Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

After hearing Hattori's "self-harm ploy," the initially hopeful Ebizo, who had high expectations for the Thirty-Six Stratagems, instantly felt most of his excitement drain away. A bitter smile appeared on his face.

"Looks like I was desperate, placing my hopes on a child to come up with a strategy to defeat the enemy!"

Shaking his head helplessly at the thought, Ebizo told Hattori to "get some rest" and then turned and walked away.

After Ebizo left, Pakura, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up.

"Um… Hattori, it seems like you have a deep grudge against Rasa. Why is that?"

"There's no reason!"

Hattori couldn't explain too much to Pakura, so he answered vaguely, "Just know that he's not a good person and be careful around him."

"Uh… okay."

Seeing Hattori speak so firmly, Pakura could only nod in agreement. She then sat down next to Hattori and closed her eyes to rest.

A while later, she felt something unusual on her leg. Opening her eyes, she found that Hattori had fallen asleep on her lap, his red, tousled hair lightly resting against her.

At the sight, she smiled gently and stroked Hattori's hair before closing her eyes again.

Unlike the peacefully sleeping Hattori, Pakura remained alert.

When she heard footsteps echoing down the tunnel, her eyes snapped open, and she reached into her pouch to grab a kunai, assuming a defensive stance.

It wasn't until she saw a Sand Ninja enter, carrying a tray, that she relaxed slightly.

Raising her index finger to her lips, she motioned for the Sand Ninja to stay quiet and then pointed at Hattori, who was still fast asleep on her lap, signaling not to wake him.

The Sand Ninja understood, nodded, placed the tray on the ground quietly, and retreated softly.

Several hours later, Hattori finally woke up. Rubbing his eyes drowsily, he asked Pakura, "Pakura-sis, what time is it?"

"I'm not sure," Pakura replied, shaking her head and glancing toward the tunnel.

"The tunnel is too deep, so no light reaches here. We can't see what's going on outside…"

"Wait!" Hattori suddenly sat up straight, wide-eyed. "What did you just say, Pakura-sis?"

"Uh…" Pakura looked at him in confusion. "I said we can't see outside from here."

"Not that, the part before that!"

"The part before?" She frowned, thinking. "The tunnel is too deep, so light doesn't reach here?"

"Yes, that's it!"

Hattori clapped his hands and sprang to his feet.

"I've got a way to delay the Leaf Village now. Let's go find Old Man Ebizo!"

With that, he dashed out of the tunnel, and Pakura quickly got up to follow him.

Outside the tunnel, the two soon found Ebizo.

Hattori, always impatient, rushed over to share his idea as soon as he saw him.

"Old man, I have a way to hold off the Leaf Village. I can't guarantee for how long, but definitely for ten days to half a month!"

"Hm?"

Ebizo was momentarily stunned before giving a wry smile.

"You're not thinking about using that self-harm ploy on Rasa again, are you? Maybe let's not. He's had it rough too…"

"No, no, it's not that! Just watch!"

Seeing Ebizo's doubt, Hattori grew anxious, glanced around, then picked up a stick and started drawing on the ground.

Ebizo, puzzled, crouched down to see what Hattori was drawing.

Gradually, as Hattori's diagram took shape, Ebizo's expression went from thoughtful to a sudden realization.

"This is… a tunnel? Are you suggesting we dig tunnels under Kikyo Mountain and fight the Leaf Village there?"

"Exactly!" Hattori beamed. "Talking to a smart person is easy!"

"Old man, you've fought in two great ninja wars. You should know that battles rely on timing, terrain, and unity.

We can't control 'timing,' nor can we match the Leaf Village in 'unity,' so we have to use 'terrain' to our advantage!"

"That's true." Ebizo nodded in agreement.

"The Leaf Village has concentrated its forces, so we need to avoid direct confrontation. That's why I chose Kikyo Mountain as the battleground."

"But that's not enough!"

Hattori shook his head as soon as Ebizo finished.

"Hiding outside won't work. They have sensory ninjas, the Hyuga Clan's Byakugan, and the Inuzuka Clan's sharp noses. They'd easily find us. But if we hide in tunnels, it's different."

"Hm?" Ebizo's eyes lit up as an idea struck him.

"I get it! Because of the angle, Byakugan won't easily spot people inside the tunnels.

Plus, the soil will block most scents and chakra signatures, hiding us from the Leaf's ninjas and sensory units!

If we use these tunnels well, we could delay the Leaf not just for ten days, but maybe even for a year or more!"

Excited, Ebizo clapped Hattori on the shoulder.

"Haha, this is brilliant! How did you come up with such a great idea?"

"It's nothing, really. I just sleep in goddess thigh. Anyway, I've said my piece. The rest is up to you. I'm going to catch up on sleep!"

With that, Hattori turned and left with Pakura, humming a song as he walked.

"Tunnel warfare, hey! Tunnel warfare! An army of millions lying in wait… hey! An army of millions lying in wait…"

"…"

Hearing Hattori's song, Ebizo couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.

But he quickly dismissed the feeling and focused on the diagram Hattori had drawn.

Carefully, he made some adjustments and, once satisfied, transferred the plan onto paper.

With the blueprint ready, it was time to start digging.

Upon Ebizo's command, the Sand Ninjas began an extensive tunnel excavation project across Kikyo Mountain.

For the Sand Ninjas, it was a relatively simple job. Compared to building underground shelters beneath the rocky terrain of the Hidden Sand Village, digging through Kikyo Mountain's soil was easy in both difficulty and scale.

The Puppet Brigade used puppets to dig the tunnels, while the Wind Release Brigade used their jutsu to disperse the excavated soil.

Working together, they gradually built a massive tunnel network beneath Kikyo Mountain.

Seeing the bustling activity, Ebizo felt a rush of excitement and couldn't help but sing the song Hattori had hummed earlier.

"Tunnel warfare, hey! Tunnel warfare! An army of millions lying in wait… hey! An army of millions lying in wait…"

(End of Chapter)