As Seimei rapidly closed the distance between them, Orochimaru glanced at the kunai that had been thrown not long ago and assessed his own condition. Without much hesitation, he made a decisive move.
He suddenly stopped, turned to face Seimei, and formed hand seals—once again performing the Summoning Technique (Kuchiyose no Jutsu).
But this time, he wasn't summoning a giant creature like Manda. Instead, what emerged was… a coffin.
That's right. Just an ordinary-looking coffin.
It rose up from the ground and stood upright beside him. There were no carvings, symbols, or decorations—just a plain, unadorned casket that looked like it had just been thrown together.
And yet, this simple coffin made Seimei stop in his tracks.
He stared at it, understanding immediately—his goal had been achieved. Orochimaru had indeed mastered the S-rank forbidden jutsu: Edo Tensei (Impure World Reincarnation).
If his guess was right, the one sealed inside this coffin was the Edo body Orochimaru had created a few days ago in a hidden laboratory beneath Konoha.
These Edo bodies possessed infinite chakra and a high degree of immortality—extremely troublesome opponents.
> "I just don't know who this Edo Tensei is, how well Orochimaru controls them, or how powerful they are…"
Seimei wondered silently.
On the other side, Orochimaru noticed Seimei's eyes filled with caution and seriousness—but no curiosity or fear—and it made him pause.
Sticking out his tongue and licking his lips, Orochimaru asked with interest,
"Seimei-kun, judging by your expression… it seems you already know what's inside?"
Seimei didn't bother responding. He just waited quietly for Orochimaru's next move.
He wasn't too worried about Orochimaru dragging things out—after all, he had already activated the special kunai Minato had given him, which could summon him at any moment.
That meant Orochimaru wouldn't dare waste too much time here.
Sure enough, seeing Seimei stay silent, Orochimaru looked away and turned to the coffin.
Staring at it like it was a precious treasure, he half-muttered, half-introduced it:
"This is my very first creation. I hope you two get along."
As he spoke, his hand seals changed again.
With a loud bang, the coffin lid fell to the ground—revealing the figure inside.
The instant he saw who it was, Seimei's pupils shrank.
He wasn't shocked by the cracks running all over the person's body. What surprised him was their identity.
Thud…
A heavy footstep echoed as the figure inside stepped forward, one leg out of the coffin.
Thud…
Then the other leg followed.
Bathed in the faint light of dawn, the figure's face was revealed.
It was none other than Shimura Danzō—the man Seimei had killed several months ago.
However, Danzō seemed dazed at first, likely not fully conscious after being summoned.
Instead of immediately reacting to Seimei, his gaze followed the pull of the Edo Tensei summoning and landed on Orochimaru beside him.
The moment he saw Orochimaru, clarity returned to his eyes, as though waking from a dream.
His expression immediately twisted with fury as he growled:
"Orochimaru, you dare turn me into a puppet?! Are you betraying the village?!"
Orochimaru didn't bother explaining. Before Danzō could rant any further, he casually interrupted:
"Danzō-sama, why don't you take a look over there first?"
He jerked his chin toward Seimei.
Danzō's rage subsided momentarily as he turned in the direction indicated.
The moment his eyes landed on Seimei, he froze in place.
Then, just a heartbeat later, he exploded:
"You?! You damned Uchiha brat—you dare kill me?! Do you even understand what you've done? What is the Uchiha clan plotting?!"
Originally, Seimei had considered saying something. But after hearing that barrage of questions, he immediately lost interest in talking. He simply watched calmly, letting Danzō put on his little performance.
At the same time, he carefully examined the Edo body, trying to sense what was different from the real Danzō.
He was genuinely surprised that Orochimaru's first Edo summon was Danzō.
After all, when he'd killed Danzō, the man's body had been reduced to ashes.
And to perform Edo Tensei, one needed a genetic sample—like a strand of hair or piece of flesh—to anchor the soul from the Pure Land. And this requirement was based on the improved version of the jutsu developed by both Orochimaru and Kabuto.
Given that Orochimaru had just learned the technique, the required conditions were probably even stricter.
Most likely, he'd need an actual piece of flesh.
But Danzō's body had been completely incinerated—so how had Orochimaru pulled this off?
Only one answer made sense: Orochimaru had already possessed Danzō's genetic material.
Thinking back on how Yamato—created by combining Hashirama's cells—came to be, and how Danzō had that arm embedded with multiple Sharingan, it wasn't a stretch.
As someone with ambition, Danzō may have asked Orochimaru long ago to help him experiment with merging Hashirama cells and the Sharingan.
If so, giving him a few experimental samples would've been natural.
Those very samples could now serve as the base for Edo Tensei.
At this thought, Seimei quickly reviewed every detail of his past battle with Danzō, making sure he hadn't exposed any vital intel aside from his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Once he was certain, he relaxed.
That meant Orochimaru wouldn't be able to extract too much info from Danzō's soul.
Then again…
While Orochimaru and Danzō hadn't had time to talk much yet, this still posed a potential threat.
Today, Orochimaru had used Edo Tensei to summon Danzō's soul, allowing him to potentially learn everything about how Seimei had killed him.
But what about tomorrow?
Could others use a similar method to summon people connected to him… and uncover his secrets?
He couldn't let that happen.
> "Looks like I need to perfect the 'Soul Locking Seal: Instant Binding Contract' technique as soon as possible."
Seimei made a mental note.
Only once he mastered that jutsu and had a way to bind souls could he ensure his secrets stayed buried.
Luckily, he had already learned the Spirit Transformation Technique (Reika no Jutsu). Once he completed it, he could start refining the soul-binding method.
And who knows? Maybe the soul in front of him could be of some help.
With that thought, Seimei's gaze toward Danzō shifted—less wary, more analytical.
Sensing Seimei's stare, like someone sizing up an object for purchase, Danzō's fury erupted again.
He gritted his teeth and turned to Orochimaru:
"I'll overlook your betrayal for now—but release your control over me. I will eliminate this threat to the village myself!"
He glared at Seimei, as if trying to burn a hole through him with sheer rage.
Orochimaru just chuckled softly and didn't argue. He really did release his control over Danzō.
It wasn't a choice made lightly.
Controlling an Edo body wasn't easy for Orochimaru right now. Without the proper seals, the body could quickly spiral out of control.
To prevent that, he would have to suppress their power.
But weakening them would reduce their effectiveness—making them little more than cannon fodder.
That catch-22 was exactly why Orochimaru hadn't used Edo Tensei in past battles—whether against Jiraiya or Seimei, a weak assistant wouldn't change the outcome.
This time, however…
Danzō was willing to fight.
Which meant Orochimaru didn't need to restrain him. He could unleash Danzō at full power—maybe even beyond.
This gave him a powerful ally. Even if they couldn't defeat Seimei, they could at least buy Orochimaru enough time to retreat.
On top of that, he could use this battle to collect valuable data for refining Edo Tensei in the future.
With that in mind, a smirk crept onto Orochimaru's lips.
"Hope you enjoy the game," he said to Seimei, already turning to leave the battlefield.
Seimei made no attempt to chase him.
First of all, he'd already confirmed Orochimaru had learned Edo Tensei—his mission was complete. No need to risk more.
And even if he wanted to pursue him, Danzō wouldn't let him.
Plus, like he thought earlier, this Danzō's soul might still be of value.
So chasing Orochimaru was unnecessary.
As for the mission Minato had given him…
That guy hadn't shown up this whole time—why should Seimei care?