Uchiha Itachi

[sunshinehistory]

Country/Village: Fire, Konohagakure
Rank: Jounin, ANBU
Age at Game Start: 20
Birthday: June 9th

Appearance

Itachi stands 5’10” inches tall, and weighs about 140 lbs. He is your typical Uchiha look, a man regarded as handsome with sharp black eyes and the black hair to match. Shinobi training has given him a good amount of muscle, and handling weapons from childhood into adulthood have granted him strong hands, the knuckles knobby and the skin slightly rough around the joints. He was regarded as feminine for a while, but his jaw has squared out and his adam’s apple is prominent.

His hair runs the length of his mid back, and is typically kept in a low hanging ponytail at the base of his neck. His hair seems to naturally part and he has a bit of a widows peak. He has noticeable eyelashes, considered long for a man.

Two tear troughs run from the inside of his eyes to mid length down his face, a product of years of stress and worry. They are not as long as they would be if he was strictly canon.
Various Katon throughout the years has numbed the sensitivity in the tips of his first four fingers, and he almost lacks a fingerprint on them.

Abilities/Powers

Sharingan:
Like many Uchiha, Itachi obtained the Sharingan when forced to deal with a heavy load of emotional trauma, spanning from one tomoe to three between the ages of seven and eight years old. It is a mirror to the heart, and what the individual Uchiha holds dear. Additional individual tomoe are unlocked via emotional events.

The Sharingan, also known as the Copy Wheel Eye, is exceptionally fast at mimicking the techniques it sees and being able to reproduce them. Hand seals are the most commonly copied, and can be copied at a quick enough pace to reproduce the technique at the same time as the original caster. It can also mimic body language.

The Sharingan is a doujutsu cable of being voluntarily activated and shut off, by a flow of chakra to the optic nerves. It will fail to activate if the user does not have enough chakra to spare. In addition, the Sharingan is also able to give color assignments to chakra signatures.

It can also involuntarily activate, in situations of high stress, and as a reflexive response to being attacked, or high emotional states, such as panic and fear, and extreme anger, and grief. An Uchiha who uses the Sharingan very often can keep its chakra intake minimal via becoming accustomed to it.

The Sharingan is unique in a doujutsu in that it is capable of casting genjutsu, simply by the victim meeting the caster’s eyes at any point during their encounter. Most Uchiha utilize it’s genjutsu abilities and are naturals at the technique.

Ninjutsu:
Katon: The Uchiha’s signature chakra type is Fire, and Itachi has access to it’s range of techniques, namely the Great FireBall Technique. Itachi often incorporates Fire into tossing groups of Shuriken.

Suiton: Itachi’s more fond of water clones than shadow clones, though having water near is a prerequisite for larger jutsu. Itachi’s usually less refined with these, as he’s not so worried about mass destruction and focuses more on power. He’s also found of combining water and fire too create devastating effects, such as exploding water clones or water and fire to create steam or simply boiling water.

Weaponry:
Though trained in the most common ninja weapons, such as Shuriken, kunai, blades, and various others, Itachi prefers kunai the most, and is able to maintain the balance and arm strength required to block bigger and heavier weapons with the small blade alone.

Sealing:
Having a love of projectile weapons means one needs a way to carry them. Itachi is always experimenting with new seals and new ways to seal things. It’s not uncommon for him to, on a break from missions, be found liberally splattered in ink.

Taijutsu:
Itachi has a high Taijutsu score and is adept at hand to hand combat, though lacks the physical stamina for sustained fighting. He is not typically a close range fighter in nature, electing to stay back and use physical fighting as a means of disarmament typically.

Genjutsu:
Itachi ranks incredibly high in Genjutsu, naturally having the intelligence and ability to bend the world of another’s mind, recreating landscapes and the five senses so well an opponent realizes they are in an illusion far too late. The majority of his Genjutsu is cast with his Sharingan, though he can cast simply by lifting a finger and pointing at the intended target. He will go for the most blatant mental weakness an opponent has and relentlessly mess with their emotions and memories.

Genjutsu can also be used to cast temporary hypnosis.

Perception:
Itachi is incredibly intelligent, and by merely being able to observe others for a short period of time, he is able to deduce their likes and dislikes, their morals and ethics, and what kind of person they really are. This allows him to change his tactics to get his desired outcome in most situations, and makes him an excellent manipulator.

Summoning:
Itachi is a bit differing in his range of summoning, preferring to train and bond with regular crows, who alone are extremely intelligent and bright birds. Not a single of his birds carries the ability for sentient human language, but is capable of understanding commands and mimicking words or short phrases, much like parrots are known for. Their intelligence, trainability, and ability to remember human faces and pass this information to other crows is vital to Itachi’s line of work. They are so common of a bird he does not have to curb their presence much at all in his travel, simply refrain from having the birds land on him until he is in private.

Other:
As he is often undercover, Itachi had become very proficient in using a henge to disguise himself and more mundane ways when he doesn’t want to waste chakra or risk anyone seeing through a henge. In his earlier years as a spy, Itachi could pass himself off as a slightly older woman fairly easily, though now he usually sticks to male personas. When acting as a contact for other spies, Itachi usually assumes a guise easily and unsuspiciously approached. He might choose a beggar so reports could either be placed in his begger’s bowl or thrown at him, or a travelling salesman or even on a few occasions a prostitute. His favorite role is that of a travelling scribe or priest, as his hands are usually ink stained anyway.

Personality

Most meeting Itachi the first time will get ‘the front’ of his personality, that is, the expected attitude of a well trained shinobi and a groomed clan heir, sans possibly assumed arrogance. It is with the front he usually seems the hardest to approach, save from his seniors and his elders, as it is his duty and desire to listen to them and obey orders necessary. Itachi is polite, well spoken, and generally amiable, and can easily make necessary compromises in a discussion, without letting one side take over the conversation unless they need to.

His front would be more severe had Itachi been faced with the enforcing trauma of the Kyuubi attack, and saddled with the pressure of his clan’s imminent plans. Instead, it is much more moderate. Still, Itachi is not a greatly social person, still preferring the private company of his closest friends, usually clan members, or the companionship of books. He can be described as introverted.

As a result, it is easier, and requires less effort to befriend him in general, and for the front to ease away.

Absent is the arrogance and pride most assume Uchiha clan members carry, save for a minimal amount of pride in his name and bloodline as is allowed in his modest nature. War still greatly humbled him, and though he is naturally skilled and smart, Itachi does not consider himself any more important than any other Leaf Shinobi; his life is as equal as theirs.

His wisdom stretches far beyond his clan’s and his village’s walls, Itachi bearing knowledge of the politics, ethics, and general morals of the other shinobi nations and countries, his wisdom often compared to that of a Hokage when he was many years younger.

This, combined with his introversion, and his general modestly, makes Itachi get along better with people above his age range, and seem more difficult to connect with those around him or younger. He generally acts older than he is.

Sasuke still sits at the core of Itachi’s heart, with the village surrounding it. Sasuke gave him more purpose to become a fitting shinobi and a part of the hidden leaf village, hoping Sasuke is allowed to grow up without facing the ravages and trauma that war brings. Itachi’s obsession with his little brother is curbed into a much healthier range, and Itachi still often breaks promises he makes to him, as his shinobi and clan duties often end up canceling his previous plans. Should situations become extreme, Itachi would begin to develop the same sacrificial behavior exhibited in canon.

Itachi’s modesty extends to his appearance, and though he is conventionally attractive, Itachi maintains necessary hygiene but does not focus on his looks. He does not like being touched by people he does not know very well, but other Uchiha clan members can usually bypass this by familiarity. Itachi becomes rather rigid at unwanted touch, and will politely ask for his personal space before using other means of communication which are a lot less nice.

He prefers to maintain his hair long, yet takes not much pride nor vanity in it. It is trimmed when he decides it is too long and will impede his shinobi work.

Like most things, Sasuke is a clear exception to Itachi’s physical boundaries, with Itachi commonly hugging, carrying, and holding his little brother’s hand. Sasuke does not have to ask for permission to touch him, nor to enter his common personal space area. Itachi as long been used to this, as Sasuke was a handsy infant and fond of pulling hair.

History

Itachi grew up the same, a silent little child in the middle of a war. As in canon, the war shaped his dislike of widespread violence. The war also delayed the treatment of a congenital heart defect, one that took the blame for Itachi’s small size, quietness, and apparent dislike of food in the early years of his life. Even after the treatment, Itachi remained small for his age and quiet, preferring the more sedate company of older cousins and relatives to the boisterous play of his peers. The closest friend he had to his age was Uchiha Shisui, who Itachi generally regarded as perpetually at his disposal for securing food, or carrying Itachi around, or whatever else Itachi wanted done. Itachi remained mostly silent, speaking only in whispers, and usually just to Shisui and sometimes select older cousins or his father. Usually he got what he wanted himself or made himself understood with looks. It wasn’t until Itachi’s younger brother Sasuke was born that Itachi began talking in full sentences and mostly out loud, revealing himself to be very clever, instead of unfortunately slow. Sasuke’s birth seemed to be some kind of god given miracle to Itachi, who with a childish superstition, heavily connected Sasuke’s birth to the end of the war.

Without the reinforcing trauma of the Kyuubi attack, Itachi began to grow away from the constant fear of war and death. By six he seemed an entirely different child than the sickly, quiet mouse he’d started as in life. He was still easily winded and didn’t have the stamina or size of most children his age, but he made up for it with his quick mind and reflexes. Itachi had spent most of his life in the company of those older than himself, so being smaller never troubled him, and listening to talk probably too advanced for him had given him better logic than most people his age. Itachi had also been taught to read early by his cousin Shisui, and had been reading scrolls in his father’s library for a while, an activity usually seen as cute instead of remarkable.

Itachi graduated the Academy at seven and was placed on a genin team with genin that had failed their Chuunin exam, a boy named Yori, and Umino Iruka. Itachi realized he’d been placed with older children who would be more likely to keep him safe, and it pushed him to improve even more than his clan’s already heavy expectations of him. Itachi’s usual training partners were older cousins, most often Shisui, who Itachi stubbornly clung to as his best friend. Itachi held back his team of drop-outs until he passed the Chuunin exam at ten. Itachi’s team was then split up, and Itachi found himself traded from squad to squad as his genjutsu talents or Sharingan were needed. His longest stay with a team was around a year.

Itachi’s first semi-solo mission was the assassination of a ninja who had been targeting Konoha courier-nin and stealing important documents. Itachi went with a squad, but they hung back, afraid that even a hint of ninja activity would have their target fleeing. They assumed since Itachi was young, he would be the most likely to pass without raising suspicion. They followed her through three towns. The night they intended to kill her, she was already dead. Itachi deduced the work to be Shisui’s. Itachi had mindlessly followed Shisui’s lead before that, believing Shisui to be so much wiser and nigh infallible, but an infraction so large (it seemed to Itachi) and the unexplainable hurt Itachi felt caused a small rift. When they did make up, Itachi was no longer Shisui’s little shadow, but his equal who would question his choices and push him if need be.

Itachi was recommended to Jounin when he was fourteen and a half. He was known for being reliable and quick, often leading missions and recognized as a strong strategic asset. His family was pleased, but had expected him to make Jounin for a few months now. Itachi had been heading a squad of more experienced Chuunin for almost a year before this, and transitioned easily to the higher missions. Despite this, Itachi was surprised to receive a recommendation for ANBU on his sixteenth birthday, one he hesitantly accepted and only after making sure it wouldn’t interfere with his duties as heir.

At first, Itachi was employed in ANBU as a genjutsu specialist on a regular hunter squad, but was quickly taken from that position when it was decided his strengths could be put to better use. Itachi began training to act as one of ANBU’s spy contacts, and if needed, act as a spy himself. Because he had the skills to defend himself if necessary, Itachi was relegated to playing contact for spies undercover as missing-nin. This took him away from home for first weeks at a time, and later even months. Itachi worked well on his own, rarely homesick and actually enjoying the time away from his clan, even though he sometimes worried what they would do without him around.

Travelling exposed a weakness Itachi had only considered inconvenient in the past. Itachi’s immune system was weak. Itachi had always known he was prone to infections and cold took forever to get rid of, but constant exposure to strange and new germs highlighted this. Every sniffle or chill had to be treated aggressively, something Itachi mostly handled on his own to avoid anything going on his health record. He was already on record with a weak heart, something that didn’t cause him any obvious difficulties other than his decreased stamina. Still, Itachi excelled at his missions.

Despite being old enough to move out on his own, Itachi still technically lives at home. It’s easier to keep track of his family and clan that way, as a late breakfast in the kitchen with his mother can have him caught up on all the gossip, and when time is already limited when he’s on break, he doesn’t have to travel to be with family. Itachi also spends a lot of time at his cousin Shisui’s apartment, usually crashing there when he’s too tired or sick to deal with family or simply needs a break.

In recent months, Itachi has realized his health is beginning to break down--not in a way that will affect his performance, but in a way that’s letting him know he won’t be able to perform at peak condition for much longer. For now, Itachi hides it well, not wanting to be removed to lesser duties until his performance suffers.