As it turned out, Rasa was still a bit too green.
In terms of combat prowess, with his Magnetic Release Bloodline Limit, he was among the elites of the ninja world. But when it came to battle experience, he was no match for Onoki.
He never expected that this "little brat" Hattori, who needed a summoning beast just to stay airborne, would actually abandon his summon mid-air and use such a swift body flicker technique.
Even worse, he couldn't believe Hattori would stoop so low as to target his butt, utterly shameless!
Because of all these miscalculations, Rasa let his guard down. He was careless, and he… got hit!
"Ahhhhhhhhh…!"
As strong as Rasa was, he couldn't suppress a heart-wrenching scream. He clutched his posterior, tumbling from the sky like a broken-down plane, finally crashing into a sand dune below with a dull thud.
Everyone around was stunned, mouths agape, speechless at what they'd just witnessed.
Everyone, except Hattori.
Seeing that Rasa had lost a third of his health bar in an instant, Hattori's eyes sparkled with opportunity.
"This is my chance!"
Without missing a beat, he jumped down from mid-air, kunai in hand, charging at Rasa.
"Don't move, old Rasa! You're seriously injured, and we have to operate on your prostate immediately! Otherwise, there's a risk of infection that could be life-threatening. Don't worry, I'm a pro—trust me!"
Rasa: "You've got to be kidding me!"
Looking at Hattori's enthusiastic face, Rasa gritted his teeth through the searing pain and quickly manipulated sand gold to form a spear, aiming it right at the approaching Hattori.
"Stay away!"
Undeterred by the weapon pointed at him, Hattori only sped up, taunting, "I'll bet you a shuriken you won't shoot!"
*Swoosh!*
The moment he finished speaking, Rasa launched the golden spear straight at him.
Seeing this, both Chiyo and Ebizo's faces turned pale with worry.
"Stop!"
Given Rasa's strength and the short distance, they were certain Hattori would be seriously injured by the golden spear.
Rasa thought the same.
But to everyone's surprise, just as the spear was about to hit him, Hattori smiled.
"Heh, this is exactly what I wanted!"
He wasn't paralyzed with fear; instead, his passive skill kicked in again!
**Advanced Evasion!**
With this passive skill in play, Hattori's dodging abilities were off the charts.
If Rasa had chosen hand-to-hand combat, he'd still have a 40% chance to land a hit.
But the moment he threw the spear, the outcome was sealed.
Hattori, with his extraordinary evasion of mid- and long-range attacks, easily sidestepped the spear and reappeared behind Rasa.
"Hattori's Taijutsu Ultimate Move: Thousand Years of Pain – Kunai Edition! Hah!"
"Ahhhhhhhhhh…!"
With Rasa's agonized scream, Hattori thrust his kunai deeply into his butt, then gave it a quick twist downward!
**Prostate obliteration complete!**
"All set—he should be fine now!"
Hattori quickly pulled out the kunai, immediately applying his medical palm technique to stop the bleeding, then used his Healing Resurrection Technique to close up the wound.
When Chiyo and Ebizo rushed over, Hattori had already finished treating Rasa and began apologizing, looking genuinely remorseful.
"Sorry, old Rasa! I get a bit overexcited sometimes. Really, my apologies!"
"…"
Rasa frowned at Hattori's earnest expression, unable to figure out what this kid was really up to. Was he humiliating him on purpose, only to then show off his medical skills?
Before he could sort it out, Chiyo came up beside him.
"Rasa, how are you feeling? Can you stand?"
"Yes, I'm fine!"
Rasa was prideful and wouldn't take this opportunity to play the victim. Despite the lingering pain, he pushed himself to stand.
Seeing this, Chiyo breathed a sigh of relief, while Ebizo's face lit up with a broad smile.
"Wonderful! This fight proved that Hattori indeed has the power to harm Onoki, meaning his success in sneaking into Iwagakure was real. This is a big opportunity for Sunagakure!"
With this in mind, he turned to Chiyo.
"Sister, we need to revise our plans. Before Iwagakure and Konoha clash, our plan to raid Konoha needs to be put on hold!"
"Agreed," Chiyo nodded. "So what's next? Should we return to the village?"
"Of course not!"
Ebizo's eyes narrowed with a confident smirk.
"We'll have our main force lie in wait near Konoha's border, while small units attack Kirigakure's forces on the southern battlefield. This way, Konoha and Iwagakure will both let down their guard, leaving us poised for victory!"
Hearing Ebizo's plan, even Hattori, with minimal military insight, understood his intentions.
"So this is like letting Iwagakure and Konoha fight it out while Sunagakure swoops in to reap the benefits!"
He couldn't help but give Ebizo a thumbs up.
"Master Ebizo, you truly are the brains of Sunagakure—so sly and cunning! I'm impressed!"
"Pah!"
Ebizo spat, annoyed.
"Can't you be more polite? 'Sly and cunning' isn't exactly a compliment. I'd say I'm more strategically savvy, with foresight!"
"Ah, don't sweat the details. Take it as a compliment!"
"Get lost!"
"…"
Watching Hattori bicker with Ebizo, Chiyo couldn't help but smile.
But when Hattori turned to look at her, she quickly put on a serious face.
"Hattori, you've done a great job. You may now return to the village; the rest of this mission isn't for you."
"Master, that won't work!"
Before Chiyo could finish, Hattori shook his head.
"I promised to fight alongside the others. My medical ninjutsu could be crucial in saving lives, and besides old Rasa here, Sunagakure doesn't have another aerial force, right?"
"Well…"
Chiyo hesitated, looking at Ebizo for his opinion.
"Sister, I think Hattori is right!"
Ebizo grinned, glancing over at Hattori.
"This kid may be young, but he's as capable as any Jonin. And with that devious mind of his, he's practically made to be a ninja!"
*Cough, cough…*
Hearing Ebizo's words, Hattori couldn't help but cough, waving his hand in protest.
"No, no…Master Ebizo, you flatter me. I'd say 'devious and cunning' suits you better. I'm more…innocent and witty, wouldn't you say?"
"Heh…Pah!"
"…"
**End of Chapter**