"The woods behind?"
Shinji frowned slightly.
He was well aware of Sasuke's current condition—not only had his dojutsu power been depleted, drastically reducing his vision, but his body was also severely corroded by the Cursed Seal.
At a time like this, instead of resting in his hospital bed, Shinji couldn't fathom what Sasuke was up to.
Ringo Ameyuri said, "Come on, I'll take you there!"
Shinji followed her.
Soon, they arrived at the small grove behind Hidden Leaf Hospital.
In the woods, two people were engaged in a fierce battle. One was Sasuke, whom Shinji was looking for, and the other was Ryuzetsu.
Ryuzetsu and Chino had been sent to Hidden Leaf by Hidden Grass Village for the Chunin Exams.
Their outstanding performance in the battle—holding off the First and Second Hokages' Edo Tensei bodies and repeatedly thwarting Orochimaru to protect Naruto and Sasuke—earned them a special invitation from Tsunade to stay in Hidden Leaf.
After all, no one knew when the next great battle might erupt, so retaining proven fighters like Ryuzetsu and Chino was a priority.
At the sidelines, Chino and Sakura watched the fight with tense expressions.
On a tree further away, Darui, Kurotsuchi, Chojuro, and Suigetsu—shinobi from other villages—observed the spar.
When they saw Shinji and Ringo Ameyuri approach, they nodded in greeting.
Shinji returned their gestures before turning his attention to the fight.
Familiar with the Twelve Palaces, Shinji could tell at a glance that Ryuzetsu wasn't using her full strength. Even so, Sasuke was struggling to keep up.
Still, this surprised Shinji.
Given Sasuke's current physical condition, he shouldn't have been able to match Ryuzetsu at all.
"Using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his cells, forcibly keeping up with Ryuzetsu's speed, huh…"
After observing for a while, Shinji saw through Sasuke's tactic.
Without the Sharingan's insight and with his body heavily corroded by the Cursed Seal, Sasuke was using Lightning Release chakra to stimulate his body, barely keeping pace with Ryuzetsu—an impressive feat.
However, one side was giving their all while the other was clearly holding back. As time passed, the balance on the field began to tip.
Ringo Ameyuri suddenly said, "Sasuke's going to lose!"
Before her words settled, the fight shifted. Sasuke's speed abruptly slowed, and he completely lost the ability to keep up with Ryuzetsu, leading to his defeat.
Ringo Ameyuri smirked, explaining, "There's a limit to how much the body's cells can handle Lightning Release chakra stimulation. Once that threshold is crossed, the cells enter a paralyzed state. Uchiha Sasuke's mastery of Lightning Release is impressive, but he overestimated his body!"
"Hm!"
Shinji nodded lightly.
Ringo Ameyuri's judgment was correct. Sasuke's sudden defeat stemmed from his body's inability to withstand further Lightning Release chakra stimulation.
The Raikage's Lightning Release Chakra Mode and Ringo Ameyuri's Lightning Armor both required robust physiques.
In the original timeline, Ringo Ameyuri's early death was likely due to her illness, which left her body unable to endure the intense stimulation of Lightning Release chakra. Yet, unwilling to abandon her shinobi identity, her condition worsened, leading to her untimely demise.
Sakura rushed onto the field. "Sasuke, are you okay?!"
Defeated, Sasuke sat on the ground, panting lightly, his expression grim.
Ryuzetsu, the victor, spotted Shinji at the sidelines and immediately walked toward him.
Seeing Ryuzetsu approach, Ringo Ameyuri grew quietly wary.
Not just her—Darui, Kurotsuchi, Chojuro, and Suigetsu on the tree also tensed. They were no longer the overconfident shinobi from before the Chunin Exams. They now knew how ridiculously strong Ryuzetsu and Chino from Hidden Grass Village were, so none dared to underestimate them.
Just as everyone thought Ryuzetsu might challenge Shinji or Ringo Ameyuri, they were shocked to see Ryuzetsu and Chino approach Shinji and bow respectfully.
Shinji merely nodded. "Go rest."
"Yes!"
Ryuzetsu and Chino responded, then promptly left the grove.
Ringo Ameyuri and the other village shinobi exchanged stunned glances. They hadn't expected the formidable Ryuzetsu and Chino from Hidden Grass to act so obediently—almost docile—in front of Uchiha Shinji.
Ignoring their astonishment, Shinji stepped toward the field.
His main purpose for coming to the hospital was to assess Sasuke's condition.
He had promised to restore Sasuke's dojutsu power, but with Mumei also needing to obtain an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan soon, Shinji currently had only one pair of Mangekyo Sharingan—those of Uchiha Fugaku.
Thus, only one of Sasuke or Mumei could fuse an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan for now.
Seeing Shinji approach, Sakura hurriedly said, "Shinji, please talk some sense into Sasuke! Lady Tsunade ordered him not to fight, but he won't listen!"
Before Shinji could respond, Sasuke said coldly, "My business is none of your concern!"
Shinji hadn't planned to lecture him; he only wanted to confirm Sasuke's condition.
From what he could tell, perhaps due to Sasuke being the reincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki, his high-level Yin Release chakra gave him strong resistance to the natural energy in the Cursed Seal. While the seal's corrosion was severe, it wasn't yet life-threatening.
Confirming this, Shinji turned and left.
Sasuke was slightly surprised but ultimately stayed silent. His pride as a Mangekyo-wielding Uchiha prevented him from seeking Shinji's help.
Having left the grove, Shinji made his decision.
In terms of urgency, it was more critical for Mumei, with her Yachihoko, to fuse an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan first. Yachihoko had the potential for further qualitative leaps, allowing Shinji not only to fully reclaim Jikibi, Wazunagi, and Susanoo Tomoshibi but also to use an enhanced Yachihoko to reach greater heights.
Thus, he decided to give Uchiha Fugaku's Mangekyo Sharingan to Mumei for her to fuse into an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
As for Sasuke, he would have to take the route of transplanting First Hokage cells for now. With Shinji's Jikibi and Wazunagi, along with Mumei's Yachihoko, the safety of Sasuke's transplant surgery could be assured.
In the future, Shinji would find a way to obtain Uchiha Itachi's Mangekyo Sharingan to make up for Sasuke, allowing him to fuse an Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.