The urgent questioning echoed between heaven and earth, lingering for a long time without fading.
Seeing the anxious look on Second Pillar's face, Itachi Uchiha was momentarily stunned.
He somewhat regretted not taking Kakashi's advice sooner and abandoning his so-called overprotective little-brother mentality.
Facing Sasuke's eager gaze, Itachi Uchiha let out a helpless sigh.
"Sasuke, that man wasn't wrong. Twenty-eight years ago, Lord Qin Yu had already awakened the Rinnegan."
"The new powers you and Naruto received were originally used by Lord Qin Yu. Orochimaru gained inspiration from them and transferred them onto you through his cloning technology."
"We didn't tell you back then for two reasons. First, because of Toneri Otsutsuki's warning, all records of Lord Qin Yu's deeds were completely sealed away."
"Second, we hoped to find the power to protect the Ninja World as soon as possible before Lord Qin Yu returned."
At this point, a trace of shame flashed across Itachi Uchiha's face. After letting out a faint sigh, he continued.
"In truth, if anyone is to blame, it can only be us from the older generation. We couldn't adapt to Orochimaru's cloning technology soon enough and ended up placing this burden on you."
"If we had a choice, we would all prefer to pick up the things Lord Qin Yu had finished playing with."
Second Pillar was completely stunned.
Whether it was his most respected brother Itachi, Kakashi, or Obito Uchiha—
Even the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, could not help nodding in agreement.
Sasuke found this outcome rather difficult to accept.
He had always regarded Qin Yu as the goal he needed to surpass. He had thought that once he awakened the Rinnegan, the world would be his, and defeating Uchiha Qin Yu would be effortless.
Yet he had never imagined that his trump card