251-255

Chapter 251: Joint Chunin Exams (Part 1)

With Hattori’s decision, the joint Chunin Exams between the Sand Village and Leaf Village were officially set.

Half a month later, a hundred carefully selected Genin from the Sand Village left the Land of Wind, heading toward the Leaf Village in the Land of Fire to participate in the exams.

Similar to previous years, the first exam was a written test, primarily assessing the Genin's reconnaissance and intelligence skills.

After the written test, there were still many candidates, so, as in the past, an additional elimination round was added by the Leaf Village.

Because the second testing site was located in the Land of Wind, this elimination round required the candidates to travel from the Leaf Village to the Sand Village within three days.

This was no easy feat.

The three-day time limit required candidates to avoid delays on the road, sacrificing most of their rest time.

This phase tested the candidates' speed, endurance, and adaptability to the environment.

After this challenge, over half of the candidates were eliminated, with only a small portion advancing to the second exam.

As in Naruto’s time, the second exam this year was a battle for the Heaven and Earth Scrolls!

Each team was randomly assigned either the Heaven or Earth scroll and had to collect both to pass.

The difference was that Naruto's team fought for the scrolls in the Forest of Death outside the Leaf Village, whereas this year's candidates competed in the Death Desert.

A different environment, but equally harsh.

On the second day of the exam, candidates encountered a sandstorm, which severely disrupted the test.

Fortunately, Hattori possessed powerful sensory abilities.

He quickly located all the candidates and notified Sand Village’s rescue ninja, who brought the candidates back safely.

The sandstorm affected the exam's progress, but it was also a significant challenge for the candidates.

To their credit, many candidates passed the test despite the obstacles.

Impressed by those who passed, Gaara gave them high praise and suggested that Hattori slightly relax the criteria for the second exam.

Hattori readily agreed.

He announced that as long as candidates obtained two scrolls, regardless of whether they were Heaven and Earth scrolls, they would pass.

This decision delighted many worried candidates, who erupted in cheers.

According to the rules, the second exam was followed by the third, a combat round.

However, Hattori wasn’t interested in watching kids fight, so he declared the second exam the final round.

All Sand Village Genin who passed the second exam were promoted to Chunin!

As for Genin from other villages, they were recommended for promotion, though Hattori left the final decision to their own villages.

After Gaara announced the end of the joint Chunin Exams, Hattori left the Sand Village and went to the border between the Land of Wind and the Land of Fire, patiently waiting.

He recalled that in the original story, Fū, the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki from the Hidden Waterfall Village, was ambushed and killed by Kakuzu and Hidan on her way back to her village.

There were only two routes from Sand Village to Waterfall Village.

One passed through the Land of Rain and then the Land of Grass, leading back to Waterfall Village.

The other route passed through the Land of Fire, directly connecting to Waterfall Village.

Hattori figured that Fū and her teammates would choose the second route if they had any sense.

And he was right.

After waiting less than half a day, he saw Fū and her teammate rushing to the forest’s edge, looking warily at the two people blocking their path.

The two wore black cloaks with red clouds, and Hattori instantly recognized them as Kakuzu and Hidan.

Seeing them, Fū’s teammate looked terrified, while the carefree Fū stepped forward to extend a friendly hand to Kakuzu.

Hidan mocked Kakuzu, saying, “How does your village produce weirdos like this?”

Kakuzu replied that he hadn’t been back to Waterfall Village in ages and had no idea when someone as odd as Fū appeared.

With that, he immediately killed Fū’s two teammates and captured her alive, intending to extract the tailed beast from her.

In the original story, their mission succeeded, but this time was different—Hattori was there!

Knowing Kakuzu’s abilities and five hearts, Hattori attacked with full force.

Using the Flying Thunder God Technique, he closed in, then activated his eye technique Truth Reflection to seal the space, and finally used black rods to pierce all of Kakuzu’s hearts.

Before Hidan could react, Kakuzu was already on the ground.

However, one of Hattori’s black rods was slightly off target, allowing Kakuzu to keep one heart.

Even with his remaining heart and pinned to the ground, Kakuzu yelled to Hidan, “Be careful; this guy is Fifth Kazekage! Even Itachi and Kisame suffered under him. You must—”

Before he could finish, Hidan impaled Kakuzu’s last heart with a spear.

Losing his final heart, Kakuzu’s life force began to fade, and after nearly a century of life, he finally met his end.

Even in his dying moments, he looked at Hidan in disbelief and asked, in broken words, “Hidan...why...betray...?”

“Ha!”

With a sneer, Hidan raised his bloody scythe, looking coldly at Kakuzu.

“I joined the Akatsuki to spread Jashinism. Now, Lord Jashin himself stands before me, and anyone who disrespects him, like you, deserves death!”

Hidan swung his scythe, decapitating Kakuzu, then presented the head to Hattori with reverence.

“Lord Jashin, I have slain the one who disrespected you. His blood, his soul, everything…is offered to you!”

“...”

Hattori was stunned by Hidan’s fervor and asked him directly, “Hidan, how do you know I’m Lord Jashin?”

“I have seen your true form, Lord Jashin!”

Hidan's expression grew even more intense as he knelt before Hattori.

“Your body holds the power of all twenty-seven Jashin, unkillable and eternal. You are the great Lord Jashin, and I, your follower Hidan, am ready to give my all!”

Saying this, he began stabbing himself with his spear, drawing blood all over.

Hattori’s mouth twitched as he watched and waved a hand.

“Enough, I believe you’re my follower. Now, go back to the Akatsuki as my spy. If they ever plan to invade the Sand Village, you need to inform me, understood?”

“Ah… yes, of course, Lord Jashin!”

Hidan’s face lit up as he fervently bowed several times, even drawing blood from his forehead.

Hattori’s mouth twitched again as he picked up Kakuzu’s fallen chakra beads and waved Hidan away.

“That’s enough bowing. Go back now—and leave the Seven-Tails Jinchūriki with me!”

“Yes, Lord Jashin!”

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 252: Gundam*

After sending Hidan away, Hattori began to examine his main gain from this encounter:

> [Five Elements Ninja Orb (Epic): Used to synthesize five-element puppets at levels 60-79, guaranteeing mastery of one advanced jutsu skill for each of the elements: Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, and Earth.]

Looking at the Ninja Orb he had taken from Kakuzu, Hattori felt that his day’s efforts had been worth it.

“I should make some time to go to the Capital of the Land of Fire. My [Winged Gundam Zero EW] should be complete by now—I hope it meets my expectations.”

A small smile appeared on his face at the thought, and then he glanced at Fū, the Jinchūriki of the Seven-Tails, lying unconscious nearby.

“You’re lucky to have met me, kid. Here’s hoping you’ll have this kind of luck again next time!”

He summoned a giant-winged dragonfly with a summoning jutsu, carefully sent Fū back to Takigakure, and warned the village about Akatsuki’s efforts to capture tailed beasts.

After spending a meal with Takigakure leader, Shibuki, Hattori used the Flying Thunder God Technique to return to Sunagakure.

With the Chūnin Exams recently concluded, it would’ve been inappropriate for Kazekage to stay away too long—even with both Ebizō and Gaara handling village affairs in his absence.

Hattori knew he could afford to relax a bit with political matters, but he still needed to be visible to his people. As long as his presence was felt in Sunagakure, all village issues would seem manageable.

He recalled the famous words of First Hokage: "The people trust me, and I trust them... That is what it means to be a Hokage."

Now, Hattori was beginning to understand.

“Since they’ve entrusted me with this responsibility, it’s time to show a bit of dedication—all for Sunagakure!”

With this in mind, he headed toward home of Mizusuna, village’s medical chief, and knocked on her door. A beautiful young woman, Yuno, opened the door, and he greeted her with open arms.

“Yuno, congratulations on passing the Chūnin Exams! How about we celebrate at our usual spot tonight?”

“Uh…” Yuno cheeks flushed as she lowered her head.

“Well… Hattori, a lot of my teammates were injured, so… my mother won’t be home tonight!”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Upon hearing this, Hattori’s eyes brightened.

“Oh, how unfortunate! Mizusuna works so hard. Well then, I’ll stay here to celebrate with you—come on, give me a kiss! (づ￣3￣)づ”

“…”

---

After the Chūnin Exams, Sunagakure returned to its usual peace and quiet. Perhaps because of Kakuzu’s death, Akatsuki, which had been lying in wait, seemed to go dormant, showing no signs of activity for quite some time.

This was definitely good news for Hattori.

With no pressing issues, he could finally make a trip to Land of Fire’s capital to retrieve his Gundam.

It had been five years since he established a workshop there, hired craftsmen, and began creating the [Winged Gundam Zero EW]. Over that time, he had invested more than 4 billion ryō—ten times the cost of the colossal steel puppet, the [Avenger].

After investing so much, Hattori was excited to finally see the fruits of his efforts.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have a Flying Thunder God mark in the Land of Fire’s capital, so he informed Ebizō he would be away for two days, used the technique to reach Konohagakure, and then made his way to the capital.

Upon arriving at his workshop in the capital, he saw his completed [Winged Gundam Zero EW] for first time. One look at the towering figure, and he knew that the investment had been worthwhile.

The craftsmen had followed his blueprints to create a perfect, full-scale replica of the Gundam, with painstaking attention to every detail.

The massive, sleek, silver-white body was equipped with two enormous wings on its back, the streamlined shape exuding a sense of refinement. It held two giant beam rifles, adding to its technological allure with an awe-inspiring visual impact.

Of course, these beam rifles were purely decorative. How much power the Gundam could actually deliver would depend on how well it integrated with the Ninja Orb.

Understanding this, Hattori sent craftsmen away and inserted the epic Five Elements Ninja Orb he had taken from Kakuzu.

“It all comes down to this!”

With that, he embedded the orb into the [Winged Gundam Zero EW] and activated his Hundredfold Yin Seal.

> “Hundredfold Yin Seal—Release, Reicarnation Technique!”

With a low chant, his MP began depleting rapidly, while giant Gundam started to emit a green glow.

When the green light faded, a new, giant, reincarnated puppet stood before him—

> *Name:* Sealed Puppet · Gundam

> *Level:* 60

> *HP:* 60,000

> *MP:* 60,000

> *Special Abilities:* Wind Release · Wind Flight, Fire Release · Explosive Shot, Lightning Release · Lightning Boost, Water Release · Explosive Water Wave, Earth Release · Super-Light-Weighted Rock Technique, Composite Technique: Electromagnetic Railgun, One-Hit KO, Steel Body

> *Combat Power Estimate:* S+

> *Notes:* An all-purpose wonder for battle… and romance! Might knock ’em out with one shot… probably!

Hattori: “(ω`)”

“Probably”? What’s that supposed to mean?

Unsure where to start, Hattori rolled his eyes at the eccentric note, but he quickly put it out of his mind. He climbed into the cockpit at the Gundam’s chest and left a Flying Thunder God mark there.

Once the mark was set, he issued his first command.

“Destination: 1,400 kilometers due west. Engage maximum speed, flight mode. Go!”

With a single command, the Gundam spread its wings and soared into the sky, disappearing from view with a “whoosh,” leaving thousands in the capital of the Land of Fire in utter shock.

From the cockpit, Hattori watched the scenery flash by with a smile.

“Tsk tsk… at this speed, it’s probably three or four times faster than my giant dragonfly. Now, I can head to the hot springs in the Land of Hot Water every day if I want!”

Thinking this, he began planning a hot spring trip with Pakura after he returned to Sunagakure.

Lost in thoughts of a romantic bath with Pakura, he suddenly noticed a giant white bird with a tail wrapped around someone, flying past him.

Seeing this, he laughed.

“Haha! That bird is so ugly, and it’s even carrying someone by the tail—how amusing… wait, it’s carrying Gaara!”

Realizing this, Hattori immediately halted the Gundam mid-flight.

“Gundam, turn around and chase that bird! Damn it, trying to snatch Gaara from under my nose? Not a chance!”

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 253: The Battle of the Five-Seal Barrier (Part 1)*

The Gundam moved with incredible speed, almost instantly changing direction mid-air and heading toward the massive white bird ahead, just as Hattori finished speaking.

Yet, Hattori's expression was grim.

He had told Ebizo he would be gone for two days, but in reality, he hadn’t even been gone for 24 hours.

And yet, in that short period, the Hidden Sand Village was attacked, with Gaara abducted by the Akatsuki—just like in the original storyline!

What did this mean?

Clearly, someone high up in the Hidden Sand Village had betrayed him after his departure, tipping off the Akatsuki!

Hattori certainly wouldn’t let this betrayal slide, but for now, his priority was to rescue Gaara.

Under Gundam’s supersonic flight, it took Hattori only a couple of minutes to spot the giant white bird, Gaara wrapped in its tail.

Upon closer inspection, he saw that the giant bird wasn’t a living creature; it looked like it was made from white clay.

"Must be Deidara’s clay bird. Gundam, use the electromagnetic cannon and take it down. But avoid hitting the person on its tail!"

With that command, Gundam raised its beam rifle and fired at Deidara’s clay bird.

Bzzz... Boom!

With a burst of static and a loud blast, the clay bird shattered into pieces.

Lightning Release was highly effective against Deidara’s explosive clay; once struck by lightning, the clay couldn’t detonate.

That was precisely why Hattori had ordered the use of the electromagnetic cannon.

After shooting down the clay bird, Hattori prepared to save Gaara, but he quickly realized that Gaara, who had been unconscious, was actually a clay clone. It began to inflate rapidly.

Boom!

A massive explosion rocked the Gundam’s cockpit, and Hattori felt the whole vessel shake before it stabilized a few seconds later.

His face darkened even more.

“A clay clone, huh? Clever trick, Deidara. But if you think this will slow me down or stop me, you’re too naive.”

With a scoff, Hattori issued another command to Gundam.

“No more games. Gundam, set a course northeast, 700 km to left, Five-Seal Barrier. Full speed!”

The Gundam changed direction once again, turning into a blur as it shot off into the distance.

…

An hour later, Hattori, piloting the Gundam, reached the Five-Seal Barrier in the Land of Rivers.

Upon arrival, Hattori activated his Kagura Mind’s Eye and located Deidara and the others, who were in the process of extracting the tailed beast from Gaara.

The Akatsuki members noticed Hattori’s approach, and Pain (Tendo) issued an immediate order.

“We’ll handle the extraction. Deidara and Sasori, go kill the intruder.”

At Pain’s command, the two halted their work and headed directly for Hattori.

When they saw Gundam in the sky, they were both stunned.

“What… is that thing?”

Deidara’s eyes widened, disbelief written all over his face.

“It’s hideous, totally devoid of artistic sense. Hm!”

“Shut up!”

Sasori, hiding within his puppet Hiruko, interrupted Deidara with a disgruntled tone.

“Your so-called art is the ugly one. The puppet in the sky is at least a hundred times better than your art!”

“What? You dare insult my art?”

Deidara was incensed, about to let Sasori taste his brand of “art,” but Gundam had already fired.

Bzzz... Whoosh…

With a zap and a swoosh, Deidara and Sasori were suddenly reduced to two blossoms of bloody mist.

Were they truly eliminated just like that?

Of course not.

In the next instant, their dismembered bodies transformed into a heap of clay fragments.

It turned out they had been clay clones all along; the real Deidara and Sasori had already hidden themselves.

But for Hattori, who possessed the Kagura Mind’s Eye, this ruse was ineffective.

“Found you!”

In less than a minute, Hattori pinpointed their location. He then threw a reincarnated puppet fitted with explosive tags toward them.

As soon as he released the puppet, Hattori ordered Gundam to retreat and activated the jutsu attached to the puppet.

“Mutual Multiplying Explosive Tags—Detonate!”

The moment Hattori spoke, the tags on the puppet’s body started multiplying like feathers in the wind, detonating continuously.

Boom boom boom… boom boom boom boom…

The explosions went on for over half an hour, and by the end, nearly the entire Five-Seal Barrier lay in ruins.

Watching the scene from a safe distance, Deidara, who had escaped with Earth Release, was overjoyed, his face flushed.

“Amazing… spectacular! I take back what I said. That guy isn’t ugly at all—he understands the essence of true art, which is explosion! Hm!”

Sasori, surprisingly, didn’t argue.

After gathering his shattered puppet fragments and reforming his body, he nodded.

“Yes. I’ve decided. Once we capture him, I’m adding him to my collection!”

Saying this, Sasori took out a scroll, revealing a kanji that read “Three.”

Poof!

With the unsealing complete, Sasori summoned a puppet that bore a striking resemblance to the Third Kazekage, then commanded it to attack Hattori.

“Iron Sand Drizzle!”

This puppet wasn’t merely similar to the Third Kazekage—it was actually Sasori’s human puppet made from the real Third Kazekage’s body.

Human puppets retained the kekkei genkai they had in life, the very reason puppet masters created them in the first place.

Under Sasori’s command, a hailstorm of iron sand projectiles rained down on Gundam.

Hattori was unimpressed by the assault.

But to avoid damaging Gundam’s paint, he issued one more command.

“Exit Five-Seal Barrier. Wait for me outside!”

With that, Hattori leapt from Gundam cockpit, descending toward Deidara and Sasori.

Noticing the wary looks on their faces, Hattori grinned.

“You two remember me, don’t you? Especially you, Sasori. We were even like brothers once, sharing a meal. Long time no see!”

“Uh…”

Deidara looked at Sasori in surprise. “Brother Sasori, is this guy an old friend of yours?”

“I don’t remember,” Sasori replied gruffly, maneuvering his Third Kazekage puppet closer to Hattori.

“Though I don’t recall, given that you’re about to become my next masterpiece, I’ll give you the courtesy of telling me your name.”

“My name?” Hattori shrugged nonchalantly.

“If you really want to know, it’s Yahara. My wife is named Ridai, and we have a son named Sasori. Just like you! So if you’d like, feel free to call me Dad!”

“You’re dead!”

Sasori was livid. Commanding his Third Kazekage puppet, he unleashed its most lethal move.

“Magnet Release: Iron Sand World Order!”

*Chapter 254: Battle of Five-Seal Barrier (Part 2)*

Hattori wasn’t seeing the Iron Sand World Technique for the first time.

He remembered that when he’d first crossed over into this world, he’d witnessed the One-Tailed Jinchuriki lose control, and it was Third Kazekage who had used this very technique to restore order.

Now, years later, as he looked upon this technique once more, Third Kazekage was nothing more than a puppet being manipulated by others.

Thinking of the once-proud Kazekage who used to say, “Show me your worth,” now reduced to such state, Hattori’s face showed a hint of mockery.

“It seems, Third Kazekage, that your ‘worth’ wasn’t lost at all—your body is still useful to others. But since we were both Kazekage, I’ll help free you.”

With that, he opened his eyes wide, instantly activating his Mangekyo Sharingan.

“SUSANOO!”

With a low shout, a black Susanoo appeared, shielding him from the Iron Sand World Technique of Third Kazekage puppet.

Seeing this, both Sasori and Deidara were shocked. “What is that? Could it be... Uchiha clan’s Susanoo?”

“Exactly!”

Seeing their astonished faces, Hattori broke into a grin.

“It seems your intel was pretty thorough, but it’s unfortunate—for you two, the moment you attacked Sunagakure, your fate was sealed. Prepare to die!”

As Hattori’s words fell, the massive black Susanoo raised its giant sword, shattering Third Kazekage puppet in mid-air and swung it down toward Sasori and Deidara.

“BOOM...”

With a thunderous boom that echoed through the entire Five-Seal Barrier, the ground quaked and cracked, the mountains trembled, and the landscape shook violently!

However, Sasori and Deidara weren’t so easily defeated.

The next moment, the two rose on a white clay bird, shooting out of the cloud of smoke and dust, then launched an attack on Hattori!

“C3: Number 18!”

“Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets!”

Their combined attacks descended from above, landing on Hattori’s Susanoo.

“BOOM!”

A massive explosion rang out, and flames engulfed the entire area, swallowing up Hattori’s gigantic half-body Susanoo in one go.

After the flames and smoke cleared, the black Susanoo reappeared, leaving Hattori unharmed, while Sasori’s *Performance of a Hundred Puppets* was nothing but fragments on the ground.

“Swoosh!”

With a sound of cutting through the air, Sasori attacked again, but this time, his target wasn’t Hattori—it was Deidara beside him!

Clearly, Deidara had seen this kind of thing before. Dodging Sasori’s attack with a mixture of shock and resignation, he started explaining.

“Sasori, I didn’t know you’d attack me earlier, so you can’t blame me. That was just an accident, yeah!”

“…”

Hearing Deidara’s words, Sasori stared at him blankly, saying nothing and refraining from attacking further.

Seeing this, Deidara sighed, resigned.

“Alright, I get it. I’ll find another ‘collectible’ for you, and I’ll keep my word, yeah!”

“Fine!” Sasori nodded. “But you’d better be quick about it. I don’t like to be kept waiting!”

“Alright, alright… I got it, yeah!”

Deidara replied listlessly, then looked down at Hattori, his brow furrowing.

“But this guy is no easy target. Even my C3 couldn’t touch him, and your puppets are all destroyed. What now? Retreat?”

“No way!”

Deidara’s suggestion was barely finished before Sasori shook his head, his gaze fixed on the direction of a nearby cave.

“Once the *Illusionary Dragon Nine-Seal* is activated, it can’t be stopped midway. No matter what, we have to hold out until the seal is completed!”

“Alright, got it!” Deidara nodded. “Let me distract him, yeah!”

With that, he unleashed dozens of clay spiders, bombarding Hattori below in a storm of explosions, then shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Hey… down there! If you’ve got the guts, come after me! I’ll show you the true art of explosions, yeah!”

“…”

Hattori gave him a glance but ignored him, turning instead toward the cave across from him.

Seeing this, Deidara shrugged at Sasori and spread his hands wide.

“See? Plan failed, yeah!”

Sasori: “…”

Is this guy an idiot?

Seeing Deidara’s helpless look, Sasori paused, then finally spoke again.

“Go blow up the entrance to the cave. That’ll buy us some time. I’ll contact the leader to send reinforcements. This guy is too much for us to handle alone.”

With that, he closed his eyes, using ring on his finger to contact Pain, informing him that the enemy was too strong and requesting backup.

Upon receiving the message, Nagato, who controlled Pain, immediately contacted the nearest Akatsuki members—Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki—to assist Sasori and Deidara at the Five-Seal Barrier.

Nagato’s reasoning was that with Deidara and Sasori’s combined strength, they should at least be able to hold out until Itachi and Kisame arrived.

But he’d miscalculated.

Not because he overestimated Sasori and Deidara, but because he underestimated Hattori’s strength.

As Deidara approached the entrance to the Five-Seal Barrier, ready to collapse the cave, Hattori used his Mangekyo Sharingan once more!

“Reversal!”

With this Mangekyo ability, the moment Deidara flew toward the barrier on his clay bird, he suddenly “hit a wall.”

“BANG!”

With a dull thud, the clay bird seemed to hit an invisible barrier, crumbling into a heap of unrecognizable clay, sending Deidara and Sasori crashing to the ground.

This time, Hattori didn’t bother with finishing them off. Without sparing them a glance, he entered the cave within the Five-Seal Barrier.

Inside, the sealing process was already underway.

Atop the massive Gedo Statue, several figures clad in black robes with red cloud patterns were channeling the *Illusionary Dragon Nine-Seal* on Gaara, steadily extracting the tailed beast chakra from his body.

It was clear that once the extraction was complete, Gaara’s death would follow shortly.

Hattori understood this well. His initial plan upon entering the cave had been to disrupt the sealing ritual and rescue Gaara.

But after entering, he changed his mind.

“For Gaara, the One-Tailed Shukaku is actually secondary. Perhaps it’s better to let the Akatsuki extract it this time, sparing Gaara the stigma he’s constantly faced in the village.”

With this thought, Hattori leaped onto one of the fingers of the Gedo Statue and began pouring his chakra into it.

With his vast chakra reserves, sealing speed immediately surged.

This unexpected action left the Akatsuki members baffled—hadn’t he just caused all that commotion outside, only to now help them?

Not only were the Akatsuki members dumbfounded, but even Nagato, the leader, was stunned.

After a long pause, he finally came to his senses and ordered everyone, “Don’t just stand there. Keep sealing!”

(End of Chapter)

*Chapter 255: A Choice for Nagato*

What should have taken at least a few days to complete—the Phantom Nine-Dragon Seal—was finished in just one day, thanks to Hattori's "help."

After the seal was completed, Gaara, who had tailed beast extracted from him, collapsed heavily to the ground, showing no signs of life.

Seeing this, Nagato—controlling Yahiko’s corpse as “Pain, Deva Path”—couldn’t hold back his question to Hattori.

“Aren’t you Fifth Kazekage? Why would you do this?”

“Because what you all need is something I don’t need.”

With that, Hattori ignored him and clasped his hands together, activating a jutsu aimed at the deceased Gaara.

“Outer Path: Samsara of Heavenly Life Technique!”

As soon as the jutsu activated, the temporary MP limit that he had unlocked with the release of the Hundredfold Yin Seal was drained to its lowest.

Of course, the jutsu’s effect was astounding.

In just two minutes, Gaara’s vital signs returned under a rain of green light from the Samsara of Heavenly Life, and he slowly opened his eyes.

Since Hattori performed this jutsu openly in front of everyone, without hiding anything, the Akatsuki members present were all dumbfounded.

“Is this… a resurrection jutsu? Such a technique actually exists? It’s unbelievable!”

Nagato was equally shocked, as he knew this jutsu himself. But he was also aware that using it would cost him his life.

So, seeing Hattori perform the Samsara of Heavenly Life without any apparent consequence left Nagato as astonished as other members of the Akatsuki.

Hattori noticed their reactions and gave a lighthearted smile.

“You all look surprised, especially you, Nagato. For a ‘god’ like you, perhaps you’re not quite living up to name compared to me?”

“……”

Nagato fell silent at Hattori’s words, then cut off the mental link connecting the other members.

Akatsuki members in the cave were present only in spirit, visible through their rings. Once Nagato severed the connection, their apparitions vanished.

This left only Hattori, Gaara, Nagato, and Konan in cave.

Seeing this, Hattori laughed.

“Haha, seems you have something to say to me. Go ahead!”

“Who are you, really?” Nagato asked as soon as Hattori finished speaking. “How much do you know?”

“Everything.”

Hattori grinned again.

“Your pain, your wishes, everything about you—I know it all. In fact, to you, I am true god.”

“……”

Nagato fell silent again. Konan, standing by his side, glanced at him with a worried expression but remained quiet.

After a long pause, Nagato finally spoke.

“So… do you agree with my ideals?”

“Hmm… your ideals? Making the world feel pain?”

Hattori thought about it briefly, then shrugged.

“Honestly, it’s hard for me to say if I agree or disagree with your goal. So why don’t I give you a choice?”

He extended a finger toward Nagato.

“One, submit to me, and three people most important in your life—your parents, and your dear friend Yahiko—will all be resurrected, and the Land of Rain will know lasting peace. Or two, oppose me. Nothing from past can be changed, and both you and Konan will die, while Land of Rain falls into prolonged chaos. Which will it be?”

“……”

Nagato was silent, and Konan clenched her fists tightly.

This time, Nagato’s silence lasted even longer as he seriously contemplated Hattori’s words.

Hattori didn’t rush him. He simply sat cross-legged on the ground with a calm smile, while Gaara stood silently behind him.

After about ten minutes, Nagato finally spoke.

“What price must I pay to resurrect Yahiko?”

The moment he asked, Konan breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile spread across Hattori’s face.

“So you’ve made your choice. Let me tell you my conditions.”

Hattori’s expression grew serious.

“Resurrection requires a high price. To bring your parents back, you must give up your left eye; for Yahiko, your right. Do you agree?”

“I agree!”

To Hattori’s surprise, Nagato responded without hesitation, nodding immediately.

“I’m willing to give up my right eye to bring Yahiko back. But you must resurrect him first before I surrender my eye!”

“No problem!”

Hattori nodded without hesitation and, with a flick of his wrist, embedded a Flying Thunder God kunai into outer path statue.

“Keep this as my token. In ten days, I’ll come to the Rain Village to complete the deal. And Konan, wear something nice—you might make Yahiko happier when he sees you.”

“……”

At this, Nagato and Konan exchanged glances.

In each other’s eyes, they saw something: hope.

“Maybe… Yahiko really can come back!”

With that thought, Konan bowed deeply to Hattori.

“Thank you, Lord Kazekage. If what you’ve said is true, then we, Akatsuki… and Rain Village, will forever be allies of Sand Village. We look forward to your arrival!”

With that, she and Nagato vanished.

Outer Path statue in the cave vanished in a puff of smoke as they left.

Now that they were gone, Hattori turned back to Gaara with a faint smile.

“Well? After experiencing death, do you feel any different?”

“Hmm…”

Gaara thought for a moment before nodding.

“Yes, I feel lighter, like I’ve let go of something heavy. My heart feels more at peace.”

“Haha, that’s the way!”

Hattori laughed and patted Gaara’s stomach.

“We just did a little surgery with Akatsuki’s help, removing something that shouldn’t have been there. Now, even if I’m not by your side, you don’t have to worry about Shukaku anymore.”

“……”

Gaara’s eyes turned slightly red with emotion, though he didn’t say a word.

Seeing him like this, Hattori clicked his tongue and patted Gaara’s shoulder.

“All right, don’t overthink it. Remember, keep what you saw here secret, especially what I discussed with the Akatsuki. We don’t need any extra trouble. Let’s go back!”

“Okay!”

(End of Chapter)