"Something?"
Confusion and fear filled Haku's clear eyes. She didn't understand what the word meant.
But she could feel that the "Big Brother Han" before her was different from before.
His gaze was as cold as the frozen earth of Siberia, without a trace of warmth. It was the absolute indifference of someone who saw everything in the world as a tool.
Mizuki Han offered no explanation.
He had neither the time nor the inclination to soothe a child.
[Would you like to begin genetic fusion now?]
The system's prompt sounded in his mind.
"No."
Mizuki Han replied silently.
Now wasn't the time. Fusion would take time, and enemies could rush in at any moment.
His gaze swept quickly over the bodies on the ground.
An Anbu uniform, a mask, a Ninja Blade, a pouch of ninja tools...
These were all assets he could use to survive.
Without hesitation, he began stripping the guard's clothes. The cold touch of the corpse made him feel physically sick, but his hands didn't pause for a moment.
In a world where human lives were worth less than grass, sentimentality was the cheapest—and deadliest—emotion.
Soon, he had changed into the bloodstained Anbu uniform and put on the mask. The clothes were slightly too big, but they concealed his weakness.
Next, he picked up the Ninja Blade and the ninja tool pouch.
Inside the pouch were three kunai, five shuriken, and an Explosive Tag.
That was everything a Mist Anbu had.
It was meager, but better than nothing.
"Still seriously lacking in firepower."
Mizuki Han murmured inwardly. It was the sense of danger etched into his bones.
He glanced at Haku, curled up in the corner, and ordered coldly, "Come here."
Haku shuddered at his icy tone, but obediently shuffled over.
Instead of taking her hand, Mizuki Han grabbed her by the back of her ragged kimono and lifted her up, as roughly as if he were picking up a kitten.
"Stay close. Make a sound, and I'll leave you here."
His voice sounded muffled and oppressive through the mask.
Haku clapped a hand over her mouth in terror and nodded frantically.
Mizuki Han said nothing more. Holding Haku in one hand and gripping the Ninja Blade in the other, he cautiously peered out of the cell.
The corridor was empty. Only screams and the clash of weapons echoed from far away.
The Great Purge was still underway.
The entire Anbu base had descended into chaos.
For him, this was the perfect opportunity.
Chaos meant the collapse of order—and the chance to fish in troubled waters.
"I have to find an exit as soon as possible."
Mizuki Han's mind raced.
According to the original owner's memories, this Anbu base was as complex as a giant anthill, with several exits.
But every exit was bound to be heavily guarded.
A direct assault meant certain death.
"System, do you have a map function?" he asked silently.
[In response to the host, this system is the Empire Procreation System. Its core functions are gene extraction and bloodline evolution. The map function can be unlocked through the 'Empire Module' after the host establishes an initial force.]
"Useless."
Mizuki Han cursed inwardly.
It seemed he would have to rely on himself.
Recalling the original owner's memories, he began making his way through the maze of corridors.
He avoided the main route, the fastest way out according to those memories, and instead slipped into a series of dark, damp side passages.
At times like this, he couldn't afford to take the usual route.
It was a habit he'd developed in his previous life—always keep a Plan B and Plan C.
His footsteps were so light they made almost no sound. Before every turn, he stopped and listened carefully for activity on the other side of the walls.
He was like a top-tier hunter, cautiously avoiding every risk in his own hunting ground.
"Stop! Who are you?"
Suddenly, a shout rang out ahead.
Two masked Mist Anbu rushed around a corner and blocked his path.
Mizuki Han's heart sank.
The chakra in his body was already depleted. He was now just an ordinary person in an Anbu uniform.
He had no chance in a direct confrontation.
The two Anbu saw him carrying a child. Then they noticed that his uniform didn't quite fit, and immediately grew suspicious.
"Take off your mask! State your number!" one of them barked.
Mizuki Han didn't move.
In a tenth of a second, his mind had run through more than a dozen possible responses, then rejected them one by one.
Run? They were ninja. He wouldn't get away.
Beg for mercy? He'd only die faster.
Fight to the death? Only an idiot would do that.
What now?
At that critical moment, Haku suddenly began struggling violently in his grasp.
"Monsters! Murderers! Let me go!"
Haku's shrill, childish cry rang out, filled with hatred.
She struggled as she glared furiously at the two Anbu.
Mizuki Han froze for a moment, then immediately understood what Haku was trying to do.
This seemingly fragile little girl was protecting him in her own way!
She was using her hatred to draw their attention, making herself seem like a Kekkei Genkai carrier who had been captured and refused to cooperate. That would dispel their suspicions about Mizuki Han's identity.
What a... clever child.
A flicker of something stirred inside Mizuki Han, but he immediately suppressed it.
He went along with it, imitating the guard's impatient tone as he rasped, "Shut up! Make another sound, and I'll cut out your tongue!"
As he spoke, he made a rough gesture with his free hand, as if to cover Haku's mouth.
At the sight, the two Anbu visibly relaxed.
To them, he was simply a colleague escorting the remnants of a Kekkei Genkai clan. His prisoner was being difficult, slowing him down.
After all, during the chaos of the Great Purge, this sort of thing was common.
"So you're escorting a prisoner." One of the Anbu relaxed his tone. "Hurry up and deal with her. Lord Genji has already ordered us to pick up the pace."
"Understood," Mizuki Han replied gravely, deliberately swaying a little to make himself seem tired.
"This one struggled too much. She used up a lot of my chakra," he complained offhandedly.
That dispelled the other two's last doubts.
"Hmph. The Yuki Clan's trash are always a nuisance," the other Anbu said contemptuously. "Once you're done, hurry to the western district and regroup. Don't get in the way here."
With that, the two Anbu paid him no further attention and hurried off.
A seven-year-old girl had just defused a deadly crisis with a courageous lie.
Only after their footsteps had faded away completely did Mizuki Han slowly let out a breath.
He looked down at Haku in his arms.
The girl was still trembling, but her gaze was unusually resolute.
Mizuki Han's expression turned complicated for an instant, but soon returned to its usual, placid indifference.
He didn't thank her or comfort her.
He simply kept hold of Haku and continued into the darkness.
Trust and gratitude were the most useless things in the world.
Only absolute strength and control were eternal truths.
Haku's actions had merely confirmed her usefulness to him. Besides her bloodline, she also had a mind far beyond her years.
She was a suitable tool.
After another ten minutes winding through the maze of corridors, he finally found a ventilation shaft in an inconspicuous corner.
The shaft was narrow, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
According to his memories, it led to the Anbu base's drainage system and was one of the few unguarded exits.
No one would believe that a ninja would stoop to escaping through such a filthy place.
But Mizuki Han would.
As long as he could survive, he would jump into a sewage pipe without hesitation—not to mention a cesspit.
He pried open the grate and climbed inside without hesitation.
The shaft reeked so badly it made him sick, and its slimy fluids coated his entire body.
Shielding Haku in front of him, he crawled with difficulty through the cramped, pitch-black passage.
After an unknown length of time, a glimmer of light finally appeared ahead.
The exit!
Mizuki Han was delighted and sped up.
But just as he was about to crawl out, an intense sense of danger made every hair on his body stand on end!
He stopped abruptly.
[System warning: High-intensity chakra detected within a hundred-meter radius ahead!]
[Energy level assessment: Elite jonin.]
[Danger rating: Extremely high!]
The exit was a trap!
Mizuki Han's heart sank.
He immediately realized this might be a trap.
A trap prepared specifically for people clever enough to try escaping through the drainage outlet.
His paranoia flared.
Could it be that every step he'd taken had been part of someone else's plan?
From killing the guard, to choosing this secluded route, to finding this ventilation shaft...
Had it all been set up?
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
He immediately followed his "Three-Part Chakra Principle"—though he had no chakra now, the principle was already etched into his soul.
Always reserve 30% of your energy for escape, 40% for a killing blow, and the remaining 30% for unexpected situations.
Now, he needed information.
He needed to know who the elite jonin outside was and what they were waiting for.
Mizuki Han's gaze fell on the Explosive Tag he had kept safe until now.
A daring, reckless plan took shape in his mind in an instant.
He took a kunai from the ninja tool pouch and carefully tied the Explosive Tag to it.
Then he looked at Haku in his arms.
"Are you afraid of dying?" he suddenly asked.
Haku froze for a moment, then shook her head.
"No."
"Good."
Mizuki Han put the kunai with the Explosive Tag into Haku's hand.
His voice was cold and cruel, like an order that allowed no objections.
"In a moment, I'll throw you out."
"Use all your strength to throw this toward the light."
Before you continue