In the blink of an eye, three more days passed.
Over those three days, the power of the Rinnegan in Karin's eye sockets had gradually stopped increasing, and its condition had stabilized.
So Shinji notified Karin in advance through Naobi and, as promised, came to her apartment that evening to remove the Rinnegan.
That night.
After welcoming Shinji into her apartment, Karin asked nervously, "My lord, are we doing the eye-removal surgery tonight?"
"Yes!"
Shinji nodded gently.
Karin felt a little reluctant. After all, these Rinnegan were something she had fused and evolved step by step, starting with the restoration of her completely damaged Mangekyō Sharingan. It would have been a lie to say she felt nothing for them.
Seeing what was on Karin's mind, Shinji said, "These Rinnegan are very important to me right now, but don't worry. After I've accomplished a few things, I might return them to you."
Karin hurriedly explained, "My lord, I'm just a little reluctant to part with them. I'm not coveting them."
"I know!" Shinji cut off her explanation. "If you hadn't formed an attachment to them, they wouldn't have awakened for you. You're their true owner. No one can change that!"
Seeing that her leader understood, Karin breathed a small sigh of relief, then obediently lay down on the bed and waited for the eye-removal surgery.
Shinji didn't waste any time and began preparing for the operation.
For him, an eye transplant was now a minor procedure that took only a few minutes. He took out the surgical instruments and a nutrient jar containing Karin's original eyes, then immediately began the operation.
A few minutes later, Shinji had removed the Rinnegan from Karin's eye sockets and replaced them with her original eyes.
He stared at the Rinnegan floating in the small nutrient