The wind rustled softly through the trees.
Even under the dim morning light, the forest remained shrouded in darkness.
Then, in a split second, both Seimei and Danzō moved at the same time.
But in that instant, Danzō immediately sensed something was different.
The last time they fought, Seimei hadn't been nearly this fast.
And yet, this increase in speed was actually the least significant of all the improvements Seimei had made over the past several months.
Back when he killed Danzō, it was March. Now, it was nearly December. In these eight to nine months, Seimei's growth had been nothing short of extraordinary.
First, both his physical constitution and mental strength had increased—each by four points.
This alone explained his noticeable boost in speed.
Then came his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Eight months ago, his proficiency with the Mangekyō was still below (35,000/50,000). Not only had he not overcome the risk of blindness, he could only manifest Susanoo up to the third stage. It was nowhere near the power of a complete Perfect Susanoo.
Next was the Byakugan.
Back then, he could use it, but it wasn't integrated into his body—it was more of a supplemental tool.
Now? He could undo its seal with a single thought and wield it with ease and precision.
Then there were the ninjutsu techniques.
He had since mastered several, significantly boosting his overall power.
Lastly, his progress in fūinjutsu (sealing techniques).
Back then, all he had under his belt were basic techniques like the Object Sealing Array and Guardian Seal.
Now, not only had he learned powerful seals like Self-curse Bind Seal and Four Symbols Seal, but he'd also fused multiple techniques to create two high-level original seals: "Shinra Banshō: Total Sealing" and "Seal of Heart and Soul: Contractual Instant Shift."
Conveniently, fūinjutsu was also the most effective countermeasure against Edo Tensei (Reanimation Jutsu) bodies.
That's why Seimei brimmed with confidence.
All these thoughts flashed through his mind as he instantly appeared in front of Danzō, whose eyes were dark and cold.
In the next moment, Seimei unleashed both Genjutsu Blade and Shadow Blade Technique simultaneously.
To Danzō's eyes, six blade images—three real and three illusory—swept toward him from multiple angles.
But Seimei wasn't the only one who had powered up. After being reincarnated with Edo Tensei and having all his limiters removed, Danzō's strength had drastically improved as well.
Before, faced with such attacks, all he could do was dodge or block with brute force.
Now? He ignored Seimei's oncoming blade entirely. Forming a knife-hand, Danzō gathered a layer of sharp Wind Release chakra around it and slashed straight at Seimei's throat with suicidal resolve.
Seimei's eyes narrowed. He quickly withdrew the blade embedded in Danzō's chest and intercepted the hand strike midair.
Clang!
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
Danzō's chakra blade struck Seimei's sword like a steel-on-steel clash.
Both stood locked in place, neither yielding.
Meanwhile, the deep slash on Danzō's chest, caused by Seimei's earlier strike, didn't bleed at all.
Instead, like time reversing, it healed in the blink of an eye.
Danzō glanced down with the corner of his eye, confirming the wound had fully healed. With a sinister grin, he sneered:
> "You little brat from the Uchiha clan... Now that I'm immortal, your petty tricks mean nothing to me.
> From here on, I'll enjoy tearing you apart slowly!
> Oh, and your eyes…
> I'll dig them out and seal them away forever, so the Uchiha will never reclaim them.
> Hahaha...!"
As Danzō laughed and rambled, Seimei's expression didn't change. He knew Danzō was playing mind games, trying to mess with his composure.
So he simply replied with a calm "Fool."
That one word enraged Danzō. Just as he was about to snap back, Seimei vanished before his eyes.
In that instant, memories of their previous battle flooded back.
Without hesitation, Danzō dove forward, dodging a blade that came slicing from behind.
True, his body was now undead, so injuries weren't a concern. But they still needed time to regenerate.
Minor cuts or piercing wounds were manageable and healed instantly. But serious damage, like lost limbs, took longer to repair.
Even though he didn't know Seimei had sealing techniques that could suppress him, Danzō was naturally cunning and wouldn't risk unnecessary exposure.
So he dodged any attack that could pose a threat.
After all, with infinite chakra, he could stall forever. Eventually, he'd wear Seimei down. There was no need to rush.
Seimei, on the other hand, wasn't in a hurry either.
It had been a few minutes since he activated the Flying Thunder God seal on that kunai. Even if Namikaze Minato was delayed, he should be arriving soon.
If Seimei fought too fiercely now, it might alert Danzō to something strange.
The better strategy was to keep him distracted until Minato arrived. Then, once Minato chased after Orochimaru, Seimei could go all out and take Danzō down.
That way, his secrets would remain protected.
As for how Minato would react when seeing Danzō like this…
Well, that wasn't Seimei's problem.
After all, this mess wasn't his doing. If someone wanted to make a fuss, they should take it up with Orochimaru—not him.
In fact, this incident could even help raise Minato's suspicion toward Orochimaru, slightly restraining his future development.
Seimei hadn't forgotten the greedy gleam in Orochimaru's eyes during their earlier clash.
It was almost certain that Orochimaru would eventually pursue the Sharingan. And when that time came, he'd come for Seimei.
That's just human nature.
Of course, Seimei wasn't particularly afraid of him.
But Orochimaru's survival skills were unmatched. If he became a persistent nuisance, it could be extremely troublesome.
So if there was a chance to poison his reputation a little, Seimei would gladly take it.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Seimei focused fully on the battle, engaging Danzō in close combat.
As he fought, he kept a close eye on the Edo Tensei body, mentally calculating how to adjust his seals to better suppress Danzō.
At the same time, he considered what else he could do with Danzō after sealing him—beyond using him to perfect the "Seal of Heart and Soul: Contractual Instant Shift" technique.
And sure enough, an idea came to mind:
Use him as a chakra battery!
Since Edo Tensei bodies have unlimited chakra, Seimei could continuously siphon chakra from Danzō to replenish his own.
That would essentially give him a massive daily boost in chakra for free.
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
His gaze toward Danzō grew heated with anticipation.