Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

That was the happiest time of the young lady's life.

However, Bai Lu Kongming eventually found out about this. Not only was he unhappy, he sent people to kill the mother and son.

With the help of professional ninjas, the weak mother and child, who had no chakra, were naturally no match for them.

The ninja quickly found the two hiding in the dilapidated, dark hut. But just as the ninja was about to succeed, the child suddenly snatched the kunai from the ninja's hand and resolutely committed suicide in front of the ninja. Blood splattered on the ninja's face as he begged the ninja to spare his mother's life.

It just so happens that the ninja had also survived because his mother had sacrificed herself in his early years.

Seeing this scene now brings back a flood of memories from back then.

So he only cut off the child's head, and surprisingly spared the young lady's life, finding a way to use another head he had prepared beforehand to make up the difference.

The ninja let her go, but she couldn't let herself go.

Having finally emerged from the shadows of the past, she truly couldn't bear the pain of losing her son.

Just at this crucial moment, the bathroom she relied on for a living collapsed, and the young lady, who already had no special skills, eventually... went insane.

She was mentally unstable all day long, with her hair disheveled and her clothes tattered. She roamed the streets, surviving on the occasional charity from kind-hearted people.

That is to say, the war is over now; otherwise, given her current condition, she would have died long ago.

Even so, anyone who sees the once gentle and virtuous young lady in this state would feel a pang of pity...

Bai Lu Kongming carefully read the news in front of him... no, it should be the novel.

As a research ninja, Hiruko not only has outstanding talent in the field of scientific research, but also has a knack for manipulating words. This article was carefully crafted by him.

"It's very well written." Bai Lu Kongming was no longer a young man. Even though he was being slandered like this, he wasn't angry. Instead, he praised it.

He knew in his heart that there must be a complicated scheme behind Beiliuhu's move, but he remained calm and composed on the surface.

"I wonder if this editor would be willing to switch jobs? I think we can spend a lot of money to poach him."

Because of Bai Lu Kongming's composure and calmness, Elder Wuyin's doubts gradually disappeared. After all, this article was so well written that it hit the nail on the head, making everyone's blood pressure rise.

Ninjas are human too, and naturally, they are easily moved by this article... Many of the things described in the article are things that many ninjas have personally experienced, making it very easy for them to empathize...

"You really didn't do this?" Elder Wuyin stared intently at Bailu Kongming.

"Your Excellency, you know my family situation. I only have one adopted son, and no other relatives."

If I really have a biological son outside, why wouldn't I bring him back?

"I'm a Jonin, after all. Can't I even afford this little bit of money?" Hakuro Sora explained sincerely.

“You’re right… but now that this matter has been reported in the newspapers, it will probably spread among the people very quickly, and the worst part is…” Elder Wuyin turned on the television.

The news being broadcast on television was similar to that in the newspapers.

Of course, the descriptions on television are much more elegant than those in tabloids, but the general content is the same.

However, for Bai Lu Kongming, this was not the most critical issue.

If it were that bastard from Konoha, it would be normal for him to do something like this.

The most crucial point is that the media of the four major countries are all reporting on this matter, but the Land of Water is the only one that isn't... Kirigakure actually has a certain amount of influence in the Land of Water, and if Kirigakure needs help, the media of the Land of Water would most likely be willing to assist.

The problem this time is that Bailu Kongming didn't ask them to stop... Why does it seem like Bailu Kongming is deliberately blocking the news?

“…Oh no.” Bai Lu Kongming, who had been able to enjoy reading the short essay just moments before, suddenly clenched his fist.

……

In the Hokage's office, Mei Terumi leaned on her desk, staring intently at Hiruko with the look of someone eyeing a rare animal.

As a research ninja, Hiruko usually spends most of her time in the laboratory, dealing with various instruments and data. It is quite unexpected that she would suddenly display such methods in the battle of public opinion.

Not long ago, Hiruko decided to take action against Shiratsuyu Sora.

Then, in front of Mei Terumi, Hiruko demonstrated what it means to distort the truth.

Bai Lu Kongming has been living in dire straits lately.

Konoha didn't send a single soldier, yet they managed to give him a complete headache.

Recently, there has been a constant stream of negative news about Bailu Kongming.

This includes, but is not limited to, an incident during a public campaign event in the Land of Water where a dozen children of various skin colors rushed up to him, hugged his legs, and called him "Dad." It must be said that Shirahiro Sora's reaction was quite quick; he actually stopped the ninjas around him from roughly pushing the children away, otherwise Hiruko would have had more to write about.

Of course, it would be the same if he didn't push him away.

As a research ninja, Hiruko was well aware of human weaknesses. He cleverly used these children to create a seemingly unsolvable public opinion crisis for Shirogane Sora.

Secondly, a low-class actress from the Land of Wind claimed that she had a one-night stand with Bai Lu Kongming.

At the time, for various reasons, the other party did not know Bai Lu Kongming's identity, and she did not ask for money. Now, she would like to trouble Mr. Bai Lu Kongming to settle the outstanding debts.

The court in the Land of Wind has accepted the case.

Admittedly, the judges of the Land of Wind couldn't possibly go to the Land of Water to arrest someone, but that didn't stop them from listing Hakuhei Soumei as an unfriendly individual—it would be ridiculous if the future Mizukage were blacklisted by the Land of Wind.

No one has ever been blacklisted by a major power.

Even if they were previously at war, a major power will not blacklist a single person.

Even people like Beiliuhu.

If Bai Lu Kongming were to ultimately become Shui Ying, he would be the first person in history to be forever nailed to the pillar of historical shame.

The Land of Fire goes even further, with a certain restaurant explicitly stating that they absolutely respect Mr. Bai Lu Kongming's XP freedom.

But no matter what, the pig's head is the property of their restaurant, and the matter of having sex with a pig is, in any case,... Anyway, please ask Mr. Bailu Kongming to return the pig's head.

Of course, paying back the money is also an option.

After all, the customer is king.

As a research ninja, Hiruko had unique insights into the dissemination of information and the guidance of public opinion. The events he meticulously planned were like an invisible net, tightly binding Shirogane Soryu.

The Land of Earth was relatively mild-mannered, but still asked if they could take responsibility for a minor theft case from thirty years ago... It didn't mean anything by it, after all, who doesn't make mistakes?

As long as the compensation is paid, people won't hold the mistakes made when he was young too against him... In no time, Bai Lu Kongming's reputation was practically ruined.

Words like "bastard," "insect," and "parasite" are too elegant to be applied to him.

Aside from the Land of Lightning and the Land of Water, he was cursed everywhere.

The reason why the Land of Lightning is so calm is not because it dislikes kicking someone when they're down, but mainly because the Hidden Cloud Village is currently in a rather special state—the conservatives and reformers in the Hidden Cloud Village are fighting even more fiercely than those in the Hidden Mist Village, and they simply don't have the energy to care about the Mizukage election.

After Ruko pointed out the existence of the chakra cannon, the two factions immediately became irreconcilable enemies.

Both sides exercised their utmost restraint, but everyone knew that this matter wouldn't end until a life-or-death struggle, a real battle to produce a Raikage... As for why there was no news from the Land of Water... of course, it was Hiruko's doing.

He deliberately didn't release any information in the Land of Water, leading those interested in the matter to search for information abroad.

Humans have always been like this: they don't care much about things that are easily obtained.

They would rather believe the truth that was clearly embellished, but which they themselves had gathered.

Chapter 455

Of course, none of the above are the reasons why Terumi Mei is staring so intently at Hiruko.

"Did you really write this article yourself?" In the current situation, Bai Lu Kongming can be said to be surrounded by enemies, with almost every major power making its own response.

However, in Terumi Mei's view, what was truly deadly was not those news stories that were baseless no matter how you looked at them, but the short essay that Hiruko had written in the tabloids before.

Well... when Mei Terumi watched it for the first time, she was really angry and wanted to strangle Sora Shirahiro.

The simple words touched the softest spot in her heart, making her uncontrollably furious.

She didn't doubt Hiruko's writing skills; as a research ninja, Hiruko possessed rigorous thinking and excellent expression abilities. However… his writing was so realistic, could it be…

“I wrote it, so what?” Hiruko said casually.

"Then that young lady, and her child..." Mei Terumi stared sharply at Hiruko.

"She did indeed have a child, and she was indeed killed by a passing ninja because of some argument."

But from beginning to end, she was just a prostitute, not some young lady... I just embellished it for artistic purposes, don't believe everything I say." Hiruko explained with a laugh.

Hearing Hiruko say that, Terumi Mei's mood actually improved a little.

"Is this a lie...? So, she wasn't abandoned in the first place? Then what about her child..."

"He's just an ordinary child, nothing special."

"It's just bad luck... We were at war back then... There was no way we could control those rogue ninjas." Hiruko shook his head helplessly.

"Phew...that's good." Mei Terumi patted her chest, temporarily letting Hiruko go.

But she soon remembered something else.

"Wait, with such a complicated persona, how did you find her so quickly... And if I'm not mistaken, you must have given her some training to make her look like a former rich girl in order to deceive others, right?"

Bei Liu laughed without saying a word.

Yagura, with a senbei (rice cracker) in his mouth, raised his hand.

"Don't overthink it. This was something this guy was going to leave for me, but I'm not doing it right now... so I'll let Bai Lu Kongming enjoy it."

Mei Terumi thought to herself that the young boy Mizukage and the well-built older sister Ryuuyou felt a little strange.

She pondered for a long time before finally dispelling the strange thought in her mind.

"So, you're planning to use this little trick to deal with Bai Lu Kongming?"

"How could that be? These are just dirt on you at best, they can only add a little flavor to the story. If you want to make a final decision, you'll have to rely on yourself," Hiruko said seriously.

As a research ninja, he knew that public opinion was just a means to an end, and the real victory or defeat still depended on strength and strategy.

To be honest, even Hiruko didn't expect that the public opinion effect of this era would be so good.

Perhaps Hiruko's short essay was too touching, immediately striking a chord with those madams—never underestimate a woman's empathy, and the power of pillow talk.

Perhaps because television media still carries a lot of credibility in this era, when people receive a piece of news from television, their first reaction is not whether the news is true or false, but rather to start commenting and making judgments. There's no way around it; people in this era don't have the habit of letting things play out before they're discussed, like young office workers on Earth.

Of course, it's also possible that Bai Lu Kongming's enemies are taking the opportunity to stir things up—after all, he's not a small fry; it's impossible for everyone to like him.

Even Hiruko couldn't do such a thing.

In conclusion, this propaganda war was very effective.

There were no opinion polls at this time, but in the incomplete survey conducted by Hiruko using the power of Konoha, Shirasagi Soumei lost at least 20% of his support due to the previous media offensive.