Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

Even when faced with the indifferent Orochimaru, they mustered their courage and stepped forward again, their eyes filled with anger and determination.

"Ninjas, get out of our village!"

"It's because of you that the village is so poor! You guys, you're driving up the price of millet so high, you just want us dead! We hate you!"... Well, another victim of the millet war.

It seems that not only the benevolent rulers, but even Hiruzen himself contributed to the surge in millet prices, which may have indirectly led to the villagers' livelihoods.

Hiruko smiled sheepishly at Orochimaru, a hint of embarrassment on her face.

"I'm sorry, it seems I've dragged you down this time..." "Akage only needs to be responsible for his own village... everything else is just an extra burden." Orochimaru replied softly, his voice gentle yet carrying an undeniable firmness.

But he focused most of his attention on the villagers.

Hiruko noticed that Orochimaru's eyes were half-closed, appearing quite long and narrow, like two dangerous slits, and his tongue was unconsciously sticking out.

Based on Hiruko's understanding of Orochimaru, this was a sign of his deep displeasure, like the calm before a storm, sending chills down one's spine.

Roughly speaking, Orochimaru's current state is like a cat wagging its tail vigorously when it's agitated, exuding a repressive and dangerous aura.

No, this can't go on any longer, Hiruko thought to himself, realizing something was wrong.

To the villagers, they were just ordinary people burdened by the weight of life, simply wanting to drive the ninjas they hated out of their village and return to their peaceful but impoverished lives.

As for Orochimaru, he was high above and used to controlling everything, so he saw the villagers' fierce resistance as utterly disrespectful.

He might not necessarily kill him outright, after all, he has his own code of conduct, but a severe lesson is definitely in order.

Konoha has a very strong military atmosphere, and Orochimaru, having lived there for so many years, has been deeply influenced by it. He detests insubordination, seeing it as a blatant challenge to authority.

If this continues, the conflict between the two sides will surely escalate like wildfire, and may eventually lead to an irreparable tragedy.

Fortunately, Hiruko knew a way to make Orochimaru switch states immediately.

This guy may seem cold on the surface, but he's actually a literary youth with a delicate and artistic world hidden in his heart.

"Things in life can't always be perfect; even the most glamorous things will eventually develop cracks somewhere."

"Whether it's ninjutsu... or people." Hiruko said softly, his voice filled with a hint of emotion and depth.

As expected, Orochimaru was immediately drawn to the scene. A hint of curiosity flashed in his usually indifferent eyes, and he took the initiative to reply, "Even if I am lonely, I will not be alone."

Every person comes into this world for a reason.

As expected of Orochimaru, who even chased after the young Itachi Uchiha to debate, he actually responded, which delighted Hiruko.

Once Orochimaru's mind was drawn in, Hiruko knew her chance had come.

He bears some responsibility for how things have turned out this way, and he cannot stand idly by.

He couldn't concern himself with things too far in the future, but he felt capable of resolving the conflict right in front of him.

Hiruko's eyes closed and opened again. This action seemed simple, but in reality, he was using illusion on himself again—using illusion to slow down the passage of time, thereby achieving the purpose of thinking quickly.

He reviewed the information before him again, like an experienced chess player laying out a plan in his mind, and finally came up with a solution.

Itachi Uchiha could allow Izumi Uchiha to spend her entire life in Tsukuyomi, a genjutsu manipulation so powerful it was astonishing.

Hiruko can't achieve such a high multiplier yet, but extending his thinking time by a few hours is still easy... Any more wouldn't be a problem, the main issue is that it's unnecessary.

He remembered what the plant he had seen before was.

This thing is called a grass ball, and it has many uses, but in this era, it is mostly used to make tatami mats.

Hiruko recognized the object because he had seen a mat made from it in Nonou's room, and its soft texture had left a deep impression on him.

Given the demand for tatami mats in the Naruto world, the consumption of grass dumplings would be astronomical.

Without millet, the food is like a meal without a soul.

Sleeping without tatami mats feels like missing a warm harbor.

Taking a bath without a bathtub makes one feel extremely uncomfortable.

Chapter 276 Driving Development for the Poor in the Ninja World

For ordinary people in the Naruto world, it is utter hell.

These three things have basically become their obsession, ingrained in their very being.

Even the most struggling families will try their best to meet these three needs.

If there was no bathtub and people couldn't go to a public bathhouse, they would use the Goemon pot as a substitute—this was originally a form of torture, similar to the Oden Yoshioka ritual, and the pain was unimaginable.

Grass clumps naturally grow near this village, which means that the environment here is quite suitable for grass clumps to grow - this is a fertile land of fields!

The villagers here certainly know how to use grass dumplings, but they can't create a locational advantage for them. They can only barely meet their own needs, and then occasionally sell some of the surplus to supplement their household income.

But Beiluhu can invest in them. He has money and resources. If he manages things properly, he can make the village prosper because of the grass dumplings.

Since the incident has already occurred, it definitely needs to be resolved.

He might try to get both sides to put aside their hatred, but they might not listen to him.

But if he tells them he has a way to make money... then they'll definitely work together to make money first, since when it comes to survival, hatred can sometimes be temporarily set aside.

So, Hiruko took a deep breath, his expression calm yet solemn, and slowly stepped forward, his steps steady as he walked between the two opposing camps, where swords were drawn and ready to strike.

He raised his hand slightly and said loudly to both sides, "I have a pretty good understanding of the current situation."

I have no intention of forcing you to change your preconceived notions, but I have something to say, and I hope you can all listen attentively… I'm certain there's a truly viable way to make money. Would you be willing to join?

Upon hearing this, the villagers exchanged bewildered glances, their eyes filled with doubt and wariness.

They did not recognize the suddenly appearing Beiliuhu—who was still in a state of careful disguise, appearing mysterious and unpredictable.

Then someone who seemed to be from the opposing camp inexplicably stepped forward and said he would help them make money... Regardless of what others thought, the villagers were full of doubt and simply did not believe that such a good thing would fall into their laps.

One villager frowned and shouted, "You're suspicious by every angle... Why should we believe you? Don't try anything funny!"

When Hiruko heard the villagers' questions, he showed no anger on his face, but calmly turned his gaze to Orochimaru and Kabuto.

He knew perfectly well that the villagers were resentful and it was normal for them not to believe him.

If Orochimaru is willing to back down, things might take a turn for the better and be resolved smoothly.

Many things are not actually troublesome in themselves; the trouble is that both sides are like rocks, unwilling to make any concessions.

As expected, Orochimaru's expression underwent a subtle change.

Having abandoned his previous aloof demeanor, Orochimaru now had a very strange expression, with his lips twitching slightly, as if he was holding back something.

He hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "How about... let it go... It's not that bad, it really isn't that bad..."

Orochimaru's words stunned everyone around him. One ninja asked with a puzzled look, "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Orochimaru continued, "While I am happy, to destroy an entire industry for my sake... that's really going too far..."

Hiruko was completely bewildered, inwardly thinking: "What do you take me for? A human-shaped mascot?! Blowing things up wherever I go? This isn't Dosoles; things don't just explode for no reason!"

Left with no other choice, Hiruko and Orochimaru, along with several anxious and bewildered ninjas, returned to the snake's den.

Upon arriving at the snake's den, Hiruko first dismissed the remaining ninjas, allowing them to rest and recuperate.

Afterwards, he and Orochimaru went to his office and began to write documents seriously.

The fact that ordinary villagers in the Land of Rice Fields were so resistant to ninjas was truly unexpected for Hiruko.

But then he thought about it again and realized that even someone as wise and resourceful as the prime minister couldn't predict everything in the world, let alone him.

Problems are not scary, as long as we can find a way to solve them.

While thinking, Hiruko roughly divided the plan into three parts.

Part One: Survival.

The country of Tian was poor and weak, and did not even have a clear monarch. The country was like a pile of loose sand.

It's pointless to talk about long-term plans with people in this situation.

Now that winter has arrived, Orochimaru's first task is to distribute supplies to them so that they can get through the cold winter.

Ordinary ninja villages generally do not distribute food to their people. Firstly, military groups naturally value food, as it is the foundation for maintaining combat power and survival.

Secondly, they lacked the capability, so resources were often prioritized for the ninjas.

Orochimaru, however, does not have this problem. Konoha provides him with more funds than he needs each month, and there are not many people in his den now, so he has plenty of funds and supplies.

Previously, Hiruko had sent him a large amount of millet. Orochimaru seized the opportunity and sold it at the peak of the price, making a huge profit from that single transaction.

Ensuring that all the residents of the Land of Fields are fed is indeed a difficult task, involving a huge amount of work.

However, Orochimaru doesn't need to go to that extent now. As long as most people can barely survive, that's enough. Orochimaru's relief efforts, plus their own little bit of food reserves... It's a pity, but even though the Land of Fields is small, it's still a country with a considerable population.

Anyway, let's get through this winter first.

Shang Yang's "moving the log to establish trust" was a very good strategy. Bei Liuhu couldn't think of a better idea for his rank, so he chose to first provide grain to appease the people and give them hope, so that subsequent matters could be carried out more effectively.

The second step is to vigorously develop cash crops.

Beiliuhu had already planned ahead. He would first guide the villagers to select suitable cash crops to plant, and then rely on free trade agreements to build smooth trade channels to sell these goods.

In this way, everyone can have a few more coins in their pockets to improve their living conditions, and their trust in ninjas can be increased again, which is a win-win situation.

He has absolutely no worries about not being able to sell his goods.

In the following years, with capital and technology converging like a tidal wave, the Land of Fire became a trade black hole, with a huge consumer market and a powerful absorption capacity.

No matter how much cargo pours in, the Land of Fire can handle it all.

To be honest, in Biluhu's eyes, grass dumplings were not a particularly outstanding cash crop.

At the very least, Hiruko looked down on its relatively low rate of return.

The reason for choosing to plant this first is that the difficulty of planting and the familiarity of the people with it were fully considered.

This is similar to the philosophy that Jiang Shang held when he served in Qi: to follow the people's thoughts and guide them according to their wishes, rather than forcing them to do things according to one's own desires.

Just like if you want to promote potatoes, the best way is not to get them to pay money to buy them, but to plant potatoes in the field and put up a big sign next to them with a large, bold sign that says "No Stealing Potatoes".

This, in turn, will pique their curiosity, and as they come to steal, the potatoes will spread unnoticed.

If you were to force the people of the Land of Fields to grow a cash crop that is highly profitable but requires a lot of specialized skills and time, who would be willing to do so? After all, no one wants to take on unknown risks.

But grass dumplings are different.

Everyone is familiar with this thing. Locals who have lived here for a long time also know that it can be turned into tatami mats and sold to make a little money.