Are you my Master?

Under the dim chandelier, a gaunt figure gripped a scalpel, mechanically parting flesh and muscle, his face half-shrouded in shadow.

“Hah…”

Orochimaru’s gaze was dull and weary as he gently exhaled. Another precious body of a ninja with inherited bloodline had been wasted; barring any miracles, tonight would again yield nothing.

Boom, boom…

Suddenly, the underground laboratory beneath the Root base shook violently.

Orochimaru’s body trembled; his scalpel traced a deep wound across the still-beating heart of his subject, blood spurting forth. From the shadows came a chorus of serpentine hisses—excited by the thick, metallic scent—only to fall silent in the next moment.

As Orochimaru focused on correcting his mistake, a strange atmosphere began to spread through the laboratory.

“Hm?!”

He set down his scalpel, his narrow serpent eyes sweeping the room, quickly locking onto the source of the disturbance.

On the bedside table beside the patient, a golden long-spouted lamp had appeared out of nowhere, nestled among the instruments, glowing softly.

Orochimaru recognized it at once: this was a lamp, called the Aladdin Lamp, capable of granting wishes to its owner.

It was not his scholarly acumen that revealed this, but rather the bold, golden letters floating above the lamp:

“I am the Aladdin Lamp. Touch the lamp’s surface to awaken the Genie and grant your wish!!!”

A straightforward, alluring… trap.

Orochimaru’s eyes narrowed.

He was certain the table had lacked this item moments ago, and equally certain no one in the ninja world could have placed it under his nose without detection…

This Aladdin Lamp had appeared out of thin air.

The ninja world was not short on strange tools—like the Sword of Totsuka that could seal enemies in a drunken dream, the Amber Purifying Bottle and Heavenly Spear of legend wielded by the Sage of Six Paths… One more artifact capable of granting wishes—a lamp—was not entirely outside the realm of possibility.

Orochimaru’s interest was piqued.

There was no such thing as a free lunch, but if he could uncover the conditions and limits of the lamp’s wish-granting abilities, perhaps he could strike an equivalent bargain with the so-called Genie.

Orochimaru was not stingy about paying a price, especially as he’d grown increasingly aware of his own limitations in recent years.

Inherited bloodlines, ocular techniques… With the shackles of lineage, he was no different from ordinary ninjas.

As Orochimaru pondered, a sudden knock sounded at the door. The visitor was a Root ninja under Danzo’s direct command.

These vermin lurking in the shadows of the Leaf—souls whose deaths would go unnoticed—made perfect test subjects.

Orochimaru licked his lips. “Come in.”

A Root ninja slipped into the lab, dropping to one knee, his voice anxious. “Lord Orochimaru, the Nine Tails has suddenly appeared in the village and is wreaking havoc. Lord Danzo summons you for a council.”

Recalling the earlier tremor in the lab, Orochimaru frowned. “The Nine Tails?”

The current jinchuriki was Kushina Uzumaki. Though not a perfect host, her bloodline and the Uzumaki clan’s sealing techniques kept the beast tightly bound. With the Fourth Hokage’s protection, the Nine Tails should have no way to break free under normal circumstances.

It seemed something had gone awry during Kushina’s childbirth.

Orochimaru smirked, a hint of schadenfreude in his voice. “So Minato slips up as well.”

He couldn’t claim indifference to Jiraiya’s student surpassing him to become the Fourth Hokage; resentment simmered beneath the surface.

Hearing of Minato’s misfortune, Orochimaru’s mood brightened considerably.

As for Danzo’s so-called council, Orochimaru was unconcerned. He knew Minato’s capabilities all too well; the Nine Tails was no match for him, nor for the Uzumaki sealing arts. He had no interest in joining Danzo to witness the Fourth Hokage’s spectacle.

Orochimaru turned to the Root ninja. “Go and pick up that lamp.”

“This…”

The Root ninja lifted his head, hesitating to speak, but meeting Orochimaru’s cold gaze, swallowed his words. Behind his mask was a miserable expression.

He knew refusal was not an option.

As soon as the Aladdin Lamp was picked up, a swirl of translucent smoke billowed from its spout, rapidly condensing into a humanoid form in midair.

Its features were indistinct, but a voice rang out clearly from its mouth. “Hahaha, I am the Aladdin Lamp Genie, currently on duty. Tell me, are you my master?”

Orochimaru’s brow furrowed.

He wasn’t sure what “master” meant, but guessed it referred to the owner or contract holder—in this context, perhaps more aptly, the victim.

But what unsettled Orochimaru was that the Genie emerging from the lamp did not seem to be addressing the Root ninja.

Those eyes, veiled in mist, were fixed on him; the greeting carried no hint of question, but rather a mocking tone.

Strangest of all, the Root ninja stood frozen, awaiting further instructions, seemingly blind to the Genie.

Orochimaru suppressed his confusion and pointed at the Root ninja. “Lamp Genie, it was not I who awakened you, but him.”

“Oh, who truly awakened me?”

The smoky figure’s laughter was tinged with irony. “Was it the one who picked up the lamp who awakened me, or the one who commanded him to do so?”

Orochimaru’s expression darkened. The lamp’s Genie possessed a level of intelligence far beyond his expectations, utterly unlike the mindless responses of death gods or evil spirits.

This was bad, for the Genie before him might not play fair, nor be easily deceived.

Orochimaru braced himself as if facing a formidable enemy. The smoky figure observed his caution, speaking slowly,

“Vigilance, suspicion, doubt… You have every reason to be wary of my existence.”

“But… it is actually unnecessary.”

“Because…”

“You cannot resist me.”

The smoke surged toward Orochimaru in a tidal wave, and in a flash, poured into his body.

In the next instant, his form vanished with a soft pop.

Orochimaru reappeared at the far side of the lab, not even having time to rejoice at dodging the attack with a body substitution, when a voice echoed in his mind.

“You cannot escape; what binds us is a contract, is a rule.”

The voice spoke unhurriedly, “I have the ability to take over your body at any moment.”

“L-Lord Orochimaru…”

Witnessing Orochimaru’s strange behavior, the Root ninja cradled the lamp, at a loss.

“Out!”

The command snapped from Orochimaru’s lips, but not by his own will.

“Yes.”

The Root ninja returned the lamp to its place, opened the door, slipped out, and closed it—a seamless motion.

In the blink of an eye, the laboratory was again left to Orochimaru… and the Genie.

“Now, do you see reality clearly?”

The butcher and the meat—Orochimaru fell silent for a moment, his consciousness speaking in his mind. “Lamp Genie, what is it you want?”

“As the Genie, I am here for only one thing…”

“To grant your wish for immortality!”