Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

—I have to say, these middle-aged women are really something else.

In theory, senior Jonin are not responsible to the people when voting.

However, it is undeniable that when many people start to dislike Shirahiro Sora, even the veteran Jonin have to consider the cost of continuing to support him... Grandpa has always been biased, and while the juniors may not dare to say it, they will have their own opinions.

"By me... is it a televised speech?" Mei Terumi asked with a determined look in her eyes.

"Well, I really can't help with that. You'll have to rely on yourself." Hiruko shrugged.

“Okay…” Mei Terumi took a deep breath. “I understand.”

……

Bai Lu Kongming has recently suffered a lot of public criticism.

Of course, Hiruko swore that the public opinion pressure outside the Land of Fire was not arranged by him, but was entirely the spontaneous action of other countries.

The Sand Village and the Land of Wind might give him some face, but as for other countries, how could they possibly help him like that... It's just that the Black Mist Village doesn't want to let go of any opportunity that comes their way.

In truth, this is also a problem left behind by Yagura.

From the perspective of the ninja village, Yagura did a great job during the Fourth Shinobi World War, securing considerable benefits for Kirigakure, but this also offended the other four great nations.

There was no chance before, but now... you've finally fallen into my hands... They're targeting Bai Lu Kongming, but the entire Wuyin is affected.

The joke about your eldest son being a pig will probably not go away easily even after hundreds of years.

As for why they didn't touch Mei Terumi... it would be more advantageous for them if Mei Terumi came to power.

This can be considered an inherent prejudice.

There are quite a few female Kage-level shikigami in Naruto.

However, there are only three female shadows from beginning to end—Tsunade, Mei Terumi, and Kurotsuchi, who is jokingly referred to as the "leg shadow."

Tsunade had no ambition. In the original story, she became Hokage only because she had no other choice and was forced to take on the responsibility due to the circumstances.

Now that Hiruko is managing all affairs in Konoha in an orderly manner, and Kakashi is one of her own, Tsunade is naturally happy to have some free time and will no longer go to be that busy Kage.

Instead of spending time working overtime on government affairs, she might as well play a couple of rounds of mahjong to relax.

Leg Shadow Kurotsuchi is considered a junior; in terms of seniority, she's not even considered a loli yet.

Mei Terumi can be considered the first female Mizukage.

In this era where the remnants of the Warring States period still linger, if a woman wants to rise to prominence in the upper echelons of the ninja world, she... well, she'll definitely be looked down upon.

This is a huge disadvantage for Mei Terumi, because some people will not accept her, especially when her strength and prestige are not enough.

But at the same time, the enemy's contempt also presents her with her best opportunity.

As a research ninja, Hiruko is devoted to scientific research, but she also has her own methods in political intrigue.

His series of reckless actions left Bai Lu Kongming completely bewildered.

However, this Bailu Kongming is getting on in years, and his ability to cultivate his inner strength is truly remarkable.

Other young men, after being treated like this by Hiruko, would definitely have rushed up to fight him, but he held back.

He even turned the tables and used Hiruko's underhanded tactics to filter out those who might have had opinions about him, effectively "purifying" his fanbase.

In his view, the number of people is not important; what matters is being able to ignore logic, make a significant breakthrough at a crucial moment, and firmly support those who stand by him.

As a result, the absolute number of supporters of Bailu Kongming decreased, but their loyalty actually increased.

This made Hiruko look at him with newfound respect.

However, as Hiruko himself said, he was ultimately an outsider.

He can help temporarily, but only Mei Terumi herself can truly defeat Shirahiro Soumei.

...If things could have dragged on for a few more months, the powerful figures behind the Coca-Cola factory would have started to exert their influence, and the situation would have been much better. Unfortunately, Yagura couldn't afford to wait that long any longer; this was the only option available...

In short, amidst much anticipation, the first-ever Mizukage television debate, which was also the first village kage election in the history of the Naruto world, began.

In order to boost viewership, even other countries actively broadcast the conference.

Then, the beautiful and youthful Mei Terumi from the Land of Water utterly annihilated Shirahiro Soumei on television.

Even Hiruko had to admit that Shiratsuyu Soumei was quite capable for daring to come out and make a choice.

Having come from the bottom, he has experience and ideas, which resonate with the sentiments of those at the bottom.

Aside from being a bit ugly, there was nothing wrong with his speech.

If they were competing in the same arena, Terumi Mei would definitely be no match for him... but right now, Terumi Mei has a lot of capital backing her.

Mei Terumi didn't talk about sentimentality or the plight of the lower classes; she went straight to the PPT that Hiruko had written for her and started talking about money, new industrial jobs, and regional development.

As a research ninja, Hiruko deeply understands the importance of combining science and technology with industry. In his PowerPoint presentation, he elaborates on how to use scientific research results to promote the economic development of Kirigakure.

Bai Lu Kongming couldn't discuss this, because as a traditional ninja, he was unlikely to attract the attention of large corporations.

The elders who supported him would not allow him to ally with big capital.

But Mei Terumi is different.

With the business plan written by Hiruko, many big bosses chose to support her—bosses never mind making an initial investment... as long as you can actually make them profit.

She even touched on the issue of female self-reliance—in terms of numbers, there are certainly fewer female ninjas than male ninjas, but those who can become female ninjas in this era all have a certain degree of perseverance in their character.

And Mei Terumi... she wants to be the first female Kage.

With such support from my friends, of course they had to lend a hand.

Compared to Shirahiro Sora, the female ninjas definitely preferred Terumi Mei.

Of course, there's another crucial point... the lighting technician.

One is a beautiful goddess bathed in light.

One was a smelly old man with a hawk-like gaze, illuminated by the lights... After their first televised speech, their approval ratings completely reversed.

Despite being younger and less experienced, Mei Terumi has begun to suppress Soraki Hakusuke.

However, Bai Lu Kongming was quite resilient. The others had been suppressed so badly that their mentality had long since been ruined, but this guy just stubbornly held on, refusing to give up or make any rash moves.

Not only that, he also began to imitate Mei Terumi, launching attacks on her through public opinion.

The most classic slut-shaming is coming soon.

Especially her relationship with Hiruko, since Hiruko, as a research ninja, often discussed development plans with Terumi Mei and had a lot of contact with her.

This put a lot of pressure on Mei Terumi, but she withstood it and began to fight back again.

During this period, Hiruko did not make a move.

This is both to keep the promises made by both parties, and at the same time... no matter how the two fight, it is Kirigakure's prestige that will ultimately be lost, and the only ones watching the fun are foreigners like them, so why is he in such a hurry... outsiders are practically publicizing her and Hiruko as a couple.

His wives are all still in a stable mood, there's really no need to rush... Mei Terumi obviously knows Hiruko's sinister intentions, but apart from chasing Hiruko for dozens of streets with newspapers in hand, she doesn't have any good solutions.

At this point... even if she wanted to stop, she couldn't, because people's will wouldn't change just because one person appeared.

She even knew that the Daimyo of the Land of Water had clearly expressed his dissatisfaction... Fortunately, the worst had not happened.

As the final voting day drew closer, the struggle between the two sides intensified, and a respected elder from the Hidden Mist Village finally stepped forward.

At this time, there were still eight Jonin who had not voted, and he was the oldest among them. The others trusted him very much.

The elderly elder stopped the farce from escalating further.

"You two, you'd better stop now!"

"Yagura, I don't blame you for what happened before. After all, everyone makes mistakes sometimes. But do you have to completely humiliate Kirigakure and lose all the remaining face you have left before you're happy?" Before Yagura could answer, the elder glared at Shirahiro Soumei.

"And you, don't think I know nothing about your affair with Iwagakure!" After saying this, the elder took a deep breath, composed himself, and stated his demands.

"I don't care what you're thinking, I absolutely cannot let Kirigakure's prestige continue to decline... Listen to me, whoever can make Kirigakure strong again, we will support them!"

"And now... you all know that something's happened in Takigakure recently, right? Whoever takes care of Takigakure, we'll vote for them!"

Takigakure... the Takigakure that just lost its tailed beast... Under the combined pressure of the elders of Kirigakure, regardless of their true feelings, the final requirement for this Mizukage election became eliminating Takigakure.

—At this moment, the vote of the eight senior Jonin is enough to determine the next Mizukage.

Mei Terumi breathed a sigh of relief.

After all, while Hiruko was helping her, she was also steadily diminishing Kirigakure's prestige.

Prestige is an ethereal thing, but it certainly exists.

It is extremely difficult to obtain, but extremely easy to lose.

While adhering to his beliefs, Hiruko also didn't hesitate to display his despicable methods.

This guy is simply the most contradictory person in the world.

Or perhaps that's just who he is—a free spirit who doesn't care about what others think.

Chapter 456

If he hadn't done so many outrageous things, pursuing any girl would have been a piece of cake...including even Mei Terumi.

During her recent trip with Hiruko, while being amazed by the unfathomable depths of his ruthlessness, Terumi Mei was also somewhat attracted to him.

After all, at his age, with his abilities, and in his position, he is truly one of a kind in the entire world.

It's hard for her not to notice someone so outstanding and dazzling.

But he refused.

...This guy is really like Yagura, someone you can love and hate at the same time.

The elders' demands cast a shadow over what had been an increasingly clear election.

However… after adjusting her mood, Mei Terumi quickly embarked on her journey to Takigakure.

Because of the accumulation over the years, Kirigakure actually has a lot of important information about Takigakure.

However, the theft of the Seven-Tails is a very serious matter and cannot be taken lightly.

Mei Terumi was busy with the election and didn't have time to pay attention to outside affairs.

Now that two unrelated things have become connected, for safety's sake, Mei Terumi still thinks it's better to go in person.

Some things can never be fully understood without seeing them with your own eyes.