Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

Left with no other choice, Hiruko could only miserably come to the central courtyard and make mochi with Kakashi and Shisui.

This is truly a traditionally strenuous task; you can tell just by looking at Kakashi's miserable expression, much like Ace watching Minami Yuko and Taro making mochi together.

Chapter 298

But what could he do? This traditional craft of making rice cakes had always been something that only the two of them could do.

If it were someone else, the flavor would be authentic, and it would be difficult to find that unique charm again.

Time slips away unnoticed; it seems like only a blink of an eye before the sky gradually darkens.

The moonlight, like water, poured down, gently enveloping the vast fields and draping the earth in a silver veil.

Konoha, an organization with a strict tradition of military control, usually falls silent at night, like a sleeping giant.

However, today was quite different from the past. Under Hiruko's meticulous arrangements, three top-notch performance teams entered Konoha's commercial district in a grand procession and began their spectacular performances.

Although this is not Konoha headquarters, the lively atmosphere is in no way diminished.

The children's eyes sparkled with excitement at the sight, and their faces beamed with happy smiles.

Admittedly, in terms of sheer spectacle, these performance groups may not be able to compare with the battles of the ninjas.

But for the children, what truly attracts them is not the performance itself, but the lively, relaxed, and joyful atmosphere.

On this day, their parents no longer had to worry about killing and being killed, and everyone wore a genuine smile.

The performance team also continuously distributed various cute little dolls and gifts, making the children feel as if they were in a dreamy fairy tale world.

This is the happiest thing in the world.

As various fireworks burst into bloom in the sky above Konoha, the entire village was instantly immersed in a sea of ​​joy.

The dazzling fireworks, like giant blooming flowers, illuminated the entire night sky.

"The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of flowers, and blows down stars like rain."

"The road is filled with the fragrance of fine carriages and the sounds of phoenix flutes; the jade pot shines brightly; and fish and dragons dance all night long." At this moment, parents have released all restrictions on their children, allowing them to play and frolic to their heart's content.

Perhaps many years from now, these children will still remember this lively scene vividly; it will be one of the most beautiful memories of their childhood.

While the outside was bustling with excitement, the atmosphere inside the Naruto residence reached its peak.

On the one hand, the children returned home after playing outside, bringing with them the sounds of laughter and joy from outside.

Adults and children gathered at the Hokage's residence, laughing and joking, their cheerful voices echoing in every corner, making the entire residence bustling with excitement.

However, this may be the most relaxed time since the founding of Konoha Village, after all, they are far away from the shadow of war, and their lives are visibly getting better and better.

Everyone's face was filled with a happy smile, as if all their troubles had vanished in that moment.

Unfortunately, as the Hokage's assistant, Hiruko couldn't see the exciting final scene; at the very least, his shadow clones couldn't see it either.

Hiruko is known to dislike using shadow clones, but on this special day, he used one, which is quite unusual for him.

The world is never just about light, and people like him are destined to bear heavy responsibilities, and may even go to hell.

While the crowd was laughing and joking, Hiruko's shadow clone quietly left to meet with some friends.

The first one is a senior advisor from Konoha.

He approached Hiruko with a serious expression, hoping to increase taxes within the Land of Fire.

He didn't give a reason, and Hiruko didn't ask either, although he could roughly guess the reason, which was nothing more than the daimyo wanting to build a few new gardens.

The Land of Fire has recovered well this year, and its economy is gradually prospering. As a result, the daimyo has started to think about enjoying a luxurious life.

However, it is foreseeable that this will encounter a lot of opposition, since the tycoons and landowners are unlikely to pay this amount of money; they will only think about how to protect their own wealth.

Therefore, he hoped to gain Konoha's support and leverage Konoha's prestige to implement this policy.

Of course, in return, he will also support Konoha in some ways to achieve a win-win situation for both sides.

Hiruko nodded, indicating that he understood, his eyes revealing a hint of composure and wisdom.

The second person is Feng Hua Zao Xue.

Following the previous press conference, Konoha has agreed to help Kazahana Hayate eliminate the rebels, but Kazahana Hayate hopes to minimize casualties among the people of the Land of Snow.

So he chose to send a letter of state first, and then ask Beiliuhu to delay sending troops. Beiliuhu readily agreed.

Since he wasn't in a hurry, then Beiliuhu naturally wasn't either. Letting his brothers have a complete New Year was a good thing.

However, this time, Kazama Saki came to see him not for this matter.

With a solemn expression, he inquired about Hiruko's views on the current situation. Clearly, after experiencing her brother's coup, Kazaka Saya had sensed the pulse of the times and realized that the world was undergoing tremendous changes.

Considering the rarity of the opportunity, Hiruko briefly mentioned the advanced offline monarch system to Kazehana Hayabusa.

This superior system was inspired by African rulers who reasoned, "Since I make money in Africa and spend it in London, why don't I just live in London?"

In fact, given the current situation, the countries in the Naruto world are all somewhat moving in that direction. To put it nicely, the rulers are ruling by doing nothing; to put it bluntly, it makes no difference whether they are there or not, and they might even be better off without them, like the Fire Country Daimyo who is always idle.

Unfortunately, the conservative forces were too powerful. Even the industrialists could tolerate having a ruler above them. If these rulers were truly willing to take charge, they would indeed be a very powerful political and economic force.

While ninjas were powerful, their political influence was far less than that of daimyo.

Don't ask why it looks like this. The fact that the First Hokage didn't also serve as the head of the Land of Fire is ridiculous enough.

But the Land of Snow is not the Land of Fire, and Kazahana Hayate is not an ambitious young man like his younger brother. He is just a doting father whose will is not entirely weak.

Now that he has sensed the changes in the world, he might make some concessions for his daughter's sake.

After all, what everyone is fighting over is nothing more than interests. If you're offline, naturally no one will bother you anymore.

If preserving the royal brand brings more tax revenue to the country, why not preserve it?

This not only maintains national stability but also promotes economic development, achieving two goals at once.

Although it's still a long time, and he might never live to see the day when ninjas compete with ordinary people, Hiruko knows very well that this day will come sooner or later, and Konoha, as the strongest ninja village, will inevitably be the leader.

Kazayuki Kazahana is a decent person, someone I can be friends with. Unless absolutely necessary, Hiruko doesn't really want to be his enemy.

Upon hearing Hiruko's words, a hint of hesitation immediately appeared on Kazaka Saya's face.

His eyes revealed a hint of struggle and helplessness, as if he were waging a fierce battle deep within his heart.

“This…the legacy of our ancestors has been entrusted to me…I can’t…I can’t face them after I go to the Pure Land…” Feng Hua Zao Xue said slowly, her voice trembling slightly.

Hiruko had long anticipated this outcome; the hardest thing to change is a person's thoughts and beliefs, especially those formed after adulthood.

Even someone as easy to talk to as Kazama Satsuki, who had saved Konoha's life, was so difficult to persuade; one can only imagine how hard it was to convince the other rulers who truly held real power.

The outcome will inevitably be a physical critique. Fortunately, Hiruko never intended to succeed from the beginning; he was merely planting a seed so that Hasehana would have something to look forward to.

If he is truly willing to go offline, that would be ideal, as it would set a good example for others.

If he ultimately... well, there's nothing that can be done about it.

The tide of the times is surging in, and everyone can only forge ahead; those who cannot move forward will be eliminated.

He had already said that if the worst-case scenario still occurred, then it could only be said that it was fate.

Both of them knew the matter was sensitive, so they didn't delve into it further and casually changed the subject.

A tacit understanding was revealed in their eyes, as if they both understood each other's thoughts.

"The Fifth Hokage (Tsunade) and the Fourth Hokage (Minato Namikaze) are ruling together. You are known for your insightful judgment. In your opinion, who is the hero of the world today?" Kazahana Hayate suddenly asked, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

Bei Liu Hu knew that Feng Hua Zao Xue had developed the idea of ​​adopting a son-in-law.

It's still too difficult for a female protagonist to rule a country, and Feng Hua Zaoxue is a doting father who naturally hopes that his daughter can have an easier life.

As for the idea of ​​marrying his daughter off to another family, he never had such a thought. He was the only son of his kind, and if he didn't take in a son-in-law or adopt a son, wouldn't the family line end?

As for the relationship between her daughter and son-in-law, that's not a big problem. At worst, we can just take in a few outstanding young men and put them around her. She can choose whichever one she ultimately falls in love with. That's the power of a princess.

Hiruko knew that this was a great opportunity. If Naruto and Kazahana Koyuki were to become friends, it would be equivalent to directly binding the Land of Snow to Konoha's war machine.

In the original work, Kazeka Koyuki is the most beautiful girl. How could a female celebrity be ugly? After she grows up, her personality is also not bad. From any perspective, she is quite outstanding.

However, he didn't do that. There were no political or economic considerations involved; he simply didn't want to force Naruto. You can't force a relationship. A wife is someone you're going to spend your whole life with, and Konoha wasn't so desperate that it had to rely on an arranged marriage to survive.

The ultimate strength of Sasuke and Naruto allows them to freely have a pure love without any impurities. No matter who Naruto likes, his uncle can always lend a hand. Kakashi can't either. Hiruko prefers him to be the Sixth Hokage because he is the most despicable among his peers. The Sixth Hokage really doesn't need to become someone's son-in-law or adopted son.

and so……

"Asuma of the Sarutobi clan is skilled in both literature and martial arts, and is extremely handsome," Hiruko said slowly, a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Asma's situation is similar to Jia Baoyu's. They both seem impressive, but in reality, if you strip away the veneer of the Duke's mansion, Jia Baoyu is just the son of the second son of the second son. It's only because his grandmother is still alive and he has a concubine sister that he can get a small share of the property. Otherwise, if the family were to separate, he would at most get a tiny bit of property, and he could forget about any political status.

Asuma is better than Jia Baoyu in that he is truly capable, but in order to maintain fairness, the third generation cannot give him more resources. After all, the Sarutobi family also follows the primogeniture system. Asuma has an older brother, and even if his brother dies, there is still Konohamaru.

From a purely utilitarian perspective, this is a great opportunity for Asuma. With the example of Fuuka Naoto, Fuuka Saya will definitely work hard to cultivate a capable leader for her team, and there is absolutely no need to worry about resources. With this resource support, Asuma may be able to climb even higher, both in terms of personal strength and status.

Of course, Hiruko knew that Asuma, given his personality, might not be willing to live off such a woman, but with the opportunity presented, as the Shadow's support, he had to seize it. "I'll help you get the opportunity; it's your business if you don't want it."

“Asuma… I do occasionally hear his name,” said Kazahana Hayate thoughtfully, a hint of consideration in her eyes.

It seems that Kazama Sayasu hasn't been wasting her time in Konoha; she's probably gathered some information. "It's just that the Sarutobi family has been loyal for generations, and I don't want to take what belongs to someone else." Saying she doesn't want to take what belongs to someone else simply means she doesn't want to. Hiruko pondered for a moment, then thought of another one.

"Then, Konoha still has a few promising young talents..." Hiruko continued, a hint of anticipation in his eyes.

Konoha does indeed have many young masters, and most of them are unmarried. Most importantly, they are all close to the Hokage's lineage. There's no way around it; once they've taken this position, their motives can't be pure.

To be honest, all the people recommended by Hiruko were quite outstanding. There were no mediocre ones; they were all true heroes who had experienced war. The only problem was that they were a few years older than Fuuka Koyuki, but that wasn't a big issue. They could wait. Even if there were no feelings between them now, young girls always liked heroes. After a few years of training, they would be a good couple.

However, as Hiruko kept mentioning names, Kazahana Sayuse shook her head each time, her eyes revealing a hint of determination, as if she already had her own plans.

This won't work, that won't work, who exactly do you want as your son-in-law? Isn't it someone from Konoha?

Why are you asking me if you're not from Konoha? I can't exactly say Killer Bee, can I?

The people he just mentioned are all true elites, and some might even be willing to marry into the family. Or are you perhaps interested in Payne? That's a bit too simplistic.

Hiruko pondered to himself, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

In short, Hiruko and Kazaka Sayuki talked for a long time, but they couldn't reach a consensus. Hiruko really couldn't figure out what kind of person he wanted as a son-in-law. Finally, they stopped talking and politely dispersed. Their figures gradually disappeared in the moonlight, leaving only a silent night sky.

Chapter 299 The Industrial Revolution

The last person Hiruko met was a representative of the industrial faction. It wasn't that he disrespected this bigwig, but rather that the bigwig himself was very busy and couldn't spare the time. In the end, he didn't arrive until almost midnight.

"I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."