Not only had he shown no prejudice, he had been exceptionally fair, willing to acknowledge the Uchiha's contributions and accept their place in the village.
More importantly, Kushina and his mother had been the closest of friends. Their relationship had been wonderful.
With that intimate connection, the Fourth Hokage had naturally stood on the side of reconciliation with the Uchiha Clan.
If only Minato had remained firmly in the Hokage position, holding power peacefully for a dozen years or more.
With his prestige, vision, kindness, and fairness, he could certainly have dispelled Konoha High Command's suspicions of the Uchiha little by little.
He would have gradually reconciled the conflicts between the clan and the village, broken down barriers, dispelled prejudice, and dissolved hatred.
Then the Uchiha would never have been driven into the desperate position of opposing the village!
They would never have been feared by the entire village, suppressed by its leadership, or plotted against in secret!
The later threat of internal strife would never have arisen!
The massacre that left rivers of blood would never have happened!
And he, Uchiha Itachi, would never have had to slaughter his entire clan with his own hands, bear their condemnation, and eke out an existence in the darkness!
At that thought, Itachi trembled all over. It felt as though an invisible hand had seized his heart and squeezed hard, the pain almost robbing him of breath.
So... so every tragedy had already been set in motion the moment the Fourth Hokage died in battle.
Had the Fourth Hokage lived, the Uchiha could have become part of Konoha and enjoyed lasting peace.
Had Minato lived, the village would not have sunk deeper into decay, and darkness would not have spread unchecked.
*All his years of endurance, his sacrifices, the sins he had