Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness

is an arc of the Naruto: Shippūden anime. This arc is an anime adaptation of two novels from the Naruto Shinden that focus on Itachi's early life. It takes place early in-between the Kaguya Ōtsutsuki Strikes arc.

Summary
As the Infinite Tsukuyomi is cast, Sasuke Uchiha shields himself, along with his team-mates Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Kakashi Hatake, with Susanoo. Sakura asks what is happening and Sasuke tells her there is no need to explain because she can't do anything. Kakashi and Naruto defend her question but Sasuke shuts them both down. Kakashi decides to make Sasuke the leader of Team 7, much to Naruto's outrage. As they wait for the light of the moon to die down, Sasuke remembers the moment when his brother, Itachi Uchiha, shared his memories with him before he disappeared as a reanimation.

When Itachi was four-years-old, he witnesses death and destruction during the Third Shinobi World War. Itachi comes across a wounded shinobi and tries to help him but is attacked, forcing Itachi to kill him. When he asks his father about this, Fugaku explains what war is. While attending a memorial service for those who died, some of the Uchiha are angry that Kakashi received Obito Uchiha's Sharingan, but Fukagu tells them that they must respect Obito's wish to give it as a gift for Kakashi. Itachi meets Orochimaru who says living without eternity is pointless, which makes Itachi question the way to live. Itachi even throws himself off a cliff before deciding to save himself and befriends a crow. Sometime later, Mikoto Uchiha tells Itachi that he is going to be an older brother and Sasuke is born the following summer. Itachi comes to cherish the bond he feels with his younger brother.

Episodes