Kasai
火災
Please note:
While I would very much enjoy it personally if Itachi were to turn out to be a good guy, this thread is not to advocate that he should be. Rather, it is to list numerous circumstances that leave the possibility open. Kishimoto has chosen, thus far, to be vague when it comes to Itachi, the entire purpose of which is to leave the character flexible.
1. Itachi, Naruto, and the Kyuubi
This point has been made several times, but I'd like to bring it up again with some new context.
Itachi, when fulfilling his role in Akatsuki by pursuing the vessel of the Kyuubi, has always hesitated when the time came, and has always chalked that hesitation up to a matter of circumstance. He attributed the retreat from Konoha to the desire to avoid a clash with uneven odds. He attributed the retreat from Jiraiya to the Sannin's prowess and his own lack of chakra. He even tells Kisame point-blank that they should wait for the other Jinchuuriki to be captured and their Bijuus sealed before going after Naruto.
While these given reasons may be entirely legitimate, that does not mean that they are his only reasons for hesitating.
In other words, he's stalling.
The most obvious explanation would be that he desires the Kyuubi and its powers for himself. The ultimate power of the Sharingan has been stated to be the Eternal Mangekyo, and the Sharingan's ultimate purpose revealed to be control of the Kyuubi. While it's entirely plausible that Itachi wishes to avoid blindness, it's quite likely that he desires power, as well, especially since he said he wishes to surpass Madara, who is, according to Itachi, a shadow of his former self. How would Itachi surpass Madara? By attaining the sort of power Madara once had, at the very least.
But did Itachi really mean what he said?
2. Itachi vs. Sasuke
So. Itachi revealed the truth behind the Sharingan to his little brother. He also came off as a power-hungry lunatic.
Too bad all that happened in a genjutsu that Zetsu was not witness to.
In the course of that genjutsu, he's totally out-of-character from every other time he's been shown. He's even calm after the genjutsu, when he has no reason to be. All the more reason to assume that the "glance at his true self" was a facade, designed to enrage Sasuke. But to what end?
In addition to the genjutsu and the calm demeanor afterwards, we have...
1. Itachi saving Sasuke from Orochimaru, be it coincidental or not.
2. Itachi whispering something shocking to Sasuke before he collapses.
3. Itachi forehead-prodding Sasuke before he collapses, and, as Brainsucker suggested in another thread, may have possibly placed his brother in one last genjutsu in order to impart some last words or final truth.
The only lethal action Itachi has taken against Sasuke was to burn up his body with Amaterasu.
So...what the dramatic contrast between the implications of Itachi's actions?
3. Truth vs. Lies
Let's face it: Itachi is in the midst of an extremely dangerous (and lethal) criminal organization. Furthermore, it seems Madara found him before he joined, and thus sparked the Uchiha massacre (during which, I shall remind you, we DID NOT WITNESS Itachi actually harm anyone).
He and Madara seem to be at odds when it comes to Naruto and possession of the Kyuubi.
Furthermore, the clash between Itachi and Sasuke has been anticipated by the rest of Akatsuki for a while now, with interest in the upcoming fight implied both when Sasuke "defeated" Orochimaru and when he forced Deidara to suicide. With this sort of anticipation, and Akatsuki members' full knowledge that Zetsu is their scout, it wouldn't be too far of a reach to say that Itachi was expecting someone (most likely Zetsu) from the organization to be watching the fight with Sasuke when it finally came.
Hell, Zetsu even KNEW when the fight was starting, and where.
In other words, Itachi's movements are restricted.
What does this all mean?
It means that, if he WAS a good guy, there are enough reasons for him to come off as otherwise.
He's partnered with Kisame, who, for the most part, follows him around everywhere. In addition, every tactical retreat and delay of capturing Naruto must be justified before Kisame accepts it.
Itachi would likely know that the fight is being watched, and as such would be likely to move in such a way as to carry out his goals without inviting suspicion. In addition, he says "finally" when addressing the emergence of Orochimaru, as if waiting for the Sannin, which might imply that part of his intent was to release Sasuke from the snake's hold.
Just because you read a character say something on a manga page doesn't necessarily mean they're telling the truth in context of the manga universe. Anything goes, including lies from one character to another.
If Oro came out and said he raped Sasuke, that wouldn't necessarily make it true...likely, yes, but not 100% guaranteed.
The situation with Itachi is similar. Just because he behaves a certain way in front of certain characters doesn't mean that that's who and what he is as a character.
4. Itachi and His Words with Naruto and Sasuke
The most concrete evidence to date that we've had (that lead some to believe that Itachi is a good guy) would have to be the words he imparts to Naruto and Sasuke.
He first appears before Naruto, claiming that he just wants to talk. He asks an odd question - why Naruto goes so far for Sasuke - that shows that, deep down, Itachi does care for Sasuke, to some extent at least. Even when he displays the ability to dispatch Naruto's clones with ease with just a KB and Naruto himself with genjutsu, he STILL REFUSES TO CAPTURE NARUTO AS HE WAS BID. Furthermore, the gap between the two main scenes between the characters was more than enough for words to be imparted off-screen.
Then Itachi draws Sasuke to the Uchiha hideout, convinces his brother to fight him with a genjutsu, claims in genjutsu and out-loud (thereby convincing Sasuke and Zetsu) that he's after Sasuke's eyes, removes Orochimaru and the CS from Sasuke with Susano'o, imparts whispered words to Sasuke (which would be impossible for Zetsu to overhear and take back to Madara), and collapses with a brotherly gesture of affection.
While these may not qualify as guarantees of Itachi's standing between good and evil, they do allow for the "villain-actually-a-hero" possibility.
5. Itachi and Madara - The Clincher
Regardless of whether he's a villainous bastard or not, Itachi has shown, at the very least, that his goals and ambitions clash - while remaining parallel - with Madara's. He puts off capture of the Kyuubi, be it for Naruto's sake or his own desire for power. He goes after Sasuke's eyes (even when he could have done so earlier, but sparing Sasuke, the one person I believe he cares about) with the intention of going against Madara, but when that proves to be for naught, he instead imparts a few words to Sasuke.
So what's the deal?
The deal is this: Itachi has the potential to prove to be Madara's downfall. He's already played a hand in events regarding Naruto and Sasuke...he's delayed the extraction of the Kyuubi to prevent it from falling into Madara's hands, he's filled Sasuke in on the history behind Madara, the Sharingan, and the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Itachi may have very well played his hand against Madara, and it may be through his actions that the man meets his downfall against Sasuke/Naruto/both.
Thus, Itachi may very well be the key to the heroes' victory at least, and hero himself at most.
Or, at least, that's my view of things. Take them for what you will. I'm not really here to force my opinion over anyone else's (especially since manga canon will eventually prove me right or wrong anyways), but to inform you of my opinion and why I find it implausible that Itachi is completely the bastard everyone claims he is.
While I would very much enjoy it personally if Itachi were to turn out to be a good guy, this thread is not to advocate that he should be. Rather, it is to list numerous circumstances that leave the possibility open. Kishimoto has chosen, thus far, to be vague when it comes to Itachi, the entire purpose of which is to leave the character flexible.
1. Itachi, Naruto, and the Kyuubi
This point has been made several times, but I'd like to bring it up again with some new context.
Itachi, when fulfilling his role in Akatsuki by pursuing the vessel of the Kyuubi, has always hesitated when the time came, and has always chalked that hesitation up to a matter of circumstance. He attributed the retreat from Konoha to the desire to avoid a clash with uneven odds. He attributed the retreat from Jiraiya to the Sannin's prowess and his own lack of chakra. He even tells Kisame point-blank that they should wait for the other Jinchuuriki to be captured and their Bijuus sealed before going after Naruto.
While these given reasons may be entirely legitimate, that does not mean that they are his only reasons for hesitating.
In other words, he's stalling.
The most obvious explanation would be that he desires the Kyuubi and its powers for himself. The ultimate power of the Sharingan has been stated to be the Eternal Mangekyo, and the Sharingan's ultimate purpose revealed to be control of the Kyuubi. While it's entirely plausible that Itachi wishes to avoid blindness, it's quite likely that he desires power, as well, especially since he said he wishes to surpass Madara, who is, according to Itachi, a shadow of his former self. How would Itachi surpass Madara? By attaining the sort of power Madara once had, at the very least.
But did Itachi really mean what he said?
2. Itachi vs. Sasuke
So. Itachi revealed the truth behind the Sharingan to his little brother. He also came off as a power-hungry lunatic.
Too bad all that happened in a genjutsu that Zetsu was not witness to.
In the course of that genjutsu, he's totally out-of-character from every other time he's been shown. He's even calm after the genjutsu, when he has no reason to be. All the more reason to assume that the "glance at his true self" was a facade, designed to enrage Sasuke. But to what end?
In addition to the genjutsu and the calm demeanor afterwards, we have...
1. Itachi saving Sasuke from Orochimaru, be it coincidental or not.
2. Itachi whispering something shocking to Sasuke before he collapses.
3. Itachi forehead-prodding Sasuke before he collapses, and, as Brainsucker suggested in another thread, may have possibly placed his brother in one last genjutsu in order to impart some last words or final truth.
The only lethal action Itachi has taken against Sasuke was to burn up his body with Amaterasu.
So...what the dramatic contrast between the implications of Itachi's actions?
3. Truth vs. Lies
Let's face it: Itachi is in the midst of an extremely dangerous (and lethal) criminal organization. Furthermore, it seems Madara found him before he joined, and thus sparked the Uchiha massacre (during which, I shall remind you, we DID NOT WITNESS Itachi actually harm anyone).
He and Madara seem to be at odds when it comes to Naruto and possession of the Kyuubi.
Furthermore, the clash between Itachi and Sasuke has been anticipated by the rest of Akatsuki for a while now, with interest in the upcoming fight implied both when Sasuke "defeated" Orochimaru and when he forced Deidara to suicide. With this sort of anticipation, and Akatsuki members' full knowledge that Zetsu is their scout, it wouldn't be too far of a reach to say that Itachi was expecting someone (most likely Zetsu) from the organization to be watching the fight with Sasuke when it finally came.
Hell, Zetsu even KNEW when the fight was starting, and where.
In other words, Itachi's movements are restricted.
What does this all mean?
It means that, if he WAS a good guy, there are enough reasons for him to come off as otherwise.
He's partnered with Kisame, who, for the most part, follows him around everywhere. In addition, every tactical retreat and delay of capturing Naruto must be justified before Kisame accepts it.
Itachi would likely know that the fight is being watched, and as such would be likely to move in such a way as to carry out his goals without inviting suspicion. In addition, he says "finally" when addressing the emergence of Orochimaru, as if waiting for the Sannin, which might imply that part of his intent was to release Sasuke from the snake's hold.
Just because you read a character say something on a manga page doesn't necessarily mean they're telling the truth in context of the manga universe. Anything goes, including lies from one character to another.
If Oro came out and said he raped Sasuke, that wouldn't necessarily make it true...likely, yes, but not 100% guaranteed.
The situation with Itachi is similar. Just because he behaves a certain way in front of certain characters doesn't mean that that's who and what he is as a character.
4. Itachi and His Words with Naruto and Sasuke
The most concrete evidence to date that we've had (that lead some to believe that Itachi is a good guy) would have to be the words he imparts to Naruto and Sasuke.
He first appears before Naruto, claiming that he just wants to talk. He asks an odd question - why Naruto goes so far for Sasuke - that shows that, deep down, Itachi does care for Sasuke, to some extent at least. Even when he displays the ability to dispatch Naruto's clones with ease with just a KB and Naruto himself with genjutsu, he STILL REFUSES TO CAPTURE NARUTO AS HE WAS BID. Furthermore, the gap between the two main scenes between the characters was more than enough for words to be imparted off-screen.
Then Itachi draws Sasuke to the Uchiha hideout, convinces his brother to fight him with a genjutsu, claims in genjutsu and out-loud (thereby convincing Sasuke and Zetsu) that he's after Sasuke's eyes, removes Orochimaru and the CS from Sasuke with Susano'o, imparts whispered words to Sasuke (which would be impossible for Zetsu to overhear and take back to Madara), and collapses with a brotherly gesture of affection.
While these may not qualify as guarantees of Itachi's standing between good and evil, they do allow for the "villain-actually-a-hero" possibility.
5. Itachi and Madara - The Clincher
Regardless of whether he's a villainous bastard or not, Itachi has shown, at the very least, that his goals and ambitions clash - while remaining parallel - with Madara's. He puts off capture of the Kyuubi, be it for Naruto's sake or his own desire for power. He goes after Sasuke's eyes (even when he could have done so earlier, but sparing Sasuke, the one person I believe he cares about) with the intention of going against Madara, but when that proves to be for naught, he instead imparts a few words to Sasuke.
So what's the deal?
The deal is this: Itachi has the potential to prove to be Madara's downfall. He's already played a hand in events regarding Naruto and Sasuke...he's delayed the extraction of the Kyuubi to prevent it from falling into Madara's hands, he's filled Sasuke in on the history behind Madara, the Sharingan, and the Nine-Tailed Fox.
Itachi may have very well played his hand against Madara, and it may be through his actions that the man meets his downfall against Sasuke/Naruto/both.
Thus, Itachi may very well be the key to the heroes' victory at least, and hero himself at most.
Or, at least, that's my view of things. Take them for what you will. I'm not really here to force my opinion over anyone else's (especially since manga canon will eventually prove me right or wrong anyways), but to inform you of my opinion and why I find it implausible that Itachi is completely the bastard everyone claims he is.
I hope this comes true.
. And those are the reasons I've always believed Itachi was good guy. I said same things a few moths ago to whoever would listen...which wasn't much considering I was a newbie...