Chapter 69: Vision Restored, Lifespan Rewritten

Seeing his idea succeed, Gin decided not to awaken the Thousand-Year Dragon—first, the health exercises needed to be properly adapted to the dragon's body.

"Time to return."With a thought, Gin teleported back to Gunkan Island.

"You're back!" Hikari met him. "How did it go? Did you manage to save the Thousand-Year Dragon?"

"More or less," Gin nodded. "I sealed him temporarily, using a special method."

"So that's what you meant…" Hikari murmured, understanding.

Before they could continue, Kuraha called out urgently, "We can talk later—the dragons are preparing to leave!"

Up above, the dragons—young and old—had gathered, cradling newly hatched offspring in their massive claws. One by one, they took flight in powerful arcs, disappearing into the clouds.

Suddenly—

"BOOM!"

The island trembled again. Gunkan began to slowly sink beneath the waves.

"Mom! Let's collect the dragon remains before it's submerged!" Gin turned to Hikari.

"On it!" she nodded, summoning her ninja hawk, Kuro. Together, they descended to the partially flooded shore.

Landing on the beach, Hikari raised her hand and summoned the fourth stage of Susanoo. A majestic ethereal warrior enveloped her in glowing armor, its form crackling with divine chakra. Kuraha watched in awe as Hikari strode across the tide-drenched rocks, carefully gathering the ancient bones into her storage seal.

She left the unhatched dragon eggs untouched—preserving life was more sacred than scavenging power.

With over twenty well-preserved bones secured, Gunkan finally vanished beneath the sea once more. Hikari canceled Susanoo and returned to the group.

"I've got more than twenty bones. Is that enough?"

"More than enough," Gin replied, pleased. He checked the inventory—each bone was hardened, nearly fossilized, yet still brimming with spiritual essence. Just one of them could produce hundreds of longevity pills. If they ever needed more, they could return.

Back at Kuraha's mountain home, the others trained while Gin and Kuraha worked in the lab. Over the course of an hour, they refined dozens of pills using the bones. The blood, however, required more precision. After a full day of experimentation, they succeeded—though its effect wasn't much stronger than the bone-based version.

Still, there was a catch: no one could take more than five pills. After that, their effectiveness dropped dramatically.

Kuraha didn't hesitate—she swallowed three pills immediately.

Before their eyes, she visibly de-aged by decades, her form settling into that of a radiant middle-aged woman.

"Whoa! Kuraha-san, you're gorgeous!" Hikari gasped.

"Seriously!" Kushina and Mikoto chimed in.

Kuraha grinned and struck a pose. Even Minato couldn't hide his stunned admiration.

"Mom, Kushina, Mikoto, Minato—here!" Gin passed out five pills to each of them. "Take all five at once. Don't save them."

He took his own dose too. In an instant, his lifespan jumped by 96,425 years, now totaling over 202 years and 19 days, with his Life Source increasing to 23.2. He felt an immense surge of vitality course through him—but kept it hidden with careful control to avoid drawing suspicion.

"Always so thoughtful," Hikari said softly, touched by her son's concern.

As the pills took effect, her aging reversed—ten years melted away, leaving her looking barely twenty. But more importantly—her right eye, long blinded, shimmered.

"Mama… your eye—did it recover?" Gin's voice trembled, the first to notice the subtle glow.

The others turned.

"It's true!" Kuraha said, eyes wide.

Hikari blinked, focusing."Yes… yes, it's back."

She reached up and gently touched her face, tears welling."Gin… it's because of you. You've given me more than life—this is a miracle."She pulled him close, her voice trembling."To have a son like you… it's the greatest joy a mother could ever ask for."

"Congratulations, Auntie!" Mikoto beamed, joined by Kushina and Minato.

Hikari smiled and activated her Sharingan. The three tomoe formed instantly. Mangekyō, however, wasn't quite there yet—it would take time.

"Enough about me—everyone, take your pills!" she said cheerfully. "Gin, help seal the extra energy. We don't want to cause a stir."

"Thank you, Lady Hikari!" Mikoto and the others followed her lead.

As expected, their energy surged uncontrollably—Gin quickly stepped in, placing concealment seals on each of them to mask their newfound strength.

"Gin, your fūinjutsu is already beyond me," Kushina admitted, touching her stomach."I thought I'd catch up eventually, but…" she sighed.

She knew, thanks to her grandmother Mito, that Gin's potential was not normal—even the Third Hokage couldn't detect his seals.

"Don't worry about keeping up with me," Gin said warmly, ruffling her hair. "Your talent for sealing is top-notch—everyone in the village knows it. Mikoto and Minato can't compare to you there!"

(It may not have been completely true—Minato's future in sealing arts was destined to surpass even his mentors. But Gin held back the thought. No need to dampen her spirit.)

"Sealing? Chakra control? Medicine? You've got it all, don't you?" Kuraha teased, flipping through her medical journals.

Even with her newly regained youth, she knew this was temporary. Without intervention, her lifespan was still fixed. The only way forward was through mastery—hers or Gin's.

She pinned her hopes on the boy standing before her.If anyone could crack the code of life and death—it was him.

Gin, meanwhile, noticed something too.

[Kuraha's Favorability: 76 points.]

"Just a few more…" he thought, smiling."Once it hits 80, I can form a contract. Maybe even take her back to the ninja world—to learn medical ninjutsu. Who knows? She could become the chief healer of the Uchiha Clan."