>>1757328>>1757328I'm glad you asked!
The Uchiha clan has many referrences to Shinto. For example the shape of the Sharingan is very important in Shinto. It is the symbol of "Mitsudomoe." Each bead is in the shape of a "magatama."
The shape of the magatama itself is said to represent the spiral nature of creation - everything, even you, spiraling into being. Additionally, each magatama in mitsudomoe has a meaning. First, Kusatama, mission. Next, Magatama, life; finally, Kudatama, fate. Also, the magatama is important because it is one of the "Sanshu no Jingi," or three sacred treasures of Shinto.
In Shinto mythology (Shinto is the native religion of Japan - sorry, forgot to mention that), Amaterasu is the sun goddess who is the ancestor of the Japanese people. She left the first Emperor of Japan three treasures. Yasakani-no-magatama, Yata-no-Kagami (a mirror), and Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (a sword). All of these themes appear in the manga. I'll use one of my favorite fights to illustrate.
When Sasuke (Sasuke is named for "Sarutobi, Sasuke" - a famous ninja) and Itachi (meaning, "weasel") fight, there is a lot of mythological imagery. Itachi quels Sasuke's fires with "Amaterasu," the Sun Goddess. It should be noted that Itachi's other signature move, "Tsukuyomi," which features moon imagery, is the name of Amaterasu's brother - the God of the Moon. His final move, "Susa-no-O," is the name of Amaterasu's second brother. Itachi has his Susano-O wield, "Totsuka-no-ken," and the "Yata" mirror as a shield.
At this point, Orochimaru manifests as a hydra from Sasuke. This is a referrence to "Yamata-no-Orochi," the 8-headed serpent whom Susano-O fought for the sake of an earth spirit wielding the sword of Totsuka. During this fight, Susano-O pulled the sword of Kusanagi from the tail of Orochi. In the manga, however, you see Orochimaru slain with Totsukanoken and Kusanaginoken appeared from his mouth, as always.
