Orochimaru’s Magic Lamp

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"Danzō? That cold-blooded opportunist actually objected?"

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow, then smirked.

"That guy always liked to play the long game."

Unlike the old man—who had accepted his aging and shifted toward civil politics—Danzō still spent much of his time chasing power.

He trained relentlessly, even experimenting with the First Hokage's cells in hopes of restoring his youth.

But Koharu and Homura?

They didn't compare.

They had long since lost their edge—blinded by politics and the illusion of control. They'd forgotten their strength once came from the battlefield, not backroom deals.

Orochimaru licked his lips.

"Those two… clinging to their little scraps of influence. Pathetic."

"You're being unfair."

Floating lazily in the air, the Djinn chuckled—unusually neutral for once.

"You fight on the battlefield. They operate within the village. Different roles, different perspectives."

"In their eyes, Konoha isn't just a shinobi village. It's a business—offering labor, selling security. And a business lives and dies by its credibility."

Orochimaru frowned.

"I know that."

"No, you think you do."

"But you're too high up. From that height, your view's distorted."

The Djinn's smile widened.

"You're one of the Sannin. You've had extraordinary strength since youth. Your greatest enemies were war, death, and the loss of those close to you. You never had to face the kind of struggle most people do."

"You believe that as long as you work hard enough, as long as you forge yourself like a blade, you can solve any problem."

"That's not wrong. But it's incomplete."

"Ordinary ninjas can't do what you do. Merchants can't, either."

The Djinn's voice grew quieter, more pointed.

"What happens when those merchants stop requesting missions through Konoha and go to other villages instead?"

"What do you do then?"

"Use genjutsu to control them? Threaten to kill their families if they don't come back?"

Orochimaru said nothing.

He couldn't deny it—those tactics had been used before.

But only by the rogue villages. Wandering shinobi. Thugs.

Konoha couldn't afford that.

One slip, one exposed scandal—and word would spread.

Merchants from every nation would vanish overnight. Even Fire Country's own lords would turn cold.

It would be a disaster.

After all, commissioned missions made up a massive chunk of Konoha's revenue.

Power is most effective before it's used.

Pure force, wielded carelessly, only backfires.

…Of course, you could argue that's just a matter of scale.

Controlling one person caused trouble.

But if you controlled everyone—and crushed anyone who resisted?

That might work.

Threaten the merchants, and the ones protecting them.

Eliminate them all if they disobey.

Problem solved.

It was a kind of solution.

Orochimaru licked his lips. The Djinn wasn't wrong.

He liked that method. It was familiar. Natural, even.

And for the first time, he understood Uchiha Madara's mindset—why he created the "Eye of the Moon" plan.

"Other people's thoughts don't matter."

"If they won't listen, I'll make them. If they resist, I'm simply not strong enough yet."

Madara was a man equal to the First Hokage in strength.

An absolute genius, consumed by absolute confidence.

Even more extreme than Orochimaru himself.

And yet… that kind of thinking was the path of a madman.

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes.

"I suppose I'm starting to understand."

Djinn raised an eyebrow. "That old saying, 'Good wine isn't afraid of a deep alley,' sounds simple—but in business, reputation is everything. Just like in my previous world, no matter how valuable or amazing something is…"

He chuckled. "There was a company once that was thriving, but the boss got caught up in a personal scandal. Whether it was real or framed, it ruined everything."

"The current situation in the ninja world isn't so different. It's not just Konoha—villages like Kumogakure, Iwagakure, and even smaller ones are all viable choices."

"Why would anyone take the risk of working with a village that's gained a bad reputation?"

"When it comes down to it, reputation often outweighs both skill and quality—especially in comparison."

Orochimaru's expression darkened. He fell silent, lost in thought.

No one had ever explained things to him this way. Or maybe someone had, and he simply brushed it off. He had always prioritized bigger goals.

But when Djinn spoke, he listened.

Thinking along those lines, it became clear that Koharu and Homura weren't being unreasonable.

If protecting Konoha's reputation meant sacrificing a day's worth of pride or letting someone off the hook, perhaps that was acceptable. It wasn't just the Hokage forcing their hand.

Even something as controversial as "a life for a life" might have seemed like the right choice—not because it was just, but because the village's prestige could withstand it.

After all, losing one elite ninja wouldn't break Konoha's status as a leading village.

"It's… troubling."

Orochimaru exhaled slowly, his tone solemn, but the core of the issue was becoming clear.

Unlike him, Koharu and Homura had their eyes on the welfare of the average ninja. They made up the bulk of the village's workforce, took on most of the missions, and didn't care much for flashy titles like "Konoha's Legendary Sannin."

If the village's reputation suffered, it was those rank-and-file ninjas who would feel the brunt of it.

And if the economic cycle that kept them employed broke down, even the higher ranks would eventually collapse with them.

Maybe it wouldn't be instant, but the decline would come—like what was happening to Sunagakure.

Compared to that, the immediate benefits from their previous deal were hardly worth it.

Jiraiya, who had been watching from the sidelines, noticed Orochimaru's expression shift. "Do you have an idea?"

Orochimaru shook his head but glanced up at the floating genie. "Something still feels off. Konoha has so many powerful ninjas. Why do we seem so restrained?"

Yes—restrained. Koharu and Homura's actions, even if frustrating, were responses to pressure—constraints that no one wanted to admit.

"Hmm," Djinn mused, rubbing his chin. "Maybe we should blame the First Hokage."

He raised an eyebrow, half-teasing.

"He's the one who created the 'ninja village' model. He gathered almost every ninja in the country into one place, making a clear divide between shinobi and civilians."

"But ninja or not, people still need to eat—and ninjas eat more."

"They don't grow their own food. They depend on civilians to survive. So even if they stand above others in power, they can't fully dominate them. That's why these invisible restraints exist."

Orochimaru quietly turned his wine glass in his hand, digesting the thought.

After a while, he asked, "Then how do we get rid of those constraints?"

The ninja of Konoha were his foundation. It was in his interest to see them flourish—to grow faster, stronger.

He hadn't yet figured out the best way to "harvest" that potential, but he knew the time would come.

Djinn smiled. "Actually, the answer is simple."

"All you have to do… is make the civilians no longer subjects of the Land of Fire."

"Instead, make them citizens of Konoha itself."

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