I'm not for Itachi anymore, I like him as a character but I recognize he was always a villain now.
HOWEVER
You CAN justify him, this is how.
His actions were horrible, they were not kind, that's not what's being argued, what is being argued is that sometimes people need to be evil.
Why?
1. A philosophical reason.
"The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few".
There is a philosophical example where if you are stuck having to kill 2 groups of people, the group that has less people in it should die, not because it's good killing people but because this is the least worse action.
You may think Itachi had plenty of choices however you are wrong and very naive for thinking this, the story could have been written differently for sure, but Leo Dicaprio was always meant to die in Titanic, not just for dramatic purposes but the story made it very clear that if the village had tried a different approach the Uchihas would have burnt it down.
The Uchihas were not going to be talked no jutsud, they would burn down the village in anger, and bring destruction to konohakagure just like Pain did, that was the plot.
The choice was between the stability of the entire village or the needs of a small group of angry people.
There is also the truth that nobody thinks of everything, in real life we can't expect people in the dark ages to wash their hands when there is a disease because bacteria isn't a known concept then.
Sometimes people are stuck between choices and unable to outsmart their surroundings, in those times it matters where your heart is, cus you can't rely on some outside force to save you or for your brain to figure out an excuse to not even deal with the dilemma.
2. A deeper story relevant reason.
Remember Obito?
He told Sasuke a history lesson before he told the truth, this is because the meaning behind Itachi's actions were deeper than just "he did a mission".
The choice between the Uchihas and the village had political undertones.
Perhaps you agree with the movie a clockwork orange and you think that it's better to commit crimes than live in a world where free will is non existant.
However this theory doesn't apply to our world, or any world.
There was a scenario in Naruto where it was every man for himself, that was the era with Hashirama and Madara.
Itachi got a taste of that era when he saw a battle during his childhood, perhaps that was what inspired him to look beyond his own surroundings, instead of just being a product of the class you are in, the family you are in, the school you are in etc, people can look beyond that.
It's like in Man of Steel, "what if a child aspires to something other than what society had intended for it".
I don't think Itachi had IQ higher than Shikamaru or was wiser than Sandaime as a child, but I think he had key qualities that was the reason Sandaime deemed him Hokage potential.
When people lived under constant battles, nobody was happy and I don't think you would want to live in a world like that.
The solution to this problem was creating a village for everyone, not just a certain clan with a certain ideology.
The Uchihas were igniting these old flames, sure they were oppressed, should they just take that crap and move on? Probably not, who in this world accepts all that trash talk and pain and moves on?
But just like people can be bullied in real life, whenever those people picks up a knife and stabs their bullies they are no longer the victims they are the purpetrators, and the police that shoots them saves other kids from being killed too, they don't agree with the bullies they are just doing their job.
Sometimes we need to accept we are powerless, even if it's a luring concept that we should always have free will, it's not ok to for example trash stores and kill police just because you protest in the name of BLM.
The Uchihas were not right for wanting to tear the system down.
Their way represented the old system where kids never became adults, Itachi wanted to protect the system in place that prevented that, the system that Hashirama and Tobirama helped create, this is why Hashirama liked Itachi, they both saw the good in the village system.
I assume.
Tobirama reached the conclusion that emotions were a problem, and I think alot of people in real life can think facts are more important than feelings, and that people who are very emotional are problematic.
Instead of jumping to the conclusion Danzo and Tobirama were evil people that deserved to be killed, why don't you argue against the people who argue against your emotional outbursts first to see how well you do?
Tobirama said Uchihas feel extreme hatred after they lose what they love extremely much.
After Obito lost Rin, he was the one who caused the massacre with Kurama, so the village suspicion against the Uchiha was discrimination but it was also truth.
Their philosophies about supressing emotions and viewing shinobi as tools is not entirely the same as Itachi's and Hashiramas, but they were polarized from the Uchiha's wishes of death and destruction because of suppression.
3. Emotional Reason
Least not forget, Itachi was an Uchiha as well, and he was discrminated on just like his fellow peers he knew exactly what they were on about but choce not to give in to their plot to revolt.
Itachi vented his frustration with the clan before he killed them in cold blood. If they had listened to him maybe things could have been different.
Itachi saw potential outside of the boundaries of a clan, his best friend was also someone that opposed giving in to the anger to revolt, when he lost Shisui they accused Itachi of having killed him.
Itachi was still a person, with feelings as well, but for all of his wishes, the clan was never on the same page.
There was also the fact that Danzo threatened to sacrifice Sasuke if a war between konoha and Uchiha would erupt, so Itachi's best option in saving Sasuke was to sacrifice the others.
This goes against the needs of the many vs the needs of the few, and Danzo saw this as a mistake, but sometimes people put value in some people more than others.
Itachi was a flawed human just like everybody else, his emotions drove him to wanting to die at the hands of Sasuke to make Sasuke look like a hero, to set him on a path other than that of the foolish clan.
So in the end Itachi did something evil but for a noble cause.
He did what he thought was right not what he thought was wrong.
And in a real world scenario where life is complicated, you can't cherry pick a nice outcome, sometimes you are stuck between a rock and a hardplace or whatever the expression is, and if there are only bad options you can't not get your hands dirty.
HOWEVER
You CAN justify him, this is how.
His actions were horrible, they were not kind, that's not what's being argued, what is being argued is that sometimes people need to be evil.
Why?
1. A philosophical reason.
"The needs of the many outweighs the needs of the few".
There is a philosophical example where if you are stuck having to kill 2 groups of people, the group that has less people in it should die, not because it's good killing people but because this is the least worse action.
You may think Itachi had plenty of choices however you are wrong and very naive for thinking this, the story could have been written differently for sure, but Leo Dicaprio was always meant to die in Titanic, not just for dramatic purposes but the story made it very clear that if the village had tried a different approach the Uchihas would have burnt it down.
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The Uchihas were not going to be talked no jutsud, they would burn down the village in anger, and bring destruction to konohakagure just like Pain did, that was the plot.
The choice was between the stability of the entire village or the needs of a small group of angry people.
There is also the truth that nobody thinks of everything, in real life we can't expect people in the dark ages to wash their hands when there is a disease because bacteria isn't a known concept then.
Sometimes people are stuck between choices and unable to outsmart their surroundings, in those times it matters where your heart is, cus you can't rely on some outside force to save you or for your brain to figure out an excuse to not even deal with the dilemma.
2. A deeper story relevant reason.
Remember Obito?
He told Sasuke a history lesson before he told the truth, this is because the meaning behind Itachi's actions were deeper than just "he did a mission".
The choice between the Uchihas and the village had political undertones.
Perhaps you agree with the movie a clockwork orange and you think that it's better to commit crimes than live in a world where free will is non existant.
However this theory doesn't apply to our world, or any world.
There was a scenario in Naruto where it was every man for himself, that was the era with Hashirama and Madara.
Itachi got a taste of that era when he saw a battle during his childhood, perhaps that was what inspired him to look beyond his own surroundings, instead of just being a product of the class you are in, the family you are in, the school you are in etc, people can look beyond that.
It's like in Man of Steel, "what if a child aspires to something other than what society had intended for it".
I don't think Itachi had IQ higher than Shikamaru or was wiser than Sandaime as a child, but I think he had key qualities that was the reason Sandaime deemed him Hokage potential.
When people lived under constant battles, nobody was happy and I don't think you would want to live in a world like that.
The solution to this problem was creating a village for everyone, not just a certain clan with a certain ideology.
The Uchihas were igniting these old flames, sure they were oppressed, should they just take that crap and move on? Probably not, who in this world accepts all that trash talk and pain and moves on?
But just like people can be bullied in real life, whenever those people picks up a knife and stabs their bullies they are no longer the victims they are the purpetrators, and the police that shoots them saves other kids from being killed too, they don't agree with the bullies they are just doing their job.
Sometimes we need to accept we are powerless, even if it's a luring concept that we should always have free will, it's not ok to for example trash stores and kill police just because you protest in the name of BLM.
The Uchihas were not right for wanting to tear the system down.
Their way represented the old system where kids never became adults, Itachi wanted to protect the system in place that prevented that, the system that Hashirama and Tobirama helped create, this is why Hashirama liked Itachi, they both saw the good in the village system.
I assume.
Tobirama reached the conclusion that emotions were a problem, and I think alot of people in real life can think facts are more important than feelings, and that people who are very emotional are problematic.
Instead of jumping to the conclusion Danzo and Tobirama were evil people that deserved to be killed, why don't you argue against the people who argue against your emotional outbursts first to see how well you do?
Tobirama said Uchihas feel extreme hatred after they lose what they love extremely much.
After Obito lost Rin, he was the one who caused the massacre with Kurama, so the village suspicion against the Uchiha was discrimination but it was also truth.
Their philosophies about supressing emotions and viewing shinobi as tools is not entirely the same as Itachi's and Hashiramas, but they were polarized from the Uchiha's wishes of death and destruction because of suppression.
3. Emotional Reason
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Least not forget, Itachi was an Uchiha as well, and he was discrminated on just like his fellow peers he knew exactly what they were on about but choce not to give in to their plot to revolt.
Itachi vented his frustration with the clan before he killed them in cold blood. If they had listened to him maybe things could have been different.
Itachi saw potential outside of the boundaries of a clan, his best friend was also someone that opposed giving in to the anger to revolt, when he lost Shisui they accused Itachi of having killed him.
Itachi was still a person, with feelings as well, but for all of his wishes, the clan was never on the same page.
There was also the fact that Danzo threatened to sacrifice Sasuke if a war between konoha and Uchiha would erupt, so Itachi's best option in saving Sasuke was to sacrifice the others.
This goes against the needs of the many vs the needs of the few, and Danzo saw this as a mistake, but sometimes people put value in some people more than others.
Itachi was a flawed human just like everybody else, his emotions drove him to wanting to die at the hands of Sasuke to make Sasuke look like a hero, to set him on a path other than that of the foolish clan.
So in the end Itachi did something evil but for a noble cause.
He did what he thought was right not what he thought was wrong.
And in a real world scenario where life is complicated, you can't cherry pick a nice outcome, sometimes you are stuck between a rock and a hardplace or whatever the expression is, and if there are only bad options you can't not get your hands dirty.