The procedure went smoothly, with Shizune and her team working meticulously. The transplant was a delicate process, as in this case both eyes had to be carefully preserved.
After just over an hour, the final stitches were in place, and the siblings were moved to recovery.
About half an hour later, Kenshin was the first to stir, blinking groggily behind the bandages covering his eyes.
He could feel the faint ache in his sockets, but it was manageable. He could also feel the Akane's visual prowess, which seemed more potent than his. He heard Akane shifting beside him and smiled. "Nee-san, you awake?"
A soft groan came from her direction. "Barely… feels like I've been hit by a boulder. But I can feel your visual prowess, it's so much more potent than mine."
Kenshin chuckled. "Same here. It's done. Now, we just have to wait."
They lay there quietly for a while, the room silent except for the faint beeping of medical equipment. After some time, Shizune re-entered, checking on both of them.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice gentle.
"Like my eyes are still there," Kenshin joked, earning a chuckle from Akane.
Shizune smiled warmly. "That's good. You're both recovering well. We'll keep you here for twelve hours, then you'll be free to head home and remove the bandages."
Kenshin nodded, resting his head back on the pillow. "Thanks, Shizune-san. We appreciate it."
Half a day passed, and the bandages were carefully removed. Kenshin blinked a few times, his vision still adjusting, but everything seemed sharper—clearer than it had ever been.
He could feel the power of the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan surging within him, and as he glanced at Akane, he could tell she felt the same.
"We did it," Akane murmured, her hand instinctively reaching for his.
"Yeah," Kenshin replied, squeezing her hand gently.
Shizune watched them with a small smile. "Alright, you two. You're free to go. Just take it easy for the rest of the day, and come back if anything feels off."
Kenshin and Akane thanked Shizune once more before making their way back to the Uchiha compound. As they walked through the village streets, side by side, both of them could sense the difference—the power of their new eyes humming quietly beneath the surface.
Once inside their home, Kenshin glanced at Akane, a smirk playing on his lips. "Ready to test these out?"
Akane grinned. "You bet. But not now, let's go out later at night, when nobody is there. I wanna take you to the Naka Shrine."
Kenshin raised an eyebrow, acting like he didn't know despite actually knowing. "Naka Shrine? What's that?"
Akane chuckled softly. "You'll see later. It's an Uchiha secret."
Once they reached home, Kenshin and Akane found Kana sitting on the couch, flipping through a book lazily.
Her long red hair draped over her shoulders, and her childlike pout immediately surfaced when she saw them enter.
"Welcome back!" she called out, grinning. "How did it go? Did you get your shiny new eyes?"
Akane smirked and playfully nudged Kenshin. "You ready to show her?"
Kenshin chuckled and nodded, stepping forward as both he and Akane activated their newly acquired Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan. Their eyes glowed with a new intensity, the patterns intricately fused, more stable than before.
Kana's eyes widened in amazement, her pout quickly replaced by wide-eyed wonder. "Ooooh!"
She leaned forward on the couch, her fingers twitching as if she wanted to touch their faces. "So cool! How do they feel?"
Kenshin tilted his head. "Like... I can see everything clearer. It's hard to explain, but it's different."
Akane grinned. "It's like the world itself is sharper."
Kana clapped her hands together and bounced slightly in her seat, her excitement bubbling up. "That's amazing! You two are even stronger now, huh?"
Kenshin chuckled and shrugged. "Well we are your children. It's natural."
Kana gave a sly grin before standing up and stretching her arms over her head. "Well, now that you're back, let's all take a bath together! You know, a family moment!" Her voice was enthusiastic, but there was a subtle hint of reluctance in her tone.
Kenshin raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you willingly want to take a bath? You hate baths."
Kana's lips curled into a half-pout. "Whaaat? I don't hate them." She crossed her arms defensively.
"The rain village is always wet, so I don't feel like I need to get wet again just to clean up. It's like a waste of time." She huffed, looking every bit like a child who had been told to do something she didn't want to.
Akane chuckled. "But this isn't the hidden rain, mom. It's usually dry here. Besides, we just had surgery, so we should probably clean up."
Kana pouted again but sighed dramatically, throwing her hands up. "Fiiine. But only because it's important." She then added, with a playful glint in her eye, "But don't take too long, or I'll get wrinkly and hate it even more."
Kenshin chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Alright, alright. Let's get it over with, kiddo."
"Who are you calling kiddo, little brat?! I'm your mommy!" Kana pouted angrily, throwing her kimono at his face after taking it off.
They all headed to the bath, the steam already filling the room from the warm water. Kana, despite her reluctance, slipped into the tub after Akane and Kenshin. She made exaggerated faces, clearly annoyed by the whole experience, her arms crossed stubbornly as she sat in the water.
Akane couldn't help but laugh at Kana's expression. "You look like a grumpy child being forced to bathe."
Kana stuck her tongue out at Akane. "Hmph. Maybe I am a little grumpy." She splashed the water playfully at Kenshin and Akane. "But at least I'm not sulking about it."
Kenshin shook his head, the amusement clear on his face. "I don't know, that pout says otherwise."
Kana puffed her cheeks out childishly, but the playful smile tugging at her lips betrayed her mood. "Oh, shut up. Let me have my moment. Besides, why should I act like a grown up when both of my kids were grownups before they were even born?"
The three of them settled into a more relaxed mood, the warm water soothing them. Despite her earlier protests, Kana eventually closed her eyes and leaned back against the tub, a soft sigh escaping her lips.
"Okay... I guess it's not that bad," Kana mumbled. "This is a big tub. I can spread my legs all I want without bumping into you guys." She spread her legs wide, completely relaxing now.
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Once again, thank you everyone for your continued support and power stones. As always, please give me your power stones and comment your opinions. They make a big difference and motivate me to write more.