Kakashi decides to enter them in the Chūnin Exams taking place in Konoha. Because they've only recently graduated from the Academy, the three feel they must give strong showings to prove themselves. When they arrive at the exam hall, Sasuke first uses his Sharingan to dispel a genjutsu intended to discourage unqualified genin and then agrees to spar with Rock Lee. Lee's speed and taijutsu skills impress Sasuke enough to use his Sharingan in their fight. Although he is able to see Lee's movements better, Sasuke can't physically keep up and Lee nearly performs the Front Lotus on him. Lee is stopped by his teacher, Might Guy, whose emotional method of punishing Lee disturbs Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura.

During the exam's first stage, the participating genin are given a written test. Sasuke is unable to answer any of the questions, causing him to realise that the purpose of the first stage is to cheat without getting caught. He therefore uses his Sharingan to mimic the pencil movements of other examinees. Team 7 continues to the second stage in the Forest of Death, where to pass they must obtain a pair of scrolls, one of which they are given at the start, the other of which they must take from another team. Soon after entering, Sasuke discovers that what appears to be Naruto is an Ame-nin, Oboro, in disguise. He drives Oboro off and locates the real Naruto. To prevent this from happening again, Sasuke comes up with a complicated password that they'll share to confirm their identities in case they get separated. They are immediately attacked and, when they regroup, Naruto correctly recites the password. Knowing Naruto could never have remembered the password, Sasuke attacks the impostor.

The impostor, Orochimaru, is far too strong for them to contend with and may very well kill them. Sasuke tries to forfeit their scroll in exchange for their lives, but Naruto, upon locating them, stops him, believing Sasuke may also be an enemy ninja in disguise because the Sasuke he knows would never surrender. Naruto engages Orochimaru in combat, defeats his snake, and calls Sasuke an scaredy-cat before Orochimaru finally renders him unconscious. Amazed by Naruto's performance and encouraged by Sakura, Sasuke picks up where he left off by pinning Orochimaru down and attacking him with the Dragon Fire Technique. Orochimaru is impressed by Sasuke and brands him with a Cursed Seal of Heaven to reward him before leaving. The pain of the cursed seal overwhelms Sasuke and he passes out.

When Sasuke regains consciousness, he finds Sakura badly injured, Rock Lee defeated in battle, and Team 10 defending them from Team Dosu, an Oto-team. Sasuke questions Sakura on the identity of who hurt her, which Zaku Abumi takes credit for. Under the cursed seal's influence, Sasuke attacks Zaku and breaks both of his arms. He prepares to do the same to Zaku's team-mates, but Sakura's pleas for him to stop bring him back to his senses and the cursed seal recedes. The genin teams go their separate ways and Team 7 spends several days recuperating from their ordeals. On the last day of the second stage, they go looking for the second scroll that they still need. They are found by Team Oboro, who Naruto distracts while the rest of Team 7 sneaks up behind and knocks out.

With two scrolls, Team 7 is able to advance to the preliminary round. Sasuke is paired against Yoroi Akadō for the first match. Before the fight starts, Kakashi warns Sasuke that use of the cursed seal will disqualify him. Because he can't use chakra without the cursed seal activating, Sasuke is forced to only use taijutsu, something that proves difficult when Yoroi absorbs his chakra whenever he gets close. Sasuke ends up mimicking the portion of Rock Lee's Front Lotus that he saw a few days earlier, inventing the Lion Combo to defeat Yoroi. Afterwards, Kakashi takes Sasuke aside and uses the Evil Sealing Method on his cursed seal so that it won't flare up as often. Sasuke loses consciousness from the application and by the time he wakes up the preliminaries are already over.

For the final matches taking place in a month, Sasuke will face Gaara of Sunagakure in the first round. In order to prepare him for this fight, and to give him an alternative to the cured seal's power, Kakashi teaches him how to use the Chidori and helps him further emulate Lee's speed and fighting style. Their training runs long and Sasuke in fact arrives late for his match, but he finds that they waited for him because the audience has anticipated the fight so much. Sasuke uses his speed to attack Gaara from multiple angles in a short time, leaving his Shield of Sand unable to block everything. Gaara surrounds himself with his sand so that Sasuke won't bother him while he prepares for the fight. Unable to get through the shield with physical attacks, Sasuke pierces it with Chidori. Gaara's arm is wounded and his shield dissolves, but not before Sasuke briefly senses Shukaku within him. Before the fight can continue, a genjutsu descends on the stadium.

Konoha Crush
The invasion of Konoha begins, forcing the cancellation of the Chūnin Exams. As Konoha-nin in the stadium start engaging the invading Suna and Oto forces, the exam proctor, Genma Shiranui, sends Sasuke after the escaping Gaara. Kankurō attempts to delay Sasuke, but Shino Aburame appears to fight Kankurō in Sasuke's place. By the time Sasuke catches up with him, Gaara is already in the process of transforming into Shukaku. Gaara attacks with increased speed and strength, which Sasuke is only narrowly able to avoid. He counters with Chidori and succeeds in injuring Gaara yet again, but Gaara is still able to continue fighting; Sasuke, who has already reached his limit of using Chidori twice a day, is low on options. He is able to use a third Chidori by using his cursed seal, but is left paralysed afterwards and at Gaara's mercy.

Sasuke is saved by the timely arrival of Naruto and Sakura, sent by Kakashi to provide assistance. Sakura is quickly captured and Naruto initially struggles against Gaara. Sasuke volunteers to use what little strength he still has to distract Gaara while Naruto escapes with Sakura, but Naruto is unwilling to do so. Instead, Naruto taps into a mysterious chakra source, creates a thousand shadow clones, and soon afterwards summons Gamabunta, each of which amazes Sasuke. Naruto ultimately defeats Gaara, but he's not able to move. Sasuke collects him and takes him back to Konoha with Sakura.

A few days later, Team 7 attends the Third Hokage's funeral.

Search for Tsunade
Sasuke arrives at a Dango Shop to meet Kakashi for lunch. Not only does he find that Kakashi has arrived uncharacteristically early, but Kakashi abruptly cancels soon afterwards. When Sasuke stops by Kakashi's home later that day he finds Kakashi is comatose. The assembled jōnin avoid divulging what happened to him until Aoba Yamashiro unwittingly reveals that Itachi has returned to Konoha in search of Naruto. Sasuke immediately starts tracking Naruto down so that he can, in turn, find Itachi. He stops by Ramen Ichiraku and is informed that Naruto has gone to Shukuba Town with Jiraiya.

Sasuke locates the inn where Naruto is staying shortly after Itachi does the same. Itachi allows Sasuke an opportunity to demonstrate how much stronger he's become, which he does by attacking with Chidori. Itachi easily blocks the attack and breaks Sasuke's arm, but he is stopped from going further by the arrival of Jiraiya. When Jiraiya states his intention to defeat both Itachi and his partner, Kisame Hoshigaki, Sasuke demands that Itachi be left for him. Uninterested, Itachi kicks Sasuke away and uses Tsukuyomi to force him to experience their parents' murders over and over again. Before Sasuke passes out, Itachi informs him that he is still weak.

Sasuke is hospitalised, comatose like Kakashi before him. It isn't until Naruto brings Tsunade to Konoha that the trauma to their minds is healed.

Land of Tea Escort Mission
In the anime, Team 7 is sent to the Land of Tea to protect Idate Morino. During the mission they are brought into conflict with Aoi Rokushō. Although Sasuke is able to help break Aoi's Sword of the Thunder God with his Chidori, he is injured during the fight and must be hospitalised when they get back to Konoha.

Sasuke Recovery Mission
While recuperating, Sasuke reflects on his encounter with Itachi and is upset that, after all this time, Itachi is still so much stronger than he is. He is also jealous of Naruto who, despite being the worst student in their Academy class, has seemingly surpassed Sasuke, evidenced by his defeat of Gaara. Determined to prove himself superior, Sasuke challenges Naruto to a fight when he comes to visit him in the hospital. At first Naruto refuses because Sasuke is still in no condition to fight, but Sasuke persists and Naruto agrees. The fight escalates quickly, culminating with Sasuke using Chidori and Naruto using Rasengan. Kakashi arrives and deflects their attacks into opposing water towers before they can clash. Sasuke initially believes his Chidori was at least stronger based on the damage to their respective water towers, but on closer examination finds that Naruto's water tower is destroyed. Sasuke leaves, jealous of Naruto's development.

Kakashi tracks Sasuke down afterwards and lectures him; the Chidori is supposed to be used to protect friends, not attack them. Kakashi reminds Sasuke that, no matter how painful the losses of the past are, it would be worse to lose the friends he still has. Kakashi leaves him to think over what he said, and Sasuke becomes conflicted between his desire for revenge and his friendship with Naruto and Sakura. Before he can take Kakashi's words to heart, Sasuke is confronted by the Sound Four. Sent by Orochimaru, the Sound Four fight with Sasuke to test his abilities and quickly defeat him. He tries using his cursed seal to gain the upper-hand, but discovers that they each have cursed seals also. The Sound Four offer to take him to Orochimaru so that he can gain strength like theirs, which he'll never achieve if he remains in Konoha.

Desperate to become stronger than Itachi, Sasuke decides to take the Sound Four up on the offer and leaves during the night. As he approaches the village's exit he is met by Sakura, who tries to persuade him to stay so as not to break up Team 7. When this doesn't work, Sakura confesses her love for him and asks to be allowed to accompany him at the very least. Sasuke refuses again so she threatens to call for help. He stops her by knocking her out, but thanks her before he does. He meets the Sound Four outside the village and they start guiding him to Orochimaru. Once they're far enough away from Konoha, the Sound Four give Sasuke some medication that will mature his cursed seal to a second, stronger stage. He is left unconscious while his body adjusts to the drug, but when he finally wakes up many hours later his body is much stronger. Ecstatic, Sasuke continues on to Orochimaru by himself, paying little attention to the Sound Four's ongoing battle with the Sasuke Recovery Team.

Sasuke is stopped at the Valley of the End by Naruto. Sasuke ignores his pleas to return to Konoha and is unmoved by Naruto's warnings that Orochimaru will take his body, believing that such a sacrifice is worthwhile if it will lead to Itachi's death. Naruto starts attacking him, ready to take him back to Konoha by force if necessary. Sasuke returns the attacks as a way of resuming the fight that Kakashi interrupted earlier. He also decides to kill Naruto, remembering Itachi's explanation that killing one's closest friend will awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan. With his cursed seal, Sasuke is able to land a number of serious blows. Although Naruto didn't want to believe that Sasuke would really kill him, his mounting injuries convince him otherwise and force him to call on the powers of the Nine-Tails within him.

Sasuke is surprised by the insidious chakra he senses, the sudden healing of Naruto's wounds, and the increases to his strength and speed. Sasuke becomes angry and asks Naruto why he would go so far for him, to which Naruto responds that Sasuke is like a brother to him and that he simply can't let him go. Sasuke acknowledges their bond and promises to sever it, but does at least put on the forehead protector that he'd until now refused to do Naruto the courtesy of wearing; he boasts that Naruto will not even be able to scratch the forehead protector. They continue trading blows, with Naruto eventually manifesting a fox-shaped cloak and Sasuke entering his cursed seal's second level. Sasuke clashes his Chidori with Naruto's Rasengan, and within the dome of resulting energy they trade final blows: Sasuke punches Naruto and Naruto scratches Sasuke's forehead protector (proving his earlier boast wrong in the process).

When the energy dissipates, Sasuke stands over an unconscious Naruto, wounded and with no energy left to finish him. He decides not to kill him since that's what Itachi would want him to do, and he refuses to let Itachi decide his actions. He leaves his forehead protector behind with Naruto and continues on to Orochimaru by himself. When he finally reaches Orochimaru's lair he discovers that Orochimaru has already found a new body. Sasuke is unconcerned, only wanting whatever power Orochimaru can give him.

In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths
In the anime, approximately two years into his training with Orochimaru, Sasuke volunteers to deliver some research material to one of Orochimaru's hideouts. While there, Sasuke releases one of Orochimaru's test subjects, Suigetsu Hōzuki, from his confinements and then helps Karin capture Suigetsu yet again. Pleased with what he witnesses of their abilities, Sasuke resolves to win them both over so that he can have them as allies in the future.

Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
Two-and-a-half years after leaving Konoha, Sasuke waits impatiently at one of Orochimaru's hideouts in Kusagakure. When Orochimaru finally returns, Sasuke demands that he resume their training. Before complying, Orochimaru introduces him to Sai, his replacement in Team 7, but Sasuke isn't interested. Sai tries to engage Sasuke by discussing Naruto, prompting Sasuke to knock him over with killing intent. Sai persists, telling Sasuke that Nauto thinks of him as a brother. Sasuke replies he has only one brother whom he will kill. Sai tracks him down later as he rests. When Sasuke demands an explanation for the disturbance, Sai reveals that he wishes to reunite Sasuke with Naruto so as to reestablish the brotherly bond they had. Annoyed, Sasuke attacks him.

Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato (Kakashi's replacement) are attracted to the site of Sasuke's attack; Sai is unharmed and is prepared to help them bring him back to Konoha. Sasuke reacts with indifference to Sakura and Naruto, chastising the latter for still pursuing him after all these years. Sasuke also goes on to tell Naruto that he couldn't simply break their bond by killing him and he only spared Naruto's life from their first fight on a whim but intends to kill him for real this time. To demonstrate that they mean nothing to him, Sasuke quickly neutralises them all, his growth under Orochimaru being far greater than any of them expected. Naruto, frustrated by this, struggles to avoid the temptation of using the Nine-Tails. Seeing this, Sasuke enters Naruto's subconscious using his Sharingan and suppresses the Nine-Tails, but not before the beast noted Sasuke's similarity to Madara Uchiha in terms of visual prowess and chakra. He escapes Yamato's attempt to capture him and prepares to kill them all, but is stopped by Orochimaru. Orochimaru points to their recent successes against Akatsuki, the organisation that Itachi belongs to, and explains that letting them live may further weaken Akatsuki, thereby making it easier to kill Itachi. Sasuke accepts this reasoning and they leave Team 7 behind.

Three-Tails' Appearance
In the anime, Sasuke meets one of Orochimaru's test subjects, Yūkimaru, who was picking white camellias.

Itachi Pursuit Mission
After defeating hundreds of Otogakure forces in a training match without receiving a scratch and without killing his opponents, Sasuke decides there's nothing else he can learn from Orochimaru. He decides to kill Orochimaru before he goes, finding Orochimaru's pursuit of power for power's sake distastefully similar to Itachi. Because his current host body is in the process of rejecting him anyway, Orochimaru vacates it and attempts to take Sasuke's. Sasuke repels the attack and cuts up his body, but the exposure to fluids in Orochimaru's body paralyses Sasuke, allowing Orochimaru to initiate the Living Corpse Reincarnation. Orochimaru starts imprisoning Sasuke within his own subconscious, but Sasuke reverses the process with Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique, imprisoning Orochimaru in Sasuke's subconscious instead.

Before leaving the base, Sasuke releases Suigetsu Hōzuki from the tank he was kept stored in and invites him to join a team he's forming. When Sasuke explains that he's dealt with Orochimaru, Suigetsu tests his abilities to make sure his victory wasn't a fluke and, satisfied, agrees to join him. They travel to another hideout to recruit Karin, and release the prisoners kept there so that she won't have other commitments. Karin refuses to join their team, but claims that she happens to be going in the same direction as they are. They visit another hideout to recruit Jūgo, the origin of Orochimaru's cursed seals. As they approach they are confronted by a horde of escaped cursed seal recipients, but easily deal with them all. Although they locate Jūgo easily enough in his cell, he is unwilling to go with them, afraid that he'll kill them in a violent rage. When Sasuke demonstrates that he can keep Jūgo's rage under control, he agrees to go with them.

Sasuke takes the others to Sora-ku to stock up on supplies, after which he explains that their team, called Hebi, has been assembled for the sole reason of finding and killing Itachi. They then split up to search for leads. While trying to pick up Itachi's trail, Sasuke is confronted by Tobi of Akatsuki, who distracts him while Deidara attacks from above with his Explosive Clay. Sasuke summons a snake to shield the blast and then immediately retaliates, seemingly cutting Tobi down, although he gets up unfazed. Deidara attacks with a volley of additional explosives, which Sasuke is able to deflect with his Chidori Senbon. Deidara takes to the air with a C2 dragon and Tobi plants explosive mines underground, cutting off Sasuke's escape. Sasuke enters the second stage of his cursed seal and, by sacrificing his transformation's left wing, he is able to propel Deidara's dragon onto the minefield.

Frustrated that Sasuke keeps defeating his explosives, Deidara uses C4 to cover the area in microscopic bombs that destroy anyone who inhales them from the inside out. Able to see the bombs with his Sharingan, Sasuke uses a genjutsu to fake his death while he sneaks up behind Deidara. This is a trap, as Deidara has trained himself to be immune to genjutsu, and Sasuke is trapped in a sphere of C4 explosives. Having earlier noticed that the explosives can be diffused with lightning chakra, Sasuke escapes with Chidori and corners Deidara. He starts asking for Itachi's whereabouts, deactivating his Sharingan since he thinks the battle is over. This insults Deidara, who uses his last resort: C0. Deidara dies in the explosion and Sasuke only narrowly avoids the same fate by summoning Manda and hiding within his mouth to shield the attack; Manda uses his dying breath to curse Sasuke.

Sasuke regroups with the rest of Hebi and they find a place to rest. After a few hours, Karin reports that Konoha ninja are approaching their location. Assuming it's Naruto and the others, Sasuke takes Hebi to one of the nearby Akatsuki bases that Jūgo learned about. Sasuke goes in by himself and finds Itachi waiting for him. Sasuke attacks and defeats Itachi with his Chidori Sharp Spear, impressing him enough to divulge where the real Itachi is before it, a crow clone, disperses. Sasuke leads Hebi towards Itachi's location.

Fated Battle Between Brothers
As they approach the Uchiha Hideout where Itachi is waiting, Kisame Hoshigaki meets them and allows only Sasuke to proceed. Sasuke instructs Hebi to wait for him and goes on alone. When they're finally face to face, Sasuke and Itachi start by trading genjutsu, within which they trade taijutsu attacks. During a temporary lull, Sasuke questions Itachi about a suspicion he's long had: that someone helped Itachi kill the Uchiha clan. Itachi confirms he was helped by Madara Uchiha, one of Konoha's founders, but Sasuke doesn't believe him. While explaining Madara's history, Itachi also reveals that use of the Mangekyō Sharingan eventually causes blindness, which can only be cured by taking the eyes of a sibling. Intending to take Sasuke's eyes for just this reason, Itachi uses Tsukuyomi on him, which Sasuke is able to break out of to Itachi's surprise.

Sasuke and Itachi abandon genjutsu and switch to ninjutsu. The volleys of attacks quickly spill outside, where Sasuke and Itachi compare their Great Fireballs. When Sasuke's starts to pull ahead, Itachi uses Amaterasu, igniting Sasuke and seemingly killing him. As Itachi approaches to take his eyes, Sasuke, having shed his skin to escape Amaterasu, attacks with multiple Great Dragon Fire Techniques. Itachi avoids them, but Sasuke informs him that Itachi wasn't his target. Storm clouds gather and lightning brews, allowing Sasuke to attack Itachi with Kirin. The hideout is destroyed and Sasuke briefly believes he has won, only for Itachi to reveal that he has survived thanks to his Susanoo. Angry that Itachi could endure his strongest attack and having exhausted his own chakra reserves, Sasuke activates level two of his cursed seal.

Orochimaru, sensing Sasuke's desperation, calls out to him from within his subconscious, promising to help him if Sasuke lets him out. Sasuke complies and Orochimaru emerges from his body, attacking Itachi with his Eight Branches Technique. Itachi uses Susanoo to behead Orochimaru's jutsu, but he isn't concerned, having decided to take Sasuke's body while he's weak. Itachi stops him by stabbing him with the Sword of Totsuka, sealing him away and removing the cursed seal from Sasuke's body. Itachi approaches Sasuke, repeating his intention to take Sasuke's eyes, and Sasuke makes futile attempts to keep him away. Susanoo continues to protect Itachi, but it degrades as he labours near and Itachi starts coughing up blood. When he finally reaches Sasuke, Itachi appears to grab for his eyes but instead only pokes his forehead. Itachi smiles, apologises to Sasuke, and says this is the end before falling dead. Sasuke is confused about what has happened, but smiles for finally avenging his family before passing out.

When Sasuke wakes up, he finds his injuries being treated by Tobi, who reintroduces himself as Madara Uchiha. When he sees Tobi's Sharingan, Sasuke's eyes suddenly use Amaterasu on him. Tobi escapes the flames and marvels at the lengths Itachi would go through to protect Sasuke. Sasuke doesn't understand this and accuses Tobi of lying to him, but Tobi insists that everything he says is true: that Itachi killed the Uchiha clan on orders of Konoha's leadership in order to protect Sasuke. Sasuke is unable to process this and passes out again. When he wakes up, Tobi starts over, explaining the Uchiha's history, Konoha's history, and Itachi's history from the beginning. Sasuke tries pointing how hard Itachi tried to kill him, to which Tobi replies that it was only to draw out Orochimaru so as to stop him from manipulating Sasuke any further. Sasuke starts recalling memories he blocked out, things Itachi said, and occurrences that make more sense with Tobi's version of events. Realising how much Itachi loved him, Sasuke is overcome with grief.

Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled
In this novel, Sasuke starts experiencing eye irritation in the days after Itachi's death. Tobi gives him a bottle of Kotarō, a medicine that Itachi used to use. It helps, but very little of it remains. Hoping to get more and to verify parts of the story that Tobi told him, Sasuke goes to the Howling Wolf Village. There, he meets Kina and Reishi Kodon, two brothers whose relationship is very similar to the one Sasuke used to have with Itachi when they were younger. They recognise Sasuke before he even introduces himself, having heard so much about him from Itachi that they feel as though they already know him. They explain that Itachi would visit them a couple times every year to get another prescription of Kotarō and that, while waiting for it to be prepared, he would tell them warmly about his beloved little brother. Itachi also explained to them that, if Sasuke ever stopped by, it would be because he had died, so they share their condolences.

Sasuke is saddened by this confirmation that Itachi was a good person. Wishing to be alone, he places an order for more Kotarō before going off to rest in the same shack Itachi used to stay in. During the week it will take the Kotarō to be made, Kina convinces Sasuke to help him investigate a series of murders that have been taking place in the area, hoping it will redeem their Kodon clan. During the course of the investigation, Sasuke discovers that Kina is behind the murders, killing villagers who pick on him by inadvertently releasing Rōen, a monster sealed within him; every time this happens, Reishi wipes his memory so that he won't be traumatised by what he did. With the village starting to suspect that one of the brothers is responsible, Reishi asks Sasuke to help convince them that he is the murderer in order to spare Kina. Sasuke, again reminded of the relationship between Itachi and himself, agrees.

Kina, however, doesn't want anything to happen to Reishi, and once again inadvertently releases Rōen and starts attacking the Howling Wolf Village. Because of the nature of the seal containing Rōen, they have only ten minutes to perform another seal or Kina will die. Sasuke suggests a new seal concocted by Itachi before he died: Sasuke keeps Rōen busy with his Mangekyō Sharingan, it having finally awakened on coming to terms with Itachi's death; Reishi performs the seal, trapping Rōen in a nearby shrine at the cost of his life. Kina is saved and is given sole credit for stopping Reishi and saving the village, Sasuke having altered the villagers' memories with genjutsu. Kina, unable to remember anything, doubts this story is true, unwilling to believe Reishi was a murderer. Sasuke offers to take Kina with him and train him to be a ninja, but Kina refuses, wishing to stay in the Howling Wolf Village and help people like Reishi did.

As in the manga and anime, Sasuke gathers the members of Hebi with Tobi watching from nearby. Having finally accepted that Itachi was a good person who was wronged by Konoha, he decides that the new mission for their team, now renamed "Taka", will be to destroy Konoha.

Pain's Assault
Tobi offers to help Taka destroy Konoha, but in exchange first asks that they help Akatsuki by going to Kumogakure to capture the Eight-Tails. Sasuke agrees but makes it clear he plans to kill only the elders involved in the massacre and the rest of the villagers will be spared. They track the Eight-Tails' jinchūriki, Killer B, to the Valley of Clouds and Lightning and confront him. Sasuke and Suigetsu attack him with their swords, but he proves to be a better swordsman than they are and stabs Sasuke with several of his Supervibrato Lightning Release Swords. After Karin heals his injuries, Sasuke attacks B with Chidori, but it has little effect. B enters a version 1 form and attacks. Sasuke, recognising it from his fight with Naruto, tries halting B with a genjutsu. B pretends to be paralysed by it, causing Sasuke to lower his guard and allowing B to hit him with a Lariat.

Sasuke is left badly injured and it falls to Jūgo to heal him. B enters Tailed Beast Mode and attacks Taka with a Tailed Beast Ball, which Suigetsu uses his body to block; he survives, but is knocked unconscious. Unwilling to lose his team-mates, Sasuke uses his Mangekyō Sharingan to perform Amaterasu on B. As B writhes in pain he nearly crushes Karin with a tentacle, prompting Sasuke to sever it to protect her. B's transformation recedes, Taka collects his body, and they deliver it to Tobi. It is revealed that in an earlier, secret conversation with Tobi, Sasuke admitted he not only wants to kill the elders but all the residents of Konoha. Sasuke explains that the grief of losing Itachi and everyone being ignorant of how Itachi sacrificed his life for peace made it impossible for him to follow in Itachi's footsteps and he felt the villagers are just as guilty, even going as far as to threaten to kill the loved ones of anyone who dared to oppose him. As they recuperate, they discover they've been followed by Kumo-nin. They escape before they can be drawn into battle and set out for Konoha.

Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha
In the anime, on their way to Konoha, Taka passes a construction site that reminds Sasuke of Team 7's mission to rescue Naho.

Five Kage Summit
Tobi intercepts Taka on their way to Konoha, explaining that the B was a fake, the real B having escaped when Sasuke severed the tentacle. While trying to decide if and how they will compromise, Zetsu appears and announces that Konoha has been destroyed already and that Danzō Shimura has been appointed the next Hokage. Because Danzō was the main conspirator in the Uchiha clan's assassination, Tobi comes up with an alternative for capturing the Eight-Tails: Taka must go to the Five Kage Summit being held in a few days to kill Danzō. Sasuke accepts these terms and is led to the Land of Iron by White Zetsu. On arrival, White Zetsu points Danzō out to them and Taka finds a place where they can ambush him.

Taka's presence is discovered (exposed by White Zetsu on Tobi's orders) and the country's samurai mobilise to capture them. Sasuke kills dozens of samurai, attracting the Fourth Raikage to their location. Taka engages the Raikage and his bodyguards; while Sasuke neutralises C, Jūgo fights and is defeated by the Raikage. Sasuke and the Raikage turn their attentions to each other, but Sasuke is unable to pierce the Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode. The Raikage's lightning-augmented psychical attacks prove similarly formidable, and it is only by manifesting an underdeveloped Susanoo that Sasuke survives the Raikage's Liger Bomb. Sasuke tries to discourage further contact from the Raikage by coating Susanoo with Amaterasu's flames, but the Raikage attacks regardless, willingly forfeiting his left arm in order to avenge Killer B, his younger brother.

Sasuke and the Raikage prepare to attack each other yet again, but are stopped by Gaara, now the Kazekage. Gaara asks for a chance to speak with Sasuke, which the Raikage agrees to so that he can have his arm healed. Gaara shares his own experiences with loneliness and vengeance and how he came to decide that they were not worthwhile pursuits. He discourages Sasuke from making the same mistakes as he did, but Sasuke refuses to listen because all he can see is darkness. Unable to get through to him, Gaara and his bodyguards attack. Sasuke escapes by caving the room in with his Susanoo and locates Karin, while telling her to leave Suigetsu and Jūgo behind, to have her guide him to Danzō. Danzō flees as soon as they arrive and Sasuke's attempt to pursue is blocked by the Fifth Mizukage. With his chakra running low, Sasuke nearly succumbs to her Boil Release, only to be saved by White Zetsu's Spore Technique. He escapes from the Mizukage but is met by the Third Tsuchikage, who seemingly vaporises him with Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique.

Sasuke is saved at the last moment by Tobi, who sends him to Kamui's Dimension to keep him safe; he also sends Karin with him to revitalise him. Tobi releases both of them later once he's tracked down Danzō, making good on his promise to help Sasuke avenge the Uchiha clan by killing him. Before they start fighting, Sasuke asks for Danzō to confirm that Itachi really was ordered to kill the Uchiha by Konoha's leadership. Danzō, assuming Sasuke heard this from Itachi, criticises Itachi for revealing the secret and concludes that Itachi, by doing so, is a traitor to Konoha. Taking this as confirmation, Sasuke uses Susanoo to crush Danzō in anger. Danzō, however, appears unharmed and starts attacking Sasuke. Sasuke counters a number of times, even evolving his Susanoo to a completed form, but each time Danzō is seemingly fatally wounded he emerges a short distance away unharmed.

From observing Danzō during the fight, Sasuke notices that he has many Sharingan embedded in his arm and that they close at regular intervals. He concludes that this is the key to Danzō's survival and that, when all eyes close, he won't be able to avoid injury anymore; Danzō confirms this as Izanagi. Their battle continues on until Danzō is left with only one Sharingan remaining, at which point he and Sasuke clash, stabbing each other. Danzō waits for Izanagi to undo the damage, only to realise that what he thought was a remaining Sharingan was Sasuke's genjutsu and that his injury is irreversible. Desperate to escape, Danzō takes Karin hostage, threatening to kill her if Sasuke comes near. Sasuke doesn't hesitate to stab through her with his Chidori Sharp Spear in order to fatally wound Danzō. Dying, Danzō staggers closer to Sasuke and Tobi and activates his Reverse Four Symbols Sealing in order to kill them both, but they escape.

Sastisfied with his revenge on Danzō, Sasuke states his intentions to continue on to Konoha. Tobi advises that he rest as he's already starting to experience blindness from overusing the Mangekyō Sharingan. He also suggests that Sasuke finish off Karin and then leaves with Danzō's body. Sasuke approaches Karin and bids her farewell as he prepares a Chidori, but he is stopped by the arrival of Sakura. She tells him that she has defected from Konoha and is prepared to help him in his goals, even if that means destroying the village. Suspicious, Sasuke tells her to kill Karin to prove her loyalty but, as she nears Karin, Karin warns her that Sasuke is attacking her from behind. His attack is blocked by Kakashi, who was furious at Sasuke for trying to kill Sakura. Kakashi explains he is aware that Sakura came to kill Sasuke and doesn't want her to need to go through with that because of his own failings as their teacher. Kakashi tries to discourage Sasuke from the path of vengeance he's on, which Sasuke laughs at, having grown tired of people trying to change his mind, and then shouts he will only stop if his clan is brought back to him. Realising Sasuke is serious about his threats to kill everyone, Kakashi sends Sakura away to heal Karin.

As they start fighting, Sasuke once again refuses to listen to Kakashi about giving up his revenge and says he wants to hear their screams and anguish for laughing at Itachi's sacrifice, and also states that Kakashi's Sharingan is yet another example of Konoha profiting on the Uchiha's downfall. The rage of this realisation causes his Susanoo to evolve yet again, but it dissipates immediately afterwards, his eyes on the verge of blindness. Sakura takes this opportunity to try and kill him, but she ultimately can't bring herself to do so. Sensing her, Sasuke grabs her by the throat, takes her kunai, and tries to kill her, but she is rescued by Naruto, who is intent on stopping the fighting. When asked by Naruto why he would attack Sakura, Sasuke announces his plan to destroy the village and kill all the residents to avenge Itachi, as well as admitting to murdering Danzo and his desire to the same to them. Sasuke and Naruto clash with Chidori and Rasengan respectively, but their mental states connect. Sasuke offers Naruto two choices: kill him or get killed, but Naruto rejects both. The impact of their attacks send them flying and Sasuke is saved by Tobi. As Tobi tries convincing Sasuke to retreat, Naruto tells Sasuke they have become equals and they will both die the next time they fight. Although angry at Naruto for refusing to give up on him, Sasuke accepts this and vows to kill Naruto first. He finally agrees to leave with Tobi and, when they get back to the Mountains' Graveyard, he asks for Itachi's eyes, needing to restore his sight if he's to become stronger than Naruto and kill him.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Countdown
After transplanting Itachi's eyes into Sasuke, Tobi advises that he rest until he gets used to them. Sasuke claims that he's already more powerful because he can feel Itachi.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation
Sasuke asks Zetsu if he can take off the bandages over his eyes. Zetsu tells him to be patient. By the next day, Sasuke is tired of waiting and removes the bandages anyway, killing White Zetsu with his Susanoo in order to test his new powers.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
Sasuke leaves the Mountains' Graveyard and wanders through two towns, but finds both strangely empty. When members of the White Zetsu Army come after him, Sasuke asks what's currently happening in the world. The Zetsus avoid answering and try to capture him. He destroys most of them with Amaterasu and interrogates one other with a genjutsu. The Zetsu reveals that Tobi has initiated the Fourth Shinobi World War in order to capture Killer B and Naruto. Sasuke decapitates this last Zetsu and then goes looking for Naruto himself, intending to make good on his promise to kill him. Immediately upon entering a nearby forest, Sasuke sees Itachi going in the opposite direction.

Sasuke gives chase, desperately wanting to talk to Itachi. Because he has business elsewhere, Itachi doesn't stop to talk, but he does field some of Sasuke's questions: Itachi has been brought back with the Impure World Reincarnation; he spared Sasuke all those years ago because Sasuke was only a child, innocent of the rest of the Uchiha's conspiracies against Konoha; he pushed Sasuke onto a path of vengeance because he regretted killing their family and wanted Sasuke to hold him accountable for his actions; the criminal activities Sasuke has been involved in since his death are not what Itachi wanted, as he wished for Sasuke to be regarded as a hero for killing him. This only angers Sasuke, who says Itachi had no right to decide his fate. As he approaches his destination, Itachi tells Sasuke to remain outside. Sasuke ignores him and follows him into the cave where the user of the Impure World Reincarnation is hiding.

Sasuke initially believes the user is Orochimaru, but on closer inspection recognises him as Kabuto Yakushi. Confused of the situation, Sasuke demands answers and Kabuto gives him the goal behind the war: by capturing Naruto and B, and using all nine tailed beasts, Tobi plans to resurrect the Ten-Tails, become its jinchūriki, and cast the Infinite Tsukuyomi on the world. Sasuke also learns that he had been promised as a compensation for Kabuto by Tobi in exchange for his cooperation. Disapproving of Tobi and Kabuto's war against the nations, Sasuke is angry for being used and manipulated all along. Because Itachi's mission is to stop Kabuto so as to end the Impure World Reincarnation, Sasuke tries to end things quickly by simply killing him. Itachi blocks his attack, explaining that the Impure World Reincarnation will not be ended if Kabuto dies and that their only option is to trap him in a genjutsu. Aware of this, Kabuto avoids making eye contact with either of them, instead sending out his snakes to attack them. They counter with their Susanoo, but Sasuke notices that the snakes, as well as Kabuto himself, display abilities similar to Suigetsu and Karin. Kabuto explains that he's altered his body using Orochimaru's research of both of them; he's done the same for Jūgo, which has enabled him to enter Sage Mode.

In Sage Mode, Kabuto shields his eyes so that he's immune to genjutsu. Needing to coordinate, Itachi reminds Sasuke of a mission they went on as children to hunt a boar, which they reenact with their Susanoo against Kabuto. Kabuto avoids them and commandeers Sasuke's sword, which he uses to attack Itachi. Itachi takes the sword back from him and uses it to cut off the tip of one of Kabuto's horns. Kabuto tries to turn Sasuke against Itachi, pointing out that Itachi has been lying to him for most of his life. Itachi admits to having made mistakes in how's he's handled Sasuke, but he promises to tell Sasuke something after they've stopped Kabuto, for which purpose he's already started using Izanami.

Kabuto resumes his attack, using a variety of jutsu available to him through Sage Mode and his research of others, namely the Sound Five and even Orochimaru. Because his body is immortal, Itachi focuses on protecting Sasuke from harm while waiting for an opportunity to complete the Izanami. When the opportunity presents itself, Itachi allows Kabuto to take Sasuke's sword again, which Itachi once again takes back and uses to cut off the tip of the same horn. This creates a loop of sensation that is independent of vision, trapping Kabuto in a genjutsu and ending the battle. Itachi then instructs Kabuto to end the Impure World Reincarnation. As Kabuto does the hand seals, Sasuke tells Itachi that he can't do as Itachi wished and forgive Konoha for taking away his clan and brother. Itachi apologises for ever expecting him to, remarking that the clan's destruction might have been avoided had he been honest with Sasuke from the start. As Itachi begins to disappear, Sasuke says he intends to destroy Konoha no matter what Itachi says, and Itachi recognises he cannot change Sasuke's mind. Rather than poke Sasuke's head as he always did, Itachi rests his forehead on Sasuke's and tells Sasuke that he will love him no matter what choice he makes; his soul then departs to the Pure Land.

With Itachi's parting words, Sasuke starts to question the meaning of a shinobi, a village, and a clan, and doesn't know what he should do now. When he is found by Suigetsu and Jūgo, they inform him that Madara Uchiha (unrelated to Tobi) escaped the release of the Impure World Reincarnation, leaving Itachi's last mission unfinished. Before deciding how he feels about this, Sasuke decides he wants to find Orochimaru. To that end, Jūgo locates Anko Mitarashi, who still has a cursed seal. Sasuke then uses the Evil Releasing Method on her in order to revive Orochimaru from her cursed seal. Although insisting he still desired revenge, Sasuke explains to Orochimaru that he wants to understand the world better so that he can, in turn, understand Itachi and decide which side of the conflict should he pick. Curious about this change that has come over Sasuke, Orochimaru leads him, Suigetsu, and Jūgo to the Naka Shrine in Konoha. There, Orochimaru releases the souls of the first four Hokage from the stomach of the Shinigami and then uses the White Zetsu spores that Sasuke was secretly planted with as sacrifices to reincarnate the Hokage.

Sasuke briefly summarises the current events of the Fourth Shinobi World War. Before he chooses which side to take in the conflict, he wants to know more about what Konoha is and also what it was intended to be, which may in turn help him understand the sacrifices Itachi made when he was alive. Each of the Hokage gives their own thoughts on Konoha and the Uchiha and what they did while they were in office to reconcile the two, at times, opposing forces. From listening to them, particularly the First Hokage, Sasuke decides that Konoha is worth protecting, as its destruction would only nullify everything that Itachi did in his life. He heads towards the battlefield and allows the Hokage to accompany. As they leave, Karin tracks them down and vents her anger at Sasuke, who immediately forgives Sasuke's earlier attempt on her life after he simply apologises to her.

The Hokage reach the battlefield before he does, but he is no less willing to help the Allied Shinobi Forces defeat the Ten-Tails. With the exception of Naruto, all of Sasuke's former comrades, including Sakura, are angry and suspicious of his sudden arrival and demand an explanation. Sasuke replies he has decided to protect the village and he wants to be Hokage to change the current ninja system. When they retort that's impossible and remind him of his past actions, Sasuke says he understands why they can't forgive him but he doesn't care about that. Nevertheless, he joins forces with Naruto and Sakura, along with the original Rookie Nine. The now reunited Team 7 charges into battle, cutting through the Ten-Tails' army of clones. Because the clones' numbers are too great, Team 7 decides to perform their own summonings so that they can focus on the Ten-Tails itself; Sasuke summons Aoda. Once close enough, Sasuke and Naruto combine efforts into the Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero, successfully damaging the Ten-Tails' arm. Naruyo wants to free the captured tailed beasts but Sasuke prefers to let them burn. Tobi (who is revealed to actually be Obito Uchiha) appears above the Ten-Tails shortly afterwards and starts performing a jutsu. Sasuke and the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces try to stop him, but they fail and Obito becomes the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki
Sasuke allows the Hokage to attack Obito first, taking advantage of their immortal bodies to test Obito's new abilities. When the first three Hokage are quickly defeated, Sasuke prepares to join in with his Susanoo, but Obito's Truth-Seeking Balls quickly pierce through it and Obito grabs both him and Naruto. The Fourth Hokage rescues them and tries fighting Obito on his own, but he suffers a defeat just like the other Hokage did. After regrouping, Sasuke and Naruto, with assistance from the Fourth and Second Hokage, use another attack on Obito and smile when they succeed in landing a direct hit. Although this attack actually succeeds in hitting Obito, they discover that his new body is impervious to most conventional forms of attack.

From testing with different jutsu, Naruto discovers that Obito is vulnerable to senjutsu. He and the Fourth exploit this weakness by entering Sage Mode and attacking. Seeing how strong Naruto has become, Sasuke grows jealous and angry. After he recovers, Obito recreates the God Tree's tree in order to carry out the Eye of the Moon Plan as well as to decimate the Allied Shinobi Forces. As some Allied shinobi, including Naruto, start fearing that the battle is lost, Sasuke uses his Susanoo to cut through one of the tree's roots and berates Naruto for nearly giving up, which inspires Naruto to continue fighting. Sasuke then has Jūgo imbue his Susanoo with senjutsu chakra, allowing him to assist Naruto in Nine Tails Mode in attacking Obito. Despite working together, Naruto and Sasuke attack separately, which Obito proves consistently able to avoid or block. Deciding to combine efforts, Sasuke coats his Susanoo around Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode, increasing its offensive and defensive capabilities. With further assistance from the rest of the Konoha 11, they succeed in cutting Obito down and ultimately removing the tailed beasts from his body.

Obito is unable to move after his defeat and Sasuke prepares to finish him off. Kakashi stops him and offers to deal with Obito himself, sending Sasuke to help Naruto deal with Madara, who was fighting the First Hokage. By the time he arrives there, however, Madara has been restored to life and has neutralised the First. Sasuke attacks him, but Madara dodges and asks that Sasuke join forces with him, impressed by his abilities. When Sasuke refuses, Madara advises that he stay out of his way or else he will die. Madara goes on to recapture the tailed beasts, including those sealed within Killer B and Naruto. As he prepares to revive the Ten-Tails and become its jinchūriki like Obito before him, Sasuke attacks again but is caught in mid air by Madara. Having already warned Sasuke once, Madara stabs him in the chest with his own sword. Sasuke tries to get up, determined to not let Madara win and, in turn, let Itachi's memory be sullied, but he passes out as the life fades from him.

On the edge of death, Sasuke is met by Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki, the famed Sage of Six Paths. Hagoromo warns Sasuke about the Infinite Tsukuyomi that Madara is planning to use. Because Sasuke is the reincarnation of Indra, Hagoromo's oldest son, Hagoromo can give him half of his power that, in combination with the half he gives to Naruto (the reincarnation of Hagoromo's other son, Asura) will enable them to stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Sasuke agrees and receives the Six Paths Yin Power. He regains consciousness and finds that the damage to his body has been healed by Kabuto, who escaped the Izanami and now feels indebted to Itachi. Sasuke's left eye, meanwhile, has become a Rinnegan. Sasuke releases Tobirama from Madara's restraints and has him teleport himself to Naruto's location.

Arriving as Naruto is facing Madara, Sasuke uses his Rinnegan to see Madara's invisible doppelganger. When Madara tried to steal Sasuke's left eye, Sasuke switched places with his sword, causing Madara to impale himself. While Madara recovers from the injury, Naruto and Sasuke attack from opposing sides in an effort to activate the seal given to them by Hagoromo. Madara escapes at the last moment and goes after Kakashi, taking his Sharingan. Sasuke catches up to Madara and bisects him, but he uses Kamui on his upper half to swap dimensions. Sasuke is later surprised to see Sakura appear after Obito used Kamui to save her from Madara. Regrouping with Team 7 and unsure when he'll return, Sasuke warns the others to be on guard. While they wait, Kakashi remembers when his team first introduced themselves years ago and wonders what Sasuke's intents are now that Itachi is gone. When asked this, Sasuke doesn't reply and Kakashi doesn't push it because they have more things to worry about. Sensing Madara coming, Kakashi reminds them of Team 7's first lesson: the importance of teamwork.

Madara eventually returns with his other Rinnegan. Sakura launches the first attack and Sasuke follows close behind her. When she is stabbed by Madara's rode, Sasuke uses Chidori Sharp Spear to cut off the rode and allow Naruto to get her away. Sasuke sees four more Madaras and has Naruto fight them While Madara moves into position to use the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Madara rains numerous Chibaku Tensei down on Team 7. Sasuke cuts through several with his Complete Body — Susanoo, but he isn't able to reach Madara in time to stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi from being cast.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes
Sasuke hurries back to Naruto and uses his Susanoo to shield him, Sakura, and Kakashi from the Infinite Tsukuyomi's effects. Naruto tries to go check on the others but Sasuke tells him to be patient. Sakura asks what is happening but Sasuke tells her and then Kakashi they don't need to know because there is nothing they can do and assumes leadership of Team 7 because he believes only he can stop the Infinite Tsukuyomi with his Rinnegan. When they emerge, they find Madara has bound the world's population with God: Nativity of a World of Trees and trapped them all within perpetual dreams. Madara confronts them and insists that he has ended all conflicts and that only Team 7, as the only remaining opposition, would seek to renew the cycle of death that plagued the world for centuries, which Sasuke retorts that Madara is disillusioned. As he's talking, Madara is stabbed from behind by Black Zetsu and his body is converted into Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, which leaves Team 7 shocked.

Sasuke and Naruto recognise Kaguya from his meeting Hagoromo as the origin of chakra. Although she now has access to the chakra of those trapped within the Infinite Tsukuyomi, she wants Team 7's too, specifically Naruto's and Sasuke's. She transports them to one of Kaguya's Dimensions: a sea of lava. Sasuke summons Garuda to save himself and Naruto, ignoring Kakashi, Sakura, and an unconscious Obito Uchiha. Sasuke reminds Naruto that only they can stop Kaguya, and therefore what happens to the others doesn't matter. Naruto understands, but he actually can't help but save them anyway, reminding Sasuke of when he saved him in the Land of Waves. Naruto engages Kaguya while Sasuke attacks from above with his Susanoo. Kaguya repels him and he nearly falls in the lava — he drops his sword and loses it to that fate — but he's able to teleport to safety with Amenotejikara. While they try to come up with a way to place Hagoromo's seal on her, Kaguya sneaks up behind Naruto and Sasuke, paralyses them with Black Zetsu, and starts absorbing their chakra. Black Zetsu reveals its role in manipulating the Uchiha clan as part of its plan of resurrecting Kaguya, which angers Sasuke. Naruto breaks them free and distracts her with his Sexy Reverse Harem Technique, which nearly allows them to initiate the seal. She shifts dimensions before they connect, encasing them in ice. Sasuke shatters the ice with Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi, only for Kaguya to then grab him and send him off by himself to a dimension of sand dunes.

Sasuke wanders the dunes, finding the spot where Naruto's chakra signature is strongest. There, he is shortly afterwards found by Obito and Sakura, who with considerable effort are able to briefly open a portal between dimensions. Sasuke uses Amenotejikara to teleport to Sakura's side by switching places with her flak jacket, catches Sakura as she is about to collapse from exhaustion, thanks her and Obito, and is then reunited with Naruto. Frustrated that her attempt to separate them failed, Kaguya shifts to a dimension with powerful gravity, immobilising them while she kills them with her All-Killing Ash Bones. Kakashi shields Sasuke from her attack and Obito, in turn, shields Kakashi, being the only one to die. Sasuke forces himself up and nearly hits Kaguya with a Chidori, forcing her to shift dimensions to somewhere with normal gravity. As Naruto stays with a dying Obito, Sasuke goes after Kaguya on his own.

Sasuke uses Susanoo to fight her by himself until Naruto, done grieving for Obito, comes to join him. Naruto's Super Tailed Beast Rasenshuriken destabilises the tailed beasts' chakra within her, prompting her to create an Expansive Truth-Seeking Ball to destroy them all. With the end near, Team 7 mobilises for its final assault: Kakashi, using chakra received from Obito, pierces though her; Naruto, with additional help from Kakashi, uses shadow clones to exhaust her countermeasures; Sasuke teleports closer to her in order to initiate the seal; Sakura punches her when she tries to escape. When both Naruto and Sasuke make contact with her, the tailed beasts are removed from Kaguya's body and she (as well as Black Zetsu) is entombed with the Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei.

Having been waiting for this, Hagoromo then summons them all back to the real world with the help of the dead Kage and congratulates them for their victory. Madara has also been returned so Sasuke prepares to kill him, but Hagoromo stops him, explaining that Madara is dying anyway. After Madara shares his dying words with the First Hokage, Hagoromo returns the Kage's souls to the Pure Land. Hagoromo also informs Naruto and Sasuke that they can release the world from the Infinite Tsukuyomi by simply joining hands. However, Sasuke has other things he'd like to do first: he starts by placing the tailed beasts under his control with a genjutsu, traps them with Chibaku Tensei, and promises to release the Infinite Tsukuyomi only after he has killed the current Kage. Sasuke explains that the tailed beasts have too often been a source of conflict and that the Kage have consistently failed to keep the peace; the world would be better off without any of them.

Because Naruto is the only one who can challenge him at this point, Sasuke states his intention to kill him. Sakura dissuade him by telling him she still loves him and pleading for him to return home if he ever loved her. However, Sasuke used his Sharingan genjutsu to make Sakura fall asleep. Condemned by Kakashi for this, Sasuke tells Kakashi there is no reason for him and Sakura to love each other and her love is a remnant of a "failed" past. Sasuke then travels to the Valley of the End — the same place where he and Naruto last fought — and waits for Naruto to come to him. When Naruto arrives, he tells Sasuke it's impossible to do everything alone like he plans to, pointing to the missteps Itachi made and their own successful teamwork against Kaguya. Sasuke replies that he only wants to remake a better world, one where he can, like Itachi before, be solely responsible for the difficult decisions that must be made so that nobody else needs to; this is what he believes a true "Hokage" to be. To do this, Sasuke says he intends to "erase" the past by severing all his bonds and kill Naruto. Enraged, Naruto insists he will be Hokage, not Sasuke, because Sasuke is still going against what Itachi wanted for him and they start fighting.

After a brief exchange of blows reminiscent of their fight years ago, Naruto and Sasuke start trading punches with their Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo. Sasuke chastises Naruto for not attacking with an intent to kill, but Naruto, like last time, is unwilling to do that, not wishing for either of them to go without the other. Sasuke uses his Susanoo to perform Chidori and Naruto uses Tailed Beast Mode to make a Tailed Beast Ball, which they clash with. The collision of the two attacks creates a large explosion, doing noticeable but not debilitating damage to their respective avatars. As they mentally connect, Naruto says there is no guarantee his plan will work out and Sasuke replies that doesn't matter, because thanks to his Six Paths power, he has options for immortality to allow him to watch over the world for eternity. Each therefore powers up the avatars, Sasuke by channelling the captured tailed beasts into his Susanoo and Naruto by merging his avatar with the avatars of two shadow clones. The two meet attacks once again, this time creating a giant explosion that strips away their avatars and leaves them with too little chakra to use it practically. They instead resort to taijutsu, kicking and punching each other into the night.

As they near exhaustion, Naruto musters what little chakra he can, which Sasuke immediately absorbs. However, as the chakra was not moulded to fit Sasuke's chakra signature, he wasn't able to utlise it. Having expected this, Naruto delivers a solid punch, finally irritating Sasuke over the endless repetition of their fight. Sasuke uses Chidori and Naruto, taking the last remaining chakra the Nine-Tails can give him, counters with Rasengan. With Naruto waking up earlier to find that much of the Valley of the End had been destroyed, that they had each lost an arm, and that neither could move. Sasuke wakes up afterwards and asks Naruto why he continues to try to stop him and never gives up on him. Naruto's usual response that they're friends doesn't convince Sasuke since it obviously goes beyond that, so Naruto elaborates that he experiences pain whenever Sasuke is going through a tough time. Sasuke is shocked, knowing full well that Naruto has experienced various misfortunes in his life, smiled through all of them, yet would suffer without him. Sasuke thinks about their childhood of being orphans and how Sasuke came to see Naruto as a friend because they shared the same pain.

Both went to sleep again because of exhaustion. Sasuke dreams of his brother and recaps all the obstacles Naruto went through to get stronger. Sasuke has an epiphany; after years of trying to push the bonds with his friends away, Sasuke realises his desire to return to them and feels guilty for having rejected them for his selfish goals. When they wake up the next day, Sasuke is surprised that they are still alive and laughs when Naruto is angry and still wants to beat him as he is too weak to fight him in this condition. Sasuke finally admits defeat, as he's come to accept that Naruto is just as vital to him as he is to Naruto. He asks Naruto to give his Rinnegan to Kakashi in order to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi but he wants to end his own life in order to atone his sins, but Naruto refuses and vows to be there for his friend no matter what, which moves Sasuke to tears. Sakura and Kakashi arrive and Sakura begins healing them. Guilt-ridden for the pain he put Sakura through, Sasuke tries to speak to her but she tells him not to because she needs to concentrate on healing them. Sasuke then apologises to Sakura for everything he's done, which she tearfully accepts and Sasuke smiles at her. All the while as Kakashi looks on with joy as Team 7 reunites for good. Sasuke and Naruto use a special hand gesture to undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi and free everyone and the tailed beasts. As they do so, Sasuke talks about how he and Naruto have come to understand each other's feelings and pain, and he finally understands why Naruto never gave up on him. In the anime, following the war, Sasuke is kept in the custody of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force, until his fate is decided.

Blank Period
Several months later, Sasuke is pardoned for his crimes based on his service in helping undo the Infinite Tsukuyomi, along with a good word of Naruto and Kakashi's influence as Hokage. Sasuke intends to leave Konoha to wander the world, curious how different it will appear to him now that his outlook has changed. Sakura offers to come with him, but he declines, explaining that his journey is also one of atonement and that she has no part in that. He then pokes her forehead, promises to her that he will see her when he returns and thanks her. As he leaves the village, he is met by Naruto, who returns to him his forehead protector. Sasuke accepts the headband and credits Naruto for teaching him the true meaning of a shinobi. While on his travels, Sasuke would often help the Five Great Nations whenever something tried to disrupt the peace. Although he often did this without being seen, he often left subtle hints that he was responsible.

The Last: Naruto the Movie
Two years after the war, Sasuke crosses paths with Hiashi Hyūga, who falls unconscious in front of him. He returns Hiashi to Konoha and, while there, discovers a series of meteorites from the Moon bombarding the village. When one particularly large meteor makes it through the village's defences, Sasuke quickly destroys it. Sasuke vanishes afterwards, lingering only long enough to note to Kakashi that Sasuke himself is the only one who can protect the village when Naruto is away. In the end credits, in correspondence to Naruto and Hinata's wedding, Sasuke continues his journey through the desert.

Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze
Rumours start to spread that someone fitting Sasuke's description is conspiring to destroy Konoha. Konoha sends repeated messages to Sasuke to try and confirm or deny the rumours, but he doesn't respond to any; Naruto hypothesises that he finds the rumours too ludicrous to give them any attention. However, when one of the messages mentions Sakura has been captured, he immediately returns to the village. Sakura is able to deal with most of her captors by herself, but Sasuke finishes off the few remaining. He then leaves without even saying hello to his friends. At the end of the novel, it is hinted that Sasuke returns to the village at some point when he states "I'm home".

Akatsuki Hiden: Evil Flowers in Full Bloom
During his journey, Sasuke meets two boys that tell him stories about Akatsuki. After he leaves them, he meets another boy who confuses him for Itachi, who the boy met many years earlier. He tells Sasuke that Itachi was a very good person, which Sasuke agrees with before departing once more.

Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise
As Sasuke starts investigating Kaguya Ōtsutsuki during his journey of redemption, he is forced to examine his former role as an avenger and how this past will influence his future. Although he is offered to return to Konoha, he is unsure if he should or not, due to the guilt he feels for betraying his friends. During his travelling, he receives a message from Kakashi regarding the disappearances of Konoha, Kumo, and Kiri shinobi and Sasuke agrees to investigate. On his way to the Land of Lightning, Sasuke arrives at a bamboo village in the Land of Hot Water and learns from the villagers of a rogue ninja group called the Dark Thunder Group, whose leader, Karyū, admires Sasuke yet wants to kill him in order to surpass him. At the village, he meets two wondering shinobi, Chino and Nowaki.

Sasuke finds the group attacking the village and defeats them, saving all the villagers from harm. Karyū admits he has admired Sasuke since the latter attacked the Kage Summit, much to Sasuke's dismay that Karyū is tarnishing his name. Before he can turn Karyū over to Konoha, Karyū is killed by the father of one of his victims. When the genjutsu fails to dispel after Karyū's death, Sasuke suspects the real culprit is on the loose. Sasuke later meets with Orochimaru and his former team Taka comrades to investigate the matter further.

Sasuke maintains contact with Sai when Konoha is attacked and discovers the origins of the Dark Thunder Group. He finds most of the missing Kiri and Kumo shinobi on an isolated island, and through luck, discovers that Chino and Nowaki are, in fact, responsible for the disappearances. After they flee, Sasuke delivers the shinobi to their villages and, at from advice from the Raikage, goes to Yugakure, where he finds and battles Chino. She reveals that she is seeking revenge due to that she is from a clan that was eliminated due to her village fearing its Ketsuryūgan and she holds the Uchiha clan partially responsible. Because Sasuke understands her pain and hatred, he defeats them without seriously injuring them and convinces them to accept defeat. Sasuke drops them off at the village's prison, but he leaves a good word for them to be forgiven.

After resuming his journey, Sasuke receives a letter from Naruto that mentions Sakura comparing his efforts to protect the village to that of his childhood dream of joining the Konoha Military Police Force. Sasuke decides his home is with Sakura and makes the decision to return to Konoha, where he was greeted by Sakura.

Epilogue
Two years after saving Konoha from a meteorite, Sasuke travelled alongside his now pregnant wife Sakura, who refused to leave his side. On the journey, Karin helped deliver their child Sarada Uchiha at one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Afterwards, Sasuke raised his daughter for some time, but left Konoha early in her childhood, leaving Sarada with few memories of him.

Years later at the time Naruto became Hokage, Sasuke was investigating Kaguya within her sand dimension. During his investigation, Sasuke comes to suspect that she created the White Zetsu Army in order to face some greater threat. He returns to Konoha, where he tells his hypothesis to his wife and the five kage at the summit being held. Not wishing to cause a panic, the Kage agree to keep this to themselves for the time being. Wanting to safeguard the future of his daughter and the new generation, Sasuke continues his wanderings as he tries to find more information, using his Rinnegan to inspect other dimensions.

Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring
Eleven years after Sarada's birth, while travelling through a forest, Sasuke is attacked by a young boy with Sharingan and whose clothes bear the Uchiha crest. After he drives the boy off, he sends a message to Naruto informing him of the encounter and asking to meet with him. After waiting for a while, he is found by Sarada, who had left Konoha to find her father. Seeing her with the Sharingan and having the Uchiha crest on her back, Sasuke suspects she is connected to the boy and almost attacks her until she calls him "Daddy" and he realises she is his own daughter. When Naruto arrives shortly afterwards, Sasuke reprimands him for bringing children like Sarada and Chōchō Akimichi along. Sarada defends Naruto, insisting that she came against his wishes because she wanted to meet Sasuke, wanted to know where he's been all these years and who Karin in the photo of Team Taka is. He ignores her questions and says his actions have nothing to do with her, causing her to storm out, crying.

When Sasuke senses Naruto and Sarada being attacked by Shin Uchiha - the "father" of the boy from before - Sasuke rushes out to lend assistance. He swats away Shin's projectiles and, when Shin takes his sword, he blasts him with a Great Fireball and takes the sword back. However, this brief contact allows Shin to control the sword remotely with his Mangekyō Sharingan, which he uses when he has an opening to stab Naruto. Shin turns his attention to Sarada and Sasuke rushes to protect Sarada from Shin's follow-up attack. Sakura then appears and incapacitates Shin with a punch. Sakura apologises to Sasuke for not keeping things clear to Sarada about his mission but Sasuke insists he is at fault before one of Shin's creatures teleports him and Sakura away. Unable to locate their whereabouts, Sasuke believes Orochimaru knows where Shin is and, learning Shin is targeting Sarada, he decides to take her with them to ensure her safety.

When they arrive, Sasuke promises retaliation against Orochimaru if he is in anyway involved in the attack on his daughter or the kidnapping of his wife. Orochimaru denies responsibility, confessing that Shin in an old experiment has long since lost control of; Shin's "sons" are actually his genetic clones. To help them deal with Shin, Orochimaru offers some suggestions about where they might find him. when Orochimaru suggests Sakura is already dead, Sasuke denies this as a possibility due to her not being a weak woman and she likely already finished Shin off by the time they find her. When his Rinnegan recharges from his earlier dimensional travels, Sasuke manifests his Susanoo and transports Naruto, Sarada, and Chōchō to Shin's hideout. As Sasuke guessed, Sakura is already in the middle of combat when they arrive and Sasuke uses his Susanoo to punch the largest clone as he grabs Sakura. He pulls the scalpels out of her arm and burns them with Amaterasu before asking her if she can heal herself now. Sasuke and the others proceed to fight Shin, who is killed by the clones who then turn on Sasuke and Naruto. When the spying creature tries to attack Sarada, Sasuke calls out to her to warn her and she kills the creature before activating her Sharingan and using her Chakra Enhanced Release to defeat some of the clones, making Sasuke smirk with pride. When the battle is over, Sasuke comments how soft Naruto is for offering to do no harm to the clones if they surrender but agrees to drop them off at the Konoha Orphanage. When Sarada learns Sakura is really her biological mother, she asks her father is he truly feels connected to Sakura. He replies yes because Sarada, as their daughter, is proof of their bond, moving Sarada to tears.

Sasuke spends some time with Sarada and Sakura in Konoha, even posing for their first family photo. After some time, Sasuke was about to leave again and hugged his daughter as she sadly asked him when he will come back. Sasuke tells Sarada to not make such a face and pokes her on the forehead, promising to come home soon, which makes her very happy. Sakura gives him a bagged lunch and hopes for a kiss in return, but he leaves without further comment, only smirking in amusement as he walks away.

Boruto: Naruto the Movie
Several months later after much searching, Sasuke locates a scroll in Kaguya's palace within her ice dimension. There, he is attacked by Kinshiki and Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki, while barely surviving a lethal attack from the former. By using his Rinnegan's abilities, he is ultimately able to escape. Unable to read the scroll with his Rinnegan, Sasuke takes it back to Konoha to have it deciphered. He stops at Naruto's house to deliver it to him, but is attacked by Naruto's son, Boruto Uzumaki, who mistook Sasuke for his father. Sasuke easily blocks the attack and asks for Naruto's whereabouts; Hinata, Naruto's wife, tells him Naruto is still at the Hokage's office.

On finding Naruto, Sasuke remarks that Boruto is quite similar to him. Naruto disagrees, thinking he has more in common with Sasuke, but retracts and says Boruto isn't like him either. Naruto thinks they are behind the new generation, which Sasuke disagrees because the nature of shinobi never changes, and they make a bet over this. As Sasuke leaves to go home to his family, Boruto launches a sneak attack. Sasuke once again avoids it effortlessly and pushes Boruto over. Impressed, Boruto asks Sasuke to train him, having heard that Sasuke is Naruto only equal and thus best qualified to help him become stronger than his father. Sasuke tells Boruto to ask him again after he's learned to use the Rasengan. Boruto does just that and demonstrates it after he becomes able to form it. On seeing it, Sasuke remarks that Boruto's Rasengan is quite small, which Boruto wrongly believes to mean he's been rejected, causing him to subsequently run off. Sarada then reveals herself to her father, and tries to convince him that he was being too hard on Boruto, as he usually didn't apply that kind of dedication to anything. Sasuke tells his daughter that Boruto jumped to the wrong conclusion, and that he was going to agree to make him his student. In truth, Sasuke was quite satisfied, further impressed by the wind nature Boruto applies to his Rasengan. The next day, Boruto demonstrates a normal-sized Rasengan, which Sasuke recognises to be a result of using the Kote. Boruto tries to cover this up by boasting about his exceptional skill being the reason for the remarkable progress of his Rasengan. Sasuke cryptically references the fact that Boruto was willing to cheat to attain his goal by saying Boruto was quite different from Naruto and he hoped it wasn't the case. Nonetheless, he agrees to train Boruto since he already met his requirement.

After his day training with Sasuke, the two sit by a fire and talk. Boruto starts by asking about his father's weaknesses. Sasuke explains that Naruto had many weaknesses, but nonetheless managed to pull himself up and become Hokage. Believing Boruto's approach to be incorrect - Sasuke explained that Naruto is better understood by the hardships he overcame in his life than the flaws he may still have. This doesn't satisfy Boruto, so he throws himself into training for the upcoming Chūnin Exams, shurikenjutsu figuring prominently in Sasuke's lessons. While training, Boruto struggles with bending his throws - complaining that shurikenjutsu is Sarada's specialty, because she is Sasuke's daughter. Sasuke retorts this assertion by applying the same reasoning to Boruto regarding the Shadow Clone Technique, of which Boruto can only create two, as opposed to his father - who can create thousands. Sasuke keeps tabs on how deciphering the scroll is going, but it isn't until the day of the Chūnin Exams' finals that it is finally finished. Reading what it says, Sasuke finds his suspicions about the threat Kaguya was preparing for confirmed and rushes to inform Naruto. When he arrives at the stadium where the finals are being held, Kinshiki and Momoshiki are already attacking. Sasuke rescues Sarada from falling debris but is confronted by Kinshiki while he tries to get her to safety. Shikamaru Nara briefly restrains Kinshiki and Momoshiki, allowing Sasuke to tell Naruto what the scroll said: that Kinshiki and Momoshiki harvest planets' chakra in order to prolong their lives and that Kaguya was building a White Zetsu Army to prepare for their inevitable invasion.

As Momoshiki starts attacking, Naruto forms his Tailed Beast Mode around Boruto and Sarada in order to protect them; Sasuke layers his Susanoo over this to provide additional protection. The shield is insufficient against Momoshiki, so Naruto instructs Sasuke to focus on protecting the children while he fights Momoshiki alone. Sasuke does so, staying with Boruto and Sarada and, as a result, preventing him from stopping Naruto's capture. With his father gone, Boruto feels guilty about how he treated Naruto and reprimanded himself for being so uncool. Overhearing this, Sasuke affirmed Boruto's words - and noted that if it weren't for his mother and sister, he would be in the same position Naruto was in the past. After Boruto asks Sasuke how his father overcame his hardships, Sasuke suggests Boruto ask Naruto in person and also telling him Naruto is stronger than him up until now, and to that end invites Boruto to join him in rescuing him. When Boruto asks why he'd be invited and why Sasuke agreed to train him in the first place, Sasuke explains that Boruto is an exceptionally gifted shinobi has the potential to surpass Naruto because he hates to lose. The Five Kage then reveal themselves and offer their assistance to rescue Naruto, revealing they are on friendly terms with Sasuke. Before they leave, however, Sasuke lends his forehead protector to Boruto, who had his confiscated by Naruto for cheating in the exams.

Sasuke uses his Rinnegan to open a portal to Momoshiki's Planet. Before they leave, Hinata tries to stop Boruto from leaving - who then puts on Sasuke's headband and affirms confidently that he's going to go save his father (reminding Hinata of Naruto when he was young). Sasuke approves of this demeanour and notes that Boruto is finally starting to carry himself like a true shinobi. When they arrive on Momoshiki's planet, which has long since had its chakra harvested - the group frees Naruto from Momoshiki and Kinshiki, who had him bound to a tree resembling the God Tree, and immediately engage them in battle. Sasuke assists the Sixth Mizukage and Fourth Tsuchikage with restraining Kinshiki and then joins Naruto, the Fifth Kazekage, and the Fifth Raikage against Momoshiki; he warns them not to use ninjutsu since Momoshiki can absorb them. Kinshiki breaks free and drives them back, then allows Momoshiki to absorb him to become stronger. Naruto and Sasuke start fighting Momoshiki with taijutsu, during the course of which Sasuke is badly burned. Naruto catches him and heals his wounds with the Nine-Tails' chakra, allowing them to combine their Tailed Beast Mode and Susanoo to strike him down. With Momoshiki down, the uninvited Katasuke tries to finish him off. This unwittingly revives him Momoshiki, giving him a chance to paralyse Naruto and the Kage with the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu while Sasuke elsewhere protects Boruto.

Sasuke suggests that Boruto attack Momoshiki with his Rasengan, depending on its wind-nature to catch him off guard. This works and the Kage are freed, but an earlier injury prevents Naruto from fighting. He adds his chakra to Boruto's Rasengan, which Sasuke then helps him find an opening to use to destroy Momoshiki with. After the battle, Sasuke tells Naruto he won their bet and they return to Konoha, and Sasuke posed for a photograph with Naruto, Boruto, and the other Kage. Sasuke is later seen looking on with Sakura as they watch their daughter with her team-mates.

Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Team 7 is sent on a mission to protect the actress, Yukie Fujikaze, as she travels to the Land of Snow. During the course of the mission, Sasuke encounters Fubuki Kakuyoku and defeats her with the Lion Combo. He also uses Chidori to damage Dotō Kazahana's Chakra Armour, but is knocked out afterwards. When the mission is completed, Sasuke gets Yukie's autograph for Naruto.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds
Orochimaru informs Sasuke about the Land of the Sky's attack on Konoha, which Sasuke claims to have no interest in. Orochimaru then gives him a mission to retrieve a scroll from Shinnō. He tracks down Shinnō just as Naruto is about to defeat him, stopping Naruto but also cutting off Shinnō's chakra using Chidori Senbon. Shinnō flees, luring them both to the Zero-Tails' cocoon, which absorbs all of their chakra and traps them. Naruto and Sauske respond by tapping in to the Nine-Tails and Cursed Seal of Heaven, respectively, enabling them to destroy the cocoon.

Naruto and Sasuke assist with evacuating all the prisoners the Land of the Sky has taken. Just as they get the last of the lifeboats to disembark, a tentacle starts attacking it. Sasuke cuts it away, only for Naruto to then force him onto the lifeboat as well so that he can destroy the flying fortress by himself. Sasuke flies off with his cursed seal transformation and watches from a distance, only leaving after he sees Naruto being evacuated by Amaru. He delivers the scroll to Orochimaru, who notices a change in his personality. Sasuke says nothing, but thinks about what Naruto said to him before putting him on the lifeboat: that he would bring Sasuke back home one day. He then resumes his training.

Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
The Sasuke of the Genjutsu World never defected from Konoha. He is still cocky and assertive, but he's also comparatively more carefree and dresses fashionably. He takes full advantage of girls' natural attraction to him, flirting with all of them indiscriminately.

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. By the time Sasuke suffered a drastic change in the plot which made him become one of the series' antagonists, Kishimoto compared Sasuke and Naruto to the yin and yang as a result of their notable differences. As a result, he mentions that whenever one of the two progresses, he makes sure the other does it too. In early 2014, he referred to Sasuke as a "very pure person" when asked whether he was good or evil, adding that while some of his actions such as following his clan's ideals are positive, he tends to bring problems to others due to his self-centred nature. Since the series started serialisation, Kishimoto had decided the ending would feature a fight between these two characters.

When first introducing Sasuke, Kishimoto had made a chapter which was set before the creation of Team 7, and Naruto had just become a ninja. However, this idea was later cancelled and Sasuke was introduced alongside Team 7, yet keeping the same traits and his rivalry with Naruto. Sasuke's first name comes from the manga Sasuke by Sanpei Shirato, a series which Kishimoto likes, as well as from Sarutobi Sasuke, a fictional ninja featured in Japanese children's stories. Kishimoto remarks that Sasuke's character was influenced by Hiei from Yu Yu Hakusho, stating that he referenced Hiei when making his character and his Sharingan.

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. Realising 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. Midway through Part I of the series Kishimoto drew a new costume for Sasuke that featured a number of belts strapped around his arms and legs. Because of the time needed to draw a costume of this design, Kishimoto returned Sasuke to his original costume. Despite the time and energy Kishimoto spends drawing Sasuke, Sasuke has become his favourite character to draw.

When designing Sasuke in his Part II appearance, Kishimoto's main objective was to make him look cool. For this, he tried giving him several outfits such as Shimenawa around him to preserve Orochimaru's style of clothing as by the moment in the series he was his apprentice. He also tried other clothes such as a turtleneck and a military uniform to show "cleanliness". However, he ended up choosing Japanese-style clothes with a chokutō-style sword.

Trivia

 * Sasuke stars in a spin-off manga created by Masashi Kishimoto's assistant, Kenji Taira: Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan Legend.
 * In the Naruto character popularity polls, Sasuke is one of four characters to have always placed in the top ten of every poll.
 * In the Live Spectacle Naruto, the role of Sasuke was played by Ryuji Sato.
 * According to Hyō no Sho, while in the Academy, Sasuke had an A in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, a B in classroom attitude, a C in positivity, and a F in cooperation.
 * According to the databook(s):
 * Sasuke's hobbies are training and taking walks.
 * Sasuke wishes to fight against Itachi Uchiha and the upper ninja of Konoha.
 * Sasuke's favourite foods are omusubi with okaka and tomatoes, while his least favourites are nattō and anything sweet.
 * Sasuke has completed 16 official missions in total: 7 D-rank, 1 C-rank, 2 B-rank, 6 A-rank, 0 S-rank.
 * Sasuke's favourite word is.
 * Although Sasuke's first appearance is generally thought to be chapter 3, he can actually be seen sitting behind Naruto in chapter 1, page 13.
 * On the cover page of chapter 1, Sasuke is seen riding a hawk, which he later learns to summon. In most subsequent cover pages, he is only depicted with snakes, another species he learns to summon.
 * Studio Pierrot's settei sheets of Sasuke show that he was 122.5 cm and later 140 cm at 7yrs old, around the time of the Uchiha Clan Downfall. Studio Pierrot has consistently given him the height of 150 cm at 12yrs, instead of 150.8 cm as his Databook profile gives him.
 * In the June 2006 edition of Shōnen Jump, Kakashi remarked that, while Sasuke is a genius, he is dull to teach because he learns everything easily, compared to the less predictable Naruto.
 * Whenever Sasuke appears in the anime, slow acoustic guitar music titled is played.
 * Sasuke is cross-dominant, as he typically punches and uses Chidori with his left, dominant hand, and wields his sword and writes with his right.
 * Despite Sasuke gaining Hagoromo's power, which is stated to grant Yin–Yang Release, Yang Release is not listed as one of his natures in the fourth databook.
 * Despite not bearing the title of Hokage, Sasuke is referred to as the "Shadow Hokage" by Naruto because Sasuke protects the village from the outside whereas Naruto, as the Seventh Hokage, protects it from the inside.
 * In 2015 Da Vinci interview, the anime voice actors of Team 7 revealed that right after the anime start to airing, Kishimoto told them that Sasuke would eventually end up together with Sakura.
 * Initially in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Sasuke is depicted with wavy hair.

Quotes

 * (To Itachi) "That's okay… Just as long as we can be together sometimes."
 * (To Team 7) "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."
 * (To Sakura about Team 7) "I know the four of us have worked together. And for a while, I thought I could choose that path instead… but in the end… I've decided on revenge. That's always been my purpose of living."
 * (To Naruto) "Just shut up for once! What the hell do you know about it?! It's not like you ever had a family in the first place! You were on your own right from the beginning, what makes you think you know anything about it?! Huh?! I'm suffering now because I had those ties, how on earth could you possibly understand, what it feels like to lose all that!"
 * (To Tobi) "If you want to ridicule me as a brat swayed by his emotions, go ahead. To accept and adopt Itachi's intention would be childish. The foolish sputtering of those who don't know hatred. If anyone who criticises my way of life were to come forward, I'd turn around and kill every single one of their loved ones, so that they too can grasp what it's like… to experience this hatred of mine."
 * (To Team Kakashi) "I finally… I finally got my first bit of revenge for Itachi… it's like the disgrace of the Uchiha clan is being cleansed. Like I'm separating the Uchiha clan from the rotten ninja world. You might even say it's what Konoha always wanted. You always repudiated the Uchiha clan, so now we will disappear from your memories just like you always wanted. When I kill everyone in Konoha! By severing the bond, we will be purified! That will be the true revival of the Uchiha clan!"
 * (To Kakashi about his current dream) "While it's true I once desired destruction… and the only goal I had was revenge… things are different now. Because that which is destroyed can always be fixed and rebuilt. Villages freed from the clutches and employ of darkness… what I desire is to reform the entire shinobi world! What I am calling for, what I am bringing forth… that is… Revolution."
 * (To Kakashi, about Naruto) "If he's not here, then there's no choice but me to protect you."
 * (To Boruto about Naruto's weaknesses) "Weaknesses? Listen, he was full of weaknesses. He was a good-for nothing. But he pulled himself up with his own strength and became Hokage… You don't need to understand who Naruto is now, you need to know the Naruto who made it all the way here."
 * (To Boruto, for repeating Naruto's past mistakes) "On top of that, you made your little sister cry, your mother's been hurt, and your father is gone. If it weren't for your sister who adores you and your mother who worries so much about you, you'd be in the same situation your dad used to be in the past."