Refining Chakra, Minor Increase, Establishing Rules Within the Sanctuary

The moment that red light flickered, a sweet yet nauseating scent rapidly permeated the air. It was a high-concentration neurotoxin, the "final resort" commonly used by the Mist Anbu when clearing out death row cells.

"Go!"

Mizuki Han did not hesitate for a second. He flung the red-flashing mask deep into the corridor and grabbed Haku, sprinting in the opposite direction. He knew full well that the mask was not just a communicator, but a trigger mechanism. The moment that Anbu died, the facility's defensive systems had been fully activated.

Poison gas hissed as it sprayed from the gaps in the pipes. Mizuki Han raced through the dim corridor with Haku, the burning sensation in his lungs intensifying with the strenuous exertion, yet he forced his breathing into a steady rhythm, conserving every ounce of strength for what mattered.

The two wound through the intricate underground labyrinth for nearly two kilometers. Only when the sweet, cloying scent had completely faded behind them did Mizuki Han stop at a dried-up underground riverbed. Located in a blind spot on the periphery of the Anbu base, with stalactites hanging overhead and long-evaporated pools, it was a natural hiding place.

"Hah..." Haku panted heavily, her small face deathly pale, her forehead beaded with fine, cold sweat.

Mizuki Han ignored her exhaustion. He leaned his back against the damp, cold rock wall, closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness deep into his mind.

[System: Host has completed consecutive kills. Extract genes and chakra from targets?]

"Extract."

Two faint streams of energy were forcibly stripped from the corpses by the system, then transformed into cool trickles that flowed into Mizuki Han's long-depleted dantian. Though those two Chunin were dead, their residual chakra remained high-quality energy.

A long-lost sense of fullness rose within his meridians. Mizuki Han could clearly feel his chakra, which had been nearly exhausted from excessive use of Ice Release, slowly recovering at a visible rate.

Although he had not yet reached the standard of a Chunin, the hollow, weakened feeling in his body was fading, replaced by a heavy sense of security.

[Chakra refinement level increased. Current rank: Peak Genin.]

[System: Host has sustained physical damage. Consume a portion of chakra to repair?]

"Do not repair yet," Mizuki Han coldly refused in his mind.

He opened his eyes and scanned the gloomy cavern. It was well-hidden, but only temporarily. He had to establish rules. In this underground world devoid of law and order, any shred of unnecessary compassion would become the poison that led to their deaths.

He stood up and walked over to Haku. The girl was curled up beneath the rock wall, her clear eyes still holding the lingering terror of the recent slaughter.

Mizuki Han looked down at her, his gaze as indifferent as if he were staring at a stone.

"Look at me." His voice was devoid of inflection.

Haku shuddered and looked up, her watery eyes meeting his pupils, which were as cold as an abyss.

"Wipe away those tears." Mizuki Han raised his hand, using cold fingertips to pinch her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "In this place, tears have no value; they only become noise that exposes our position."

Haku bit her lower lip, forcibly swallowing the tears in her eyes, though her body trembled uncontrollably from fear and grievance.

"Listen well." Mizuki Han released her, his tone frigid. "We are now in the same boat. If you want to survive, you must discard all that useless compassion and fear."

He pointed to the pile of spoils on the ground—the Explosive Tags and ninja tools scavenged from the Anbu corpses.

"From now on, you don't need any superfluous emotions. You only need to do two things: first, absolute obedience to my orders; second, if anyone threatens my survival, even if it is someone you once knew, you will strike without hesitation."

Haku was stunned. She looked at Mizuki Han, seemingly unable to believe these words were coming from the boy who had once saved her.

"What? You can't do it?" A mocking curve touched the corner of Mizuki Han's mouth. He casually pulled a kunai from his tool pouch, spinning it nimbly between his fingers. "If you can't, you can leave right now. There are Anbu everywhere outside; you can go ask them for help and see if they'll give you a quick death."

The tip of the kunai glinted coldly in the dim light, stopping just inches from Haku's nose.

The girl looked at the blade so close to her, then at Mizuki Han's expressionless eyes. The confusion in her gaze gradually faded, replaced by a resolve that bordered on numbness.

She knew that in this cruel world, only this cold-blooded boy before her was her sole reliance.

"...I understand." Haku's voice was soft, yet exceptionally clear.

Mizuki Han put away the kunai with satisfaction. He did not need a weeping burden; he needed an obedient, sharp blade.

He turned and walked to the depths of the cavern to inspect the environment. Although this abandoned cave was primitive, it had good ventilation and two exits. He pulled the Explosive Tag from his tunic and stuck it above the entrance, creating a simple tripwire trap.

As long as someone forced their way in, this doorway would become their grave.

After finishing, Mizuki Han sat back in the shadows. He watched the dark corridor in the distance, calculating his next move.

The purge of the death row cells would not stop just because two Chunin had died; on the contrary, their disappearance would alert the higher-ups. Soon, the entire underground base would be under martial law.

But that was exactly what he needed.

He didn't need to hide; he needed to strike back.

"Since they want to clear us out like rats..." Mizuki Han tapped his fingers against the rock, his voice as low as a ghost's. "Then we will turn this underground labyrinth into their slaughterhouse."

With these supplies and his recovered chakra, he was no longer the prisoner waiting to be butchered.

He looked up, his gaze piercing through the darkness as if he could see the Anbu ninjas frantically searching the base.

"The next step..." A cold murderous intent flashed in Mizuki Han's eyes. "It's time to get something more valuable."

The encrypted scroll he had scavenged from the Chunin's corpse still lay quietly in his tunic. The secrets recorded within might be the key to his final escape from this Village of the Bloody Mist.

And now, all he had to do was wait. Wait for those hounds, agitated by the disappearance of their companions, to step willingly into the web he had meticulously woven.

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the cavern.

The rhythm was slow, carrying a tentative air.

Mizuki Han's body tensed instantly. He gave Haku a signal. The girl understood immediately, sliding silently into the shadows to the side and holding her breath.

The footsteps drew closer, accompanied by low murmurs.

"Why haven't those two sent back a signal yet? This is their assigned sector, isn't it?"

"Stop talking nonsense. The order from above is a carpet search; we aren't to let even a rat escape."

A cold sneer curled the corner of Mizuki Han's mouth.

The prey had taken the bait.