Essence
Sasuke is not a proper ninja.
For one thing, he's famous. And fame for a ninja is death with every assassin that comes to call because of something they've heard or misheard, and, Where's your fight, pretty? They said you were stronger than this. Shino can already hear the eulogy dropping emptily from the Hokage's withered lips.
Fame and infamy are for the old and strong, and Sasuke is far too young and far too weak to bear such a burden.
And that's not entirely his own fault, Shino admits; the Uchiha Massacre and the boy's own considerable kekkai genkai are responsible for a good deal of that notoriety.
(This is not admiration, or bitter jealousy cloaked in competition from a rival; these are just observations. Shino is not jealous, is not a fawning Sasuke fan, he is just a ninja, and ninjas are just neutral neutral neutral. Shino is neutral neutral neutral.)
But what irritates/interests Shino is Sasuke's sheer lack of reaction. To Shino, there would be only two honorable courses of action; to either train incessantly and become worthy of that fame, or to disappear within the ranks of the mediocre, deemed to give 'acceptable effort' and forgotten.
(Do not speak of honor, child. Honor is a lie. Honor will not keep your blood from spilling when an enemy has slashed your throat. Honor will not protect your friends, or you from their betrayal. There is no honor in killing, in our line of work. Do not speak of honor, child.)
No, Sasuke calls attention to himself with bold claims to kill his remaining kin, but lacks the will or power to back it up. Sasuke remains static. Shino very calmly dismissed Sasuke as no threat, and then moved on to assess the other genin he knew of. Shino very calmly, firmly, told himself that he didn't care what happened to Sasuke.
And so he didn't. His detached, apathetically amused interest in Sasuke was soon forgotten.
(This is a lie. Shino was still very much interested in watching the events of Sasuke's life, but the best sort of liars believe the lies they sell to society. Shino is the best sort of liar.)
It was with stoic eyes and a cloth-hidden smirk Shino attended Sasuke's funeral. Sasuke, who had such a bright future ahead of him, had succumbed to the power of a cursed seal in the Forest of Death during the Chuunin Exam, and he will be missed...
He was only half listening to the eulogy that dropped emptily from the Hokage's withered lips, more interested in the muffled staccato wails coming from Naruto and Sakura bent double in front of Sasuke's coffin.
He did not laugh.
He did not say he was expecting it.
He did not comfort Naurto and Sakura.
Instead, he just turned, told his team mates he'd like to grieve in private, and went home.
--
Shino was a ninja.
Shino operated within an acceptable rate of success and failure, graduated to Chuunin at an average age and stayed there.
Shino balanced the mundane tasks his rank entailed, and the brutal assassinations the village demanded of him for his anonymous and second-rate facade.
Shino watched Naruto's dream crumble with the same clinical amusement as he did Sasuke, and took the title of Rokudaime for himself.
Shino was neutral.
Shino was a ninja.
Shino had no friends, and no weakness in women, money, or alcohol.
And all Shino lived for was to silently watch the eventual descent in others.
Authors Notes: I really think I liked the concept better than the story this ended up as. Seemed okay in the beginning, and then just petered out...Bleh. First story, constructive criticism is welcome.