Itachi is Sasuke's older brother, and a genius ninja who entered the battlefield at a young age. Itachi, at age seven, was already a ninja, and at eight had mastered the Sharingan, which is a special ability of the Uchiha clan. As a result, Itachi became cold and distant. By age 13, Itachi was made an ANBU squad leader, though it was so the Uchiha clan could have a spy among ANBU's ranks. However, Itachi spied on his own clan in turn for the Konoha leadership at the time while he was being mentored by Madara Uchiha. After murdering his friend Shisui to obtain the Mangekyou Sharingan, Itachi expresses his true feelings for his clan after his clansmen attempted to force the truth out of him.