Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Even Hiruko didn't know what he was laughing about, but before the last wisp of his soul disappeared, he actively burrowed his already hazy body into Hiruko's body, as if to transfer his power and will to him.

"Hahahaha, things are getting more and more interesting!"

"Bilihu, you bastard, I'll be waiting for you in hell!" — Hoo!

"Waaaaah—!"

Under Orochimaru's watchful gaze, the lion's fangs, like sharp daggers, finally pierced Hiruko's brain with swift and decisive action, without the slightest hesitation, completely destroying his brain and sealing his death.

With the death of its master, the summoned beast also vanished suddenly, like smoke, disappearing without a trace, as if it had never existed.

Orochimaru gazed at her dead friend for a while, her eyes remaining completely still, like a calm lake without a ripple, as if everything was within her expectations.

Then, she turned her worried gaze to Hiruko, her eyes filled with scrutiny.

"you……"

"Wait a minute, while I can still remember it, I need to write it down first..."

Hiruko rubbed his face, not giving Orochimaru a chance to speak, and quickly took out paper, pen and scroll, and began to write frantically. The pen in his hand danced quickly on the paper, as if he was racing against time, afraid of missing any detail.

Before long, the technique of Oni-Garra was completely copied—given Hiruko's personality, it was impossible for him to leave behind a scroll; he always preferred to keep important things to himself.

Even his three closest subordinates failed to learn all his secrets. He always kept his secrets very well hidden and was unwilling to let others know them easily, as if this would protect him from harm.

"Fortunately, no matter how cunning this guy is, he is still out of his mind due to his serious injuries, and I managed to trick him out... Phew, at least it wasn't a wasted effort."

Orochimaru's eyes darted around, revealing a hint of smugness, and a sly smile appeared on his lips.

He is always adept at exploiting other people's weaknesses to achieve his own goals, as if everything is under his control.

What did you lie to him about?

"I lied to him, saying that because my younger brother died, I was just as extreme as him at heart. Not only that, I also lied to him, saying that I was chosen by the Sage of Six Paths and would destroy all calamities in the world," Hiruko said as she wrote, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery.

"You don't have a younger brother?"

"Where did I get a younger brother?" Orochimaru seemed to realize something, but he didn't continue to dwell on Hiruko's family relationships. He knew that now was not the time to worry about these things, and there were more important things waiting for her to do.

"He would believe such a low-level lie?"

“What I say is not important; the key is whether he is willing to believe it—and clearly, he is. People always hope that they are on the side of justice.” Hiruko put down his pen, looked up, and said, his eyes filled with a wise insight into the world.

Hiruko muttered to himself as he tossed the scroll he had just finished writing to Orochimaru, the movement casual and natural, as if it were just a trivial matter.

"Here you go first. Once you've achieved some results, come back and make a copy for me."

"You two really should work together."

"It's a pity that this guy insisted on dying for some reason... He should have been able to stop his own technique."

Orochimaru accepted the precious scroll before him, but suddenly felt a little disheartened, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, as if he had lost an important ally.

"Maybe... I just suddenly felt it was meaningless."

"I've been striving for something, only to find out in the end that it's not what I really want," Hiruko said with a sigh, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

Hiruko thought Orochimaru was right.

In the original work, Hiruko did indeed express such feelings—what he ultimately wanted was companions.

He was always insecure, feeling that he wasn't strong enough, couldn't be as good as the Sannin, and couldn't gain recognition and respect from others.

He didn't hate the Sannin, but he hated himself for not being as strong as them, for not being able to continue as friends with them... Whatever.

He's already dead, and we've gotten the stuff. Whatever he's thinking, let him be.

Maybe I can ask him when I go to hell.

...People like them are destined never to go to the Pure Land.

Chapter 386 The Mature Woman's Flirting

"Well then, let's leave it at that..."

"Hiruko, live well."

"I don't want to... sit on your grave a hundred years from now and tell you about my new invention."

Orochimaru put his hands behind his back and slowly walked away, his steps light and deliberate, as if he were enjoying the last moments of peace.

When he reached the window, he turned back, a faint smile on his face, a smile as warm and charming as the spring sunshine.

"This world... is really boring." Orochimaru said this, spreading his arms and falling down in a freefall motion, as if trying to break free from this boring world and find his own freedom.

When Hiruko rushed over to look, there was no trace of her. Only a gentle breeze blew by, as if Orochimaru had never appeared, leaving only a faint memory.

Hiruko realized that all the elaborate traps he had set up in Konoha seemed to have lost their meaning—because the enemy had not come.

For various reasons, they encountered problems here and there... In short, even though they knew they couldn't let Konoha develop so smoothly, they couldn't come to stop it, as if their steps were bound by the hand of fate.

Hiruko disliked underestimating his enemies, especially after the Nine-Tails' attack and Obito's successful raid on his base. He became accustomed to assessing his enemies with the highest standards and always remaining vigilant.

He was almost successful on his side, while the enemy remained silent... It was all good, all good, Hiruko thought to himself with a sense of relief and a smile of satisfaction on his face.

In any case, Konoha and the Land of Fire already have a size advantage, and the longer it is delayed, the greater this advantage will become, like a snowball rolling bigger and bigger.

If the conflict drags on for a while, the Fifth Shinobi World War might not even break out, and victory could be achieved simply through maneuvering... Since the opponent isn't making any moves, he'll just continue accumulating advantages. He believes that as long as he works hard enough, he will definitely be able to achieve his goal and lead Konoha to glory.

The next morning, Hiruko opened his eyes. Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on his face, bringing a touch of warmth, as if his mother's hand was gently stroking his cheek.

The first thing you see is the peaceful sleeping faces of Nono and Rumi Uzumaki. Their faces show a hint of fatigue, but are also full of tranquility, as if they are having a beautiful dream.

Practicing physical skills is an extremely arduous task, even for two people working together; it requires tremendous effort and sweat.

After practicing all night, the two were completely exhausted. As if all their strength had been drained, they collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

But...so cute.

Hiruko gently kissed each of them on the cheek, her movements tender and loving, as if she were protecting her most precious treasures.

"Huff, huff... Stop fooling around..." Of the three, Nono is the oldest.

However, perhaps because she spends a lot of time with children, she always appears very gentle, but occasionally reveals a bit of childlike innocence, like a naive young girl.

The older sister's coquettishness was irresistible; Hiruko's heart was filled with warmth, as if overflowing with love.

As for Rumi Uzumaki... she's someone who could be my mother... no matter how unreasonable the conditions are, she would gently agree as long as he asked.

Even though she herself was very shy, her cheeks flushed slightly, like the clouds on the horizon.

"...Hmm?" Perhaps sensing Hiruko's gaze, Rumi Uzumaki opened her eyes, her gaze slightly hazy, as if she had not yet fully woken up from her sleep.

She snuggled closer to Hiruko, pressing her body tightly against him as if seeking warmth, like a kitten dependent on its owner.

"Are you taking a break today?" "Hmm... I'll rest for a bit." Hiruko said gently, stroking her hair softly.

As the Hokage, one can be busy or not.

He was busy because Konoha's management system was relatively backward, with many aspects still retaining the style of the Warring States period. It was incomparable to a modern government, requiring him to spend a lot of time and energy to deal with it, like untangling a mess of threads.

The reason why they are not busy is simple—no matter how big Konoha is, it is now only the size of a prefecture-level city, with a limited area and relatively few affairs.

In addition, Konoha has gone through many ups and downs over the decades, and most things have precedents. As long as you follow the precedents and follow the established rules, you can basically get through it, just like walking along the path that predecessors have walked.

The Third Hokage even had time to use his broken telescope technique to spy around... But Hiruko, the current Hokage, was an exception. He had so many things to do, it was like facing a towering mountain.

It was difficult and unprecedented, so every step had to be taken with caution, groping our way forward.

It wasn't just about internal village affairs; there were also contacts with merchants and power struggles with officials from the Land of Fire… He had so much to do, and often the ninjas couldn't help him; he had to face everything alone. Rumi Uzumaki was already used to it; when she opened her eyes in the morning, the man was already gone, as if he had never been by her side.

But today is indeed a rare holiday, like a ray of dawn in the darkness.

Not only were the ninjas resting, but the merchants and nobles also had nothing to do, and the whole world seemed to have quieted down.

Even the arena was closed—it wouldn't be impossible for the ninjas to finish all the battles in a few days given their stamina and patience, but Hiruko had his own plans.

However, Hiruko did not organize the imperial examination simply to determine who was better; he had a deeper purpose.

Besides boosting television sales, the Imperial Trial also greatly promotes the prestige of the Land of Fire, allowing more people to understand its strength and prosperity.

National prestige is something invisible and intangible, but sometimes it can indeed change many people's minds... At the very least, it can kill fewer people and make the world more peaceful.

If you finish the treatment in one go, the effect will be poor, like a flash in the pan, failing to leave a lasting impression.

He wanted to slow things down, to let the audience understand ninjas, to know how ninjas fight, and to let more people recognize the charm and strength of ninjas, like opening a door to a mysterious world.

And—their Konoha is undoubtedly the undisputed top power! With nothing else to do, Hiruko leisurely "borrowed" some things.

Seeing this, Rumi Uzumaki happily rubbed against him, then quietly leaned close to Hiruko's ear and whispered, "Oh, by the way, while you were away yesterday, several ladies came to visit and talked to me about the marriage alliance."

"...and me?"

Hiruko was startled and muttered to himself, "Does this system want to see my harem in turmoil, and you guys want to join in the fun and laugh at me?" "How could it be you?"

Rumi Uzumaki chuckled and gently tapped Hiruko's head. "It's Guy."

Oh, I see.

Beiliuhu suddenly realized what was going on.

Large families have always been straightforward when dealing with important matters of family succession.

The tradition of catching a son-in-law after passing the imperial examination has existed since ancient times, and it is still the same in the world of Naruto.

Yesterday's evening paper, together with today's morning paper, has created a public opinion effect that "everyone in the world knows you."

—Once the big spender's funds arrive, they become this extravagant.

Regardless of what the previous trending topics were, Konoha directly made Guy the top trending topic.

Nowadays, wherever there is a spring, people are talking about Guy, this powerful and persistent ninja.

The Blue Beast of Konoha truly broke out of its niche at this point.

Of course, Akai truly deserves this honor.

Realizing Akai's extraordinary strength, some families with daughters still waiting to be married naturally began to have designs on him.

However, they also knew Ah Kai's temperament well, and that a direct marriage proposal would likely be rejected.

However, if the Hokage himself gave the order, Guy would definitely agree without hesitation.

“Akai is indeed an excellent marriage prospect… but ultimately, it depends on his own wishes, so we shouldn’t interfere too much.”