Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

After excluding certain arguments that were clearly copied from official sources, Xiao Nan looked worried.

"Kakuzu is being far too reckless..."

Taking money to do things is considered a virtue of ninjas.

However, there are some missions that cannot be accepted... especially as the Akatsuki's reputation grows stronger.

However, Nagato clearly didn't care about this issue.

"That's how rogue ninjas are. Do you expect them to obey the law? As long as they carry out orders, that's enough—you have to give them something in return, otherwise why would they follow us?"

That being said...

"It's alright, I know my limits, and so does Hiruko." Nagato tried to end the conversation with these words.

"You seem to trust him a lot?"

"As for trust, I wouldn't say so. It's just that... This guy is a scoundrel, but he's the only one who can travel with me." Nagato raised his head and stared at the gloomy sky.

"If only Yahiko had been like him back then..."

Konan couldn't imagine what it would be like if the enthusiastic and sunny Yahiko turned into that freak Hiruko... But if Yahiko were as despicable as Hiruko, he would probably be living a good life right now.

Compared to the men's grand dreams, Konan actually hopes that Yahiko and Nagato will live well.

After a few moments of reflection, the two stopped discussing the past and focused on the present.

"Public opinion is very unfavorable to us right now... How should we handle this?"

"Spread the word: our Akatsuki organization is willing to take responsibility for the events in the Land of Waves."

"...Take responsibility? You mean compensation...Even the cornerstone would go crazy..."

"No, I just want to tell them—the scourge of God has been raised!"

……

Konan couldn't quite understand Nagato's thoughts.

Ever since he met his junior brother, Nagato has been acting very strangely.

But Konan ultimately decided to respect Nagato's decision.

But before that, she decided to do something.

She decided to ask Namikaze and Orochimaru for their opinions privately.

Nagato didn't care about his subordinates' true thoughts, but the meticulous Konan still did some analysis and monitoring of the Akatsuki members.

Among the current members, Afei is a psychopath.

I have a strange fondness for motherly characters who are absolutely young.

Jiaodu is a money-grubber.

...They really are all oddballs.

However, there are also some who are relatively normal, such as Namikaze and Orochimaru.

Orochimaru, in particular, was a true Konoha native and had fought alongside Hiruko—after all, Hiruko was a researcher, and Orochimaru was very familiar with his methods of human experimentation—he knew him very well.

Maybe she has a solution.

...Although he was actually even more outrageous than the dark forces of the ninja world, Hiruko was indeed a prominent figure from a reputable and righteous sect.

No matter what method we use, we'll eventually have to get past him.

"Announcing responsibility for this... would that turn Akatsuki into the shadow of the entire ninja world...? Actually, it's not entirely impossible..."

“That’s not what I’m worried about, you know that.”

"Hmm..." Orochimaru twisted his hair with his little finger and suddenly stopped talking.

Ironically, it was the seemingly youngest member, Namikaze, who had a very strange idea.

“We can’t stop the leader’s idea, but we can suppress it with another, more explosive piece of news, making ourselves less conspicuous.”

You mean...

"We can claim that the Mizukage is pursuing the Hokage's assistance!"

……

The title "Lady Hyuga" sounds prestigious and respectable; everyone in Konoha would address her with utmost courtesy. But only she knew that in a deeply entrenched traditional noble family like the Hyuga, if the matriarch couldn't bear a son, it would be a grave sin.

Without a son, not only would she lose face in the clan, but Hyuga Hiashi's position as head of the family would also be affected, and she might even be criticized by the old folks from the collateral branches.

There's no way around it; the rules of the Hyuga clan are just that unreasonable. They value the inheritance of the Byakugan above all else and show no mercy.

Although Mrs. Hinata is still young and both she and her husband are in good health, they can afford to wait a few more years.

But the invisible pressure weighed on her heart like a mountain, making her so anxious that she couldn't sleep all night. In the end, she couldn't sit still any longer and quietly went to the legendary healer Tsunade, hoping that this medical master could have some secret formula for conceiving a child.

Tsunade could confidently say she could cure any other illness, even terminal ones, but when it came to childbirth—especially having a son—she was truly...completely clueless and had no idea how to proceed.

After all, Tsunade herself hasn't even gotten married yet, so her experience in this area is basically zero.

Tsunade looked at Lady Hyuga's haggard face, her mind perfectly clear. But there were some truths that even she couldn't tell directly. She could only pretend to be nonchalant and prescribe some remedies to regulate her blood and nourish her body, just like always.

Thinking to myself: If I get my body in good shape first, I'll be able to get pregnant faster... As for the chromosomal issues like whether it's a boy or a girl, it's no use talking to her. I'll have to go find Orochimaru, who's a biological scientist.

Unfortunately, Orochimaru, who specializes in biological sciences, had already defected on orders and is now hiding in some ditch conducting experiments.

Tsunade sighed and, as she had done countless times before, reached out and placed her fingers on Lady Hyuga's wrist.

As soon as she took his pulse, Tsunade's keen senses tensed up instantly—Hyuga's wife's physical condition was very wrong.

His pulse was erratic, and his chakra flow was sluggish and stagnant. If it was just due to anxiety, this reaction was a bit...too serious?

"Have you been having nightmares lately?" Tsunade asked tentatively, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes……"

After all, she was Tsunade, the most authoritative figure in the ninja world's medical field. Lady Hyuga didn't try to hide anything and nodded bitterly, "I haven't been sleeping well lately, and I keep waking up in a fright."

"Please relax. Overthinking is bad for your health. I'll give you a calming prescription later..."

"No, it's not just me!"

Lady Hyuga suddenly grabbed Tsunade's hand, her knuckles turning white from the force, her voice trembling, "My husband, and some of the direct descendants of the clan... they all... and it wasn't just an ordinary nightmare..."

"Hmm?" Tsunade's interest was piqued, and she raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"Find it...the future..." Mrs. Hinata's eyes were somewhat unfocused as she recalled her recent bizarre dreams. In a strange, manipulated tone, she repeated the words she had heard in her dreams, "I entrusted it to that..."

Chapter 498

...What the heck?

Tsunade's lips twitched, and she thought to herself: Is the Hyuga clan suffering from mass hysteria? Or have they fallen under some kind of group genjutsu?

……

"Mei Terumi, you'll regret this!"

Bang! !

The heavy door to the Mizukage's office slammed shut, sending documents flying across the desk. Several elders from the Land of Water, their beards bristling and eyes wide with anger, stormed off.

Inside the office, the Fifth Mizukage, Yagura, and Mei Terumi exchanged a glance, their faces filled with helplessness, and remained silent.

The good news is that the terrifying being named Hiruko has finally been "reformed." Mei Terumi, as the Mizukage, can finally act freely and implement sweeping reforms.

The bad news is that although Biluhu has been eliminated, the residual influence he left behind remains, and some people, seeing that the sword hanging over their heads is gone, have started to act recklessly again.

Having a bad reputation has its downsides, but it also has its advantages.

At the very least, as long as that madman Hiruko sits there, these Kirigakure elders will remain as quiet as quails.

That thing really does bite, and it bites to death, it doesn't care about political rules at all.

He has killed too many people. When he gets angry, he doesn't care if you are a highly respected elder of the Mist Village. Anyone who dares to cross him will die. Don't make trouble for yourself.

But Mei Terumi was different. In the eyes of these old foxes, a young and beautiful female Mizukage always lacked a certain chilling "convincing power".

Mei Terumi really made a big appearance in the previous mission to the Land of Waves.

Zabuza and Hatsuyuki have become Aibo and are firmly on her side, which has reassured the Mizukage faction.

Although some powerful figures from the Land of Absorbing Waves will certainly be unhappy... there's no such thing as having it all, and Mei Terumi can accept it.

But after a brief moment of joy, the elders of Kirigakure jumped out again and began to give the Mizukage some life experience.

— Calling it experience wouldn't be wrong.

But if they really followed their experience, they'd probably be played to death by that bastard, Beiluhu.

Mei Terumi witnessed firsthand how Hiruko bullied Zabuza.

That guy is not only tough in the fists, but his mind is terrifying. The black technology he casually comes up with is something that even Konoha's research and development department has to look up to.

If this guy really wanted to play games, the resources he could mobilize would be terrifying; even Akatsuki would be willing to cooperate with him...

Naturally, Terumi Mei was unwilling to agree to the elders' demands.

When Mei Terumi took the stage, she skipped the Takigakure mission, which greatly displeased the elders.

Her current lack of cooperation has further exacerbated the conflict with the elders of the Hidden Mist Village.

The elders always had a feeling that Terumi Mei was going to discard her after she had served her purpose.

The fact that the other party slammed the door and left at that moment was already a very dangerous sign.

but……

"We can't really fight. If we do, Kirigakure will be finished... and it won't even matter if we win or lose."

Yagura also disliked the elders. Ever since his downfall, the elders who were previously suppressed by him immediately changed their attitude.

However, from the perspective of the Water Shadow, he still advised Mei Terumi to remain calm.

“Hiruko is right. The most important thing now is not fighting amongst ourselves, but developing the economy… What if we win against them? Our goal from the beginning has always been the Five Great Ninja Villages.”

"Let's be patient for now. Once we have more supporters, we can deal with them however we want."

"Just like Beiruhu."