9 9: Why You Wish For Luck
To that question posed by Great Firewall, Seija could only say yes. If only to find out what on Earth the 'Global Network' was.
'I guess?'
"[Very well, User. Displaying all world messages sent up to this point.]"
[-World Message-]
[-Reincarnator #1 (You) has been born.-]
[-Reincarnator #2 has been born.-]
[-Reincarnator #3 has b-]
[-Reincarnator #3 has died. Cause of death: unlucky birth complications.-]
[-Reincarnator #4 has been born.-]
The list continued.
[-Reincarnator #10 has b-]
[-Reincarnator #10 has died. Cause of death: unlucky birth complications.-]
And it continued until #14.
[-Reincarnator #14 has b-]
[-Reincarnator #14 has died. Cause of death: murdered during birth.-]
Aside from the obvious three, all other reincarnators between #1, which was apparently herself, and #13, survived being born.
"[This is why there are only 96 others. Three have already died.]" He said. Extremely bluntly.
That was a sobering thought. They were sent to this world for the sole purpose of living another life after their old one ended prematurely, and yet they were snuffed out before they were even born? Seija suddenly felt extremely smug for a second about her choice of wish before disgust took its place. Just because they were probably idiots who made stupid wishes that were likely the reason that they died before they were even born didn't mean she could hold her survival over them.
If what her parents told her about her would-be older siblings was true, then it was likely that her wishes very well could've killed her if they hadn't specifically been about luck. She could easily imagine someone wishing for a power that either their body or their mother's body couldn't handle resulting in them dying from their own power before they were even born.
She sleepily rubbed her eyes and continued speaking to her system.
'I... I see. Do you have any other functions like this, Firewall?'
"[Do you wish to set 'Firewall' as a nickname for me, the system designated as Great Firewall?]"
'Not what I asked but yeah, sure?'
"[Very well. I will now respond to you if you refer to me as 'Firewall'. To answer your question, there is one other Global System function that I can access. Unfortunately it will remain useless until other reincarnators awaken their systems. That is the Global Chat function.]"
Seija read the text that appeared on her screen in bold, red lettering.
[-Global Chat-]
[-Nobody has posted any messages to the Global Chat board. The Global Chat board is locked until at least three reincarnators awaken their systems. 1/3 awoken.-]
'Right. Thanks for clearing that up.'
"[You are welcome, User. Would you like to hear about my primary function as your system?]"
Seija felt stupid for not asking about that first thing.
'Tell me.'
"[My function, as the System Breaker, is to defend you and those you hold dear from your fellow reincarnators by interfering with their systems, and as my level increases, the powers given by their wishes as well.]"
"[At my current level, level 1, I am only able to affect system-created powers and objects that enter a 10 meter radius around you.]"
"[Currently I can: temporarily lower enemy Stats, should they have them, temporarily seal enemy Skills, should they have them, disable enemy Items, should they have them, weaken system-made projectiles that enter my radius, and track any system users within ten times my normal radius. Right now, that would be 100 meters.]"
"[Incidentally, there are no system users within 100 meters.]"
"[Currently I am unable to affect enemy wishes. Enemies with higher level systems may be able to resist my ability to affect them. However, no matter the enemy's level, my mere presence within your mind renders you immune to system-based mental attacks, such as the brainwashing abilities of a Harem system.]"
That was a whole lot of information all at once, but in short, she received exactly what she wanted. A system that breaks other systems.
'What do you mean by level up, though?'
"[User, the memory flow is receding. Soon your intelligence will return to its normal level. You should sleep.]"
'I can hold on for a moment longer. Just tell me quickly.'
"[Very well. Whenever I utilise one of my abilities to affect an enemy or their system in some way, I will gain a small amount of experience. I will gain a larger amount if you defeat an enemy system user. Leveling up allows a system to provide a greater variety of benefits to their Users, with a greater level of power.]"
"[Other systems will require different achievements to gain experience, such as their Users completing "quests" or "missions" assigned to them by the systems themselves.]"
'...Alright, that was wordier than I was expecting but... thank you, Firewall, for telling me all this.'
"[You are welcome, User.]"
'You can call me Seija, you know.'
"[Very well, Seija. Now rest. Your mind needs it.]"
Just as Seija was ready to relax and lie back down on her bed, her eyes went wide as a thought occurred.
'WAIT! How am I going to hide all this from my parents? Surely they'll notice my difference in attitude and intelligence, right?'
"[You really do need to rest. As I said, the memory flow is receding: That means your intelligence will return to its usual level once you wake up. As for your memories returning, simply tell small bits of truth whenever you can afford to. Blatant lies will make people suspicious of you if you do it too often. Now sleep, Seija. You are at your limit.]"
And with that final message, Firewall went silent.
Seija had thought that she wouldn't be able to sleep after all that information was crammed into her brain, but the moment her head hit the pillow she was out like a light. She was more exhausted than she thought.
- - -
Seija awoke the next morning with a mission, and newly renewed child-like enthusiasm.
'Gotta get stronger! Beat all the reincarnators!' Was her rather chipper first thought as she got up to eat her breakfast and get ready for the day ahead.
She was five years old now, so her mother would start letting her actually attempt to cast some basic Ninjutsu. The 'Academy Three' she called them. She had also called the techniques 'child's play' and had said that they should be easy to use even without having completed the next stage of the control excercises, the Tree Walking excercise.
And she wasn't wrong, they were easy to use. Though one of them required a little something extra.
"Here, put this on." Himiko said as she held out a frayed, green flak-jacket.
"Hm? What's this, mommy?"
"It's a protective vest. You'll need it for practising the Substitution Jutsu."
"Um... why?"
"Because that Jutsu only responds to a lethal intent to injure or kill you. If I just fake an attack, it won't activate, even if you do all the signs perfectly."
Seija paused when her mother said that, but she accepted the explanation. And decided to have some fun with it. She was getting rather fond of teasing her mother.
"Ok..."
"Thank you, dear. Now, weave those seals! Fast as you can, because I'm only going to count to three before I throw this kunai at you."
Seija imediately got to work.
'Tiger, Boar, that's one's tricky-'
"One."
'Ox-'
"Two."
'Dog, Snake!' Seija let her will pulse through the chakra in her hands and she locked on to a training dummy to her right.
[Substitution Jutsu]
"Three!"
Himiko threw the kunai with an almost terrifying amount of force, and Seija almost flinched. But she trusted her technique.
*Clack*
And sure enough, Seija and the training dummy swapped places in a burst of smoke, and the kunai harmlessly struck the wooden dummy.
"Good! Good! You got it first try!"
Seija put on a dramatic depressed face as she spoke, "Yaaaaay..."
"Oh don't look so glum about having a lethal weapon thrown at you. If that was a real battle you would've survived that attack you know? Nothing to be afraid of."
"If it was a real battle mommy would've just punched me once and that would be it..."
"Uh... Well yes but if I did throw a kunai at you like I did just now, you'd be able to use that Jut-"
"It took two and a half seconds to cast, mommy."
Himiko's smile became nervous, "W-Well... look I'm sorry ok?! I really didn't want to throw it at you but it's the only way to learn the Jutsu! I swear! It doesn't work if there's no lethal intent!"
"Mrs Fuso doesn't throw knives at me. Hate you."
Poor Himiko's heart was crushed by Seija's merciless words in that moment.
Seija herself, on the other hand, was totally just messing with her. She loved learning new things about Ninjutsu and honestly? Being in the line of fire was... thrilling. Maybe next time she would let it hit her... just to see what it was like...
"Ok! Time for sweets, mommy!" she said with a happy grin on her face.
"...What?"
"Yep! I did it first try, so I get sweets, remember?"
"..."
"Uh... mommy?" Seija felt like the room was shaking around her as her mother raised her head, revealing a demonic smile.
"You brat... You've toyed with my emotions for the last time!"
'Oh. That's not good.' Seija thought as she felt a chilling sensation crawl it's way up her spine. On second thought, there was no way she was going to let the next attack hit her.
"Come here! We're starting Taijutsu training a year early!" Himiko lunged at her with a crazed look in her eyes that were quickly turning to Byakugan under her seal.
"Uhhhh! Tiger, Boar, Ox, Dog, Snake!"
[Substitution Jutsu]
*SLAM*
Himiko's palm sent the dummy flying across the whole training area, embedding it into the back wall.
Seija had just completed the jutsu in record time! At least for herself. Obviously others could do it faster.
Himiko slowly turned around, chuckling to herself as a manic grin spreading across her face.
"Oh my foolish, darling daughter. You've made it a game now. At first I would've just let you go with some forceful hugging, but now? Now this doesn't end until you can't go any faster. Again!"
"Eh?! Seriously, mommy?" Seija was panicking slightly but that didn't stop her from weaving the signs anyway.
[Substitution Jutsu!]
*SLAM*
"Again!"
[Substitution Jutsu!!]
*SMASH*
"Again!"
[Substitution Jutsu!!!]
This continued for a few more minutes with Seija's chakra running lower and lower with every Jutsu she cast. She lost count of how many times she weaved those same five seals. By the end of it, the pressure got to her and she messed one of them up at the final moment. Her last hurrah was that for the final jutsu she successfully cast, she managed to do it with one less hand sign.
The last thing she could remember before waking up the next day was her mother going in for a big, terrifying hug.
- - - - -
Himiko had a lot to think about after that little game. Seija was now very much unconcious from chakra exhaustion, with her head resting on her mother's lap. Gone was the manic smile on Himiko's face. Replaced entirely by one of pure motherly love.
'I still almost can't believe she really managed to cast more than thirty Jutsu while under pressure like that. Sure, it was the same E-rank evasion Jutsu over and over, but my old man would throw a fit if he knew his rebelious daughter had produced a genius like her. Her chakra quantity alone would be enough to make any other child her age jealous. Except maybe a Jinchuriki, but they've got all kinds of issues that make the trade-off nowhere near worth it.'
She chuckled to herself at the mental image of that sour-faced old bastard crying blood in front of a mirror, wondering when and where he went wrong.
She looked back down at her daughter.
'You know... I said it as a joke but maybe she really is ready for Taijutsu and Bukijutsu training a year earlier than planned. Those reaction times were no joke and she was moving her hands fast enough to cast that Jutsu in under two seconds near the end there. Heheh~, Ryoku will be extatic when I tell him about it.'
With that, Himiko stood up and carefully carried Seija to bed, much like the time after her awakening almost exactly a year ago. She even needed bathing again.
