Capítulo 55: Chapter 55: The Puppeteer’s Taboo

When Hattori woke up, the battle in Sunagakure was already over.

Facing the large returning forces of Sunagakure, the invading Iwagakure ninja realized they couldn't stand a chance. They retreated quickly, leaving nearly a hundred bodies behind.

Though Sunagakure managed to defend the village, it couldn't be considered a victory.

Due to inadequate defensive forces, Iwagakure shinobi were able to penetrate deeply, causing extensive destruction in a short time.

Hundreds of buildings collapsed, thousands of lives were lost, nearly ten thousand people were injured to varying degrees, and more than half of the village was affected by the ravages of war— the scale of loss was almost incalculable!

As Hattori looked around at the crowded shelter, filled with wounded, and heard the sorrowful cries and suffering, his expression grew dark and heavy.

"Damn this war!" he muttered.

Now he began to understand Third Kazekage.

In this era, a person's strength is equated to their worth because, when facing attacks from enemies, kindness is utterly useless.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but murmur to himself.

"It seems I was wrong. I was wrong from the very beginning—I was too naive!"

"No, the one who was wrong was me."

Just as he finished speaking, Chiyo's tired voice came from behind him.

"If I had listened to your advice back then, things wouldn't have come to this."

"Sensei?"

Hearing Chiyo's voice, Hattori immediately turned around and respectfully bowed to her.

"I'm so glad you returned safely, Sensei. Sunagakure needs you now more than ever!"

"Ha… such a comforting child."

Chiyo chuckled softly, patting his head.

"Hattori, I've already heard everything. You did very well this time. You saved hope for Sunagakure. On behalf of the entire village, I thank you!"

"Heh."

Hattori scratched his head sheepishly, embarrassed by her praise.

"It wasn't much. I didn't know Iwagakure would launch a sneak attack. I was just being cautious. I'm just glad Sensei isn't upset with me for acting on my own."

"There's no need to be modest."

Chiyo shook her head and smiled again.

"Ebizo told me before that you are both brave and wise. Now I see he was right. Most importantly, you care about village. That brings me much comfort."

"Ha ha ha…"

Being praised so earnestly, Hattori could only respond with a silly grin.

Seeing this, Chiyo couldn't help but laugh again, gently grabbing his hand.

"Come. Sensei will take you somewhere."

"Okay!"

Hattori nodded and followed her out of the underground shelter.

As they exited, a loud voice called out nearby.

"Thank you, Lord Hattori! Thank you for saving my child!"

Turning to look, Hattori saw a middle-aged man wearing a Sunagakure forehead protector bowing deeply toward him.

"Huh?"

Before he could react, several others followed suit, bowing in gratitude just like the man.

"I'm grateful too, Lord Hattori!"

"Yes, thank you, Lord Hattori! If you ever need anything, just say the word!"

"That's right. We'll do anything Lord Hattori commands!"

Seeing this, Hattori was taken aback and quickly looked over at Chiyo.

"Sensei, they're…"

"They are people who benefitted because of you."

Chiyo smiled, patting Hattori's head again as she explained.

"You protected the Sunagakure hospital, allowing their injured loved ones to be treated. You also safeguarded the school, sparing their children from harm. That's why they're so grateful to you!"

"Oh…"

Understanding her explanation, Hattori quickly raised his hand to the bowing people.

"That's enough. I appreciate your thanks, but no need to be so formal. Get up; we still need you all to rebuild the village!"

"Yes, Lord Hattori!"

As Hattori finished speaking, everyone responded eagerly, standing up with excitement on their faces.

"Lord Hattori has spoken! Let's work hard to restore the village!"

"Everyone, let's not slack off. We can't let Lord Hattori down!"

"Exactly…"

The atmosphere suddenly turned lively. Seeing this, Chiyo chuckled again.

"It seems everyone has great respect for you, Hattori. Now, let's go. Sensei will take you to a special place."

"Alright!"

Hattori nodded again, following her to one end of the village.

Before long, they arrived at their destination—an old, slightly rundown warehouse.

"This is it. Come inside with me!"

Chiyo opened the warehouse doors and led Hattori inside.

As they entered, rows of storage compartments greeted Hattori's eyes.

Although the place looked worn, it was neat and clean, clearly maintained by someone regularly.

Seeing him glance around curiously, Chiyo smiled.

"This used to be Sunagakure's supply warehouse. Since we don't use it anymore, I converted it into the puppet combat unit's warehouse."

"Puppet combat unit?"

Hattori immediately understood.

"So, Sensei brought me here to set me up with a puppet?"

"Yes, that's one way to see it."

Chiyo smiled and nodded.

"I will indeed give you a puppet, but it won't be a ready-made one. You can create the kind of puppet you want. Here we are!"

She stopped in front of a storage compartment and opened the door.

Immediately, rows of puppets and materials filled Hattori's view.

"This…"

Hattori froze, looking back at Chiyo in confusion.

"Uh… Sensei, didn't you say you wouldn't teach me how to make puppets? Now you're…"

"I changed my mind!"

Chiyo stepped inside and gestured to the puppets and materials around.

"You can use any of these materials as you like. The cabinet contains designs left by Sasori; you may take them with you. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me. I have only one requirement."

"Oh… what's that?"

"You must never use puppeteering techniques to control human corpses, not even those of enemies."

Chiyo's expression grew stern.

"A puppeteer must not use human corpses to create puppets or manipulate them with puppet techniques. It's an absolute taboo for all puppeteers and must never be broken!"