In an instant.
A red skeletal arm stretched out from Karin's body as she lay on the bed, grabbing Uchiha Shinji, who was standing beside the bed, and lifting him into the air.
"…"
Behind his mask, Uchiha Shinji's expression was one of surprise and uncertainty.
The moment he sensed something was wrong, he activated a genjutsu on Karin.
However, the genjutsu, which had always been effective before, failed this time. Karin didn't succumb to it. She only paused briefly before breaking free.
"Leader! What's happening!?"
Like Uchiha Shinji, Karin, lying on the bed, was terrified.
She had only followed Uchiha Shinji's instructions, focusing her attention on the Mangekyō Sharingan in her eye sockets, and somehow, she activated her dojutsu.
Held aloft by Karin's Susanoo, Uchiha Shinji didn't struggle to provoke her further. Instead, he calmly said, "Don't panic. Your eye power has gone out of control!"
"What should I do now?"
Karin was completely flustered.
Uchiha Shinji continued to reassure her, "Your body has suddenly been flooded with too much Yang Release chakra, which triggered the Mangekyō Sharingan's dojutsu. Listen, don't resist my genjutsu now. I'll help you deactivate the dojutsu."
"Yes!"
Karin quickly nodded in agreement.
Uchiha Shinji, now fully focused, cast another genjutsu on Karin.
This time, with Karin relaxing her mind, the genjutsu finally took hold. Her gaze became vacant, and the skeletal shadow of the Susanoo dissipated.
Uchiha Shinji gently landed on the floor, breathing a sigh of relief.
Thankfully, Karin had suppressed the outburst of eye power in time and hadn't continued to pour chakra into the Susanoo. Otherwise, this small building they were in would have likely been reduced to rubble.
Despite the resolution, Uchiha Shinji still noticed several cracks on the ceiling, caused by Karin's Susanoo moments earlier.
"That was close!"
While feeling relieved, Uchiha Shinji's gaze at Karin grew more complex.
Activating the Susanoo with just one eye—this was something only a select few among the Uchiha clan who had the Mangekyō Sharingan could do.
And yet, Karin, who wasn't an Uchiha, had done it!
Although it was due to an unconscious surge of eye power, judging by Karin's relatively calm state, with proper training, she might find it easy to use the Susanoo with just one eye.
"Such a powerful Sage Body..."
Uchiha Shinji was deeply impressed.
Karin had instinctively broken his genjutsu earlier, which indicated that in just a brief moment, the eye power in her half-damaged Mangekyō Sharingan had increased significantly.
"Release!"
After a short pause, Uchiha Shinji lifted the genjutsu from Karin.
Returning to her senses, Karin hurriedly apologized, "Leader, I didn't mean to offend you earlier. I don't even know how it happened—"
Uchiha Shinji raised his hand to stop her, "Now, try deactivating your Sharingan."
Through the genjutsu earlier, Uchiha Shinji had reverted Karin's Mangekyō Sharingan to its three-tomoe state.
Karin obediently tried, but then shook her head, "Leader, I can't deactivate the Sharingan."
Uchiha Shinji nodded slightly, "As I thought."
Non-Uchiha individuals couldn't control the activation and deactivation of the Sharingan. This had also been observed with Kakashi.
But this result wasn't bad for Uchiha Shinji.
After all, he still planned to transplant his grandmother Uchiha Naori's half-damaged Mangekyō Sharingans into Karin, relying on Karin's Sage Body to restore it.
So, as long as he didn't help Karin activate the Sharingan, she wouldn't be able to access the dojutsu stored within the eyes, including 'Jikibi' and possibly the restored 'Wazunagi.'
It wasn't that Uchiha Shinji didn't trust Karin.
But dojutsu like those in the Mangekyō Sharingan involved some of the most vital information for a dojutsu shinobi. It was best not to reveal it unnecessarily.
Afterward, Uchiha Shinji activated his Mangekyō Sharingan and used genjutsu to help Karin close her Sharingan, restoring the eyes to their original black state.
"I've closed your Sharingan now. The eye power won't go out of control anymore."
Karin let out a breath of relief, "Thank you, Leader!"
While cleaning up the surgical tools, Uchiha Shinji reminded her, "The fusion of the cells will take time, typically between one to three weeks. During this period, be careful not to get too emotionally agitated."
"Yes!"
Karin nodded earnestly.
Uchiha Shinji continued, "During the fusion, your chakra will grow rapidly. I can't predict how much your chakra will increase after the fusion is complete, but judging by the current situation, it should be... quite exaggerated."
Karin looked puzzled, "Exaggerated?"
Uchiha Shinji didn't elaborate. He wasn't sure yet how far Karin's Sage Body would progress, so he said, "Pay close attention to any changes in your eyes during this period, especially your blind right eye. It's best if you document the changes in detail every day."
Karin promised, "Yes, I'll keep a thorough record."
"Take your time to adapt!"
After giving Karin one last look, Uchiha Shinji disappeared from the room.
Upon returning to his apartment, Uchiha Shinji still found it hard to calm his thoughts.
The results of Karin's White Zetsu cell transplant were far more exaggerated than he had expected. He felt that once Karin passed through the fusion period, the activity of her cells might approach that of the First Hokage's cells.
If Karin were to train in Wood Release and further tap into the power hidden in her bloodline, it wasn't impossible that one day, the activity of her cells could even surpass that of the First Hokage.
At that point, Karin would essentially become a living "battery," a conscious "culture dish."
"What am I even thinking?"
Uchiha Shinji shook his head, banishing the bizarre thoughts from his mind.
He then refocused, planning his next steps.
Karin's current Yang Release chakra was already capable of gradually restoring the blind Mangekyō Sharingan. By the time the fusion process was complete, Karin's Yang Release chakra would ascend to an even higher level, making the restoration of the blind Mangekyō Sharingan merely a matter of time.
Once both half-damaged Mangekyō Sharingan were restored, Uchiha Shinji could transplant his grandmother Uchiha Naori's half-damaged Mangekyō into Karin.
Once Uchiha Naori's Mangekyō was also fully restored, Uchiha Shinji could use Susanoo Tomoshibi to fuse them into his and gain the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.
If there had been uncertainties or risks in the plan to obtain Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan before, the success of this cell transplant surgery brought Uchiha Shinji within reach of that goal. Now, it was just a matter of waiting.
"I wonder if Karin could restore a fully destroyed Mangekyō Sharingan..."
There was still a significant difference between a completely destroyed Mangekyō and a half-damaged one, so Karin might not be able to restore a fully destroyed Mangekyō.
But even so, if she could restore two pairs half-damaged Mangekyō, Uchiha Shinji, with four pairs Mangekyō Sharingan in hand, would have enough to assemble two pairs of Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan.