Sasuke Uchiha

is a main character in Naruto.

Background
The second son of Konoha Military Police captain and Uchiha clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, Sasuke grew up in the shadow of his older brother, Itachi. Itachi was an acknowledged prodigy who was viewed by the Uchiha clan as a genius whose work would further strengthen the bonds between the village and the clan. In particular, Sasuke's father took an active interest in Itachi. Itachi, on the other hand, was rather ambivalent and full of oddly conflicting undercurrents, acknowledging Sasuke by taking interest in his progress as a ninja when even their father did not, but spending little quality time with Sasuke. Even after Sasuke enrolled in the Ninja Academy, he still was unable to escape Itachi's shadow. Despite consistently scoring at the head of every class, Sasuke failed to receive any recognition from his father, who defined Sasuke's success only in terms of his older brother. Itachi acknowledged the rivalry Sasuke felt, telling him, "We are brothers. I am the wall you must climb over, so you and I will continue to exist together."

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

Shortly thereafter, Itachi massacred every member of the Uchiha clan, sparing only Sasuke. Itachi said that Sasuke was not even worth killing. In addition, Itachi told him, "You've always wanted to surpass me. That's why I'm going to let you live. By all means flee, cling to your wretched life." Itachi also revealed to Sasuke where the secret meeting place of the Uchiha was hidden and suggested that Sasuke go there to learn what the true history and purpose of the Sharingan is. Sasuke thought he had fainted after this, but he later remembered that he managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan and chase after Itachi. Sasuke managed to knock off Itachi's forehead protector, and Itachi was seen shedding a tear after picking up the forehead protector and proceeding to incapacitate Sasuke who awoke in the hospital not remembering anything but what Itachi showed him.

Personality
When first introduced during his assignment to Team 7, Sasuke displays a great indifference to his teammates. Feeling that his abilities are far superior to their own, he is unwilling to cooperate with Naruto Uzumaki or Sakura Haruno, as doing so would do nothing to help him kill Itachi. These perceptions are quickly proven wrong, for despite their failings, Sakura is an excellent source of information while competition with Naruto acts as an effective way to get stronger. While he retains a confidence in himself throughout the series, Sasuke increasingly relies on his friends over the course of Part I. As he starts to get close to others he also begins to risk his own life to save them, even though his death would leave him unable to fulfill his goal of vengeance upon Itachi.

Although Sasuke becomes content with a life of happiness in Konoha, he never allows his ambition to gain power to leave his thoughts. During the Chunin Exams, Orochimaru noticed how Sasuke's desire for revenge seemed to have lessened, and branded him with the Cursed Seal of Heaven to give him a taste of the power he could have if he keeps to his previous path of vengeance. Even when Kakashi Hatake sealed the Cursed Seal, Sasuke began to draw more and more power from it in hope to get stronger. While initially complacent with his development, Naruto quickly starts to grow stronger at a faster rate. This, coupled with his quick defeat by Itachi during a brief return to Konoha, leads Sasuke to believe that his growth is slowing. In an attempt to reassess his strength, he begins to treat his friends as opponents so as to test his abilities against their own.

Dissatisfied with his progress in Konoha and believing Orochimaru holds the keys to getting strong enough to kill Itachi, Sasuke defects from Konoha at the end of Part I. Naruto attempts to stop him, but Sasuke, believing the death of Naruto, his closest friend, will give him the power he desires (as he was told by Itachi), tries to kill him instead. He is ultimately unable to follow through with this idea, because he felt that is what Itachi would have wanted him to do, and instead continues on to Orochimaru.

In Part II, Sasuke showed that he had stayed true to his original personality. In the two-and-a-half years he spends with Orochimaru, Sasuke's goal to kill Itachi takes precedence above all else; he even claims he is willing to give his body to Orochimaru if it means killing Itachi, but later turns on Orochimaru after reaching the conclusion that he can learn nothing else of value. After achieving his goal of bringing about Itachi's death, in the process learning how his brother was manipulated by Konoha's higher ups, Sasuke abandons all of his hate for Itachi and resolves to destroy Konoha for both of their sakes.

Unlike Kabuto Yakushi or any of Orochimaru's subordinates, who address Orochimaru as "Orochimaru-sama" (which shows that they highly respect him), Sasuke simply refers to him as Orochimaru. Sasuke also never called Kakashi "Kakashi-sensei" (teacher) like the others did, something the Japanese would consider as very insulting or rude. Despite this lack of allegiances to those close to him, Sasuke seems to be unable to bring himself to needlessly harm those that have nothing to do with his quest for vengeance against Itachi, and makes it a point to prevent their deaths when possible. However, this attitude has changed after he learns the truth about Itachi's death and swears revenge against Konoha. Not only does he resolve to destroy all of Konoha (despite the majority of its villagers having no involvement in the Uchiha massacre), he is willing to take the lives of anyone who stands in the way of his revenge.

Appearance
Sasuke has black hair with a blue tint, that lengthens as the story progresses, with onyx eyes and has lighter skin than his brother Itachi. Like many other members of his clan, his hair hangs over both sides of his face to roughly his cheeks. At the beginning of Part I, Sasuke's clothing consisted of a blue, short-sleeved shirt with a raised collar and the Uchiha crest on the back and white shorts. In the last stage of the Chunin Exams, he wore a black, one pieced version of this outfit but eventually went back to his original clothes.

In Part II, Sasuke has grown noticeably taller (almost eye height with Itachi) and more muscular. He wears a white long sleeved shirt that's open at the torso with a smaller version of the Uchiha crest on his collar. He wears black pants with a blue cloth hanging from his half way up his stomach to his knees. He also wears a purple Shimenawa belt tied in a bow fashion found on many Otogakure ninja. After battling Deidara, he switches to a sleeveless black shirt and his arm guards were also removed and he started using bandages on his wrists and his forehead. He also wore a cloak with this. After he encountered and battled Itachi, he reverted to a white shirt with a raised collar that's unzipped half way down his chest, similar to the one he used at the start of Part II, but with shorter sleeves. He also wears blue wrist warmers. He currently wears an Akatsuki cloak along with this. Another noticeable trait is that since joining the Akatsuki, Sasuke now lets his hair hang over his eyes.

Part I
Upon the formation of Team 7, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are forced to mingle. Sasuke tries to avoid both of them, but he keeps getting drawn into Sakura's romantic advances and Naruto's attempts at a competition. Accordingly, Kakashi gives them a a bell test, the three of them being tasked with taking the two bells he keeps on his person. Sasuke tries to take a bell by himself, ignoring Sakura and Naruto, and has more success than either. He is still unsuccessful and is forced to regroup with his team. Together, they realize that the true goal of the test is to learn to place teamwork above success of the mission, and in doing so are allowed to pass.

Land of Waves arc
Sasuke's first major mission was escorting the bridge builder, Tazuna, to his home in the poverty-stricken Land of Waves. Soon after setting out, Sasuke showed exceptional skill when attacked by the Demon Brothers, even taunting Naruto for being useless during this encounter. When they later have a tree climbing exercise to improve chakra control, he managed to stay ahead of Naruto for a good length of time, but as Naruto began to catch up they started to push each others' limits. His skills improved, Sasuke is able to compete with Haku, who was extremely dangerous because of his extreme speed and dexterity. It was during this battle that Sasuke reawakened the legacy of his clan, the Sharingan, and even selflessly put himself in the way of Haku's attack on Naruto to protect Naruto. Although he claimed his body moved on its own, his actions show that he was willing to put himself in mortal danger for Naruto's sake. Although it had appeared that Sasuke had died in the process, it is later revealed that he merely passed out.

Chunin Exam arc
Before the Chunin Exams started, Sasuke fought Rock Lee, who easily overcame the power of his Sharingan through an amazing display of speed and taijutsu prowess; for if the user can't physically keep up with the target then the Sharingan is useless. However, before the finishing blow could be given, Might Guy interrupted the match. In the first part of the exam, Sasuke realized that to succeed in the written test, it is required to cheat without getting caught, as the written exam tests a ninja's information gathering ability. Sasuke was shown using the Sharingan to copy the movement of a student in front of him, effectively copying the answers.

In the second test of the Chunin Exam in the Forest of Death, Sasuke is attacked by Orochimaru. Recognizing that they stand no match against Orochimaru, Sasuke tries to surrender. Naruto stops him, engaging Orochimaru anyway and taunting Sasuke just as he had earlier taunted Naruto. This spurs Sasuke to action, giving him the resolve to defeat Orochimaru. Impressed, Orochimaru puts his cursed seal on Sasuke's neck during as a reward, causing Sasuke so much pain that he falls unconscious. As the seal attunes to his body he has nightmares, and when he wakes up he is immersed in its power. He immediately saves Sakura from the attacking Sound Genin, effortlessly defeating them and going so far as to break Zaku's arm. Recognizing that the cursed seal has apparently corrupting him, Sakura who hugged him and pleaded for him to stop. He relents and the seal recedes, and Sasuke is surprised by his own burst of strength.

Sasuke's match up in the preliminaries was against Yoroi Akado. Before the fight started, Kakashi warned Sasuke that if his curse seal got out of control, which would happen is he used any chakra, he would need to be removed from the competition. The match started with Yoroi absorbing what little chakra Sasuke had left through his hands and being in constant pain from his curse seal. Having only one option and remembering his previous encounter with Rock Lee, Sasuke used the Lion Combo. Yoroi was knocked out, and Sasuke advanced to the next round.

Following his win, Kakashi takes Sasuke away to seal the cursed seal, but makes it a point to tell him that the seal will only remain active so long as Sasuke wants it to. Not convinced that his words will deter Sasuke from seeing the cursed seal, and Orochimaru, as a source of power, Kakashi uses the month leading up to the final rounds to teach him the Chidori. At the same time, knowing Sasuke will be facing Gaara, he helps Sasuke to emulate some of Lee's speed. After showing up late for his match with Gaara, Sasuke demonstrates the fruits of his training, even managing to break through Gaara's defenses and injure him. Before the match could finish, it was interrupted by the start of Orochimaru's attack on Konoha.

Invasion of Konoha arc
With the start of the invasion, Gaara flees the village with his siblings and Sasuke is sent after them by Genma. Sasuke chased them and, after some minor fights with Kankuro and Temari, Sasuke fought Gaara. Sasuke used Chidori, once again wounding Gaara who by now has started to transform into his Shukaku state. The form, however, allowed Gaara to quickly recuperate from the attack, putting Sasuke on the defensive since he no longer had the chakra reserves to use Chidori again. With Gaara's resolve to kill him growing increasingly stronger, Sasuke has no choice but to tap into the cursed seal in order to use another Chidori. This has no effect against Gaara and Sasuke is left exhausted. Unable to move, Sasuke is saved by the prompt arrival of Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke watches Naruto's fight with Gaara unfold, becoming jealous of Naruto once he claims victory.

Return of Itachi arc
After the failed invasion, Sasuke goes to see Kakashi. When he arrives at Kakashi's house he finds Kakashi is a coma. Although nobody in the room is willing to tell him what happened, Aoba Yamashiro soon arrives at lets slip that Itachi returned to the village in search of Naruto. Determined to find Itachi, Sasuke tracks Naruto down and finds that Itachi is already there. Despite his best efforts, none of his attacks are able to hit Itachi. Itachi torments Sasuke physically and mentally, belittling him for still being too weak. Sasuke is left in a coma like Kakashi, and it is not until Tsunade returns to Konoha that he recovers.

Sasuke Retrieval arc
Angry that Itachi is still so much stronger than he is, and envious of the fact that Naruto has gotten stronger in such a short period of time, Sasuke challenges Naruto to a fight. Although they are stopped by Kakashi, their brief exchange is enough to show Sasuke that Naruto's Rasengan is more damaging than his Chidori. Kakashi lectures him about not fighting with friends, but before this can sink in Sasuke is confronted by Orochimaru's Sound Four, each of whom has their own cursed seal. Amazed by their abilities, which they claim to have received from Orochimaru, Sasuke is left with their offer of escorting him to Orochimaru so that he can get stronger.

To gain the power he so desperately wanted, Sasuke decided to take Orochimaru up on his offer, turning his back on Konoha in the process. As he snuck out of the village, Sakura found him, and soon understood the magnitude of what he was about to do. Desperate not to lose Sasuke, Sakura did anything and everything she could think of, confessing her love for him and even offering to join his twisted journey so they at least could be together. Sasuke's cryptic last words before swiftly knocking her out and departing were "Sakura...thank you." Sasuke left with the Sound Four, who soon afterwards advance his cursed seal to its second level, a process that leaves him unconscious for most of their battle with the Sasuke Retrieval Team.

Soon after Sasuke wakes up he is found by Naruto. Sasuke is happy to see Naruto: after slaughtering the Uchiha clan, Itachi told Sasuke that he would only be able to match him in battle when he had the Mangekyo Sharingan - which could only be attained by killing one's best friend, which was now Naruto for Sasuke. Naruto refused to accept that Sasuke would do this or his other reasons for pursuing Orochimaru, choosing instead to drag Sasuke back to the village by force if he had to. They therefore engaged in battle, with Sasuke initially having the upper hand thanks to his cursed seal and Sharingan. When he managed to pierce Naruto's right shoulder with his Chidori, however, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox's chakra kicked in to protect Naruto, giving him a massive power increase.

With the demon fox's chakra now active, Naruto easily tossed Sasuke about in an attempt to knock some sense into him. Sasuke merely retorted that Naruto could never understand what it's like to lose family members, as he never had them to begin with. Naruto reasons that Sasuke is like a brother to him, therefore he will not let him destroy that bond. Sasuke's Sharingan evolves to its final level at that point, tipping the battle in Sasuke's favor because he is able to predict Naruto's movements. The demon fox's chakra once again came to Naruto's rescue, enveloping him in a fox-shaped shield of chakra and boosting his power once more.

With the demon fox's chakra shield, Naruto was again more than Sasuke can handle, even with his cursed seal active. To counter Naruto's power, Sasuke activated the second stage of his cursed seal, becoming a demonic figure with a pair of huge, hand-like wings sprouting from his back. Naruto attacked with his signature Rasengan (enhanced by the demon fox's chakra) and Sasuke attacked with his Chidori (also enhanced by his current state). Upon impact, a massive dome of black energy formed around them. Sasuke at the last second punched Naruto in the chest (instead of impaling him with what was left of his Chidori) and knocked him out while Naruto opted to scratch Sasuke's forehead protector, something Sasuke had said he couldn't do at the start of the fight.

After the energy dome dissipated, Sasuke was seen to be the victor, now standing over an unconscious Naruto. He considered killing Naruto, but realized that doing so would be exactly what Itachi wanted him to do. Leaving behind his forehead protector, which fell off from Naruto's last attack, Sasuke made his way to Orochimaru. While doing so, Sasuke resolved to surpass Itachi in his own way, instead of relying on the same skill Itachi used.

Sasuke and Sai arc
Sasuke debuts in Part II during a meeting with his replacement in Team 7: Sai. Sasuke did not care the slightest and was more interested in Orochimaru's presence. When Sai stated that he might be able to get along better with Sasuke than he did with Naruto, Sasuke froze him with a stare, catching Sai in a genjutsu exuding a large amount of killing intent. Sai was amazed that even an emotionless person such as himself was affected by Sasuke's gaze, showing the power of his Sharingan. When Sai commented on how Naruto and Sakura have been searching for him, Sasuke once again regarded him with indifference.

Later, when Sai entered his room while resting he told Sasuke that he wanted to repair his and Naruto's bond together. Sasuke however blew up the room, angered that he was woken up to hear about bonds, drawing Naruto and Sakura to their location. Despite this being the first time in three years they have seen each other, Sasuke showed his usual indifference to his former team. Uninterested in going home with them, Sasuke engages them in battle, showing off his increase in speed and improved abilities. They are little match for him, causing Naruto to begin struggling with the demon fox's chakra. Sasuke used his Sharingan to enter Naruto's mind to meet the demon fox itself, finally discovering the source of Naruto's strength and suppressing its influence. Before releasing Naruto, the demon fox warned Sasuke to not kill Naruto, or he would live to regret it forever. Back outside, Sasuke decided to finish off his former teammates, only to be stopped by Orochimaru. Listening to Orochimaru's plan to use them to thin Akatsuki's numbers, he disappeared with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Hunt for Itachi arc
Orochimaru tests Sasuke's abilities by having him battle hundreds of Sound ninja, a task he completes without taking a scratch and without killing any of them. About the latter, Sasuke remarks that the only person he wants to kill is Itachi. Soon afterwards he attacks Orochimaru, deciding that there is nothing else he can learn and that Orochimaru is unworthy of having his body or the Sharingan. Though Sasuke appears victorious after a brief scuffle, Orochimaru is able to initiate the body-stealing jutsu. Sasuke, however, is able to reverse the process, absorbing Orochimaru into his body.

With Orochimaru gone, Sasuke begins forming a team of Orochimaru's former subordinates and test subjects that will help him find and kill Itachi. He recruits Suigetsu, Karin, and Jugo under the name of Hebi, offering each something in exchange for their help. They split up to see what the can learn about Itachi's whereabouts. Sasuke soon runs into Akatsuki members Deidara and Tobi. With his Sharingan he is able to counter all of Deidara's attack, and then questions him about Itachi. Rather than admit defeat, Deidara blows himself up, and it is only by using Manda as a shield that he escapes the blast. Sasuke is forced to rest but, when well enough to walk, Hebi investigates a known Akatsuki lair. There, Sasuke finds Itachi.

Sasuke fights Itachi, showing how he has grown since their last encounter in the process. Although it is only a shadow clone, Sasuke's efforts impress Itachi enough that he agrees to a meeting where they will have their final battle. He goes to the Abandoned Uchiha Stronghold, leaving the rest of Hebi outside, and first speaks with Itachi. Itachi tells him about the Mangekyo Sharingan's history and Madara Uchiha, the man who helped him to kill the Uchiha. Having learned all he wanted to know, Sasuke begins an battle of genjutsu with Itachi. Once Sasuke is able to overcome Itachi's Tsukuyomi, they switched to a ninjutsu battle.

While exchanging fire-based jutsu, Itachi's Amaterasu ignited the surrounding area and Sasuke. Sasuke is able to escape by using Orochimaru's Oral Rebirth Technique, giving him the opportunity to prepare Kirin. Itachi survived this technique with his Susanoo. With Sasuke's chakra reserves depleted, Orochimaru is able to force himself out of Sasuke's body, ready to finally take the body he has coveted. Itachi promptly seals Orochimaru away before approaching Sasuke. Rather than harm Sasuke, however, he only pokes his forehead before falling over dead. The victory he had dreamed of now a reality, Sasuke passes out from exhaustion.

Sasuke wakes up in the care of Tobi, in reality Madara Uchiha. Madara tries to befriend Sasuke by removing his mask, something that causes Sasuke to use Amaterasu on him. Surprised that he did this, Madara explains that it was Itachi's last attempt to protect Sasuke, something he had spent the bulk of his life doing. Madara goes on to explain the Uchiha's history, Itachi's childhood, and the truth behind the slaughter of the Uchiha clan: that it was done on Konoha's orders. Itachi had defied orders by sparing Sasuke, threatening Konoha in order to keep him safe and playing the villain so that Sasuke would someday kill him to avenge their family.

As Madara reached the end of his story, he stated that the only reason Itachi pushed Sasuke so hard during their fight was to bring Orochimaru out. By doing this he was able to seal Orochimaru away and erase his influence and taint as well as the curse seal on Sasuke's neck. Itachi had always planned to die at Sasuke's hands and orchestrated everything to make Sasuke stronger culminating in his own death, thus killing the closest person to Sasuke and awakening his own Mangekyo Sharingan. Sasuke initially refuses to believe this, but then remembers the memories of Itachi that he had blocked out; of Itachi being a loving brother. Crushed by the fact that the brother he hated for so long was a good person, Sasuke resolves to destroy Konoha to avenge them both.

Hunt for the Eight-Tails
Before Hebi, now renamed Taka, can attack Konoha, Madara convinces them to start working with Akatsuki. He sends them to the Land of Thunder to capture the Eight-Tailed Giant Ox, where they find its host: Kirābī. The capture attempt got off to a bad start, as Kirābī easily defeated both Suigetsu and Jugo and wounded Sasuke by impaling him in the chest with multiple swords. He was saved from by Karin, and the team decides to all attack at once. While they have more success, Kirābī fully transforms into the beast sealed within him, leaving Taka outclassed. Fearing the deaths of his teammates, Sasuke unleashes his new Mangekyo Sharingan and Amaterasu to capture Kirābī.

Sasuke delivers Kirābī to Madara (though this is later discovered to be a fake) before regrouping with Taka. While resting they deal with some Kumogakure ninja following them before finally setting out for Konoha.

Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow
Sasuke joined his fellow members of Team 7 on a mission to protect the actress Yukie Fujikaze as she traveled to the Land of Snow. Throughout the movie, Sasuke encountered the Yukigakure-nin Fubuki Kakuyoku and defeated her with the Lion Combo. Sasuke used Chidori to damage Doto Kazahana's armor, which led to him getting knocked out. He was seen looking out at the newly created Land of the Spring with Sakura holding him in the ending credits.

Legend of the Stone of Gelel
Sasuke made a very short appearance in of this movie: when Naruto was unconscious, he has a dream of him and Sasuke walking towards each other. However, they pass by each other without a word; with this Naruto wakes up into the battle.

Shippūden the Movie 2: Bonds
Sasuke was summoned by Orochimaru and told him about the recent Sky Ninja's attack on Konoha, to which Sasuke made clear he didn't care. Orochimaru then gave him an assignment telling him to go retrieve a scroll from a man named Shinno. Near the end of the movie, he made his appearance just as Naruto was about to finish off Shinno, stopping him with one of his Chidori techniques. He and Naruto quickly chased after Shinno, only to find themselves in a deep chamber with a strange large cocoon that seemed to drain any chakra in the area. It was revealed to be a seed of the Zero-Tailed Masked Leech that Shinno planted. The cocoon then attacked Sasuke and Naruto and was able to restrain them, until they both release their chakra from the Cursed Seal and the demon fox's respectively. Together, Naruto defeated the cocoon with the Tornado Rasengan, while Sasuke used his Flapping Chidori. Sasuke returned back to Orochimaru giving him the scroll before resuming his lightning training.

Abilities
Sasuke is established as a natural genius even by the Uchiha clan's standards, excelling at all that he does and finding little difficulty in more challenging tasks. Scoring the highest in the performance tests and one of the highest in written tests, he easily graduated at the top of his class in the academy. His prowess with Uchiha fire and weapon-based techniques surprises Kakashi during their first training session. Both Madara Uchiha and Orochimaru have stated that Sasuke possesses the potential to become much stronger than Itachi, the latter even saying that Sasuke is stronger than he was at the same age. By Part II, he develops much of his potential and becomes a very powerful ninja, strong enough to defeat Deidara and Itachi.

Although Sasuke has been skilled with taijutsu since the start of the series, his skills improve drastically after his encounter with Rock Lee. Not only does he emulate Lee for moves like his Lion Combo, but by copying Lee's speed he is also able to effectively use the Chidori. During his time with Orochimaru Sasuke's already impressive speed sees a huge leap, such that Sakura suspects he was given drugs to improve his physical capabilities. His increase in skill allowed him to easily defeat, without killing, hundreds of Sound Ninja in a single battle without sustaining so much as a scratch to himself. His fighting style in Part II mainly relies on his speed and the new addition of his chokuto, to which he has demonstrated masterful swordsmanship.

During fights, he easily observes his opponent and accurately sees through their abilities without losing his calm state, then he correctly chooses the most effective means and ninjutsu to counter them. Also, his resoluteness enables him to pick painful strategies in which he needs to get hurt in order to win against the enemy, thereby showing tremendous endurance and willpower. In the second Shippūden movie, Sasuke has demonstrated tremendous knowledge of the human physiology, as evident from his ability to affect a person's chakra network. He was able to attack the chakra points and block them, rendering the target unable to mold chakra without serious repercussions. In the databook, it said that Sasuke deduces a jutsu's elemental property from the seals performed by its user. He then is able to determine the attack's range from the color of the chakra.

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

After defecting from Konoha, with the help of the Sound Four Sasuke advances his Cursed Seal to Level 2, allowing it to cover his entire body. This grants him power comparable to One-Tailed Naruto. The Second Level of the Cursed Seal turns Sasuke's skin dark gray, grows his hair longer without losing its style, and gives him hand shaped wings on his back that give him the ability to glide and momentarily hover. In this form, not only are his physical attributes increased, but his techniques are also enhanced by the Curse Seal's dark chakra. However, this form corrodes his body at a much faster rate, so he cannot use it for prolonged periods. In Part II, Sasuke gains complete control and mastery over the Cursed Seal, and can even access its power without fully activating it. Since Itachi has now sealed Orochimaru, the Cursed Seal was removed from him.

Snake Techniques
Orochimaru gave Sasuke the contract to use the Summoning Technique for snakes such as Manda. Sasuke can also use Snake Authority Spell to summon snakes from his hands to attack or bind opponents. After absorbing Orochimaru, Sasuke gains access to Orochimaru's regenerative powers that allow him to heal at a much faster rate than usual. He is also able to summon snakes from any part of his body and use Orochimaru's Oral Rebirth Technique to shed his skin, repairing any damage to his body. After Itachi seals Orochimaru away, his Cursed Seal is removed and it is implied he loses these additional powers.

Elemental Techniques
Proving himself a true genius ninja and member of the Uchiha, Sasuke has repeatedly shown great proficiency in fire-based jutsu. By the age of 7, he had already mastered his clan's rite of passage jutsu, the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. Even Kakashi was amazed at such a feat as, according to him, Genin usually require much more experience and developed chakra to perform element techniques. Despite his talent for fire-chakra, his true element-affinity is with lightning-chakra. To encourage Sasuke not to use the Cursed Seal, Kakashi teaches him how to use the Chidori, made more effective when combined with his Sharingan and the speed he has copied from Rock Lee. With this combination Sasuke can punch through the strongest obstacles with relative ease, as well as severely damage any opponent. In Part I, Sasuke is limited to using the attack only twice a day, with a third usage after the initial activation of his Cursed Seal.

Over the timeskip, Sasuke puts great deals of development into the Chidori's ability to manipulate lightning-based chakra, being able to perform multiple lightning techniques in a single day without the need of hand seals. When first seen in Part II he is able to use Chidori Current to emit electricity from all over his body as a shield that stuns those it comes into contact with. He can also channel the Chidori through his new chokuto, giving the blade extreme cutting power and allowing it to numb anyone it cuts. He can also concentrate it into more solid forms like senbon and a sword, allowing him to make more precise attacks.

Sasuke's most powerful original technique is Kirin, a lightning technique that uses real lightning as opposed to chakra. If there are no thunder clouds available, Sasuke can use a powerful Fire Release technique to create thunder clouds. Sasuke then takes control of the lightning, shapes it into a kirin, and then he brings the lightning down on his target. The technique is so powerful that it has the ability to destroy a small mountain. It is also unavoidable due to the fact that the lightning moves at a fraction of the speed of light.

Sharingan
As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke possesses the Sharingan, the clan's Kekkei Genkai. It first develops during Itachi's departure from Konoha after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, but Sasuke would later forget he activated the Sharingan due to the traumatizing incident. It eventually reaches completion during his battle with Naruto at the end of Part I. Sasuke is able to put the Sharingan to good use in Part I after his brief encounter with Rock Lee. Although their fight is ended soon after its start and Sasuke is unable to see much of Lee's arsenal, what he is able to copy with his Sharingan is utilized for the duration of the Chunin Exams.

While his ability with the Sharingan is fairly ordinary during Part I, Sasuke is able to develop a number of more novel uses for it in Part II. During his encounter with Naruto, Sasuke is able to use his Sharingan to enter Naruto's subconscious where he proceeds to suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox residing within Naruto. In this instance, the demon compares Sasuke's eyes and chakra to that of Madara which it claims is even more sinister than its own. His Sharingan genjutsu abilities have also increased over the timeskip, allowing him to easily hypnotize opponents and control a summon as mighty as Manda. When Orochimaru later tries to take over his body, Sasuke is able to use his Sharingan to fight the process and turn it against Orochimaru. His skill with the Sharingan has grown to the point where he could overcome the Mangekyo Sharingan genjutsu, Tsukuyomi.

Mangekyo Sharingan
When Itachi, the person Sasuke is closest to, dies, it awakens Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan. The only ability it has been seen using is the Amaterasu Itachi implanted within Sasuke's eyes. Sasuke has also used a number of genjutsu while the Mangekyo Sharingan is active, though none have been named. As with Itachi, Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan damages his eyesight every time he uses it. While resting after his fight with Kirābī, Sasuke finds that his vision is slightly blurred, which shows that he is gradually going blind.

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

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

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

Trivia

 * Sasuke's given name comes from the legendary ninja Sarutobi Sasuke.
 * His surname, "Uchiha," is another way of pronouncing, which is actually the Uchiha clan symbol. Uchiwa cannot be folded, but in contrast, , which Temari uses as her weapon, can be folded. Although both uchiwa and tessen produce wind by fanning, the former is used in more practical/everyday situation such as cooking or commoners cooling themselves down during a hot summer day. The latter is considered to be more formal. Uchiwa can be used to fan flames, making the flame hotter — referring to the fact that the Uchiha is a clan of fire-jutsu users.
 * In the June 2006 edition of Shonen Jump, Kakashi remarks that while Sasuke is a genius, he is dull to teach because he learns everything easily compared to the less predictable Naruto.
 * Although Sasuke's first appearance is generally thought to be chapter 3, he can actually be seen sitting behind Naruto in chapter 1 page 14.
 * Out of all the characters in Naruto, Sasuke's outfit has changed the most and the most frequently.
 * In the Naruto character popularity polls, Sasuke was placed in 3rd in the first, 4th in the second and third, 3rd in the fourth, and 1st in the fifth. He finished 2nd in the most recent.
 * The Third Databook, which added results from the previous six polls, has Sasuke as the third most popular character overall with 33,632 votes.
 * Sasuke is the youngest member of Taka (being the same age as Karin and Suigetsu, but with the latest birthday), yet he is the leader.
 * Sasuke claimed to Suigetsu that while he was with Orochimaru, he always wanted to gather up his own platoon and to get his revenge. This proves that Sasuke was always using Orochimaru to gain power.
 * Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan is the only one that doesn't have three points. It consists of three overlapping ellipses, giving it six points.

Quotes

 * "I am an avenger."
 * (To Naruto) "You are one of the one's I want to fight the most."
 * "Sakura...thank you."
 * (To Naruto) "What do you know about me, with no siblings or parents?! You were alone from the start! What the hell do you know?! Huh?! I suffer because of the bonds I once had! You don't know what it's like to lose all that!"
 * (To Naruto) "Your life was only spared on a whim, but this time you will lose your life on a whim."
 * "With my hatred...I'll turn the illusion into reality!"
 * (To Madara) "If you think I'm just some stupid kid ruled by his emotions, then so be it. Saying I should follow in Itachi's footsteps is nothing but pretty words. It's nonsense meant for those who don't know hatred. If anyone wants to deny my way of living, I'll kill everyone they cared about! Maybe then they'll understand...a little of my hatred."