To be fair, the tech level in the *Dragon Ball* world is pretty skewed.
They can whip up game-changing inventions like the Hoi-Poi Capsules, yet they couldn't cure Son Goku's viral heart disease.
Sure, a cure was eventually developed, but that was years after Goku's death in one timeline, with Bulma figuring it out and Trunks using a time machine to deliver it to the past.
The same goes for the Uchiha clan's hereditary bloodline disease.
In theory, if Dr. Brief had enough time to study it, he might be able to develop a specific treatment. But how long that would take is anyone's guess—best-case scenario, maybe a year or two. And unless Uchiha Hikari completely stopped using Amaterasu and Susanoo, her eyesight would still deteriorate significantly, no matter how sparingly she used her abilities.
—There was another option: clone another Uchiha Hikari, harvest her eyes, and transplant them into the original to achieve the Eternal Mangekyo. But that raised serious ethical issues, and even if Hikari suggested it, Bulma and her father would likely refuse.
So…
The most perfect solution? Make a wish to Shenron!
"No worries, this isn't something we can fix right away anyway. Let's focus on finding the Dragon Balls first!" Hikari took a deep breath, flashing a deliberately cheerful smile at Bulma.
Bulma blinked, caught off guard. "Huh? Don't you need a few more days to recover…?"
"Nah, ninja bodies are tough. These minor injuries will heal on the road. Besides, Bulma-nee, don't you have to go back to school after summer break? If we don't collect all the Dragon Balls before then, it'll be a hassle!"
After Hikari's repeated nudging, Bulma finally caught on. "Right, the Dragon Balls! They can grant any wish! If you wish to Shenron to fix your eyes, that should solve everything, right?"
"But didn't you want to make a wish too…?"
"Pfft, I just wanted a boyfriend. That's not urgent—I can wait another year!" Bulma waved it off, now urging Hikari. "But you, Hikari-chan, you're at risk of going blind any moment. We can't delay this!"
"…Alright, fine."
After a bit more back-and-forth, Hikari "reluctantly" agreed, then turned away from Bulma, a sly grin creeping across her face.
*Plan successful!*
To be clear, Hikari wasn't exactly scamming Bulma.
Even without her interference, Bulma wouldn't have gotten her wish this time around. In the original *Dragon Ball* plot, Oolong snatches the wish and wastes it on something as trivial as "a pair of girls' panties." Rather than letting such a precious opportunity go to waste on something so pointless, it was better for Hikari to take it and actually make use of it.
That said…
Hikari couldn't help feeling a tiny pang of guilt for pulling one over on Bulma.
"Oh, by the way, Bulma," Hikari said, "when I arrived in the *Dragon Ball* world, I saw some fragmented visions. They might be related to you… no, to our journey this time. Things that'll happen in the near future. Wanna hear about them?"
…
At Bulma's insistence, the Dragon Ball hunt was postponed for a few days.
During that time, Bulma dragged Hikari to Dr. Brief for several thorough medical checkups, collecting blood samples and skin tissue.
As Hikari expected, Dr. Brief couldn't pinpoint the cause of her bloodline disease but promised to work on it.
Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato, keeping his earlier promise, started thinking about how to teach Hikari some ninjutsu.
Her recent battle with the Root ninjas had highlighted two critical issues—
First, her strength relied far too heavily on her Mangekyo Sharingan.
As a "human weapon" from the Warring States era, Hikari's overall abilities weren't weak. In a one-on-one duel, few in present-day Konoha could genuinely threaten her life—maybe Jiraiya in Sage Mode, Uchiha Shisui with his own Mangekyo, or Kai with the Eight Gates. But that was all contingent on her using her Mangekyo's pupil techniques.
Without her Sharingan, her combat style became pretty basic. Only her brute-force Fire Release could hit Kage-level standards; everything else was lacking.
For example—
She didn't even know Shadow Clone Jutsu!
That's right.
Shadow Clone, Flying Thunder God, Eight Gates, Reanimation Jutsu… a ton of the iconic ninjutsu from the *Naruto* storyline were developed *after* the establishment of the Hidden Village system. A certain white-haired Hokage, who naturally clashed with the Uchiha clan, made massive contributions to this, single-handedly expanding Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu catalog.
Living in the early Warring States era, Hikari obviously couldn't have foreseen or learned techniques that emerged after she was buried alive.
Second, her "version" was outdated.
Like a MOBA game where tactics shift with each patch, Hikari's counter-tracking skills were stuck in the Warring States era, slightly behind the times. That's why those Root ninjas managed to catch up to her. Reflecting on the fight afterward, she realized she should've taken them out faster and more cleanly—she shouldn't have ended up in such a messy state.
In short, Hikari saw plenty of room for improvement.
While she'd "borrowed" a wish opportunity from Bulma, it was still uncertain whether Shenron in the *Dragon Ball* world could cure a *Naruto* world bloodline disease.
To prepare for scenarios where she might not be able to use her Mangekyo techniques, Hikari needed to boost her baseline abilities and get up to speed on the new techniques developed by countless ninjas over the past few decades.
**[EternalWingman: …Alright, I think I understand where your struggles lie, Miss Hikari.]**
**[EternalWingman: Since we can't meet in person, I'll need to ask you some detailed questions to tailor a study plan that suits you. Rashly learning new ninjutsu that doesn't fit could waste time and energy, leading to half the results for twice the effort.]**
**[Nameless: No problem, I'll answer honestly.]**
**[EternalWingman: Also, I have a personal suggestion. In my lifetime, I heard a bit about the Sharingan. The Mangekyo Sharingan is incredibly powerful, but it's also a cursed ability. Each use puts a heavy strain on the body and can even cause vision loss. So, I'd recommend not relying too much on your Sharingan and focusing on strengthening your non-pupil technique abilities.]**
**[Nameless: Yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking.]**
**(End of Chapter)**