The rich smell of gunpowder mingled with metal-preserving oil drifted in wisps through the gap in the heavy steel door, blown open by the blast wave. It was like an invitation to a kitchen in hell.
Beyond the door lay a deep darkness that seemed capable of swallowing all light.
Mizuki Han stood still, not immediately stepping into that darkness, which symbolized wealth and power. His chest was still rising and falling slightly. The scheming and fighting that had just taken everything out of him had only made his already frail body worse.
His cold eyes remained fixed on the darkness beyond the door. There was not a trace of joy at the prospect of claiming spoils, only the bone-deep vigilance that had always been his constant companion.
The closer you got to success, the more likely it was that the deadliest traps were waiting. That was a creed he had carved into his soul.
"Hide behind that weapons rack," he ordered coldly, without turning around, speaking to Haku, who had poked her head out from around the corner of the passage. "Don't come out or make a sound unless I say so."
Haku's small figure stiffened in the distance, then immediately ducked back obediently, like a startled little animal disappearing into the shadows.
Once he had confirmed that his only "burden" was safely hidden, Mizuki Han slowly bent down and picked up a warped kunai beside the charred corpse on the ground.
He didn't approach the door. Instead, he stood three meters away and flicked his wrist, sending the discarded kunai whistling precisely toward the floor inside.
"Clang."
The clear metallic impact echoed through the vast Armory, confirming that the floor was solid stone, with no pitfall.
But that wasn't enough.
Mizuki Han listened closely. Other than the echo of the kunai hitting the floor, there was no other sound in the air. No faint click of mechanisms, no hum of flowing chakra.
He took another shuriken from his tool pouch, this time aiming at the wall just inside the door.
"Whoosh!"
The shuriken spun into the room and embedded itself firmly in the wall.
Still safe.
Only after a series of tests did Mizuki Han finally set off. He walked slowly, placing each step in a different spot and carefully gauging the stone beneath his feet. He didn't let out a breath until he had entered the Armory and confirmed there were no pressure plates, tripwires, or sensory barriers.
He pulled a spare Explosive Tag from his clothes, ignited one corner with chakra, and held it high as a makeshift torch.
The orange-red light instantly drove back the surrounding darkness.
The next second, even Mizuki Han's heart, long since filled with cold reason, skipped a beat.
The sight before him was a spectacle of violence beyond words.
Rows of massive steel weapon racks stood in the vast underground space like silent giants. Blades, spears, swords, halberds... all kinds of standard-issue ninja tools reflected a cold gleam in the firelight. The air was filled with the dry, chilly scent of metal.
Farther in stood box after box of crates, stacked like little hills.
Mizuki Han's breathing grew a little faster.
He went straight for the crates, as if the sharp Ninja Blades held no appeal for him. He pried open the nearest one.
"Crack."
The lid came off, revealing not something else, but neat bundles of brand-new Explosive Tags wrapped in oilpaper!
Each bundle was a finger's width thick.
Mizuki Han reached out and picked one up. The rough, dry texture of the paper brushed his fingertips. Intricate patterns had been drawn on it in bright red cinnabar. The scent of gunpowder mixed with chakra eased the nerves he kept perpetually taut because of his "Firepower Deficiency Phobia."
There were at least a hundred tags in one crate.
And there were three whole rows of crates like this!
His gaze swept over them, and he even spotted several crates bearing special labels, marked in Mist Village code: "High-Explosive Improved Type," "Underwater Specialized Type," and "Delayed Trigger Type."
Wealth!
This was the hardest currency in the shinobi world!
At last, the corner of Mizuki Han's mouth lifted in a genuine, cold smile. With all this, he finally had at least a little confidence that he could keep his own fate in his hands.
That brief moment of relaxation drew a protest from his strained body. The wound in his lung throbbed faintly, and his vision blurred from the chakra he had overused.
He leaned against a crate and gave the system an order in his mind.
"Extract."
[Command received... Parsing target's genetic information...] [Target: Hozuki Clan, Elite Chunin.] [Extracting residual chakra... Extraction successful.]
A vast, refined torrent of energy—greater than any he had received before—surged into his nearly depleted chakra pathways!
Mizuki Han grunted as the warm current coursed through his exhausted body, restoring a little warmth to his limbs, chilled from the strain.
Just then, the system's prompt sounded again.
[The host's total chakra has reached the critical threshold...] [Increasing pathway strength... Expanding chakra capacity...] [Congratulations, host. Your total chakra has officially reached the Chunin standard!]
Mizuki Han clenched his fist.
He could clearly feel an invisible force widening and deepening the "pool" of chakra inside him. If his chakra reserves had been a small puddle before, they were now a little pond!
It still wasn't much, but it was a qualitative change!
This meant he could use more powerful and longer-lasting jutsu. His stamina and survivability would both improve by a whole level!
The fullness that came with his strength returning finally brought a hint of color to his pale face.
He didn't bask in the rush of growing stronger for long. He got to his feet and began surveying his hoard like a greedy dragon.
He opened the crates marked with special symbols.
Inside were all kinds of specially made ninja tools, unlike anything he had ever seen.
Tracking Senbon that could automatically home in on chakra sources.
Black Steel Shuriken made with special metal that could easily slice through ordinary kunai.
There were even several sets of finely crafted Anbu Specialized Combat Suits, with chakra-conductive metal embedded in key areas. Their defensive capabilities far exceeded those of the ragged outfit he was wearing.
Without hesitation, Mizuki Han stripped off his clothes, stained with blood and stinking of filth, and changed into a new, well-fitting Anbu combat suit. The cool, supple fabric clung to his skin, and the lightweight armor plates over key areas gave him an unparalleled sense of security.
"Haku, come out," he said calmly.
Haku immediately ran over when she heard him call. When she saw the room full of "weapons" and the mountain of Explosive Tags, shock and bewilderment filled her little face.
Mizuki Han paid no attention to her expression. He simply tossed a large, empty ninja tool pouch in front of her and ordered in an unquestionable tone, "Pack all the Explosive Tags from those crates into this. Don't leave a single one behind."
"Y-yes, Han!" Haku came to her senses and immediately began carrying out his order.
Meanwhile, Mizuki Han continued searching the Armory. His goal was clear: weapons and ninja tools were certainly important, but sometimes information was even deadlier.
He passed row after row of weapon racks and eventually found something completely out of place in a corner at the very back of the Armory.
It was a cylindrical metal cabinet about half a person's height. It had no lock, but a complex Sealing Jutsu pattern sealed it shut. The words "Confidential Material Department" were engraved on its body.
What it contained clearly wasn't standard weaponry.
Mizuki Han narrowed his eyes slightly. He walked up to the cabinet and extended his unharmed right hand. A trace of cold chakra gathered at his fingertip as he slowly traced the complex Sealing Jutsu pattern.
He wasn't well-versed in Sealing Jutsu, but reaching the Chunin level had made him more sensitive to the flow of energy. He could sense that the seal's core lay in several energy nodes.
He didn't try to unravel it. Instead, he chose the simplest, most brutal method.
"Ice Release: Needle Sting."
Several needles of ice, finer than hairs, shot silently from his fingertips and pierced the energy nodes he had sensed with pinpoint accuracy!
"Bzzzz—"
The entire sealing pattern suddenly glowed red. Then, as if an incompatible program had been injected into it, the light began to flicker violently. Finally, with a soft pop, it went completely dark.
The seal was broken.
Mizuki Han opened the cabinet. The smell of old paper wafted out.
There were no secret jutsu scrolls inside, as he had imagined, nor any powerful forbidden jutsu.
There were only roll after roll of thick blueprints, carefully wrapped in kraft paper.
He picked one up and slowly unrolled it on the floor.
Firelight illuminated its contents. Intricate structures had been drawn in incredibly precise lines, with all kinds of data and symbols marked across them.
The instant Mizuki Han saw the title, his pupils contracted sharply.
<Mist Anbu Underground Base · B-7 Section · Core Load-Bearing Structure Layout>.
His gaze fixed on several massive pillars circled in red on the blueprint, the very bones of the entire structure.
A wildly audacious, even downright insane plan took shape in his mind.
With plenty of firepower, how could he cause enough chaos to escape?
The answer was right there on the blueprint.
Mizuki Han slowly raised his head. Firelight danced deep in his eyes, reflecting an almost crazed smile. He wasn't going to escape.
He was going to physically tear down this entire damned underground base, where countless Kekkei Genkai bearers had been buried!
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