"Mm."
Nodding slightly at the words, Namikaze Minato stood up from behind his desk and gestured toward the nearby sofa.
"Let's talk over there."
"Yes, Lord Hokage."
Seimei responded respectfully, then followed Minato to sit on the couch.
Minato looked at Seimei, and after a brief pause, asked,
"You've probably heard about what happened last night, right?"
"Yes. Orochimaru-sama clashed with the ANBU."
Seimei replied carefully.
He didn't pretend to be completely ignorant—after all, it would be unbelievable for him to claim he knew nothing when such a major incident had shaken the village. Even if, as far as the ANBU knew, he never left his house that night.
At the same time, he deliberately avoided saying that Orochimaru had defected. The village hadn't officially declared Orochimaru a rogue ninja yet, so Seimei couldn't just jump to conclusions.
Minato didn't seem to care much about these details.
"Due to... certain circumstances," he began, "I wasn't able to act last night. Orochimaru broke through the ANBU and Special Task Force blockade and escaped the village. As for why ANBU moved in—you probably already know."
"Human experimentation," Seimei said bluntly.
"Correct."
Minato nodded.
"ANBU has already sealed off Orochimaru's lab. They found more than enough evidence. It'll be made public soon."
Seimei gave a slight nod, staying quiet.
Minato watched him closely, noting Seimei's calm and indifferent expression. He sighed inwardly.
After a brief silence, Minato continued,
"From now on, the village will make every effort to capture Orochimaru. When the time comes, we might need your help."
"My help?" Seimei raised an eyebrow, pointing at himself.
"That's right—you," Minato confirmed.
Then he explained,
"You know Orochimaru's strength. Normal shinobi don't stand a chance against him. You're the only one who might be able to stop him."
As he spoke, Minato met Seimei's gaze, clearly hinting that he expected him to use his Mangekyō Sharingan.
Although Seimei's Mangekyō had already evolved into the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan, eliminating the risk of blindness, he still feigned hesitation.
"Just me? Alone?"
Minato seemed to pick up on his concern and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. Your role is only to stall him. I'll be right behind you—we won't let you face him alone."
"I see…"
Seimei nodded after thinking for a moment.
"Alright. When do we leave?"
"No rush."
Minato waved a hand.
"ANBU is still tracking Orochimaru's whereabouts. You'll move once we have a confirmed location."
"Understood."
With a nod, Seimei stood up.
"If there's nothing else, I'll go prepare."
But as he turned to leave, Minato called out,
"Wait. There's one more thing you should know."
Hearing this, Seimei's mind sharpened—Here it comes.
Even though Minato hadn't said it yet, Seimei could already guess what it was about: someone breaking into the Sealed Archive Room.
This wasn't a random guess—it was the logical conclusion if he were in Minato's shoes. If there were doubts, this would be the perfect time to test someone.
So Seimei maintained his calm persona, letting just a trace of confusion show.
"What is it?"
"Last night, while the ANBU were busy, someone snuck into the archive room on the third floor," Minato said.
Seimei didn't ask what that room was. Though hidden, it wasn't exactly a secret to jōnin-level shinobi. Asking would've only made him look suspicious.
Instead, he asked directly,
"Do we know who it was? Did the village suffer any losses?"
"That's exactly why I stopped you."
Minato continued,
"According to the ANBU who were guarding the archive, the intruder may have been the same person who attacked you earlier—the one with the Mangekyō Sharingan."
"What?!"
Seimei shot to his feet, his expression one of shock.
"Are you sure? Could they have mistaken him for someone else?"
Minato didn't answer right away—he was closely watching Seimei's reaction.
But Seimei was prepared. His performance was flawless—no cracks, no hesitation.
Was I wrong? Minato wondered to himself.
It wasn't that he wanted to suspect Seimei. But certain inconsistencies, along with Seimei's involvement, made it impossible to ignore.
There was also a gut feeling Minato couldn't shake—this situation wasn't as simple as it appeared.
That's why he'd tried probing Seimei.
Unfortunately, he got nothing.
After a few moments of thought, Minato decided to put his doubts aside—for now. As Hokage, he had to act with proper justification. He couldn't hound someone just because of a vague suspicion.
Besides, Seimei's behavior over the past month—and even last night—had shown nothing suspicious.
Clearing his mind, Minato focused on answering Seimei's question.
"I had the Yamanaka clan head read the ANBU's memories directly. If the intel you gave us was accurate, then yes—the intruder was the same one who attacked you."
"I see…"
Seimei murmured, deep in thought.
Minato continued,
"As for what was taken…"
"He seemed to be searching for a forbidden technique. The archive itself wasn't looted, but the Scroll of Seals was opened."
"The Scroll of Seals?" Seimei echoed. "Any idea what technique he was after? Also…"
He paused, then added,
"If he got that far, why not just steal the whole scroll?"
Minato shook his head.
"We're not sure what he was after yet. As for why he didn't take the scroll…"
"Maybe he's just overly cautious."
In truth, Minato was disappointed the intruder hadn't taken the scroll outright. If it had been removed, he could've detected it immediately through a Flying Thunder God mark placed on it.
Then, in a flash, he could have warped in and maybe even caught the intruder.
What a shame… he thought, letting out a silent sigh.
Seimei pretended to mull it over in silence.
The office was quickly filled with a heavy, uneasy stillness.