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"But I can understand why Danzō would wrap his head in bandages—it's similar to Kakashi's situation, where he implanted a Sharingan. But why is his arm also bandaged?" Tsunade corrected.
"Exactly. And that's precisely why Danzō sought out Orochimaru. Orochimaru can even clone people, so creating an arm that meets his requirements wouldn't be difficult for him."
Midorima spoke as if it were the most natural thing, but Tsunade felt a wave of disgust.
An arm covered in eyes… Wasn't that just monstrous?
She had only seen such grotesque things in some illustrated books.
"Is this really true?" Tsunade asked uneasily.
"If you don't believe me, you can ask Danzō to remove his bandages. Or better yet, ask the Hyūga clan for help," Midorima replied.
In the manga, Danzō was exposed because he used Shisui's Sharingan, and Ao detected Shisui's chakra fluctuations with his Byakugan.
Even without the Sharingan being actively used, could the Byakugan still detect its presence?
Midorima believed it was possible.
These transplanted Sharingan retained the original owner's chakra. If subjected to the Byakugan's "X-ray" vision, they might indeed be discovered.
"The Byakugan?" Tsunade frowned, considering the idea.
This was indeed a viable approach.
They wouldn't need to force Danzō to remove his bandages directly—just observe from a distance to confirm the truth.
If no Sharingan were implanted, they could pretend nothing had happened. But if they were there… Well, Danzō would have some explaining to do.
Since her return, Tsunade had held no favorable impression of Danzō. If he really was the one who kidnapped Shizune, she would make sure he paid for it.
Now, Midorima's revelations had shocked her even further.
If this were proven true, even the Third Hokage would be deeply disappointed in Danzō. The attitude of the Third and the elders toward him would determine many things.
For instance, they were all shinobi of the same generation, and their bonds were far deeper than what ordinary people could comprehend.
The Uchiha clan had been backed into a corner by them—so what about Danzō?
Would they show him mercy, or would they eliminate him?
Honestly, even Tsunade couldn't predict their choice.
But she had her own convictions. Everything would depend on Sarutobi Hiruzen's reaction.
"There are a few more details you should know. These might determine the success or failure of our plan," Midorima added, seeing that Tsunade had made up her mind.
"Go on."
At this point, Tsunade had complete trust in Midorima. She even regretted not forming an alliance with him sooner.
Fortunately, it wasn't too late.
"If you intend to confront Danzō, there are two things you must keep in mind. First, his right arm is sealed. Whether the Byakugan can see through that seal to observe the arm's condition… I'm skeptical."
Tsunade nodded—this was indeed a crucial detail.
"Second, and most importantly—you know about Shisui's death, right?"
"That's the reason I returned to the village."
"But Shisui's corpse was missing its eyes, wasn't it?" Midorima pressed.
A cold sweat broke out on Tsunade's back.
Before his death, Shisui had already awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan, a power far beyond what ordinary shinobi could contend with.
"When I accompanied Orochimaru to meet Danzō, I saw Shisui's Sharingan. I've heard that its ability is 'Kotoamatsukami,' said to be the strongest genjutsu. The illusions 'Uchiha Madara' used to control the Third and Fourth Mizukage couldn't compare to Kotoamatsukami. That's why I don't want the Third Hokage to fall under its control—otherwise, your situation could become very difficult."
In a straightforward battle, Midorima wasn't worried about Tsunade losing. Even with Izanagi, Danzō couldn't defeat the Third and the other high-ranking Konoha officials. The real danger was if he suddenly used Kotoamatsukami to control Hiruzen—that would complicate things.
"Danzō… Did he kill Shisui!?" Tsunade's mind raced with the possibility.
"Not necessarily. He might have just found Shisui's body and taken his eyes afterward," Midorima offered an alternative "explanation."
But this only strengthened Tsunade's conviction that Danzō was the murderer.
As Tsunade was about to storm out, Midorima grabbed her arm and said, "If you go in this state, you might end up being the one who gets taken down. Take a few deep breaths, calm yourself, and bring Shizune with you."
"Me?" Shizune pointed at herself in surprise.
"Don't you want revenge?" Midorima asked.
"Of course I do." Shizune nodded repeatedly. After being imprisoned for a month, she had dreamed of nothing else.
"Then you'll need to go. Remember, when you meet the Third Hokage, don't mention anything about the Sharingan—let Tsunade handle that. You only need to say one thing: you overheard Orochimaru mention his collaboration with Danzō. Beyond that, you know nothing. Let the Hokage investigate the rest himself. The more you say, the more room there is for mistakes."
These were all facts. The deeper Hiruzen dug, the more panicked Danzō would become.
After the two left, Midorima began preparing for the possibility of fleeing.
Tsunade's "war" against Danzō could end in one of two ways.
The first was "victory," with Danzō being thoroughly punished—an outcome everyone would celebrate. The second was "defeat." If Tsunade were subdued, Midorima might also be exposed. Staying would mean certain death.
While the latter scenario was unlikely, it was still wise to be prepared.
As Tsunade and Shizune made their way, they rehearsed their lines—how to bring up the "Sharingan" and link it to Danzō. They eventually decided that Shizune would mention Orochimaru's experiments, and Tsunade would take over from there.
Soon, they arrived at the Hokage's office and knocked urgently.
The Third Hokage had been exhausted lately.
Although the "Forest of Death" exam had been suspended, the Chunin Exams had concluded normally, with three genin successfully promoted to chunin.
This was certainly something to celebrate, but the aftermath of the Forest of Death incident had brought a cascade of problems.
As a result, Hiruzen had been working overtime, enduring a grueling "996" schedule.
When Tsunade and Shizune entered, Hiruzen looked up in surprise. "What's the matter?"
Tsunade motioned for Shizune to lock the door, then stepped closer to Hiruzen and said gravely, "Sensei, Shizune has regained her memories."
"What did she recall?" Hiruzen asked immediately.
"The recent disappearances of shinobi are connected to Orochimaru."
"You've mentioned that before," Hiruzen nodded.
Shizune had only suffered partial memory loss—some details were still missing, but she wasn't completely clueless.
"These shinobi were used as test subjects in Orochimaru's experiments."
Hiruzen nodded again—this wasn't surprising.
"Orochimaru's experiments are linked to Danzō," Tsunade declared.
Hiruzen's eyes widened in shock. "Who told you that?"
"Shizune overheard Orochimaru mention it in passing. Right?" Tsunade glanced back at Shizune.
Without hesitation, Shizune nodded.