Sasuke Uchiha

is one of the last surviving members of Konohagakure's Uchiha Clan. Since his childhood, he made it his goal to exact revenge against his older brother, Itachi, who had slaughtered their entire clan. Initially a member of Konoha's Team 7, Sasuke defected from the village to obtain power from Orochimaru, and later affiliated with the Akatsuki, becoming an international criminal in the process. He later proves instrumental in ending the Fourth Shinobi World War, before finally being redeemed by his rival yet best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. After travelling as a nomadic vagabond in order to analyse the world, Sasuke returned to the village he once sought to destroy — and continued to protect it for years to come.

Background
Sasuke is the second and youngest son of the Konoha Military Police Force captain and Uchiha clan head, Fugaku Uchiha, and his wife Mikoto and was the first of Indra Ōtsutsuki's reincarnations to be born into the era of relative peace. Mikoto named him after the father of the Third Hokage in hopes that he would grow up to be a great ninja like his name's sake. During his early childhood, Sasuke greatly admired his older brother Itachi, wanting to be more like him. Even though Itachi would often be too busy to hang out with Sasuke, the brothers would enjoy what little quality time they could together. In the anime, they even made a game collecting paw prints of cats together. Sasuke also shared a similar closeness to Shisui Uchiha. Despite his love for Itachi, Sasuke constantly lived in his older sibling's shadow, who was an acknowledged prodigy viewed by the Uchiha as a genius, and whose work would further strengthen the bonds between the village and the clan. Sasuke's father in particular took an active interest in Itachi, thereby neglecting Sasuke. 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 and spending time playing with him when even their father did not. Even in the Academy, Sasuke was still unable to escape Itachi's shadow. Despite consistently scoring at the top of every class, Sasuke failed to receive any recognition from his father beyond comparing his success to 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."

When Sasuke was seven years old, the relationship between Itachi and his father deteriorated after Itachi was questioned by other members of the Uchiha clan regarding the apparent suicide of his best friend, Shisui. As Itachi's behaviour became increasingly bizarre, Sasuke's father began spending more time with Sasuke, and began teaching him the Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique, a common family technique seen as a sign of coming of age in the Uchiha clan. When Sasuke first tried to perform the technique, he only produced a small flame and after that, some smoke. His father said that Itachi was able to do it on his first try at Sasuke's age, which disappointed him. Later, with one week of training, Sasuke performed the technique in front of his father, proving himself a prodigy as well in his own right and finally receiving his father's individual recognition rather than comparison to Itachi. Sasuke's father told him that he could now proudly wear the clan's emblem on his back. Following this, Sasuke also received a stern warning not to follow in Itachi's footsteps any further, surprising him as before, he was told to be like him; and his father showing he was proud of Sasuke for the first time the same way as he used to with Itachi.

At some point in the past, Sasuke joined Itachi on a mission to catch a wild boar. Sasuke was wielding a bow and was told by Itachi not to hit any vital points. However, Sasuke missed the boar completely. Eventually they defeated the boar and Sasuke apologised for his bad aiming, Itachi responded by telling him that he needed to train more.

On one fateful night, Itachi slew every member of the Uchiha clan, sparing only Sasuke, saying that he 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… if you wish to kill me, then hate me, despise me… and 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 was. He told him that "to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan," he "had to kill the person he was closest to", and that "when we battle, we should have the same eyes". Sasuke thought he had fainted after this, but later remembered that he had managed to stand back up, awaken his Sharingan, and pursued Itachi. Upon reaching Itachi, he used knives to knock off his forehead protector. Itachi was seen shedding a tear as he was picking up the forehead protector. He then proceeded to incapacitate Sasuke, who awoke in the hospital remembering only that which Itachi wanted him to do.

When Sasuke first met Naruto Uzumaki in the Academy, they were matched to spar against each other. Naruto was excited at the opportunity to defeat Sasuke and become popular like him, but he was easily beaten. By looking into Sasuke's eyes, Naruto realised that they were so filled with hatred that it seemed as if he wasn't even looking at Naruto. When Iruka told them to make the reconciliation seal, they both refused. Up until his graduation from the Academy, Sasuke remained a loner and never acknowledged Naruto's attempts to defeat him, considering him a hopeless dead-last and as such, someone not worth his time or energy. Despite this, when Naruto and Sasuke traded glance when they were kids, they immediately looked away in annoyance but secretly smiled shortly afterwards, suggesting Sasuke actually considered Naruto a friend somewhere deep down.

Personality
As a child, Sasuke was very kind and loving towards his family and respectful to his clan and teachers. He was very proud of being Fugaku's son and Itachi's brother and had a strong desire to emulate them, desiring his father's approval and recognition. This changed after the Uchiha Clan Downfall, turning Sasuke into a cold, cynical and arrogant young man, becoming a self-titled avenger dedicated to killing Itachi and restoring the Uchiha clan.

During his time at the Academy, Sasuke was a loner, spending more time alone honing his skills than socialising with the other students, ignoring the many girls attracted to him in favour of solitude. When first introduced to Team Kakashi, Sasuke displayed great indifference towards the others, feeling his skills put him so far above his team-mates that they were more of a hindrance to him and his own advancement. Despite this, having worked with Team Kakashi, Sasuke had grown attached to his team and thought of them as somewhat of a family, willing to risk his life to save those close to him on several occasions. Sasuke also had a competitive streak, at times accepting Naruto's challenges if only to show that he was superior. According to Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke has both a superiority and an inferiority complex, as he is unwilling to acknowledge when someone is stronger than him, but obsesses when he believes that they are. Sasuke was dismissive of his rivalry towards Naruto when he was certain he was the better, only to obsess over Naruto's fast growth after the latter defeated Gaara. After once more encountering and being defeated by Itachi, Sasuke concluded that his time in Konoha, surrounded by his friends, had made him weak and that Orochimaru and his Cursed Seal of Heaven would give him the power to exact his vengeance. Regardless, Sasuke would not sink to the level he believed Itachi would and kill his closest friend, deciding not to kill Naruto to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan and instead choosing to attain his power his own way.

After training under Orochimaru for two-and-a-half years, Sasuke had become a cold and calculating individual, being completely dedicated in his one desire to kill Itachi that his own life didn't matter to him. By severing the ties he believed bound him, Sasuke was seemingly willing to kill Naruto just to prove a point at how much he had changed. Due to his newfound abilities, he retained his habit of underestimating his opponents, rushing into combat without clearly understanding their abilities and suffering for it, though he would occasionally acknowledge his mistakes. Sasuke had also developed a strong sense of pride in his clan, as evident by his disdain for non-Uchiha to hold the Sharingan. Despite this, Sasuke was not above making bonds with those around him, forming a new team that he viewed similarly to Team Kakashi and doing everything in his power to protect them.

According to Obito Uchiha, Sasuke alone was shouldering the entire hatred of the Uchiha clan — an ideal which has been passed down for generations within the clan. After learning the truth about Itachi's actions and the Uchiha Clan Downfall, despite the fact that the Uchiha's actions would result in disaster for the entire world, including the clan itself, Sasuke vowed revenge against the entire village of Konoha for giving such an order to Itachi, wishing to wipe out the village and purify the Uchiha name. At first, Sasuke was at least unwilling to kill those unrelated to his revenge, but as his hatred increased over time, such convictions were dropped, becoming cruel and ruthless. In his thirst for revenge, Sasuke put himself far above anyone or anything around him; willingly cooperating with Tobi, whom he knew helped Itachi wipe out his clan, to aid him in destroying Konoha, abandoning his team when they were no longer of use to him, and sacrificing Karin to kill Danzō Shimura, despite her healing him throughout most of their mission. After meeting with Naruto a final time before the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke vowed to kill Naruto in his quest for revenge, leading him to take Itachi's eyes to awaken the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.

During the war, Sasuke met with a reincarnated Itachi and the two worked together to defeat Kabuto Yakushi to release the Impure World Reincarnation. During their conversations, Sasuke confronted Itachi over his decisions. When Itachi gave Sasuke his parting words, Sasuke began to question what it was to be a shinobi and why Itachi would choose to lose everything for the village and his brother. Reviving Orochimaru and having him release and reincarnate the previous Hokage so he could listen to their stories, Sasuke accepted Itachi's actions and decided to protect Konoha, but he would do so his own way. Believing that the previous Hokage, and the current five Kage were responsible for the world and its problems, he vowed to become Hokage and change it, seemingly breaking free from his clan's Curse of Hatred. While these intentions were noble, quite a few were less than enthusiastic for him to rejoin their cause, not trusting his motives; Sakura and Sai among them. Regardless, Sasuke fought with the sole intention of defeating Obito, Madara Uchiha, and the Ten-Tails, though his reasons were to clear the slate for the new world and that he was only protecting Naruto so that only he could defeat him later. Sasuke was one of a few shinobi to never lose his resolve in the battle against the Ten-Tails, even chastising Naruto for almost doing so. However, Sasuke was thoroughly intimidated by Naruto's new skills, since he always believed that he was stronger than Naruto and even possessed more advantages due to his lineage. Regardless, Sasuke's characteristic devotion to his cause remained unchanged, as he was more than willing to abandon Kakashi and Sakura during the casting of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, only saving them with his Susanoo because they happened to be with Naruto at the time. He is not above thanking others for helping him however, such as Sakura and Obito when they saved him from one of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's dimensions.

After defeating Kaguya, Sakura and Sai's distrust of Sasuke were confirmed, as Sasuke's cooperation with the Allied Shinobi Forces was merely a means to an end; removing as many people as possible who could get in the way of his own plans of leading the world through a revolution to do away with current shinobi systems, including killing all the current Kage and tailed beasts. Having come to terms with and accepting Itachi's efforts of protecting the village while branded as a villain, Sasuke had come to believe that to unify the world, one must willingly bear the hatred of all around him and stand separated from the rest of the world, viewing that as the correct definition of being "Hokage". To do so, he intended to ignite the flames of hatred in every village and focus it on him, becoming the villain everyone despises. Also, believing firmly in starting anew in all aspects, Sasuke desired to sever all bonds of his past and present, even killing Naruto, whom Sasuke has acknowledged as the closest friend he's ever had. Growing arrogant of his acquired power, Sasuke came to believe he might be the strongest being alive and his power would ultimately grant him immortality to continue his goal for eternity.

However, after his final battle with Naruto at the Valley of the End, Sasuke was shocked by the lengths that Naruto would go for him. He revealed he had always been jealous of Naruto for the fact that despite them being so similar, Naruto turned the loneliness he felt into strength by making bonds with others, while Sasuke pushed those bonds away, thinking them to be a weakness, and subjected himself to training and solitude instead. In the process, Sasuke found himself always following behind Naruto just as he did with his older brother Itachi. Moved to tears by his friend's determination, Sasuke conceded defeat and acknowledged Naruto's friendship, ultimately overcoming his Curse of Hatred. He showed great remorse for his actions and went as far as to apologise to Sakura for all he had put her through. He even showed genuine affection towards her before he left to explore the world and seek redemption for himself. This mutual affection with Sakura later led to him finally falling in love with her, with the two later getting married and having a daughter.

As an adult, Sasuke has matured in many ways — becoming a genuinely warm and caring person towards his wife and daughter, and also being more polite and friendly to his friends and comrades. He has also completely abandoned the Curse of Hatred and accepted the Will of Fire. However, he still retained his cool, collected attitude for the most part and is occasionally capable of cold indifference if he's speaking with someone he doesn't trust, or less commonly if he's forced to keep a secret, such as giving his own daughter the cold shoulder when she questions him about his absence in her life. Despite the fact that he had to be away from his new family, Sasuke still holds a strong connection to them in his own way, noticeably reacting when Sakura and Sarada are talking about him from far away. Sasuke also developed a strong sense of duty, while retaining much of his independent and matter-of-fact personality, becoming more like Itachi, which included his brother's tendency to be emotionally distant with his family for the sake of his duties. This, ultimately, made it difficult for him to be a family man. When meeting his daughter again in years, she interrogated him about why he was away for so long and he was blunt about it by saying it didn't concern her, because he didn't want her to get involved in anything that would bring her harm. However, Sasuke loves his daughter dearly, as he put himself in harm's way in order to protect her, and showed great affection towards her once the fighting was over by embracing her when he noticed she was sad that he had to return to his travelling after briefly returning home. He also acknowledges his mistakes as a father and is willing to apologise for them. Sasuke also holds a high opinion of Sakura; despite her having been kidnapped, he stated his confidence she will probably have finished off Shin by the time they find her and criticised Orochimaru for thinking she's weak. Before he left to resume his mission, Sasuke comically leaves without kissing his wife, much to her dismay. He is also very protective of his wife and daughter, as he threatened Orochimaru after Shin attacked them. Sasuke has also become rather soft; despite berating Naruto for being soft by sparing the Shin clones if they agreed to stop fighting, Sasuke still went with the decision and only pondered on what to do with them. Also, when Boruto Uzumaki demanded to be his pupil, Sasuke was initially reluctant to accept his offer unless he mastered the Rasengan, but ultimately agreed to after he saw the amount of effort Boruto put into learning it.

Appearance
Two years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke, at age 19, wears a navy blue sash that is wrapped multiple times around his head, which ties his usually spiky hair down and once again pushes his hair over his forehead; when he is no longer wearing the sash, his hair remains the way it does. He now wears a black high-collared shirt, similar to what he wore throughout the majority of Part I. His right forearm is wrapped in navy blue bandages, matching his forehead protector. He also wears a tattered light brown poncho with a hood that covers the majority of his upper and lower body, and serves the purpose of concealing his missing left arm. Underneath this poncho, Sasuke wears a midriff-exposing flak jacket similar to those worn in Kumogakure, which covers his right shoulder as well. Sasuke is also noticeably wearing three necklaces, which are each coloured a faded green, red, and yellow, over top of his poncho. He now wears tattered light blue pants, while his ankles are wrapped in bandages that wrap all the way around his open-toed sandals. He also again wields his sword, which he conceals under the poncho.

Several years later, Sasuke's appearance has matured greatly, growing even taller and his hair grew out with his bangs hanging partially over one half of his face similar to Madara. He dons a black coat with a grey shirt and a white blazer underneath it, a purple belt, black pants, sandals and wears a dark blue finger-less glove on his remaining arm. He also is shown wielding a new Sword of Kusanagi, concealed with a small round guard and carries a purple bag on his right shoulder. He once again wears a forehead protector, letting it hang from his left hip.

Abilities
Sasuke's prodigious talent was evident even amongst the Uchiha clan, easily graduating at the top of his class in the Academy. Compared to other remarkable individuals, he was noted to potentially surpass Itachi, Nagato, and even Madara,  who noted he would have chosen to manipulate Sasuke rather than Obito if he was born sooner. His steadily developing skills enabled him to hold his own against various skilled ninja in Part I. After his two-and-a-half years of training with Orochimaru, Sasuke became able to fight an entire team single-handedly, the members of Akatsuki, and even Kage-level ninja. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, he could match his reincarnated older brother Itachi in various combat fields against the physically-modified and the senjutsu-enhanced Kabuto. After receiving the Six Paths Chakra, Sasuke pressured Madara as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, and fought evenly with Naruto in their final battle. Years later and despite having only one arm, he could fight back Shin Uchiha and his clone for some time, as well as overwhelm Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki alongside Naruto.

Chakra Prowess
Sasuke has a high amount of chakra, being already able to use his clan's signature Fire Release technique at age 7, which Kakashi noted requires more developed chakra. In Part II, his levels grew much greater, able to summon a high-level snake like Manda, and use his Chidori several times a day, more so than his daily limit of two in Part I. While developing and repeatedly using his Mangekyō Sharingan among other chakra-taxing techniques, Sasuke fought effectively in multiple consecutive battles at the Five Kage Summit before succumbing to exhaustion. After gaining Itachi's eyes during the Fourth Shinobi World War, his reserves grew even further, utilising several high-level techniques unfazed and only becoming exhausted in his final battle with Naruto.

Quality-wise, Sasuke's chakra is very powerful even amongst the Uchiha, which in part stems from being a reincarnation of his ancestor, Indra, inheriting his strong spiritual energy. When he first arrived at the Land of Sound and gave Kabuto a frightening glare, both he and Orochimaru noted Sasuke's exceptional chakra. In Part II, his chakra control grew considerably, able to use many high-level techniques with few to no hand seals. In adulthood, his improved control allowed him to perform hand seals with only a single hand. Under his clan's curse, Sasuke's chakra became much darker and colder, even more so than both Kurama and the Cursed Seal of Heaven. His chakra was even strong enough to break free from Danzō's Self-Cursing Seal. After meeting Hagoromo's spirit, Sasuke received half of the legendary sage's chakra.

Taijutsu
Sasuke is highly adept in taijutsu, forcing Kakashi to use both his hands in the bell test, and outmanoeuvring two chūnin-level Kirigakure missing-nin in Part I. Under Kakashi's tutelage for the Chūnin Exams final, his taijutsu drastically improved, roughly matching Rock Lee's skill from copying and greatly refining his Strong Fist-style, enough to overpower dozens of enemies and create the Lion Combo. In Part II, he further improved his taijutsu under Orochimaru's guidance, holding his own against the likes of Itachi, Killer B, and Kakashi. Sasuke later clashed with Naruto at the Valley of the End and fought on par with the latter in taijutsu for almost an entire day, even while both were heavily exhausted.

Sasuke has great speed and reflexes, quickly reacting to the Demon Brothers' ambush and outpacing Haku after improving his chakra control. His training for the Chūnin Exam finals increased his speed significantly, moving faster than unaided eyes could follow. In Part II, Sasuke's improved speed allowed him to cover wide gaps instantly, leaving others no time to react. He could evade Deidara's point-blank Explosive Clay and fiercely fast attacks from Killer B's "Version 1" state and the Fourth Raikage. His hand dexterity also increased in speed, able to do many hand seals and launch weapon strikes very quickly. His proficiency with the Body Flicker Technique allowed him to easily cut his opponents down while unnoticed. Sasuke's speed was even praised by Madara as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki, being able to catch up to the latter and cut him in half after receiving the Six Paths Chakra.

Sasuke has a high amount of endurance, sustaining a consistent string of battles against the samurai, two Kage and their bodyguards. While near-blind, battered, and visibly exhausted, he retained enough stamina to fight Kakashi, restrain and disarm Sakura, and later match Naruto's Rasengan with his Chidori. Sasuke's raw strength had also increased, being able to lift Sakura by her throat with a single hand even while exhausted. His overall improvements were so great that Sakura even suspected that he had been given drugs to improve his physical capabilities. By adulthood, Sasuke's physical strength and speed were comparable to those of Naruto in his Six Paths Sage Mode.

Cursed Seal
In Part I, Sasuke was branded with the Cursed Seal of Heaven by Orochimaru. When activated, the cursed seal forcefully absorbed Sasuke's chakra, replacing it with Orochimaru's senjutsu chakra which covered his body with a flame-like pattern and granted him enhanced chakra and physical capacity. Initially, the seal would activate and overwhelm Sasuke when using chakra or getting emotional, making him only able to control it with sheer will. After defecting from Konoha, the Sound Four advanced Sasuke's Cursed Seal, letting him unleash and control its power at will. When accessing the seal's Stage Two, Sasuke's skin turned dark grey with a black four-point star-mark between his eyes and across the bridge of his nose. His sclerae and irides turned black and yellow respectively (except when using his Sharingan), along with his lips turning blue. He also grew claw-like nails and his hair grows to waist-length. He could also grow large webbed hand-shaped wings on his back that allowed him to fly. This form granted him further enhanced chakra and physical capacities comparable to Naruto's one-tailed form.

As a negative effect, prolonged usage of the seal corroded Sasuke's body and mind, causing him some pain and darkening his personality. However in Part II, his training seemingly gained him complete control of the seal, able to handle it unhindered for long periods of time and even perform partial transformations at will. Since Itachi removed Orochimaru from Sasuke's body and sealed him, the seal was also removed. Despite this, Sasuke's being still proved compatible with the cursed seal's source, Jūgo, who since allied himself with Sasuke. He can benefit from this by having Jūgo's power perform feats like healing Sasuke or augmenting his techniques with Jūgo's senjutsu chakra.

Bukijutsu
Sasuke has regularly displayed great skill in various ninja tools. He is very tactical with wire strings, using them for a variety of purposes including rappelling, manipulating the path of his shuriken, and guiding his nature transformation. His skill with trap and weapon-based tactics even surprised Kakashi during the bell test. Sasuke also displayed the ability to infuse his kunai with chakra.

Kenjutsu
By Part II, Sasuke became a highly skilled user of kenjutsu and acquired a chokutō, which become a major part of his fighting style. His skill could defeat hundreds of Oto-nin unscathed without killing them, as well as kill multiple samurai, even deflecting their barrage of chakra blasts. Sasuke's swordsmanship was even acknowledged by Mifune, a famous sword master after he effectively blocked the samurai's attack. His lethal swordsmanship is very versatile, using impressive speed and precision behind his attacks to leave little time for enemies to react. He can effectively wield it in either hand using a normal or reverse grip, giving him various attack and defence styles to use. He can use his blade as a mid-range projectile with great precision.

Shurikenjutsu
Sasuke is also well-versed in usage of kunai and shuriken, showing tremendous aim while still in the Academy. Tactically, he can use techniques like hiding a second shuriken in the shadow of the first and control the path of them using wire strings to ensnare an opponent with the strings. Sasuke's aim and tactical skills are almost on par with Itachi, able to effectively hit targets in a blind-spot by accurately deflecting one kunai off another. Since his battle with Itachi in Part II, he wears a pair of bracelets with a special seal to instantly summon shuriken and kunai of various size and shape, becoming able to unleash a large barrage at a blazing speed that rivals that of his brother's. After launching, he can perform a sneak attack by rigging the blades to disconnect and launch them into separate directions. Sasuke can also enhance the cutting power of his weapons by infusing them with his lightning chakra.

Kyūjutsu
Since at a young age, Sasuke was trained in archery, however his aim was not very good at first as he was unable to hit a large boar directly in front of him from a high vantage point. As he matured in both age and skill, his aim improved to the point of striking targets as quick and elusive as Kabuto in his Sage Mode. He now uses this skill exclusively through his Susanoo, and even incorporates his elemental nature transformations through it for more devastating techniques.

Summoning Techniques
During his training with Orochimaru, Sasuke became able to summon various-sized snakes to aid him in battle, even from his sleeves for hidden strikes or bind his opponents with little time to react. He was also able to summon snakes from any part of his body. He can also summon Aoda to aid him in his fight to quickly carry him through the terrain. His prowess enabled him to even summon the mightiest of snakes, Manda.

Some time later, Sasuke also made an additional summoning contract which allows him to summon hawks. Once summoned, Garuda can help Sasuke fly about and outmanoeuvre his opponent's attacks. In the anime, he was also capable of performing coordinated attacks with Sasuke.

Nature Transformation
Sasuke can utilise all five elemental nature transformations as well as Yin–Yang Release. As a recognised Uchiha, Sasuke has great skill in Fire Release, having already mastered his clan's rite of passage technique by age 7. This feat impressed Kakashi, who noted that genin usually require much more experience and developed chakra to perform elemental techniques. He can also use his fire techniques in conjunction with his weapon skills. He can produce a barrage of giant dragon-shaped fireballs that can quickly burn an enemy, even with minimal contact.

Sasuke also has a natural affinity for Lightning Release, learning the Chidori under Kakashi's tutelage, being able to easily strike through and severely injure most targets. In Part II, he had greatly developed his lightning chakra, creating many powerful techniques derived from the Chidori, one of which utilises natural lightning instead of chakra. Sasuke can also channel his Chidori through his weapons, mainly his sword, for extreme cutting power that also numbs anyone it cuts. He even earned praise from the Fourth Raikage for penetrating his Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Utilising the Six Paths Power, Sasuke can enhance his Chidori, allowing him to effectively combat and even bisect Madara as the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki. He can also channel his Chidori through his Complete Body — Susanoo via its primary left hand. Once combining his chakra with the tailed beasts' through Susanoo, Sasuke's lightning-natured techniques, his strongest being Indra's Arrow, become capable of matching Naruto's senjutsu-enhanced techniques. Two years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, his power and skill with the Chidori grew to the point of destroying half of a falling meteor.

When manifesting his Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke developed the ability to use a special type of Fire Release that he dubs "Blaze Release". Aside from unleashing a wave of unquenchable black flames, he can control the movement of the flames and shape them, as well as having the black flames surround him and create spikes for protection. When gaining his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke could combine his Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi with Susanoo to create Amaterasu swords and arrows that can pierce through heavy defences and ignite them, as well as a barrage of magatama composed of black flames to handle multiple enemies. Sasuke could also use his Kagutsuchi in his hand for direct usage, and infuse it into his Chidori.

Sharingan
Sasuke is one of select members of the Uchiha clan to awaken the Sharingan, doing so at age 7, with one tomoe in each eye, after seeing Itachi murder their clan. However, due to the trauma he endured, he was unable to recall this development and could not use it until years later during his battle with Haku. Later during his battle against Naruto in the Valley of the End, both eyes reached full maturity with three tomoe. With training, Sasuke became able to maintain his Sharingan for considerable periods of time with little effect to his chakra levels, even against several high-level opponents. While only making liberal use of it during Part I, Orochimaru stated Sasuke's Sharingan had an even greater power and clarity than Itachi's despite its incomplete state at the time. This was demonstrated in Part II multiple times; against Deidara, his Sharingan allowed him to notice the microscopic C4 bombs that were within his body and around him.

This dōjutsu grants Sasuke multiple enhanced visual powers, being able to observe and differentiate the flow of chakra, perceive everything within his sight with great detail and from that, accurately predict nearly all of a person's movements. He can also perfectly mimic a person's movements and copy their techniques into his own arsenal, provided he is physically conditioned for it, or else he risks greatly taxing his body. His Sharingan can also cast powerful genjutsu through eye-contact, able to easily hypnotise targets to restrict movements, relay recorded memories, apply deceptive hallucinations shocking enough to stir the then-emotionless Sai, and even easily quell Jūgo's violent impulses. Defensively, Sasuke can repel an enemy's technique that attacks his own mind, stopping Orochimaru's attempt to possess the former's body and ultimately turn it against him. Despite wielding a lesser dōjutsu, Sasuke's eyes proved strong enough to dispel a genjutsu as powerful as Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Likewise, Tobi noted that Sasuke's resourcefulness and precise timing with his illusions can easily catch his opponents off-guard. More prominently, Sasuke was able to enter Naruto's subconscious to effectively suppress Kurama's chakra, and completely control Manda, showing his potential to subjugate the tailed beasts.

Mangekyō Sharingan
Sasuke awakened his Mangekyō Sharingan after learning the truth about his older brother's true intentions. The tomoe of Sasuke's Mangekyō spread and converge along the edge of its iris, taking on the appearance of three intersecting ellipses. With his left Mangekyō, Sasuke can cast unquenchable black flames upon his focal point with Amaterasu. With his right Mangekyō, he is able to cast Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi to manipulate and extinguish them at will. Due to this greater degree of control, Sasuke's use of these black flames are said to surpass Itachi's. He has regularly used his right eye for casting genjutsu, some powerful enough to break a target's will, and paralyse them. Danzō stated that Sasuke's genjutsu is incapable of altering the victim's perception of time, and thus is vastly inferior to Itachi's Tsukuyomi.

Like most Mangekyō Sharingan, prolonged and regular usage of its ocular powers can deteriorate his vision, leading him to see heavy blurs by the time he battled Kakashi. Sasuke ultimately had Tobi transplant Itachi's eyes, resulting in him acquiring the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. Sasuke not only regained his full eyesight, but also obtained additional might from Itachi's ocular power and no longer experienced the side effects of this dōjutsu. With this new form, his Mangekyō pattern changed, gaining a symmetrical, more aligned rendition of Itachi's Mangekyō tomoe that is centred within Sasuke's own. The of his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan grant him fluidity in his movements when fighting.

After awakening the powers of both Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke became one of the few Uchiha capable of invoking Susanoo, with his extreme emotions being the root of its development. While initially relying upon different partial manifestations, Sasuke was soon able to complete his Susanoo's body. It can produce a sword, a bow that doubles as a shield, and an orb of chakra that conjures the arrows. Defensively, its rib cage could withstand a direct barrage from Gaara, Temari, Kankurō, and Darui without any damage. Offensively, his Susanoo's fist and various weapons are strong enough to destroy many large stone pillars with a single attack and its arrows move at speeds only a Sage Mode user like Kabuto can avoid. Sasuke's armoured Susanoo developed during his skirmish against Kakashi, becoming a similar yet more sinister version of Itachi's own armoured Susanoo and changing the composition of its orb of chakra to that of black flames from which he is able to fashion a number of weapons.

Following the recovery of Itachi's transplant, the final stage of his Susanoo underwent a drastic change, with scaled hands, a beak-like hood and a larger bow, with a more shield-like composition, giving it an overall more intimidating appearance. During the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke was able to conjure his Susanoo complete with a lower body. Using Jūgo's Sage Transformation, he can infuse his Susanoo with senjutsu chakra, which appears as the flame pattern of the Cursed Seal of Heaven covering it. Upon further syncing with Naruto, Sasuke could stabilise Susanoo's armoured form into its Complete Body form and shape it onto Naruto's senjutsu-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode, enabling them to cut through Obito and his Sword of Nunoboko. After adjusting to Hagoromo's power, he could manifest his Susanoo without activating his Mangekyō form and even advance the construct to a Complete Body version. In this state, it was able to fend off Madara's multiple Chibaku Tensei, and later clash with Naruto's Six Paths Sage Mode-enhanced Tailed Beast Mode.

Rinnegan
After receiving the Six Paths Chakra, Sasuke's left Sharingan evolved into a Rinnegan. Unlike Hagoromo's, his Rinnegan has a secondary state that has six tomoe around the eye, representing its full power. When drained of its power, Sasuke's Rinnegan cannot access this state for an extended period of time, until after its restoration, likewise affecting his Mangekyō Sharingan. As a true wielder, Sasuke can deactivate his Rinnegan at will, though, this was only after two years of mastering it. As a result, using the Rinnegan repeatedly seems to require Sasuke to close his eye to recharge (or at least speed it up), although it doesn't seem to exhaust him due to his massive reserves. Over-usage will begin straining him, as seen in his final battle with Naruto and it had to keep it closed for the remainder of the battle. Though his Rinnegan manifested only in one eye, its power is still on par with its dual variant.

With the Rinnegan, Sasuke gains the ability to touch Madara's black receiver without suffering their after effects, as well as see invisible targets. Black Zetsu also alluded that Sasuke's Rinnegan may be the reason for why he was able to resist the influence of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and why its light could not penetrate through his Susanoo. Furthermore, the Rinnegan also makes Sasuke the only one able to detect traces of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's chakra.

Sasuke's Rinnegan can still access his left Sharingan's powers, such as Amaterasu and Susanoo, and cast genjutsu strong enough to control all nine tailed beasts at once. Uniquely, he has also gained the ability to transport himself or any target near him within a limited range. Years later, Sasuke could also cross over dimensions. However, doing so requires a large amount of chakra and drains his dōjutsu power for an extended period of time. After further adjusting to Hagoromo's dōjutsu, Sasuke can wield the powers of the Six Paths Technique. He could use the Deva Path to seal all nine tailed beasts each within a Chibaku Tensei satellite, and the Preta Path to absorb one's chakra through physical contact, even with his eye closed. Yin-Kurama noted that because Sasuke's Rinnegan was still new at the time, he could not absorb and utilise techniques simultaneously.

Using Susanoo as a vessel, Sasuke can temporarily absorb, contain and control the tailed beasts' chakra much like the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, briefly overwhelming Naruto in their final battle. Yin-Kurama also noted that Sasuke's merger of the tailed beasts' chakra was on par with Hagoromo's separation of the Ten-Tails' chakra. With this, his lightning-nature techniques applied through Susanoo increase greatly in power.

Intelligence
From a young age, Sasuke repeatedly showed keen instincts and quick decision-making skills, considered by many to be a genius. Able to easily learn various advanced techniques or utilise basic ones for crafty manoeuvres, he already became a stand-out before even graduating the Academy. He is a proficient strategist and tactician, observing his opponent's skills and deducing their workings with ease and accuracy whilst remaining calm and composed. He then chooses the most effective means and ninjutsu to counter them. Sasuke's resolution also enables him to pick strategies in which he requires getting injured in order to defeat the enemy, showing tremendous endurance and willpower. Likewise, he can use his techniques as setups for his larger-scale ones. Even very skilled shinobi such as Minato Namikaze and Madara have noted Sasuke's impressive analytical skills. Sasuke is also a very capable leader, able to form a team from specific ninja and effectively instruct them to engage an enemy. Sasuke is also detail orientated, always paying attention to any small details in a battle and hypothesizing causes for any abnormalities rather than just ignoring them.

Sasuke can develop many powerful techniques on his own, all based on the one technique he learned from another, such as different taijutsu manouevres from Lee's techniques, or innovative variations of the Chidori. He can be rather deceptive, capable of tricking older and more experienced shinobi like Danzō into confirming the mechanics of their techniques. Likewise, Sasuke can use even basic illusions to dangerous effect, tricking his opponent into letting their guard down. He is a proficient researcher, able to well-prepare himself for enemies and their various abilities, such as the nature of Orochimaru's snake techniques and unique cursed seals. He could also use his Sharingan to perfectly sync his fire-natured chakra with Naruto's wind-natured chakra to perform the "Scorch Release: Halo Hurricane Jet Black Arrow Style Zero", something Tobirama noted as extremely difficult. Sasuke is a capable tracker, able to follow Itachi even though the latter used a flock of crows to block his vision. He is also shown to be very observant, quickly noticing Sakura's discarded flak jacket in a portal opened by her and Obito for only a few seconds and transporting to it to reunite with them.

Other Skills
Under Orochimaru's training, Sasuke was subjected to the Sannin's experiments, and thus developed physical enhancements, including an immunity towards most poisons. After absorbing Orochimaru, he gained the Sannin's regenerative powers, allowing him to heal at a much faster rate than usual, and access Orochimaru's chakra as extra reserves. Sasuke could also shed his skin and produce a new body to repair any damage he sustained. He is also one of the few Uchiha who can access the Naka Shrine. He can also cooperate with others, performing a series of precise and coordinated attacks with his brother Itachi despite their previous volatile relationship. After his meeting with Hagoromo, Sasuke could temporarily use a powerful fūinjutsu alongside Naruto, which was strong enough to seal Kaguya. As an adult, he also demonstrated the ability to utilise the Shadow Clone Technique.

Prologue — Land of Waves
Upon the formation of Team 7, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke were forced to mingle. Sasuke tried to avoid both of them, but he kept getting drawn into Sakura and Naruto's antics. Accordingly, Kakashi gave them a bell test, the three of them being tasked with taking the two bells he kept on his person. Sasuke tried to take a bell by himself, ignoring his team-mates in the process, failing regardless of having a better success rate. Regrouping with his team, they all realised that the true goal of the test was to learn to place teamwork above the single-handed completion of the mission, and, in doing so, were allowed to pass.

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 shocked and useless during this encounter. Though Kakashi was the one to defeat them. After arriving to their destination, they were attacked by Zabuza Momochi, a missing-nin from the Hidden Mist Village. On Kakashi's instructions, he and his team-mates used a formation to protect Tazuna while Kakashi faced the enemy. Kakashi gets trapped and he and Naruto created a plan to take on the latter. Despite not defeating Zabuza, the two were able to make Zabuza free Kakashi from his trap. With Kakashi freed, his sensei gained the advantage over Zabuza but just as he was winning a masked hunter-nin knocked Zabuza out, taking him away.

Later, he along with his team-mates had 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 other's limits. Some time after, while on the bridge Zabuza returned with the masked hunter-nin as backup. After defeating a few water clones of Zabuza, he engaged Haku in battle. Haku however was able to gain the advantage with his dangerous speed and dexterity. Sasuke thinks on his feet and uses chakra control to give him an edge, with the result of keeping up with Haku and landing a powerful blow. Suddenly, he finds himself trapped in Haku's crystal ice mirror technique. Unable to escape, he is pelted with senbon. Naruto comes to aid him, but it proves useless. It was here that Sasuke reawakened the legacy of his clan, the Sharingan. With it he was able to see the foe's attacks and for the most part counter them. Although he claimed his body had moved on its own, his actions showed that he was willing to put himself in mortal danger for Naruto's sake. Although it appeared that Sasuke had died in the process, it was later revealed that he was merely put in a temporary death state.

Chūnin Exams
Before the Chūnin Exams started, Sasuke fought Rock Lee, who uses his speed to defeat him with his taijutsu techniques. However, before the finishing blow could be given, Might Guy interrupted the match and punished his beloved student for using a forbidden technique in a normal fight. In the first part of the exam, Sasuke realised that, to succeed in the written test, it is required to cheat without getting caught, using his Sharingan to copy the pencil movements of a student in front of him, effectively copying the answers.

In the second test of the Chūnin Exams in the Forest of Death, Sasuke was attacked by who he thought was Kusagakure genin Shiore. However, with Naruto urging him not to surrender to the stronger ninja, Sasuke defeats who he learns is actually the missing-nin Orochimaru who implants his cursed seal on Sasuke's neck as a reward. Losing conscious from the immense pain of the seal as it attunes to his body, Sasuke suffers horrific nightmares before awakening under its influence as he mercilessly defeats Otogakure genin and breaks Zaku's arms. It took Sakura's hug and pleas to snap him back to normal. In a flashback detailed Part II, Sasuke is revealed to have met Karin while saving her from a bear, letting her be as he didn't need her scroll.

Sasuke's match up in the preliminaries was against Yoroi Akadō. Before the fight started, Kakashi warned Sasuke that, if his cursed seal got out of control, which would happen if 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 with Sasuke being in constant pain from his cursed 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 took Sasuke away to seal the cursed seal, but made it a point to tell him that the seal would only remain active as long as Sasuke wanted it to. Not convinced that his words would deter Sasuke from using the cursed seal, and turning to Orochimaru, Kakashi used the month leading up to the final rounds to teach him the Chidori. At the same time, knowing Sasuke would be facing Gaara, he helped Sasuke to emulate some of Lee's speed and fighting style, Strong Fist. After showing up late for his match with Gaara, Sasuke demonstrated the fruits of his training. After Sasuke manages to overpower Gaara's sand attacks and normal defences with his improved skills, Gaara encases himself in a highly impressive Shield of Sand. Sasuke not being able to bypass Gaara's defensive and offensive technique on normal conditions stoops to using his newly learned moved, Chidori. After breaking past his defence with his attack and pierces Gaara, Gaara panics at the sight of bleeding for the first time. Before the match could finish, however, it was interrupted by the start of Orochimaru's attack on Konoha.

Konoha Crush
With the start of the invasion, Gaara fled the village with his siblings, and Sasuke was sent after them by Genma. Sasuke chased them and, after short battles with Kankurō and Temari, caught up with Gaara before fighting him again. However, Gaara utilises his jinchūriki powers to overpower Sasuke before Naruto arrives and takes the fight in Sasuke's place and defeats Gaara. Later attending the Third Hokage's funeral, witnessing Naruto's strength injured Sasuke's pride as he becomes envious of him.

Search for Tsunade
After the failed invasion, Sasuke went to see Kakashi, and later was seen reading the stone tablet in the Naka Shrine. When he arrived at Kakashi's house to see him again, he found his teacher in a coma. Although nobody in the room was willing to tell Sasuke of what had happened, Aoba Yamashiro soon arrived and let slip that Itachi had returned to the village in search of Naruto. Determined to find Itachi, Sasuke tracks Naruto down and finds his brother there. Despite his best efforts, including the use of Chidori, none of his attacks were able to hit Itachi. Itachi tormented Sasuke physically and mentally, belittling him for still being too weak, eventually leaving Sasuke with a broken wrist and mind. Sasuke then fell into the same Tsukuyomi-induced coma as Kakashi. Guy appeared to take Sasuke back to Konoha; however, it was not until Tsunade returned to Konoha that he recovered. However, despite his recovery, Itachi inadvertently subjected Sasuke to the Curse of Hatred, causing him to become more violent and aggressive than before.

Sasuke Recovery Mission
Motivated by anger over Itachi still being stronger, and his jealously to his team-mate for becoming stronger in a short period of time, Sasuke forces Naruto into fighting him before Kakashi stops the two as they use their strongest attacks on each other. Although thinking his Chidori did the most damage to a nearby water tower, Sasuke is shocked to find Naruto's Rasengan obliterated one whole side of it without the structure being compromised. After being lectured by Kakashi over not using Chidori on his own friends, Sasuke asked Kakashi how he would feel if all his friends died, to which Kakashi replied that all of his friends were already dead. After this, Sasuke started to reconsider his quest for revenge, but then he was confronted by Orochimaru's Sound Four, who have been sent to bring to him to Otogakure. Revealing himself and his comrades being branded with cursed seals with full mastery over them, Sakon leaves Sasuke with the offer to come with them if he wishes to use his cursed seal's true potential. Deciding to take Orochimaru up on his offer, Sasuke is confronted by a shocked Sakura as he sneaks out of Konoha. She talked to him about how he first called her annoying and all the things they've done together, but he brushed her off and made it clear that he has chosen revenge over peace in the village with her and their friends. Sakura then pleaded for Sasuke to stay and even as far to profess her love for him and offered him to stay with her or let him take her with him. Despite Sakura's desperate pleas, Sasuke calls her annoying and when she threatened to scream to alert the village of his betrayal, he appeared behind her and sincerely thanks her before knocking her out and joining up with the Sound Four, who soon afterwards advanced his cursed seal to its second level, a process that left him unconscious for most of their battle with the Sasuke Recovery Team.

Soon after Sasuke woke up, he ran his way towards the Valley of the End, where he is found by Naruto, who had learned Orochimaru's intent to turn Sasuke into his next host. Seeing Naruto, Sasuke reveals his intents to kill him to obtain the Mangekyō Sharingan. 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 needed. With Sasuke gloating that Naruto can not even make a scratch on his forehead protector, he 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-Tails' chakra surfaces to protect Naruto, giving him a massive power increase as he attempts to knock some sense into him. Sasuke merely retorted that Naruto could never understand losing a family as he had never had one to begin with, despite Naruto feeling that Sasuke is like a brother to him and refuses to let him sever that bond. Sasuke's Sharingan evolved to its final stage at that point, tipping the battle in Sasuke's favour with Sasuke now being able to predict Naruto's movements. However, Naruto's Nine-Tails' chakra envelops him in a fox-shaped shield of chakra. In response, Sasuke activated the second stage of his cursed seal as both he and Naruto clash with their respective empowered attacks.

Clashing with the dome produced from the conflicting energies, Sasuke defeats Naruto with a punch to the chest rather than what remained of Chidori. But before the dome dissipates while losing consciousness, Naruto managed to scratch Sasuke's forehead protector as it falls off of him. Though considering to kill Naruto then and now, Sasuke begins to have second thoughts and resolves to find his own way to surpass Itachi. Leaving behind his scratched forehead protector, which had fallen off after Naruto's last attack, Sasuke made his way to Orochimaru, who decides to train Sasuke until the time to make the youth his new host comes.

In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths
About two years into his training with Orochimaru, Sasuke overheard Kabuto talk to Orochimaru about needing to transfer a vial for research on Suigetsu to the Eastern Hideout. Sasuke uncharacteristically offered to deliver it himself. Upon arriving at the base, he momentarily met with Suigetsu, telling him to prove his strength in exchange for freedom. After Suigetsu escaped, Sasuke offered to help Karin recapture him. Soon, the two found Suigetsu and engaged him, who fended the duo off with his water techniques. Ultimately, Karin subdued Suigetsu with her chakra chains. Pleased with his test, Sasuke deemed that these two would make useful allies in the future and resolved to win them over.

Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission
Almost three years after leaving Konoha, Sasuke meets his replacement in the renamed Team Kakashi, Sai. Despite a lack of interest in Sai, Sasuke is inadvertently provoked and subjects Sai to a genjutsu exuding a large amount of killing intent. Sai is amazed that even an emotionless person such as himself was affected by Sasuke's gaze, channelling through his Sharingan. When Sai comments on how Naruto and Sakura have been searching for him, Sasuke once again regards him with indifference in attitude. Later, when Team Kakashi infiltrates one of Orochimaru's hideouts successfully under the leadership of Yamato, Sai, acting on his own, locates and enters Sasuke's room while he was resting in a bid to assassinate him as ordered by his superior in Konoha's Root faction, Danzō Shimura.

However, after spending quality time in Team Kakashi, especially with Naruto, Sai comes to understand the meaning of bonds of friendship, and decides to help Naruto save him. However, enraged on being disturbed, Sasuke destroys the room, drawing Naruto, Sakura and Yamato to their location. Despite this being the first time in nearly three years that they had seen each other, Sasuke expresses his usual indifference towards his former team. Unperturbed of Orochimaru's intentions for him and the prospect going home to Konoha with his former friends, Sasuke engages them in battle, showing off his increase in speed and improved abilities.

Team Kakashi are ultimately outmatched against Sasuke, mostly due to the team's exhaustion with Naruto's four-tailed form (that he had previously used to battle Orochimaru), causing Naruto to begin struggling with the Nine-Tails in his mind. To the surprise of both Naruto and the Nine-Tails, Sasuke uses his heightened prowess of his Sharingan to enter Naruto's subconscious to meet the fox itself, finally discovering the true source of Naruto's strength. The Nine-Tails appears to be impressed with Sasuke's growth and ability as it states his chakra being as "sinister" as Madara Uchiha's. Sasuke coldly dismisses knowing such a person and uses his Sharingan to suppress the Nine-Tails back into its sealed cage. The Nine-Tails concludes that this would probably be its last meeting with Sasuke, so it warns him not to kill Naruto, for he would only end up regretting it. Back outside, Sasuke decides to finish off his former team-mates, starting with Naruto, only to be stopped by Orochimaru as the prospect of them and other Konoha shinobi thinning out the Akatsuki would make his revenge easier. Accepting the notion, Sasuke leaves with Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Three-Tails' Appearance
In the anime, Sasuke makes a brief appearance training by a waterfall. He also meets one of Orochimaru's test subjects, Yūkimaru, who was picking white camellias.

Itachi Pursuit Mission
Some time later, Orochimaru tests Sasuke's abilities by having him battle hundreds of Otogakure ninja with no compassion or mercy, a task he completes without taking a scratch and without killing any of them. When inquired about the latter part of the scenario, Sasuke remarks that the only person he wants to kill is his brother, Itachi, and leaves to his training room. Soon afterwards, as Orochimaru reaches the limit of his present "vessel" containing his soul, which starts degrading his health, he is notified by Kabuto that the time for his ritual to take over Sasuke's body is near. As Kabuto leaves to get some medicine, a vulnerable Orochimaru is unexpectedly attacked by Sasuke, who deems Orochimaru too weak to be worthy of having his body or the Sharingan. Although Sasuke appears victorious after a brief scuffle with Orochimaru's true snake-form, he is nevertheless brought to Orochimaru's subconscious for his Living Corpse Reincarnation. Having severely underestimated Sasuke, it is Orochimaru, in turn, who is absorbed to a dormant state within Sasuke, who is able to reverse the process using his Sharingan and hence, gains access to all of Orochimaru's abilities.

With Orochimaru gone, Sasuke goes ahead with his plan to locate and kill Itachi, by first recruiting some of Orochimaru's former test subjects — Suigetsu Hōzuki, Karin, and Jūgo — on the pretext of granting them virtues for their themselves after the success of their mission (Suigetsu wants to obtain Samehada by killing Itachi's Akatsuki partner, Kisame Hoshigaki; Karin wants to be with Sasuke due to her massive crush on him since their meeting; and, Jūgo wants to see if Sasuke was indeed worth of his dear friend, Kimimaro's sacrifice), and dubs their team Hebi. Immediately afterwards, Sasuke had his team split up and learn of Itachi's potential whereabouts.

While searching alone, Sasuke is found by Akatsuki members, Deidara and Tobi, with the former wanting to kill him for defeating Orochimaru himself. Using his Sharingan and lightning-based techniques, Sasuke manages to counter most of Deidara's attacks, which results in Deidara producing his C2 Dragon. Though the C2 Dragon manages to overwhelm Sasuke for a short period of time, he eventually defeats it with the second level of Cursed Seal of Heaven and Chidori Sharp Spear. Sasuke's actions anger Deidara severely, fuelling his pre-existing hatred for the Sharingan, stemming from his past encounter with Itachi, even further, which to him could not see or admire his "art". Deidara, revealing this to be his trump card, uses C4 in order to finally kill Sasuke. However, Sasuke pierced himself with Chidori to cancel out the tiny, nano-sized explosives within his bloodstream. Shocking Deidara, Sasuke appears behind him and punches him with extreme force, effectively defeating the Akatsuki member, who has depleted his chakra supply. As a last ditch effort, Deidara uses C0 to try blowing himself up along with Sasuke in a titanic explosion, which obliterates everything in the nearby vicinity. Sasuke, however, summons Manda in time and uses his Sharingan to have the great serpent shield and jump the both of them to safety. Just they were able to jump to the Ryūchi Cave, both Manda and Sasuke were hit by the shockwave of the blast, which killed Manda. Shortly after that, Sasuke signalled Suigetsu to summon Manda with Sasuke still inside of it to reunited and group with his team-mates. Later, he admitted to Karin that he only defeated Orochimaru because he was already weakened after the latter shows disbelief that he could have nearly beaten.

Fated Battle Between Brothers
After recovering from his wounds, Hebi continues onto one of Akatsuki's lairs, where Sasuke finds a crow clone of Itachi which expresses admiration over Sasuke's growth in power and tells him they will have their battle at the Uchiha Hideout, leaving the rest of Hebi behind to deal with Kisame. Once inside the Hideout, Itachi asks Sasuke what his eyes see, which Sasuke then replies that he saw Itachi "dead at his feet." The two brothers then immediately begin a brief taijutsu battle, during which Itachi tells Sasuke the cursed history of their clan, of "Madara Uchiha" being still alive as another Uchiha besides themselves, and his desire to obtain the flawless Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan by taking Sasuke's eyes. Once he finishes, the brothers first fight in a battle of genjutsu, where Sasuke demands the location of Madara so that he can kill him too, but after Itachi declares him to be "immortal", he ensnares Sasuke in a Tsukuyomi, during which Itachi gauges out Sasuke's eye. Sasuke breaks free, much to Itachi's surprise, due to his immense mastery of the Sharingan. With Zetsu witnessing (and "recording") the battle, the two Uchiha begin a battle of ninjutsu. Sasuke and Itachi begin rapidly firing shuriken at one another, which results in a stalemate. Sasuke launched a Fūma Shuriken at Itachi, an attack which should be easy dodge, however, Itachi was wounded and even coughs blood. Notwithstanding Itachi's condition, Sasuke unleashes a fireball, provoking Itachi to jump to the ceiling, where Sasuke then forces him outside with Chidori to do the same.

Once outside, the two brothers produce two clashing fireballs. As Sasuke's fire gains on Itachi's, the latter resorts to using his Mangekyō Sharingan technique, Amaterasu, which ignites the area in the undying black flames, and almost burns Sasuke. Sasuke survives using one of Orochimaru's techniques, and in his cursed seal second state, launches Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, which creates an artificial weather condition around them, perfectly suitable for Sasuke to attack Itachi with his final lightning technique that uses the power of natural lightning itself: Kirin. But Itachi barely survives, only by his use of the third and final Mangekyō technique, Susanoo. Having used the last of chakra on Kirin, Orochimaru, who has been absorbed and suppressed by Sasuke's chakra, uses this opportunity to reappear in the outer world through one of his eight giant snakes in a last attempt to take Sasuke's body for his own. However, before this could happen, Itachi has Susanoo use the Sword of Totsuka to seal him permanently in a genjutsu realm, thereby removing every tint of Orochimaru's being from Sasuke, including the Cursed Seal of Heaven.

Cornered by an incoming Itachi, Sasuke watches in horror his brother inevitably aiming for his eyes, but is flabbergasted when, instead, Itachi says a few words and collapses to his death, after poking him in the forehead- something Itachi would regularly do to Sasuke when they were younger. Shocked and exhausted, Sasuke too passes out, albeit with a smile due to the accomplishment of his lifelong mission. Sasuke wakes up in a cave in the care of Tobi, who quickly reveals himself to be Madara Uchiha. As Tobi tries to befriend Sasuke by removing his mask and revealing his Sharingan, Sasuke's left eye reacts to Tobi's Sharingan and triggers Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan which casts Amaterasu, setting the masked man on fire, and causing him to retreat into the darkness of the cave. After dispelling the black flames with ease, an unscathed and masked Tobi appears again and begins to muse about how Itachi never ceased to amaze him. As Sasuke asks what he was talking about, Tobi reveals that Itachi had most likely implanted a one-shot Amaterasu in Sasuke's eye to attack if and when he saw Tobi's Sharingan. As Sasuke complains that he is making no sense, Tobi makes startling revelations that it had been to protect him, and, when Sasuke still didn't believe him, Tobi said how it must all sound crazy, but assured him that he was telling the truth, and introduced himself as the man who had helped Itachi to slaughter the entire Uchiha clan.

Tobi reveals to Sasuke the "truth" of Itachi: that he killed his clan by orders from Konoha, how he joined Akatsuki to keep an eye on the organisation from the inside to keep his village and his brother safe, and that everything he had done was to make sure Sasuke grew strong. Remembering his childhood of how Itachi really was a kind, good brother, Sasuke developed his own Mangekyō Sharingan. He renamed Hebi to Taka and vowed he would destroy Konoha after crying over the memories of his beloved older brother.

Pain's Assault
Before Taka could attack Konoha, Tobi convinced them to start working with Akatsuki. He sent them to the Land of Lightning to capture the Eight-Tails, where they found its host, Killer B. The capture attempt got off to a bad start, as Killer B swiftly overpowered both Suigetsu and Jūgo, prompting Sasuke to face B one on one. Sasuke was unable to read Killer B's unique kenjutsu and B ultimately stabbed Sasuke with six swords. Sasuke was rescued and healed by Karin, and the team decided to all attack at once. While they had more success, Killer B released a great deal of the Eight-Tails' chakra and created a chakra cloak. When Sasuke attempted to use a genjutsu to knock B out, the Eight-Tails broke him out of it and B retaliated on the unaware Sasuke with great force, using the Eight-Tails' power to blow Sasuke's neck and chest open.

While Sasuke was down, Killer B fully transformed into the beast sealed within him, leaving Taka outclassed. Jūgo healed Sasuke by fusing some of his own flesh with Sasuke's body and Suigetsu allowed the team to flee and protected them from Killer B's Tailed Beast Ball. Fearing the deaths of he and his team-mates, Sasuke unleashed his new Mangekyō Sharingan and Amaterasu to capture Killer B.

Sasuke delivered Killer B to Tobi before regrouping with Taka. While resting, they dealt with J, who had been following them. However, when Sasuke tipped over a glass of water, he learned that his eyesight was already starting to deteriorate. He opted to keep this revelation from the team. Sasuke and Jūgo later caught J spying on their hideout and presumably killed him before abandoning the hideout.

Five Kage Summit
Once Taka recovered from their battle with Killer B, they headed for Konoha, but are intercepted by Tobi. He informed Taka about the destruction of Konoha and their failure in capturing the Eight-Tails which had been revealed to be nothing more than a transformed tentacle. He also told them about Danzō Shimura becoming Hokage and the Kage Summit. Taka was led to the Land of Iron, where the summit was held, by White Zetsu.

Taka managed to infiltrate the summit without being detected, but their cover was blown by Zetsu, on orders from Tobi. Forced out of hiding, Sasuke engaged the samurai guards and slaughtered them despite his previous strict no-kill policy, due to having fallen deeper into the Curse of Hatred. The Fourth Raikage, or A, still under the impression that Sasuke has killed his younger brother Killer B, confronted Taka together with his escorts. While Suigetsu and Jūgo encountered the Raikage and Darui, Sasuke managed to take out C with his Genjutsu: Sharingan. With C incapacitated and Jūgo defeated, Sasuke then faced off against the Raikage. During the ensuing clash, Sasuke dodged A's Elbow and managed to pierce A with Chidori, despite A's Lightning Release Chakra Mode. Despite Sasuke's efforts, A responded with Liger Bomb, though Sasuke managed to protect himself with the ribcage of the Susanoo. Sasuke covered his Susanoo with Amaterasu flames, which resulted in A losing an arm.

As the Raikage was about to deliver the final blow, Sasuke manipulated the black flames to attack A, though he continued to attack. However, A was saved by the Fifth Kazekage, Gaara, and his escorts. After seeing how dark Sasuke had become, the Kazekage attempted to convince Sasuke to give himself up, though Sasuke replied that there is nothing that could stop him from achieving his vengeance. Shedding a tear for his former rival, Gaara collaborated with Kankurō, Temari, and Darui to attack Sasuke. However, Sasuke used his incomplete Susanoo to defend himself, create a distraction and escape with Karin, leaving Suigetsu and Jūgo to fend for themselves.

Karin guided Sasuke to the room where the summit was held, but before he could engage Danzō, Sasuke was confronted by Mifune. In the meanwhile, Danzō managed to escape, but the Fifth Mizukage prevented Sasuke from pursuing him. Though he was exhausted due to the previous battles, Sasuke managed to gather enough strength to briefly fight against the Mizukage. Sasuke was ready to pass out, but was reinvigorated by Zetsu's Spore Technique. He escaped from the Mizukage, only to be confronted by the Third Tsuchikage. He was just barely saved by Tobi, who pulled him and Karin into another dimension using his Sharingan, where Karin nursed Sasuke back to health.

Tobi brought Sasuke out in front of Danzō, who immediately attacked the young Uchiha. Sasuke grabbed Danzō with the arm of his Susanoo and interrogated him about the truth of Itachi. Once he realised that Danzō had in fact ordered Itachi to slaughter the Uchiha clan, he immediately crushed the elder to death. However, Danzō appears behind him completely unharmed and ready to fight. Sasuke managed to kill Danzō with a variety of methods, although every time, Danzō was revived unharmed.

Sasuke, overtaken by his lust for revenge, advances his Susanoo to it's complete form, which is able to fire arrows. Tobi realises that Danzō is using Izanagi, which allowed him to avoid fatal injury and rewrite history as he saw fit. Danzō summoned Baku in order to stop Sasuke, however Sasuke managed to defeat the summoning monster with Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique. Sasuke managed to kill Danzō a few more times with different methods before coming to a stale mate. Each determined to kill the other, they clash again, Danzō, with Wind Release: Vacuum Blade and Sasuke with Chidori, as well as Danzō relying on Izanagi to save him. Sasuke, however, had used a genjutsu to only create the illusion that Izanagi was still active, allowing him to mortally wound Danzō. Danzō takes Karin hostage in an attempt to buy time, but Sasuke had no hesitations in fatally wounding Karin in order to finish off Danzō and stabbed her in the heart with Chidori to kill him once and for all.

With his revenge against Danzō fulfilled, Sasuke declared his plans to go to Konoha. However, Tobi pointed out that Sasuke was exhausted and near blindness. He also told Sasuke to kill Karin if she was no longer of any use, before leaving himself. As Sasuke was about to kill Karin, Sakura suddenly appeared and interrupted him. She told him that she was willing to follow him, even if it meant abandoning and even destroying Konoha. Sasuke was skeptical and told Sakura to kill Karin to prove she was sincere. However, as Sakura hesitated, Sasuke attempted to kill her with his Chidori, only to be stopped by Kakashi. Sasuke laughs at their continued attempts to convince him to return to Konoha and said he would only stop with his vengeance if his clan was brought back to him, and he attacks Kakashi, with the intention of killing him. Taking Kakashi's attempt to remind him about his former comrades in Konoha as an insult to Itachi, Sasuke's Susanoo gained a layer of armour. However, this form was short-lived, as much to Sasuke's horror, his eyesight deteriorates instantly, to the point of seeing a blurred haze at most, and Sakura uses the opportunity to try and strike him down.

Sakura ultimately cannot bring herself to kill Sasuke. Though near-blind, Sasuke senses her, seizes her by the throat, and nearly killed her with her own kunai, but she is saved by Naruto. When asked by Naruto why he attacked Sakura and the rest of Team 7, Sasuke denounced any connection to them and he saw each and every one of them as part of the village he blamed for the loss of his clan. Naruto sympathises with Sasuke's motives, which Sasuke cynically counters with his pleasure of revenge, as well as revealing his crime of murdering Danzō. When Naruto restrains Kakashi to keep him from killing Sasuke, Sasuke uses this opportunity to try once more to kill Kakashi with Chidori, but Naruto counters with Rasengan. As the two collide, he tells Naruto that his only options are to kill him or die by his hand. Naruto rejects both, stating he has a third option, which is to save him from revenge. As their clash sends two flying back, one of White Zetsu's clones appears and cushions Sasuke's fall. Tobi then appears and prepares to take Sasuke away, but he tells him to wait so he can hear what Naruto has to say. Naruto elaborates that if they fight again, they will both die together, but he will never give up on bringing Sasuke back. Sasuke then becomes angry and demands Naruto to answer why he cares about him so much, to which Naruto replies he is doing it because he is his friend, leaving Sasuke shocked. Naruto further states that he will fight Sasuke if he attacks the village but if they die in their fight, they will both be free of their burdens, which are Sasuke as a Uchiha and Naruto as a jinchūriki. Despite this unperceived event, Sasuke firmly states he refuses to go back on the path he walks. Before leaving away with Tobi, Sasuke says that they must have a talk.

At their hideout, Sasuke asks Tobi to replace his eyes with Itachi's eyes, as his vision is almost faded due to his reckless overuse of his Mangekyō Sharingan and he wants to defeat Naruto with his full power. After transplanting Itachi's eyes, Tobi claimed that Sasuke would need time to recuperate from the operation and adjust to the new Mangekyō. Sasuke however remarked that it felt perfect and that he could feel Itachi's power flowing into him. Unbeknownst to Sasuke at the time, Tobi also secretly implanted six White Zetsu spore clones to spy on him.

Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax
At the Mountains' Graveyard, Sasuke recovers from his surgery, and asks Zetsu if he could take off the bandages to which he says not yet. After awakening his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, Sasuke attacks White Zetsu with his new Susanoo and kills him with Blaze Release: Susanoo Kagutsuchi and removes his bandages. After changing back into his normal attire, Sasuke carves an opening through the roof with his sword and sets off. Later Sasuke encounters some Zetsu's clones, who demand to know why he left the hideout. When the clones realise that Sasuke killed their original copy, they attack him. He slaughters most of the clones using a combination of Susanoo and Amaterasu. Afterwards he used a genjutsu on a clone and learned about the current war. Sasuke then decapitates the clone and destroys the last Zetsu clone with Amaterasu.

While travelling to the battlefield, Sasuke encounters his brother, much to his surprise. Sasuke chases after him and tries to catch him with an arm of Susanoo but Itachi counters with his own. Sasuke questions Itachi about his existence considering he had died to which he reveals Kabuto had reincarnated him. Bombarding his brother with questions, Itachi continued onward stating he needed to stop Kabuto's technique. Nearing Kabuto's base, Itachi summoned a flock of crows to blind Sasuke as he went on to confront Kabuto. When Sasuke caught up with Itachi, he mistook Kabuto for Orochimaru but soon realised who it was. Kabuto attempted to sway Sasuke to his side to defeat Itachi but after learning the truth about his brother, he decided to team with his brother and demanded that they talk after the fight ended.

After informing his brother of some of the abilities of snakes, Kabuto attacks the two with his enlarged snakes. Activating his Susanoo alongside Itachi, he beheads the snakes. Sasuke manages to get close to Kabuto and rip his hood off, but he was nowhere insight. Sasuke throws his sword at one of the snakes in the distance, pinning it to the wall. However, as Kabuto manages to elude them, Sasuke listens as Kabuto tells him that the experiments on his former team-mates had allowed himself to acquire new abilities. Forming his Susanoo, Sasuke fires an arrow at Kabuto which the latter narrowly dodges. Sasuke listens on as Kabuto declares that after finding the Ryūchi Cave and learning the way of the sage from the White Snake Sage, that he had transcended to a dragon.

As Kabuto's technique is initiated, Sasuke covers his ears and closes his eyes in pain, realising that he can't maintain his Susanoo. As the technique ends, Sasuke opens his eyes to see Itachi's Susanoo protecting him. Afterwards Sasuke attempted to hit Kabuto with his Chidori Sharp Spear, but fails. Itachi tells Sasuke that they'd be going with an attack pattern they had used in their youth against a wild boar. Forming his Susanoo arrows, Sasuke is able to hit Kabuto's snake-tail with his arrow, pinning Kabuto to the ceiling of the cave. As Itachi approached Kabuto, he impaled him with his brothers own sword but soon returned to Sasuke's side unaffected. Noticing the strong teamwork between the two brothers, Kabuto mocks the brothers for having different values but Itachi intervenes and tells Sasuke not to listen to Kabuto words. Itachi then admits to Konoha's dark side, but still firmly considers himself a Konoha ninja. Admitting to his own faults for how Sasuke turned out, Itachi promises to tell him something important after the battle, which he intends to finish with "Izanami". As Kabuto attacks, Itachi blocks, telling Sasuke the technique has begun.

Kabuto attacks again and incapacitates Itachi, leading to Sasuke creating a ring around themselves of Amaterasu flames for protection. A copy of Sakon emerged from the base of Kabuto's naval snake and immediately transformed into Jirōbō and breached their Amaterasu barricade. Without time to retaliate, the two brothers incinerated multiple webs produced by a copy of Kidōmaru. Kabuto then produced a copy of Kimimaro to barricade their exit with a combination of bones and webs. Boxed in, the brothers activate their Susanoo with Sasuke using his Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi to destroy the web that was in front of them whilst leaving the field of bones to Itachi. After retreating, the two become effected by Tayuya's genjutsu. Using their own genjutsu to break each other free from the technique, the brothers are able to stop Orochimaru's white snake form from attacking. However, Kabuto emerged from the mouth of the snake and bisected Itachi.

As Kabuto attempts to take control of Itachi again with his seal, Sasuke intervenes with Susanoo, forcing Kabuto to retreat. Sasuke then launches a fireball at Kabuto, only for him to counter. After returning to Itachi, Sasuke watches as Kabuto and Itachi seem to repeatedly clash in the same manner. It is then realised that Itachi's Izanami has finally taken effect. Questioning his brother about the technique, Itachi explained the mechanism behind Izanami. Itachi tells Sasuke that now he will be stopping Kabuto's technique while Sasuke disagreed as Itachi would also be stopped once the technique was cancelled. Sasuke reacts angrily to Itachi's statement that he was proud to be able to protect his village, and comments saying he can't forgive them for doing what they did to Itachi.

Resigned to the fact that he could not change his brother's mind, Sasuke told Itachi that it was because he remembered his time with Itachi that he would not give up his vendetta against Konoha and in the same manner that Itachi strived to protect it, he would destroy it even it was against Itachi's wishes. With that, he wished his brother farewell before he noticed Itachi walking towards him with his hand outstretched. Itachi then explains to Sasuke that what Danzō and Tobi had told him had been the truth: he had been given the choice to either die along with his clan or to kill the Uchiha, protecting the village and Sasuke. Itachi reaches Sasuke and puts his hand on the back of Sasuke's head and his forehead on his, telling him that he knows that he can't change Sasuke's mind, but no matter what path he chose, he would love Sasuke forever. Sasuke then watches as his brother's soul is released leaving him with Kabuto.

After Itachi's departure, Suigetsu and Jūgo found Sasuke, and give him the scroll they had found at Orochimaru's hideout. After reading the scroll, Sasuke decides to revive Orochimaru. He uses Anko's Cursed Seal of Heaven along with a piece of Kabuto's altered flesh to revive Orochimaru. After reuniting, Sasuke shows Orochimaru the scroll. While insisting that he still desired revenge, Sasuke explained that he must know what the idea of revenge really meant for him to know if it was truly his decision leading to Orochimaru to take him to where his questions could be answered.

Following Orochimaru, they travelled to Konoha and eventually arrived at a ruined temple on the outskirts of the village and retrieved a mask. Afterwards Sasuke's group travelled through the village where he took and moment and surveyed the village. Afterwards Sasuke pressed on to the destroyed Naka Shrine where he unsealed the hidden meeting hall below the temple. Once there, Orochimaru initiated the ritual to unseal the contents of the Shinigami using the spore clones that had been attached to Sasuke as sacrifices to reincarnate the former Hokage. After introducing himself to the Hokage, Sasuke asks Hiruzen why he had ordered Itachi to massacre the Uchiha clan to have him confirm everything he had been told before. Tobirama then tells Sasuke that he was from a clan possessed by evil, revealing how the Sharingan was awaken, and how an Uchiha who experienced loss would spiral deeper into darkness and become unwieldy upon losing that love, and that he, in his attempt to help the Uchiha channel that force, gave them the Konoha Military Police Force, which ultimately destroyed them as well. Though admonished for this by his brother Hashirama, Sasuke told them that he was not pure nor a child and asked the latter what is a village and what is a shinobi.

After Hashirama concluded his story, Sasuke mused that it was nothing if not ironic that the person who had inherited Hashirama's will was an Uchiha. Tobirama, however, corrected the young Uchiha, noting that not only did he himself not hate the Uchiha, but that there were many who had transcended the limitations of thinking only of the Uchiha, presenting his subordinate Kagami as a prime example of this. Having heard all he needed to from the Hokage including the Third and Fourth, Sasuke seemingly broke free of the Curse of Hatred and resolved to protect the sacrifice his brother had made and heads to the battlefield. Upon exiting the Naka Shrine, they were confronted by Karin whom Sasuke simply apologised to. With this, they all prepared to make their way to the battlefield.

Arriving on the battlefield, Sasuke's presence surprised the rest of the Rookie Nine. When asked by Sakura and the others why he is here, he declared to them that he would change the village and become Hokage so that incidents such as these would never repeat themselves to which Naruto stated that he would in fact become Hokage. Afterwards Sasuke and Naruto prepared to face off against the Ten-Tails, before being joined by Sakura. As Hashirama made openings in the barrier containing the Ten-Tails, Sasuke charged alongside the Allied Shinobi Forces. Once inside, he fought several Ten-Tails clones and in the processes saved Sakura. In the middle on the fighting, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto simultaneously used the Summoning Technique with which Sasuke summoned Aoda alongside Katsuyu and Gamakichi. He and Aoda slide past the clones of the Ten-Tails, while also fending off their attacks using a more enhanced version of his Chidori-infused sword. After Sasuke manifested Susanoo to combat the clones, he used his Susanoo to fire an Amaterasu flame-enhanced arrow towards the Ten-Tails, which was combined with Naruto's Wind Release: Ultra-Big Ball Rasenshuriken. After their attack hit the beast, Sasuke intended to burn the Ten-Tails to much of Naruto's disapproval but the beast intervened and separated itself from the flames.

Later, as Madara began to use Obito to revive himself, Sasuke and Aoda made their way towards Obito in order to stop the process. After Aoda was captured by the Ten-Tails, Sasuke lunged at Obito, manifested Susanoo, and fired another flame-enhanced arrow at Obito. However, Obito managed to deflect the attack. Just as Sasuke was about to take out Obito with Chidori, Minato teleported to Obito and cut him down. However, he survived the attack and surprised everyone by becoming the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.

Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchūriki
Sasuke was shocked to witness Obito cut through the First and Second Hokage so easily. When Naruto questioned his father about whether or not he couldn't prevent teleport the Third to safety, Sasuke told him to stop worrying because it was part of the Hokage's plan to determine Obito's new skills since they couldn't die because they were reincarnated. Sasuke later intercepted Obito's attack on Naruto with his Susanoo and declared that he would be the one to erase the past. However, Obito managed to break through the Susanoo and attack both Sasuke and Naruto.

With Minato unable to teleport to their aid as the marking for the Flying Thunder God Technique had seemingly vanished, Naruto's quick-thinking is able to save them from Obito's attack. Remembering what Minato had said about how the Flying Thunder God Technique worked, Sasuke realised that Naruto had connected them to Minato through the use of chakra arms allowing him to teleport them to safety. Sasuke later watched on as the event unfolded on the battlefield, and on Minato's orders prepared to launch a consecutive collaborative attack with Naruto after Minato had attacked Obito. During this time, when Minato was attacked by Obito, Sasuke reprimanded Naruto, reminding him that they needed to stay focus. He later looked on in shock as the ball Obito had attached to an unaware Minato prepared to expand, threatening to eradicate them all. Manifesting his Susanoo and grabbing Naruto as well, they are saved by Tobirama who teleported the orb away from them. While Tobirama and Minato came up with a new plan of attack, Sasuke rushed forth and launched Amaterasu at Obito, much to Minato's protests. However, Obito managed to deflect Sasuke's attack, stating he could see the build up of chakra in Sasuke's left eye. He and Naruto then launched their counter-attack against Obito forming another Kagutsuchi-infused Rasenshuriken. As they charged, Minato teleported in front of them taking the blow of the technique, Minato then used the Flying Thunder God Mutually Instantaneous Revolving Technique to land a surprise attack on the new jinchūriki.

Though they believed the attack to have worked initially, they are all shocked to see Obito emerge from the attack unscathed. After watching Obito unsuccessfully deflect Gamakichi's Starch Syrup Gun technique, Naruto came up with a hypothesis and successively attacked Obito, revealing that senjutsu was the Ten-Tails jinchūriki's only weakness. Afterwards Obito trapped Sasuke along with the entire shinobi alliance in a barrier and prepared to launch several Tailed Beast Balls at them. Jūgo came to Sasuke's side with the attention of getting them out of the barrier but Naruto insisted they come before him and transferred some of Kurama's chakra to the pair. Sasuke and the others soon found themselves outside of the barrier after Naruto and Minato teleported the entire Shinobi alliance to safety. Sasuke later watched on as Obito manifested the Ten-Tails' final form and begin attacking the Shinobi alliance. Hashirama had Ino Yamanaka link everyone telepathically so that he could pass on info that his original had heard about the Ten-Tails and the Eye of the Moon Plan in an attempt to rally them to continue fighting. While Hashirama's words fail to inspire anyone, Sasuke continued to battle without fear or doubt, donning his Susanoo and cutting down a limb of the enormous tree.

Calling out to Naruto, Sasuke asked the young man if he was done, as he himself had just begun. Through Ino's telepathic link, Naruto's emotions and memories were conveyed to everyone, leading the young Uchiha to sympathise with the loss of Itachi. Sasuke, in his complete Susanoo, joins Naruto in an assault. After Naruto informs Sasuke not to forget that only senjutsu will work against Obito, Sasuke tells him that he is not quick to forget, unlike Naruto. With this statement, Sasuke has Jūgo use the senjutsu chakra from his Sage Transformation on his Susanoo, which covers Sasuke's Susanoo with the Cursed Seal of Heaven markings. Sasuke and Naruto then proceed to attack Obito, who once again used the Truth-Seeking Balls to aid in protecting himself from their assault. In unison with Naruto's senjutsu-enhanced Tailed Beast Ball, Sasuke fires a senjutsu-enhanced arrow at Obito. Sasuke and Naruto were unhappy to see that their combined technique did not harm Obito, due to him surrounding himself in a sphere formed from the Truth-Seeking Balls. The battle continued resulting in Sasuke's Susanoo and Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode form being destroyed. However, Sasuke and Naruto got up on their feet again.

Standing alongside his comrade, he noted that they would end the battle with their next attack, to which Naruto agrees. With this, Sasuke manifests his final Susanoo which begins to encase Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode mantle. After Sasuke's Susanoo fully encased Naruto's Tailed Beast Mode mantle, Sasuke then manifested his Susanoo sword. Noticing their powerful combination, Obito manifested a huge shield and the Sword of Nunoboko, preparing to engage the two young shinobi. After agreeing that they had one opportunity to take down Obito, Sasuke and Naruto charged into battle. While the Konoha 11 destroyed the shield, Sasuke's Susanoo sword managed to shatter Obito's legendary weapon. With his sword destroyed, Sasuke and Naruto managed to slash through Obito with the Susanoo's senjutsu-enhanced sword. Due to the success of Sasuke and Naruto's attack, Obito began losing control of the tailed beasts and Naruto began pulling the chakra of the tailed beasts out of Obito. Sasuke and the rest of the Allied Shinobi Forces later assisted Naruto in the great chakra tug-of-war against Obito, eventually succeeding in extracting the tailed beasts from him. As Obito lies exhausted and defenceless, Sasuke drew his sword and quickly went in for the kill, only for Kakashi to teleport in front of Sasuke and prepare to do it himself. As Kakashi was stopped by Minato, the Fourth Hokage told Naruto to help Hashirama against Madara, to which Naruto told Sasuke to join him.

Sasuke arrived to the battlefield from atop Sai's ink-bird and immediately began incinerating Madara with his Amaterasu. However, Madara shrugged off Sasuke's attack and absorbed it. After Madara defeated Naruto and Sai, as well as absorbing Hashirama's Sage Mode, Sasuke attacked Madara viciously with his sword. Madara allowed Sasuke to pierce his bicep and grabbed his blade, while also offering the young Uchiha the opportunity to join him in the battle against the Allied Shinobi Forces. However, Sasuke refuses his offer and informs the elder Uchiha that he plans to kill him, to which Madara responds that he will take Sasuke's eyes as a temporary replacement for his lost Rinnegan. As Naruto and Sai attempted to assist Sasuke in his battle against Madara, the elder Uchiha managed to evade the three attacking shinobi and turned his attention towards the tailed beasts.

Sasuke summoned a hawk to go after Madara, but was halted by Hashirama, who offered him a technique that would be able to bind Madara even his own senjutsu chakra. Sasuke wondered why he'd offer such a technique to an Uchiha, and Hashirama compares him to Madara's brother, Izuna, and as such, had the best chance of stopping Madara without resorting to strength. Sasuke flew towards Madara, and attacked him using an opening created by Tobirama, who was fighting Madara. However, Madara immobilised Sasuke in the air, and fatally stabbed him with his own sword despite Tobirama's pleas. After Madara dropped the younger Uchiha, Sasuke clung to life remembering his resolve to honour his brother's sacrifice, and change the shinobi world for the better. However, Sasuke finally collapsed as Madara walked away.

Tobirama and Karin noticed grimly that they could no longer sense Sasuke's chakra. Later on, Sasuke was approached by a barefooted individual. The individual turned out to be Kabuto who was able to rediscover himself and thus, break free from Izanami. He chose to save Sasuke's life as Obito volunteered to save Naruto's life declaring that he now knew who he was and where he belonged and would pay Itachi back for helping him realise all this. Within Sasuke's unconscious mind, he met the spirit of the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki. He told Sasuke of his family history and revealed to Sasuke his status as the reincarnation of his eldest son Indra. Admitting to his own faults as a father and leader, Hagoromo asked Sasuke to help fix his mistakes. After hearing Hagoromo's request, Sasuke firmly tells the sage his goal for after the world is to reform it as he sees fit. Hagoromo ultimately accepts Sasuke's answer and passed on the Six Paths Yin Power, his chakra and his dōjutsu powers to Sasuke, causing the Uchiha to manifest a Rinnegan in his left eye. Upon awakening, Sasuke readied himself to return to the battle.

After Sasuke took out Madara's chakra rods from Tobirama's body, the Second used his Flying Thunder God Technique to send Sasuke on the main battlefield, as he teleported him to Minato's kunai that Naruto had taken with him. Madara watched on with surprise as Sasuke arrived next to Naruto, who also met with Hagoromo and obtained the great Sage's Yang chakra and Six Paths Sage Mode. As the young Uzumaki noted that he and Sasuke are going to defeat him together, Sasuke told Madara to get ready. The older Uchiha replied that he had both their powers, the Rinnegan and the senjutsu of the Six Paths and that they were about to find out who is the strongest in a final battle.

Madara then proceeded to use his various techniques against the duo, to which Sasuke and Naruto's combined power was able to defend against. As Madara continued to seemingly manipulate targets from afar, Sasuke's Rinnegan saw through the charade, discovering that Madara was actually producing an invisible clone to aid him. Realising that the clone was invulnerable to physical attacks, and that it could be damaged only by techniques containing senjutsu or Hagoromo's chakra, Sasuke countered Madara's assault by stabbing him with his sword. Sasuke then explained his analysis to Naruto, and ordered him to prepare an attack with senjutsu. The two then proceeded to assault Madara again. Collaborating with Naruto, Sasuke used an enhanced Chidori combined with Naruto's Sage Art: Magnet Release Rasengan to strike Madara, only for Madara to use his Limbo: Border Jail to absorb the damage. Realising the situation was shifting to Sasuke and Naruto's advantage, Madara instead stole Kakashi's Sharingan as a temporary replacement left eye and used its power to teleport to the Kamui's dimension to retrieve his actual left eye from Obito, but not before Sasuke bisected the older Uchiha.

Shortly afterwards, Sakura was teleported out of Kamui's dimension by Obito to Sasuke's shock. She warned her allies of Madara's potential power should he regain both his eyes. After Madara returns, fully regenerated and with both Rinnegan, Madara created four shadows to hold off his opponents. While Sakura impulsively attacked Madara, Naruto managed to save her from harm, while Sasuke attacked Madara's shadow, but to no avail. Madara then took to the air and performs the Chibaku Tensei. Sasuke responded by unleashing his Complete Body — Susanoo that flies into the sky and to cuts through the massive meteorites. Upon noticing the moon had taken the image of Madara's third eye, Sasuke quickly retreated to the ground, and used the wings of his Susanoo to shield Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. When Naruto tried to leave to help the others, Sasuke stopped him, telling him to be patient.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes
As the light of Madara's technique finally ended, Sasuke let down his Susanoo. Madara then confronted the team, only for Black Zetsu to impale him, revealing that it was actually a manifestation of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, and proceeded to expand its being into him. Team 7 were immediately knocked down after large amounts of chakra burst from the ground and flowed into Madara from the Infinite Tsukuyomi victims, leading to Sasuke to take action. While Naruto attacked from the front, Sasuke teleported behind Madara and attempted to cut him down. However, their efforts were futile, as they became trapped within strands of chakra. As Black Zetsu transferred its remnants into Madara, the chakra began to settle, reviving Kaguya and immediately sent the two hurtling to the ground.

Explaining that she did not want Team 7 to interfere with her plans of turning humans into White Zetsu, she proceeded to shift dimensions, transporting them mid air into a cave, leading Team 7 to fall towards lava. Sasuke immediately summoned Garuda to save Naruto and himself. After aguing with Naruto as to why he didn't attempt to save their team-mates, Kaguya launched a pinpoint attack, which pierced Sasuke's Susanoo, hitting Garuda's wing as well as Sasuke's left arm. As he fell towards the lava, Naruto swiftly saved Sasuke after discovering his ability to fly. Afterwards Naruto began fighting with Kaguya, giving Sasuke an opening to join in and strike. Ultimately, Sasuke's attack fails, and is forced out of his Susanoo. Falling into the ocean of lava once again, his blade was incinerated in the lava. Sasuke manages to teleport himself to Naruto's location, and receives a platform to stand on from Naruto.

While Kaguya sneaks up behind them with tears in her eyes. Black Zetsu emerges from Kaguya, latches onto Naruto and Sasuke, and begins absorbing their power, while he also explains the history of Kaguya's defeat, his creation, and his attempt to revive Kaguya. Once Black Zetsu finishes his tale, Naruto manages to rip Black Zetsu off of himself and Sasuke, and the two shinobi prepare their counterattack. Sasuke and Naruto later discuss a counterattack plan, which gets put into action when the former uses Amaterasu on Kaguya, albeit she absorbs the attack and the latter uses the new technique. Ultimately, the plan is successful as Kaguya is distracted long enough to be punched by Naruto. Sasuke prepares to strike Kaguya with the Six Paths Yin Power while Naruto proceeds to strike Kaguya with the Six Paths Yang Power. However, the sealing attempt is unsuccessful as Kaguya shifts them to a different dimension and traps the two in a prison of ice. Sasuke uses Blaze Release: Kagutsuchi to free himself and Naruto from the ice. Black Zetsu tells Kaguya that she should separate the two, and so Kaguya emerges behind Sasuke and pulls him into her portal, leaving him trapped in a desert dimension, isolated and confused.

He attempts to find a way to escape, but to no success and quickly becomes exhausted. Sasuke senses Naruto's chakra but is unable to find him. Later he notices Obito and Sakura opening a portal and calls for him to come. The portal becomes smaller as Obito falters but Sasuke shifts to get in and catches Sakura as she collapses. He then explains how his ability works. With the help of Obito's Kamui, Sasuke and the others return to the ice dimension by utilising his shifting ability. As Sasuke makes his way towards Naruto, and the latter asks him if he has thanked Obito and Sakura, which he coldly rebuffed and tells Naruto to focus on Kaguya. Kaguya immediately shifts everyone to a high gravity dimension, and prepares to eliminate Sasuke and Naruto. Thanks to the effects of the gravity, Sasuke and Naruto manage to dodge the attack, but Kaguya launches the attack once more, intent on eliminating the threat. Kakashi and Obito jump in front of Sasuke and Naruto, but Obito uses Kamui to save Kakashi as well, and is stabbed in the process, shocking Sasuke and everyone else.

Sasuke recharges his left eye while everyone listens to Obito's final words. As his Rinnegan's power is restored, Sasuke takes the opportunity to surprise Kaguya and instantly teleports next to her. While Naruto attempts to save Obito, Sasuke informs him that he cannot do anything to save him, and so he should instead focus on Kaguya. Sasuke activates his Complete Body — Susanoo and flies towards Kaguya's location, preparing to take her on in battle. As he continues to battle her, Sasuke presents a dismayed and angry Naruto an opening, which he takes to rip off Kaguya's arm, with Black Zetsu still attached to it. While Sasuke begins pressuring Kaguya, Naruto launches nine separate attacks, each imbued with on of the tailed beasts' chakra. After hitting Kaguya with it, her body becomes unstable, transforming into an amalgamated mass of the tailed beasts. It produced several outstretching hands, sucking up everything it came in contact with. As it approached Sakura, Kakashi, having inherited Obito's Sharingan powers from the departed spirit, uses Susanoo to save Sakura, much to everyone's surprise.

Regaining control of herself, Kaguya then shaped the tailed-beast mass into a giant Truth-Seeking Ball. Kakashi devised a plan and shared it with his students, telling them to be ready for what could be their last mission as a team. As Naruto distracts Kaguya with his clones, Sasuke waits for the opportunity to leap into action. While Kaguya is distracted, Sasuke swaps place with one of Naruto's shadow clones and appears next to Kaguya. As she attempts to escape, Sakura comes from above and knocks Kaguya down, as Naruto and Sasuke finally manage to touch her with their special sun and moon tattoos they received from Hagoromo, preparing to seal away the Rabbit Goddess once and for all. Immediately upon contact, Sasuke and Naruto begin the ultimate sealing technique: the Six Paths — Chibaku Tensei. Kaguya wonders how she, the ancestor of all chakra, could be defeated by mere fragments of chakra, as she reverts back to the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and is encased by the landscape, creating an enormous satellite similar in size to the moon. After sealing away Kaguya, the moon tattoo disappears from Sasuke's hand, as the sun tattoo disappears from Naruto's hand, and reappears on the hands of Hagoromo. Relieved that they have defeated Kaguya, they immediately worry about how they will return back to the real world.

Suddenly, Team 7 and the tailed beasts are summoned back to earth by Hagoromo and all of the previous Kage. Satisfied, Hagoromo thanks Sasuke and his comrades for saving the world. While everyone celebrates Kaguya's defeat, Sasuke senses some life in Madara, and rushes to eliminate his fallen enemy once and for all. However, he is stopped by Hagoromo, as Hashirama approaches his former comrade. Following Hagoromo's advice, Sasuke listens to Hashirama and Madara's final words to each other, as Madara passes away peacefully and the reanimated Hokage return to the afterlife. As the tailed beasts begin to talk about their future plans now that they are free, Sasuke grimly makes his intent to kill the current five Kage still trapped within Infinite Tsukuyomi known. He then proceeds to take control of the nine tailed beasts and seal them away within separate Chibaku Tensei. As Kakashi asks if he still simply desires revenge, Sasuke plainly states that what he wants is to recreate the world the way it should be, doing so with revolution. Noting that only Naruto still stands in his way, Sasuke faces his former friend and ally. While Hagoromo sadly looks on to see that once again his children battle each other, Naruto firmly says he will end this feud once and for all.

Before they depart for their battle, Naruto urges Sasuke to at least release the tailed beasts, but Sasuke tells he intends to destroy the tailed beasts, which would require killing Naruto in order to eliminate the chakra of the tailed beasts within him, while also keeping the ones he trapped alive in order to end the Infinite Tsukuyomi. He orders Naruto to follow him, as he wants to take their fight elsewhere. As Sasuke turns to leave, Sakura makes a final plea to keep Sasuke from abandoning them again by once again professing her love to him and asking him to consider staying if he held any care for her. Sasuke replied that she is still annoying and silenced her with a genjutsu of him impaling her chest in order to prevent her from interfering with their fight. Ignoring Kakashi's scolding for ignoring that Sakura is suffering from her love and desire to save him, Sasuke said he had no reason to love Sakura as she had no reason to love him and that her love for him is something from the past she is holding onto, and then he led Naruto to the Valley of the End. Though Naruto tries to persuade Sasuke once more with Itachi's words, Sasuke rebuttals by preparing to tell Naruto what he means when he says the word "Hokage".

Sasuke explains Itachi's sacrifice to Naruto, stating that Itachi is the definition of a "true Hokage," despite the fact that his one mistake was allowing Sasuke to live so that he could learn the truth about his brother. Explaining his goal further, Sasuke tells Naruto that as he will become the Hokage, he will become darkness itself and take on all of the hatred of the world alone. By absorbing the hatred of the shinobi world himself, Sasuke will eliminate the darkness of the failed system, allowing it to shine once more. Naruto attempts to explain the error in Sasuke's ways once more, claiming that Sasuke does not know anything about his brother or what he believed in. However, Sasuke does not take Naruto's words into account, and states that Naruto's death will be the beginning of the new clean slate he is determined to inflict on the world. With nothing else left to say, Sasuke and Naruto clash, with enough force to begin cracking Hashirama's statue. Repelling against each other, Sasuke immediately fires a massive fireball at Naruto, who manages to deflect the attack by activating his Six Paths Sage Mode. Leaving Naruto little time to react, Sasuke shifts behind Naruto, activates his Chidori, and knocks Naruto into the water. As Naruto recovers, Sasuke activates his Susanoo and fires three arrows towards Naruto, though he manages to block Sasuke's attack by utilising three of his Truth-Seeking Ball, resulting in several small explosions. Sasuke activates his Complete Body — Susanoo and tries to slice down Naruto, only for his attack to be countered by one of Naruto's tails as he enters Tailed Beast Mode. The two titans' fists clash together, as memories of the past are shared between the two.

Taking a moment, Sasuke warns Naruto to pick up the pace if he doesn't want to die, while Naruto refuses to abandon Sasuke, despite their differences. While Naruto forms a Tailed Beast Ball, Sasuke applies the Chidori to his Complete Body — Susanoo. The two techniques clash, resulting in a massive explosion, as Naruto and Sasuke enter their inner subconscious once again. Sasuke tells Naruto that they are no longer children, and that despite their differing opinions, they should be able to understand each other at this point. While remembering Sasuke's words about two high class shinobi learning each other's feelings through their fists, Naruto tries once more to convince Sasuke to stop fighting, stating that his goal is pointless since the five shinobi villages have already united. However, Sasuke explains that they only united to defeat a common enemy; with their enemies defeated, Sasuke believes the world will become like it was before the war. Resolved to becoming the common threat for the sake of the shinobi world, Sasuke explains that he will find some way to gain immortality through the use of his immense power- stating that is what he means by becoming "Hokage." Returning to the real world, Sasuke and Naruto are knocked back as a result of the explosion of their colliding attacks.

Pleased that Naruto is becoming serious, Sasuke summons the satellites encasing the tailed beasts and begins channelling their chakra into his Complete Body — Susanoo, as it changes into a more humanoid form, while stating he is quite possibly the strongest person in the world, which is later noted by Kurama, as he states that Sasuke is on the level of Hagoromo himself. While Naruto summons three shadow clones, Sasuke immediately shifts behind him with Amenotejikara, knocking one of his clones into the earth. The two battle in the sky, as Naruto tries to attack Sasuke, but fails as Sasuke uses a lightning-based senbon to counter Naruto's technique, resulting in a massive explosion. Naruto combines his clones to form one powerful chakra avatar and throws two Rasenshuriken, while Sasuke fires a lightning-enhanced arrow, as the two attacks prepare to collide in the air.

Sasuke and Naruto's attacks collide in the air, creating a massive explosion that devastates the land and destroys the heads of the Madara and Hashirama statues. Completely drained of chakra, the two fall to the earth and into the valley once more. Surprised that Naruto has survived the last encounter, Sasuke attempts to use Amaterasu to incinerate Naruto, but fails, as Naruto uses Kurama's chakra to protect himself from the damage. As Sasuke begins to feel the effects of using too much chakra, Naruto takes the opportunity to create clones that attack Sasuke altogether, sending him into the air. Naruto plans to deliver a decisive blow, but Sasuke also manages to land a hit as well with his elbow. Sasuke summons shuriken to eliminate Naruto's clones and attacks what he believes is the real Naruto body with Chidori, only to be fooled with a clone as Naruto lands an attack. Sasuke tries to use his Chidori, but fails, as Naruto activates his Rasengan, only for him to trip and lose control of the technique. Seeing this opportunity, Sasuke kicks Naruto onto his back and begins punching Naruto repeatedly in the face, until Naruto finally manages to break free with a headbutt. As Naruto rises, the two engage in a long battle of taijutsu for an entire day.

Upon nightfall, Sasuke and Naruto continue to fight with only their strong wills, as the two are both completely exhausted. Kurama gives Naruto more chakra to use for one final attack, but Sasuke manages to use his Rinnegan's Preta Path ability to absorb Naruto's chakra for his own. Activating the Chidori and his Sharingan once more, Sasuke prepares to end Naruto's life, stating that he will finally be alone once his one and only best friend is dead. Refusing to give up, however, Naruto struck back, sending Sasuke into the wall of the valley. Enraged at his persistence, Sasuke channelled the last of his chakra into a Kagutsuchi-infused Chidori and clashed with Naruto's Rasengan for one last time. In the process, they destroyed the rest of the valley and each other's arm. Completely drained from their fight and on the verge on dying, Sasuke lost consciousness. Waking up some time later, the two lay next to each other with Sasuke asking why Naruto would go through such lengths for someone like him. Naruto replies that he is his friend, but Sasuke is not convinced and asks Naruto explain what he means by that. Naruto explains that he feels pain whenever Sasuke is going through a tough time. Shocking Sasuke, the two eventually fall asleep for the night once more.

While unconscious, Sasuke begins thinking about his relationship with Naruto and how he has always felt the same way about Naruto that Naruto has felt about him. Upon waking up in the morning, Sasuke acknowledges that he himself had truly been jealous of Naruto from the start. He and Naruto start to talk about their differences and when Naruto stated he would still fight for Sasuke if he tried to come after him again, Sasuke laughed and finally admitted defeat. He asked Naruto to take his Rinnegan and give it to Kakashi to release the Infinite Tsukuyomi, and allow him to die if it meant restoring everything in order. However, Naruto told him he wouldn't let the Uchiha die on the battlefield, declaring that he would always be there for his friend no matter what, moving Sasuke to tears. Sakura arrived shortly after and healed the two. A guilt-ridden Sasuke tried to speak to her and she told him to be quiet so she can concentrate on healing them. He then sincerely apologised to Sakura for all the things he had done. She tearfully accepted it as a pleased Kakashi looked on at his team, who were laughing and smiling at one another, reuniting once again. Sasuke forms the special sign with Naruto by, resulting in the release of the Infinite Tsukuyomi and the world being saved from the final threat. Following this, he released the tailed beasts from their prison in the satellites, much to the delight of Naruto.

Blank Period
After the war, Sasuke was officially pardoned by Kakashi, who had become the Sixth Hokage following Tsunade's retirement, and a good word from Naruto. Opting to see the world through clearer eyes, Sasuke prepares to leave Konoha, choosing not to wait for his prosthetic new hand to be finished. Sakura asked once more if she could come with him and while Sasuke tells her this journey is for him alone and that his sins had nothing to do with her, he indicates that he reciprocates her feelings by affectionately poking her forehead, like his brother Itachi used to do to him, promising he'd be back and thanking her. As he departed from the village, he ran into Naruto, who had been waiting for him. Saying their final words to each other, Naruto gives Sasuke his former forehead protector that he had discarded at the end of their first fight. Accepting the forehead protector as a sign of reconciliation, Sasuke leaves Naruto and the village, proceeding to travel around the world as a nomadic vagabond in order to find redemption and analyse the world.

The Last: Naruto the Movie
Two years after he started his journey around the world, Sasuke crosses paths with Hiashi Hyūga, who had earlier been injured in his battle against Toneri's puppets. While rescuing Hiashi, he watches as a large meteorite descends from the sky and obliterates nearby. Returning to Konoha, Sasuke indiscreetly drops Hiashi off to be healed, while other Konoha shinobi protect the village from falling comets. Lee and other taijutsu users manage to destroy a piece of a large meteorite, but the remainder of it continues hurdling towards the village. With no one else able to stop the meteorite, Sasuke activates his Chidori and destroys it, resulting in a massive explosion. After informing Kakashi that it was his job to protect the village since Naruto was away, Sasuke mysteriously vanishes. Coinciding with Naruto's marriage to Hinata, Sasuke continues his journey around the world, wandering in the desert once more.

Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love, Riding Upon a Spring Breeze
Sasuke is suspected of associating with a terrorist organisation, with the prime motivation of attacking Konohagakure once more. Despite the evidence piled against him, many Konoha shinobi do not believe these claims and vouch for his innocence. It is eventually revealed that the perpetrator is not Sasuke, and has been using his identity as a means to further his own goals. Konoha manages to inform the real Sasuke of these events and requests his assistance, but he turns them down, believing their issues do not concern him. However, once he finds out that the enemies have captured Sakura, he immediately rushes home. Though Sakura manages to fend for herself, Sasuke returns to finish off her captors before leaving once again, remaining unseen by Sakura.

Akatsuki Hiden: Evil Flowers in Full Bloom
Sasuke makes an appearance in this novel.

Epilogue
Years after the war, Sakura would join him on his journey and he would eventually marry her. She would later get pregnant, but she refused to leave his side, forcing them to have Sakura give birth to their daughter, whom they named Sarada, in one of Orochimaru's hideouts with the aid of Karin, essentially beginning the Uchiha's restoration. It is implied by Sarada's memories that Sasuke was around during the first few years of her childhood, but despite that, Sasuke had never taken a single photo with his new family, forcing Sakura to use an old photograph of him to make a fake portrait of the two of them together. At some point after Sarada was born, Sasuke called for a meeting with all the five Kage and told them he had been doing research and found possible evidence an army of White Zetsu as well as something even worse than Kaguya may be on the way. This information was decided to be best kept from the public as they were still recovering from the Fourth Shinobi World War. Sasuke then took the liberty of tracking traces of Kaguya's chakra, being the only one that can with his Rinnegan and left the village on a top-secret mission, leaving Sakura to raise their daughter on her own. While walking through a forest one day, he thought he heard a sound behind him. Instinctively putting his hand to his blade, Sasuke dismissed it as his imagination and continued walking.

Naruto Gaiden: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring
While Sasuke is travelling, he notices that something has gone amiss. He then gets attacked by a cloaked individual, wielding a kusarigama. After fending his opponent off with his sword and a stream of lightning, Sasuke notices that the person has a Sharingan and wears the Uchiha clan's family crest on his back. As the mysterious shinobi flees, a confused Sasuke ponders how this is possible. Following this, Sasuke sends a messenger hawk to inform Naruto of the recent event, asking to meet with him.

Later at the waiting point, Sarada arrived, having joined Naruto on the journey to finally see her father again. Sasuke caught her by surprise where Sarada was crying with joy after finally seeing her father after longer than she could remember. Sasuke, however, ever cautious and not recognising his daughter, drew his sword in suspicion that she was affiliated with the boy that attacked him. Sasuke then moved to attack Sarada, who dodged his blade. He then moved to attack her with his hand when Sarada screams out "Papa", causing Sasuke to realise who she is and cease his attack. Sarada questioned who her real mother was, but received no answer. She demanded to know what Sasuke had been up to all this time, but he told her it was none of her business, causing her to run out the door crying with Naruto in pursuit to comfort her. Afterwards after sensing Shin and his father were attacking outside, Sasuke hurried outside to aid Naruto and protect his daughter.

Sasuke quickly engaged the mysterious man, swatting away his blades with his own sword, only for the man to catch hold of Sasuke's blade, Sasuke then used his Rinnegan to swap places and launch a Great Fireball Technique. The older man quickly pulled Shin in the way of the blast to take the brunt of the damage. Amazed at Sasuke's dōjutsu might, he voiced his desire to make it his own and introduced himself as Shin Uchiha as well. Adult-Shin then took advantage of Sasuke letting his guard down by manipulating Sasuke's sword into stabbing Naruto. The enemy Uchiha then launched more blades at Sarada, forcing Sasuke to shield his daughter with his body. Sakura appeared and quickly pummelled the man into submission. With the fight seemingly over, Sakura apologised to Sarada for not giving her a proper explanation about their family situation, to which Sasuke insisted that it wasn't her fault, but rather his own. Suddenly, a small creature appeared and teleported Shin, his son and Sakura away. Realising that Shin's arm was embedded with multiple Sharingan like Danzō's, Sasuke surmised that Orochimaru was behind this. Accepting Naruto's call to bring the children along, they went to Orochimaru's hideout for answers.

Along the way, they met with Yamato, who watched over Orochimaru from the outside. Upon arriving, they were greeted by Suigetsu and Jūgo, shortly followed by Orochimaru. Upon Sasuke accusing the Sannin of attacking his wife and daughter, Orochimaru explained the origin of Shin Uchiha, as well as his clones. Following Orochimaru's explanation, Sasuke asked where Shin is. Orochimaru happily decided to tell, so Sasuke could kill Shin for him. Later, Sasuke waited outside with Orochimaru and his men for Naruto and Sarada to return, with Sasuke later berating them for making him wait and accused Naruto of making Sarada upset. When Orochimaru noted that Sakura might be dead, Sasuke calmly denied that being possible. With both of his dōjutsu finally regaining their full power after earlier using them to investigate Kaguya's dimensions, he manifested his Susanoo to transport everyone with him.

After taking flight with his Susanoo, Sasuke asked Naruto to detect where Sakura was. They soon found her engaged in a battle against Shin. Sasuke quickly dove in with his Susanoo and crushed Shin's body. While Sasuke checked to make sure his wife was okay, Shin called his clones to distract the enemies while he escaped. However, the clones instead betrayed and stabbed Shin, with one of them simply explaining that they outgrew the need of Shin. Thousands of more Shin-clones then appeared. While Naruto dealt with the army through his shadow clones, Sasuke swiftly took down a giant Shin-clone with his Susanoo. Shin took advantage of this fight to escape with his Time–Space technique, attempting to take the children with him through his creature. Seeing this, Sarada quickly killed the creature while Shin over-taxed himself. Sasuke then watched on with pride as Sarada joined the fight and defeated several Shin-clones with a single punch, using strength like her mother's.

After Naruto used Kurama to frighten the Shin clones into surrendering, Sasuke asked Naruto what should they do with the clones and Naruto proposed that they be taken to Konoha Orphanage, which Sasuke considered too soft but agreed with him. Learning that Sakura is indeed her biological mother, Sarada asked Sasuke if he believed their family to be connected to each other with their feelings, which he agreed with. When asked why, he explained that it was because he and Sakura have her as their daughter. Upon returning to Konoha, he shared his first family dinner with Sakura and Sarada. At some point, Sasuke and his family posed for a portrait together. After an unknown amount of time, he prepared to leave the village to continue with his travelling. Seeing that Sarada was upset, he surprised her by hugging her and affectionately poked her in the forehead, promising to come home soon. Sakura leaned forward in the hopes of receiving a kiss from him, but he instead turned around and bade them farewell, leaving Sakura disappointed while Sasuke was amused.

Boruto: Naruto the Movie
During his travels, Sasuke investigates the ruins of an old castle in one of Kaguya's dimensions where he finds a scroll. He is then confronted by Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki who at first, mistake him to be Kaguya. After a brief scuffle with Kinshiki, Sasuke manages to escape, taking the scroll with him and returns to Konohagakure to warn Naruto about the impending threat, and pays a visit to his household to find him. Sasuke asks Hinata where Naruto is while Boruto Uzumaki, who realises that Sasuke is his father's rival, looks at him with admiration. Sasuke leaves shortly after to talk with Naruto at his office. As Sasuke is halfway to the Hokage’s office, he finds Naruto’s tattered old outfit that Boruto previously threw out the window and picks it up. He is then attacked by Boruto, who he easily overpowers. Boruto begs Sasuke to train him, telling him that there's someone he needs to defeat. Unimpressed, Sasuke asks Boruto if he can perform the Rasengan. When Boruto tries (and fails) to perform one, Sasuke tells him to come back to him once he can perform the technique.

He goes to Naruto at his office and hands him his old outfit along with a scroll that Sasuke says he needs help to decipher. They talk about their childhood era of shinobi and about the new generation. After some persuasion from his daughter and noting the progression of Boruto mastering the Rasengan, Sasuke agrees to take Boruto under his wing. He also helps Boruto prepare for the Chūnin Exams so that Boruto can impress his father. Boruto asks Sasuke about Naruto's weaknesses and Sasuke goes on to talk about how Naruto endured several hardships in his life and overcame them to become Hokage, but comically warns Boruto to never tell Naruto any of this or else he will leave the boy in another dimension. Like Naruto, he reacts with dismay when Boruto is disqualified in the third round for cheating. When Momoshiki and Kinshiki attack, Sasuke saves Sarada from being crushed by debris and joins with Naruto to protect their children from the two enemies. He informs Naruto that this is the threat bigger than Kaguya he has been searching for. Naruto ultimately sacrifices himself to protect them, while entrusting Boruto to Sasuke.

Sensing that Naruto is still alive and in another dimension, Sasuke decides to use his Rinnegan to teleport himself and rescue Naruto. Boruto wants to go and help save his father, and having seen the boy's determination, Sasuke agrees. Sarada wanted to go with them, but Sasuke refused to let his daughter get involved in such a dangerous conflict. When he sees Boruto wearing Naruto's old outfit, he notes that Boruto looks as stupid as Naruto did but then gives Boruto his former forehead protector to wear. Sasuke teams up with the four other Kage and, with Boruto, he takes them all to the dimension where Naruto and the enemies are. He and Naruto battle Kinshiki after the other Kage fail to defeat him. After Momoshiki absorbs Kinshiki and increases his strength, Naruto and Sasuke fight him - however Sasuke is badly burned by Momoshiki's Lava Release, and Naruto comes to his defence with his Tailed Beast Mode. After Sasuke is healed in his shroud, he encases Kurama with Susanoo as they cut Momoshiki's magma creature in half. In spite of that, they realise they are outmatched, and Sasuke protects Boruto from Momoshiki's attacks on them and assures the boy he can fight him. Naruto helps Boruto create a giant Rasengan while Sasuke holds Momoshiki off and allow Boruto to destroy Momoshiki. After the battle, Sasuke and Naruto sit together and have a friendly argument over who won this time. Sasuke is then seen sitting on a rooftop with Sakura, as they watch Sarada, Boruto, and Mitsuki.

Naruto the Movie: 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 travelled to the Land of Snow. Later, Sasuke encountered Fubuki Kakuyoku, and defeated her with the Lion Combo. Sasuke used Chidori to damage Dotō Kazahana's armour, which led to him being knocked out. He was seen looking out at the newly created Land of the Spring, with Sakura holding his head, in the ending credits. In a post-credits scene, he was the one who got Koyuki Kazahana's autograph for Naruto.

Naruto the Movie: Legend of the Stone of Gelel
Sasuke made a very short cameo when Naruto was unconscious, he had a dream of him and Sasuke walking towards each other. However, they passed by each other without a word; with this, Naruto woke up into the battle. The point of the dream, however, emphasised Naruto's regret over losing Sasuke, and strengthened his resolve not to lose any more friends.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie
Sasuke was mentioned by Tsunade when Lee became his replacement.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: Bonds
Sasuke was summoned by Orochimaru, and was told by him about the recent Sky ninja's attack on Konoha, to which Sasuke made clear that he didn't care. Orochimaru then gave him an assignment, telling him to go retrieve a scroll from a man named Shinnō. Near the end of the movie, he made his appearance just as Naruto was about to finish off Shinnō, stopping Naruto and cutting off Shinnō's flow of chakra by hitting his chakra points with Chidori Senbon, something only the Byakugan can usually see. He and Naruto quickly chased after a fleeing Shinnō, only to find themselves in a deep chamber with a strange large cocoon that seemed to absorb any chakra in the area. It was revealed to be a seed of the Zero-Tails that Shinnō had planted. He taunts both of them and an angry Naruto jumps down to fight him. Sasuke soon follows suit. The cocoon then attacked Sasuke and Naruto, and was able to restrain them until they both released their chakra from the cursed seal and the Nine-Tails respectively.

Together, Naruto defeated the cocoon with the Tornado Rasengan, while Sasuke used his Flapping Chidori. Amaru released Hinata Hyūga and the rest of the villagers who had been taken prisoner as Sasuke and Naruto exited the building. Hinata and the villagers all boarded a flying lifeboat which they found outside the temple. Amaru scrambled to reach a launching lever away from the boat, but Naruto appeared again and ordered Amaru to get in the boat, assuring her that he would take care of the launch. She refused, but Sasuke appeared behind her and threw her in by force.

As the lifeboat left, a tentacle appeared and tried to stop the boat leaving, but Sasuke cut it away. Naruto then forced Sasuke off the flying fortress onto the ship with a Rasengan, leaving him alone to destroy the flying ruins. Sasuke then uses the full cursed seal to fly away. He is next seen watching Naruto being saved by Amaru from a distance. Sasuke turns around and goes back to Orochimaru's hideout. He gave him the scroll Orochimaru had asked for, though Kabuto pointed out that he didn't bring Shinnō and it's not like him to fail a mission. Orochimaru notices that Sasuke seemed different, and asks him if a "good thing" happened to him. He pauses into the doorway, but doesn't say anything and walks out. Once outside, he thinks about what Naruto had said to him as he blew Sasuke onto the lifeboat that he would bring him back home one day. He then resumed his training.

Naruto Shippūden the Movie: The Will of Fire
Sasuke appeared in a few flashbacks when Sai asked Naruto about what Kakashi had taught him.

Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie
The alternate world's Sasuke didn't become a missing-nin and thus is still a resident of Konoha. Furthermore, while still cocky and assertive, this Sasuke is more carefree compared to the brooding loner that Naruto and Sakura know and dresses more casually and fashionably.

The alternate Sasuke seems to return Sakura's feelings by giving her a rose to show how he cares for her that makes her happy. However, it is later revealed this Sasuke takes full advantage of girls being naturally attracted to him, becoming a flirt who gives roses to a lot of other girls, much to Sakura's dismay.

Naruto Jinraiden: The Day the Wolf Howled
Sasuke makes an appearance in this novel.

Live Spectacle Naruto
Ryuji Sato plays as Sasuke in this stage play adaption.

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, which resulted 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. Kishimoto was mainly inspired to create Sasuke based on Hiei's character from the manga series Yū Yū Hakusho. By the time of Shinobi World War Arc, the rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto was similar to that of Vegeta and Son Goku in Dragon Ball series. 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 has 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 began to work 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 got longer as the series has progressed, resulting in the amount of time needed to draw Sasuke increasing as well. Sasuke received a new costume during the final portion of the Chūnin 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 favourite character to draw.

Trivia

 * Sasuke was named after Sasuke Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's father, though their names in turn were likely inspired by the fictional ninja Sarutobi Sasuke. His family name "Uchiha" is another way of pronouncing, which is actually the Uchiha clan's symbol. Uchiwa can be used to fan flames, making the flame hotter — referring to the fact that the Uchiha is a clan of Fire Release users.
 * 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.
 * According to the first Naruto fanbook, while in the Academy, Sasuke had the highest grade in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu, the lowest grade in cooperation and the second-lowest grade in assertiveness, which was bringing down his average. His overall grade was second place to Ino's. However, in chapter 3, Iruka states that Sasuke's grades were first among all 27 graduates.
 * 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 at 7 yrs old and 140 cm around the time of the Uchiha Clan Downfall. Studio Pierrot also consistently puts Sasuke at 12yrs old as 150 cm instead of 150.8 cm, even in flashback episodes in Shippūden, though they leave his height of 153.2 cm at 13yrs old intact.
 * Unlike most characters in Naruto, Sasuke doesn't address anyone with honorifics at the end of their names (except to his parents, clan members, and Itachi when he was a child and after discovering Itachi's true nature), like "Kakashi-sensei" or "Orochimaru-sama", something the Japanese would consider very insulting or rude.
 * 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.
 * In the Naruto character popularity polls, Sasuke was placed in 3rd in the first, 4th in the second and third, and 3rd in the fourth. He finished 1st in the fifth and sixth popularity polls, and in the third databook, which added results from the previous six polls, has Sasuke as the third most popular character overall with 33,632 votes. In the seventh, Sasuke ranked 8th. In the eighth, ninth and the most recent poll, he ranked 2nd.
 * Sasuke is one of four characters to have always stayed in the top ten of every character popularity poll.
 * Sasuke's theme song — — is played whenever he shows up on screen which is slow acoustic guitar music, describing his wandering nature.
 * Sasuke is ambidextrous, as he typically punches and uses Chidori with his left hand, he wields his sword with his right hand. However, when Hagoromo asked him to raise his dominant arm, he chose his left.
 * 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.
 * Sasuke is the second character alongside Rock Lee to have their own spin-off manga, which is called Sasuke Uchiha's Sharingan Legend. It is also created by Masashi Kishimoto's assistant Kenji Taira.

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) "I don't look to the future any more. Only the past."
 * (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 Itachi) "I can forgive you… But I can never forgive Konoha!!"
 * (To Itachi) "I guess anything I say now would be pointless… When I saw you… I decided to follow you here to confirm whether or not what Danzō and Tobi told me was true or not. But that wasn't the only reason… When I'm with you I remember the way it used to be. I remember time spent with the brother that I looked up to… that I loved. That's why… The closer I get to you… The more I'm able to recall what those days felt like… And the more I'm able to understand you. The more I'm able to hate Konoha for the suffering they put you through. In fact, it's becoming even stronger than before. I do understand what you want me to do. It's probably because you're my older brother that you feel the need to put me on the right path. But it's probably because I'm your younger brother that I'll never stop, no matter what you say. As you'll always exist to protect the village… so will I to destroy it. Goodbye… brother."
 * (To Orochimaru) "I'm going to the battlefield… I won't let this village… and my brother… be wasted!"
 * (To Sakura after arriving on the battlefield) "Many things happened… but I decided to protect the village, and I… will become Hokage."
 * (To his former team-mates) "The Hokage created this situation. I'll become Hokage and change the village."
 * (To himself, after getting stabbed by Madara) "Like I'd… die… I… won't… die… The reason Itachi lived for… I can't… I won't… let it end here. To make… a true village… so I can show them… what a true Kage is! I… refuse to die!!"
 * (To Kakashi when asked 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 Naruto) "I'm the strongest there is now… And I'll begin my journey into the shadows from this moment on."
 * (To Naruto, after their final battle) "I'll admit it. I… lost."
 * (To himself, reflecting on his journey) "Naruto… I now remember the words you once said to me. That when you're with me, you finally understand what it's like to have a brother… And when I think of it that way… That feeling… I finally get it now. I've been travelling around the world and I seem to recall these memories a lot. We were alone and starved of love. Kids that lived in a world full of hate. And from that point on, we went our separate ways… and fought. But time has passed and now I'm thinking… Could it be that… just like how the hope and pain from my father, mother and my brother, Itachi flowed into me… I'd understand your pain and hopes too, Naruto? You never abandoned me, no matter what. And you never gave up on me, coming closer when I pulled away. It wouldn't have surprised me if you hated me, but you didn't… You kept insisting that we were friends. And even that, I nearly destroyed. You fought to stop me… to the point you lost an arm. All because you were my friend. You saved me. The us that quarrelled over the smallest things… are now able to share the pain in each other's hearts. On my journey around the world, I noticed… That all these feelings of mine aren't just about us, I'm sure it's the same for everything else. But… there aren't a lot of people like you. And things won't go as planned, look at us. It's especially true when it comes to bigger things. I think it's the same as praying. And until I can do it, I'll stay strong. The beings that have been entrusted with hope… that's us. That's what makes us shinobi."
 * (To Kakashi, about Naruto) "If he's not here, then there's no choice but me to protect you."
 * (To Orochimaru about Sakura) "My wife isn't a weak woman. When we get there, we might find she's tidied up the place."