Prosthetic Workshop

"Cleared the Sunagakure outpost. Reward obtained: Puppet Technique. Specialty building unlocked: Basic Prosthetic Workshop."

Seeing this system notification suddenly pop up, Jingū Kiraku could not help raising an eyebrow.

Whoa, prosthetics?

How did this turn cyberpunk?

Or maybe...

Should Hidden Rain Village change its name to Night City someday?

A somewhat absurd thought flashed through Jingū Kiraku's mind.

He promptly opened the system to see what exactly this Basic Prosthetic Workshop did and whether it was as he had imagined.

When he focused his mind on the gray-white building representing the Prosthetic Workshop, more detailed information surfaced.

"Basic Prosthetic Workshop (Unbuilt)"

"Prosthetics that can be manufactured: Vajra Type I, Mantis Blade Type I, Shadow Hunter Type I."

"Vajra Type I: Arm prosthetic. Attack power +1."

"Mantis Blade Type I: Arm prosthetic. Attack speed +1."

"Shadow Hunter Type I: Leg prosthetic. Movement speed +1."

The system's description was quite concise. These three prosthetics respectively enhanced attack power, attack speed, and movement speed.

Jingū Kiraku then opened their blueprints.

The one named Vajra was an arm prosthetic. It was huge, looking much like a gorilla's arm.

Not only could it enhance the user's strength, it could also house special devices such as concealed weapons.

Compared to it, the second prosthetic, Mantis Blade, was far lighter.

It looked like an ordinary arm, but once its mechanism was activated, the prosthetic arm would swiftly launch the sharp blade concealed within.

Its precise shape was like attaching an exceptionally sharp praying mantis foreleg at the wrist.

As for Shadow Hunter, the last one, it was a leg prosthetic.

It used a reverse-bow design, granting its user terrifying jumping power and thus increasing their speed.

It really did go full cyberpunk...

Jingū Kiraku suddenly smiled. These prosthetics were simply too similar to a game he knew well.

His fingers lightly tapped the tabletop as though he were considering how to maximize the effects of these things.

These prosthetics were naturally extremely important to Hidden Rain Village in its current state.

After the last war, quite a few disabled ninja had been left in the village.

With their experience and abilities, once fitted with these prosthetics, they would surely be able to regain combat effectiveness quickly.

With that thought, Jingū Kiraku swiftly looked toward the system—

"Similar building detected within the territory (Ninja Tool Factory). Would you like to renovate it?"

"The new building will retain its original functions while adding new ones, and the Production Value required will be greatly reduced."

The system notification caught Jingū Kiraku somewhat off guard—

He had not expected it to offer a trade-in service?

Building a new Prosthetic Workshop would consume 200 Production Value.

But if he chose renovation, the required Production Value would drop to 50.

Faced with the current situation, Jingū Kiraku naturally chose the latter without hesitation.

After all, the village was now fully preparing for war and frantically increasing Poison Gas Bomb production. It truly did not have much energy to spare for constructing a new building.

Soon, after obtaining the blueprints for the three prosthetics, Jingū Kiraku headed straight for the Ninja Tool Factory.

When the factory manager, Watanabe, saw the leader of Hidden Rain Village suddenly appear before him, his mind went a little blank.

He immediately strode forward and stopped in front of Jingū Kiraku.

Then, placing his fist before his chest, he asked respectfully,

"Lord Leader, what orders do you have for me?"

Seeing Watanabe's manner, Jingū Kiraku nodded in satisfaction.

This man had been one of his earliest supporters, a thoroughgoing radical!

That was also an important reason why he had been able to take this position.

Without any pleasantries or small talk, Jingū Kiraku directly took out the prepared blueprints and handed them over.

"Can you manufacture these things?"

Watanabe took the blueprints and looked them over. Before long, his eyes shone with astonishing light.

"Such exquisite designs—did you create these yourself, Lord Jingū?"

The manager seemed somewhat beside himself.

Having dealt with ninja tools for years, he had almost instantly recognized the ingenuity and value of these prosthetics.

It directly awakened the craftsman's soul within him!

Jingū Kiraku was not particularly surprised by Watanabe's reaction.

To save time, he replied without changing expression,

"Yes, I designed them in my spare time."

Then he added,

"Mainly so those ninja ravaged by war can regain their vitality."

At those words, Watanabe's expression immediately turned solemn, and his gaze toward Jingū Kiraku filled with reverence.

"I never expected that despite handling countless affairs every day, Lord Leader still remembered those retired ninja."

"Having a leader like you is truly the fortune of the entire Land of Rain!"

The endless flattery made Jingū Kiraku feel somewhat strange.

So he could only put on a stern face and say seriously,

"Caring for every soldier under my command is what I should do as their leader."

Hearing this, the admiration in Watanabe's eyes grew even stronger.

"So, are you confident you can manufacture these things?"

Jingū Kiraku finally pulled the conversation back to the point.

Reminded by him, Watanabe also came back to his senses.

"Give me a few days, and I should be able to produce the first verification model."

Watanabe had not made wild promises because of Jingū Kiraku's expectations. He had only given his answer after seriously assessing the difficulty of manufacturing them.

"Good. Then I'll leave it to you."

Jingū Kiraku patted his shoulder and smiled.

"If you get this done, I'll give you great credit."

Hearing his superior's grand promise, Watanabe immediately straightened his back as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

"I guarantee I'll complete the mission!"

"Dedicate your hearts to the Land of Rain!!"

Jingū Kiraku smiled.

To be honest, he had not expected that line from his speech to become so popular.

It had even become a "semi-official phrase" in Hidden Rain Village.

Still, it sounded pretty good—quite imposing, at least.

After he left, Watanabe immediately gathered all the craftsmen for a meeting.

He personally took part in researching and forging these new devices.

He worked day and night without rest, terrified of disappointing Lord Jingū's expectations.

Even Watanabe himself had not noticed that, during this process of research and forging, his capacity for thought had improved immensely.

In his mind, vast amounts of knowledge regarding machinery, ninja tools, and puppet devices were constantly being integrated and elevated.

Problems that had previously baffled him were suddenly solved in flashes of inspiration.

The entire manufacturing process also became exceptionally smooth.

Jingū Kiraku knew nothing of this change. Instead, he focused all his attention on the coming great battle—

Konoha's main forces had officially entered the Land of Rain.