Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

After an intense battle, the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Earth quieted down, with no activity for half a month.

Hattori didn't think this was because he had frightened Iwagakure; instead, he believed it was likely that Konoha had put enough pressure on Iwagakure to keep them occupied elsewhere.

In fact, this would be the best time to strike back at Iwagakure.

If Hattori were the commander, he would order a full-scale offensive on Iwagakure, aiming to settle the matter in one decisive blow! 

Unfortunately, that was just wishful thinking.

Not only was there no directive from Sunagakure, but even the force of over a thousand men assigned to him by Ebizō was far from enough to mount an attack on a rival ninja village.

Thus, Hattori could only continue leading his troops to defend their position, waiting for further orders from the village.

"I just wonder what will come first—the village's orders or another attack from Iwagakure. Although, I'd prefer the latter."

For Hattori, engaging Iwagakure's hardened warriors on the border was the most comfortable scenario.

It meant he didn't have to move around much, it kept him relatively safe, allowed him to gain valuable combat experience to grow stronger, and he could acquire rare puppet materials like ninja pearls.

This way, it was a win-win on multiple fronts.

On the other hand, any orders from the village could involve all kinds of uncertainties—most likely, they'd call him back to wait in the village.

Though Hattori didn't particularly mind returning, he knew he couldn't grow stronger by just sitting around.

Maybe he could make some progress that way, but nothing would be as quick and direct as combat!

"Come on, let those rock-headed dogs of Iwagakure hurry up!"

It seemed as if his wish was granted, as two weeks later, Iwagakure's offensive finally resumed.

This time, the attack was fiercer than Hattori had anticipated.

"Boom!"

With a deafening explosion, nearly half of Sunagakure's defensive line was obliterated in an instant, leaving Hattori's ears ringing painfully.

"It's a Tailed Beast Bomb!"

Hattori quickly identified the source of the sound and was thankful for his prior caution.

After the last assault with the Iwa Iron Cannon, he had instructed everyone to shift their defenses underground and used the Mist Puppet to create a thick fog that covered Sunagakure's defenses.

It turned out to be a life-saving precaution for Sunagakure's forces.

Otherwise, this Tailed Beast Bomb would have likely resulted in catastrophic casualties, even if it didn't completely wipe them out.

Yet, the situation was still far from optimistic—the bombardment above continued!

"Boom… boom… boom… rumble…"

Explosions thundered overhead, and the underground defenses showed signs of collapsing. To make things worse, many of the Sunagakure ninjas were bleeding from their ears and noses, clear signs of brain trauma from the concussive blasts.

Seeing this, Hattori frowned deeply.

"This can't go on. At this rate, there won't be many Sunagakure ninjas left!"

He made a swift decision and summoned a slug about a meter tall, giving it immediate orders.

"Katsuyu, split and heal!"

"Yes, Lord Hattori!"

At his command, the slug split into dozens of palm-sized mini slugs, which quickly crawled toward the wounded Sunagakure ninjas, providing them with healing.

Many of the ninjas looked on in surprise at this sight.

Some of them knew Hattori could summon slugs, but few had ever seen it firsthand, so curiosity was understandable.

Amid this atmosphere, the fear brought on by Iwagakure's attack subsided somewhat, with many beginning to encourage each other.

"It'll be okay; we've got Lord Hattori with us!"

"As long as Lord Hattori is here, we'll be victorious!"

"That's right, we'll win…"

Hearing the voices of encouragement, Pakura couldn't help but smile as she looked at Hattori beside her.

"Hattori, look, everyone trusts you!"

"Yes, I know," he replied, a calm confidence in his smile.

"That's why I won't let them down. I'll lead us to victory!"

As he spoke, the bombardment from the Tailed Beast Bombs ceased.

Hattori silently counted to ten and, hearing no further blasts, made his move.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

With a low chant, a giant slug over twenty meters tall materialized at his command, instantly breaching the already fragile defense line.

Using the slug's [Shared Vision] ability, Hattori, from his position underground, could clearly see the scene above.

Leading a horde of nearly ten thousand Iwagakure ninjas was a figure covered in red chakra and bearing four tails.

"It's the Tailed Beast Cloak… that's the Four-Tails Jinchūriki!"

Hattori instantly recognized him and quickly issued another command to the slug.

"Katsuyu, Sticky Acid Spray!"

"Understood!"

Following his orders, the slug opened its mouth and unleashed a torrent of sticky acid at the approaching Iwagakure ninjas.

The slug's acid wasn't a typical jutsu; technically, it fell into a class of sage techniques, extremely powerful and capable of dissolving anything it touched.

In the original story, even Orochimaru admitted that if hit by this acid, he'd die instantly.

The Iwagakure ninjas at the front learned this all too well.

Unable to dodge the massive wave of acid, they were doused in it.

"Zzzz!"

With a sickening sizzle, the front line of Iwagakure ninjas disintegrated into foul-smelling puddles before they could even scream.

The Four-Tails Jinchūriki, however, managed to evade the attack using his Tailed Beast Cloak. He opened his mouth and began forming a purple sphere.

Another Tailed Beast Bomb!

Seeing the imminent threat, Hattori quickly canceled the summoning jutsu to send the slug back to its realm, preventing it from being hurt.

He then summoned his giant-winged dragonfly, which flew him high into the air.

From this vantage point, Hattori could see the ground below, covered in steaming acid and blocked Iwagakure forces.

These Iwagakure ninjas were relatively fortunate—those less lucky had already become part of the acidic landscape.

The evidence lay in Hattori's view, where countless notifications appeared:

> [You successfully killed Level 52 ninja, EXP +520]

> [Level Up +1]

> [You successfully killed Level 48 ninja, EXP +0]

> [You successfully killed Level 54 ninja, EXP +570]

> [Level Up +1]

> [You successfully killed Level 53 ninja, EXP +500…]

Because the slug was Hattori's summoned creature, all the experience from its kills was credited to him.

And many of the fallen Iwagakure ninjas were elite Jōnin, providing a wealth of experience points that caused Hattori's level to skyrocket to level 60!

> **[Name: Hattori]**

> **[Title: Puppet Tyrant]**

> **[Level: 60]**

> **[HP: 1722/1722]**

> **[MP: 160/1360 (Yin Seal: 136,000/136,000, can be unsealed)]**

> **[EXP: 120/620]**

> **[Specialties: Medical, Puppet, Sealing]**

> **[Combat Power Rating: S]**

Simultaneously, a skill unlock notification appeared:

> **[Unlocked Sealing Technique · Eight Trigrams Seal: An upgraded version of the Four Symbols Seal, combining two Four Symbols Seals to seal powerful enemies or monsters, doubling the effect on Tailed Beasts and demons.]**

In addition, Hattori saw a familiar message in gold font:

> **[Specialty: Sealing has reached max level. Received "Uzumaki Sealing Technique Graduation Gift Package." Would you like to claim it?]**

> **[Yes/No]**

*(End of Chapter)*