The Disappearance of Itachi Uchiha

[Magatsu Izanagi]

The Disappearance of Itachi Uchiha​

うちはイタチの消失 | Uchiha Itachi no Shōshitsu​

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Preface​

Spoiler

I encourage you to skim through parts one through three of this series, just to open your mind a little with respects to Itachi Uchiha.

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The majority of what you're about to read is, in a very real sense, an experiment. The bulk of it consists of disproving and/or deducting credibility from certain arguments, therefore proving and adding credibility to the one in this thread.

That's going to make for a pretty long analysis. If you're content with that, then please, enjoy.

Introduction​

There are two mysteries surrounding Itachi that were never resolved in the manga.

The first, being the Sword of Totsuka and the Yata Mirror.

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What exactly are they? Where do they come from? How did Itachi come to possess them?
These are all questions that were never conclusively answered in the manga.

This was already addressed, more or less, in Parts

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&

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of this series, but to reiterate: Itachi has these weapons to further emphasize him as a representation of the Shinto gods Susano'o and Izanagi. Kishimoto, more than likely, didn't have an explanation that he was trying to convey to us for the weapons' origins; simply beause it has nothing to do with their purpose of existing in the manga in the first place. That's also the reason why we've never seen them used by anyone else, and why they never will be.

The second mystery, and the focus of this thread, is Itachi's sickness.

What is it? How did he get it? Why?

Right off the bat, identifying the purpose of Itachi being sick is simple. It was a means to reduce the power he was given to an appropriate scale (or otherwise "limit" him, to give him a weakness as all characters should have) for his role in the plot.

However, that doesn't provide any insight on the details of the sickness itself. It can be said that Kishimoto really didn't have anything in mind for it, but there is enough suspicion to think that he was definitely hinting and/or portraying something.

This thread will provide an in-depth analysis on the matter, and provide a conclusion to this mystery.

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First of all, to deduce anything at all regarding the sickness, we must list what we factually know about it:
*Note: To be as thorough as possible, symptoms that may be just due to exhaustion/chakra expenditure from the Sasuke fight, or MS overuse symptoms, have been included (these are often neglected).

Spoiler

*Possible sweating/persperation:

Spoiler

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Chest/heart pain (emphasis is being placed on the left side of his chest, look at the lines converging there)

Spoiler

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Coughing, and coughing up blood

Spoiler

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He was taking medicine to prolong his life (to fight the disease)

Spoiler

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There are three possibilities, or rather, three scenarios, as to how Itachi became sick. They are as follows:

1. Someone else inflicted the disease upon him, i.e. in an attempt to harm him
2. He became sick "naturally", due to some outside force outside anyone's control
3. The sickness is his own doing somehow, not falling under categories 1 or 2

By analyzing each scenario, with the use of evidence from the manga, plausible deductions can be drawn for each of them.

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Layer I - Enemies​

Before this scenario is addressed any further, think of something. Who are the only other people in the series to suffer from some sort of mysterious illness?

Kimmimaro Kaguya, and Shin (Sai's brother)

Kimmimaro was a subordinate of Orochimaru, and Shin was in Root, led by Danzo.

Orochimaru and Danzo... is it plausible to say that Itachi was in a position that inconvenienced these two (for one reason or another)? Is it plausible to say that they wanted him weakened, or gone entirely?

Yes, it is.

Hypothesis A:​

Orochimaru wanted Itachi's eyes, so he poisoned him so that he would be weak enough to take them from. He obtained the disease via Kimmimaro, observing that it must have been highly potent to affect a prodigal shinobi like him.

Evidence:​

Spoiler

I can't find the specific scan(s) I'm looking for, but in case you don't remember, Orochimaru always wanted the Sharingan, which is why he attacked Itachi when he was in the Akatsuki. Here's a scan showing he was after it in Part 1:

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Here is a scan discussing Kimmimaro's illness:

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Why it's NOT possible:​

Spoiler

First of all, Orochimaru probably had no means to poison Itachi, in the first place. As established in battle, and in his own words, Itachi is much stronger than him. It's safe to say that there's no way that Itachi wouldn't notice Orochimaru slicing him with a kunai somehow, and even if he did manage to do that, he would be dead afterwards.

Additionally, why would Orochimaru want to put the eyes he so dearly wanted at risk, by harming their vessel?

Also, Kimmimaro's sickness didn't have the same symptoms as Itachi's, so there's definitely no connection between the two.

Hypothesis B:​

Danzo wanted Itachi dead, as he either:

-Considered him a liability for Konoha after he joined Akatsuki (since he knew classified village intel)
-Wanted to use Sasuke for something
-Considered him a liability to himself, since he may have know dirty secrets on him or want to kill him to avenge Shisui (because taking his eye led to his death, in a way).

To do this, he poisoned Itachi with a disease that he had tested on Root members, namely Shin. He was able to pull it off, considering he was skilled enough to take Shisui's eye.

Evidence​

Spoiler

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There aren't any scans to prove Danso had it out for Itachi, but it's still semi-plausible, enough to be worth investigating.

Why it's NOT possible:​

Spoiler

First of all, Shin never exhibited any symptoms to his illness in the manga, at all. In the anime, he was depicted to have something very similar to Itachi (coughing up blood, etc). But, since the anime is non-canon, it cannot be used as a basis to prove this.

Additionally, Danzo seemed to have a sort of respect for Itachi. During his fight with Sasuke, he praises him many times. That serves as an indication that he had no malicious intentions towards him.

To summarize this section, it's safe to assume that Itachi's illness was not due to someone poisoning him, i.e. attempting to harm him.

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Layer II - Sick​

This scenario was largely the one analyzed by theorists since his sickness was first revealed in the manga.

It's commonly regarded that the closest medical condition that matches Itachi's symptoms is Tuberculosis. Common symptoms are as follows (source: WebMD)

-A cough with thick, cloudy, and sometimes bloody mucus from the lungs (sputum) for more than 2 weeks.
-Fever, chills, and night sweats.
-Fatigue and weakness.
-Loss of appetite and unexplained weight loss.
-Shortness of breath and chest pain.

Coughing up blood, chest pain, fatigue... all these directly match Itachi's symptoms. Going off that, it is an educated assumption to say that he had Tuberculosis. Plus, there are many other similar diseases that have more or less the same symptoms.

However, there is another possibility. One that matches up even closer to symptoms shown in the manga, and that is highly symbolic (which Kishimoto has undebatably done before with Itachi's character). Read on...

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Layer III - Weight of the World​

Itachi Uchiha carried the biggest weight on his shoulders out of any character in the series. He killed his entire clan, including his parents, and had to watch his best friend die, while he was a mere teenager.

No explanation is required to establish that this must have had a colossal impact on him, psychologically.

Perhaps even to the point where it affected him physically, and he became sick.

Hypothesis:​

Grief stricken, depressed, and struggling to cope with the reality of what he did, Itachi developed some sort of mental illness, which began to manifest physically and eat away at him.

Evidence:​

Firstly, there are countless mental illnesses that can develop due to guilt, shame, sadness, and all the other emotions Itachi must have felt after doing what he did. Depression, MDD, PTSD... the list goes on and on.

Now, what you may not know is that being mentally ill can affect your physical health. You can confirm this if you'd like, but it's a fact that mentally ill people are more likely to develop things like diabetes, heart disease, etc.

To quote some medical sites (there's a lot of sources that say more or less the same thing: mental and physical health are linked):

Some symptoms of depression may reduce your overall physical and mental health, increasing your risk for heart disease or making symptoms of heart disease worse.

People with serious mental illnesses often experience high blood pressure and elevated levels of stress hormones and adrenaline which increase the heart rate. These physical changes interfere with cardiovascular function and significantly elevate the risk of developing heart disease among people with mental illnesses.

Why it's possible:​

There are a myriad of different conditions that could be explored, but for arguments sake, I'll focus on one of the possible physical ailments that can occur: heart disease. (To further support it, there are countless other similar conditions that could have arisen from mental illness, many if which share similar symptoms).

Here is a quote from a medical source about the symptoms of this condition (the most common form of heart disease is called "coronary artery disease):

The most common symptom of coronary artery disease is angina, or chest pain. Angina can be described as a discomfort, heaviness, pressure, aching, burning, fullness, squeezing, or painful feeling in your chest.

Other symptoms of coronary artery disease include:

Shortness of breath.
Palpitations (irregular heart beats, or a "flip-flop" feeling in your chest).
A faster heartbeat.
Weakness or dizziness.
Nausea.
Sweating.

Additionally, there are several different variants of this disease, many of which include the following as another symptom: coughing up blood (the condition of heart failure also includes this as a symptom, which can stem from coronary artery disease).

Itachi's symptoms match up with that of heart disease extremely well, enough to consider that this was his sickness. This panel, showing emphasis on the left side of Itachi's chest, is almost proof alone that this was heart related.

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Spoiler

The human heart is actually located in the center of your body, but is is tilted slightly to the left, and all the blood pumping, etc. happens on the left side. In fiction, the human heart is sometimes dramaticized by placing it on the left of the body.

But something that stands out even more is the fact that it was his heart.

There are two meanings to the word "heart". There's the physical one, referring to the actual organ, and then there's the emotional one, referring to feelings, etc.

It isn't farfetched at all to say that due to everything he had done, everything he had experienced...

...Itachi had his heart broken.

Perhaps that is what Kishimoto wanted to emphasize with this sickness.

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-Summary/Conclusion-​

-The Totsuka Blade and Yata Mirror were in Itachi's possession to further emphasize him as a symbol of the Shinto deities Susano'o and Izanagi. That's why only he wielded them, and why they will never be seen again or used by anyone else.

-There exists countless possibilities for what Itachi's sickness was, too many to draw a 100% conclusion from. However, the one that matches up to his symptoms the closest is heart disease, brought on due to his guilt and sadness from what he had to endure.

Thanks for reading,
Magatsu

This is my final thread. Thank you all for your encouragement and kind words over the years

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[Colonel Armstrong]

BRUH

YOUR BACK!!!




gimmie time to read tho

 

[Chie]

I like this thread overall.

And, I agree with the general premise/conclusions you came up with.

 

[Naruto X Hunter]

I'll read this later,it looks good.

 

[Edenia]

I read it all and they are all very plausible explanations. About the illness part being explained by an evolution from psychological to physical also makes perfect sense.

Could the illness also be a way of punishment for what he did along with Sasuke's fight despite whatever reasons lay behind his actions? Why do I say this? ATTENTION TO SPOILERS RELATED TO RUROUN KENSHIN SERIES

Spoiler

because in Rurouni Kenshin in the second OVA "Reflections", not done by the author himself however, Kenshin dies of a disease that spreads throughout his body and makes him spill blood and get to a point where he can barely stand and he ends up dying with the scar disappearing from his face, meaning he atoned for his sins. I don't know if that could somehow also have inspired Kishimoto to develop this sickness in Itachi. In Kenshin case, he wandered all of Japan trying to atone for those he killed before dying in that OVA.

 

[Hakairyoku]

You mean final thread in this series, right? RIGHT?? :nuts:

In all seriousness though, incredible thread. =D I think it's very symbolic that Itachi's sickness had to do with his heart (heart disease or its variants), like you said. You've made a fantastic case for what it could've been.

 

[Sound]

You do Itachi justice :]

Excellent thread and ending of your series.​

 

[Joker]

Or, or, or, or, he just had a simple disease.

 

[Zealous Sparks]

Excellent thread

I like the different take on Itachi's disease being linked to emotional health. Also, Itachi joined the Akatsuki right after the Uchiha Massacre; he did not have time to mourn or grieve openly as he had to act his part in order to spy on the Akatsuki. This would have forced him to repress his emotions (guilt, sorrow, grief, etc.) and could have further led to the formation of an illness.

 

[Magatsu Izanagi]

BRUH

YOUR BACK!!!




gimmie time to read tho

I'll read this later,it looks good.

Take your time

I like this thread overall.

And, I agree with the general premise/conclusions you came up with.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it

I read it all and they are all very plausible explanations. About the illness part being explained by an evolution from psychological to physical also makes perfect sense.

Could the illness also be a way of punishment for what he did along with Sasuke's fight despite whatever reasons lay behind his actions? Why do I say this? ATTENTION TO SPOILERS RELATED TO RUROUN KENSHIN SERIES

Spoiler

because in Rurouni Kenshin in the second OVA "Reflections", not done by the author himself however, Kenshin dies of a disease that spreads throughout his body and makes him spill blood and get to a point where he can barely stand and he ends up dying with the scar disappearing from his face, meaning he atoned for his sins. I don't know if that could somehow also have inspired Kishimoto to develop this sickness in Itachi. In Kenshin case, he wandered all of Japan trying to atone for those he killed before dying in that OVA.

Glad you agree.

Interesting thought... I've never watched RK, so I can't comment, but it sounds possible. I'm sure there are numerous things Kishi wanted to convey with him being sick, this could very well be one of them.

You mean final thread in this series, right? RIGHT?? :nuts:

In all seriousness though, incredible thread. =D I think it's very symbolic that Itachi's sickness had to do with his heart (heart disease or its variants), like you said. You've made fantastic case for what it could've been.

Alas, I'm retiring from the NDS. It's time to pass on the torch

You do Itachi justice :]

Excellent thread and ending of your series.​

Thanks bro
I appreciate the compliments.

Or, or, or, or, he just had a simple disease.

I thought this, too, before I decided to start analyzing his character.

Then, it became apparent to me that even the little things regarding Itachi had some sort of other significance, some kind of symbolism.

Excellent thread

I like the different take on Itachi's disease being linked to emotional health. Also, Itachi joined the Akatsuki right after the Uchiha Massacre; he did not have time to mourn or grieve openly as he had to act his part in order to spy on the Akatsuki. This would have forced him to repress his emotions (guilt, sorrow, grief, etc.) and could have further led to the formation of an illness.

Thanks

@bold: Wow, that's entirely possible. Good thinking!

 

[Sir Blades]

Oh lawd this was a long ass thread, I aint got time of this shit lol

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But I read it all and I somewhat agree, these weapons have no origin and no future they were accessories to Itachi's character and his liability in the end. Even Hagoromo never mentions these weapons or any other ninja, but since Zetsu knew about them, it could be that they were from the same place Kaguya was from, but that is a totally different ordeal.

Good thread Magatsu, you Sir have earned my respect throughout these years. I can say very little from other users.

Do your thang cause haters gon hate bro lol

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I SIR BLADES OF CHAOS HAVE SPOKEN!!!!

 

[Magatsu Izanagi]

Spoiler

Oh lawd this was a long ass thread, I aint got time of this shit lol

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But I read it all and I somewhat agree, these weapons have no origin and no future they were accessories to Itachi's character and his liability in the end. Even Hagoromo never mentions these weapons or any other ninja, but since Zetsu knew about them, it could be that they were from the same place Kaguya was from, but that is a totally different ordeal.

Good thread Magatsu, you Sir have earned my respect throughout these years. I can say very little from other users.

Do your thang cause haters gon hate bro lol

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I SIR BLADES OF CHAOS HAVE SPOKEN!!!!

A truly epic comment.
Thank you, Sir Blades.

 

[BlacLord™]

I originally thought it was TB, but upon seeing these scans, I'm almost certain that he was suffering from Mitral Stenosis.

We know that chakra ties in with the organs and moulding chakra requires physical energy. A person with this condition who overexerts themselves would likely cause fatal congestive heart failure. If we tie in the fact that Itachi tired after using MS twice in one day, spamming it like he did in that fight would most certainly cause a huge amount of back pressure through the blood vessels - so much so that it would be fatal.

 

[theacknowledgedone]

Great thread man, Guilt is the ultimate sickness.

 

[Magatsu Izanagi]

I originally thought it was TB, but upon seeing these scans, I'm almost certain that he was suffering from Mitral Stenosis.

We know that chakra ties in with the organs and moulding chakra requires physical energy. A person with this condition who overexerts themselves would likely cause fatal congestive heart failure. If we tie in the fact that Itachi tired after using MS twice in one day, spamming it like he did in that fight would most certainly cause a huge amount of back pressure through the blood vessels - so much so that it would be fatal.

Entirely possible.

There's numerous possible variants/precursors/sucessions to heart diseases he could have had, and Mitral Stenosis is one of them (probably one of the more plausible ones, as you've explained).

Great thread man, Guilt is the ultimate sickness.

Thank you
Indeed, it is.

 

[AnimusOra]

Excellent thread! And as for it being the final thread. Wow. This was truly a great read. You have answered all the questions that remained in the story. :itachi:

 

[Hakairyoku]

Alas, I'm retiring from the NDS. It's time to pass on the torch

Oh, that's right. You told me you'd be doing that. Duh haha. XD

 

[Ares]

Oh lawd this was a long ass thread, I aint got time of this shit lol

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But I read it all and I somewhat agree, these weapons have no origin and no future they were accessories to Itachi's character and his liability in the end. Even Hagoromo never mentions these weapons or any other ninja, but since Zetsu knew about them, it could be that they were from the same place Kaguya was from, but that is a totally different ordeal.

Good thread Magatsu, you Sir have earned my respect throughout these years. I can say very little from other users.

Do your thang cause haters gon hate bro lol

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I SIR BLADES OF CHAOS HAVE SPOKEN!!!!

Wow, that ego.

OT: Good read. I agree on all points.

 

[Pumpkin Ninja]

Great read! It could have been due to a mental illness. However, I don't think Kishimoto thought with such depth to think of a sickness for him, he probably just thought about if the readers would like it or not. However, I'm not Kishi, so I can't say for sure. If we forget that all of this isn't real, your theory is probably correct.

 

[Magatsu Izanagi]

Excellent thread! And as for it being the final thread. Wow. This was truly a great read. You have answered all the questions that remained in the story. :itachi:

Glad you enjoyed it!
...

Oh, that's right. You told me you'd be doing that. Duh haha. XD

No worries

Wow, that ego.

OT: Good read. I agree on all points.

Don't worry; I asked him for a "memorable" comment. As you can see, he delivered

Thank you, glad you agree and you enjoyed it

Great read! It could have been due to a mental illness. However, I don't think Kishimoto thought with such depth to think of a sickness for him, he probably just thought about if the readers would like it or not. However, I'm not Kishi, so I can't say for sure. If we forget that all of this isn't real, your theory is probably correct.

Maybe. But after analyzing him in this series of threads, I concluded that there must have been some sort of significance to it, after finding so much symbolism in other aspects of his character.

Glad you enjoyed it, though