Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

In the ninja world, being a medical ninja isn't easy.

To perform medical ninjutsu, one needs precise chakra control. The more advanced the medical technique, the more critical the control; one slip-up could mean death for the patient.

Not only that, but medical ninjas must also study a vast amount of medical knowledge. It's not something learned overnight, which is why there are so few medical ninjas, especially highly skilled ones.

But these challenges didn't concern Hattori; he thought all he needed was to know how to apply a bandage.

"Leave the severely injured to the medical ninjas. I'll focus on the ones with minor scrapes—bandaging can't kill anyone, after all.

"Most importantly, I need to figure out what's going on here. If I can gather any useful information, that'd be a bonus!"

With that thought in mind, Hattori, under the pretense of helping out, borrowed a roll of bandages and a bottle of antiseptic from a passing medical ninja and began his "life-saving" mission.

Soon enough, he found his first target—a young girl, crying her eyes out.

**[Name: Yuno]** 

**[Level: 1]** 

**[HP: 10/11]** 

**[MP: 0/0]** 

**[Specialty: None]** 

**[Combat Power Rating: D]**

Judging by her stats, she just had a small scratch. Her tears were likely due to fright.

Having chosen his target, Hattori hurried over to her, gently patting her head.

"Hey, where does it hurt, little one? Let big brother take a look."

Hearing his words, Yuno lifted her tear-streaked face and showed him her small, trembling hand.

"Uh… here… Big brother, am I… am I going to die?"

Looking at her pitiful face, Hattori couldn't help but smile, quickly comforting her in a gentle tone.

"Don't worry; it's just a little scratch. Let me bandage it for you, and you'll be fine!"

Saying that, he dabbed antiseptic on Yuno's wound, softly blew on it, then carefully wrapped it with a bandage, tying it with a neat little bow.

"All done! See? No more problem!"

Then he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on her cheek.

"You're so brave, Yuno! That's a reward from your big brother!"

"Uh…"

Seeing this boy, who looked about her age but could do "advanced" medical ninja stuff, Yuno's eyes widened in awe.

"Big brother, are you a medical ninja?" she asked, eyes sparkling with admiration.

"Yes!" Hattori nodded confidently, soaking up her admiration. "That's right, I am a medical ninja!"

"Wow!" Yuno's eyes gleamed. "Big brother, you're amazing!"

"Hahaha…"

Feeling a rush of pride, Hattori couldn't help but revel in her adoration.

Just as he pondered whether he should try raising her as his protégée, three lines of information appeared in his vision.

**[EXP +10]** 

**[Level Up +1]** 

**[Unlocked: Medical Ninjutsu - Hemostasis Technique]**

With these messages, Hattori noticed changes in his attributes:

**[Name: Hattori]** 

**[Level: 2]** 

**[HP: 20/22]** 

**[MP: 20/20]** 

**[EXP: 0/20]** 

**[Specialty: Medical]** 

**[Combat Power Rating: D]**

Level up? 

Hattori stared at his stats for several seconds before regaining his composure, a slight frown forming.

"After leveling up, my HP and MP both increased, plus I gained a medical specialty. It feels like a game. But what's this Hemostasis Technique about…"

As soon as he thought of it, information on the Hemostasis Technique appeared before him.

**[Hemostasis Technique: Uses bandages to stop bleeding, suitable for emergency treatment.]**

With this, various bandaging techniques filled his mind, as though he'd practiced them a thousand times: circular, spiral, reverse, figure-eight, large and small arm slings—every detail was clear in his memory.

"With these bandages, I can handle anything!"

With this new resolve, he decided to set aside his plans to "train" protégés; his mission now was to **save lives**.

"Yuno!"

Looking at the little girl gazing up at him with admiration, Hattori patted her head again with a smile.

"Big brother needs to go help others now. Be brave, alright?"

"Mm-hmm!"

Yuno nodded energetically.

"I'll be brave! I want to be a great medical ninja like you!"

"Yes, I believe in you. Keep at it! So… goodbye for now!"

Hattori waved to her and turned to leave under her awestruck gaze.

He'd only taken a few steps when he heard her voice call out from behind.

"Go, big brother!"

Hattori didn't turn around; he raised his right hand in a slight wave as he walked, feeling absolutely cool.

But just as he was enjoying the moment, an untimely voice interrupted.

"Hey, Hattori, stop posing and help me out! I'm hurt too—come over and bandage me up!"

"Huh?"

Hattori looked toward the voice, spotting a teenager in Sand Village attire with his head wrapped in a white cloth, limping toward him. The boy seemed to know him.

**[Name: Maki]** 

**[Level: 16]** 

**[HP: 135/150]** 

**[MP: 10/130]** 

**[Specialty: Wind Release]** 

**[Combat Power Rating: C+]**

Maki?

As a Naruto fan, Hattori knew Maki's character well, but he couldn't reconcile the figure in front of him with the fierce Sand Village general from the original story.

"Must be a coincidence!" 

With that thought, he cleared his head, grabbed the bandage and antiseptic, and walked over.

"You hurt your foot? Which one?"

"Left foot. It got scraped by that monster's sand blast earlier."

Maki rolled up his left pant leg, revealing a bloody gash on his shin, though it looked worse than it was. He'd only lost 15 HP, and there was no bleeding effect.

"Just a scratch. I'll bandage it; bear with me."

After assessing the wound, Hattori swiftly disinfected and bandaged Maki's leg, finishing in under a minute.

**[EXP +10]**

A line of purple text flashed before him as his EXP went from **[EXP: 0/20]** to **[EXP: 10/20]**.

Seeing this, Hattori couldn't hide his satisfaction.

"As I thought!"

He'd suspected the bandaging gave him experience when he leveled up earlier. Maki's bandage confirmed it.

"The only question left is whether re-bandaging gives more experience. Let's find out."

Without hesitation, he unwrapped Maki's bandage, cleaned the wound again, and rewrapped it with fresh bandaging.

When he finished, two purple lines floated before him.

**[EXP +10]** 

**[Level Up +1]**

With the new lines, his stats had changed again.

**[Name: Hattori]** 

**[Level: 3]** 

**[HP: 32/33]** 

**[MP: 30/30]** 

**[EXP: 0/30]** 

**[Specialty: Medical]** 

**[Combat Power Rating: D]**

Looking at the new information, Hattori's eyes sparkled when he looked back at Maki.

"()"

Maki: "???" 

*(End of Chapter)*