Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

Normally, a two-to-three-thousand-strong shinobi defense force would be more than enough for a mid-sized battle. However, the collapse of the Kirigakure defense forces happened far faster than Hattori had anticipated.

Before even half of their numbers had fallen, they had already broken ranks and fled.

Following the collapse, eighty percent of them chose to run, while the remaining twenty percent took up their own weapons and ended their lives.

Clearly, the relentless battle with their fallen comrades had shattered their spirits.

With the defense forces broken, the entirety of Kirigakure lay exposed before Hattori, vulnerable like an unguarded young girl.

"Now, let Kirigakure remember this pain... and fear!"

After sealing the ninja beads harvested from the dead, Hattori melted back into the dense mist.

Using his keen perception, Hattori locked onto his targets, commanding his puppet army of fallen shinobi to charge into Kirigakure.

Now devoid of large forces, only small Kirigakure squads stood in his way, all swiftly dispatched by his corpse puppets.

Each fallen shinobi then joined his ranks as a new puppet, replenishing the losses his puppet army had suffered in combat.

The mist-covered village grew thick with the scent of blood.

Ordinary citizens didn't dare to open their doors, hiding indoors and praying the demon outside wouldn't break into their homes.

Hattori had no interest in the helpless civilians. His target was the Kirigakure shinobi and, most of all, their leader—the Third Mizukage!

In his mind, anyone ruthless enough to join forces with Rasa in an ambush at the Valley of Mist had to be someone formidable.

Only a leader like the Third Mizukage could make such a decision.

In Hattori's mind, the Mizukage was already as good as dead.

With his target locked, Hattori sent his puppets to the Mizukage Tower to end this once and for all.

But as his puppets closed in on the tower, a jet-black beam of light shot out, blasting his puppets and the nearby buildings into oblivion.

"A Tailed Beast Bomb?"

Seeing the explosion from his hiding spot, Hattori narrowed his eyes.

"So, Kirigakure's jinchūriki is here. Fine, if they're willing to let him out, I'll take him as interest."

With that, he activated his perception ability, locking onto the Kirigakure jinchūriki, a three-tailed beast cloaked in red chakra. Then, he unleashed his sealing technique.

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

With a low shout, five golden chains shot from his body and burrowed into the ground.

Moments later, they erupted from beneath the three-tailed jinchūriki, binding him instantly.

The jinchūriki revealed his true form—a pale middle-aged man—once the chains took hold.

Wasting no time, Hattori disrupted the seal on the man's abdomen, unleashing the three-tailed beast.

A thunderous roar echoed as the three-tailed beast broke free, killing the jinchūriki instantly.

*You have slain a Level 60 shinobi. EXP +600*

Ignoring the kill notification, Hattori turned his attention to the freed beast.

As described in the original story, the three-tailed beast looked like a massive spiked turtle, its body covered in thick armor, radiating menace.

The beast roared and raised a massive claw to strike at Hattori.

"Silence, you beast!"

Hattori activated his Sharingan, instantly subduing the ferocious beast. Its enormous eyes reflected the cross-shaped tomoe of his Mangekyō Sharingan.

But using the Sharingan was not without a cost. Blood-tears streamed from Hattori's eyes as he commanded the beast.

"Destroy, Three-Tails!"

With a roar, the three-tailed beast summoned a massive Tailed Beast Bomb, hurling it toward the Mizukage Tower.

An explosive blast shook Kirigakure, instantly reducing the Mizukage Tower to rubble.

Something strange caught Hattori's attention.

Despite the tower's destruction, he could still sense the chakra of the Third Mizukage. He hadn't died in the explosion.

"Hmph, playing dead? You picked the wrong opponent."

Hattori narrowed his eyes, locking onto the faint chakra signature emanating from a puddle in the rubble.

It was odd for a pool of water to remain untouched amidst the smoky ruins—a dead giveaway.

Hattori quickly realized it was the Hydrification Technique, a signature ability of the Hozuki clan.

"So, he's of the Hozuki clan, no wonder he has such a trick. Too bad for him he ran into me... Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Five golden chains pierced the puddle, sealing it instantly.

Bound by the chains, the water morphed into an old man with graying hair and wrinkled skin.

Blood trickled from the old man's lips, a testament to the injuries he'd sustained from the beast's attack.

Shocked, he looked up at Hattori, bound and defeated.

"The Uzumaki clan's Adamantine Sealing Chains, the Uchiha's Sharingan, and the puppet technique of Sunagakure… who are you?"

"The dead don't need to know."

Hattori threw a kunai, and the Mizukage's supposedly "immortal" water form failed against the chains.

Bound by the sealing chains, unable to escape or use the Hydrification Technique, the Third Mizukage could only watch as the kunai closed in.

A sharp pain hit his forehead, and darkness swallowed his world.

Thus ended the life of the Third Mizukage, whose reign in the shinobi world was finally extinguished by a single kunai.

*You have slain a Level 62 shinobi. EXP +620*

*Level Up*

*Puppet Control Skill +1*

Hattori deactivated the Adamantine Sealing Chains and picked up the epic ninja beads dropped by both the three-tailed jinchūriki and the Mizukage.

With his loot secured, he grabbed the Mizukage's body and summoned his giant-winged dragonfly, taking to the skies.

Looking down at the chaos and the three-tailed beast wreaking havoc in Kirigakure, Hattori's eyes gleamed with disdain.

"Kirigakure shinobi... such weaklings."

He planted his foot on the Mizukage's corpse, sneering as he addressed his dragonfly.

"Let's go, partner. The interest is paid. Time for Rasa to pay the principal."

With a hum, the dragonfly's wings buzzed as it carried them skyward.

The mist over Kirigakure grew thicker. 

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end