Uchiha Itachi looked at the Clan Leader and said:
"At first, I suspected that, as the eldest son of the Uchiha Clan's former Clan Leader, I posed a threat to your position, and that was why you were hostile toward me."
"But later, I dismissed that possibility. With your talent, your strength had long since surpassed mine. Even if I kept improving, the threat I posed to you would be virtually nonexistent. Besides, we are almost the same age, so there would be no concern about you growing old and weak.
"And from what I know of you, you are not someone incapable of tolerating others."
Shin Uchiha shook his head at this and rejected the idea:
"That is indeed not the reason. It is not that I am particularly tolerant, but that I simply do not care about the position of Clan Leader. If it had not been necessary to reassure the clan, along with the Elder's expectations and your father's sudden decision to step down, I truly would not have cared about taking the position."
At this point, Shin Uchiha gave Uchiha Itachi an odd look and said meaningfully,
"In fact, I had always intended to hand the position over to Sasuke once he grew up and became capable of standing on his own. And if it were not out of respect for the Elder, I would have stopped handling the clan's affairs long ago. After all, he was once the only person who cared about me."
A faint, bitter smile appeared on Uchiha Itachi's face as he listened to Clan Leader Shin.
"Then I was judging you unfairly. That is why I ruled out that possibility shortly after the thought occurred to me."
Uchiha Itachi paused, glanced at Shin Uchiha, and continued.
"Later, through observation, I felt