When first introduced during his assignment to Team 7, Sasuke displays a great indifference to his teammates. Feeling that his abilities are far superior to their own, he is unwilling to cooperate with Naruto Uzumaki or Sakura Haruno, as doing so would do nothing to help him kill Itachi.[22] These perceptions are quickly proven wrong, for despite their failings, Sakura is an excellent source of information and competition with Naruto acts as an effective way to get stronger.[23] While he retains a confidence in himself throughout the series, Sasuke increasingly relies on his friends over the course of Part I. As he starts to get close to others he also begins to risk his own life to save them, even though his death would leave him unable to gain vengeance on Itachi.[24]

Abilities

Sasuke in cursed seal level two form using the Chidori.Sasuke has always been able to grasp most ninja abilities with ease. When Naruto begins Sasuke is highly proficient with the Uchiha clan's signature fire-breathing and weapon-based techniques,[31] talents he continues to hone throughout the series. Of the abilities gained through his Uchiha lineage, Sasuke most commonly uses the Sharingan, an ability manifested through the eyes, that grants him a variety of advantages. Sasuke's Sharingan develops for the duration of Part I, first only allowing him to track fast-moving objects[32] and culminating with his ability to predict the movements of others.[33] In Part II he starts to use his Sharingan to cast illusions, allowing him to manipulate and confuse others.[34] Sasuke's Sharingan reaches its peak after Itachi's death; through the death of the person closest to him, Sasuke awakens his own Mangekyo Sharingan.

Like the Sharingan, Orochimaru's influence is a recurring element of Sasuke's abilities. During their first encounter in Part I, Sasuke is branded with a cursed seal, which grants him a brief surge in strength and speed when active. Though he is left exhausted after its usage, Sasuke's various uses of the seal cause him to crave more of its power.[35] As such, Sasuke forces his seal to a second level, amplifying the effects of the first level and drastically changing his appearance when active.[36] When Sasuke begins to train under Orochimaru, his physical abilities are greatly enhanced[37] and he learns how to summon snakes so as to help him in battle.[38] In addition to the techniques taught to him, Sasuke gains access to some of Orochimaru's more common abilities after absorbing him into his body; Sasuke is able to recover from injuries in short periods of time and can regurgitate new bodies for himself if he is too heavily damaged.[39] Itachi removes Orochimaru and the cursed seal from Sasuke's body during their final battle, freeing him from Orochimaru's control.

Prior to Sasuke's defection, his teacher, Kakashi Hatake teaches him how to use the Chidori in an attempt to steer him away from Orochimaru.[26] The Chidori, a collection of lightning-based chakra in the user's hand, serves as a rapid thrusting attack that severely damages any target. While Sasuke is able to put the Chidori to great use during Part I, his usage of the attack is somewhat limited in Part II. Instead, Sasuke employs variants of the technique, using the fundamentals behind the Chidori to create a number of new abilities. Sasuke's first display of such an ability involves emitting electricity from his body as a shield and then sending it along the blade of his chokutō to increase its cutting potential.[40] He later proves able to mold electricity into more solid forms such as extendable swords,[30] and even harnesses natural lightning to create a devastating and unavoidable attack called Kirin (麒麟). Because of the amount of energy required to create the Chidori, Sasuke can only use it twice per day under his own power for the duration of Part I.[41] In Part II, a limit on his number of uses for the Chidori or its variants has yet to be seen.