Sasori came up to the steel puppet mecha, the Mountain God, and patted its thick steel shell.
According to Mukai, the outside needed to be painted with the colors and patterns of wood and insect shells.
The purpose, of course, was to fool the enemy!
For some reason, he was also looking forward to seeing the expression on an enemy's face when they fought their way up to the Mountain God mecha and stabbed it with a Kunai or blade.
It would be so much fun!
Mukai really was cunning!
He used Chakra Threads to raise the Mountain God mecha's arm and held its fist out to Mukai beside him.
"I believe in you, Mukai. You've always been my best friend!
Aren't you going to try your own exoskeleton mecha?"
Mukai reached out and bumped fists with Sasori's Mountain God mecha.
Then he rubbed his hands together and put on the exoskeleton mecha he had designed for himself.
Mukai had designed both mecha to be put on quickly.
On the battlefield, an enemy wouldn't wait for you to slowly climb into your mecha.
For Sasori's Mountain God Prototype, Sasori only needed to sit inside and fasten the X-shaped safety harness.
His Zealot Prototype was more like a set of clothes hanging on a frame, with components that opened and closed.
He only had to lean back against it, step into the reverse-jointed shoes, and press a button to snap the armor into place.
He didn't even need to keep it in a storage scroll; he could wear it while traveling.
Unlike Sasori's tall, imposing mecha,
the mecha Mukai had designed for himself was about the same size as an adult man.
Its close-fitting design and elongated reverse-jointed jumping legs made him, a mere seven-year-old, much taller in an instant.
At a glance, he looked just like an ordinary adult man.
The whole mecha actually looked a lot like the Protoss infantry from StarCraft, the zealots commonly known as fork soldiers.
Mukai had made many improvements to suit the characteristics of the Shinobi World.
First, the exoskeleton mecha's armor was nowhere near as thick as Sasori's.
He had ultimately settled on a thickness of two millimeters, with a double layer protecting vital areas,
making it difficult for an ambush with an ordinary Ninja Blade to succeed.
The neck in particular had an insanely strong defense: Sasori had made a soft neck guard for the helmet, along with a high collar on the shoulder armor.
Mukai was very afraid of dying and had always taken his own protection seriously.
As long as he wasn't killed with a single strike, he had basically nothing to worry about.
Nozzles fitted with Chakra Metal wires had been built into the mecha's back, chest, and some of its joints.
When infused with wind-natured Chakra, they could generate powerful reverse thrust.
That allowed Mukai to briefly hover and propel himself like a rocket-pack trooper.
He could also use the thrust to enhance his mobility and attacks.
The entire mecha, along with the mobility-assistance equipment the two wore, incorporated a basic assistive design.
From the waist down to the knees, as well as the reverse-jointed jumping shoes on their feet,
everything made movement more nimble.
The most distinctive feature of Mukai's mecha was naturally the blades on the outside of its arms.
The outer edges of both blades were coated with a layer of Chakra Metal.
The retractable blades themselves also held another secret.
Inside the vibration chamber at the base of each blade was a finger-sized piece of Chakra Metal.
These two pieces of metal could be infused with wind-natured Chakra to drive them, turning the blades into sharp weapons that cut through high-frequency vibrations!
They could also be charged with Lightning Release, turning them into bayonets carrying high-voltage electrical arcs!
He still couldn't make energy swords and energy shields like those of Protoss zealots.
Fortunately, with the help of Sasori, a genius puppet master,
he had fitted a folding shield to the left arm of the exoskeleton mecha.
It would spring open at the press of a button.
At present, Mukai had none of four things:
no money, no experience, no materials, and no technical reserves.
He could only make up for them with Chakra, a distinctive feature of the Shinobi World.
This lightweight exoskeleton armor gave Mukai efficient mobility, attack, and defense,
without affecting the flexibility of his fingers.
Ordinary tasks like forming Hand Seals were no problem.
He bounced on the spot a few times, feeling the weight reduction and improved jumping ability the exoskeleton mecha provided.
Thanks to the original body's solid ninja training, he could balance with ease; he couldn't have done it with the physique he had in college.
He was very pleased with his mecha.
If nothing else, the increase in height alone made him very happy.
Mukai flicked out the blades on both arms.
Driven by Wind Release, the blades gave off a faint hum and began vibrating at high speed.
With one arm forward and the other back, he leaped into an attack, shouting in an exceedingly chuunibyou fashion:
"My life for Aiur!"
With the boost from the reverse-jointed jumping shoes and the propulsion nozzles on his back,
he flashed past a wooden post more than six meters away.
Only after he struck a cool pose did the post behind him slowly split in two.
Under the high-frequency vibrations, the blade cut through the hard, iron-bound wooden post without meeting the slightest resistance.
The entire process had happened almost simultaneously with Mukai's dash.
The diamond-shaped shield on his left arm also deployed without a problem.
His Zealot Prototype exoskeleton mecha was simpler overall than Sasori's.
It balanced defense and close-range offense without hindering him from forming Hand Seals, using Ninjutsu, or extending his Chakra outward.
At this stage, it already suited his needs very well.
Mukai leaped back to Sasori's side, retracted his arm blades, and bumped fists with him again.
"Stingy Sasori, are you confident about the mission now?"
Sasori snorted.
"I'm already a Chunin. You're the Genin here, so shouldn't you be the one worrying?
Don't hold the team back and make Lady Pakura look down on you!"
The two bickered as they painted their respective mecha with imitation wood grain.
They were playing the pig to eat the tiger-keep a low profile, keep a low profile!
Despite what Sasori said, he had actually begun to trust Mukai blindly.
He had seen Mukai's skill at precisely controlling Lightning Release and Wind Release.
His little friend seemed to have changed a great deal since returning from the mission in the Land of Rain.
He had become more cheerful and more composed.
Even his Chakra control techniques were one of a kind.
To say nothing of the two special puppets born from those ingenious designs.
The Mountain God mecha prototype perfectly addressed his concerns about his own safety.
How had he never noticed before that Mukai was such a genius?
He had never been very interested in the village,
but now he was looking forward a little more to this mission under Pakura's command.
Mukai walked out of his family's little tavern, checking the things he was carrying as he spoke to the original body's parents.
"Business is so good, but don't wear yourselves out.
How about hiring someone?
There's a man named Shisō in the third alley over on North Street.
He's a friend of mine. He isn't a ninja, but he's very strong and a good person too.
Meet him and, if you think he's suitable, hire him to help you make liangpi!"
The original body's mother smiled and nodded, straightened Mukai's clothes, and then said goodbye to him.
The liangpi was very popular. Over the past few days, Mukai's family tavern had been packed with customers, and its earnings were more than ten times what they usually were.
Mukai's worries finally eased.
Before leaving on the mission, he had also taken the opportunity to introduce Shisō to the original body's parents.
In the days since arriving in this world, he had learned how hard it was for ordinary people to survive.
If he could lend a hand, he would do his best to help.
He clearly remembered how miserably Might Duy had lived in Konoha.
That was after he had already become a Genin.
By the time Mukai reached the meeting point, Pakura and Sasori were already waiting.
"Sorry I'm late."
Mukai apologized sincerely. Pakura, her arms folded, didn't blame him.
Instead, she studied the waist-assist equipment and special jumping shoes Mukai and Sasori were wearing with considerable interest.
"I heard from Elder Chiyo that you two little guys came up with two very special puppets.
Don't tell me it's what you're wearing now?
They look pretty lame!
Mukai, are you a puppet master too?"