Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

How hard is it to infiltrate the enemy camp? Hattori showed through his actions that transitioning from the Sand Village to the Leaf Village camp could take just five minutes! This success wasn't merely luck—it was a result of several factors aligning.

First and foremost, Tsunade's absence from the village was crucial.

Had she not left the Leaf Village due to her hemophobia, Hattori's impersonation as her disciple would have been quickly exposed.

Next, there was the Summoning Beast, Katsuyu.

The three legendary summoning beasts are what earned the "Sannin" their renown, and they're also marks of identity. Now that Hattori could summon Katsuyu, the Leaf Village ninja naturally associated him with Tsunade.

To them, only Tsunade could summon Katsuyu, so if Hattori wasn't her disciple, how else could he summon Katsuyu?

Then there was Hattori's age.

He looked only about six or seven, a child who, in the eyes of Leaf Village ninja, had likely just enrolled in the ninja academy. They wouldn't expect such a child to even know basic shuriken throwing, let alone use advanced medical ninjutsu like Mystical Palm. Without a teacher like Tsunade, even a prodigy would struggle to master this technique.

With these factors combined, several Leaf Village ninjas quickly accepted that Hattori was Tsunade's disciple and escorted him safely to the rear.

In any village, high-level medical ninjas are precious and cannot be handled carelessly.

Thanks to the careful escort of the Leaf ninjas, Hattori quickly left the Valley of Rivers and entered the lush forests of the Land of Fire.

In stark contrast to the desolate desert of the Land of Wind, the Land of Fire boasted vast green forests, alive with birdsong and insect chirps.

Hattori took one look and instantly liked it here.

"This feels way better than the Sand Village. It might not be bad to stay here!" he thought.

But he knew that this charade would only work for a short while. Given time, the Leaf Village's Anbu would undoubtedly catch on to him.

Just the thought of facing that "Darkness of the Ninja World," Danzo, quickly brought him back to his senses.

"I'll just spend a few days here to gain some experience, then head back. Chiyo's been good to me, and I'd feel guilty leaving her behind. Sigh… I'm always too soft-hearted, too soft-hearted, taking on all the burdens myself…"

Oops! He almost sang that out loud!

Just as Hattori's thoughts began to drift, a voice sounded beside him.

"We're almost there!"

"Uh…"

The voice snapped him back to reality.

He looked ahead and saw several military-green tents, guarded by a few Leaf Village ninjas.

The Leaf ninjas also noticed them and walked over.

"Hey, Akiyama, why are you guys back? Did you receive orders?"

"Hahaha, of course not!"

At the question, the Leaf ninja beside Hattori laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"I escorted him back. Here's a chance for you to guess who he is! Here's a hint: he's related to the Sannin!"

"Him? Related to the Sannin?"

Seeing Akiyama's proud expression, and the others' mysterious yet joyful faces, the questioned ninja was taken aback.

"Is it Lord Jiraiya?"

"Nope!"

"Could it be Lord Orochimaru?"

"Ha! Wrong again!"

"Uh…"

Having eliminated two of the Sannin, the remaining option was clear.

The ninja, still guessing, seemed to realize something, eyes widening in disbelief.

"Could it be…Lady Tsunade? Is Lady Tsunade back?"

"Hahahaha…"

Seeing his excitement, the ninjas escorting Hattori all laughed.

Akiyama also laughed, shaking his head as he did.

"Lady Tsunade hasn't returned. This is Lord Hattori, her disciple. Though young, he's mastered her skills and is a true medical ninja!"

"What? That's incredible!" The ninja looked amazed.

At that moment, a slightly mocking voice came from above them.

"Oh? Since when did Tsunade take on a disciple? How come I didn't know?"

Everyone looked up toward the voice and saw a figure perched on a tree branch.

The man had wild white hair, a Leaf headband, and gray armor. Seeing them look up, he jumped down and landed smoothly on the ground.

At this sight, everyone bowed in respect.

"Lord Jiraiya!"

"Mm!"

Jiraiya nodded, then walked up to Hattori, a playful look in his eyes.

"So, kid, you're Tsunade's disciple? And you've already mastered her skills? How do you plan to prove that to me?"

Hearing this, Hattori raised an eyebrow and gave him a sidelong glance.

"I don't need to prove anything. The Legendary Sucker told me that if I met an idiot named Jiraiya, I should ignore him and avoid associating with him, or else I'd turn stupid!"

"Cough, cough, cough…"

Jiraiya couldn't help but cough at that, waving his hand to dismiss the other ninjas.

Once only he and Hattori were left, he awkwardly cleared his throat.

"That does sound like Tsunade… So, how is she doing these days?"

"How else would she be? Same as usual," Hattori sighed, shrugging.

"Eating, drinking, gambling—she's fine as long as there's no blood involved."

Only a few knew about Tsunade's hemophobia, and Jiraiya was one of them.

So, hearing this, Jiraiya was somewhat convinced of Hattori's identity, and his tone softened.

"Glad to hear she's doing well. By the way, you didn't tell anyone about her fear of blood, right?"

"Of course not. How could I?"

Hattori looked at Jiraiya with a disdainful expression, as if silently calling him an idiot.

To be belittled by a six- or seven-year-old made Jiraiya's face redden slightly, and he quickly changed the subject.

"Ahem… Good, as long as you didn't. So, if Tsunade's your teacher, why do you call her 'Legendary Sucker'?"

"That's not from me!"

Hattori's face showed annoyance.

"My teacher is addicted to gambling, yet she always loses. The entire gambling world knows her, and they've even given her the nickname 'Legendary Sucker'!"

"Pfft…"

Hearing the nickname, Jiraiya couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

"'Legendary Sucker'? That nickname suits her, really suits her, hahaha…"

*(End of Chapter)*