"Grant my wish? Taking over my body was also to grant my wish?"
Orochimaru gave a mocking laugh.
"That's easy to explain. Proving I can do whatever I want to you can ease some of your needless doubts."
The genie said calmly, "Fulfilling your wish will require us to work closely together, and trust is the foundation of everything."
"I don't understand."
Orochimaru's eyes showed doubt. This lamp spirit was not quite what he had imagined.
"To make a wish come true, you have to pay a price."
The lamp spirit explained patiently,
"In our world of lamp spirits, those who delay the price and then take everything away after the wish is granted are called evil gods."
"Those who bear the cost themselves without thinking of the loss are just fools."
"As for me, I'm different from both. I give information, and the wisher uses it to fulfill the wish on their own."
Hearing such an explanation of a lamp spirit for the first time, Orochimaru fell into thought.
After a while, he finally asked, "Then what price do I have to pay for the 'information' on immortality?"
"No price."
"No price?"
"Or rather, the process of you achieving immortality is the price you pay."
The lamp spirit chuckled softly. "In that process, you'll create information and knowledge, not consume my power."
Hearing this, Orochimaru became thoughtful. Compared to the godlike being he had imagined, the lamp spirit before him was more like a businessman making an investment.
And in this kind of deal, whether he succeeded or failed, the lamp spirit would always profit without loss.
Of course, he wouldn't lose either—so long as the information given by the lamp spirit was correct.
Orochimaru's shifting thoughts did not escape the lamp spirit's notice. He knew that, if not for the facts laid out before him, this cautious and suspicious snake would never completely lower his guard. Still, getting him to this level of trust was already enough and wouldn't hinder future cooperation.
The lamp spirit smiled slightly and brought up a new topic. "Orochimaru, what kind of immortality do you want to achieve?"
"Is it the kind where the universe endures forever, and your spirit remains eternal?"
"Or living as long as the heavens, sharing the same lifespan as this planet?"
"Or just simple undying, living until the end of the human era?"
Orochimaru's heart stirred. He wanted to say that, for now, his goal was simply not to die.
After all, while his Edo Tensei had many limits, it was the most likely path he could reach.
But hearing such grand words from the lamp spirit—who had lowered himself to call them partners—if he chose the third option, wouldn't that make him seem too small-minded?
Orochimaru didn't want to appear timid, and he also worried that whatever he said now would be taken as his final goal.
"No need to answer right away," the lamp spirit said slowly. "See for yourself the heights that the ninja world's predecessors have reached before you decide."
"As it happens, there's a great show tonight."
…
Under the pitch-black night, a figure moved swiftly through the Forest of Death, leaving deep footprints in the tree trunks.
Man and lamp were on their way to watch the story of the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato. The lamp spirit was in control of the body.
Orochimaru calmly felt his own body in motion.
The lamp spirit wasn't climbing trees like an ordinary ninja but using the Body Flicker Technique—exactly as Orochimaru himself had done earlier when dodging the lamp spirit's attack.
The force, the distance, the chakra used… everything was measured with perfect precision.
In other words, the lamp spirit was repeating his earlier moves.
This was the lamp spirit showing the kind of price he could take in helping Orochimaru gain immortality.
Orochimaru thought of the failed bloodline ninja body from earlier tonight, and his heart burned with excitement.
If the lamp spirit could copy his moves, he could naturally copy others as well.
The road to immortality was still far away, but the shortcut to mastering other bloodline ninjutsu was right before him.
"Unfortunately, I can't do that."
Faced with Orochimaru's expectation, the lamp spirit shook his head. "I can copy your moves because we have a contract. Until the contract holder dies, or it's certain that they can't achieve their wish, I cannot change to a new one."
"However, some of the powers my former contractors had can still be reproduced in you."
Just after being doused with cold water, Orochimaru's excitement flared up again, his heart burning hot.
From their earlier talk, he had already learned that this genie wasn't from this world, and this wasn't the first time it had made a contract.
Another world, another contractor's fortune—now that was something worth looking forward to.
"But I'm not doing that now."
Orochimaru frowned slightly. "Why?"
"That's wealth I got from another world. It's mine. Why would you think I'd hand it over to you so easily?"
"But you copied my ability."
"But that's not a deal," the genie said slowly. "Everything you have right now isn't really something you can trade. I can get it without making a deal."
Hearing something so shameless, Orochimaru stayed silent.
He suddenly realized that while this genie was easier to talk to than most evil gods, it was also greedier—like a merchant who won't act until they see clear profit.
"Wait, genie—you can't use the Body Flicker Technique perfectly."
A faint smile appeared on Orochimaru's face. "Like right now, it seems you can only copy abilities I've already used."
"That's right. I've never hidden that."
The genie didn't care. "If you're going to move around in this world, there's no way you won't use your own abilities. Soon, I'll be able to copy the way you walk, sit, stand, even your creepy laugh."
"Then I'm relieved."
Orochimaru's tone returned to calm. Basic chakra refining and control skills, and even ordinary five-element ninjutsu, weren't worth mentioning. As for forbidden jutsu like the Eight Branches Technique, he didn't need to use them often to handle trouble—they could be used as trade goods.
Orochimaru didn't hide his shift in mood, and the genie noticed.
What's there to be proud of? The only reason you have anything to bargain with is because I haven't taken it yet.
Knowledge in the hands of its owner is priceless to copy, but when planted like a seed, it might someday grow into something impressive.
Even if Orochimaru had nothing to trade, the genie would still give him knowledge from another world.
Since becoming a genie, he had never been stingy about sharing knowledge—so long as the other person could use it to create new knowledge.
But if you get something too easily, you won't value it.
As a battle-hardened professional genie, he would never make that mistake.
Besides, copying knowledge wasn't without a cost. Orochimaru's body might not even be able to handle it.
…
Each with their own thoughts, they soon arrived at the place where the Fourth Hokage's sealing battle was taking place.
A red bowl-shaped barrier covered the area, with crowds of onlookers surrounding it. At the front stood the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen.
Under the genie's control, Orochimaru's body moved quickly, just in time for the most intense and moving scene.
As a mother, Uzumaki Kushina used the last of her strength to unleash the Adamantine Sealing Chains, stopping the Nine-Tails for the moment.
And Namikaze Minato, so his wife and child might meet again in the future, summoned the Shinigami at the cost of his own life, planning to seal half of the Nine-Tails and Kushina's chakra into Naruto.
Even Orochimaru's face changed at the sight. Without a god's-eye view, he couldn't guess Minato's exact plan, but one thing was clear—doing this meant certain death for the couple.
"Save your amazement for later. I didn't bring you here to watch a touching farewell."
The genie pointed with Orochimaru's finger toward Minato's back. "You want immortality? There's an immortal right there."