After dinner, everyone returned to the inn to rest. The day had left them mentally and physically exhausted, and they fell asleep soon after lying down.
Seiryu, meanwhile, sat by the window, brewing and sipping tea.
In the dead of night, a white snake slithered in by moonlight.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Lord Seiryu." The snake transformed into human form with a puff of smoke—it was Orochimaru.
"Sit." Seiryu gestured to the seat opposite, then poured Orochimaru a cup of tea.
"Well done, creating so much realistic evidence in so little time. You've worked hard." Seiryu said.
"It's my honor to serve you." Orochimaru bowed his head.
Looking at the now-obedient Orochimaru, Seiryu couldn't help but marvel at the power of Shisui's Mangekyō Sharingan. The true terror of Kotoamatsukami was not just controlling the mind, but directly imprinting thoughts at the subconscious level—making everything seem perfectly natural to the victim. That's why the left eye's Kotoamatsukami had a ten-year cooldown. In comparison, the right eye's short-term control seemed lackluster.
Of course, Seiryu wasn't careless. In the original timeline, even more terrifying techniques had been detected by geniuses like Shikamaru. Orochimaru would likely discover his condition eventually.
You could doubt Orochimaru's morals or even his strength, but never his intelligence.
Still, Seiryu never intended to enslave Orochimaru long-term with a dōjutsu. He only used Kotoamatsukami to get a scientist completely loyal for a while, since Seiryu's future power growth would rely heavily on Orochimaru's skills and network.
Seiryu assessed his current power: excluding his Mangekyō's powers, his Susano'o, combined with Lightning Release and swordsmanship, put him solidly above average among Kage-levels. His right eye's dōjutsu was extremely strong against genjutsu users, and the left eye's Wamiyonomikoto allowed him to contend with stronger or multiple opponents—though using it would likely blind him.
To reach his goals, Jiraiya was an unavoidable hurdle. In Sage Mode with the two toad elders, Jiraiya was likely stronger than Seiryu at present.
More importantly, Seiryu's blood relatives were all dead—he couldn't find another Mangekyō to upgrade to Eternal Mangekyō. The Uchiha's usual paths to power were at a dead end for him. The ninja world was extraordinary, and his current strength was not enough for a coup, or to face the aftermath.
To get stronger, only two roads lay ahead: transplant Hashirama's cells, or train in Sage Mode. Orochimaru was the best path for both, which is why Seiryu took the mission, and during the fight with Orochimaru, used up his chakra indiscriminately to clear the area.
As for using up Kotoamatsukami? In Seiryu's coup plans, it was only a deterrent. As long as no one saw him use it, it was as if he never did.
Seiryu looked at Orochimaru and asked, "Did you bring the Ryūchi Cave summoning contract?"
Orochimaru nodded, made a hand seal, and a small snake appeared on the table, spitting out a scroll.
Orochimaru wiped the scroll clean and respectfully handed it over.
Seiryu opened it, signed his name, and said, "Let Ryūchi Cave know I'll visit in a few days."
"Yes, Lord Seiryu. Anything else?" Orochimaru asked.
"Grow some Hashirama cells, and keep an eye on Akatsuki. Report any movement immediately," Seiryu instructed.
"Yes." Orochimaru nodded and vanished in a puff of smoke.
…
The next day, anxious to report back, everyone traveled at full speed using chakra. What was a two-day journey took only one, and they returned to the village by dusk.
They all went to the Hokage building to submit their mission.
"Orochimaru escaped?" Sarutobi Hiruzen looked at Kakashi's report, a complex look of relief and regret on his face.
"Well, in any case, you all worked hard," Hiruzen said, looking at them.
"Lord Hokage, Captain Kakashi and I found some confidential clues during the mission. Please allow us to report separately," Seiryu said.
"Oh?" Hiruzen assumed they'd found traces of Orochimaru and nodded. The others sensibly left the office.
Once only the three of them remained, Seiryu and Kakashi exchanged a look and handed their files to Hiruzen.
"This…" As soon as Hiruzen glanced at the documents, his face changed. He quickly read through all the evidence.
After reading, Hiruzen fell silent, lighting his pipe as smoke curled in the quiet office.
Once he finished smoking, he looked up. "How do you suggest we handle this?"
Kakashi lowered his head, while Seiryu stepped forward.
"My suggestion is simple." Seiryu looked determined. "Give the order, Lord Hokage. The Police and ANBU should work together to apprehend the 93 involved members of the three clans as quickly as possible. Under the Will of Fire, there should be no such evil in Konoha! This tumor must be eradicated with the greatest force!"
After Seiryu finished, Hiruzen loaded another pipeful of tobacco.
Just then, chaos erupted outside the Hokage's office.