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After the Anbu finished their inspection of Danzo's residence, Orochimaru began preparations for the transplant procedure.
On one hand, he organized the data, while on the other, he started testing compatibility between the experimental subjects and the Sharingan.
When Danzo learned of this, his eyes curved into a satisfied line, and he immediately handed over one of his Sharingan eyes to Orochimaru.
First, they transplanted Hashirama's cells, then proceeded to implant the Sharingan into the test subjects, followed by adjustments.
It was unclear whether Orochimaru was deliberately dragging out the experiment to ensure its success rate or simply to keep Danzo on edge. Either way, the progress was slow. However, Orochimaru's surveillance of Shizune grew increasingly strict. He ordered Midorima to monitor her every move—even details like her meals and mental state had to be reported back to him.
This shift in behavior gave Midorima a strong feeling: Orochimaru was preparing to make his move against Shizune.
Two more weeks passed, and Orochimaru received a batch of materials from Danzo—documents containing the list of participants in the upcoming Chunin Exams, the designated exam locations, the security personnel assignments, and their shift schedules. The surveillance points were also clearly marked.
Midorima took a quick glance. The exam venues included classrooms, training grounds, and even the Forest of Death.
However, compared to the locations, Orochimaru was far more interested in the profiles of the participating genin. Their ages, previously completed missions, individual skill assessments, and whether they possessed any Kekkei Genkai—all of these factors were meticulously recorded.
Given the young age of these shinobi, completing even a single S-rank mission would have been impressive. After skimming through the files, Orochimaru shook his head repeatedly.
Whether compared to Midorima or to Itachi Uchiha, none of these candidates stood out…
No, it wasn't just that they weren't outstanding—they were downright mediocre.
Midorima flipped through a few more pages of the list before losing interest.
In the world of Naruto, any shinobi with real skill would have been a named character. Unfortunately, none of these participants fit that description.
With the Chunin Exams held twice a year, the quality of participants inevitably varied.
One could only say that Orochimaru's luck was… unfortunate.
When the first Sharingan appeared, Midorima felt slightly disappointed—it wasn't Shisui's eye.
In fact, he even suspected that Danzo might have already transplanted Shisui's eye into his own socket.
But an ordinary Sharingan simply wasn't tempting enough, especially since it wasn't a Mangekyō Sharingan. Midorima could only hope that the second eye would surface soon so he could act quickly.
However, things didn't go as planned—the second Sharingan never appeared during this time.
Orochimaru waited. Danzo waited. And Midorima waited as well.
The focal point of their anticipation was the Chunin Exams.
Similarly, the higher-ups of Konoha were also waiting for the exams to begin.
The recent disappearances of Konoha shinobi had put the entire village leadership on high alert. With the Chunin Exams approaching, any accidental deaths of foreign shinobi could lead to unpleasant diplomatic incidents.
After the last great war, what Konoha needed most was a period of recovery.
During the meeting, Hiruzen Sarutobi laid out the arrangements for the Chunin Exams. Representatives from all major clans—the Senju, Hyūga, Uchiha, Yamanaka, Nara, and others—were present.
Tsunade, however, was in a daze, barely registering what Hiruzen was saying. Her mind was entirely preoccupied with thoughts of Shizune.
"Tsunade, the medical support operations will be your responsibility," Hiruzen said.
"What?" Tsunade snapped her head up.
"Lady Tsunade, your complexion looks rather pale… Do you need to rest for a while?" Hiashi Hyūga, sitting across from her, asked with concern.
"No… I'm fine." Tsunade wiped the sweat from her forehead and waved her hand dismissively.
Hiruzen understood what was troubling her and could only sigh inwardly.
The Anbu had already conducted searches of the village's major clans—even Danzo, the leader of Root, had been investigated—yet they had found nothing. There was simply no other recourse.
As previously agreed, Tsunade had no choice but to set aside her worries about Shizune and focus on the Chunin Exams.
Once the meeting concluded, Tsunade left the conference room in low spirits. Outside the office, she ran into Itachi Uchiha.
"You? Aren't you supposed to be on a mission?" she asked, surprised.
"I just returned. The Hokage informed me that the Chunin Exams might not go smoothly, so he called me back to help maintain order," Itachi explained.
Tsunade paused for a moment before nodding and pushing open the door to her office.
"My apologies," Itachi suddenly said after a brief hesitation.
"For what?" Tsunade turned back, puzzled.
"Shizune's disappearance… is, in a way, the fault of the Police Force." Itachi lowered his head slightly.
This incident was much like the Nine-Tails' Attack—as Konoha's primary internal security force, the Police Force's performance had been disastrous. Not only had they failed to prevent shinobi from being abducted, but they hadn't even managed to locate the missing individuals afterward.
The irony was that the Police Force was under the Uchiha clan's jurisdiction, meaning the perpetrators had essentially outmaneuvered the entire Uchiha clan.
Tsunade waved her hand dismissively and slowly made her way to her seat. "This isn't your fault, nor is it the Uchiha clan's. Even the Yamanaka clan was mobilized, and Kakashi used his ninken… yet nothing came of it. Do you know what I've been thinking?"
"No," Itachi admitted.
The Yamanaka clan specialized in mind-based jutsu, typically used for intelligence gathering.
If even they had been deployed and still found no trace of the missing shinobi, it was almost unimaginable.
"Kidnapping someone within Konoha is easy, but leaving no traces behind is difficult. The fact that there are no clues—not even signs of a struggle—suggests that the perpetrators are experts in covering their tracks. I suspect one possibility is that foreign Anbu operatives have infiltrated the village. However, targeting ordinary shinobi serves little purpose, and the risks of exposure would be enormous. The cost-benefit ratio just doesn't add up… There's another possibility—the culprits are within Konoha. That would explain how they could blend back into the village so seamlessly after the abductions, making it impossible for us to track them." Tsunade's brow furrowed.
"But didn't the Anbu just conduct searches…?"
"Yes, but there must have been oversights," Tsunade said. "Given the perpetrators' methods, I suspect the Anbu might be involved… or Root."
"Should I assist in the investigation?" Itachi offered.
"Would that be possible?" Tsunade looked up at him.
"Yes. I am, after all, an Anbu member as well. And my Sharingan would make interrogations more efficient," Itachi explained. "However, it may have to wait until after the Chunin Exams."
"I see. Then I'll leave it to you."
Tsunade nodded, though deep down, she held little hope.
Itachi gave a slight bow and left the room, closing the door behind him. Tsunade slowly closed her eyes.