Board Thread:Versus Debates/@comment-142748-20150410212019/@comment-26127155-20150413004030

Yasaka Magatama and Ameterasu don't need to destroy a country, they only need to clear the 30M distance between himself and Hashirama.

Itachi would be in striking distance of Hashirama by the time, he uses his mokuton jutsu and from there the battle would be a very tight affair. Even if Itachi is on the defensive, he is great at turning the tide of battle using his genjutsu or shadow clones to turn his opponent's moves against themselves (Deidara VS Itachi).

There is no reason for Hashirama to know that Itachi is an Uchiha by prior knowledge. He would have to look Itachi in the face and the fight would be over. In the series people haven't sensed someone's chakra and instantly gone, "That's an Uchiha".

I am not saying that Itachi would have a complete understanding of Hashirama's move pool, but he is aware of what caliber shinobi some one like Hashirama is. Itachi is also able to figure out his opposition's abilities nearly instantly and counter them. Which gives Itachi an intelligence advantage throughout the fight.

I am not saying that Itachi would win in every clash, but I am saying that both characters have the abilities to take each other out. Hashirama and Madara have a higher "power level" than characters like Itachi but people like Itachi have more efficient tools which don't require him destroying a planet in order to kill one person. Shinobi with the abilities of Itachi, Hashirama, Madara, Naruto, Sasuke, Hagoromo, Hamura, Tobirama, Obito, etc all have the ability to take each other out depending on the slightest factors of how the battle turns out.