Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

If he hadn't already figured out the other's true identity, Hattori would definitely have been fooled by Ebizo; after all, he looked genuinely serious right now.

But there are no "ifs," so watching Ebizo's expression only left Hattori feeling a bit bored, with a hint of amusement.

"No wonder people say geniuses are lonely—standing out in a crowd without even trying, constantly experiencing the truth of 'sober amidst the drunken crowd.' Sigh, life is tough!"

Not everyone, however, had Hattori's insight, so Ebizo successfully fooled Baki and Yashamaru.

As soon as Ebizo finished speaking, Baki eagerly jumped in.

"Ebizo-sama, Rasa-sama, we just encountered some Konoha shinobi! Fortunately, you arrived just in time to scare them off. And also..."

He pointed at Hattori as he spoke.

"The Hattori! This guy is a spy from Konoha; he's from the Senju clan, and his name is Senju Kurama. Tsunade-hime from Konoha is his aunt..."

"Enough, Baki!"

Unable to bear Baki's machine-gun style of talking, Yashamaru finally interrupted.

"Did you not realize? The Hattori was pretending just to protect us. Or do you really think you're… that person's illegitimate son?"

"Uh…"

At the word "illegitimate," Baki visibly jolted, a look of sudden realization on his face as he turned to stare blankly at Hattori.

"So... what you said wasn't true?"

"Heh…"

Seeing Baki's dazed expression, Hattori forced a chuckle, holding his hands out with a shrug.

"╮(￣▽￣)╭ What do you think?"

Baki: "╭(°A°`)╮"

Damn it, I really thought it was true!

Although Baki didn't say it out loud, Hattori could read it on his face, which only made Hattori look more exasperated.

He was now seriously wondering if the Baki who would one day become a top Jonin in the Hidden Sand Village was the same as the fool in front of him.

It wasn't just Hattori; the others present were also looking at Baki as though he were a dim-witted child.

Finally, Baki's direct superior, Rasa, couldn't take it anymore. He walked over, untied the ropes binding Hattori and Yashamaru, and spoke to Yashamaru.

"Alright, Yashamaru, tell me exactly what happened."

"Yes, Rasa-sama!"

Yashamaru quickly complied with Rasa's order and recounted what happened.

"After you left, Rasa-sama, we encountered Konoha shinobi. Luckily, the Hattori masterfully deceived them, successfully buying time for your arrival and reinforcements!"

Yashamaru kept it brief, skipping over the irrelevant details.

Rasa nodded approvingly, then turned to Ebizo. "Ebizo advisor, that's the situation."

"Hmm, I see," Ebizo nodded. "You continue with the mission. Leave the rest to us!"

"Understood!"

With that, Rasa led Baki, Yashamaru, and Hattori eastward toward the battlefield.

Once they were out of sight, Ebizo exhaled deeply and shook his head at Chiyo.

"Sister, your disciple really is something. If it hadn't been us and instead the Konoha shinobi, he might have actually fooled them."

"Oh?" Chiyo frowned. "What do you think of this child?"

"I think he has great potential!"

Before Chiyo finished speaking, Ebizo nodded without hesitation.

"He's very clever. If I were to train him, he could become the best intelligence ninja in just two years!"

"That won't do!"

Chiyo shook her head at once.

"Hattori has an exceptional talent for medical ninjutsu, which our Hidden Sand Village urgently needs. I hope he'll become a beacon for our medical ninja—just like Konoha's Tsunade."

"Tsunade, huh?" Ebizo sighed, as if recalling something, and shook his head. "That won't be easy."

"Even if it's not easy, we have to try!"

Without waiting for Ebizo's reply, Chiyo turned and began walking in the direction Rasa's team had gone.

Seeing this, Ebizo hurried to catch up.

"Sister… Sister, wait up!"

…

By the time they arrived, Rasa had already left with Baki and Yashamaru, leaving Hattori in a tent, tending to the wounded.

He focused on patients with minor injuries, mostly inflicted by sharp objects. A simple healing jutsu was enough to treat them, and only when wounds were too large did Hattori resort to his Regeneration Jutsu.

For others, medical ninjutsu required intense concentration, but for Hattori, it was as effortless as casting a spell—as long as he had enough MP.

His movements were fluid and practiced, leaving the surrounding ninja and medical staff in awe.

When Chiyo and Ebizo entered the tent, the camp leader stepped forward, greeting Chiyo with visible excitement.

"Lady Chiyo, Hattori-sama is truly remarkable! In less than half an hour, he's already healed 32 wounded soldiers. I've never seen a medical ninja like him; he's a true genius!"

"Genius?" The word brought a flash of sadness to Chiyo's eyes.

She thought of her grandson, Sasori. Over the years, many had called Sasori a genius at puppetry, and Chiyo agreed, feeling proud.

But all of that had changed just days before.

She hadn't expected that Sasori would break the ultimate taboo of a puppeteer—human puppetry!

And she could hardly bear that Sasori's first human puppet creation was Komushi, the companion she'd placed by Sasori's side to connect them.

Worst of all, there was evidence suggesting Komushi's poisoning was Sasori's doing!

"How could he do such a thing? Why did he turn out this way? When did he start down this path?"

Since Sasori's escape from the Hidden Sand, these questions had plagued Chiyo, wearing her spirit thin.

This was why she asked Ebizo to join her in a ruse, to test Hattori's character.

She didn't want to make the same mistake again, nor could she allow Hattori to become another Sasori.

Absolutely not!

With this resolve, Chiyo strode inside and spoke directly to Hattori.

"Hattori, what's most important to you? Or rather, what do you desire most?"

"My greatest desire?"

Hattori scratched the back of his head thoughtfully after treating a patient.

"Money and women?"

Chiyo: "(╬￣皿￣)"

*(End of Chapter)*