Itachi prioritizes the safety of the village over the prosperity of his own clan. Itachi's wisdom, gained from war experiences and history, separates him from other Uchihas.

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On top of this, while Itachi wasn’t featured nearly as much as the likes of Orochimaru early on, his demeanor and presence in the series’ story helped push him in the minds of anime fans.

Due to this reason, Obito was always on his toes around Itachi and never did anything risky. It was only after Itachi died that Obito felt liberated and put his plans into motion.