The boy at the desk was called Yamato, Root codename "A," the only living ninja who could use Wood Release.
He was about eleven years old, but had already gone through more than most people would in a lifetime.
He lost both parents when young and wandered as an orphan. Root took him as an experiment subject, but he survived an almost certain-death trial and by chance gained the power of the "God of Shinobi." Now, because of a deal, he had the rare luck of leaving the lightless world of Root.
Genie rubbed his chin, looking Yamato up and down.
So many factors stacked on this kid. By all rights, he should be the world's chosen one, the main character of destiny. But in the ninja world, bloodline meant everything. Looking at the original timeline, his future cap was only elite jonin. Nothing more.
But now, standing here under Orochimaru, the boy had a chance to change his fate.
Sitting at the desk, Orochimaru flipped through the files quickly, scanning lines at a glance.
There were many records on the First Hokage's cells, but the researchers' skills were limited, so the data was often repetitive. In less than half a day, Orochimaru had finished them all, sorting the important records into a separate pile.
Genie leaned closer. "Judging by your face, you've gained a lot."
"That's right."
A grin spread across Orochimaru's lips, joy flashing in his eyes. "With Yamato and this data, I can restart a discarded experiment…"
After roughly explaining the experiment, the three of them went straight to a lab outside the village.
On the way, Yamato stayed calm. Even knowing he would be put through experiments again, his blank fish-like eyes didn't change.
It wasn't toughness—it was numbness.
In Konoha's forest, in an underground lab, Orochimaru worked methodically.
He extracted Yamato's cells, planning to use them as the base for a new genetic drug that could give people Wood Release.
This time, both the method and the steps were already laid out. There was no technical difficulty.
The reason this experiment had been abandoned before was because once the First Hokage's cells left his body, they acted like cancer cells—endlessly eating up nutrient fluid and growing until they turned into a giant tree.
But Yamato's cells, according to Root's records, were far more stable than the First Hokage's.
Even so, Orochimaru still failed six times before he succeeded.
He held up a container of pale green liquid, a trace of obsession flashing in his eyes, then drank it all in one go.
In the past, for this kind of experiment, he would have had to catch white mice, run endless control tests, and compare variables.
But now that he had mastered the breathing technique, he had far greater control over his own body. Even if something went wrong, Orochimaru was confident he could keep the fallout to a minimum.
"Ahhh..."
The pale green liquid entered his body. Orochimaru fell to the ground, his body twitching and spasming, muffling short groans of pain.
Rejection was expected.
Even though the Yamato cells had been weakened, at their core they still carried the same aggressiveness as the First Hokage's cells. They had to be tamed with chakra and willpower.
On the other side of the lab, Yamato watched Orochimaru's changes. His dead-looking eyes rippled faintly, but no one knew what he was thinking.
This experiment didn't take too long…
Orochimaru stood up, his face showing doubt.
The rejection had completely disappeared, but his body didn't seem to have changed much. He hadn't gained Wood Release either.
"No, the test worked. You gained a new ability. I saw it clearly."
Genie poked his head out of Orochimaru's body, his tone a little odd. "It's just that this ability isn't Wood Release."
He had observed the whole process from inside Orochimaru, fully aware of every change in his body.
From his perspective, new information had appeared inside Orochimaru.
That information was the new power he awakened.
Without saying more, Genie directly controlled a hand to pick up a scalpel and cut a wound the length of a finger on Orochimaru's arm.
The pain snapped Orochimaru out of his thoughts. He looked down at the wound, his expression shifting.
The wound was healing. Not as fast as medical ninjutsu, but it was healing on its own.
Even though he hadn't done anything, chakra around the wound was being used.
It was as if this body had its own will.
"Interesting." Orochimaru licked his lips. "So this must be the First Hokage's strong healing ability."
"Not even close. But yes, you've gained part of the Sage Body. A very incomplete version. Unlike ninjutsu, this works passively. You could call it a passive skill."
Genie's tone carried surprise. This was the first time he had seen a host awaken a passive skill.
Of course, Orochimaru already had many natural advantages. For example, his affinity for all chakra natures should be excellent.
But those kinds of abilities were buried in the body's messy information, unlike ninjutsu, which he could capture when it was actively used.
Still, just now, as Orochimaru's body gained a passive skill, it gave Genie an idea. Maybe he could develop a way to detect passive skills.
Genie told Orochimaru he would need to stay quiet for a while.
Orochimaru frowned. "Passive skills? You couldn't copy those before?"
"Of course not. Who do you think I am?"
Genie rolled his eyes. "My job as a Genie is simple—make contracts, grant wishes, take payment."
Only then did Orochimaru realize that copying ninjutsu and the like were unique abilities Genie had developed on his own.
He wasn't satisfied with just being a tool. He was always working to dig out more potential, expand what he could do, with the goal of one day changing his role into… a multi-function system.
System? Orochimaru thought it was a strange name.
But it did sound inspiring. An immortal being, still chasing growth.
"Wait… if you're going to sleep, then who's going to finish what we already set up?"
Orochimaru suddenly snapped back, looking unhappy.
They had agreed to split the work, and now Genie was dropping his part.
"I already told you. I can help you. But if you rely on me too much… you'll die fast."
"Now, you need some shame."
Genie spoke seriously, pouring motivational words onto Orochimaru like free chicken soup.
From the very start, his goal had been clear—above all else, improve himself.
Ninjutsu and knowledge were increases in quantity. But the ability to extract passive skills was a leap in quality.
Now that there was a chance to expand new powers, how could he waste time babysitting Orochimaru? Anyway, with Konoha's current situation, nothing would collapse.
The worst that could happen was the same as before—Orochimaru defecting.
Nothing too serious.
The "chicken soup" effect wasn't much. After making sure the other side didn't care and just left, Orochimaru's face darkened.
In the end, though, one still had to face their own problems.
What made Orochimaru angry was the other side breaking their promise.
"By the way, you can choose to teach Water Breathing to Yamato. His potential is greater than you think."
Leaving only those words, Genie's voice went silent.