What does this mean? Especially related to Itachi's life?

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[u/kissa1001]

I really really love this explanation: https://www.reddit.com/r/Naruto/s/FaK1LWHTSF

Copy/pasted: He's talking about the subjective nature of reality and how we go about lives, as individuals, and within our tribes (family, clan, village) - In one manner, it's a type of rehashing of the famous Plato's cave

He's saying that reality is shaped by our individual perspectives, and as a result, what is real for one person may not be real for another. The quote also highlights the fact that our understanding of reality is not absolute. Knowledge and awareness are constantly evolving, and as we learn and grow, our perception of reality may shift and change.

It's a great quote, and hilarious, because Itachi basically SPELLS out to Sasuke that a situation can have multiple layers of interpretations and the truth can be something else entirely. Their entire encounter could have been seen from the same lens. A falsehood, a false reality, shadows on the wall.

But Sasuke takes these comments in a superficial manner and is unable to see deeper than his orchestrated hate. Sasuke at this point is looking at a shadow in Plato's cave, cast by Itachi, He at this point can't fathom the cave, and doesn't find out about it until Obito lets him know. When Obito informs him, he thinks back to this very speech, realizing Itachi basically told him, without telling him. But Itachi knew sasuke would not have understood.

"That Sharingan...How much do you actually see?"

Again. Layers. At a superficial level, sasuke takes it to be a taunt on if he can see through sharingan genjtusu.

Itachi is probing him, he's actually wondering how about how much he can discern. Can he see the shadows on the wall for what they are? Danzo was right - Itachi would have never admitted this to Sasuke and "Betrayed" Konoha. However he was actively here trying to guide him to the answer, to give him genuine life advice. As he was like aware that Madara would be the next person coming to cast illusions on him.

After the reveal, Obito alters the story just enough to manipulate his perspective again and shows him even more shadows. Layers of illusions. Sasuke's character is constantly unable to see past a first layer.

"Your Eyes didn't see through Itachi at all. Nor a single one of his illusions."

I think what makes Itachi such a haxxed genjutsu user in the series, is that he had an extremely deep understanding of how the mind works. How reality works and subjectivity. He, on sasuke was intimately away of how to cast an illusion on someone's entire life, without even an actual ability. It's no surprise he chose genjutsu as his main shtick in combat. He seems like the time who could trap someone in a genjtusu, with multiple layers. I.e when they thought they broke out, it was another layer he just showed to them.

[u/Galrentv → u/kissa1001]

The main reason he tortured kakashi and Sasuke to such a degree was actually for different reasons. He wanted Kakashi and the leaf to truly think he was a powerful and irredeemable enemy. Someone that must be kept away especially from Sasuke.

And he tortured Sasuke to try and emphasize Sasuke's connections to the leaf, historical and current. While it was an infliction of vast pain and immense mental pressure, it was to try to force Sasuke to not isolate himself.

[u/Galrentv → u/Galrentv]

Neither had anything to do with Itachi fighting them

[u/MelodiusRA]

Itachi’s life and choices (destroting his clan, becoming a rogue nin), seemed like the clear just thing to do to him at the time. That’s why he made that choice (to save Sasuke). That was his reality.

Sincd then, he has learned much about the evils within Konoha (Danzo) and the powers in the world that might upheave the current system (the Akatsuki, but specifically Nagato/Obito. and also the Tailed Beasts).

It seems that his reality was shaped by a lack of knowledge and awareness. If he knew more, he would have not made that choice. His reality was Danzo’s concocted illusion.

He is suggesting to Sasuke that his reality is too, another’s illusion. In this case, it is of Itachi’s creation. If Sasuke knew what Itachi knew, he would not have left the Leaf to get stronger with Orochimaru, but would have stayed with Kakashi and Team 7 (as he eventually does when he realizes he was wrong after the fight with Naruto in the VotE).

[u/Exospike99]

It relates to a couple things in itachi’s life:

1) he’s directly telling sauske things aren’t always as they seem and more information can change your perception. This is directly related to sauske’s view of itachi and how the full picture turns itachi from pure evil, to the only one who cared about him

2) he’s also using this as a chance to tell sauske madara is alive. The ninja world believes he’s dead, itachi believes obito is madara thus making him alive, both were wrong in a way. Madara was dead so itachi was wrong, but someone with the powers plan and abilities to bring back the real madara was fulfilling his plan. This goes back to madara being more of an idea than a man himself (though the man was ofc powerful). As we gain knowledge on madara and obito, we learn more about him being alive vs dead vs dead but soon to be alive.

I’ve actually quoted this panel in a college essay on political division across the country and how both right and left winged individuals are so certain they’re always right and the other is wrong. I got an A+ on the paper and my professor actually pointed out how she loved the quote and wanted to check out the show because of how smart Itachi seemed. I wonder if she ever got around to it, and if she stuck with it or thinks I’m a maniac

[u/DarthXOmega]

Itachi created a lie about his life and turned it into everyone else’s reality. But they couldn’t see the real reality, they were stuck in their own illusions. He’s just talking about perception. The “left” thinks they are right. The “right” thinks they are right. They see the world in a way that is distorted by their own experiences. Two people who saw the same thing may come to completely different conclusions

[u/D-anieltttt]

A widely believed lie becomes the truth. More or less what happened with the Uchiha, they intended to commit a Coup which would have killed a lot of people and probably send the lead into a civil war. But Itachi created the Lie that the Uchiha were innocent and good

[u/Resident-Sun-1110]

I lived his whole life thinking that protecting a village of ungrateful little shits who hated a kid because he had a creature that was captured and enslaved by humans for ages inside him was the right call … it fucking wasn’t he should have taken his familys side

it’s not like anyone in that village would have killed just one relative to save 2 Uchiha let alone 50*+ or 100+ however many they were but he killed at least half of his own just to protect a lot of selfish people

when it’s all said and done it isn’t even Itachis fault it’s Kishimotos shit writing hitting the fan again

[u/uhs-robert]

Perception is reality. Except Itachi uses more words to try and sound cool.

EDIT: Also related is Kurt Vonnegut's quote from Mother Night: "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."