Ch.279 Sensitivity to Light!

Cough, cough, cough. 

Seeing Tsunade's stern expression, Yakumo was about to nod when a wave of dizziness hit her, followed by a violent coughing fit. 

Tsunade rushed over and supported Yakumo. 

As the coughing subsided, Yakumo glanced at the hand she'd used to cover her mouth, noticing a stark smear of crimson on her palm. 

Tsunade spotted the blood Yakumo coughed up too, her brow furrowing. 

Only then did she snap out of the series of shocks she'd just experienced, realizing that the genius girl before her—who had awakened the Koryugan—was gravely ill. 

After catching her breath, Yakumo said: "Lady Tsunade, I won't misuse the Koryugan!" 

Tsunade nodded. 

Yakumo continued: "I can feel that the Koryugan holds a dojutsu within it, but I can't use it." 

"What!?" 

Tsunade's gaze sharpened. 

She'd already been pushing her estimation of the Koryugan to its limits, but Yakumo's words made her realize she'd still underestimated it. 

From her experience, a dojutsu buried deep within the eyes often wielded immense power—like the Mangekyo Sharingan's "Susanoo." 

The abilities the Koryugan had already displayed left her speechless. If it also harbored a mysterious dojutsu, she couldn't even fathom its full potential. 

Cough, cough. 

Yakumo coughed again. 

Tsunade quickly said: "Yakumo, with your current condition, it's not suitable to keep exploring the Koryugan's abilities! Rest well for now and work on it slowly once your body recovers!" 

"But…" 

Tsunade cut her off: "Trust me—I'll heal you!" 

Yakumo nodded silently. 

Patting Yakumo's shoulder, Tsunade said: "Let's head back to the hospital. I'll devise a treatment plan for you as soon as possible!" 

Yakumo weakly pointed at the Koryugan test data in Tsunade's hand: "Lady Tsunade, can I take a copy of the Koryugan's data?" 

"Of course!" 

Tsunade handed her the data. 

Back in her ward at Hidden Leaf Hospital, Yakumo eagerly flipped through Tsunade's test results on the Koryugan. 

Just then, Shinji's voice sounded in her ear: "Everything going smoothly?" 

Yakumo promptly reported Tsunade's testing of the Koryugan to Shinji. 

Shinji asked: "The data—do you have it with you?" 

Yakumo replied: "Yes, Leader, I've got the data!" 

"Don't resist—I'm going to try linking to your optic nerves." 

Hearing that Yakumo had the data, Shinji attempted to use "Wazunagi" to connect to her optic nerves and share her vision. 

"Jikibi" alone couldn't share Yakumo's sight—only "Wazunagi," which transmitted chakra, could achieve this, as chakra could also carry information. 

After some effort, Shinji gradually accessed Yakumo's vision. 

Though the feed was choppy, like a laggy livestream, it was clear enough for him to read the Koryugan test data in her hands. 

After reviewing Tsunade's results, Shinji couldn't help but marvel—professionals were indeed on another level. Her data was far more detailed than his own earlier tests. 

"Looks like having Yakumo apprentice under Tsunade was the right move!" 

Shinji suddenly realized the benefits of Yakumo becoming Tsunade's disciple exceeded his initial expectations. 

Yakumo, a bit uneasy, said: "Leader, my teacher Tsunade said she'll devise a treatment plan for me soon. What should I do? Should I refuse her?" 

"Refuse!?" Shinji chuckled: "Why would you refuse?" 

Yakumo asked: "Won't it conflict with your surgical plans?" 

"No!" After a brief pause, Shinji decided to be straight with her: "Tsunade's treatment plan might actually be more reliable than my surgical approach, so you can rest easy!" 

His own plan carried significant risks. Yakumo's constitution wasn't like Karin's—she couldn't handle any mistakes. 

On this front, Shinji knew Tsunade outclassed him. Even for a cell transplant surgery, Tsunade's success rate would far surpass his own. 

Yakumo shook her head: "I still trust you more!" 

At the Hokage's office. 

Tsunade handed the Koryugan test data to the Third Hokage. 

The Third skimmed it, his brow furrowing tightly: "Tsunade, could you have gotten this wrong?" 

Jiraiya, overhearing, grabbed the report and scanned it, his expression turning odd: "The Koryugan's abilities outstrip the standard Sharingan and Byakugan?" 

Tsunade's tone was grave: "The Koryugan Yakumo awakened might be a powerful dojutsu Bloodline Limit on par with the Uchiha clan's Mangekyo Sharingan!" 

The Third and Jiraiya exchanged stunned looks. 

The Mangekyo Sharingan represented the Uchiha clan's ultimate power! The Akatsuki's threat to the five great shinobi villages stemmed largely from a few active Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha. 

Tsunade, not done dropping bombshells, continued: "The abilities the Koryugan has shown already crush the standard Sharingan and Byakugan. And according to Yakumo, these eyes seem to harbor a mysterious dojutsu she can't even use yet!" 

The Third slammed his decision down: "Classify everything related to the Koryugan as top secret! Limit the information to the current circle of knowledge—no leaks!" 

"Yes!" 

Tsunade and Jiraiya nodded in unison. 

The Third added: "Tsunade, keep a close eye on Yakumo!" 

"I won't let anything happen to her!" 

Unlike her earlier reluctance, Tsunade answered decisively this time. Yakumo's talent and the Koryugan's astonishing abilities had filled her with anticipation for this disciple. 

That evening. 

After infusing Yakumo with Yang Release chakra, Shinji used "Jikibi" to check on the recovery of Karin's fully damaged Mangekyo Sharingan. 

The Koryugan, while significant, wasn't the decisive factor for Shinji. 

Despite its dojutsu power surpassing the Mangekyo Sharingan—a top-tier treasure even across the shinobi world—it paled in importance compared to his goals of the Rinnegan and Tenseigan. 

Karin said: "Leader, I… I think I can sense light!" 

Shinji, who'd only asked out of routine without much expectation, perked up, leaping off his bed and pacing the room: "What? When did this happen? Left eye or right?" 

Karin hurriedly replied: "Today! Both eyes seem to sense light. When facing bright light, I can feel faint specks…"