From his first introduction, Sasuke Uchiha made it clear he had one goal: to kill his brother Itachi Uchiha and avenge his clan. Initially, Sasuke went through the same steps as all of the young ninja in Konohagakure. He graduated from the ninja Academy, was assigned to a three-man squad, and participated in the Chunin Exams.
Still, Sasuke was consumed by the hatred of his brother and his thirst for vengeance. On his quest for vengeance, the people who cared about him did everything they could to save him from himself. Sasuke not only ignored and rejected the pleas of his comrades, but he executed atrocious acts in order to isolate himself from the people who still cared for him.
10 He Ignored Sai's Message About Naruto
Sai was the first to find Sasuke in Orochimaru’s hideout. Sasuke was naturally rude to Sai and intimidated him with his genjutsu when he first mentioned Naruto. When attempting to leave, Sai mentioned that Naruto had told him a lot about his friendship with Sasuke. Sasuke responded by only saying there used to be someone like that - an indication that he tried as hard as he could to erase his friendships. Denial was one of the main tactics Sasuke used to enhance his solitude and dismantle his relationships.
9 He Fought Kakashi And Threatened To Kill Him
Sasuke seemed to be on a murderous high after killing Danzo. After Kakashi saved Sasuke, Sasuke manically expressed to his former sensei that he was "itching to kill him". Kakashi tried to sympathize with Sasuke by letting him know he had lost everyone he loved when he was Sasuke's age as well, and conveyed that revenge would eventually lead to self destruction.
Still, Sasuke rejected his advice, and at this intense encounter a few years later, Sasuke showed Kakashi his true intentions. Before Sasuke left Konoha, Kakashi saw the dark path Sasuke was headed towards, but it was here that Kakashi realized how corrupt Sasuke had become.
8 He Trained With Orochimaru
After receiving his curse mark from Orochimaru, Sasuke felt a surge of power. When battling the Sound Village ninjas, he unleashed his curse mark and allowed himself to become consumed by its power. Knowing that Orochimaru had just launched an attack on the Leaf Village, Sasuke still allowed Orochimaru and his team of rogue ninjas to capture him.
Orochimaru was a known enemy of the Leaf Village, and he’d committed countless atrocities without feeling any remorse. Sasuke’s comrades were shocked that he was willing to study under someone so sinister.
7 He Constantly Said Hurtful Things
Sasuke believed the severance of bonds was vital. He attempted to convince himself and others that he was completely alone by constantly asserting that he only had bonds of hatred with his brother. He expressed to Naruto and Sakura that bonds weakened desires. He also stated that the only reason Naruto was still alive was because of a passing whim.
While on his journey to seek revenge, Sasuke said many hurtful things whenever he encountered his former teammates. He wanted to let them know that revenge meant more to him than anything, even his own life. He reiterated his nonchalance once again right before almost performing a jutsu he intended to use to kill Sai, Yamato, Sakura, and Naruto.
6 He Committed Crimes Against Multiple Villages
When the Leaf Village discovered Sasuke had joined the Akatsuki, the Konoha 11 gathered to discuss their concerns about him. They decided that it was their responsibility to handle Sasuke as he was a rogue ninja from their village who was now causing trouble for other villages.
Sasuke’s first task as a member of the Akatsuki was to capture the Eight Tails. After their encounter, Killer B went missing and was presumed dead. The pain Sasuke caused the Cloud Village angered his comrades and forced them to no longer see him as a friend, but a dangerous criminal.
5 He Declared War On The Leaf Village
Once he discovered the truth behind his clan's massacre, Sasuke was distraught. He learned that Itachi chose peace over his own clan, stopping his family from throwing a coup by murdering his own. Though Itachi was acting in good faith, he was forced to carry the burden of being labeled a traitor.
Sasuke was filled with rage when he realized the leaders of his village facilitated his brother's life of solitude. As a result, Sasuke decided to declare war on the Konoha. He boldly revealed his plan when he arrived on the battlefield during the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
4 He Decided To Become Hokage
Typically when a young ninja aspires to become Hokage, they are filled with hopeful dreams and a desire to better the home they grew up in. However, when Sasuke declared that he would become Hokage, he made it known that he wanted to undo the work of all the leaders before him.
He proclaimed that he would become Hokage despite the outrage of his peers. He made it clear that he didn't care about anyone else's feelings, and he described a world where he alone would become darkness and shoulder the burden of loneliness. This was yet another instance where he disregarded the sentiments of his friends in favor of his own goals.
3 He Tried To Kill Sakura, Twice
Sakura's infatuation with Sasuke began when she was a child. She didn’t try to hide her feelings - everyone, including Sasuke, knew how she felt about him. Sakura was constantly concerned about his wellbeing, even though her love was unrequited. Sasuke didn’t want to accept anyone’s love, and when he saw through Sakura’s lie about joining him, he attempted to kill her. Shortly after, Sasuke made another attempt to kill Sakura, infuriating Naruto in the process.
2 He Abandoned The Leaf Village
As stated by Naruto when explaining Sasuke’s decision to leave the Leaf Village to Boruto, Sasuke convinced himself that great strength came from the pain of solitude. He abandoned his village to sever bonds because he didn’t want anything or anyone to jeopardize his quest for revenge.
Sasuke only cared about killing his brother, so much so that he feared the love and support he was receiving from members of the Leaf Village would cause him to renounce his vengeful goal. To prevent this from happening, Sasuke felt he had no choice but to abandon everyone in Konoha.
1 He Tried To Kill Naruto In Their Final Fight
After the events of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, Sasuke declared there was one last score to settle: he and Naruto needed to finish what they started years ago. At the Final Valley, Sasuke and Naruto engaged in a battle that nearly killed them both and caused each of them to lose an arm.
While fighting, Sasuke had a mental break and asked Naruto why he refused to let him go. Naruto responded by stating that he couldn’t because he was Sasuke's one and only friend. Sasuke expressed a twisted sort of relief whenever he thought he was about to kill Naruto during their fight because he thought he would “finally be alone”.