Akatsuki-Base

Madara went on to explain that he wished to be Hokage to avoid seeing Uchiha destroyed, but that he was the only one who wanted this: everyone else wanted Hashirama Senju. He sought revenge against Hashimara and Konoha, but was defeated in a battle against Hashirama despite summoning the demon fox. Tobirama Senju, the Second Hokage and Hashirama's brother, though he attempted to act in good faith was also suspicious of the Uchiha, and began trying to distance their clan from governing the village, instead giving them the job of controlling the Konoha Military Police Force. Later it was speculated that the Uchiha, or later specifically Madara, attacked Konoha using the demon fox, but Madara claimed it was a natural disaster.

The village, however, suspected the Uchiha, and the discrimination which had always existed got worse. Eventually, the Uchiha began plotting a coup, installing Itachi in the ANBU as a spy. Itachi, who had witnessed the countless slaughter of people during the third great ninja war as a four year old, and wished to avoid bloodshed, instead informed the Council of the plan. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, tried to negotiate with the Uchiha to no avail, and was eventually forced to order Itachi to attack. Itachi, who figured out that Madara still lived, offered Madara the chance to destroy the Uchiha as revenge, if he swore not to touch the rest of the village. Madara agreed, but Itachi was unable to kill Sasuke. Instead he asked Sarutobi to spare him, and threatened to leak Konoha's secrets to other countries if Danzo interfered. After, Itachi joined Akatsuki. He returned to the village with Kisame a few days after the Chunin Exam Finals and Hiruzen's death in order to show Danzo that he is, in fact, still alive. As Madara reached the end of his story, he stated that the only reason Itachi pushed Sasuke so hard during their fight was to bring Orochimaru out. By doing this he was able to seal Orochimaru away and erase his influence and taint as well as the curse mark on Sasuke's neck. Itachi had always planned to die at Sasuke's hands and orchestrated everything to make Sasuke stronger culminating in his own death, thus killing the closest person to Sasuke, the only person he had a bond with his whole life..., Itachi himself. This allowed Sasuke to gain his own Mangekyo Sharingan, and before dying, Itachi planted Amaterasu in Sasuke's eyes as a last line of defense against Madara. Sasuke in shock, refused to believe what Madara has told him. Madara then explained that Sasuke has accepted the "illusion" that Itachi had made for him. That all this time he was just trying to give Sasuke more power, so that he could be killed and revenge could be taken for the Uchiha clan, by Sasuke himself, to make Sasuke look like a hero in the eyes of the Leaf Village. Even while a disease was killing Itachi from inside, he took all kinds of medicine just to live for the moment when he died at the feet of his little brother. He left the name "Uchiha" to Sasuke and deceived him all the way to his end. Sasuke was now released and must cope with the "truth", recalling all the happy memories he once had with Itachi, to the point that he began to shed tears for the first time since his clan was killed. Afterwards he informed Snake that they will now be called "Hawk" and that their new goal is to crush Konoha. It was then revealed that Sasuke had indeed unlocked his own Mangekyo Sharingan. nd

After the revelation, Sasuke remembered that when he attempted to fight Itachi after the Uchiha Clan Massacre, he noticed Itachi was crying but thought he was seeing things. This memory cemented his new dedication for revenge against Konoha. Madara asked him whether he wants to transplant Itachi's eyes (which would grant him the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan). Sasuke refused, saying that the future he would see would be different from the future Itachi wanted to see, and that he couldn't do things the way Itachi had wanted. Later Team Hawk, Madara, and Kisame began to discuss their plan to attack Konoha. Sasuke stated that he intends to target only the village elders. Due to the difficulty of this mission, Madara suggested that Akatsuki and Hawk work together. He promised to give Sasuke the power of the Eight-Tailed Beast in return for his assistance in capturing it.

As a member of the Uchiha clan, Sasuke possesses the Sharingan, the clan's Bloodline Limit, which first develops during Itachi's departure from Konoha after the Uchiha Clan Massacre and eventually reaches completion during his battle with Naruto at the end of Part I. While his ability with the Sharingan is fairly ordinary during Part I, Sasuke is able to develop a number of more novel uses for it in Part II. During his encounter with Naruto, Sasuke demonstrates tremendous power and mastery in his Sharingan as demonstrated when he is able to use his Sharingan to enter Naruto's subconscious where he proceeds to suppress the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox residing within Naruto. In this instance, the demon compares Sasuke's eyes and chakra to that of Madara which it claims is even more sinister than its own. When Orochimaru later tries to take over his body, Sasuke is able to use his Sharingan to fight the process and turn it against Orochimaru. His Sharingan Genjutsu abilities have also increased over the timeskip, allowing him to easily hypnotize opponents. His skill with the Sharingan has grown to the point where he could overcome the Mangekyo Sharingan Genjutsu, Tsukuyomi.

Sasuke is able to put the Sharingan to good use in Part I after his brief encounter with Rock Lee. Although their fight is ended soon after its start and Sasuke is unable to see much of Lee's arsenal, what he is able to copy with his Sharingan is utilized for the duration of the Chunin Exams. His newfound Taijutsu abilities are first seen in the form of Peregrine Falcon Drop, which consists of wrapping himself around an airborne opponent to ensure they are unable to save themselves upon impact with the ground. A derivative of this jutsu is seen again as the Lion Combo, and after kicking an opponent into the air Sasuke delivers a series of blows to them, eventually culminating in a debilitating kick to the chest. By Part II, Sasuke becomes fast enough to move in the blink of an eye. Sakura mentions after their first encounter in Part II that his growth rate wasn't normal, even suggesting that Sasuke has been taking special drugs.

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

After defecting from Konoha, with the help of the Sound Four Sasuke activates his Cursed Seal to Level 2, allowing it to cover his entire body. This grants him power comparable to One-Tailed Naruto. The Second Level of the Cursed Seal turns Sasuke's skin dark grey, grows his hair longer without losing its style, and gives him a dark star-shaped mark on the bridge of his nose and hand shaped wings on his back. In this form, not only are his physical attributes increased, but his jutsus are also enhanced by the Curse Seal's dark chakra. However, this form corrodes his body at a much faster rate, so he cannot use it for prolonged periods. In Part II, Sasuke gains complete control over the Cursed Seal, and can even access its power without keeping it constantly active, as shown in his fight with Itachi in Part II.

As with Jiraiya passing the Toad Contract to Naruto, Orochimaru gave Sasuke the Snake Contract to use the Summoning Technique for snakes such as Manda. Sasuke can also use Hidden Shadow Snake Hands to summon snakes from his hands to attack opponents or wrap around himself as a shield. After absorbing Orochimaru, Sasuke gains access to Orochimaru's vast number of jutsu as well as regenerative powers that allow him to heal at a much faster rate than usual. He is also able to use Orochimaru's Oral Rebirth Technique to shed his skin, repairing any damage to his body. After Itachi seals Orochimaru away, his Cursed Seal is removed and it is implied he loses these powers.

To encourage Sasuke not to use the cursed seal, Kakashi teaches him how to use the Chidori, made more effective when combined with his Sharingan and the speed he has copied from Rock Lee. With this combination Sasuke can punch through the strongest obstacles with relative ease, as well as severely damage any opponent. In Part I, Sasuke is limited to using the attack only twice a day, with a third usage after the initial activation of his cursed seal. Over the timeskip, Sasuke puts great deals of development into the Chidori's ability to manipulate lightning-based chakra, being able to perform multiple lightning jutsu in a single day. When first seen in Part II he is able to use Chidori Current to emit electricity from all over his body as a shield that stuns those it comes into contact with. If need be, Sasuke can channel this force into his new Kusanagi, creating a destructive blade. He can even concentrate this chakra into highly condensed needle-like forms, which he can throw in volleys with pinpoint accuracy. Sasuke has also taken to using form manipulation on the Chidori itself to create an extendable blade form, although he is only able to extend it to 5 meters in length. This blade is also capable of splitting into multiple additional blades upon contact with an enemy, drastically increasing the number of wounds it can inflict. He has also shown the ability to send the Chidori through the ground, creating an electric current beneath his opponent's feet. His most powerful technique is Amaterasu, a technique which is unavoidable and can burn through any thing, even flames.

Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan in Sasuke

During his battle with Itachi, Itachi permanently seals away the part of Orochimaru still residing in Sasuke with his Susanoo technique (Kabuto integrated the majority of Orochimaru's remains into himself), removing Sasuke's Cursed Seal, then dies himself but passes all his techniques to Sasuke through a poke on the forehead. Itachi did so in an effort to help him fight against Madara, setting to activate when it catches sight of Madara's Sharingan. Later, when he realizes that Itachi was good all along, and did all he could to protect Sasuke and help him grow, Sasuke awakens his own Mangekyo Sharingan.

Sasuke's own Mangekyo Sharingan

Having received all of Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan techniques, Sasuke is now able to use Amaterasu and presumably Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. In his fight with Kirābī, he used a Genjutsu which has been speculated to be Tsukuyomi due to having similar effects. He has also showed the ability to extinguish the so-called unextinguishable flames of Amaterasu, which he used to save Karin and Kirābī's lives when they were being burnt by it. As with Itachi, Sasuke's Mangekyo Sharingan techniques damage his eyesight and drain his chakra every time he uses them. While resting after his fight with Kirābī, Sasuke finds that his vision is slightly blurred, which shows that he is gradually going blind.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                             Suigetsu Hōzuki-

Hou=Ground cherry, Chinese lantern plant, Zuki=Lamp, counter for lights; Sui=Water, Getsu=Moon