Naruto: Did Sasuke need to join the Akatsuki for his revenge?

Sasuke Uchiha is one of the most well-known characters in Naruto. He played a very significant role in the entire plot of the series. Sasuke went through a traumatic childhood, and the repercussions followed him throughout his life. He even witnessed the death of his entire clan at the hands of his own brother, Itachi Uchiha.

Itachi also tricked him into thinking that he (Itachi) had committed the murders to measure his power, and forced the idea of exacting revenge into Sasuke’s head. Anybody who has watched the series knows that the latter suffered a lot at different points in life, however, he became a trusted shinobi who protected the village from the shadows towards the end of Shippuden.

Fans have been wanting to understand for a while now whether Sasuke had to join the Akatsuki in order to seek revenge. Let’s take a look into his past and understand if this move was actually necessary for him.

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Looking into Sasuke's past and understanding why he joined the Akatsuki in Naruto

Every fan of the series was on the edge of their seat when the Uchiha siblings finally fought each other. Itachi, who had made Sasuke believe that his reason for being a mass murderer was to measure his strength, died in the battle.

However, Tobi pulled the younger sibling aside and decided to explain all the details. Sasuke finally found out who had been responsible for pulling the strings. He got to know that the orders had been issued by the highest authorities of Konohagakure. The Naruto deuteragonist later realized that Itachi had decided to keep him alive because of his desire to protect his younger brother and keep him alive.

Sasuke being a part of the Akatsuki (image via Masashi Kishimoto/Shueisha, Viz, Naruto)

Sasuke was struck with grief and filled with rage after listening to the information given to him by Tobi. He wanted to destroy Konoha and had no thought of sparing the innocent people since nobody had extended the same courtesy to the Uchiha clan on the night that they were murdered. Sasuke realized that he would certainly need more men to assist him if he wanted to fulfill this goal, since doing it alone would be impossible.

Tobi knew Sasuke’s history with Naruto and offered to support him, provided he helped them retrieve a Tailed Beast. Sasuke agreed and thus became a quasi member of sorts. Given the circumstances, Sasuke’s agreement made sense because his goals aligned with Tobi's at the time. Since he wanted to obliterate Konoha, he needed all the manpower possible, and it was no secret that the Akatuski boasted some of the strongest shinobis in the series.

To sum it up, Sasuke’s decision to join the Akatsuki was justified. However, he changed his path later in the series and joined the side of the good once again.

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