Naruto: I'm really not an evil scientist!

In a daze, she saw Uchiha Fan frantically searching for her on the battlefield, his eyes blind, and heard cheers of the war ending in the distance.

The headband slipped off her forehead, and the moonlight reflected off the metal with a gentle glow.

Final Chapter: Falling Cherry Blossoms

Spring leaves fall, cherry blossoms fall like snow.

Kakashi stood before the memorial stone, his fingertip resting on an unfamiliar name.

"Hey, do you know what?"

Kai's voice suddenly rang out.

"I heard that the child's final illusion allowed the entire enemy army to see the cherry blossoms of their hometown."

A petal landed on the four characters "Anma Xiaoyu" on the stone tablet.

He paused for a moment, then placed a bunch of wildflowers down.

"Hero? Ha..."

The wind blows, and the tombstone remains silent.

In the distance, newly graduated genin ran past, laughing.

Their headbands gleamed in the sunlight, like countless unfulfilled tomorrows.

Kakashi closed the script, his fingertips tracing the yellowed pages, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, but he didn't utter a single word.

He loathed war to the core.

Those battlefields filled with the smoke of gunpowder have long since transformed into countless sharp thorns, piercing deep into his soul.

The father's white teeth were broken by rumors, Obito's half-face, crushed by a boulder, was frozen in a bloody afterimage on the rock wall, and Rin's chest was pierced by the eerie blue light of the Three-Tails' chakra.

Like a scavenger cursed by fate, he pieced together his shattered childhood amidst the ruins of war.

But he was, after all, a Konoha ninja, a lone wolf raised on the rice of the Land of Fire, whose cries of sorrow were suppressed into muffled thunder rumbling in his throat.

"Perhaps... this script can truly become the spark that extinguishes the flames of war?" Kakashi pressed the script to his chest, and as he turned around, his robes swept across the threshold, stirring up a wisp of wind.

As Hiruko gazed at that slender figure, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a crystal drop drawing a silver arc in the twilight before falling into a crack in the bluestone slab.

He shook his head helplessly and chuckled: "He's still just a child. A completely fictitious story can bring him to tears."

The secret talks between Minato Namikaze and Hiruko have long since come to an end.

Next.

Chapter 109 Chains of Imprisonment

Minato Namikaze would naturally support Hiruko.

The Hokage's hands, clenched white beneath his robes, still nodded through gritted teeth at the deficit in the ledger: "Apart from necessary expenses, all other income from the village will be invested in post-war relief."

He recalled the old soldier walking alone with a cane in front of the memorial, and the empty eyes of the child he had seen in a field hospital when he was a boy, wrapped in bandages like a silkworm cocoon.

"So what if development is delayed by three years?" He stroked the crack on the edge of the Hokage's hat, a scar from a rock wall during the Fourth Shinobi World War.

Those veterans who have fought on the brink of life and death only want the living to stand tall and for the warmth of a bowl of hot porridge on a cold night.

A sudden evening breeze blew in through the window, carrying a few maple leaves that landed on the ledger, staining the words "pension money" blood red.

Hiruko planned to fill the ninjas' purses to the brim, so that the ninjas would naturally not raise any objections.

After all, who can guarantee that they won't grow old and frail?

Providing benefits to retired ninjas is something that is very popular.

Even ninjas who focus on ninjutsu training wholeheartedly agree with this.

If we were to judge this with the narrow-minded ninja mentality of the Warring States period, we would truly be alienated from Konoha and cut ourselves off from everyone.

Take those retired ninjas who are physically unwell and penniless, for example. In fact, Hiruko had already arranged a place for them: Konoha Academy and the movie theater.

Konoha Academy goes without saying; even in this dark and cruel ninja world, it is one of the few places where one can respectfully address others as "Teacher."

In the film industry, for every qualified intelligence agent, they are undoubtedly the most outstanding actors.

Even those combat ninjas who fight on the battlefield are veterans who have experienced countless battles. Luring the enemy into traps and deceiving them with tricks is already commonplace for them.

When they make movies, their professionalism is off the charts; every detail is impeccable, and there's absolutely no problem with it.

Retired ninjas, with both wealth and prestige, seemed to have nothing to complain about.

After all, so many of our comrades who fought alongside us back then did not survive.

Compared to those hard times, their lives now are infinitely more comfortable.

Even if they are left with physical disabilities, Hiruko's prosthetic technology can help them regain their mobility.

However, it will cost a considerable amount of money.

Just then, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was sitting leisurely to the side.

Suddenly, the door was kicked open with a loud bang, and a rebellious teenager, a cigarette dangling from his lips, swaggered in.

He was still yelling, "Hey, old man! How long are you going to interfere with me?"

The thought of being besieged by more than thirty elite members of the Sarutobi clan and then dragged back to Konoha in a sorry state was unbearable.

Having lost face in front of Kurenai Yuhi, Asuma Sarutobi was furious, his anger burning fiercely within him.

At this moment, Hiruzen Sarutobi was leisurely staying in his own courtyard.

In his eyes, this small courtyard was like a paradise where delicious food gathered.

He lay comfortably on the rocking chair that Beiliuhu had meticulously crafted, and as the chair swayed back and forth, wisps of smoke drifted from his pipe.

His gaze was unfocused, his thoughts drifted far away, and he stared intently at the little fish swimming freely in the pond, as if he had fallen into a deep contemplation that belonged only to himself.

The sound instantly snapped Hiruzen Sarutobi out of his daze.

He couldn't help but shake his head slightly, muttering to himself, "If only Asuma were as sensible as Minato or Shisui."

"But this kid is full of energy, which is not bad. He's much better than Kakashi, who was always withdrawn at the same age."

Hiruzen Sarutobi has always been very caring towards everyone in the village, especially Kakashi, who once fell into a state of self-isolation, causing him a great deal of worry.

He went to great lengths to help Kakashi out of his gloom, showing even more concern for Kakashi than for his own son, Asuma.

To be honest, Minato Namikaze was also a bit confused about this matter.

Seeing that Kakashi was withdrawn, he actually transferred Kakashi to the Anbu, thinking that having Kakashi by his side could provide some guidance.

Little did he know that the dark and oppressive atmosphere of the Anbu only made Kakashi's situation worse, making him even more withdrawn.

At the crucial moment, it was Hiruzen Sarutobi who stepped forward.

He knew very well that Kakashi needed warmth, so he suggested that Kakashi go and protect the pregnant Kushina Uzumaki.

During the days he protected Kushina, Kakashi could truly feel the wonder of new life and experience people's blessings for new life.

It was this warmth that gradually improved Kakashi's mental state, allowing him to slowly emerge from the shadow of his autism.

Of course, the most crucial factor was Kakashi's friend Might Guy clinging to him.

Might Guy grinned, his bright white teeth enough to leave the opposing Anbu ninja dumbfounded, and he even dragged Hiruzen Sarutobi along, crying and begging to join the Anbu.

The Dark Quarter is too dark; it's not a place for people like that to go.

Hiruzen Sarutobi and Minato Namikaze rejected Might Guy precisely because of this.

But Might Guy wasn't about to give up so easily, and kept pestering Hiruzen Sarutobi every day.

Hiruzen Sarutobi had no choice but to focus on resolving Kakashi's mental state.

Hiruzen Sarutobi cares so much about Kakashi because Kakashi is indeed a promising talent who will surely achieve great things in the future.

On the other hand, he was also unable to do anything because he was being pestered by Matt Kai.

However, out of consideration for Hiruzen Sarutobi's feelings, he still had to exchange a few pleasantries with him in person.

His face still had a touch of childishness, but his eyes revealed stubbornness and rebellion.

Having not seen him for a long time, Hiruzen Sarutobi carefully examined his second son.

Looking at his son, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but sigh softly and slowly said, "From now on, you should obediently follow your older brother."

"Spend some time in the Dark Division first, and let it temper your impetuous nature."

The world in Konoha is no longer what it used to be, and we can no longer just drift along aimlessly like before.

"When your personality has been tempered, go and train under the Hokage to understand your place."

"Accumulate more political capital, so that you won't be overwhelmed by the situation when Watergate comes to power and implement reforms later."

Asuma was already seething with anger, having lost face in front of Kurenai earlier, and was still seething with resentment.

Hearing her father arrange her life so matter-of-factly, she instantly flew into a rage.

"Dad, what are you saying! My life should be in my own hands. Can you please stop interfering with me all the time!" He retorted loudly, his face flushed.

Just as Asuma turned to leave, Hiruzen Sarutobi took a deep drag on his cigarette.

He slowly exhaled a smoke ring and said softly, "The Land of Fire can only have one voice and one official organization now, and that is our Konoha."

"What do you mean?" Asma turned around abruptly, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart.

"From this day forward, the Twelve Guardian Ninjas cease to exist." Hiruzen Sarutobi's voice was calm yet carried an undeniable resolve.

In fact, he had long disliked the Twelve Guardian Ninjas, who not only tarnished the image of the Hokage but had also been implicated with his son.

In the past, he would turn a blind eye to things in order to maintain harmony and stability in the village.

But the situation is different now. Minato has come to power, solved the internal and external troubles, and has the strong support of that guy Hiruko.

For the sake of the village, Hiruzen Sarutobi was fearless in the face of any sacrifice, whether it was his own or the sacrifice of others...

"What exactly do you mean?" Asma asked urgently, his eyes wide.

"Old man, you can't abuse your power for personal gain! Doing so will surely incur the wrath of the Daimyo!" Sarutobi Asuma was both shocked and furious, veins bulging on his forehead.

He originally thought that his father was taking his anger out on the Twelve Guardian Ninjas because of his previous disobedience.

At this moment, he was filled with anger, worried about the safety of Konoha, afraid that his family would be implicated, and concerned about the fate of his colleagues.