Chapter 35: The System's Exploit

"...Zabuza-sama!"

After an unknown period of time, Haku regained consciousness again.

This time, since he wasn't immediately knocked out again, his first concern upon waking up was Zabuza's safety.

Although it was dark, a bonfire was lit not far away.

With the help of the firelight, Haku quickly spotted Zabuza, who was still bound nearby.

Seeing that Zabuza-sama was still breathing, Haku, who had been panicking inside, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Awake?"

At that moment, Haku heard a voice.

Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw a masked man approaching with a skewer of roasted meat.

Haku didn't need to ask to know that this masked man was the one who had ambushed him—the supposed "Hidden Mist Anbu."

The repeated awakenings and knockouts from earlier were surely his doing as well.

Seeing that the man hadn't beheaded Zabuza or sealed their bodies and minds to take them back to the Hidden Mist Village, Haku realized that the man must have a purpose.

So, Haku immediately spoke up, "Sir, may I make a deal with you?"

"How convenient, I also want to make a deal with you."

Yagyu sat down in front of Haku and asked, "What kind of deal do you want to make?"

"I am a descendant of the Yuki Clan and possess the Ice Release kekkei genkai. I am only fifteen years old," Haku said, trying to sell himself. "As long as you let Zabuza-sama go, I am willing to become your tool. You can do with me as you please!"

Even if it meant killing others.

That last thought echoed in Haku's mind.

If it meant saving his benefactor, he was willing to cast aside his kindness and become a heartless tool of slaughter, devoid of emotion.

"Such touching loyalty. I can see that he's become the only light in your life."

Yagyu smiled and said, "But I'm not interested in tools that aren't loyal to me, so I refuse."

Before Haku could raise the stakes, Yagyu continued, "I will let Zabuza go, but you have to help me with an experiment."

"That's fine. As long as you release Zabuza-sama, you can do whatever you want with my body. Any kind of experiment is okay," Haku quickly agreed, clearly misunderstanding Yagyu's intentions.

"It's not that kind of experiment. Just cooperate, and you'll be fine."

Yagyu unchained Haku and handed him the roasted meat, saying, "Eat this first, recover your strength, and then you'll be my test subject."

"Yes."

Haku didn't resist at all. After taking the meat, he removed his mask and started eating.

When Haku finished the meal, Yagyu pulled out a ninja tool pouch from who-knows-where and tossed it in front of Haku before making a hand sign.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

With a poof, a shadow clone of Yagyu, brimming with immense chakra, appeared next to him.

This clone was almost impossible to dispel unless it faced lethal or serious injuries.

Seeing the shadow clone, Haku's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam.

Although the Shadow Clone Jutsu was well-known throughout the ninja world due to its utility and ease of use, it was originally developed by the Second Hokage.

Yet despite this, many ninja from different villages still preferred using their village's specific clone techniques.

For instance, Zabuza and Kisame favored Water Clones, while ninjas from the Hidden Stone preferred Earth Clones.

Only Konoha's ninjas favored and frequently used Shadow Clones.

Could it be that this "Hidden Mist Anbu" wasn't actually from the Hidden Mist Village but was, in fact, a member of Konoha's Anbu?

If so, why hadn't he killed them or taken them back to Konoha?

Or perhaps he didn't belong to any of the five major villages?

Curious about Yagyu's identity, Haku refrained from asking further questions, knowing that the masked man clearly didn't want his identity revealed. If Haku's curiosity got the better of him, Zabuza's life would surely be forfeit.

So, Haku quietly strapped on the ninja tool pouch.

Yagyu then handed him a notebook and a pen, pointing to the shadow clone beside him. "You will spar with my shadow clone. You can only use the weapons in that pouch—no kekkei genkai or ninjutsu."

"...Understood."

Though confused, Haku did not question the order.

Haku and the shadow clone moved to an open area near the bonfire, where they engaged in a free-form battle in the dim light.

The fight was similar to the free-form spars that Yagyu had once engaged in with Sasuke Uchiha, relying purely on fundamental skills.

The result, unsurprisingly, was that the shadow clone emerged victorious.

This was because the shadow clone had been cheating, secretly activating its Three Tomoe Sharingan. Using its superior visual acuity, it didn't miss a single opening and left numerous cuts on Haku before subduing him.

Seeing this, Yagyu drew a horizontal line in his notebook and ordered the clone, "Heal him, and continue."

After the shadow clone healed Haku, they resumed their unregulated battle.

The outcome remained the same—the shadow clone won decisively.

Time and again, Haku was defeated, only to be healed once more.

Each time Haku lost, Yagyu would draw another line in his notebook, marking the tally of victories and defeats.

After another defeat, Yagyu added another mark. The lines on the page had now formed two "正" symbols, indicating that Haku had lost ten times.

Once the shadow clone finished healing Haku again, Yagyu didn't order them to continue but instead dismissed the clone, which still had a substantial amount of chakra left.

He immediately summoned another shadow clone.

This time, the new clone didn't possess overwhelming chakra but instead had reserves similar to Haku's.

"Take this and continue," Yagyu said, tossing a small pouch to Haku.

Haku caught it and saw that it contained military ration pills.

Although still unsure of Yagyu's true purpose, Haku obediently took one of the pills and resumed his fight against the shadow clone.

Even though this new shadow clone had chakra reserves similar to Haku's and lacked the endurance of the previous clone, it still managed to win the battle.

Throughout the night, Haku suffered defeat after defeat, each time being healed by Yagyu's main body.

Soon, Yagyu had filled his notebook with nearly four sets of "正" marks.

Just as Yagyu was about to declare the experiment a failure and step in himself, the shadow clone once again defeated Haku.

Whoosh!

This time, after being subdued, a blue glow suddenly emanated from Haku's body, shining brilliantly in the dark night.

Seeing the light, Yagyu was filled with elation.

It had worked!

Not only could his shadow clone trigger the "drop" mechanism by defeating an opponent, but the loot would also be credited to Yagyu himself.

As the blue orb of light was automatically absorbed into Yagyu's main body, rather than his shadow clone, Yagyu understood something crucial.

He was the key—but not the only key.

As long as it was him, whether it was his main body or a shadow clone, victory belonged to him, and there was a chance of obtaining loot.

Moreover, as Yagyu had previously suspected, the invisible scoring system was influenced not just by the manner of victory but also by the strength of the opponent.

Defeating higher-level or stronger opponents, no matter how trivial the victory, would increase the chances of a reward.

For example, Kurenai's verbal surrender or Zabuza being knocked out with a chop.

However, defeating weaker or lower-ranked opponents lowered the drop rate.

This explained why he hadn't been able to get anything from Ino, Hinata, or the numerous knockouts of Haku earlier.

But now, Yagyu had found a loophole in the system—his shadow clones.

Not only had he confirmed his theory, but Yagyu had also uncovered an exploit in the system.

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