**Chapter 63: Ebizō's Confidence**

Hattori never expected that, despite his long-winded arguments, he still couldn't sway Chiyo's resolve. This left him with a distinct feeling of defeat.

"I originally thought I held a fairly high status, but in front of someone like Chiyo, I'm still so insignificant," he thought, beginning to feel an urge to give up.

But then he remembered the cries he'd heard in the underground shelter. Clenching his teeth, he steeled himself again.

"No, I can't give up just yet. If Chiyo has too deep a grudge against Konoha, then I'll try a different approach and convince her again!"

Having made up his mind, he spoke to Chiyo once more.

"Teacher, Konoha may not be trustworthy, but we can't deny their strength. Even though Tsunade has left and Sakumo committed suicide, both Orochimaru and Jiraiya remain. Moreover, it's said that Jiraiya's student, Namikaze Minato, has already mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique..."

"Flying Thunder God Technique?" Ebizō's eyes widened in shock. "Do you mean the Flying Thunder God of the Second Hokage, Tobirama Senju?"

"Yes!" Hattori nodded. "Not only that, I've heard Konoha now has a new Nine-Tails Jinchuriki."

"Uh..." Ebizō's face registered complete surprise, his expression becoming quite strange.

"And how did you find out about all this? Did you learn it on the Eastern battlefield?"

"Yep!" Hattori nodded confidently. "I disguised myself as a Konoha ninja, so it was easy to gather information. Anyway, it's not exactly a secret over there."

"Disguised as a Konoha ninja?" Ebizō's face looked even stranger.

"Disguised as whom? Surely you didn't pretend to be Tsunade's nephew, Senju Kurama?"

"Huh?" Hattori was taken aback for a moment before he realized—wasn't that the fake name he'd made up when Ebizō and others had tested him with Transformation Jutsu back on the Eastern battlefield? How had Ebizō remembered it all this time?

This worked to his advantage, though, and with Ebizō as his "perfect sidekick," he immediately amped up his amateur acting.

"Hiss... How did you know that, Advisor Ebizō? Do you have spies in Konoha's forces? Amazing! How did you manage that?"

"Uh... well..." Ebizō, seeing Hattori's awe-struck look, felt his face stiffen as he hastily came up with an excuse.

"It's... actually nothing, just, uh... Transformation Jutsu!"

"Oh, so it's Transformation Jutsu!" Hattori feigned sudden realization and admiration, while internally he was mentally rolling his eyes.

"Transformation Jutsu, yeah right. Like that would fool anyone in Konoha's ranks!"

Unaware of Hattori's inner monologue, Ebizō still felt somewhat embarrassed. After all, as Sunagakure's strategist, he'd just told a poor excuse of a lie right in front of his respected sister, Chiyo.

Trying to save face, he quickly changed the topic.

"Yes, indeed, Hattori is an extraordinarily clever child, with great adaptability. That's why he was able to obtain such valuable intelligence, which is tremendously helpful to us."

Ebizō's tone became serious as he continued.

"If this information is accurate, we could be in trouble. While Konoha has lost both Tsunade and Sakumo, they've gained a powerful figure on par with the Second Hokage and a Nine-Tails Jinchuriki who could influence the entire battlefield."

He left the rest unsaid, but Chiyo understood. She frowned once more.

"Alright, I understand. We must indeed proceed cautiously with this plan to attack Konoha."

She then turned back to Hattori.

"Hattori, your teacher will give this due consideration. Do you have any other matters to discuss? You must have come here for a reason, correct?"

"Uh… I do!" Hattori scratched his head in embarrassment, having nearly forgotten his original purpose.

"Actually, it's like this: recently, the village was attacked by Iwa-nin and, well, lots of bees. To drive them off and warn everyone, I may have set fire to some furniture near Karura's house, heh..."

"Pfft... cough, cough... that fire... you started that fire?" Ebizō, who was drinking water nearby, immediately sprayed it out, coughing violently.

"Cough, cough, cough… you call that 'some furniture'? That was 121 houses! I thought it was the work of Iwa-nin!"

"Heh heh heh..." Hattori scratched his head again, embarrassed. "It wasn't that extreme, honestly!"

"I wasn't praise you!!!"

"(ω`)"

Chiyo: "..."

Seeing Ebizō fuming and Hattori looking thoroughly confused, Chiyo couldn't help but cover her face, waving Hattori away.

"Alright, alright. Your teacher will handle this. Just stay away from Karura's area for now!"

"Okay, understood! Goodbye, Teacher!" Hattori cheerfully responded, bowing politely to Chiyo before heading for the door.

However, after taking just two steps, he turned back to Chiyo.

"Teacher, if we can negotiate peace with Konoha, we'll be able to shift our Eastern forces to deal with Kirigakure and Iwagakure in turn. I believe this outcome would satisfy both the village and the daimyo. Please consider it carefully!"

With that, he reluctantly left the conference room.

Watching this, Ebizō, who had been visibly angry moments ago, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Haha, that kid's a real character!"

Chiyo nodded. "Yes, though he certainly causes a lot of trouble. Ebizō, what's your take on the intelligence he gathered?"

"Hmm..." Ebizō thought for a moment before holding up two fingers.

"I see two possibilities. First, Hattori's clever and, being just a kid, Konoha wouldn't have guarded against him, allowing him to gather intelligence. Second, they saw through his disguise and deliberately fed him false information."

"Which do you think is more likely?" Chiyo's brow furrowed again.

"Theoretically, the second is more likely, but I lean toward the first."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed across Chiyo's face. "You have such high regard for him?"

"Yes!" Ebizō answered without hesitation.

"From our first meeting, I saw promise in him. Now, I'm even more certain. Though he's only seven, he has the mindset of a Kage. Given perhaps just fifteen years—or even less—he could very well carry Sunagakure on his shoulders."

Chiyo was aware of Ebizō's admiration for Hattori but hadn't expected such high praise.

Just as she was about to say something, the conference room door suddenly opened with a squeak.

Hattori, who had just left, popped his head back in, looking a bit sheepish.

"Um... Teacher, do you have any explosive tags? Could I have some?"

Chiyo: "..."

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