Itachi hated losing.
He always had, he remembered, as Pein lowered him down. He always wanted to be the unsurpassed, the strongest, the dominant, the best. Granted, everything had taken quite the turn. The Akatsuki was so full of killers and fighters, each one larger, more muscled, and more experienced than he. It had been a hard hit to him to have to work with others who didn't look at him as their leader. No, Itachi was reminded as his head was forced to the side, they already had a Leader.
But it did get better as they all realized that he was capable. Orochimaru was still a lecherous fool despite Itachi's display of his raw power, but that had been easily dealt with. And Kisame was a decent partner, unlike most. He seemed to acknowledge that Itachi was the better of the two and listened to Itachi's commands, both verbal and otherwise. But there was one person who refused to see him for his strength and prodigal ability on the battlefield…
There was a sharp bite on Itachi's neck, and a guttural growl from the orange-haired, well muscled man above him. Itachi hated loosing.