"Grant wishes? You took over my body to grant my wish?"
Orochimaru scoffed, his tone dripping with mockery.
"That's easy to explain. It proves I have the power to do whatever I want to you, which should put some of your needless suspicions to rest."
The Genie spoke slowly. "Granting your wish requires us to work together, and trust is the foundation of everything."
"I don't understand."
Confusion showed in Orochimaru's eyes. This Genie was somewhat different from what he had imagined.
"Wishes come at a price."
The Genie patiently explained,
"In the Genie Realm, those who delay the cost until after the wisher's wish is granted, then take everything from them, are called Evil Gods."
"Those who bear the cost themselves, regardless of the consequences, are suckers."
"And I'm different from both. I provide information and let the wisher fulfill their wish on their own."
Hearing this explanation of Genies for the first time, Orochimaru fell into thought.
After a long while, Orochimaru finally asked, "Then what price must I pay for the 'information' on immortality?"
"No price."
"No price?"
"Or you could say that the process of fulfilling your wish for immortality is the price you pay."
The Genie chuckled. "In the process, you'll create information and knowledge, rather than consume my power."
Orochimaru mulled that over. Compared to the gods he had imagined, the Genie before him was more like a merchant making an investment.
And under this arrangement, whether Orochimaru succeeded or failed, the Genie would always come out ahead.
Of course, Orochimaru wouldn't lose out either, provided the information the Genie offered was accurate.
The Genie could sense Orochimaru's thoughts. He knew that without the facts right in front of him, this cautious, suspicious snake wouldn't let down his guard completely. Still, this was enough for now; it wouldn't hinder their cooperation going forward.
The Genie smiled faintly and introduced a new topic. "Orochimaru, what kind of immortality do you want to achieve?"
"An imperishable universe, with your spirit enduring forever?"
"Or a lifespan as long as the heavens, living as long as this planet?"
"Or do you simply want to be deathless, living until the end of the human era?"
Orochimaru's heart stirred. He wanted to say that, at present, his goal was simply to become deathless.
After all, despite its many limitations, Living Corpse Reincarnation was the most attainable option.
But the Genie, who had lowered himself to call Orochimaru a partner, sounded so ambitious. Would choosing the third option make him seem too small-minded?
Orochimaru didn't want to show weakness, and he was also concerned that whatever he said now might be taken as his final goal.
"There's no need to rush your answer."
The Genie spoke slowly. "Take a look at how far the predecessors of the Shinobi World were able to go, then answer."
"Coincidentally, there's quite a show tonight."
Beneath the pitch-black night sky, a figure darted through the Forest of Death, leaving deep footprints in the tree trunks.
A man and a lamp were on their way to witness the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato's scandal. The Genie controlled Orochimaru's body.
Orochimaru calmly felt his body in motion.
The Genie wasn't climbing trees the way an ordinary ninja would. He was using the Body Flicker Technique, just as Orochimaru had when dodging the Genie's attacks.
The force, the distance, the Chakra consumed... everything was measured with perfect precision.
In other words, the Genie was repeating Orochimaru's earlier movements.
This was the Genie demonstrating the price he could charge for helping Orochimaru attain immortality.
Orochimaru thought of the failed body of the Kekkei Genkai ninja that night, and excitement flared in his heart.
If the Genie could replicate his actions, then he could naturally replicate those of others.
The path to immortality was still long, but a shortcut to mastering other Kekkei Genkai techniques lay right at his feet.
"I'm afraid I can't do that."
The Genie rejected Orochimaru's hopes. "I can copy your actions because we signed a contract. Until the contractor dies, or it's certain there's no chance of fulfilling their wish, I can't switch contractors."
"However, some of the powers my previous contractors possessed can be reproduced in you."
Orochimaru had just been doused with cold water, but now his excitement flared again.
From their earlier conversation, he had learned that the Genie was neither from this world nor new to making contracts.
Another world, another contractor's wealth. It was truly something to look forward to.
"But I won't do that now."
Orochimaru frowned slightly. "Why?"
"That's wealth I acquired from another world. It belongs to me. Why would you think I'd hand it over to you so easily?"
"But you copied my abilities."
"That wasn't a trade," the Genie drawled. "Nothing you currently possess counts as a bargaining chip. I can obtain it without trading for it."
Hearing such shameless words, Orochimaru fell silent.
He suddenly realized that although this Genie was easier to deal with than an ordinary Evil God, he was also more calculating. He wouldn't part with anything without getting something in return.
"Wait, Genie. You can't use the Body Flicker Technique perfectly."
A smile suddenly appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Just like now, you seem only able to replicate abilities I've used before."
"That's right. I've never tried to hide it."
The Genie wasn't bothered. "You can't operate in this world without using your own abilities. Soon, I'll be able to replicate everything you do—walking, sitting, lying down, even your characteristic cackle."
"Then I'm relieved."
Orochimaru's tone returned to normal. The ordinary Chakra Refinement Technique, Chakra Control Technique, and the basic five elemental ninjutsu aside, he could handle trouble without using a whole range of forbidden techniques, such as the Eight Branches Technique. Those could serve as bargaining chips.
Orochimaru made no attempt to hide his thoughts, and the Genie scoffed inwardly.
What are you so pleased about? You only have bargaining chips because I haven't taken them.
In the hands of someone who already possessed it, knowledge cost nothing to copy. But if it was planted like a seed, perhaps one day it would grow into a fine flower.
Even if Orochimaru had no bargaining chips, he would still share knowledge from another world with him.
Ever since becoming a Genie, he had never been stingy about sharing knowledge—as long as the other party could use it to create new knowledge.
But what came too easily was easy to take for granted.
As a seasoned professional Genie, he naturally wouldn't make that mistake.
Besides, replicating knowledge wasn't without a cost. Orochimaru's body might not be able to withstand it.
Each with their own thoughts, the man and the lamp soon arrived at the site of the Fourth Hokage's scandal.
A crimson, bowl-shaped barrier had been placed over the area, and a crowd of onlookers had gathered around it. The Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi led them.
With the Genie in control, Orochimaru moved quickly and arrived just in time for the most exciting, most moving part of the scene.
As a mother, Uzumaki Kushina used the last of her strength to unleash Adamantine Sealing Chains, temporarily halting the Nine-Tails.
And to give the mother and child a chance to reunite in the future, Namikaze Minato summoned the Shinigami at the cost of his life, intending to seal half of the Nine-Tails and Kushina's Chakra inside Naruto.
Orochimaru couldn't help but look shaken. Though he lacked an omniscient perspective and couldn't guess Minato's intentions, there was no doubt that this would kill the couple.
"You can save your sighs for later. I didn't bring you here to admire a parting between mother and child."
The Genie pointed at Minato's back with Orochimaru's finger. "You seek immortality, and there's an immortal right in front of you."
Before you continue