#fans think he's a powerhouse of jutsus so he's invincible

[theheirofthesharingan]

You know, we all talk about Sasuke being objectified by people in the series, but we rarely (or never?) talk about Itachi being objectified just as bad by everyone. From the first moment he gained his senses, he became an object, a tool his clan, his dad, his village could use to gain some brownie points.

His father took him, a four-year-old boy, to the battlefield, who had no business being there in the first place. He was just an object to be prepared in order to be able to be used as the clan head's son. In their eyes, he was supposed to have no heart to break, no soul to be damaged. He was only a tool they could use.

When he grew up, his words, demanding peace and peaceful negotiations, had no value in the clan's eyes, but he must be ready to spy on the government for their sakes. His feelings didn't matter. His opinions didn't matter. They sent one of their own to spy on him.

This 11 year old wasn't supposed to have feelings. Right?

Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, even Kakashi, Rin, and Obito - who had been in the battlefield - at the age Itachi was, we probably would consider it cruel and inhuman to put any of them in place Itachi was. But somehow, it occurred to no one that a 12-13 year old boy should be treated as a human instead of being sent as a spy or forced to kill his own parents.

As long as he was useful to the clan, he was treasured, but the moment he developed his own ideals and began to value peace to the violent measures the clan was about to take, he was treated like crap.

The Leaf is the worst. Imagine sending a 12-13 year old kid to kill his own parents and take many more innocent lives. Imagine telling him if he doesn't do it the war that he fears so much will start. Imagine doing nothing at all to stop the war on your own while you have thrice the experience of this kid's age. Imagine thrusting the burden of the nation, the village, and even the whole Shinobi world on this kid's little shoulders.

From the moment Itachi witnessed the deaths in the third world war, he became a part of the larger scheme of things. He wanted to stop the wars permanently, stop violence, and bring peace in the world. And he was repeatedly put in the harsh situations that demanded nothing but the absolute evisceration of his soul. No one ever asked him what he wanted. His ideals, his fears, his love - all of it was used against him. He stood between the clan and the village (eventually until he had to choose one). Then he stood between the Akatsuki and the village, guarding the ungrateful world that held the wrong perception of him. A world that judged him for the things he was forced into.

However. This does not mean he had no responsibility in his own actions. But the truth is, if he had no better options, he had to go with the limited ones he had. No one ever paused for a moment to think he deserved something better. Maybe love and affection. Maybe some comfort as well.

As soon as his mission was done, he was discarded by the Leaf as well. He bore the burden of their crimes, their failures, and in the end lived a thankless, unrewarded life. To the Akatsuki, he became someone that could be easily replaced. When he died, no one mourned. No one cared. If Sasuke hadn't found out about him, there would have been no one who would think of him.

Now, years later, he's been forgotten. Who remembers him except for Sasuke anyway? In the documents, he is still registered as a dangerous criminal.

All his life, he was treated as an object. Even in death, he's not found the recognition he deserved.