Robbing the Armory Boosts Confidence, Chakra Reaches Chunin Level

The thick scent of gunpowder mixed with metal maintenance oil drifted in wisps from the gap in the heavy steel door, which had been blown open by an explosive shockwave, like an invitation to a kitchen in hell.

Behind the door lay a profound darkness that seemed to swallow all light.

Mizuki Han stood where he was, not immediately stepping into that darkness which symbolized wealth and power. His chest still rose and fell slightly; the calculation and combat that had just exhausted his mental strength had only worsened his already frail body.

His cold eyes stared fixedly into the darkness behind the door, devoid of any joy at the prospect of harvesting spoils, filled only with his usual, bone-deep vigilance.

The closer one is to success, the more likely a fatal trap is hidden. This was the creed carved into his soul.

"Hide behind that weapon rack," he commanded coldly without looking back at Haku, who was peeking out from the corner of the corridor. "Without my permission, do not come out, and do not make a sound."

Haku's thin, small figure stiffened in the distance, then immediately obeyed and retreated, disappearing into the shadows like a startled little beast.

Having confirmed that his only "burden" was hidden, Mizuki Han slowly bent down and picked up a twisted, deformed kunai from beside the charred corpse on the ground.

He did not approach the door, but stood three meters away, flicking his wrist to send the discarded kunai whistling through the air, where it landed precisely on the dark floor inside.

"Clang."

A crisp metallic ring echoed through the empty armory, proving the floor was solid stone and free of pit traps.

But that was not enough.

Mizuki Han tilted his head to listen; beyond the echo of the kunai, there was no other sound in the air. No subtle mechanical clicks, no humming of flowing chakra.

He took a shuriken from his ninja tool pouch again, this time aiming for the wall inside the gate.

"Swish!"

The shuriken spun as it flew in, pinning itself firmly into the wall.

Still safe.

After a series of probes, Mizuki Han finally took a step forward. He walked very slowly, placing each foot in a different spot, carefully feeling the feedback from the stone slabs beneath him. Only after he had fully entered the armory and confirmed there were no pressure plates, tripwires, or sensory barriers did he slowly exhale a breath of stale air.

He pulled a spare explosive tag from his robe, ignited a corner of the paper with his chakra, and held it high like a makeshift torch.

The orange-red flame instantly dispelled the surrounding darkness.

In the next second, even Mizuki Han's heart, long filled with coldness and reason, could not help but skip a beat.

What met his eyes was a shock of violence that defied description.

Rows of massive steel weapon racks stood like silent giants in this vast underground space. Blades, spears, swords, halberds... all kinds of standard ninja tools reflected a grim, cold light under the fire, and the air was filled with a cold, dry metallic scent.

And deeper inside were crates stacked like small mountains.

Mizuki Han's breathing grew somewhat rapid at this moment.

He walked straight toward the crates, as if the sharp ninja swords held no attraction for him at all. He casually pried open the crate nearest to him.

"Click."

The wooden lid was lifted, revealing not anything else, but stacks of brand-new explosive tags, neatly wrapped in oil paper!

Each stack was a finger thick.

Mizuki Han reached out and picked up a stack, the rough, dry texture of the paper greeting his fingertips. Intricate runes were drawn on them in bright red cinnabar, and the unique scent of gunpowder mixed with chakra provided a sense of relief to his nerves, which were always taut due to his "insufficient firepower phobia."

One crate held at least a hundred tags.

And here, there were three full rows of such crates!

His gaze swept over them, and he even saw several crates with 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 this ninja world!

The corners of Mizuki Han's mouth finally curled into a genuine, cold arc. With these things, he finally had a little bit of the confidence needed to hold his own destiny in his hands.

This brief moment of relaxation caused his tense body to protest. The wound in his lungs throbbed, and the excessive consumption of chakra made his vision blur slightly.

He leaned against a wooden crate and issued a command to the system in his mind.

"Extract."

[Command received... Analyzing target genetic information...]

[Target: Hozuki Clan, elite chunin.]

[Extracting residual chakra... Extraction successful.]

A torrent of energy, larger and purer than any before, instantly surged into his nearly dried-up meridians!

Mizuki Han let out a muffled groan as the warm current washed over his exhausted body, allowing his limbs, which had gone cold from overexertion, to regain a hint of warmth.

Just then, the system's notification sounded again.

[Detected that host's total chakra has reached a critical threshold...]

[Meridian strength increased... Chakra capacity expanded...]

[Congratulations to the host, total chakra has officially reached the 'Chunin' standard!]

Mizuki Han clenched his fist tightly.

He could clearly feel that the "pool" of chakra within him had been forcibly widened and deepened by an invisible force. If his total chakra had previously been a small puddle, it had now become a small pond!

Although the quantity remained small, a qualitative transformation had occurred!

This meant he could now perform ninjutsu with greater power and duration; his stamina and survival capabilities would both see a step-like improvement.

The sense of fulfillment brought by the return of this power finally added a hint of color to his pale face.

He did not immerse himself in the pleasure of this growth for long. He stood up and began to patrol his treasury like a greedy dragon.

He opened the crates marked with special symbols.

Inside were all sorts of unheard-of, specialized ninja tools.

Tracking Senbon that could automatically follow a chakra source.

Black Steel Shuriken, infused with special metals, capable of easily slicing through standard kunai.

There were even several sets of finely crafted Anbu Specialized Combat Suits, with chakra-conductive metal embedded in critical areas, offering defense far superior to the rags he currently wore.

Mizuki Han did not stand on ceremony; he immediately stripped off his blood-stained, foul-smelling clothes and changed into a brand-new, perfectly fitted Anbu combat suit. The cool, flexible fabric clung to his skin, and the thin armor plates over vital spots provided an incomparable sense of security.

"Haku, come out," he said indifferently.

Haku, who had been hiding in the distance, heard the summons and trotted over immediately. When she saw the room full of "lethal weapons" and the mountain of Explosive Tags, her small face was filled with shock and bewilderment.

Mizuki Han ignored her expression, simply tossing a large, empty ninja tool pouch in front of her and ordering in an unquestionable tone, "Pack all the Explosive Tags from those crates inside. Don't miss a single one."

"Y-yes! Brother Han!" Haku snapped out of her daze and began to carry out the order with nimble hands and feet.

As for Mizuki Han himself, he continued to search the armory. His goal was clear: while weapons and tools were important, information was sometimes more lethal than any blade.

He bypassed rows of weapon racks and finally, in a corner at the deepest part of the armory, discovered something that felt out of place with its surroundings.

It was a waist-high, cylindrical metal cabinet. It had no padlock, but was sealed with a complex sealing formula, and the words "Confidential Material Department" were engraved on its body.

What was stored inside was clearly not standard weaponry.

Mizuki Han's eyes narrowed slightly. He walked to the cabinet, extended his intact right hand, and condensed a wisp of cold chakra at his fingertips, slowly tracing it over the complex sealing formula.

He was not proficient in sealing arts, but his Chunin-level chakra gave him a keen perception of energy flow. He could feel that the core of this seal lay in several energy nodes.

He did not attempt to crack it, choosing instead the simplest and most brutal method.

"Ice Release: Needle Sting."

Several ice needles, thinner than strands of hair, shot silently from his fingertips, precisely piercing the energy nodes he had sensed!

Buzz—

The entire sealing formula flashed with a sudden red light. Then, as if injected with incompatible code, the light began to flicker violently until, with a soft pop, it faded away completely.

The seal was broken.

Mizuki Han pulled open the cabinet door, and the scent of aged paper rushed out.

Inside the cabinet were no secret technique scrolls or powerful forbidden jutsus as he had imagined.

There were only thick, carefully wrapped rolls of parchment.

He picked one up at random and slowly unfurled it on the floor.

The firelight illuminated the contents of the blueprint. It depicted complex architectural structures with incredibly precise lines, marked with various data and symbols.

Mizuki Han's pupils contracted sharply the moment he saw the title of the blueprint.

<Mist Anbu Underground Base · Sector B-7 · Core Load-Bearing Structure Distribution Map>.

His gaze locked firmly onto the massive pillars marked with red circles on the blueprint, which served as the skeletal frame for the entire structure.

In his mind, an incredibly insane, bold, and perhaps even maniacal plan took shape in an instant.

With an abundance of munitions, how could one create enough chaos to escape?

The answer lay right here on this blueprint.

Mizuki Han slowly raised his head, the firelight dancing in the depths of his eyes, reflecting a near-maniacal smile. He was not going to escape.

He was going to physically tear down this entire damn underground base that had buried countless bloodline limit users!