Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

At the instantHattori shouted "Hidden Mist Jutsu," the ten mist puppets he controlled opened their mouths and spewed thick mist, quickly enveloping the entire Sand Village defensive line.

Seeing this, many Sand Ninja stared in disbelief.

"A...puppet can actually use jutsu?"

"And it's the Hidden Mist Jutsu from the Mist Village? Incredible!"

"It's Lord Hattori's puppet. Amazing!"

After returning from the Leaf Village, and at Ebizō's suggestion, the Sand Ninja had started calling Hattori "Lord Hattori." He happily encouraged the change, so now almost every one called him "Lord Hattori".

Hearing them shout,Hattori burst into laughter and commanded all ten mist puppets to speak in unison.

"Everyone, stay hidden, and don't make a sound. Attack only when I give the signal!"

"Boom!"

Just as he finished speaking, one of the mist puppets was shattered by a Rock Ninja's Iron Rock Cannon! Without a second thought,Hattori directed the remaining mist puppets to charge at the Rock Ninja forces, releasing thick mist along the way.

After sacrificing three more mist puppets, he successfully cloaked the entire battlefield in dense fog.

"Hm, this should do it."

He nodded and clapped his hands.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With his shout, a giant dragonfly appeared, summoned by Hattori, and it carried him up into the air.

In an instant, he reached several hundred meters up.

Looking down at the Rock Ninja forces below, which continued to fire Iron Rock Cannons,Hattori grinned, unrolling a scroll filled with explosive puppets.

"Feel the art, you mongrels of the Rock Village!"

With his words, nearly a thousand explosive puppets fell onto the Rock Ninja's stronghold and detonated at his command!

"Art is explosion! Hah!"

"BOOM BOOM BOOM…"

As the explosions roared,Hattori's screen quickly updated with experience notifications.

**[You defeated a Level 39 Ninja, EXP +0]**

**[You defeated a Level 47 Ninja, EXP +470]**

**[You defeated a Level 51 Ninja, EXP +510]**

**[Level +1]**

**[Puppet Control Level +1]**

...

With each experience notification, shouts began to echo from the Rock Village's side.

"It's the 'Flame Salamander' from the Sand Village! Retreat! Retreat!"

"Uh..."

Hearing their shouts,Hattori was momentarily stunned.

"Am I really that infamous?"

But he quickly refocused. Seeing the Rock Ninja retreating, he called out urgently.

"Don't let them get away! Sand Village, Wind Release!"

With his command, the Sand Village ninja all began their attack.

"Wind Release: Great Breakthrough!"

"Wind Release: Blade Technique!"

"Wind Release: Hurricane Slash…"

In an instant, thousands of Wind Release jutsus struck the Rock Ninja stronghold, clearing the mist and finishing off the remaining Rock Ninja, who had barely survived the explosions.

Looking down,Hattori saw the ground littered with hundreds of bodies, with various colored chakra beads floating above them.

But he knew it wasn't time to gather them yet; those who survived the explosions were the real targets!

"Now, it's your turn!"

He pulled out another puppet scroll, releasing four water cannon puppets, and launched an attack on the fleeing Rock Ninja.

"Water Release: Iron Water Cannon Jutsu!"

With his shout, the four puppets shot out high-speed water cannons, three of which hit their targets directly, piercing through the Rock Ninja who couldn't dodge in time.

**[You defeated a Level 49 Ninja, EXP +49]**

**[Level +1]**

**[Puppet Control Level +1]**

**[You defeated a Level 53 Ninja, EXP +530]**

**[You defeated a Level 50 Ninja, EXP +500]**

**[Level +1]**

**[Puppet Control Level +1]**

One round of attacks, and he leveled up twice!

After his high-altitude assault on the Rock Ninja base,Hattori's level had jumped from 51 to 55.

**[Name:Hattori]**

**[Title: Puppet Tyrant]**

**[Level: 55]**

**[HP: 1643/1643]**

**[MP: 30/1230 (Yin Seal: 123000/123000)]**

**[EXP: 170/550]**

**[Specialties: Medical, Puppetry, Sealing]**

**[Combat Power: S-]**

With his level now at 55, a new skill notification appeared.

**[Unlock Sealing Technique: Tail Suppression Seal - Can suppress Tailed Beasts or demons sealed within the body.]**

Another sealing technique unlocked! The description was brief, butHattori's eyes sparkled.

"The previous unlock was the Four Symbols Seal, and now I can suppress Tailed Beasts with the Tail Suppression Seal. So, I can become a jinchūriki now?"

Hattori biggest issue was his low MP. After that last sequence of moves, he was already running on empty.

Becoming a jinchūriki would allow him to draw on Tailed Beast chakra, so MP wouldn't be an issue.

"The last failed medium was killed by the Third Kazekage, and Shukaku won't appear for a while. I'll deal with that when the time comes. For now, I'll finish off these Rock Ninja!"

With that thought,Hattori looked back down.

To his surprise, the nearly hundred Rock Ninja who were fleeing had completely disappeared!

"What? They got away while I looked away for a second?"

Hattori was momentarily stunned but quickly realized what had happened.

"No, they couldn't have escaped that quickly. I killed three with the water cannons, and the rest must be hiding. This technique...it's the Rock Concealment Jutsu!"

Similar to Hidden Mist Jutsu, the Rock Ninja had developed their own camouflage technique suited to the terrain.

Without a sensory ninja, detecting them was nearly impossible.

Hattori didn't have any sensory abilities, and from high up, he could only rely on his eyes. With the Rock Concealment Jutsu, he was at a loss.

"Damn it, these guys really know how to hide!"

He popped a chakra pill into his mouth to restore his MP and called down to them.

"Hey, you rock dogs from Iwa Village! I bet a box of three-color dumplings you cowards won't come out!"

"…"

The area below was silent.

Seeing this,Hattori couldn't help but pout.

"Damn, why didn't my usual luck with bets work this time? Do they know I don't have the dumplings? Ugh…annoying!"

He clicked his tongue and, looking at the empty rocky terrain, squinted.

"I wonder if they're actually there…let's give it a try!"

With that, he tossed a few explosive puppets down and shouted.

"Hiding from me? You're dreaming! Die!"

"BOOM BOOM BOOM…"

The explosives detonated, but there was still no movement below.

Seeing this,Hattori figured they were really gone. He lightly tapped the dragonfly's back.

"Alright, time to go pick up some chakra beads. The Rock Ninja should have dropped plenty this time, enough for me to make some new puppets. Giant Dragonfly, let's head back!"

"Buzz…"

*(End of Chapter)*