I cannot kill you, but I will starve you

From the Warring States period down to the present day, the ninja world has witnessed three large-scale wars, fraught with backstabbing, scheming, and bloodshed, staging countless soul-stirring and tragic tales.

Yet, though billed as wars of the ninja world, they were, in truth, merely wars waged by shinobi.

It was not that ordinary commoners were entirely unaffected—tragedies like the wrongful murder of Nagato's parents were far from isolated incidents within the broader picture. Generally speaking, however, shinobi fought only shinobi. This had been the case throughout the era of the Five Great Shinobi Nations as well as the preceding Warring States period.

Shinobi were not rulers, but mercenaries who sold their martial prowess.

This presented a stark contrast to what the Genie had witnessed in other worlds.

——Individuals possessing transcendent abilities were hired by a group of ordinary mortals, and yet they slaughtered one another merely to contend for market share?

While this sounded somewhat absurd, the ninja world had its own unique domestic conditions, and upon deeper contemplation, the Genie had actually deduced some of the underlying reasons.

In the era of Princess Kaguya, all of humanity consisted of her subjects, and back then, there was no distinction between shinobi and ordinary people.

Shinobi only came into being after the Sage of Six Paths founded the Shinobi Sect.

At that time, influenced by the Sage, these shinobi who could control wind and manipulate water were effectively superior beings. Although they might not have borne the title of rulers in name, in substance there was little difference, making them akin to the shamans and priests of primitive tribes.

Later, as the Sage of Six Paths passed away, Indra and Ashura engaged in bitter strife and combat, splitting the shinobi into two opposing factions.

During this period, ordinary people still remained subordinate to the shinobi.

However, as the conflict escalated further, the means employed by both sides increasingly breached moral bottom lines, and transformation inevitably followed.

The most critical factor among all this was grain.

Perhaps because he hailed from that unnamed Eastern realm, whenever the Genie observed other worlds, he instinctively liked to start thinking from the perspective of 'farming'—or, to use a more elevated term, productive forces.

Grain, and the plants capable of producing it, were extraordinarily fragile—so fragile that a single 'Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!' could reduce months of painstaking labor to ashes.

A jutsu that even a mere genin could perform was all too capable of obliterating the fruits of a community's arduous toil over several months.

To divide one's attention between protecting fertile fields while simultaneously fighting an evenly matched foe was tantamount to courting death.

The Genie surmised that during the era of Indra and Ashura, due to severe food shortages, there must have been a series of incidents where commoners fled en masse.

Ordinary people simply wanted to survive; following these two bosses only meant going hungry, which was clearly unacceptable.

Alternatively, due to food scarcity, these shinobi might have ventured further out to populated areas to trade goods for food, or simply resorted to pillaging.

Yet the latter approach was obviously unviable, as draining the pond to catch fish could not be sustained. Other farming villages, upon hearing such news, might well seek to hire shinobi from opposing factions to protect them or strike back at the aggressors.

...Perhaps there were other intertwining events, but throughout this process, the 'producer' attribute of the shinobi was continually stripped away, while the label of 'mercenary' deepened, eventually evolving into the current reality.

Shinobi were employed by ordinary people out of sheer necessity; they also wished to engage in production, but lacked the capability. The hidden village system was merely the continuation of a series of past concepts and circumstances.

To safeguard their food supplies, shinobi fought only shinobi—an unwritten convention tacitly observed for centuries. Those who dared violate it were merely low-grade shinobi who would quickly be hunted down and exterminated by the major hidden villages.

Yet, reliance inevitably brought constraints. Until shinobi could let go of their hatred, halt their conflicts, or regain the capability to master production rights, mercenary missions had to be fulfilled, and reputation had to be guarded.

Of course, this state of affairs would not persist indefinitely.

The trajectory of human history was invariably governed by cyclical laws. Now that Konoha had 'built high walls,' it was merely a matter of time before it would 'accumulate vast grain reserves and slowly proclaim kingship.'

All it required was for a few ambitious individuals to give it a slight push from behind.

Orochimaru happened to be an ideal candidate; he was the person in the ninja world most likely to successfully transform shinobi into productive forces.

The Genie held high expectations for him.

"This is far too troublesome!"

Orochimaru felt somewhat speechless. He merely felt it absurd that Konoha commanded the most formidable power in the ninja world yet found itself bound hand and foot by endless considerations. Feeling somewhat constrained without any clear solution of his own, he had merely sought to draw some inspiration from the Genie.

He had no intention of accepting an epic quest from the Genie.

To overturn the traditions of the ninja world spanning thousands of years, freeing shinobi from the constraints of the common populace...

To achieve this, eradicating all hidden villages and completely monopolizing the mercenary industry was actually the simplest approach.

As for protecting grain amidst ongoing warfare and forging a new mode of survival, solutions did exist—such as shortening the growth cycle of plants, bestowing Wood Release upon everyone, or establishing ultra-large-scale sealing arrays...

Yet, to truly realize them was, exactly as the Genie had remarked, merely 'easy to say.'

It would be no easier than his own quest for immortality.

"Driving the development of the ninja world through technological reform aligns wonderfully with my aesthetic. Elevating the overall quality of the leeks will also ultimately benefit your path to immortality."

The Genie shrugged. "The other methods are mediocre at best, carrying various pros and cons that require you to weigh them carefully. Of course, you needn't pay any mind to these matters; Hyuga Hizashi is merely yet another casualty of the broader environment. Even if you ignore him, the losses will be negligible."

"There may be no tangible loss, but neither is there any gain, and it would leave my mind unsettled." Orochimaru shook his head instead. "Hyuga Hizashi—I will not let him die like this. I intend to seize this opportunity to fulfill a previously accepted wish."

In Orochimaru's code of conduct, self-interest was a vital criterion of judgment, but it was neither the sole nor the absolute one.

Otherwise, barely a month ago, he would never have permitted Yakushi Kabuto to undergo his explosive transformation.

Although that had successfully allowed Kabuto to assimilate the First Hokage's cells, it had simultaneously cost Orochimaru a precious sage-arts experimental subject.

"Then I wish you success in advance." The Genie smiled. "It's rare to see you so proactive about paying off your debts."

Orochimaru raised an eyebrow in silence, turning his gaze toward Jiraiya.

"To save Hizashi's life is actually quite simple: leak the information to the Kumogakure diplomatic delegation that the Hyuga clan intends to use a pair of twin brothers as a substitute for Hiashi."

The scheme was simple yet potent; its sole difficulty lay in concealing the caged bird curse mark on the forehead, but once leaked in advance, the ruse would be rendered entirely useless.

Tactics, unless aligned with the grand momentum of the times, were doomed to die the moment they saw the light of day.

Jiraiya was initially overjoyed, but his brows quickly knitted together. "This matter is a village secret. To leak it rashly—won't it spell disaster if the culprit is hunted down?"

"Therefore, I do not intend to leak it."

Orochimaru glanced at Jiraiya and smiled. "I merely intend to inform the two elder advisors that this matter has already been leaked."

"What? Could they possibly go to Kumogakure to verify the truth of it?"