048 The Knife Skills of the Leek Harvester Grow Ever More Exquisite

"As I said before, as a genie, I am not one for combat."
Yet you fought, wielding a sword, and felled the Fourth Raikage. Had you not held back, a single stroke would have severed him at the waist.
Orochimaru eyed the genie sideways, suspicion clouding his gaze, as if doubting every word previously uttered.
"Don't be like that. As a proper genie, I've never deceived my host."
At most, I may obscure or conceal the truth, the genie chuckled. "This time is different because you made a wish..."
"Wait, a wish? I didn't—you're making things up."
Orochimaru denied it outright, his refusal swift and resolute.
His reaction was understandable; from the very start, he'd listened to the three types of genies the other had described.
Fulfilling a wish always came at a price. Clearly, this fellow was not one to squander his own power, and the events that had transpired were far beyond mere information sharing.
"Your wish was 'to hold off the Fourth Raikage single-handedly.'"
Ignoring Orochimaru's protests, the genie continued, "To fulfill your wish, I harnessed my powers and made some technical adjustments, refining and condensing the combat experience and abilities of former hosts into a unique skill."
"This skill is no longer bound by genie powers; it is mine alone."
"I call it a character card. With it, I gained the ability to grant your wish."
The genie waved his hand, and smoke gathered in the air to form a square frame, inside which appeared the photograph of a radiant, broad-foreheaded youth.
"Setting aside the details, your wish is fulfilled, and I have acquired a new ability. Truly, a perfect outcome for us both."
"But I pay the price?" Orochimaru's voice rose sharply. "This is clearly the trickery of a false god."
"What else did you expect?"
The genie tilted his head, feigning innocence. "If I didn't know such tricks, how could I call myself a proper genie?"
Hearing this unabashed declaration, Orochimaru's lips twitched, his gaze cold as he regarded the genie.
"Relax, I'm not a real false god. As for the price..."
"You bear it yourself?"
"Joking, of course it's you."
The genie rolled his eyes, inwardly disdainful. How could he possibly suffer a loss for the likes of Orochimaru?
"I've prepared a little debt-repayment package for you, to replace the original price. In fact, you might find this arrangement quite enjoyable."
Burdened with a debt out of nowhere, Orochimaru's expression remained icy, devoid of any hint of joy.
But as it concerned his own interests, he suppressed his displeasure and asked, "What exactly is the price?"

The genie smiled. "What do you think could replace the price of a wish?"
"Jewels? Money? Rare minerals? Beauties and wine? Wealth and power? Or your body and soul?"
"No, these are worthless to me, things I cannot take from this world. Even your most precious soul is but refuse."
With a meaningful look, the genie declared, "For a genie, the only equivalent value for a wish is another wish!"
Orochimaru paused, thoughtful.
He wanted to ask further, but the genie said that when the time came, understanding would follow naturally.
Since the creditor had spoken, Orochimaru pushed the question aside, secretly hoping that moment would never arrive.
...
In a cave near the border of the Land of Fire.
Obito, masked and silent, sat in the shadows, staring at the patch of sunlight at the cave’s entrance, lost in thought.
At that moment, two enormous pitcher plant leaves slowly rose beside him, revealing in their center a singular face—half white, half black, bizarre and sinister.
Without turning, Obito asked, "Zetsu, what’s the situation now?"
"The Cloud forces have completely withdrawn from the Land of Fire."
With half his body still beneath the earth, Zetsu replied, "They’re resting in the Land of Hot Water for now, but soon they’ll return to the Land of Lightning."
"I see," Obito answered indifferently, seemingly unconcerned.
White Zetsu clicked his tongue. "This is not what you expected."
The Cloud was defeated too quickly. From the start of the war to their withdrawal, barely a week had passed.
Obito’s eyes narrowed. "I didn’t expect Orochimaru to be so powerful."
With Tsunade gone, Jiraiya out of the village, and Orochimaru preoccupied with jutsu, after Obito regained his memory, the Sannin’s presence in Leaf had greatly diminished.
Furthermore, after Orochimaru failed to become Hokage, he seemed swept aside by the new generation, making Obito underestimate him even more. Yet now, Orochimaru had nearly single-handedly turned the tide of war.
"What do we do now?" White Zetsu asked bluntly. "With Orochimaru here, the war can’t go on."
Obito was silent for a moment, then said, "Go gather intelligence on the Cloud. I already have an idea for our next move."
"Alright."
Zetsu began retracting his leaves to sink underground, but then Obito asked, "That Uchiha who used Susanoo—did you find out who he is?"
Zetsu recalled, "His name is Shisui. But I also heard that something’s wrong with his eyes."
"Is that so?"

Obito’s expression shifted. Every pair of Mangekyo Sharingan possessed unique abilities, even he could not ignore them.
However, if the owner overused their ocular powers and their vision declined or even went blind—
"Watch for news on that front as well."
...
Inside the Leaf stronghold.
After some rest, the Uchiha who had summoned the giant snakes on the battlefield was brought to the medical ward.
Orochimaru untied the temporary contracts one by one, erasing the curse marks used to store chakra on them.
As the chakra returned, Orochimaru’s aura grew stronger, while the Uchiha found themselves unable to endure.
Even though Orochimaru did nothing else, merely withdrawing his chakra left them mentally wounded, and they collapsed unconscious to the floor.
The waiting medical-nin promptly placed them on hospital beds.
With the last curse mark removed, Orochimaru exhaled deeply and gazed upward, where a translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
On it was a detailed list of nearly all his usable abilities, as well as every passive skill.
His state was described through multidimensional data: strength, constitution, intelligence, health, mana, and more.
This was the genie’s newly developed ability, a system interface, and Orochimaru was its first host.
After grasping the meaning of each term, Orochimaru asked mentally, "Are these numbers accurate?"
"Well, it’s just the beginning, so there will be some errors. But the universal stats across worlds are fairly precise."
The genie hovered in the air, pointing to one entry. "For example, soul strength. Among all my hosts, your score is truly pitiful."
"And what of it?" With no universal standard, Orochimaru had no concept of its significance, assuming it was due to world differences.
"Let me think. A low soul strength means you’re easily charmed."
The genie rubbed his chin and smiled. "In ninja terms, it means you’re susceptible to genjutsu."
"In any case, I find your score far too low. So, what do you say? Want to test it out—maybe with a few Uchiha jonin?"
Orochimaru's eyes flickered, and he nodded.