Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

There's a certain unspeakable relationship known as "RMW" which means "Can't Mess With."

And the three people in front of him, disguised by transformation jutsu, were all confirmed to be people Hattori absolutely couldn't mess with.

Especially Chiyo—the elderly advisor of the Sand Village, Hattori's nominal teacher, and a woman who had just lost her only grandchild—definitely someone Hattori had no desire to provoke.

So, he chose to play dumb, waiting for the trio in front of him to perform.

Initially, Hattori thought the first to speak would be Rasa. After all, he had provoked him multiple times along the way, and now that there was a chance to embarrass him, Rasa probably wouldn't pass it up.

But to his surprise, it wasn't Rasa who spoke first; it was Ebizo, who had him in a kunai chokehold.

"Hey, kid from the Sand Village, you don't seem scared of us, huh?"

"Uh…" Hearing this, Hattori immediately realized he had slipped up.

Since Ebizo and the others were disguised as Leaf Village ninja—and strong ones, at that—it would be unnatural for him not to show fear when captured by them.

Seeing Maki and Yashamaru, each drenched in cold sweat, Hattori silently thought, "Rookie mistake," and quickly began to scheme.

"Telling them I saw through their transformation jutsu definitely won't work. That would make me seem even weirder, and I still need to save face for them. Guess I'll have to make something up!"

With that thought, he raised his eyebrows and flashed a grin at Ebizo, who was disguised as a Leaf Village ninja.

"Heheheh, you're joking, sir. We're all Leaf Village ninja here, so why should I be scared? Could you please put that down? It'd be bad if one of us got hurt!"

"'One of us'?"

Everyone present paused upon hearing Hattori's words, looking at him in puzzled silence.

Ebizo froze too but quickly recovered, asking Hattori again, "You say you're a Leaf Village ninja? Prove it."

"Sorry, I can't prove it."

With that, Hattori's tone grew heavy.

"I was sent to the Sand Village as a secret when I was very young. I always thought I was a Sand Village ninja—until one day, my aunt found me, and I discovered my true origins."

"And your true identity is…?"

"I'm from the Senju clan of the Leaf Village!"

Hattori raised his chin high, his eyes bright with pride.

"My name is Senju Kurama. You may not have heard of me, but you must know my aunt's name—she's the one they call 'Leaf's Princess,' Tsunade!"

"Uh…" Hearing the name "Tsunade," Ebizo froze once more.

Not only him; Maki, Yashamaru, and even Rasa were wide-eyed, disbelief evident on their faces.

Seeing their expressions, Chiyo, who had been silent, couldn't hold back and let out a few dry coughs.

"Cough, cough, cough…"

The sound snapped Ebizo back to reality. He glanced at Chiyo, who was signaling him—

Don't fall for it. The kid's bluffing!

"Uh…"

Understanding Chiyo's signal, Ebizo looked at Hattori with a complicated expression, feeling a pang of embarrassment.

"For all my years as an intelligence and espionage operative in the Sand Village, even earning the nickname 'the Sand's Strategist,' who would have thought I'd almost be duped by a kid today? How humiliating!"

His mouth twitched twice before tossing the kunai in front of Hattori.

"Alright, if you claim to be a Leaf Village ninja, then prove it by using that kunai to kill the two Sand Village kids in front of you. Then, we'll believe you."

This wasn't an attempt to humiliate Hattori. Ebizo genuinely wanted to test the extent of this kid's abilities—someone who almost managed to fool him.

Rasa and Chiyo understood his intentions and remained silent, though they frowned slightly.

Maki and Yashamaru, however, had no idea. They genuinely believed Hattori was a Leaf Village ninja. At that moment, their eyes held not just fear but also anger.

Maki spoke first.

"Never would I have thought you were from the Leaf Village. I was blind, then. Come on, do it!"

Though Yashamaru said nothing, his determined gaze made his stance clear.

Seeing their reaction, Hattori chuckled, shaking his head as he laughed.

"I won't kill you. Considering your status, being alive is more useful than being dead!"

Then, he turned and handed the kunai back to Ebizo.

"These two aren't just any Sand Village ninja. They're direct relatives of a high-ranking figure in the Sand Village, so keeping them alive would make negotiations with the Sand Village easier."

"Oh?"

Ebizo suddenly grew interested.

"Well, then, whose relatives are they exactly? If they're valuable enough, I might consider sparing them."

"Don't worry; they're definitely valuable!"

Hattori looked around theatrically before lowering his voice and speaking to Ebizo.

"Have you heard of a Sand Village advisor named Ebizo?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Caught off guard by Hattori's suggestion, Ebizo couldn't hold it in and began coughing violently, waving his hand to protest.

"No, no, no… Ebizo has never married; how could he have a son? You're just making things up!"

"Who says you can't have a son without marriage? Ever heard of illegitimate children?"

Hattori winked at Ebizo, grinning.

"Just so you know, Ebizo had them late in life, so he dotes on them dearly. Sir, you're about to make a huge contribution. When we get back to the Leaf Village, you'll have to treat me to a feast!"

"Cough, cough… Let's talk about that later…"

Ebizo didn't know how to respond. He glanced at Chiyo, who nodded in agreement. So he immediately shouted.

"Trouble! Their reinforcements are coming. Let's go!"

With that, the three of them used the Body Flicker Technique, vanishing from the scene.

They reappeared about ten seconds later in front of Hattori and the others, having released their transformation jutsu and returned to their true forms.

Looking around, Ebizo spoke sternly, "I am Ebizo, military advisor of the Sand Village. Tell me—what just happened?"

Hattori: "(ω`)"

Let the performance begin!

(The end of the chapter)