tsukkih-s:

Not only did I have him kill his brethren…I also had him bear the false charge of traitor and keep tabs on the Akatsuki all by himself. From the time he was a small child, Itachi paid attention to the teachings and signs of our predecessors that no one else gave heed to.  He was a sensitive child who understood our village’s past and our shinobi. And perhaps due to that, the trappings of a clan never bound Itachi. He was able to think ahead about the future of shinobi and of the village and constantly had misgivings regarding those futures. Even at the age of seven, he thought like a Hokage.