Without wasting a second, Seimei dove right in, sending his activated soul into the sealed space within the scroll, created by the All-Encompassing Seal.
The seal didn't resist him. In a flash, he was inside.
Staring at the slumbering Danzo before him, Seimei didn't hesitate. He reached out, pressing a finger to Danzo's forehead.
Then, closing his eyes, he began to carefully "examine" Danzo's soul.
First off, the surface was still covered by the web-like marks of the Impure World Reincarnation. As long as Orochimaru didn't sever their connection, Danzo would never shake off those marks—unless he could let go of his obsessions and let his soul ascend to the Pure Land.
Fat chance of that, Seimei thought, shaking his head. With Danzo's character, that was never gonna happen.
His attention shifted to a deeper mark within Danzo's soul—either something imposed by the Pure Land or a natural rule of the ninja world. It was like a nail driven deep into Danzo's core, unyielding and immovable.
But beyond those two marks, there was something new.
A third mark.
It wasn't as superficial as Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation seal, nor as deeply embedded as that mysterious nail. It sat somewhere in between. The mark wrapped Danzo's soul like a net, but its intricate patterns dug into the "flesh" of his soul, leaving blocky, painful imprints.
And yeah, it looked as agonizing as it probably felt.
That was the whole point. Seimei had designed the Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Mark to control what Danzo could and couldn't do. Step out of line, and he'd be hit with soul-deep pain.
After carefully checking the seal's condition and confirming it was working as intended, Seimei started fine-tuning the "out-of-bounds" conditions. Most rules were flexible, but one was non-negotiable: Danzo could never leak any info about him.
That was the core reason he'd poured so much effort into perfecting this technique. No room for sloppiness.
It took about ten minutes to set every condition he could think of, turning Danzo into the perfect tool.
With a thought, Seimei loosened the All-Encompassing Seal's suppression on Danzo's consciousness.
Danzo stirred, waking up. The moment his eyes locked onto Seimei, his pupils trembled—he clearly recognized the technique being used. A soul-state was a dead giveaway compared to a flesh-and-blood body.
He opened his mouth, about to say something.
But before a single word could escape, he let out a gut-wrenching scream. The seals from the Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Mark glowed faintly, searing into his soul like a branding iron.
And that was just the start.
Over the next few minutes, Danzo instinctively crossed the "lines" Seimei had set. Each time, the seal activated, delivering waves of soul-crushing pain that left him unable to speak.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Danzo stopped screaming. Not because Seimei went easy on him, but because Danzo had figured out the seal's boundaries and was actively avoiding them.
The pain faded as he complied.
Watching Danzo's reactions and the seal's countermeasures, Seimei nodded, satisfied. His goal was achieved. The Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Mark had hit every mark he'd set for it.
Not giving Danzo a chance to speak, Seimei reactivated the All-Encompassing Seal, suppressing his consciousness and sending him back into a mindless state.
Inside the sealed space, staring at the now-silent Danzo, Seimei had a thought. With the "firewall" in place, should he push further and extract even more chakra from him?
The idea sparked like a wildfire on a dry plain—impossible to put out.
After a long moment, Seimei exhaled sharply and gritted his teeth. "Let's do it!"
Fortune favors the bold, right? He wasn't about to let this opportunity slip.
Besides, with the Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Mark as a safeguard, even if something went wrong, he was confident he could dodge any suspicion.
Better safe than sorry, though. He'd be extra careful.
No sooner thought than done. Seimei deactivated the Spirit Transformation Technique, returning his soul to his body. After a quick adjustment, he performed the Shadow Clone Technique, summoning a clone.
Then, he used the All-Encompassing Seal again, creating a chakra-storage space within the clone.
Handing over the scroll with Danzo sealed inside, he said, "Be careful."
"Got it. Don't worry," the clone replied, taking the scroll with a serious nod.
With that, the clone used the Flying Thunder God Technique and vanished from the island.
Watching the clone disappear, Seimei shook his head slightly, setting the matter aside for now. Instead, he turned his attention to his gains over the past month.
Beyond maxing out Izanagi, Izanami, and the Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Mark, he'd boosted his chakra cap by over 43,000 points.
His Sharingan's evolution had jumped by about 1,500 points, reaching (3,853/100,000)—nearly a twenty-fifth of the way there.
His Byakugan had climbed almost 400 points, from (2,265/5,000) to (2,643/5,000), now over halfway to the next milestone.
As for his Wood Release, it had passively grown by 150 points as his body evolved, going from (165/1,000) to (315/1,000). At this rate, it might not be long before it leveled up again.
And the best part? That progress hadn't cost him any extra time or effort.
All Seimei could say was, Bring on the storm!
Beyond that, his Chakra Control and Chakra Refining Technique had seen some gains too.
The former, thanks to maxing out Izanagi, Izanami, and the Heart-Sealing Soul-Lock: Contract Instant Body Mark, had gained 1,200 proficiency points, going from Lv8 (2,400/50,000) to Lv8 (3,600/50,000). Still a long way from Lv9, but progress was progress.
The latter had steadily climbed 672 points, from Lv6 (7,879/10,000) to Lv6 (8,551/10,000). It was getting tantalizingly close to Lv7, and Seimei was pumped for the transformation that'd come with it.
When that happened, both his ability to tap into his body's potential and his chakra recovery speed would get a solid boost.
And that? That would only speed up his growth.
A small smile crept onto Seimei's face at the thought.
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(End of Chapter)