"Hmph. Just as you said, this village truly has fallen into decadence."
Gazing at the ninjas passing by on the streets, their faces and eyes devoid of any vitality, filled only with numbness and despair, Madara's voice dripped with contempt and disdain.
One must remember that when he and Hashirama Senju joined forces to establish the village, Konoha was the undisputed strongest organization in the entire shinobi world. Even if all the remaining hidden villages had united, they would have been nothing more than punching bags.
Who could have imagined that in just a few short decades, the Konoha of old, once glorious and mighty, would vanish, replaced by an all-encompassing aura of decay?
"Indeed. Ever since Hashirama's younger brother, Tobirama, passed away, the entirety of Konoha has been sucked into a vortex of factionalism and political infighting, unable to extricate itself. Several crises have even broken out because of it. If not for this environment, Obito's plan would never have succeeded," Black Zetsu chimed in with a smirk.
"The Third and Danzo were both disciples raised by that despicable wretch, Tobirama. It's hardly surprising they've managed to turn Konoha into this mess."
Madara's loathing and hatred for the Second Hokage was absolute. After all, if not for Tobirama Senju, his brother Izuna would never have died; perhaps Izuna might even have become the First Hokage of Konoha.
Unfortunately, all of that had ultimately turned to ash because of one man.
Black Zetsu, clearly well-versed in the grievances between the two, deliberately egged him on: "Why not take this opportunity to destroy the village? Konoha has reached a point where it would collapse with just a gentle push. With your strength, it would likely take only ten minutes to make it disappear entirely."
But Madara shook his head. "No. I have no interest in bullying a group of juniors. Let Konoha slowly wither away in its own rot and decadence."
Having said his piece, he turned to leave without hesitation, intending to visit the Valley of the End once more to reminisce about his old friend, Hashirama Senju.
Watching Madara's nostalgic, old-man act, a flash of mockery crossed Black Zetsu's eyes, though it vanished instantly, replaced by his usual mask.
As the culprit who had personally ignited the hatred between Indra and Asura back then, he had witnessed the struggle of their chakra in nearly every reincarnation. He knew exactly how obsessed Madara was with defeating his fated rival.
It was precisely by exploiting this obsession that he had finally pushed the plan to rescue his mother into its final stage.
This represented over a thousand years of enduring humiliation and heavy burdens!
Of course, if Allen were here, he would certainly mock Black Zetsu as a useless failure.
You spent over a thousand years hiding in corners, watching the reincarnations of the Sage of the Six Paths' two sons fight each other, and did absolutely nothing else?
However, in Black Zetsu's eyes, it was his very caution that had allowed the Eye of the Moon plan to proceed so smoothly. Furthermore, both he and Kaguya possessed the trait of immortality; time held no meaning for them.
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, Allen had just finished explaining to Orochimaru this era of upheaval, a saga spanning thousands of years triggered by an invasive species. He summarized it in one sentence: "The so-called ninjas are, in reality, the disciples and descendants of the Ninshū sect founded by the Sage of the Six Paths. Therefore, you can view the Great Ninja Wars entirely as an internal struggle within Ninshū."
"I see. No wonder I frequently discovered very similar genetic factors while researching Kekkei Genkai," Orochimaru's eyes sparkled with excitement.
He couldn't help it.
As a man dedicated to learning every Jutsu and Kekkei Genkai in existence, he had finally peeled back the layers of mist today to identify his ultimate goal.
It wasn't the Uchiha, the Senju, the Hyuga, or the Uzumaki, it was the source of all those bloodlines: Hagoromo, the Sage of the Six Paths, and his mother, Kaguya, the Progenitor of Chakra in this world.
At this thought, Orochimaru flicked out his long, thin tongue and licked his lips, offering a proposal: "I can help you use Reanimation Jutsu to resurrect the First, Second, and Fourth Hokages. But on one condition: I want a piece of the flesh of the Sage of the Six Paths' mother for research at the end."
"Deal!" Allen agreed without a second thought.
He knew perfectly well that a man like Orochimaru would never help him for nothing; a transaction was the best way to handle him.
"Hehe, I knew you'd agree. I look forward to a pleasant cooperation."
"Likewise."
The two men shook hands firmly once again.
Though, the last time they had collaborated, the end result was Orochimaru being killed by Sasuke, the very boy Allen had personally raised...
With the agreement reached, Orochimaru immediately sprang into action. He first silently reclaimed control of the First and Second Hokages' Reanimation from Kabuto, and then began searching for the Shinigami Mask left behind by the Uzumaki clan.
Seeing the man busying himself with preparations, a meaningful smile played on Allen's face. He returned to his private room in the Sound Village and directly deleted the Engineering profession from his Hunter interface, replacing it with Blacksmithing.
In the next second...
All the Engineering knowledge in his mind vanished without a trace.
But it didn't matter. He had already made a complete backup. He picked up a dense notebook, nearly ten centimeters thick, and began to re-read and study.
Just as he had predicted, although the system had purged all memory related to Engineering from his brain, these detailed notes allowed him to re-master all the skills.
Specifically, several Engineering gadgets could be operated and used through study even without the profession equipped.
This meant that breaking the limit of two primary professions was not impossible; it simply required a vast amount of time to learn and experiment. Moreover, once learned through this method, he would never have to worry about forgetting them again.
"I really am a genius! From now on, I don't have to make those agonizing choices anymore. As an adult, whether it's Blacksmithing, Engineering, Enchanting, Alchemy, or Leatherworking, I want them all!"
As he spoke, Allen made a grasping motion with both hands, his expression looking every bit like a high-level boss from an evil faction.
To him, the knowledge and technology from the world of Azeroth were far too important. If he could master and integrate them all, he could break the limitations of the game system. He could concoct new potions based on the raw materials available in the current world, forge weapons and gear that met his specific requirements, and enchant his existing equipment.
Any one of these would ensure he could adapt to new environments faster and better. Most importantly, these skills would allow him to disguise himself as a blacksmith, apothecary, or enchanter, identities that were exceptionally easy for the public to accept.
With Engineering swapped for Blacksmithing, Allen immediately poured his energy into the rhythmic clink-clank of the forge.
Since he had saved up a massive hoard of ore and metal bars from previous mining, he reached the level cap of Blacksmithing with little effort. He exhausted every resource to collect all available recipes, recorded every bit of knowledge and insight, and then promptly deleted the skill again.
In the period that followed, he systematically leveled and deleted every primary profession: Alchemy, Enchanting, Tailoring, Leatherworking, Skinning, and Herbalism.
By the end, his pile of notes was staggering. He estimated that learning it all from scratch would take at least seven or eight years of hard work.