Ch.149 Fully Damaged Mangekyō Sharingan

After leaving the ramen shop, Karin walked down the street feeling gloomy.

The mission given to her by the Grass Village wasn't something she was eager to complete. In the past, she didn't know Naruto and merely viewed him as a target.

But after being accepted by Uchiha Shinji, she gradually became part of her peer group and slowly learned about Naruto's past.

When she discovered that this boy, who shared the Uzumaki bloodline like her, had such a tragic childhood, it reminded her of herself, and she couldn't help but feel sympathy for him.

So now, when the Grass Village was once again targeting Naruto, she felt genuine disgust from deep within.

Moreover, since the last mission, the Hidden Leaf had tightened their protection around Naruto significantly, with Anbu often keeping a watchful eye on him, making it nearly impossible to act.

"I can't harm Naruto anymore!" Karin vowed to herself, and with that thought, her mood improved slightly.

When she returned to her apartment, she closed the door behind her and flopped onto the bed.

"That kind of lack of vigilance won't do."

Suddenly, a voice echoed through the room.

Karin was startled, her body jolting up as if shocked by electricity, and she stared in the direction of the voice.

Seeing it was Uchiha Shinji in his Akatsuki attire, she sighed in relief and quickly bowed respectfully, "Leader!"

Shinji stepped out of the shadows and casually asked, "What's going on?"

Karin immediately explained how the Grass Village had secretly contacted her, ordering her to investigate Akatsuki's reasons for abducting Sasuke and restarting the "Tailed Beast Plan," instructing her to gather information on Naruto.

"Hmph!"

Shinji snorted lightly upon hearing this.

He had to admit, the Grass Village certainly knew how to create drama for themselves. If he weren't too busy right now, he would have loved to teach those overambitious schemers a lesson.

Karin quickly asked, "Leader, what should I do?"

Shinji replied, "Don't worry about it. Stall them for now or give them some unimportant bits of information. I'll find an opportunity to settle the score with them later."

The Grass Village thought they were operating from the shadows, controlling everything behind the scenes, but in reality, Karin had already been turned by him. Every plan the Grass Village had was laid bare before Shinji. He knew that when the time was right, he could easily trap them.

And he had a feeling that such an opportunity was coming soon.

"Understood!" Karin nodded.

Shinji then asked about Karin's physical condition over the past few days.

Karin reported truthfully, "My chakra is gradually increasing, and the power in my eyes seems to be growing, though not as significantly as my chakra."

Shinji nodded slightly, as this was within his expectations.

After a brief pause, he asked, "You mentioned before about a stiffness in your eyes. Has that feeling lessened?"

Karin shook her head, "No, it hasn't gone away. In fact, as the power in my eyes grows, the stiffness becomes more noticeable. Leader, what's happening? I didn't feel this way before!"

Shinji explained, "If I'm not mistaken, this is because your control over these eyes has improved."

Karin looked puzzled. "Why would better control make the stiffness worse?"

Shinji removed the goggles Karin was wearing and gazed at the crimson Mangekyō Sharingan in her eyes. "That stiffness has always been there. It's not that it's worsened; it's that your improved control has made you more aware of things you couldn't sense before."

"Oh, I see!" Karin understood but then asked another question, "Leader, why is there this stiffness in the first place?"

Shinji slowly explained, "Because these eyes aren't yours. The Sharingan is also known as the 'Eyes That Reflect the Soul.' Its awakening and abilities are closely tied to the original owner's spirit, acting as a manifestation of their will."

"Because of this, only the original owner can fully harness its power. Your ability to control these eyes is thanks to your Uzumaki bloodline, as well as the special cells you've transplanted, which contain the Senju bloodline and some Divine Tree power. If it were anyone else..."

At this point, Shinji thought of Kakashi.

Kakashi was undoubtedly a genius among his peers, becoming a jonin at a young age. He should not have had any significant chakra limitations.

But after transplanting Obito's Sharingan and unknowingly awakening the Mangekyō, he had always been limited by his chakra.

Even after years, Kakashi still couldn't unlock the full power of the Mangekyō or use its dojutsu.

Thus, Karin's current control over the Mangekyō Sharingan was already at an extremely high level, nearly equal to the original owner. The only thing she lacked was the spiritual connection with the Mangekyō Sharingan.

Shinji didn't mention Kakashi's Mangekyō and continued, "In short, you've already done everything you can. Don't worry."

Hearing Shinji's explanation, Karin sighed with relief.

The increasing stiffness in her eyes had been making her anxious for a while, but now that she understood the reason, she felt much more at ease.

Shinji then checked Karin's arm and confirmed that the wrinkles from the skin graft were almost gone. "It seems your body has nearly assimilated the cells I transplanted last time."

Karin asked, "Leader, do you have the next step planned?"

Shinji nodded slightly, "Yes. Your Sage Body is likely the only one of its kind in the shinobi world. It might be time to try restoring those eyes."

Karin was the only person in the shinobi world who had combined the Uzumaki Sage Body, the Senju Sage Body, and the traits of the Divine Tree.

Without considering high-level powers like the Six Paths Chakra or Bloodline Expansion, she was the most likely candidate to restore the fully damaged Mangekyō Sharingan.

With that, Shinji took out the small nutrient jar containing the fully damaged Mangekyō Sharingan.

"What is that?"

Karin's eyes were immediately drawn to the pair of eyes floating inside the small jar.

"This is also a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan," Shinji explained. "But because of the passage of time, this pair has completely lost its vitality and is now essentially useless."

"What!?"

Karin was shocked.

She had never thought that a treasure like the Mangekyō Sharingan could lose its vitality over time and become useless.

Shinji continued, "Although it has completely lost its vitality, it was still once a pair of Mangekyō Sharingan. I've checked, and I can still sense faint responses from it."

Under the sensing power of Susanoo Tomoshibi, this fully damaged Mangekyō Sharingan still gave faint responses, indicating that there was a chance for it to be revived.

Karin immediately understood Shinji's intent and asked, "You want me to restore this fully damaged Mangekyō Sharingan?"

"That's right."

Shinji nodded.

Karin didn't hesitate and immediately agreed. "I'll do as you instruct. But if I transplant these eyes, won't I be blind?"

"Yes."

That was Shinji's concern.

This pair of fully damaged Mangekyō Sharingan had lost all light sensitivity. If they were transplanted into Karin, she would be blind for a considerable time.

Fortunately, the Academy was currently on break, so Karin didn't need to attend classes. However, it would still be troublesome, as there was a risk of someone noticing if they weren't careful.

After thinking it over, Karin said, "Leader, it's fine. I'll just stay at home and ask Haku to bring me food. As long as I can restore the eyes and regain some vision before the break ends, it won't be an issue."

There were still about a month and a half left of the break.

She believed that this was enough time to restore the eyes. If it couldn't be done within that period, then it was likely impossible anyway.

Shinji considered her words. "Just stay in your apartment and rest. I'll be in the Hidden Leaf during this time, so there's no need to worry about your safety."

Hearing that Shinji would be watching over her, Karin felt reassured. "Thank you!"

Shinji gave his instructions, "I'll periodically transfer high-quality Yin Release chakra to you. Pay attention and see if it helps in restoring the Mangekyō."

Karin nodded quickly, "Yes, I'll focus on that."

"Alright, let's begin."

With that, Shinji took out the surgical tools and began preparing for the transplant.

Originally, he had planned to wait a bit longer before attempting to restore the fully damaged Mangekyō, but with the tension between Akatsuki and the Five Great Shinobi Villages escalating, he felt he couldn't wait any longer.

He was genuinely concerned about the state of the shinobi world.

From the start, he hadn't intended to intensify the conflict. His plan to act as Akatsuki and eliminate the invading threats was meant to buy himself more time to grow.

However, the mysterious "Lantern Bearer" had secretly intervened, investigating the situation and manipulating the conflict between Akatsuki and the Five Great Shinobi Villages, using the villages' forces to counterbalance Shinji, the "Lantern Bearer" protecting the shinobi world.

As a result, Akatsuki, which should have remained hidden, was thrust into the spotlight, and the tension between both sides kept escalating.

This was obviously not beneficial for Shinji.

After all, he was only eight years old. Both his physical development and the establishment of his forces were still in their early stages.

If the Fourth Great Shinobi War were to break out prematurely because of him, it would be extremely disadvantageous.

So he couldn't wait any longer. He had to develop his power quickly, and restoring the fully damaged Mangekyō Sharingan was a crucial step in that process.