19: All Good Things...

It was time. The shelves were cleared. Her bed was gone, replaced with a few generic boxes of materials, as if her bedroom that she had slept in for the past few years had always just been a storage room.

The basement was reduced to a similar state. All of the survival tools, technique manuals, and equipment had been cleared out. All of the weapons that had hung up on the walls were gone. The shelves of E, D, C, and B-rank Jutsu were nowhere to be found. The crates of explosive tags had finally vanished, though not via detonation.

All of these things, everything that was once stolen from Konohagakure, and everything that once had served as evidence of Seija's existence had been packed into a single great scroll that was now strapped to her back.

She took a minute to look over herself in the mirror. Her dark-brown hair had indeed grown out somewhat spiky like her father's, and now was long enough to reach the middle of her back when it was let down. Though it was rarely let down, being currently tied in a high ponytail, as was her preferred style. Her comparatively short bangs and fringe framed her face nicely, though currently they were only framing her favourite mask. Behind said mask only her eyes were occasionally visible, and only in the correct lighting and angle. Said eyes were still black and white, only changing to fully white when she activated her Byakugan.

She wore a plain, dark-blue long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. The rest of her outfit consisted of a pair of black gloves and standard ninja pants, complete with the classic leggings and sandals combo. The family had no chain-mesh shirts that shinobi would typically wear, not in her size. And even if they did she wouldn't wear one; her own skin was almost as durable as those thin metallic shirts, and their weight felt too constricting to be comfortable.

'I used to think wearing such casual clothing as a ninja looked almost ridiculous. Can't deny that it's useful for ease of movement though.'

The rest of her body was tall and muscular, at least for an eight year old child. Not bulky of course; very few shinobi ever were. A shinobi would only truly gain muscle mass if they specifically worked out and planned their meals with that in mind, which for most was a waste of time that they could be spending actually training their body to become stronger, not merely cosmetically larger.

Speaking of largeness, Seija sincerely hoped that when she grew older she wouldn't end up like seemingly every other powerful woman in this world. 'Those things' would seriously get in the way when performing Taijutsu. Her mind drifted to images of Tsunade Senju, Pakura, Mei Terumi... Even Hinata Hyuga too, after the Fourth Shinobi World War. Who she then realised would actually be her niece, according to the family tree placing Hiashi and Hisashi as her older cousins.

'Huh.'

Dropping that train of thought, she glanced down at her hands for a moment as she recalled their metallic transformation that had emerged only the day prior. Among her belongings was an old report made by Danzo detailing every bloodline that had been used in her father's creation. It was... a lot. And she would try to force as many of them as she could to awaken in the coming weeks, months, and eventually years.

'There are some surprisingly obscure ones on this list. I didn't even remember 'Typhoon Release' before I saw it here-'

"Seija?" Her mother softly called out to her from the basement. "It's time."

"Alright! I'll come down now." She called back, her subconscious plan to stall for time ruined.

Glancing back at the mirror one last time, she stepped out into the hallway and made her way to where she would be spending the last few moments with her parents, at least until she becomes powerful enough to see them again on her own terms.

Walking through the door to the basement, she removed her mask so that her parents could get one last look at her before she left for the summoning realm. Her father fully stood up from where he was leaning against a wall, and her mother was pacing around the room trying not to think about all the different ways that she could kill the Hyuga elders with a rusty spoon.

The moment she stepped in a knot felt like it was being tied in her stomach.

This was it. Time to say goodbye.

"Seija..." Ryoku began, "I want you to know that although I lack the knowledge of chakra to truly understand how much you've grown in power, ever since the day that you beat me before your sixth birthday, I have been nothing but proud of you. I'm proud of every leap in strength you have taken, and every one you're going to take in the future. I will be extremely proud of all of them." He leaned down to hug her, and did so with all of his might. He knew he wasn't strong enough to hurt her even if he tried.

Seija thought she could stop herself from crying after the day they made this plan. She really did.

And yet she still failed.

"Seija." Himiko began as well, "You've already heard all of it weeks ago... But I want you to promise us that you won't just charge into Konoha before you're ready. You have the most potential out of any child I have ever seen. Ever heard of, even. And it brings me no end of smug, prideful joy to know that it's my child that I'm talking about when I say those things. But please, please don't waste it all by getting in over your head! Can you do that for me, darling?"

Seija took a moment to wipe her face before she spoke.

"I can. I don't want to do this. I don't want to leave you to the whims of those Clan elders and the Hokage. But I know that this is our best chance. It isn't a good one, but it's our best right now. And I know that you won't make it easy for the Hyuga Clan to mess with you. You'll resist them every second that they try to torment you, won't you, Mom?" She spoke with utter conviction, and not a hint of stuttering.

Seija walked over to the center of the room and took off her right glove. Using the same technique as her mother did three weeks ago she manipulated her chakra to break open the palm of her hand and let the blood seep out onto the skin, before the wound naturally closed itself.

"Hey... Mom? Dad?" Seija asked as she looked down at her hand.

""Yes?"" They both spoke at once, briefly glancing at each other after they did.

"Are you ready? I know I am. And you keep asking me if I am. But... are you?" That question took them both by surprise. And they both knew the answer as they looked at each other once more.

""No.""

"But we have to be." Ryoku concluded.

Himiko nodded and also added, "If we couldn't be, then we would never have suggested this in the first place!"

Seija smiled at their response.

"Just checking." She took a deep breath and brought her hands together to weave.

'Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram.'

She spoke as she released her breath.

"I'll really miss you. Wait for me, alright? One day I'll see you again, I swear it."

And with that she slapped her bloody palm down on the floor of the basement.

*Poof*

And she vanished in a burst of smoke.

- - - - -

Two days passed since Seija left for the summoning realm and the pair braced themselves for their fate. At exactly 5pm on the third day, Himiko detected movement at the edge of her Byakugan's maximum two kilometer radius.

"They're here, Ryoku. Just stand behind me and let me do the talking, ok?" Himiko reassured him.

She removed the seal that had covered her eyes, as she wanted her identity to be obvious when the shinobi appeared. Revealing her white Hyuga eyes to the world for the first time in years.

She stood outside the front door to their house, Byakugan fully active and tracking the movements of the Genin and Chunin that were quickly moving to surround the town. Once the shinobi were in position and she could already see a few citizens at the edges being threatened, she spotted a more powerful chakra signature belonging to one of the invaders. Focusing harder on him she found the tell-tale signs of unique chakra pathways connecting to his eyes.

'So that's who they sent to take over this town? I see you, Hiiro. I'd recognise that snide expression anywhere.'

She hadn't expected to see the face of her own younger brother out here and she now knew that her chances of victory, should the need to use lethal force arise, would be somewhat higher than if any other Hyuga had been sent. He was arrogant and stupid, and she could exploit that if she had to. Not that it was part of the plan; she would still settle this peacefully if she could.

She continued to watch as he brought a microphone up to his mouth and spoke. 

'Still doesn't know how to amplify his voice with chakra either, it seems.'

His voice covered the entire town.

"People of Itami Village, heed my words: I am Jonin Hiiro Hyuga of Konohagakure's scouting division. This town is to become a strategic location for our military during the imminent Second Shinobi World War, and beyond. My men have already surrounded this town and are prepared to move in. Capitulate immediately and you will be spared. All who resist our occupation shall be punished. You will return to your homes immediately if you know what's good for you."

And the violence descended. The shinobi on the outskirts began to flow into the town, with the Chunin immediately Flickering into the center of the town and spreading outwards, threatening every resident who crossed their path. The Genin pushing in from the outside moved slower, providing a constant pressure to the people who were scrambling to get indoors. A few brave souls who tried to pick up weapons or throw themselves at the invaders were beaten into submission or just outright killed within seconds.

Himiko grimaced at the sight of an over-zealous Genin launching a fireball at a man who was trying to pack away the goods on his food-cart. Thankfully it missed and the man scrambled to safety inside his home.

She was ashamed to have ever called herself a 'proud ninja of Konoha' even if that time was long passed. She had almost forgotten how easily war could make people lose their morals and devolve into little more than barbarians, and today was a sore reminder of that old life she had left behind. Arguably the worst part was that Konoha was still the most 'civilised' of the Five Great Nations. The other four were even worse.

Soon, one of the dozen Chunin passed through her street and noticed her, his face twisting into a snarl.

"You! Didn't you hear our commander?! Inside! Now!" The man demanded. She turned to stare at him and his eyes went wide.

"W-What the... the Byakugan?! You're from the same clan as the commander! What are you doing here?" Needless to say he was extremely confused. 'Is she an undercover agent or something?' He tried to rationalise.

"This is my home, Chunin. I left Konoha long behind me, but it seems to have caught up." She spoke with a wry smile on her face. The Chunin paused for a moment to process that... before Flickering away to report to his commander.

She watched through her Dojutsu as Hiiro listened to the panicked shinobi's report and narrowed his eyes. His own Byakugan activated and he locked on to her.

'That's right you little shit, come over here. Can't miss a chance to impress dear old daddy by bringing me in, can you? Even if it means abandoning your post.' She smirked at him and winked. His perpetual sneer deepened and he started flickering towards her.

'So predictable. It's been twelve years and he still hasn't changed. Like everyone else in that bloody Clan...'

"You..." He said after he landed in front of her, "So this is where you were hiding all this time. A backwater village in the Land of Rain? You could've had so much better, sister." He spat that last word out like a piece of bad fruit.

"Better, hm? Because marrying any of those lechers from the Clan would've totally made me happy, I'm sure. You have never, and will never know anything about love, Hiiro." Himiko stated as she glared directly into his eyes.

"N-Never- How dare you! I'll have you know that I had Nejire marry me while you were gone. My first child will be born this spring!" He fumed at her in response.

"Nejire?" Her eyes widened at the name of their youngest cousin and it was her turn to be outraged. "How fucking far have you all fallen since I left?! I know how much time has passed, Hiiro, and I know for a fact that she's still only fiftee-"

"Regardless!" He swiftly changed the subject as several of his subordinates started giving him strange looks, "You have a lot to answer for, sister. I've grown far stronger since you left, and you are now powerless to stop me from bringing you back. Men! Surround her, and kill that other one-"

He couldn't finish his sentence before Himiko's hand wrapped around his throat and lifted him off the ground.

"You. Will not touch. My. Husband." The pressure of her words froze every ninja present to the ground. Except for Hiiro of course, who was frozen in her grasp instead.

She dropped him and he gasped for air, clutching at his neck before she took a deep breath and spoke again. Ryoku wisely stepped closer to her as she did so.

"I'm no fool, Hiiro. I know that even if I kill you and your men here, doing so will only paint a bigger target on my back. I will go with you, if only to prevent needless bloodshed. And my husband is coming with me." She gave her terms.

In a rare moment of intelligence and wisdom, Hiiro silently stood up without screaming at her for harming him. His fists shook, but it was mostly out of shame that he hadn't become as powerful as he thought, rather than anger towards her.

"...Men. I'm escorting the missing-nin by the name of 'Himiko Hyuga' and her civilian husband back to Konohagakure. Chunin Nara!" A black-haired boy standing off to the side stood up a little straighter after being addressed by his commander. "You are to take my role as acting-commander until either myself or another Jonin returns here to retake that position. Dismissed!"

He gestured for Himiko and his own personal guards to follow him before Flickering away eastwards. Himiko held a hand out to Ryoku, who sighed and let himself be picked up on her back for their journey. They both glanced wistfully back at their home before setting off. It would be a long run back to Konoha... and what awaited them there would surely be a total pain in the ass.

Himiko could only hope that the Third Hokage hadn't sunk deeper into his cowardice since she left. She would need to rely on his assistance to keep both herself and more importantly Ryoku relatively safe and comfortable in that den of snakes.

'I'll force him if I have to. He can't risk someone as strong as me threatening to go on a rampage. Let's see how well they all remember me back in Konoha...'

_____________________________________________________________________________________

Me again, the author!

I've received word from a concerned reader commenting on the last chapter that they got a <Null > error message on a few words while reading this fic on the Webnovel App.

Can anyone confirm if this is happening for them too? I think it could be caused by the italics and bolding that I've been using for emphasis here and there, since mobile devices and apps are famously bad at handling changes in typeface.

I've put a warning on the novel synopsis too, but I might take it down if no more evidence is found.

Anyways, this was the final chapter of Volume 1: Systemic Childhood! 

Volume 2's first chapter will be posted at the usual time, that being two days after this one! (I'm just now starting to realise that Volume 2's title is a spoiler, so I'm gonna have to change that before I post it... oops.)

Enjoy Volume 2, and have a nice day!