"So… should we actually try to break out? That way the Riddler won't bother us anymore."
Black Mask asked tentatively.
But Clear Water ignored him, focusing instead on his own status panel.
The abilities of his avatar are different from his original body—at most, some traits are similar. He's basically a blank slate, and the attribute panel isn't complete.
There's none of the eight ninja attributes.
However, all the knowledge and skills his original body possesses are intact.
Because those exist in his memory, but some things can't be shared.
For example, chakra reserves or chakra attributes.
Since chakra is a combination of spiritual and physical energy, it's bound to the body and soul. His original body has wind and lightning chakra attributes, but this body might not.
However, he can spend Luck Points to give this body chakra attributes it didn't originally have, as long as his main body has them. He can also spend Luck Points to strengthen the body, mind, or chakra.
Alternatively, if this body received some kind of modification in the DC world—like Deathstroke's self-healing ability—his main body could spend Luck Points to share that self-healing ability.
Clear Water prefers to call these "talents."
Talents can't be shared, since they're innate to the body.
But skills are knowledge he's already mastered, and don't depend much on the body.
In any case, the role of Luck Points is obvious.
Whether he wants to get stronger or unlock new worlds, Luck Points are crucial.
Unfortunately, he's already been locked up in Arkham as a villain. It'll be tough to infiltrate the hero side now. Otherwise, if he could join something like the Justice League or Teen Titans, he'd definitely earn a lot of Luck Points.
Step one: I need to find a way to get out of Arkham first.
"Fortunately, I'm not just a small-time villain in Gotham—Puppeteer Cleer Watt—but also a puppet master ninja who has undergone professional shinobi training in one of the top ninja villages of the Naruto world. With the advantage of intelligence, I might just have a chance to escape from Arkham. Also, I need to get some information out of Black Mask and figure out exactly what time period I'm in."
Hardy silently pondered this, then calmed himself and began extracting chakra from this body for the first time.
The original work repeatedly shows that the soul and consciousness can carry chakra, and this incarnation of his has inherited a bit of chakra from his true self.
All he needed was to use this bit of chakra as a seed, and he could continue to refine and strengthen his own chakra.
The DC world is vast, and the power levels are high. There's no way this incarnation of his can stay in Arkham Asylum forever, even if it does provide food and shelter and doesn't require him to work at a sewing machine.
Luckily, although this body is just a minor villain, its physical strength is pretty good for an ordinary person. Mentally, though it's guided by a sliver of Hardy's own will, it actually does have a soul. Its strength is neither particularly high nor low, but the amount of physical and spiritual energy he can extract isn't insignificant.
...
...
Naruto World.
The next morning.
As the first rays of sunlight rose, Hardy, fully rested, strapped his bulky puppet to his back, fastened his ninja tool pouch to his waist, and headed to Training Ground One in Sunagakure.
Although it was called a training ground, it was actually a stretch of desert with a precious oasis.
The most valuable oasis in the desert.
It even had a beautiful name: The Emerald of the Wind.
A clear stream flowed out of the oasis, winding through the desert and the sparse, low shrubs on either side, stretching toward the horizon like a silver ribbon.
Because of the precious water source, many animals frequented the area. Only the strongest predators at the top of the food chain could enjoy the oasis. It was said that some ninja had even formed contracts with summoning beasts here.
"So this is the training site?"
Hardy stood at the edge of the oasis, which was surrounded by barbed wire, and looked around.
There were quite a few other ninja nearby, all carrying their own puppets on their backs—clearly puppet masters as well. A few wealthy ones carried sealing scrolls, likely storing their puppets inside for convenience.
He seemed to be one of the youngest in this group.
There was only one person younger than him.
A red-haired boy carrying two bundles of sealing scrolls, who looked two or three years younger than himself.
About ten minutes later, several shadows flickered by, and six ninja—each wearing brown-black flak jackets and carrying sealing scrolls—appeared in front of everyone in an instant.
The leading jonin stepped forward, naturally exuding a powerful aura.
"All puppet masters, line up by height. You have thirty seconds. Anyone who fails to comply in time will be disqualified from this training session."
As soon as he finished speaking, the seventy-nine puppet masters present quickly lined up.
Everyone here was basically an elite among the genin, and there weren't any loudmouths like Naruto. In about twenty seconds, the lineup was more or less complete.
Hardy was second to last, being only about 1.5 meters tall at age eleven.
The very last was the red-haired boy with the sealing scrolls.
"I am Sayama of the First Squad of the Puppet Corps, your vice-captain. You can call me Jonin Sayama. The other five are also captains of the Second through Sixth Squads of the Puppet Corps. Only after completing the training and passing our assessment will you have a chance to join the Puppet Corps."
The bald, scarred jonin leading the group swept his gaze over the many genin puppet masters, pausing briefly at the end of the line, and announced loudly.
The Puppet Corps was founded by Sunagakure's previous elder, Monzaemon. It has six squads, each with one captain and two vice-captains, all jonin. The six main captains are the elite among the jonin, currently all serving on the front lines, each assisted by a vice-captain.
For puppet masters in Sunagakure, the Puppet Corps is the best path to success—even for the elders' descendants—because much of the knowledge is secret and only accessible to those with a certain status within the Corps.
Here lies the complete legacy left by the two puppet master ancestors, the Second Kazekage and Monzaemon, capable of nurturing "Kage"-level powerhouses.
"Your abilities have all been preliminarily assessed by the village, and you possess the basic skills required of an excellent puppet master. So, I won't waste words."
Jonin Sayama pointed toward the oasis.
"Now, you have one hour for the first test: enter the oasis and collect any materials you think can be used to make puppets. Each person's haul must not exceed fifteen kilograms. Then, within the next two hours, you must craft a puppet. Begin!"
As soon as he finished, seventy-nine ninja rushed into the oasis.
...
...
To be honest, Hardy really felt that there were materials for making puppets everywhere here.
The surrounding trees were all species with excellent chakra conductivity, and there were also the claws, fangs, and pelts of fierce beasts, as well as poisonous insects and herbs with toxic properties.