Hidden underground, Seimei continued observing Jiraiya for a while longer, hoping to find out whether the man—once Orochimaru's comrade and fellow teammate—had any way to track Orochimaru down.
Unfortunately, the results were disappointing. Without the intelligence network of the village backing him up, even someone as skilled in gathering information as Jiraiya couldn't immediately determine which direction Orochimaru had escaped in.
In truth, the only reason they managed to find Orochimaru this time was thanks to Konoha's intel system.
If not for the ANBU narrowing down Orochimaru's general location, they wouldn't have been able to locate him so quickly.
This just goes to show how important it is to have the support of a major power.
And that, in itself, was one of the reasons Seimei hadn't left Konoha so easily.
After a moment of reflection underground and confirming that Jiraiya truly had no leads, Seimei quietly slipped away from the ruined forest.
However, what he didn't know was that the moment he left, Jiraiya's expression shifted subtly as he discreetly glanced at the ground beneath his feet.
Clearly, Jiraiya had sensed Seimei's surveillance.
To be fair, Seimei had been incredibly careful and primitive in his approach to avoid drawing attention from both Jiraiya and Orochimaru. But it couldn't beat the sensory prowess of Jiraiya in Sennin Mode.
In this state, both his physical abilities and sensory perception were amplified several times over.
Earlier, during the battle with Orochimaru, Jiraiya hadn't noticed the hidden observer.
But afterward, as he carefully searched the area for traces of Orochimaru, he picked up on subtle signs of someone else.
Still, since Seimei's concealment was top-tier, Jiraiya didn't know exactly where he was and chose not to act rashly—he just kept probing the surroundings calmly.
It wasn't until Seimei used Doton: Dochū Eisō no Jutsu (Earth Style: Underground Fish Projection Technique) that Jiraiya confirmed he was hidden below.
Even then, Jiraiya chose not to make a move.
Why? The situation was unclear, and he had just been through a fierce battle. His chakra and stamina were both heavily depleted, making his condition far from optimal.
There was no need to cause unnecessary conflict—he simply made a mental note of it.
All of this, Seimei was unaware of.
Even if he had known, he probably wouldn't have cared.
After all, Jiraiya hadn't seen him directly. Even if he suspected someone had been watching from the shadows, it wasn't a big deal.
And even if he later figured out—through talks with Namikaze Minato—that the hidden figure was Seimei, it still wouldn't matter.
It's not like Seimei had refused to help or made himself known. That alone shouldn't earn Jiraiya's hostility, right?
If it did, then he wouldn't be the bold and free-spirited Jiraiya everyone knew.
A few kilometers away, Seimei finally released the Doton: Dochū Eisō no Jutsu and emerged from the ground.
Standing atop a small hill, he scanned the area, unsure of where to go next.
Truthfully, his objective for this mission had already been met.
Just earlier, he had taken advantage of Jiraiya's use of Sennin Mode to sense natural energy himself and carefully memorized the sensation.
With that, he could return home now without issue.
What's that? The mission?
Well, when facing someone of Orochimaru's caliber, it's perfectly normal for the mission target to escape.
Seimei was confident that Namikaze Minato wouldn't hold it against him.
Still, he didn't want to leave a record of a failed mission.
But more importantly, he wanted to know whether Orochimaru had already completed his research on Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu).
That intel could be critical if he ever had to deal with Orochimaru again in the future.
So Seimei stood in place, torn over what to do next.
---
Meanwhile…
In a mountain forest over ten kilometers away, Orochimaru emerged from the earth and leapt onto a tree branch.
He turned back to glance at the distant battlefield and replayed the memories of his shadow clone, which had just returned to him.
"Sennin Mode… Jiraiya…" he muttered.
Orochimaru's expression shifted—his thoughts unreadable.
Just as Seimei had predicted, the moment Orochimaru saw Jiraiya successfully enter Sennin Mode, he knew one thing for sure: in a straight fight, he couldn't win.
And so, he had no hesitation in retreating from the battlefield.
At this stage in his life, Orochimaru had no interest in battles. He just wanted to leave the Land of Fire, find a quiet place, and continue his experiments to fulfill his ambitions.
As for what others thought, or Konoha's pursuit?
He couldn't care less.
After a brief rest, Orochimaru stopped wasting time. Once he'd confirmed his bearings, he headed for the northern border of the Land of Fire.
But not even thirty minutes later, he was forced to stop by a probing gaze from above.
"…That feeling…"
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed slightly.
He had felt this same familiar sense of being watched days ago, in that underground lab.
And now it was back.
Abruptly, Orochimaru looked up.
A small dot in the sky rapidly expanded, becoming a figure he recognized.
"Uchiha Seimei…" Orochimaru muttered.
That's right—after some internal conflict, Seimei had ultimately decided to continue the mission and track down Orochimaru.
Of course, he only made that choice because he was confident he could locate Orochimaru quickly, without wasting much time.
How did he do it?
Simple—just like his daily patrols around that island, he flew high using Fūton: Kaze no Tsubasa (Wind Style: Wings of Wind), and methodically searched the area outward from that forest as a center.
All the while, his Byakugan was activated, allowing him to quickly filter out anything without chakra.
And sure enough, after a while, he found Orochimaru.
Upon confirming his target's location, Seimei immediately sealed the Byakugan in his forehead.
Given Orochimaru's sharp senses, he'd probably piece together that Seimei had a Byakugan, based on the intel from the battlefield and their current encounter.
But letting him guess was fine. What mattered was not openly revealing it.
After all, exposing that eye might spark conflict between Konoha's two great clans.
And Seimei had no interest in getting caught up in that mess.
So he concealed what needed to be concealed.
Once that was done, he folded his wings and descended right in front of Orochimaru.
Seeing Seimei drop from the sky, Orochimaru didn't strike immediately.
Instead, he looked at him with curiosity—especially at his pair of flawless three-tomoe Sharingan—and said with a smile, "Seimei-kun, what can I do for you?"
Seimei ignored the pleasantries, and also paid no mind to the deep greed flickering in Orochimaru's pupils. Instead, he silently pulled out a kunai.
This kunai was uniquely shaped—with three prongs and a paper seal wrapped around its handle.
That's right—this was the special kunai given to him by Namikaze Minato, marked with the Flying Thunder God seal.
The moment Orochimaru saw it, his eyes narrowed, and he immediately extended his right hand. With Sen'ei Jashu (Hidden Shadow Snake Hands), he launched an attack, aiming to snatch the kunai away.
Unfortunately for him, Seimei remained perfectly calm.
In one smooth motion, he raised his left hand and instantly formed hand seals, unleashing one of the Uchiha clan's signature jutsu—Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu (Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique)!
Boom!
A massive fireball formed in front of him and was hurled directly at the incoming snake hands.