diff --git a/execution/commitment/commitment.go b/execution/commitment/commitment.go
index b55e2ccba22..6efb209d8ab 100644
--- a/execution/commitment/commitment.go
+++ b/execution/commitment/commitment.go
@@ -210,6 +210,9 @@ type DeferredBranchUpdate struct {
 	raw     BranchData
 	prev    []byte
 	encoded BranchData
+	// Backing store for a merged encoded value. encoded either aliases raw or points
+	// here, so it is never itself reused — this is the buffer that survives pooling.
+	encodedBuf []byte
 }
 
 var deferredUpdatePool = &sync.Pool{
@@ -234,10 +237,7 @@ func getDeferredUpdate(prefix []byte, raw, prev []byte) *DeferredBranchUpdate {
 
 	upd.prefix = reuseBytes(upd.prefix, prefix)
 	upd.raw = reuseBytes(upd.raw, raw)
-	// prev stays cloned: it is the one argument that is legitimately nil or empty, and
-	// callers read a nil prev as "look up the previous value". Deriving that shape from a
-	// recycled buffer's capacity rather than from the input is not worth one allocation.
-	upd.prev = bytes.Clone(prev)
+	upd.prev = reuseBytes(upd.prev, prev)
 	upd.encoded = nil
 
 	return upd
@@ -268,7 +268,8 @@ func capLen(b []byte) []byte {
 // putDeferredUpdate returns a DeferredBranchUpdate to the global pool.
 func putDeferredUpdate(upd *DeferredBranchUpdate) {
 	if upd != nil {
-		upd.prev = nil
+		// encoded can alias raw, so it is dropped rather than recycled; prefix, raw,
+		// prev and encodedBuf keep their backing arrays for the next checkout.
 		upd.encoded = nil
 		deferredUpdatePool.Put(upd)
 	}
@@ -354,7 +355,8 @@ func mergeDeferredUpdate(upd *DeferredBranchUpdate, merger *BranchMerger) error
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
-		upd.encoded = bytes.Clone(merged)
+		upd.encodedBuf = reuseBytes(upd.encodedBuf, merged)
+		upd.encoded = upd.encodedBuf
 		return nil
 	}
 	upd.encoded = upd.raw
diff --git a/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context.go b/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context.go
index 982fb0ab4c4..4df2a4def13 100644
--- a/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context.go
+++ b/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context.go
@@ -790,7 +790,8 @@ func (sdc *SharedDomainsCommitmentContext) LatestCommitmentState(trieContext *Tr
 	}
 
 	txNum, blockNum = DecodeTxBlockNums(state)
-	return blockNum, txNum, state, nil
+	// Outlives this call: Branch hands back a buffer it reuses on the next read.
+	return blockNum, txNum, bytes.Clone(state), nil
 }
 
 // SeekCommitment searches for last encoded state from DomainCommitted
@@ -945,6 +946,8 @@ type TrieContext struct {
 	traceW         io.Writer // nil = disabled; traces branch reads/writes (see [SDC] lines)
 	stateReader    StateReader
 	localCollector *etl.Collector // per-goroutine collector for concurrent PutBranch
+
+	branchBuf []byte // reused across Branch calls; see the ownership note on Branch
 }
 
 // NewTrieContextRo creates a read-only TrieContext for Branch-only lookups.
@@ -958,15 +961,24 @@ func (sdc *TrieContext) Branch(pref []byte) ([]byte, kv.Step, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, 0, err
 	}
-	// Branch reads feed Merge(prev,update), branchEncoder/merger internal buffers,
-	// deferred-update queues, and unfoldBranchNode reads. The slice returned by the
-	// underlying state cache / getter aliases shared storage that another goroutine
-	// (concurrent commitment workers) can recycle. Own the bytes at the trie-context
-	// boundary so all downstream consumers are safe.
 	if sdc.traceW != nil {
 		fmt.Fprintf(sdc.traceW, "[SDC] Branch read %x => %x\n", pref, enc)
 	}
-	return bytes.Clone(enc), step, nil
+	// The slice from the underlying state cache / getter aliases storage another
+	// commitment worker can recycle, so the bytes have to be owned here. They are
+	// copied into a per-context buffer rather than a fresh allocation: a trie
+	// context belongs to exactly one goroutine (every mount worker builds its own
+	// via TrieContextFactory), and every caller finishes with one branch before
+	// reading the next. LatestCommitmentState is the sole caller that keeps the
+	// bytes past its own return, and clones them itself.
+	if enc == nil {
+		return nil, step, nil
+	}
+	if sdc.branchBuf == nil {
+		sdc.branchBuf = make([]byte, 0, len(enc))
+	}
+	sdc.branchBuf = append(sdc.branchBuf[:0], enc...)
+	return sdc.branchBuf, step, nil
 }
 
 func (sdc *TrieContext) PutBranch(prefix []byte, data []byte, prevData []byte) error {
diff --git a/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context_test.go b/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context_test.go
index 11d04181f11..1bc9ccd9583 100644
--- a/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context_test.go
+++ b/execution/commitment/commitmentdb/commitment_context_test.go
@@ -83,3 +83,53 @@ func Test_TrieContext_BranchCopiesData(t *testing.T) {
 	branch[1] = 8
 	require.Equal(t, []byte{9, 2, 3}, reader.branchData)
 }
+
+func Test_TrieContext_BranchReusesBufferAcrossReads(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	reader := &testStateReader{branchData: []byte{1, 2, 3}, step: 7}
+	ctx := NewTrieContextRo(reader, 1)
+
+	got1, _, err := ctx.Branch([]byte{0xaa})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, []byte{1, 2, 3}, got1)
+
+	reader.branchData = []byte{4, 5, 6}
+	got2, _, err := ctx.Branch([]byte{0xbb})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Equal(t, []byte{4, 5, 6}, got2)
+
+	// The contract Branch's callers rely on: the returned bytes live only until the
+	// next read on this context. A caller that keeps them sees the newer branch.
+	require.Equal(t, []byte{4, 5, 6}, got1, "second read must land in the same buffer")
+	require.Equal(t, &got1[0], &got2[0], "second read must not allocate a new buffer")
+}
+
+func Test_TrieContext_BranchKeepsNilAndEmptyDistinct(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	// A nil branch means "absent"; callers test it with == nil, so reusing a buffer
+	// must not turn it into an empty non-nil slice.
+	reader := &testStateReader{}
+	ctx := NewTrieContextRo(reader, 1)
+
+	got, _, err := ctx.Branch([]byte{0xaa})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Nil(t, got, "absent branch must stay nil")
+
+	reader.branchData = []byte{1, 2, 3}
+	if _, _, err = ctx.Branch([]byte{0xbb}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	reader.branchData = []byte{}
+	got, _, err = ctx.Branch([]byte{0xcc})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.NotNil(t, got, "present-but-empty branch must stay non-nil after the buffer is warm")
+	require.Empty(t, got)
+
+	reader.branchData = nil
+	got, _, err = ctx.Branch([]byte{0xdd})
+	require.NoError(t, err)
+	require.Nil(t, got, "absent branch must stay nil after the buffer is warm")
+}