Perhaps to appease the fuming Hattori or maybe to give Chiyo some face as his advisor, the shopkeeper threw in a small ninja tool sealing scroll and two brand new ninja pouches at the end of the transaction.
Hattori, understanding when to take what's given, took his things back to his place and began modifying and prepping the ninja tools.
He coated the shuriken with medicine. Originally, he wanted to use poison, but since he couldn't find any, he settled for a strong anesthetic — better than nothing.
He attached forty explosive tags onto a kunai for remote and precise control via chakra threads.
This was making the most of his resources.
After all, explosive tags are costly, so much so that even high-earners like Hattori feel the pinch.
"No wonder so many ninjas in Konoha don't use explosive tags often. They're just too expensive, only people from big families like Sasuke and Shikamaru can afford to use them freely."
Thinking about this, Hattori recalled Konan from the Akatsuki, who famously used six billion explosive tags in her battle against Tobi. The thought alone was awe-inspiring.
If each tag cost a thousand ryō, six billion tags would be... six trillion!
With that much money, you could practically buy out the Five Great Nations.
There's a widely accepted theory among Naruto fans that if Konan's explosive tags weren't tied to her Paper Release Kekkei Genkai but could be used by anyone, she'd be the wealthiest person in the entire ninja world.
Without a doubt!
But that's only a hypothesis. Without the Paper Release technique, it would take 18,000 years to make six billion explosive tags even at a rate of one per second.
The ninja world probably hasn't existed that long! So, although Konan could produce them in high volumes, they were only usable by herself.
Even so, Hattori couldn't help but feel envious.
"Konan's Paper Release is just too convenient. As long as she has chakra, she can spam explosive tags—totally overpowered!"
Thinking this, Hattori, who had been feeling overly confident after unlocking several skills, regained a sense of humility.
"This world is too dangerous. Even someone as strong as Konan didn't make it. I'd better keep laying low. After all, if things fall apart, there's always someone taller to hold up the sky!"
With this in mind, he felt much lighter and moved faster, finishing all his ninja tool preparations in no time.
After completing the modifications, he sorted them.
To avoid confusion, Hattori prepared two ninja pouches. He put several dozen anesthetic-coated shuriken and a few kunai in one pouch.
In the other pouch, he placed twenty kunai with explosive tags attached.
The remaining tools were sealed back into a ninja scroll and carefully stored on his person for easy access.
With his ninja tools ready, Hattori didn't forget about soldier pills.
For him, they were still very useful. They could replenish chakra, serve as emergency rations, and were essential for the battlefield.
Fifty pills seemed just right!
After double-checking everything, Hattori finally set out for the shelter, found a quiet spot, and lay down to rest.
That's when he discovered the best thing about the shelter: it's an ideal place to sleep!
Being underground, it was dim, and thick earthen walls separated each room, offering perfect soundproofing—a dream sleeping spot!
Not wanting to waste such a prime location, Hattori quickly drifted off until the rumbling of his stomach woke him.
Just as he got up to find something to eat, he heard a loud, muffled sound.
"Boom…"
The sound immediately brought to mind a childhood memory of setting off firecrackers wrapped in mud and tossing them in water—the same kind of sound but much louder. The ground shook, and dirt fell from above.
"The Sand Village is under attack!"
Hattori steadied himself against the wall and glanced around, his brow furrowing.
"This place shouldn't collapse, right? It's the Sand Village's shelter, so the quality should hold up."
Feeling a bit reassured, he headed toward one side of the shelter.
This was where the village school was, where thousands of Sand Village children were gathered. As he approached, he heard their fearful chatter and teachers calming them.
Seeing things were under control, he didn't go closer. Instead, he turned toward the other side.
The other side of the shelter housed the Sand Village's temporary hospital, where Mizu-Suna was leading her newly formed medical squad to treat the injured.
Upon seeing Hattori, Mizu-Suna quickly walked over and bowed.
"Lord Hattori, the village really is under attack. It seems your decision was correct!"
"Hmm, just stay aware," Hattori nodded, gesturing to the injured nearby.
"Move them further inside. The battle's started, and before long, many more will arrive here, including more injured. Make room and prepare additional medical supplies."
"Yes, Lord Hattori!"
Seeing Hattori's calm composure, Mizu-Suna felt more assured despite the enemy's incursion into the village.
Just as she was about to get back to work, Hattori called her again.
"Mizu-Suna, hold on a moment. Wasn't Karura with you earlier? Where is she?"
"Karura?"
At his question, Mizu-Suna's face paled as she recalled something.
"She left the shelter just now to fetch Temari's clothes. She must be in the village now!"
"What? She went back?"
Hattori's face turned serious.
"She's still pregnant! This is bad. I can't ignore this. Handle things here for now; I'm going to get her!"
With that, he rushed toward the shelter's exit.
Outside, the sounds of chaos grew louder, and the closer he got to the exit, the more intense the noise became.
By the time he reached the exit, he could hear the hurried footsteps outside.
"It's time to repay my debt for all those free meals. Let's go!"
Clenching his teeth, Hattori pulled out four kunai with explosive tags from his pouch, gripped them tightly, and shoved open the shelter's exit door, charging outside.
*End of Chapter*
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