Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

His expression was conflicted, but finally, he gritted his teeth, as if making some kind of decision, and said to Hiruko, "Um, Lord Hiruko... my mother admires you very much, may you marry her?"

Hiruko was caught off guard by Kabuto's sudden remark and was immediately startled.

Nono, who was carrying the soup out, overheard this. She was so startled that she almost spilled the soup. She lost her grip on the soup bowl and it crashed to the ground with a "clatter," spilling soup all over the floor.

"Kabuto! What are you saying to Uncle Hiruko? How can you bring up such a thing!" Nono was unusually agitated at this moment, her voice rising several decibels.

His usual calm demeanor had vanished without a trace, replaced by a face full of fear.

Indeed, at this moment, Dou is just an eight or nine-year-old child. Even if he becomes famous in the future, at his current age, the most shocking thing he might do is probably just the childish act of occasionally putting his feet in his mouth.

As an orphan, Dou has always longed for a complete family.

Years later, Kabuto, weathered by hardship and filled with despair, might choose to give up. But now, though his life in Konoha is somewhat mischievous, he has never given up his yearning for a peaceful life.

You see, because of Hiruko, the children in the orphanage are living better and better lives, and everyone is full of hope. The whole of Konoha is brimming with vitality.

The changes that Hiruko brought to Konoha using technology made everyone grateful to him.

Hiruko's appearance perfectly fills the void in Kabuto's heart regarding the role of his father.

He is powerful, mysterious, and wise. Although he is also known for his strength and methods, he truly cares about Kabuto and has a very harmonious relationship with Nono, who is like a mother to Kabuto.

Furthermore, Kabuto vaguely sensed that his mother had special feelings for Hiruko.

As for the "harem" issue that many people criticize, Dou didn't take it to heart at all.

After all, in the ninja world, it's perfectly normal for someone like Hiruko, who only has his own page left on the family register and possesses a powerful bloodline limit, to choose to marry multiple women to continue his family's lineage, given the time and energy he has.

Strengthening clan members is absolutely politically correct in the ninja world, and who can say no to that?

Most other ninjas in Konoha and other ninja villages also do this; only those from large clans follow the rule of monogamy.

Moreover, although it is called the harem, those who really know Hiruko know that so far, there are not many women who have been related to him.

Perhaps it was because Nono was too gentle on a daily basis, or perhaps it was because Hiruko was too caring towards Kabuto, that Kabuto, who was under constant pressure and longed for a family, finally couldn't hold back anymore.

He wanted more, which is understandable, but the timing of his decision was terrible.

It's normal for an orphan to long for a father, and Hiruko doesn't mind becoming the "father" of all the orphans in Konoha. He even has the ability to become someone that everyone admires.

But Kabuto should have discussed this with Nonou first.

Now that he has suddenly said it so rashly, what if Hiruko refuses on the spot? How embarrassing would that be for Nono? And how would Kabuto himself handle that?

For a moment, the atmosphere was so awkward it seemed to freeze.

Hiruko looked at Nonou, and Nonou looked back at Hiruko, but Hiruko did not respond directly.

A barely perceptible tear flashed in Nono's eyes, and Hiruko, though saying nothing, seemed to have said everything.

Hiruko naturally knew that Nono liked him. In Konoha, almost every young woman without a boyfriend would look at him with a special kind of admiring gaze.

After all, Hiruko had already become a true pillar of Konoha at a young age.

Konoha today may be able to temporarily not have the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, in charge, but it absolutely cannot be without Hiruko.

Hiruko is like the core power source of a huge and sophisticated machine, and the entire economic operation of Konoha is closely related to him.

Without him, Konoha's massive economic machine simply couldn't function properly.

So those girls with ulterior motives always hoped that something could happen between them and Hiruko.

However, this allure created by distance will eventually fade under the test of reality.

They will eventually understand reality, return to their families, and become qualified wives, just like those who were crazy fans in their past lives, chasing nothing more than an unattainable dream.

However, Hiruko does have a strong liking for Nonou.

Furthermore, Kabuto trusted Hiruko implicitly, and no matter what happened, Kabuto would never abandon his respect for Hiruko.

Nonou's status in Hiruko's heart rose from an insignificant passerby to someone Hiruko loved.

Her confidence and abilities were top-notch in the ninja world, and her unwavering devotion to Konoha, ultimately leading her to stay and become the head of the orphanage, was of paramount importance.

It would be such a pity if Nono gave up on Konoha.

At this moment, it seems that the only option left is for Hiruko to grab Nonou's hands directly.

Nono's hands were small and delicate, not very big, soft and a little cool. This delicate touch revealed the intense turmoil in her heart at this moment—her blood flow was faster, taking away some of the heat.

"Miss Nonou, I've actually liked you for a long time." Hiruko mustered up her courage and confessed to Nonou.

He's not the kind of coy, timid male protagonist in light novels. While it's impossible for him to formally marry Nono, giving her a grand and romantic wedding shouldn't be a problem.

Hiruko was somewhat of a womanizer and amorous. He never felt any pressure when women confessed their feelings to him, and he even liked to tease young girls with ambiguous tones.

Hearing Hiruko say that, Nono's face gradually regained some warmth.

The warm color deepened, eventually transforming into a shy, blushing crimson.

Life is always full of ups and downs, and such dramatic fluctuations can be overwhelming.

Nonou originally felt that she didn't really crave marriage, and that she could live a fulfilling life by quietly following Hiruko for the rest of her life.

But now, is it really possible?

Is it really possible to have such happiness?

Of course it's true!

In this era, she is actually not young anymore.

But at this very moment, she seemed to have returned to her teenage years. After being shy and timid for a long time, she finally blossomed again and began to reveal the truest emotions deep in her heart.

Hiruko was well aware of Nono's feelings for him at that moment. He looked at Nono seriously and then slowly said, "But Nono, I need to make it clear to you that I have other women."

The women he refers to here naturally include those he had entangled with in the past, but of course, he mainly refers to Tsunade.

After all, his union with Tsunade was already inevitable, and it should be noted that Hiruko is now gradually taking over the legacy of the Senju clan.

Chapter 153 Nono's Morning Exercise

Almost instantly, Nono gave her affirmative answer: "I don't care."

Hiruko paused slightly, then continued, "Actually, I spend a lot of time with them, and we might even have children that aren't yours. Is that alright?"

Nonou responded firmly, "I don't care."

Hiruko felt a pang of self-reproach, realizing that what she had said was a bit too much, but to her surprise, Nonoyu didn't seem to mind at all.

Then, Hiruko couldn't help but ask, "So what is it that you care about?"

Nonou raised her head slightly, her eyes sparkling with tenderness, and said softly, "I only care about one thing: can you continue to love me until I die?"

Her words carried a hint of humility, a stark contrast to her usual strong and independent demeanor. It was as if she had returned to her teenage years, willing to set aside all pride for the sake of her beloved.

Hiruko was momentarily dazed; he wasn't even sure what it was about him that Nonou saw in him.

He doesn't consider himself a particularly charming person; he's more inclined towards a STEM mindset and isn't exactly good at pursuing girls.

He wasn't sure if Nonoyu valued his strong support for the Konoha orphans, appreciated his frequent visits to the orphanage, or both.

However, he thought again that this was not a modern romance novel, so it didn't need those melodramatic plots like love and hate, misunderstandings, unrequited love, infidelity, mistresses, car accidents, abortions, and cancer.

In this era, having multiple wives and concubines was the norm.

Since both adults share this sentiment, the story has a new beginning.

Hiruko gently placed Nono's hand on her chest and said affectionately, "Miss Nono, from today onwards, this is the first day of our official relationship."

Nono's voice was very weak, but the tears welling up in her eyes were the best answer.

Beside him, Dou's lips curled into a genuine smile.

Although he was unable to have those two people become his nominal "father" and "mother," witnessing them begin to interact normally was already a great satisfaction for him.

At this moment, a warm and sweet atmosphere permeated the orphanage, as if even the surrounding air had become exceptionally gentle, softly caressing one's heart.

He knew in his heart that what he had just said was indeed somewhat rash, but if he did not act now, he might never have such an opportunity again.

Nono may not be aware of the current situation, but Kabuto, who has always been by Orochimaru's side, knows everything.

He knew very well that Lord Hiruko would soon marry Princess Tsunade, and at that time, what chance would his mother have?

The meal was extremely simple and plain.

After the meal, Hiruko was kept behind, and everyone sat together, chatting for a long time. The atmosphere was so harmonious that it seemed as if they were a real family.

The next morning, when Hiruko slowly woke up, Dou was nowhere to be seen by the bedside. Only the empty bed seemed to tell the story of yesterday's liveliness and today's desolation.

Then, Hiruko was pulled out of bed, and the conversation continued the topic that had been left unfinished the day before.

Everyone busied themselves with tasks.

Hiruko pulled Nonou along to start the new day's morning exercises.

Only soft, guttural sounds remained in the air.

Previously, Hiruko had left the orphanage soon after graduating, but now they saw him again on the road.

Having resolved the issue of the capital, Hiruko planned to take action again.

He was determined to do everything in his power to take control of the Land of Rice Fields and then hand it over to someone he trusted, perhaps his disciple Itachi Uchiha, or maybe Orochimaru to manipulate.

Orochimaru is a complete research fanatic who doesn't care much about worldly matters.

Even when the Akatsuki organization came to recruit him, he wasn't interested at all.

If it weren't for their coveting of the Rinnegan's power, they might not even have been able to secure funding for their experiments.

With a constant shortage of funds, Orochimaru mostly stayed at home, focusing intently on his experiments.

Given Konoha's current situation, it would be extremely risky to launch a preemptive attack on the Land of Rice Fields.

It's not that Konoha lacks the ability, but rather that it cannot act in this way. If they could control the Land of Rice Fields economically and make Orochimaru the Kage, that would be a viable strategy.

Moreover, if the Land of Rice Fields could be ruled by its own people, the pressure on the Land of Fire and Konoha in many aspects would be greatly reduced. The Land of Rice Fields would be like a bridgehead for Konoha, providing Konoha with solid rear support.

Moreover, the Land of Rice Fields is the most famous and massive granary in the entire ninja world.

Looking at the names of various countries, they are all more or less related to the characteristics of their own countries.

The Land of Wind is full of sandstorms, and the Land of Thunder is often struck by lightning, leaving the mountaintops bare, a plateau that even eagles are reluctant to visit.

You can tell what this country is famous for just from its name.