<p>Because Orochimaru was never dead. He was just sealed. Well, maybe "sealed" is not the right term. Every curse mark holds some a part of Orochimaru's chakra. And Sasuke reversed the cursed seal on Anko with the flesh from Kabuto to bring him back - </p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/612dm.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Qe2dD.jpg" alt="enter image description here"></p>

<p>This is from chapter 593.</p>

<p>PS: Almost same thing happened when Sasuke fought Itachi.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T16:02:26.143Z
We don't know if the Edo Tensei would work on the living. And is there a reason for Kabuto using this process to bring back his master?
TAAPSogeking
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T16:11:47.243Z
The whole point of Edo Tensei is to bring back the dead. It's a reincarnation jutsu. And I didn't get the second question.
Bibhas
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T17:10:55.833Z
Actually we do know that Edo Tensei does not work on the living. Edo Tensei requires the souls of the one you are reincarnating, which is why people's souls sealed within the death god cannot be revived. Thus we take the extra step to assume you can't Edo Tensei living beings or other Edo Tensei'd people otherwise, this would have already been done to Madara and Tobi.
krikara
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T17:14:55.053Z
"Edo Tensei" translated literally stands for "Impure World Reincarnation". Reincarnation by definition means bringing back the soul of a dead person.
Bibhas
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T17:22:21.497Z
@Bibhas Sorry. I meant why didn't Kabuto bring back Orochimaru the same way Sasuke did?
TAAPSogeking
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T17:24:06.127Z
@TAAPSogeking Nothing has been mentioned in the manga. You can guess. Maybe Kabuto didn't figure it out like Sasuke did, that Orochimaru could be revived. Or maybe kabuto didn't want to. Or maybe kabuto didn't know exactly how to do it.
Bibhas
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-25T15:36:40.443Z
2013-08-25T16:17:01.590Z
2013-08-25T16:17:01.590Z
Bibhas
<p>Kabuto had Anko for a reason. He knew Orochimaru was inside her and he wanted to absorb his remaining chakra into himself. This is why he led Anko to the graveyard to ambush.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2014-09-29T20:23:32.690Z
2018-08-01T04:29:35.657Z
2018-08-01T04:29:35.657Z
Brandon King
<p>Kabuto had Orochimaru's DNA and a sacrifice, so why did he not use the Edo Tensei? Or couldn't he have used Anko, like Sasuke did?</p>

<naruto>
Why didn't/couldn't Kabuto bring Orochimaru back?
# Why didn't/couldn't Kabuto bring Orochimaru back?
Posted by: username_0 on 2013-08-25
Kabuto had Orochimaru's DNA and a sacrifice, so why did he not use the Edo Tensei? Or couldn't he have used Anko, like Sasuke did?
**Tags:** naruto
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## 2 answers
### Answer by username_1 on 2013-08-25. Score: 4 | Accepted answer
Because Orochimaru was never dead. He was just sealed. Well, maybe "sealed" is not the right term. Every curse mark holds some a part of Orochimaru's chakra. And Sasuke reversed the cursed seal on Anko with the flesh from Kabuto to bring him back -

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/612dm.jpg)

![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/Qe2dD.jpg)

This is from chapter 593.

PS: Almost same thing happened when Sasuke fought Itachi.
> **Comments:**
> **username_0** (2013-08-25): We don't know if the Edo Tensei would work on the living. And is there a reason for Kabuto using this process to bring back his master?  
> **username_1** (2013-08-25): The whole point of Edo Tensei is to bring back the dead. It's a reincarnation jutsu. And I didn't get the second question.  
> **username_2** (2013-08-25): Actually we do know that Edo Tensei does not work on the living. Edo Tensei requires the souls of the one you are reincarnating, which is why people's souls sealed within the death god cannot be revived. Thus we take the extra step to assume you can't Edo Tensei living beings or other Edo Tensei'd people otherwise, this would have already been done to Madara and Tobi.  
> **username_1** (2013-08-25): "Edo Tensei" translated literally stands for "Impure World Reincarnation". Reincarnation by definition means bringing back the soul of a dead person.  
> **username_0** (2013-08-25): @Bibhas Sorry. I meant why didn't Kabuto bring back Orochimaru the same way Sasuke did?  
> **username_1** (2013-08-25): @TAAPSogeking Nothing has been mentioned in the manga. You can guess. Maybe Kabuto didn't figure it out like Sasuke did, that Orochimaru could be revived. Or maybe kabuto didn't want to. Or maybe kabuto didn't know exactly how to do it.  
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### Answer by username_3 on 2014-09-29. Score: 1
Kabuto had Anko for a reason. He knew Orochimaru was inside her and he wanted to absorb his remaining chakra into himself. This is why he led Anko to the graveyard to ambush.
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