Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

However, he had too many things to do, so he had to give up the search and focus his attention on the present.

Just as he said, he wanted to meet the wealthy merchants.

To be precise, they are now high-tech tycoons.

The reason Konoha has developed to its current state is not only because it has a large number of senior masters who can keep things in check, but also, most importantly, because of this group of wealthy merchants.

Chapter 389 Coke is cheaper than water

It was precisely because of his continuous cooperation with these wealthy merchants that Hiruko was able to elevate the living standards of ninjas as if he had a cheat code, making Konoha a place that all ninjas aspired to.

The Land of Fire absorbs the world's top intellectual resources, while Konoha absorbs the world's top military strength.

The two complement each other and continuously promote each other.

Of course, the best thing would be if the two sides could completely merge into one someday... Hiruko thought to himself as he sat down in the conference room of the high-tech company.

Before long, all the wealthy merchants he had invited arrived.

Even though it was a last-minute invitation, and even though it was in the middle of the night, no one was late.

"Hahahaha, Hiruko, what's the matter that you called us here so late at night? I bet you've come up with another brilliant idea that you can't quite put down, have you?" a fat, smiling merchant said loudly.

"Ughhhhh, I have a meeting at 11 o'clock... I earn money so I can slack off, Hiruko, if you can't give me a solid reason, I won't let you get away with this!"

Another tall, elegantly made-up businesswoman put her hands on her hips and pretended to be angry.

"Waaaaah, it's so cold up there... Hiruko, are you trying to kill me? Why aren't you sleeping at this hour... I had a ninja bring me here on a flying ninja beast so I could get here on time... I'm freezing! If you don't have a good reason, I'm not finished with you!" A petite but fierce female merchant stomped her feet and said.

A group of people entered, laughing and swearing, their words filled with complaints.

However, Hiruko greeted them all with smiles and invited them to sit down one by one.

In ancient etiquette, inviting someone required at least three days' notice; otherwise, it was not an invitation but an order.

The Naruto world has now entered the modern era, so some of the old, shady rules are naturally no longer taken seriously.

However, Hiruko's practice of summoning people overnight was indeed impolite—but they all came anyway.

This is the face that Beiliuhu has now.

Don't be fooled by the small number of people in front of you, only a dozen or so; they are all true big shots in their respective fields.

The kind with ample funds, ruthless methods, and a powerful background.

Normally, they are the ones who neglect others, but now... that's the allure of money.

Everyone knows that the Fifth Hokage's ability to make money was basically equivalent to the First Hokage's combat strength.

Those who have worked with him have all made a fortune.

Now that he's asked for help, they all come.

"Everyone, please forgive me, please forgive me, things just happened so suddenly... I'll punish myself with a drink." Hiruko said with a smile, then picked up a cup of wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Since the Hokage was so accommodating, the previous slight dissatisfaction was quickly forgotten after a few laughs and jokes.

No one asked Hiruko to drink properly, and the group quickly got to the point.

"So, what's the matter that you suddenly called everyone here?" asked an elderly, wealthy merchant with gray hair and sharp eyes.

Hiruko snapped his fingers, and the chefs who had been waiting outside brought in a huge cake.

This cake is just an ordinary fruit cake, nothing special except that it's a bit big.

But the patterns printed on the cake are of all the small countries in the world—yes, apart from the five major countries, all the small countries appear on the cake in proportion.

Among this group of wealthy merchants were many geographers, and they immediately understood the significance of the cake.

But they didn't point it out, they just waited for Beiliuhu to speak.

"Gentlemen, you all know me." Hiruko smiled slightly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd. "I dislike arguing with people the most, and I love two things the most in my life."

"One is to resolve conflicts, and the other is to make money." Everyone knows that Beiluhu's mind is as narrow as the abbot's.

However, nobody wants to make things difficult for themselves.

Therefore, their focus is on the latter.

"I knew the Fifth Hokage's assistance would bring some brilliant ideas... Please speak, we are all ears." A young, wealthy merchant said with a smile, his eyes full of anticipation.

Hiruko began to slowly reveal his true plan to the crowd.

The main reason he summoned these wealthy merchants overnight was to save Terumi Mei.

After all, Mei Terumi has already offered such a condition as the United Nations... Once this opportunity is gone, it's truly gone forever.

...If conditions permit, we should rescue Yagura as well, but Yagura must never become the Mizukage again.

To be honest, it would be quite difficult to save Mei Terumi.

Especially if Obito absolutely refuses to cooperate with Konoha... then, we should avoid Obito.

It's not possible under normal circumstances.

But there are always exceptions—such as the powerful summoning of the Daimyo of the Land of Water.

In fact, the daimyo of the Land of Water was already very unhappy that Yagura was unable to attend such an important event as the Imperial Examination.

Even daimyo have their pride, and Hiruko cleverly linked this imperial examination with national honor, which naturally resonated most deeply with the daimyo.

It's one thing for Yun Yin to disappear without a trace, after all, that guy has always been elusive, acting entirely on his own whim, like an unpredictable wind, making it difficult for anyone to catch his whereabouts.

But now that this grand event is underway, all the villages are taking it very seriously. People from other villages have arrived one after another, but you, Mizukage Yagura, are the only ones who haven't come. What's going on?

Is he trying to embarrass someone?

In the ninja world, every grand event is fraught with hidden interests and conflicts. Whoever wins the championship and occupies the most spots on the overall leaderboard will have more prestige and more confidence in their words, and will also be able to occupy a more advantageous position in the power struggles between nations.

The daimyo of the Land of Water was well aware of his own strength and didn't expect to win the championship. After all, his strength was undeniable. But he couldn't be too much weaker than the other three daimyo, otherwise he would lose face and be unable to hold his head high in front of the daimyo of other countries.

And to make matters worse, you, Yagura, simply showed up without even saying hello. This is utterly disrespectful to the daimyo of the Land of Water!

But honestly, even if the daimyo of the Land of Water was very unhappy, what could he do?

Yagura simply refused to come, even feigning illness to avoid the situation. The Daimyo of the Land of Water couldn't very well just kill him directly, after all, Kirigakure was a force to be reckoned with in the Land of Water. If things really came to a head, it wouldn't benefit anyone.

Although I might make things difficult for him in the future, for now... sigh, I have no choice but to swallow my anger.

However, what if the daimyo of the Land of Water were to forcibly use an administrative order? Actually, he wasn't truly out of options, but the cost would be too high.

Moreover, falling out with Kirigakure at this time would only make the other daimyo laugh at him, causing him to lose face and his status in the ninja world to plummet.

But if he recklessly uses administrative orders, then all the pressure will fall on Yagura's side.

Under normal circumstances, the daimyo will not issue any specific orders to the ninja villages other than strategic objectives. After all, the ninja villages are the ninja villages, and the daimyo is the daimyo. This has been a consensus reached over the years, and they maintain a delicate balance with each other.

However, if the daimyo insists on doing so, the ninja village has no good way to do anything but obey, since the daimyo is still nominally the leader of the ninja village.

If the Daimyo of the Land of Water orders Yagura to come, how should Obito deal with it? If he really comes, then Hiruko will be easy to deal with; he can just beat him to a pulp.

It should be noted that Obito was already among the assumed targets in the arena, so even if he wanted to run away, he couldn't. Surrounded by these multiple forces, there was simply no place for him to hide.

However, no one can predict how the Daimyo of the Land of Water, who has been humiliated, will react. He might even take his anger out on Kirigakure, bringing them endless trouble.

Actually, this is better for Konoha.

After all, Mei Terumi only wanted to kick Obito away, but she didn't say what would happen to Kirigakure after Obito was killed or driven away. Konoha could take this opportunity to fish in troubled waters and expand its influence.

However, Hiruko also knew that if he wanted to use this kind of divisive tactic, it would be useless for him to speak to the enemy himself.

Why should anyone believe the words of a mere Naruto support? They might even think you have ulterior motives and are deliberately trying to sow discord.

That would definitely require bribing a powerful and influential person close to the daimyo of the Land of Water.

Generally speaking, they are either close attendants or senior officials.

It is usually most effective for them to speak ill of others, since they are around the daimyo every day and the daimyo trusts them quite a bit.

However, these people, including Beiliuhu, have never had any dealings with him, and this matter is of great importance. Without sufficient personal connections, they may not be willing to help.

After all, they are also forces of the Land of Water, and they are actually not willing to see the Land of Water and Kirigakure develop a rift, unless they have a grudge against Kirigakure.

But where can you find someone like that? It's like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Therefore, Hiruko decided to find some more powerful people—the rulers of small countries.

The daimyo is theoretically on the same level as the lord of the country, and when the lord speaks, the daimyo has no choice but to take it seriously.

For example, when Kazama Hayate spoke up for Konoha, it played a significant role, giving Konoha a certain advantage in its clashes with other forces.

If it were one of the rulers who were already on good terms with the Daimyo of the Land of Water who spoke up... then another question arises: why would they speak up for Konoha?

For a ruler of that caliber, it's incredibly difficult to simply bribe them with money. They don't lack money; what they lack is something that can make the country stronger.

Unless it can directly enhance their national strength.

For rulers, national strength is their backbone and their face; the stronger their nation, the higher their standing among other nations.

If you bribe them with this, you can't possibly fail; they'll definitely be tempted.

However, even if Konoha had a lot of money, it wouldn't spend it like that to bribe several rulers at the same time.

Therefore, we have to find some suckers to come in.

Even if they're willing to be taken advantage of, they still need to be mindful of the returns later on, even if they don't mind investing heavily upfront.

This would indeed be difficult for others, since seeing tangible benefits is not easy, but it was no challenge for Biluhu.

These are the last vestiges of his time travel.

Back then, he would spend his mornings watching knife forging, learning about the forging techniques of various knives; his afternoons watching beachcombing, appreciating the bounty of the sea; and at noon, depending on the situation, he would repair some donkey hooves to eat with his meal, experiencing the craftsmanship of the common people.

In the evening, we'll be doing traditional auto repair, exploring ancient methods of mechanical maintenance.

Later on, he would eat kidneys, which was a bit scary, but it also helped him understand some of the mysteries of the human body.

Food temptations at midnight, learning how to make various dishes; horror movies at dawn, testing your courage.

Looking back now, it truly contains endless business opportunities; as long as you are good at digging into it, you can find ways to make money.

"So... the first step is..." Hiruko picked up the Coke bottle in her hand and asked the crowd with a mysterious smile on her face, as if she was hiding some earth-shattering secret.

Hiruko took out a bottle of cola, attracting everyone's attention, before slowly and deliberately revealing his true thoughts.

The reason for speaking so slowly was to give the wealthy businessmen present time to digest and understand.