Puppeteer Training

"So... why don't we actually break out of here? Then the Riddler won't be able to bother us anymore."

Black Mask asked tentatively.

However, Shimizu ignored Black Mask and focused his attention on his System Panel.

The avatar's abilities differed from the main body's. At most, it shared a few similar traits. It was practically a blank-slate character, and even its attribute panel was incomplete.

It did not have attributes like the Eight Ninja Skills.

However, the knowledge and skills possessed by the main body posed no problem.

Those existed within his memories, but some things could not be shared.

For instance, Chakra reserves or Chakra natures.

As a fusion of spiritual and physical energy, Chakra was bound to the body and soul. His main body possessed Wind and Lightning Chakra natures, but this body might not.

However, he could spend Luck to give this body Chakra natures it did not originally possess but his main body did. He could also spend Luck to strengthen its body, mind, and Chakra.

Or if this body underwent modifications in the DC World similar to Deathstroke's and gained regenerative abilities, the main body could likewise spend Luck to share those regenerative abilities.

Shimizu preferred to call these talents.

Talents could not be shared because they were innate to the body itself.

But skills were knowledge he had already mastered and had little to do with the body.

No matter what, Luck's usefulness was obvious.

Whether he wanted to grow stronger or open up a new world, Luck could play a major role.

Unfortunately, he had already been locked in Arkham as a villain. Getting in with the heroes would probably be difficult now. Otherwise, if he joined something like the Justice League or the Teen Titans, he would surely gain quite a bit of Luck.

The first step was to find a way out of Arkham.

"Fortunately, I'm not merely a minor Gotham villain. Puppet Master Clearwater is also a Puppeteer Ninja who received professional ninja training in a top ninja village in the Naruto World. With the advantage of information, I may have a chance to get out of Arkham. Besides, I need to pry some information out of Black Mask and figure out what point in time I'm currently in."

Shimizu thought silently. Then he settled down and began extracting Chakra with this body for the first time.

The original story had demonstrated many times that souls and consciousness could carry Chakra. This avatar of his had also inherited a small amount of Chakra from his main body.

He only needed to use that bit of Chakra as a seed to continue refining and building up his own Chakra.

The DC World was vast, and its power levels were high. This avatar could not stay in Arkham Asylum forever, even if it provided food and lodging without making him work in a prison factory.

Fortunately, although this body was only that of a minor villain, its physical strength was fairly good by ordinary standards. As for its mind, while guided by a sliver of Shimizu's own will, it did possess a soul. Its strength was neither high nor low, and it could extract a considerable amount of physical and spiritual energy.

Naruto World.

The Next Day, early morning.

When the first ray of sunlight rose, the well-rested Shimizu slung the Fatty Puppet onto his back, strapped on his Ninja Tool Bag, and arrived at Training Ground No. 1 in Sunagakure.

Though it was called a training ground, it was actually a stretch of Gobi with an oasis.

The most precious thing in the desert: an oasis.

It even had a lovely name: the Emerald of the Wind.

A clear little river flowed out from the oasis, passing through the Gobi and sparse low shrubs on either bank, stretching toward the horizon like a silver ribbon.

Because of the precious water source, many animals frequented the area. And those able to claim an oasis were the fiercest predators at the top of the food chain. It was said that some ninja had even contracted Summoning Beasts here.

"So this is the training site?"

Shimizu stood at the edge of the oasis, enclosed by barbed wire, and looked around.

There were quite a few ninja around him like himself, all carrying their puppets on their backs. They were certainly Puppeteers as well. There were also a very few wealthy kids carrying Sealing Scrolls, who had most likely stored their puppets inside the scrolls for easier transport.

He seemed to be among the youngest in this group.

Only one person was younger than him.

A red-haired boy carrying two bundles of Sealing Scrolls, who appeared to be two or three years younger than Shimizu.

About ten minutes later, several dark figures flashed past. Six ninja, likewise carrying Sealing Scrolls and wearing brown-black ninja flak jackets, appeared before the crowd in an instant.

The Jonin at their head stepped forward, naturally radiating a powerful presence.

"All Puppeteers, line up by height. You have thirty seconds. Anyone who exceeds the time limit will automatically be removed from this training program."

The moment his words fell, the seventy-nine Puppeteers present swiftly formed a neat line.

Those who could come here were basically elites among Genin. There were no loud, reckless characters like Naruto, so they finished lining up in roughly twenty seconds.

Shimizu stood second from the end, because at eleven years old, he was not even one and a half meters tall.

The red-haired boy carrying Sealing Scrolls stood last.

"I am Sunakami Sayama, vice captain of the Puppet Force's First Division. You may call me Jonin Sayama. The other five are the captains of the Puppet Force's Second through Sixth Divisions. Only after completing this training and passing the tests we set will you have a chance to enter the Puppet Force."

The bald Jonin at the front, whose fierce face bore a scar across his forehead, swept his gaze over the many Genin Puppeteers. His eyes paused briefly at the end of the line before he made the announcement loudly.

The Puppet Force had been founded by Monzaemon, a former elder of Sunagakure. It had six divisions, each with one captain and two vice captains, all Jonin. The six main captains were all elite among Jonin and were currently stationed on the front lines, each assisted by a vice captain.

For Sunagakure's Puppeteers, the Puppet Force was the best path to success. Even the descendants of elders were no exception, because much of its knowledge was secret and passed down only within the group. Only those with a certain status in the Puppet Force were qualified to access it.

This place held the complete legacy left behind by the two patriarchs of Puppetry, the Second Kazekage and Monzaemon. It was capable of cultivating powerhouses at the level of a "Kage."

"Your abilities have already undergone the village's preliminary assessment. You possess the foundations required of an excellent Puppeteer, so I will not waste words."

Jonin Sayama pointed toward the oasis.

"Now, you have one hour for the first test. Enter the oasis and gather any materials you believe can be made into puppets. The materials collected by each individual may not exceed fifteen kilograms. Then, within the following two hours, create one puppet. Now, move out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the seventy-nine ninja rushed into the oasis.

To be honest, Shimizu truly felt that this place was filled with materials that could be used to make puppets.

The surrounding trees were all species with excellent Chakra-conducting properties. There were also the claws, fangs, hides, and fur of fierce beasts, as well as venomous insects and poisonous plants.