The Principle of Three Parts Chakra, The Fatal Test of the Water Clone

Bai's small hands tightly clenched the cold kunai, the rough paper of the explosive tag rubbing against her palm.

Her small face was deathly pale from tension, but her eyes showed no hint of retreat.

"Throw it out... and then what?" she asked, her voice weak but clear.

"There is no 'then'," Mizuki Han's voice was devoid of emotion. "This is an order, just execute it."

His plan was simple, even crude.

Use Bai as bait to attract the attention of the Jonin outside.

At the same time, use the explosive tags to create chaos and test the opponent's strength and reaction.

As for Bai's life or death...

It was not within his scope of consideration.

A tool that cannot perform its function at a critical moment is scrap.

Bai's body trembled slightly, and she seemed to understand Mizuki Han's intentions.

She didn't cry or make a fuss, but simply raised her head and looked deeply at Mizuki Han.

Her gaze was complex, filled with fear and confusion, but more than anything, a sorrow of being abandoned.

Mizuki Han avoided her gaze.

He was not heartless, but he knew better that in this bloody world, any unnecessary mercy could plunge him into an abyss of eternal damnation.

"Are you ready?" he asked coldly.

Bai closed her eyes, then nodded vigorously.

"I'm ready, Han-gege."

Mizuki Han no longer hesitated.

He took a deep breath and forcefully pushed Bai's slender body out of the narrow sewage pipe exit!

"Now! Throw!"

With his low roar, Bai's body arced through the air, falling towards the patch of light.

Almost simultaneously, a ghostly figure appeared at the exit without any warning!

It was an unusually tall man, carrying a bizarre, bandaged greatsword on his back, his shark-like face wearing a playful smile.

Hoshigaki Kisame!

The future "Tailed Beast Without Tails," a member of the Akatsuki!

Mizuki Han's pupils contracted sharply, his heart leaping into his throat.

How could he be here?!

According to his memory, Kisame at this time should have been the most loyal subordinate of the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura, an ANBU executioner responsible for dealing with "insiders."

His appearance here could only mean one thing—this was a complete trap!

"Oh? There's a fish that slipped through the net."

Kisame looked at Bai, who was being thrown out, and grinned, revealing a mouth full of shark-like teeth.

His gaze instantly locked onto the kunai tied with explosive tags in Bai's hand.

"Child's play."

He let out a disdainful scoff and formed a hand seal with lightning speed.

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"

A massive water sphere instantly appeared out of thin air, engulfing Bai, who had just been thrown out of the pipe, along with the kunai about to be thrown!

The explosive tags were quickly soaked, rendering them useless.

Bai was trapped in the water prison, unable to breathe, her face turning red, her limbs struggling weakly.

Kisame watched the scene with amusement, as if enjoying the sight of his prey struggling in despair.

His gaze then turned to the dark sewage pipe opening.

"Are you not planning to come out, little mouse?"

Kisame's voice was full of pressure. "Do you want me to drag you out myself?"

Inside the pipe, Mizuki Han's heart sank to the bottom.

A Jonin.

And an elite Jonin like Hoshigaki Kisame.

In a head-on confrontation, he wouldn't even last one move.

The probe using Bai and the explosive tags had completely failed.

The opponent's strength was far beyond his estimation.

What should he do?

Escape?

The entire sewage pipe was under Kisame's surveillance; there was simply nowhere to run.

Mizuki Han's brain raced at breakneck speed, his adrenaline surging to its limit.

His "persecution mania" reached its zenith in this moment, and he began to frantically analyze every word and movement of Kisame.

Why hadn't Kisame killed him outright?

Why did he say "a fish that slipped through the net"?

What was he waiting for?

A key piece of information was captured by Mizuki Han.

Kisame had just said, "The mouse inside, aren't you planning to come out yet?"

He used the word "mouse," not "mice."

This meant that Kisame did not know there were two people inside!

He thought the person who had thrown Haku out earlier and the person still in the pipe were one and the same!

This was an information gap!

A fatal information gap that could be exploited!

A classic ninjutsu from the original series flashed through Mizuki Han's mind.

Water Clone Technique!

But he had no chakra!

No...

He still had some.

Mizuki Han's gaze fell upon the Anbu uniform he had just put on, still stained with the guard's blood.

When he killed that guard, he had pierced the man's heart with an ice spike.

His own hands were stained with the guard's blood.

For a ninja, chakra is formed by combining physical energy and spiritual energy.

After a person dies, physical energy dissipates rapidly, but spiritual energy and residual chakra do not vanish immediately!

[Empire Procreation System, initiating genetic analysis...]

[Detected trace amounts of Kirigakure ninja genes... Extracting residual chakra...]

[Extraction successful! Obtained chakra: 0.01 Kaka.]

The system's notification sound was like music to his ears!

Although it was a pitifully small 0.01 Kaka, it was enough!

Enough for him to complete a deception that gambled with his life!

Mizuki Han immediately followed his "three-part chakra principle."

He had to split this 0.01 Kaka of chakra into three parts.

One part to create the most basic, unstable water clone.

One part to maintain his own vital signs while preparing to launch a fatal strike.

The final part as a trump card, to be used in the worst-case scenario.

"Listen, you outside!"

Mizuki Han lowered his voice, imitating the hoarse tone of an adult man, as it echoed from within the pipe.

"Let that girl go! Otherwise, I'll detonate all the explosive tags here, and we'll all go down together!"

He was bluffing, gambling that Kisame didn't know he had no means of attack left.

Hearing this, the smile on Kisame's face grew even wider.

"Go down together? Do you even have the qualifications for that?"

As he spoke, he walked slowly toward the mouth of the sewage pipe, his Samehada blade dragging along the ground with a harsh, grating sound.

"I like guys with stiff mouths like yours the best; the sound of your bones being crushed is always so pleasant."

Every step Kisame took felt like it was crushing Mizuki Han's heart.

Closer.

Even closer.

Mizuki Han could clearly feel that suffocating killing intent.

Now!

He injected that one portion of chakra meant for the water clone into the sewage at the pipe's opening!

A water clone identical to him suddenly lunged out from the pipe, a kunai in its hand, thrusting straight at Kisame's face!

"Petty tricks!"

Kisame let out a cold snort. He didn't even bother using Samehada, simply raising his hand to slam a fist into the water clone's chest.

In his eyes, this was nothing more than the struggle of a trapped beast.

However, the moment his fist was about to strike, a strange, eerie smile spread across the water clone's face.

A warning bell rang out in Kisame's mind!

Something was wrong!

This water clone was far too calm!

He tried to pull back his fist, but it was already too late.

"BOOM!"

A deafening roar!

The water clone had actually detonated the very instant it was struck!

This was no ordinary water clone!

It was a "chakra bomb" that Mizuki Han had created by using that 0.01 units of chakra, combined with the knowledge of explosive tags from the original owner's memories!

Though the power wasn't immense, the shockwave and mist generated by the close-range explosion were enough to obscure Kisame's vision in an instant!

Opportunity!

The very moment the mist filled the air, the real Mizuki Han, like a viper that had been lying in wait, slid silently out from the other side of the pipe!

His target was not to attack Kisame.

He knew he couldn't kill the man.

His target was the water prison holding Haku!

He gathered his second portion of chakra at his fingertips and, using every ounce of his strength, stabbed fiercely at the weakest point of the water prison!

"Pop!"

With a soft sound, the water prison shattered on impact!

A massive volume of water poured out, and the freed Haku collapsed weakly to the ground.

"Go!"

Mizuki Han didn't have time to say another word; he grabbed Haku and turned to sprint in the opposite direction of Kisame.

All of this had happened in the blink of an eye!

From the water clone's detonation to breaking the prison and rescuing his companion, the entire sequence had been fluid, without a single wasted movement!

This was a meticulously planned gamble!

He had bet on Kisame's arrogance, bet that Kisame would be distracted by the water clone, and bet that he could rescue Haku in that one-second window!

He had won the bet!

"Interesting..."

From within the thick mist came Kisame's cold, excited voice.

"To think you could pull such a stunt right in front of me. You've successfully piqued my interest, little mouse."

A killing intent ten times stronger than before erupted from behind Mizuki Han!

Mizuki Han didn't look back; he knew Kisame was getting serious now!

He carried Haku, weaving frantically through the complex underground tunnels, trying to shake off his pursuer.

But Kisame's speed was far superior to his own.

The sound of footsteps grew closer and closer!

"Squelch!"

Suddenly, Mizuki Han felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his heart.

He looked down, horrified to find that a blade made of water had emerged from his own shadow and pierced through his chest.

It was Kisame's ninjutsu!

Blood instantly stained his shirt red.

Mizuki Han's body stiffened, and the mask on his face fell to the ground, revealing the delicate, pale face of a young boy.

Kisame's figure appeared before him as if he had teleported.

He looked down at Mizuki Han, who lay in a pool of blood, his expression filled with surprise and amusement.

"What is this... so it was just a brat."

Kisame's ninja sword pierced ruthlessly through Mizuki Han's "heart."