Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

The voice of the slug was soft and pleasant, reminiscent of a gentle older sister, soothing to the mind and spirit. In a word, it was "healing."

However, Hattori was utterly shocked.

"You… you… how do you know my name?"

Ever since he crossed over to the ninja world, everyone had called him "Lizard," as that was his identity here. But now, after summoning the slug, it had addressed him by his real name, leaving him utterly stunned.

The slug, unaware of his thoughts, looked at his shocked face and responded in a tone that was slightly puzzled.

"Lord Hattori, you've signed a summoning contract with the Great Slug Sage. As one of the Sage's divisions, naturally, I know your name. Why is that strange?"

Hattori: "╭(°A°`)╮"

"I signed a contract with the Great Slug Sage? When did that happen? Why don't I remember?"

Hattori's confusion deepened after hearing the slug's explanation. But as he couldn't make sense of it, he figured it must be due to his skill unlock.

"Maybe this is just how skill unlocking works. If I can't figure out the exact mechanism, I won't worry about it too much. My cheat abilities won't hurt me anyway!"

With that, Hattori's nerves eased, and he addressed the slug again, "Sorry, I overreacted."

"No worries, Lord Hattori. You're too kind!"

The slug kindly reassured him, glancing at the cloaked figures on the ground with a hint of concern.

"These people seem suspicious. Are they companions of yours, Lord Hattori?"

"I'd say… probably not."

Hattori's attention shifted to the cloaked individuals, his eyes narrowing.

"These guys just drew their weapons on me. They're not here to reason with me. Since that's the case, we don't need to reason with them either. Let's take care of them!"

"Yes, Lord Hattori!"

At Hattori's command, the slug responded instantly, preparing to launch an attack.

At that moment, one of the cloaked figures called out, "Wait, Lord! This is a misunderstanding. We're Konoha's shinobi!"

A misunderstanding?

Hearing this, Hattori's eyes flicked, and he quickly raised his hand. "Slug, wait!"

"Yes, Lord Hattori!" The slug immediately stopped its attack but remained on guard, vigilant against the cloaked figures.

Seeing the slug had ceased its attack, the cloaked figures visibly relaxed.

As Tsunade's renowned summoning beast, no one in Konoha knew better than them how terrifying the slug could be. Hattori holding back meant they were effectively saved.

The leader hesitated before removing his hood to reveal a white animal mask.

"We're Konoha's Anbu, here on a mission!"

He then looked up at Hattori, perched atop the slug, and asked, "If I'm not mistaken, that's Lady Tsunade's slug? May I ask where Lady Tsunade is, and what your relationship is with her?"

"No comment."

Hattori wasn't about to lie to the Anbu; they were too sharp, and trying to be clever around them could easily expose him. Instead, it was better to keep his distance. As long as they couldn't confirm his identity, they would fill in the blanks with a plausible story. People tend to believe what they want to believe.

So Hattori's response was cold and indifferent.

"If you want to stay alive, leave now—immediately!"

"This…"

The Anbu hesitated briefly but quickly nodded.

"Understood. We'll leave now. However, the commotion just now was loud enough to alert Sunagakure. They'll be here soon, so we suggest you leave with us!"

"Uh…"

Hattori glanced down at the enormous slug beneath him and felt a pang of surprise.

He'd summoned the slug to save his life, not expecting it to be this massive. The noise it caused would surely have reached Sunagakure, and their advance team was likely already on its way.

Given his current state, encountering Sunagakure's forces was something he preferred to avoid.

"They're from Sunagakure, so killing them would cut off my path of retreat. I'll have to find a way to avoid them, but I can't leave with the Konoha team either."

With that, he gestured for the Konoha Anbu below him to go.

"I won't be going with you. You go first; I'll find my own way."

Seeing Hattori's firm decision, the Anbu had no choice but to nod.

"Understood. We'll be on our way, then!"

With that, they used the Body Flicker Technique, disappearing with a few quick steps into the night.

Watching them vanish, Hattori exhaled deeply and crouched down to pat the slug gently.

"Slug, it's safe now. You can put me down."

"Yes, Lord Hattori!"

The slug agreed and then split off a smaller, human-sized slug to carry Hattori down from its back.

After Hattori landed, it spoke again.

"Lord Hattori, now that things have settled, I'll be going back. Summon me again if you need me. By the way, my name is Katsuyu!"

With a "poof," it transformed into a cloud of white smoke, returning to the summoning realm.

"Katsuyu, huh?"

Hattori's eyes lit up briefly, then he smiled.

"A nice name, but now's not the time for that. Sunagakure's advance team is probably on their way. I need to make a decision quickly!"

Before arriving, he had planned to summon the slug stealthily to farm experience. But after encountering Konoha's Anbu, he realized that doing anything "stealthily" on the battlefield was easier said than done.

Plus, with all the commotion, returning to the Sunagakure medical camp meant farming experience would be difficult for a while.

So, he decided to take another risk.

"Leveling up can't stop. Since I can't farm experience at Sunagakure's camp, let's try Konoha's camp. With Katsuyu's support, I have a high chance of success!"

He glanced in the direction of the Sunagakure medical camp, then turned and sprinted in the direction the Konoha Anbu had just taken.