**Chapter 75: The Meeting**

After his surprise attack on Iwagakure, Hattori might have seemed relaxed and casual, as if he could come and go freely, but he was actually terrified. 

"Damn it, Onoki is too scary! My monstrous strength attack barely knocked off a hundred HP from him. No wonder he's the Tsuchikage—totally out of my league!"

Hattori's original plan was to take down Onoki, but he hadn't expected Onoki to counter with the Earth Hardening Technique.

Earth Hardening is a basic Earth Style technique that many Genin can use, a simple and seemingly unremarkable low-level jutsu. 

Yet, when Onoki used it, he managed to withstand Hattori's attack, and his HP loss was less than a fifth!

More surprising was that, despite only suffering minor injuries, Onoki screamed like he was in agony, which made Hattori realize how cunning he was.

"He's obviously trying to deceive me with his cries, making me think he's badly injured. Then, when I close in, he'd use his Particle Style technique to kill me. Crafty! But there's no way someone as smart as me would fall for that."

With this thought, Hattori indulged in his own brilliance, lost in self-appreciation.

By the time the giant dragonfly carrying him had flown out of Earth Country's borders, he snapped back to reality and began assessing his gains from the encounter.

Since he never touched the ground, there were no physical spoils, but the experience he earned was substantial, allowing him to level up three times. 

Now, his level had reached 44, and his stats had changed again.

**[Name: Hattori]** 

**[Title: Puppet Tyrant]** 

**[Level: 44]** 

**[HP: 1478/1478]** 

**[MP: 271/955 (Shadow Seal: 95500/95500, unlockable)]** 

**[EXP: 400/440]** 

**[Specialties: Medical, Puppet, Sealing Techniques]** 

**[Combat Power Evaluation: A+]**

The most significant discovery was that his Puppet Control skill, previously capped at level 30, had now reached level 44!

**[44-Level Puppet Control: Can use Chakra Threads to control targets up to level 44. When controlling multiple targets, the combined levels must not exceed 440. Upgrading requires 440 experience points.]**

Seeing this, Hattori had a bold guess.

"Maybe, using experience points to level up Puppet Control is just one method. If I gain experience by battling with the puppets, I might be able to upgrade without spending experience points at all!"

Excited by the possibility, Hattori's eyes lit up.

"Yes, that must be it! It's like a game—using experience points to level up is like spending money, while leveling up through fighting is like completing free daily quests!"

To test his theory, Hattori even considered launching another ambush on Iwagakure.

But the thought of Onoki's terrifying strength, and the potential presence of Iwagakure's Jinchuriki, made him hold back.

He knew that in a powerful village like Iwagakure, the fact he'd escaped unharmed after an ambush was already a stroke of luck.

Trying again would almost certainly lead to death, now that the village was on guard.

Hattori wasn't one to risk his life foolishly, so he quickly made up his mind.

"I'll catch up to the main forces of Sunagakure and report my attack on Iwagakure to Chiyo and Ebizo so they can make the right decisions!"

With that, he directed his dragonfly mount toward Sunagakure's eastern battlefront.

With the giant dragonfly's incredible speed, Hattori crossed the desert and arrived over the eastern battlefield by dawn.

But to his surprise, when he arrived, he couldn't spot Chiyo or the main Sunagakure forces.

"Could I have arrived too late, and they've already launched their attack on Konoha?"

The thought made him anxious.

Just as he considered venturing into the Land of Fire, he saw an unexpected figure approaching from behind.

"Huh? Rasa?"

It was indeed Rasa, flying on his Gold Dust. When he spotted Hattori on the dragonfly, he froze in surprise but soon adopted a guarded expression.

"Who are you? Why are you here?"

Hattori instantly understood Rasa's suspicion and waved dismissively.

"Relax, Rasa, it's really me, not an imposter using the Transformation Technique. I have important information to share with the advisors. Where are they?"

Rasa didn't reply, still eyeing Hattori warily, clearly unconvinced.

Seeing this, Hattori had no choice but to sigh.

"Alright, looks like I'll have to prove my identity. Let's see… something only the real me would know…"

After a moment's thought, his eyes sparkled.

"Got it! I remember Temari's birthday is August 23, her favorite food is tofu soup, and she has two birthmarks on her left butt cheek. Am I right?"

Rasa: "(╬￣皿￣)"

Knowing my daughter's birthday and favorite food is one thing, but why do you even know about the birthmarks on her butt? What exactly have you been doing?

For a moment, Rasa felt an urge to grab Hattori by the collar and demand answers, but his rational mind held him back.

Taking a deep breath, Rasa looked at Hattori again.

"Alright, I believe it's really you. You mentioned something important to report to Advisor Chiyo. What is it?"

Hattori didn't hide anything from Rasa and laid it all out.

"I just launched a surprise attack on Iwagakure, collapsed the Tsuchikage's office, exchanged blows with Onoki, and pinned the blame on Konoha!"

"Hmm?" Rasa's brows furrowed as he heard Hattori's story. "This isn't the time for jokes."

"You moron, who the hell is joking with you?"

Frustrated at Rasa's disbelief, Hattori retorted.

"If it weren't for this Summoned dragonfly, Onoki's Particle Style technique would have killed me already. You think I'd joke about something like that? Got crap in your head?"

"…"

Usually, Rasa would have reacted angrily to Hattori's insults, but now he held back.

His intuition told him that Hattori might actually be telling the truth.

If so, this could be Sunagakure's chance, a critical opportunity to turn the tide against Konoha!

His expression became deadly serious as he nodded.

"I understand. There's no time to lose. Follow me to Elder Ebizo immediately. Let's go!"

With that, he steered his Gold Dust and turned back, flying toward the rear.

Seeing this, Hattori tapped his foot lightly, signaling his dragonfly to follow.

Together, they sped through the desert sky. After several miles, Hattori finally spotted the main forces of Sunagakure in the distance.

"Found them!"

*(End of Chapter)*