To be honest, the technological level in the Dragon Ball world is a bit... skewed.
They can casually invent revolutionary black tech like Capsules, yet couldn't cure Goku's viral heart disease.
(Though a cure was eventually developed years later in Future Trunks' timeline, it only came after Goku had already died from the illness, and Bulma had to send the medicine back through time.)
So, the genetic deterioration of the Uchiha clan's bloodline was similar.
Theoretically, if Dr. Briefs had enough time to research it, he might be able to develop a cure—but the timeline was uncertain. At best, it would take a year or two. And unless Uchiha Hikari completely stopped using Amaterasu and Susanoo, her vision would inevitably deteriorate much faster than that.
—There was another method: cloning another Uchiha Hikari, extracting her eyes, and transplanting them into the original to evolve into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. But that involved serious ethical issues. Even if she suggested it, Bulma and her father might not agree.
So…
The perfect solution was still the Dragon Balls!
"It's fine. This isn't something that can be fixed overnight anyway. Let's focus on finding the Dragon Balls first!"
Uchiha Hikari took a deep breath and forced a brave smile as she spoke to Bulma.
Bulma blinked. "Huh? Don't you need to rest for a few more days...?"
"It's fine. Ninja have strong constitutions—these minor injuries will heal on the way. Bulma, your summer break is almost over, right? If we don't finish collecting the Dragon Balls before school starts, it'll be a problem!"
After repeated hints from Uchiha Hikari, Bulma finally had an epiphany:
"Oh! The Dragon Balls! They can grant any wish! If you wish for your eyes to be healed, that should work, right?"
"But Bulma, didn't you want to wish for...?"
"I just wanted a boyfriend! That's not urgent—I can wait another year!"
Bulma immediately turned the tables, urging Uchiha Hikari instead: "But you could go blind at any moment! We can't delay this!"
"...Alright then."
After some back-and-forth, Uchiha Hikari finally "reluctantly" agreed—then turned away, a sly grin spreading across her face.
Plan successful!
To be fair, Uchiha Hikari wasn't completely scamming Bulma.
Even without her interference, Bulma wouldn't have gotten her wish this time. In the original story, Oolong ended up stealing the wish and asking for "a pair of girls' panties". Rather than wasting the precious wish on something so trivial, it was better to let her use it for something meaningful.
That said...
Uchiha Hikari still felt a little guilty.
"Hey, Bulma."
"When I entered this world earlier, I saw some fragmented images—probably related to you... no, us, and this journey. They might be glimpses of the near future. Do you want to hear about them?"
...
Under Bulma's insistence, the Dragon Ball hunt was postponed for a few days.
During this time, Uchiha Hikari was dragged by Bulma to Dr. Briefs for a series of thorough physical exams, including blood samples and tissue collection.
As expected, Dr. Briefs couldn't immediately pinpoint the cause of her bloodline deterioration, but he promised to look into it.
Meanwhile—
Namikaze Minato also began considering how to fulfill his promise of teaching Uchiha Hikari ninjutsu.
The battle with Root had made Uchiha Hikari realize two critical issues:
First, she was overly reliant on the Mangekyō Sharingan.
As a "human weapon" from the Warring States era, Uchiha Hikari's overall strength wasn't weak. In a one-on-one fight, only a handful of people in Konoha could truly threaten her life—Jiraiya in Sage Mode, Uchiha Shisui (who also had the Mangekyō), and Might Guy with the Eight Gates... But all of this was predicated on her using the Mangekyō's abilities.
Without the Sharingan, her combat style became crude. Only her Fire Release techniques reached Kage-level standards—other areas were lacking.
For example—
She didn't even know Shadow Clone Jutsu!
That's right.
Shadow Clones, Flying Thunder God, Eight Gates, Edo Tensei... Many of the commonly seen jutsu in Naruto were developed after the establishment of the Five Great Nations. Particularly by a certain white-haired Hokage who had a natural beef with the Uchiha clan—he single-handedly expanded Konoha's Forbidden Jutsu Archive.
As someone from the early Warring States era, Uchiha Hikari couldn't possibly have learned these techniques before being sealed away.
Second, there was the issue of "version updates."
Just like MOBA games needing to adapt strategies to new patches, Uchiha Hikari's anti-tracking instincts were still stuck in the Warring States-era "meta," making her slightly outdated compared to modern shinobi. That was why the Root operatives had managed to tail her.
And upon reflection, she realized she should have dealt with them faster and more efficiently—without looking so ragged afterward.
In short, Uchiha Hikari still had a lot of room for improvement.
Even if she "borrowed" a wish from Bulma, there was no guarantee the Dragon Balls could cure a bloodline disease from the Naruto world.
To prepare for unforeseen circumstances where she couldn't rely on the Mangekyō's abilities, Uchiha Hikari needed to strengthen her foundational skills and catch up on the new techniques developed over the past few decades.
[Namikaze Minato: …In that case, I think I understand your concerns, Hikari-san.]
[Namikaze Minato: Since we can't communicate face-to-face, I'll ask you some detailed questions to tailor a suitable training plan. Learning incompatible jutsu rashly would only waste time and effort, leading to half the results for double the work.]
[Nameless: No problem. I'll answer honestly.]
[Namikaze Minato: Also, a personal suggestion. I've heard some things about the Sharingan—while the Mangekyō is incredibly powerful, it's also a cursed ability. Each use places a heavy burden on the body and accelerates vision loss. So, I'd advise against relying too much on it. Instead, focus on honing abilities outside of ocular techniques.]
[Nameless: Yeah, I think so too.]