Hattori , Puppet Tyrant in Sand

Seeing Hattori confidently pat his chest and promise her a summoning beast, Pakura was momentarily taken aback, but then nodded with a smile.

"Alright, I'll wait for your good news then!"

Although she said this, in her heart, Pakura treated Hattori's promise as playful joke from a child and didn't take it seriously.

After all, in the world of ninjas, summoning beasts were rare treasures, typically only owned by those with prestigious backgrounds or exceptional talent.

Pakura held herself in high regard, but she wasn't so confident as to believe she could easily acquire a summoning beast.

At least, not yet.

Unaware of her thoughts, Hattori was thrilled to see her accept his offer.

"A girl like Pakura accepting my gift—this definitely means she has feelings for me. I've got to take care of these Mist Ninjas fast and then head to the Shikkotsu Forest!"

With that in mind, he focused his attention and carefully observed the surroundings, trying to spot the incoming Mist Ninjas.

After a round of searching with no luck, he ordered the Giant-Winged Dragonfly to narrow the patrol range, circling around the Sand Village camp as the center.

In his mind, the Mist Ninjas were either still en route or, if they'd arrived, would certainly be within this radius.

This judgment stemmed from the realization that the earlier infiltration by the two Mist Ninja cannon fodder, who used explosive tags to cause chaos, mirrored the tactics used in a past attack on the Sand Village by the Stone Ninjas.

Hattori deduced that the two were merely scouts, paving the way for the main forces to launch an attack at the optimal moment. Given that, the main force had to be nearby!

Sure enough, Hattori's instincts proved correct. When he had the Giant-Winged Dragonfly reduce the patrol range a third time, he quickly spotted traces of the Mist Ninja forces!

"Found them!"

Seeing the figures speeding through the night below, Hattori didn't hesitate to throw a few flash grenades down.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

As the flash grenades exploded, nearly a hundred fully armed Mist Ninjas appeared within Hattori's line of sight.

His eyes lit up at the sight. Swiftly drawing the puppet scroll from his back, he waved his hand, sending down dozens of explosive puppets.

"Art is… explosion!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom…"

Deafening explosions instantly erupted, drowning out Hattori's voice along with the Mist Ninjas' cries of agony.

Seeing this, Pakura's eyes widened in shock at Hattori's skillful move.

"So… so powerful!"

Now, she finally understood why Chiyo had insisted on Hattori providing air support earlier.

"Turns out he's not just a scout—his attacks are incredibly strong too! As expected of Lady Chiyo's student!"

After her astonishment, Pakura performed her own jutsu, launching an attack on the Mist Ninjas below.

"Scorch Style: Incinerating Steam Kill!"

With a loud shout, she launched three scorching fireballs towards the Mist Ninjas below.

Due to the earlier flash grenades, many Mist Ninjas were still blinded, making them easy targets.

Sure enough, Pakura's three fireballs accurately struck three Mist Ninjas, instantly evaporating all the moisture from their bodies and leaving them as charred corpses.

At this moment, the Mist Ninjas' commander finally reacted, shouting loudly.

"The enemy is in the air—spread out!"

After shouting, he immediately performed a jutsu.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

Following his lead, the other Mist Ninjas snapped into action, forming seals for their own jutsu.

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Hidden Mist Jutsu!"

Hundreds of Mist Ninjas cast the Hidden Mist Jutsu simultaneously, enveloping the battlefield in thick fog.

With it already being night, the added mist obscured Hattori's vision, making him reluctant to waste more explosive puppets.

He promptly ordered the Giant-Winged Dragonfly to gain altitude.

This maneuver prevented the Mist Ninjas from triangulating their position by the sound of the dragonfly's wings, potentially launching an attack.

As it turned out, his thinking was spot on. The moment the Giant-Winged Dragonfly ascended, attacks from the Mist Ninjas below began.

"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"

"Water Style: Water Bullet Jutsu!"

Dozens of water bullets whistled sharply as they shot just beneath the Giant-Winged Dragonfly, causing Hattori to click his tongue.

"Tsk tsk… These guys are impressive! Being able to use Water Style techniques with such power in the desert? Not bad at all!"

Hearing this, Pakura nodded beside him.

"That's right; this group belongs to the Hozuki Clan of the Mist Village. Though not a bloodline family, their Water Style techniques are exceptionally strong and should not be underestimated!"

"The Hozuki Clan?"

Hearing the name, Hattori's eyes lit up with understanding.

"Ah, no wonder! Then, for now, let's avoid any rash moves. Once our reinforcements arrive, we'll wipe them out together!"

"Agreed!" Pakura nodded. "Tonight, we'll leave none of them standing!"

Just as she finished speaking, a sudden gust of wind swept in from afar, causing the Giant-Winged Dragonfly to sway left and right.

Both Hattori and Pakura were startled and quickly crouched to steady themselves.

Though they nearly fell, both of them couldn't hide the delight on their faces in the face of this wind.

They realized that the thick mist created by the Mist Ninjas had been blown away within seconds!

"Here's our chance!"

Hattori seized the opportunity, giving a slight stomp with his foot.

"Alright, buddy—let's dive in!"

"Buzz…"

Hearing his command, the Giant-Winged Dragonfly flapped its wings and dove toward the Mist Ninjas below!

As they began the dive, Hattori once again opened his puppet seal scroll.

"Mist Village water monkeys, let's show you my art!"

He grinned as he released the remaining two hundred explosive puppets, scattering them down on the Mist Ninjas below.

"Art is… explosion!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom…"

Under Hattori's control, this series of explosions was even more devastating, covering a radius of nearly two hundred meters and burying the Mist Ninjas in flames.

In that moment, a barrage of kill notifications appeared in his vision like a scrolling screen—

**[You have successfully defeated a Level 18 Ninja, EXP+0]**

**[You have successfully defeated a Level 40 Ninja, EXP+400]**

**[You have successfully defeated a Level 35 Ninja, EXP+0]**

**[You have successfully defeated a Level 42 Ninja, EXP+420]**

**[Level Up!]**

**[Puppet Control Skill Level Up!]**

... 

*(End of Chapter)*