Board Thread:Theories and Speculation/@comment-28559671-20160703214120/@comment-28559671-20160705144358

Thanks to all who've replied thus far.

I second Kaiser's view. Fugaku's regard for young Itachi's yet developing abilities left me with the impression Itachi would quite soon surpass his father in most if not all aspects. Perhaps Fugaku's was a pride tempered with a hint of envy: satisfaction at Itachi's brilliance and rapid growth that showed no signs of slowing anytime soon, but also marked with just a touch of jealousy. Pure speculation but I think reasonable to infer. In any case, I feel confident putting Itachi ahead of Fugaku as a shinobi.

As for Shisui, it's clear Itachi saw him as a role model and their brotherly bond was strong. I imagine much of Itachi's ideals were shaped not only by his own desire to avoid the cycle of constant strife and conflict but were also greatly impacted by Shisui's sense of honor, strength of character and subsequent death.

I don't know how much of Shisui's true ability we can fairly evaluate but based on known doujutsu, such Kotoamatsukami, I'd probably rate him as maybe a hair above Itachi in childhood. Had he lived, one could probably consider them more or less equals.