The mobility was fairly good, thanks to the rational structural design and the use of lightweight aluminum alloy for all but the core and external protective components.
Another key factor was the manipulation of the chakra threads.
Thanks to the new techniques he'd learned from the Black Secret Technique, Hardy's puppet control had improved significantly compared to before.
Even though the chakra quality of his avatar wasn't as good as his main body, it was still enough to operate the puppet and enhance its agility.
Wearing the puppet felt a bit like "controlling myself."
"But... not bad. I just didn't expect my avatar to create a B-class combat puppet before my main body did. This is all thanks to the DC world's high level of technological advancement."
Hardy was secretly delighted.
Who didn't dream of piloting a mecha as a kid?
Although his creation was only half a mecha—the other half being a puppet—and unlike conventional mechas powered by high-energy batteries or miniature reactors, it still looked the part!
Hardy couldn't help but strike a few "cool" poses in front of the full-length mirror.
"The feel of black metal... This puppet will be called Black Gold."
After playing around for a while, Hardy was itching for some minor villain to show up, just so he could show off and beat them down like a protagonist in a power fantasy.
What? I'm the villain?
Well, never mind then.
"Now that I have power, it's time to move on to the next step."
Hardy took off the Black Gold puppet armor and gazed out the window into the distance.
Why did he buy a house so close to the slums?
Precisely because the high crime rate and weak government presence in such chaotic areas provided cover for his activities—much easier to operate!
In the Naruto world, Hardy's main body was in one of the five great ninja villages, the most powerful organizations in the world. There, he could simply climb the ranks within the existing system to gain fortune and influence. But in the DC world, his avatar couldn't do the same.
After all, as a top-tier villain talent from Arkham, even if he managed to infiltrate the government, there was a high chance he'd be discovered.
If Batman or the Joker ever asked Penguin for information on Hardy, with Penguin's lack of loyalty, he'd sell Hardy out in a heartbeat.
This guy is a mob boss and a businessman—he probably thinks everything is for sale.
Moreover, the DC world is full of extraordinary people, and infiltrating the ranks of the heroes is nearly impossible.
I'm already a villain—why not take this career to the end?
Especially in Gotham, being a villain is such a promising profession!
Hardy's next plan...
It all comes down to relying on your own abilities—blending into the slums, building your own gang, and step by step, growing stronger and more powerful!
...
...
Naruto World.
While his clone was busy assembling a new puppet, the main body began modifying Formentor.
The DC universe boasts advanced technology and relatively abundant resources. For a ninja, acquiring wealth and resources in Gotham's underworld is fairly easy. But here, that's not the case.
Raw materials might be plentiful, but the technological gap compared to the DC world is vast. Most resources can't be processed into industrial materials; if you want to make something, you have to craft it by hand, piece by piece.
Hardy dismantled both Tom and Formentor, planning to retain part of Formentor's original framework. With the materials he'd saved up and those salvaged from Tom, he had enough to upgrade Formentor into a puppet on par with Black Gold.
As for why Tom was scrapped, it's because even though Hardy had reached a certain level in the Black Secret Technique, he could only control two puppets at once.
Currently, his Puppet Mastery was at LV3 on his panel. His puppet manipulation skills met the standard through the Black Secret Technique, and when his clone created Black Gold, his puppet crafting skills also reached the required level.
The immediate effect was that his stats for "Nin" and "In" on his attribute panel both increased.
Both "Nin" and "In" went up by one point, reaching 5 and 6, respectively.
The Little Boy puppet was already a B-rank puppet and could be used as is. Of the remaining two, keeping an extra puppet around would just be a waste, so it made sense to reassemble and upgrade it into another B-rank puppet.
With Formentor and Little Boy, two B-rank puppets combined, not to mention Genin—even among Chunin, his combat power would be formidable.
At present, Hardy's biggest weaknesses are taijutsu and chakra reserves.
There's nothing he can do about it—he's still young, and unless he's a member of the Uzumaki or Senju clans, or has a special kekkei genkai, these two stats can only be increased slowly through age, nutrition, and training.
Fortunately, using chakra threads to control puppets doesn't consume much chakra during battle.
And with an external armor-type puppet like Black Gold, he could compensate for his lack of taijutsu skills, even turning close combat into an advantage.
When the time comes, the main body can wear the Formentor puppet, with the Little Boy puppet on the outside—one inside, one outside, one for close range, one for distance—the basic combat system would be complete.
Formentor's modification process was similar to Black Gold's: both arms were fitted with pneumatic pumps, the thousand-needle poison launcher was moved from the mouth to the shoulder, the right arm was equipped with a spring-loaded folding saw blade, and the left arm could launch kunai.
This was mainly for launching explosive kunai—since explosive tags can't be attached to the slender senbon needles (it would affect their trajectory), but heavier, larger kunai don't have this problem.
Overall, Hardy was quite satisfied with the results of Formentor's upgrade.
[Puppet Name]: Formentor
[Overall Parameters]:
Height: 1.84 meters
Weight: 78.22 kilograms
Materials: Reinforced wood, lightweight metal, strengthened biological bone, etc.
Energy Source: None
Control Method: Chakra threads
[Puppet Rating]: B (B+)
[Overall Evaluation]: An armored combat puppet, an initial fusion of puppet techniques and modern engineering. Excellent performance, powerful in close combat, and possesses some ranged attack capabilities. When merged with the puppeteer, its combat power is further enhanced.
In the ninja world—especially in Sunagakure—puppet masters maximize resource utilization, so they have mastered the properties and uses of various materials. They have references for achieving any desired function with any material, unlike in the DC world, where you're limited to industrial steel.
This also means Formentor is much lighter than Black Gold and more agile.
Another point is that Hardy's main body is only eleven years old, significantly shorter than his clone, so less material is needed.
Moreover, the chakra conductivity of these materials is far superior to the makeshift metals he used before, so it's perfectly normal for the overall rating to surpass Black Gold by a full grade.