Orochimaru’s Magic Lamp

Since the Warring States period, the ninja world has seen three large-scale wars, full of intrigues, battles, and assassinations.

Though these are called ninja wars, in reality, they are mostly conflicts between ninja forces.

The lives of ordinary people aren't untouched—Nagato's parents, for example, were killed by accident, and such tragedies aren't uncommon in times of war.

But generally, ninjas fight other ninjas. This was true both during the era of the Five Great Ninja Villages and in the earlier Warring States period.

Ninjas aren't rulers; they are mercenaries selling their combat skills.

This is very different from what the Genie has seen in other worlds.

—People with extraordinary abilities hired by ordinary people, fighting each other to gain market share?

It sounds strange, but the ninja world has its own unique conditions. After some thought, the Genie came to understand why.

In the age of Kaguya Hime, all humans were her subjects. There was no distinction between ninja and civilians then.

Ninjas only appeared after the Sage of the Six Paths founded the ninja tradition.

At that time, influenced by the Sage, ninjas who controlled elements like wind and water were superior to others. Though not rulers in name, they held similar status—like shamans in primitive tribes.

Later, after the Sage of the Six Paths died, his sons Indra and Asura fought fiercely, splitting the ninjas into two opposing factions.

During this time, ordinary people were still subordinate to ninjas.

But as the conflict escalated, the tactics used became more ruthless, and things started to change.

The critical factor was food.

Perhaps because the Genie was born in an eastern land where farming is vital, he always starts analyzing societies from the perspective of agriculture—more broadly, productivity.

Food and the crops that produce it are extremely fragile—so fragile that a simple fireball technique can burn entire fields to the ground.

Even ninjas can easily destroy months of hard work with a single fire jutsu.

Having to defend fertile lands while fighting a powerful enemy is basically a death sentence.

The Genie suspects that during Indra and Asura's era, many civilians fled due to food shortages.

Ordinary people want to live well. They would never starve just because their ninja leaders were fighting.

Because of food shortages, ninjas probably had to travel to distant villages to trade for food—or simply seize it by force.

But the latter strategy isn't sustainable. If one village's food supply is plundered dry, neighboring villages, hearing the news, might hire ninjas to protect themselves or even strike back.

There may have been many events in between, but throughout this process, the ninja's role as a "producer" has been steadily stripped away. Instead, the label of "mercenary" has deepened, leading to the situation we see today.

Ninjas are hired by ordinary people because they have to be. They want to participate in production, but lack the ability. The ninja village system is a continuation of the conditions and concepts that developed long ago.

To protect their food supply, ninjas only fight other ninjas. This unspoken rule has lasted thousands of years. Ninjas who break it are quickly eliminated by the major ninja villages.

Because of this mutual dependence, ninjas are restrained by these rules. Until hatred ends, disputes stop, or ninjas gain the ability to control production themselves, they must fulfill their mercenary roles and protect their village's reputation.

Of course, this won't last forever.

Human history moves in cycles. Konoha has now "built a high wall" — it's only a matter of time before they accumulate enough resources to slowly become the dominant power.

All it takes is some ambitious people and a little push.

Orochimaru is a prime candidate—he's the most likely ninja to transform ninjas into productive members of society.

Djinn is very optimistic about him.

"This is too complicated!" Orochimaru muttered, a bit speechless. Konoha controls the strongest forces in the ninja world, yet they still have to worry about so many things.

He didn't want to accept such an epic task from the Djinn.

To reverse thousands of years of tradition so that ninjas are no longer bound by civilian groups...

To do this, the easiest way would be to eliminate all ninja villages and monopolize the hiring business completely.

There are many ideas to protect food and create a new way of survival in this warring world—shortening plant growth cycles, avoiding deforestation, building massive sealing formations...

But actually making it happen, as the Djinn said, is easier said than done.

Nothing is easier than his eternal life.

"Promoting technological reforms in the ninja world fits my aesthetic," Djinn said with a shrug. "Improving the overall quality of the ninjas also benefits your path to immortality."

"Other methods have pros and cons and require careful consideration."

"Of course, you don't have to worry about all this. The day-to-day sacrifices are just victims of the environment. Even if you ignore them, the losses won't be significant."

"There may be no loss, but also no gain, and that unsettles me," Orochimaru shook his head. "I won't let him die like this. I'll use this chance to fulfill the promise I made before."

Interest is a key motivation for Djinn's actions, but it's not the only one or absolute.

Otherwise, over a month ago, he wouldn't have allowed the pharmacist's experiment to explode.

Although Kabuto successfully fused the first-generation cells, it cost a valuable immortal art experimental body.

"Then I wish you success," the Djinn smiled. "It's rare to see you so motivated to repay a debt."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow but didn't respond, turning his gaze to Jiraiya.

"It's actually quite simple to save Hizashi. The secret leaked to the Kumogakure mission, and the Hyuga clan plans to replace Hiashi with a twin brother."

The strategy is simple and effective. The main challenge is hiding the curse mark—the 'caged bird'—on the twin's forehead. But if the secret is known ahead of time, it's useless.

Strategies that don't align with the overall trend are doomed to fail.

Jiraiya was happy at first but soon frowned. "This is a village secret. If it leaks carelessly, it could be disastrous if tracked."

"So I'm not going to reveal it."

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya with a smile. "I only plan to tell the two elder advisors that the secret was leaked."

"Why? Can they still demand proof from Kumogakure?"

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