"Bang!"
A puff of white smoke erupted, and Qingshui quickly transformed into another face.
A square jaw, sharp eyebrows, and a high forehead—he looked like a white man.
If he donned a suit and put on sunglasses, he would perfectly fit the classic image of a suited thug.
This face belonged to Keanu Reeves.
Qingshui had considered taking on the appearance of Beckham or Little Leo, but unfortunately, Beckham was already here, having been famous for over ten years and currently playing for a club in Major League Soccer.
Little Leo wasn't around, but his level of good looks was simply breathtaking and too flashy.
Someone with ordinary good looks like Keanu Reeves would suffice, and his demeanor suited Gotham better.
Penguin was startled by the commotion Qingshui caused, nearly thinking he was about to make a move.
Even after regaining his composure, one hand rested on the handle of his high-tech umbrella, his small eyes fixed on Qingshui.
"An impressive ability! I didn't expect you to have such a skill aside from Clayface."
Clayface, known as Basil Karlo, had undergone a mutation due to exposure to toxic radioactive chemical waste, allowing his body to transform into a mud-like substance. He could shape it into any weapon, soft enough to penetrate any object, hard enough to be as solid as rock, and even take on any person's form, mimicking their genes since he no longer possessed genes like any carbon-based life form.
This ability was even more powerful than Transformation Jutsu.
"Just use this face to create an identity for me."
"Understood. However, I'll need you to take a photo for the ID and measure your height to match the information. It will be ready in a day... Uh, where are you living now?"
"I'll come back to pick it up in a day."
...
...
Three days later.
With his new identity secured, Qingshui acquired a house and a box full of books.
He wasn't buying the house to flip it; rather, he wanted a stable place to create puppets. The noise would be significant, and renting wouldn't be convenient.
At least the landlord wouldn't be keen on Qingshui converting an entire floor into a puppet workshop.
Having an identity was necessary to purchase high-value real estate.
The location didn't need to be too good, as that would come with a hefty price tag.
Fortunately, Gotham wasn't Metropolis. While both were international metropolises modeled after New York, Metropolis had much higher property prices.
After all, it enjoyed more sunshine and had Superman, resulting in a significantly lower crime rate compared to Gotham.
Even so, the property prices in the area where Qingshui bought his house weren't cheap, averaging over six thousand dollars per square meter—equivalent to thirty to forty thousand RMB per square meter.
So, Qingshui took another job, borrowing some money from another gang leader and then laundering it through Penguin, paying a hefty fifty percent fee.
After purchasing the seventy-square-meter house and acquiring the remaining materials and tools needed for puppet-making, Qingshui was left with just under twenty thousand dollars.
Given Gotham's cost of living, as long as he didn't splurge excessively, this amount would be enough for a year and a half.
"No doubt about it, I'll start learning while making puppets!"
Qingshui picked up a book titled Microcontrollers and CNC Electronics and began to dive into it.
...
...
After finishing his tasks in the Gotham World, the Avatar enjoyed some leisure time.
Every day was filled with either studying online or creating puppets.
Meanwhile, Qingshui's main body in the Naruto World was incredibly busy.
The Sixth Division of the Puppet Force typically wasn't this hectic.
But these weren't normal times; they were in a state of war.
Qingshui had just returned from the battlefield of the Great Ninja War!
His squad usually had one task: to process the puppets recovered from the front lines.
If they were still usable, they'd be repaired; if not, the usable parts would be salvaged for future use.
There was some profit to be made here, as the condition of the puppets—what was good and what was bad—was subjectively judged. Calling good parts bad or usable parts unusable could easily lead to personal gain.
Unfortunately, Qingshui couldn't do that.
It wasn't due to his integrity, but because the Sand Village was too poor, squeezing every resource to its limit.
If caught embezzling, the consequences would be dire, and Ebizo took measures to prevent such occurrences.
The same batch of puppets would undergo repeated inspections by randomly assigned squads from three different puppet units. If issues arose, the squad leader would investigate.
If nothing was found, the Anbu would continue their investigation.
To embezzle, one would need powerful backers pulling the strings.
But those individuals were Jonin, and it was doubtful they would even consider dealing with these low-level puppets, nor would they have the opportunity to handle them.
Perhaps there really is some room for maneuver, but Qingshui isn't willing to risk his promising future for such a small gain.
However, the rewards are still quite generous.
At least it's more than what he used to earn as an ordinary ninja on missions, and it comes with less danger.
Moreover, these puppets are sent back in batches, so if he works quickly, there will be some time to rest in between.
"Phew... this batch of puppets is finally done."
In the base of the Puppet Force, Qingshui was sprawled out on the sofa in a completely unrefined manner.
Jianxue lay on the other end of the sofa.
Meanwhile, Sasori continued to sit at the workbench, busy with something.
"Hey, Sasori, kids need to rest more; otherwise, it'll affect their growth!"
Seeing Sasori still working hard, the limp Qingshui immediately tried to coax him into joining them.
"If you keep this up, the next time we face off, you'll lose, and then there won't be a next time."
Sasori remained focused, creating puppet parts according to the notes he had received from Ishido.
"Tsk, don't say that! I usually work hard too! It's just that I haven't been focusing on puppet-making lately."
Qingshui waved his hand dismissively.
The Avatar of Gotham World had been studying diligently, trying to integrate modern engineering principles into Puppetry.
In his spare time from work, Qingshui also devoted himself to training in Forbidden Jutsu.
After all, his puppet manipulation skills might be the lowest in the team; among the two Genin, Sasori's skills surpassed his by a good margin.
After resting for about ten minutes, feeling restless from watching Sasori work, Qingshui flipped off the sofa and jumped up.
"Forget it, I'll train too."
Qingshui shot out ten Chakra Threads, connecting them to Fatty and Tom, and began practicing Forbidden Jutsu.
"Tsk, aren't you a kid too? Why is everyone so busy? Aren't you afraid you won't grow tall enough if you don't rest long enough?"
Seeing this scene, Jianxue also decided to join in.
Otherwise, with the other two occupied, she felt out of place just lying there.
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Read 1111+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский at: https:// beta.randomtranslator.com/
Join our Discord: https:// discord.gg/NSWvfN7vua
-----------