Shimizu thought It was not too late to wait until I've digested what I've learned from the Puppet Corps—like the Black Secret Technique—before making any modifications.
Besides, he also wanted his clone in Gotham to acquire modern engineering knowledge, which he could then integrate into his puppetry techniques.
As for now, Shimizu planned to first learn the dual-consciousness control technique within the Black Secret Technique.
A puppeteer's weakness in close combat was relative. First, it was because most of their offensive means relied on their puppets. Second, while controlling their puppets, a significant portion of their attention was focused on them, making self-defense more difficult.
That's why ninja-like Konoha's White Fang, with incredible speed and explosive short-range power, were extremely effective counters to puppeteers.
So mastering *multitasking—splitting focus between puppet and self—*was a solution to mitigate this vulnerability.
There were other options too:
Like Chiyo, who enhanced her own speed to the point that enemies had a hard time catching her.
Or like Sasori, who simply turned himself into a puppet.
But those were still out of reach for Shimizu.
And besides, he preferred the idea of hiding himself inside a puppet—combining the benefits of both methods.
"Theoretically I get it... but the theory is theory. Actually doing it? That's a whole different beast."
In his home workshop, notes from earlier lessons lay open on the desk.
Shimizu spread out his hands—left hand controlling "Fatty," right hand controlling "Tom."
At his feet sat the puppet boy—silent and unused.
The boy puppet had a higher difficulty rating, making it unsuitable for early practice.
The two puppets, Fatty and Tom, stumbled around the room with jerky, clumsy movements.
"My chakra threads still aren't refined enough. Controlling one puppet used to be easy because even if one thread made a mistake, another could correct it. Now, each thread has to do the work of two!"
Before long, sweat began forming on his forehead.
If lifting a boulder required ten ropes, and now he only had five, then each rope had to be thicker or made of stronger material to bear the same load.
Right now, Shimizu's "ropes" were still too thin—his chakra threads lacked density, and his technique was only barely passable.
In this state, controlling two puppets in combat was actually weaker than controlling just one. It might not even be usable in a real fight.
CLANG!
Fatty was tripped by Tom's foot and fell flat on the floor.
Shimizu sighed and held his forehead, glancing at his system panel.
Why can't you be like Deep Blue and give me a buff or something?
No use complaining—just keep practicing.
Gotham City.
In a dark alleyway…
CRACK!
Shimizu snapped the neck of a gang boss who had just exited a nightclub, then quickly searched the body.
This man was the most suitable "target" Shimizu had identified after observing for a full day.
It had already been two days since he escaped Arkham Island.
With the Transformation Jutsu and his skills as a ninja in gathering intelligence, Shimizu had acquired enough information to begin the next phase of his plan.
Step One:
Get money. Get materials. Get a place to stay.
Then build a puppet with combat capability.
The DC universe was a dangerous high-power world, and Gotham in particular was a brutal place. On any given day, you might go out to watch an opera and get shot in an alley on the way home.
Without sufficient power to protect himself, everything else would be difficult.
"Four thousand dollars. A bit less than I hoped, but decent. More importantly, I got this keyring."
Shimizu flipped the keys in his hand and took the gun holster off the gang boss's waist.
He was currently dressed like a sexy city woman.
Not in drag, but disguised using the Transformation Jutsu to infiltrate the nightclub and replace the top escort there. Originally, he was supposed to be taken home by this very boss.
But when they passed through this dark alley, Shimizu struck, resulting in the current scenario.
He formed hand seals and cast Transformation Jutsu again.
With a puff of smoke, Shimizu instantly transformed into the appearance of the gang boss. After coughing a few times, he tested out a few lines—cursing Batman a bit to match the tone—and once satisfied with how close the voice sounded, he walked out of the alley and got into the car, pulling out the keys.
After a few tries, he managed to start the car.
He had earned a driver's license in his previous life, and though cars here were a bit different, he adapted quickly.
Ten minutes later.
Outside a bar, Shimizu parked and stepped out.
"Boss!"
Two suited security guards at the entrance saw him and respectfully opened the door.
This bar was owned by the gang boss he had just replaced.
"Mm."
Shimizu mimicked the original owner's mannerisms and swaggered arrogantly inside.
He followed the usual routine—ordered a bottle of champagne, flirted with a waitress, then laughed and headed upstairs.
"His office should be in here."
He tried the keys on each door until he found the right one.
"Got him drunk and loosened his tongue. He said the bar's profits and his personal savings were all stored in this office."
Shimizu scanned the room and began searching.
Inside a drawer: six thousand dollars and two spare magazines.
In the cabinet: women's lingerie.
In a corner: an old, discarded key.
He pushed aside the bookshelf but found no hidden passage.
Only after moving the desk did he notice a patch of dust-free floor beneath it.
"If it wasn't cleaned recently, then…"
Shimizu reached into the floor tile seams and pried one loose.
Inside was a safe.
He tried a few keys from the ring and finally got it open.
Inside were neatly stacked bundles of green bills and rows of gold bars.
Five rows of six—thirty gold bars in total.
He picked one up, weighed it in his hand, and estimated its mass. Then he checked the bills.
Each bar weighed about 100 grams, totaling around $200,000 worth of gold.
The thirty stacks of bills each held exactly $10,000.
Combined, that was $500,000—a considerable fortune.
Not bad for a small-time gang boss.
In Gotham, there were countless low-level gangs like his. Getting half a million from just one was already a great haul.
That amount of money was enough to buy a house in most parts of Gotham outside the city center, with plenty left over.
(End of Chapter)