After hearing Tsunade's words, Uchiha Shinji's expression froze. She hadn't expected that a small coordinated move with Ido would cause such a massive stir, even leading to the creation of a codenamed 'D' Akatsuki member.
In her mental world.
Ido was brimming with pride: "Hahaha, they're talking about me! I'm 'D'! Next time I see the boss, I'm requesting that codename!"
Uchiha Shinji mentally chided Ido: "The boss ordered us not to carelessly reveal 'Koryugan.' This is bad!"
Ido shrugged: "They didn't figure us out! If they didn't, it's not exposure, right?"
Uchiha Shinji ignored Ido, resolving to confess her mistake to the leader the next time they met.
Jikibi, the one Uchiha Shinji was fretting over, had no time to concern himself with her at the moment.
Operating as Akatsuki's 'A,' he had infiltrated Karin's apartment and was examining her fully damaged Mangekyo Sharingan.
Placing his hand in front of Karin's eyes, he asked softly, "Can you see it?"
"Yes, I can see a blurry shadow."
Karin nodded.
Jikibi stepped back a few paces: "Now?"
Karin frowned: "It's not very clear."
Jikibi then turned off one of the two lamps in the room, asking, "And now?"
"I can't see anything."
As the room's lighting dimmed, no matter how hard Karin tried, she couldn't make out Jikibi's outstretched hand.
Jikibi conducted several more tests, meticulously recording the results.
A moment later, he said, "In terms of light sensitivity and imaging, this pair of Mangekyo Sharingan is indeed recovering rapidly. But stay vigilant and don't let your guard down."
"Got it!"
Karin nodded firmly.
Jikibi asked further, "Are you still feeling the pulsations? How's the frequency?"
Karin handed him a small notebook, saying, "I've recorded everything. It used to be about once every two days, but recently, the pulsations in my eyes have become more frequent, closer to once every day and a half."
Jikibi flipped through the notebook.
In it, Karin had meticulously documented the timing of her eye pulsations. From these records, he could clearly see that the pulsations in her fully damaged Mangekyo Sharingan were indeed growing more frequent.
Pulsations were proof that this pair of fully damaged Mangekyo Sharingan, nourished by high-intensity Yang Release chakra, was regaining its dojutsu power.
Uchiha Madara's Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, which lost its dojutsu power after using 'Izanagi,' had also regained its strength through this method.
However, since Madara's was an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, its recovery was more challenging.
Karin's eyes, on the other hand, were ordinary Mangekyo Sharingan, a tier below the Eternal version, making their recovery comparatively easier.
Jikibi closed the notebook, a slight smile tugging at his lips.
The simultaneous occurrence of light sensitivity and pulsations, with improving light sensitivity and increasing pulsation frequency, all indicated that the fully damaged Mangekyo Sharingan in Karin's eye sockets was only a matter of time from full restoration—and that time wouldn't be long.
At most, two to three months; at the shortest, perhaps just one month! With the 'Rinnegan Plan' nearing implementation, Jikibi no longer held back, saying directly to Karin, "Once you've restored this pair of Mangekyo Sharingan, I'll perform another surgery on you!"
"Another surgery?"
Karin was taken aback.
Out of trust in her leader, she felt curiosity rather than worry, as his surgeries had never harmed her.
Jikibi nodded slightly: "Yes, I'll use your body to fuse two pairs of Mangekyo Sharingan!"
"What!?"
Karin was stunned.
To her, the Mangekyo Sharingan was already the pinnacle of dojutsu bloodline limits, so she had never considered fusing two pairs into one.
Jikibi explained, "The Mangekyo Sharingan isn't a stable state. It's a compromised product!"
Karin didn't quite grasp it: "Boss, what do you mean?"
"As the Uchiha clan continued to propagate, the ancestral power in their bloodline was gradually diluted. This meant their Yin Release chakra wasn't strong enough to maintain the evolved Sharingan in a stable state, resulting in the Mangekyo Sharingan."
Pausing, Jikibi continued, "The Mangekyo Sharingan has a fatal flaw: as its dojutsu power is consumed, vision deteriorates, eventually leading to blindness and plunging the eyes into complete darkness."
"The Mangekyo Sharingan will eventually go blind?" Karin's heart skipped a beat, then she frowned in confusion. "But… when I use it, I don't feel my vision worsening?"
"That's because I transplanted special cells into your body," Jikibi said with a smile. "Without those cells, Uchiha clansmen can't avoid vision loss. That's why, within the Uchiha clan, the Mangekyo Sharingan is also called the cursed eyes."
Karin nodded, half-understanding.
Jikibi continued, "To fully address this fatal flaw of the Mangekyo Sharingan, two pairs must be fused, combining their dojutsu power to elevate them to a new level!"
"So that's how it works?" Karin thought of something and asked, "Then, are the fused eyes still Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Jikibi replied, "The fused eyes are called 'Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan,' and they represent the ultimate form of the Sharingan!"
"Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan!?" Karin was momentarily stunned, then asked curiously, "If that's the case, why use my body to fuse this pair of Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan?"
Jikibi's lips curved: "Because… I want you to become the true master of those eyes!"
When restoring a partially damaged Mangekyo Sharingan, Jikibi had noticed a phenomenon: the restored Mangekyo naturally gravitated toward Karin. However, due to the presence of another intact eye, it couldn't fully align with her.
This fully damaged pair of Mangekyo Sharingan was different. Having completely lost its light and dojutsu power, Karin, who restored it, was, in a sense, its original master.
This was a critical factor.
Only with one's own eyes was the chance of successfully fusing an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan higher.
An Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan fused using this fully damaged pair as a base would likely inherit its affinity for Karin, recognizing her as its master.
By the same logic, only one's own Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan could qualify to pursue the Rinnegan…