Underground Laboratory.
In a spacious chamber deep underground…
Orochimaru was crouched low to the ground, meticulously inscribing a complex fūinjutsu array that could easily leave anyone dizzy just from looking at it.
At the edge of the room, a Konoha genin lay bound and restrained.
The young ninja stared in terror at Orochimaru, who seemed entirely absorbed in his work.
Suddenly, Orochimaru stopped.
He carefully sensed the space around him—faint chakra fluctuations told him someone was watching.
"Tōmegane no Jutsu?" he muttered.
But then he shook his head.
As the Third Hokage's former student, Orochimaru knew Sarutobi Hiruzen's abilities well.
That's why he had long since prepared a barrier inside his lab to block the Tōmegane no Jutsu's surveillance.
"If not that… then…" Orochimaru licked his lips, a glint of intrigue in his eyes. "Could it be… the Byakugan?"
"What a convenient ability," he murmured.
His gaze turned toward the direction where Seimei was watching.
In that moment, it felt as though their eyes met—despite the many walls between them.
Though he was the one being watched, though battle still raged outside, Orochimaru's expression remained calm.
No—cold was a better word.
But Seimei wasn't shaken by that gaze. His own eyes remained calm as he carefully took in the details of the intricate fūinjutsu inscribed on the floor… and the helpless, bound civilian nearby.
It was a scene Seimei couldn't help but recognize—a classic setup that reminded him of an S-rank forbidden technique: Edo Tensei.
Clearly, in this life, Orochimaru had acquired the technique early and had already begun his research.
The recent wave of people vanishing from the village likely signaled that Orochimaru had entered a critical stage of development, hence his lack of restraint.
But judging by what Seimei saw, the technique was still incomplete.
If it were fully ready, Orochimaru wouldn't still be drawing arrays by hand—such a primitive approach.
Still, the fact that Orochimaru remained here meant the research had likely entered its final phase. This moment could very well mark his breakthrough.
In a flash, Seimei considered countless possibilities.
Should he act now to stop Orochimaru?
After all, Edo Tensei was a dangerous technique, and without having fully mastered Yin-Yang Release, he wouldn't have an easy time countering it.
But on the other hand… Orochimaru's lab probably contained valuable research on the soul—research that could help him perfect his own technique: Soul Seal Contracted Instantaneous Body Flicker.
If he could gather that intel, he might be able to push the jutsu to its theoretical limit—Level 10.
Tempting… but after some thought, Seimei ultimately chose not to act.
First, Orochimaru wasn't someone you dealt with casually. Though his raw combat ability wasn't overwhelming compared to other Kage-level shinobi—or even Seimei himself—his survivability was legendary.
In terms of staying alive, few in the shinobi world could compare.
Even Seimei wasn't confident he could kill him outright.
So there was no need to provoke him.
Second, while Edo Tensei could be a headache, it wasn't impossible to counter.
Seimei already had ways to disrupt the technique. For instance, Omni-Seal: Total Suppression (Shinra Banshō Fūjin) could sever the link between the summoned soul and the caster. And if that failed, he could tailor a countermeasure—it wouldn't be difficult.
Back in the Fourth Great Ninja War, once the allied forces realized Edo Tensei corpses couldn't be killed, they developed countermeasures quickly.
Given his own mastery of fūinjutsu, Seimei refused to believe he couldn't match or surpass what the villages had come up with.
Moreover, even if Orochimaru succeeded in activating the technique now, it wouldn't be perfected immediately.
From Seimei's past-life knowledge, the original version of Edo Tensei was far from flawless—its summoned bodies were weak and often hard to control.
So this wasn't an urgent crisis.
Lastly, as for that soul research…
Yes, it was enticing—but he was already planning to steal the Spirit Transformation Technique.
No point in getting greedy.
Besides, if he really wanted those research notes later, he could just claim them from the village's post-battle loot. If that didn't work, he could always negotiate with Orochimaru directly.
There were options.
Taking all of that into account, there was no real need for Seimei to interfere.
With that decision made, Seimei withdrew his gaze.
He formed a hand seal and created a shadow clone to stay and monitor the situation.
Then his true body quietly left.
He had another objective now: the Spirit Transformation Technique.
---
Inside the underground lab…
Orochimaru felt the presence spying on him vanish.
He stood still, thinking for a moment.
Then a twisted smile curled on his lips, as though he'd thought of something amusing.
Without another care, he turned back and resumed his work.
As the jutsu array neared completion, a fiery glint danced in his cold, snake-like eyes.
To reverse life and death—this was a critical step in his pursuit of ultimate truth.
And now, he was on the verge of success.
In that moment, Orochimaru was lost in the wonder of ninjutsu, blind to everything else around him.
---
Elsewhere…
After leaving the battlefield, Seimei moved swiftly, using Amenotejikara multiple times along the way to evade Konoha's patrol units.
Eventually, he arrived at a spot not far from the Hokage Tower.
He didn't dare use the Byakugan to peek inside—not now. The tower was surely under maximum alert.
Using it now would almost guarantee he'd be noticed.
Best to play it safe.
Even without the Byakugan, just looking with his naked eye, he could see that the building was crawling with ANBU.
There was no way to force his way in.
Not even with Amenotejikara.
ANBU, especially those who danced on the edge of life and death, had incredibly sharp instincts. If they sensed something unusual and started connecting the dots, he might end up exposing some of his secrets.
So Seimei chose to wait for the right moment.
---
Meanwhile…
Inside the Hokage Tower.
In a meeting room, Namikaze Minato, Sarutobi Hiruzen, Koharu Utatane, and Homura Mitokado sat across from each other.
Minato sat alone on one side, while the other three occupied a couch opposite him.
The seating arrangement gave off an unmistakable feeling of confrontation.
Which… wasn't far from the truth.
Ever since Minato had used this crisis to purge the village of foreign spies and begin moving against Orochimaru, Hiruzen and the others had shown up.
But they hadn't taken direct action.
No—they were just here to "talk."
They brought up topics like the village's future development, clan relations… irrelevant matters at this critical time.
It was obvious: the conversation was just a pretense. Their real goal was to stall Minato.
And while he was the Hokage, facing the former Hokage and two senior advisors meant he couldn't simply walk away.
Thus, this awkward standoff was born.
Why were Hiruzen and the others trying to stall him?
Simple.
They didn't want Orochimaru to die.
Sure, he had done some horrific things. But what was that compared to the deep bond of master and student?
And let's be honest—an elite Kage-level shinobi was worth far more to the village than a few civilians or even some jōnin.
What's that? Orochimaru left the village, so he shouldn't be considered part of Konoha anymore?
Heh… how naive.
With the right conditions—and a little flexibility on pride—even a missing-nin could be brought back.
Didn't we see that in another timeline? After the Fourth Great Ninja War, Orochimaru faced no punishment.
And this was someone who had killed the Third Hokage, assassinated the Fourth Kazekage, and launched the "Konoha Crush" plan.
Compared to that, what he was doing now was just a few "experiments."
In the twisted world of the ninja, the tolerance for such actions was far higher than in peaceful times.
Besides, Konoha itself had done similar things—remember all the cruel experiments they ran trying to recreate Hashirama's Wood Release?
So really… what couldn't be forgiven?
Hiruzen and the others were just planting a seed.
When the time came, if Orochimaru was still alive, they could try to bring him back.
A backup plan—just in case.
Of course, that was only their wishful thinking.
As for Orochimaru…
Unless he truly transcended death and had a change of heart, he would never return to Konoha or rejoin the endless, meaningless cycle of war.
Once he escaped, he'd be completely free.