18 18: Failed Plans

Himiko returned home in a bit of a mess. She'd had a stressful day at work due to a couple of patients who had seriously injured themselves falling through a roof, who needed several hours of surgeries between them to save their lives. That, and more importantly, Seija's report.

Himiko truly felt trapped this time. She wasn't worried for herself, though.

'It's fine if they get me. Konoha has always wanted me alive and they'll just try to lock me away in the Clan compound again if they do manage to capture me. Lord Third can get involved to keep Ryoku alive, and he should if he hasn't become a coward since twelve years ago.'

She frowned to herself as she heard a small explosion from the back yard followed by quiet cursing from her daughter. Not big enough to be anything dangerous so she returned to her thoughts.

'The problem is Seija. I can't let anyone in Konoha anywhere near her until she's strong enough to flatten a full squad of Jonin single-handedly. Especially not Danzo. Plus, the implications of her existence would be too much for the different Clan leaders too. They would all try to fight over ownership of her because of her genetics. Greedy bastards... this is why I was so happy to leave that damned Village in the first place!' Ryoku, of course, was the second reason but that went without saying.

She stepped through to the back yard where she found Seija trying desperately to... wiggle a water balloon?

'Is that what she's using all those balloons she bought for? Training her Water Style?'

'[Byakugan]'

'Oh! Hold on a moment, this is something else. A chakra control exercise? The water inside that ball is spinning pretty violently-'

*Pop!*

The balloon exploded and Seija fell off the small log she was sitting on.

"Ow... Oh hey mom! I figured something out!" Seija excitedly exclaimed.

Himiko's eyes widened slightly and her brows rose.

'Already? We'll see how sound this plan really is...' She motioned for Seija to continue explaining.

"Here, look! This is the Summoning Jutsu! It says here in the scroll that if you perform the hand signs without a contract, it will let whatever animal you're best suited to teleport you into their summoning realm! We can use this to hide until the shinobi invade, and then we can escape when they're gone!" Seija announced proudly.

Himiko smiled sadly once again. Just as she had done earlier in the day.

This plan was actually exactly what she was looking for. Something that could potentially save Seija... But it wouldn't work for her or Ryoku, and it seemed that Seija clearly hadn't given this plan anywhere near enough thought. So Himiko dropped the bombshell on her daughter.

"That's a... great plan, Seija. But only for you." She spoke calmly and kindly. She knew Seija would try to figure out something else if she showed any leeway here. She had to set Seija onto this path.

"Only for me? What do you mean?!" Seija's smile faltered.

"I already have a summoning contract. And you should already know from reading the scroll that it is highly unlikely that you could bring another person into the same realm as you when you travel there for the first time anyways. I'm sure the scroll warned you that the functionality of the Jutsu to pull you into the realm of your most compatible animals can cause you to end up in different realms, containing different risks and threats if you don't share the exact same animal compatibility."

She continued, "Not to mention, your father can't even use chakra at all to perform the Jutsu, even if he could survive being sent to somewhere as famously treacherous as Ryuchi Cave, or wherever else he could've ended up. We can't use this method. Only you can do it."

"I-I... I may have skipped some of the instructions in the scroll... wait! You have a contract already?"

"I do. But it is a contracted individual without a true summoning realm of its own, so I will not be able to use the Summoning Jutsu to hide in this way either. Watch." Himiko created a small cut on her palm using a Gentle Fist technique to break the skin from the inside using her chakra.

"[Summoning Jutsu]"

With a puff of smoke, a small white rabbit appeared on the grassy floor of the yard.

"What's up, Himiko? You called?" The rabbit spoke.

"Good evening, Peko. Sorry to call you out like this, I just wanted to show you off to my daughter, Seija."

"Oh! Hi there, little Seija! I am Peko, but you can call me Peko-sama, and as you can see I am Himiko's summon." The haughty little rabbit puffed out its chest as it spoke.

"Hi. I didn't know that mom had a summon like you. What kind of things can you do?" Seija asked with a deadpan expression.

Peko looked shocked at that.

"Himiko! You never once bragged about me?! For shame! *ahem* Well Seija, I... have great hearing! Whenever your mom encounters an opponent who can block her Byakugan, she calls me up to track them with sound instead! Impressive, right?" The rabbit bragged.

Seija was certainly not impressed.

"...Is that it?"

"Uh... yes? What? It's a useful ability that Himiko utilises very frequently, I'll have you know!"

Himiko giggled slightly at the conversation between them and decided to break it up before they could start arguing.

"Heh, sorry Peko. Seija's feeling a bit down right now, so don't take what she says to heart. Why don't you head on back to your place?" 

"Well alright then. See you!"

*Poof* 

"And there you have it, Seija. I don't regret contracting with Peko when I was younger, but I will admit that lacking a summoning realm to teleport into to hide would have certainly been nice. I will not be able to join you in your plan."

"T-Then! I'll come up with someth-"

"No, Seija. You don't have to do that." Himiko shut her down. "You can go through with the plan on your own. You don't need us there with you."

"But... I... I want you to be here with me... I can't just leave you to get captured! They have a Hyuga!"

Himiko smiled wryly. Of course Seija had forgotten such a crucial detail in her current state. But this let her solidify her own plan to save Seija even further.

"All the more so then. I will never get away if there is a Hyuga out there. But if there is a Hyuga there he would have to be the commander. They don't put Chunin-rank Hyugas on missions like this, they send them out to the battlefield to get experience and bring glory to the Clan."

She continued, "So if I am captured, then the Hyuga commander will be forced to leave his post to take me back to the Clan personally. That means that you can stay in the Summoning Realm until at least the time comes that I am captured. They won't be able to send another Jonin out here to take his place until at least a few weeks pass with the distance from the Land of Fire and the low priority of the area, and the remaining sensors should have joined the rest of their unit in taking over the village.

"...And I doubt any remaining Chunin or Genin would be able to stop you from escaping and running out into the wilderness once the commander is gone. You could even take Nagato with you when you escape, using your Shadow Clones. Not to a summoning realm of course, poor boy chose to stop his training early. He would never survive being sent to a potentially dangerous realm, even if he could use the Jutsu. You'll just have to pick him and his parents up when you leave."

Seija was frustrated. The new plan made sense, of course it did. But she didn't want to accept it...

"But... it's just not fair..." She lamented. Himiko pulled her into a tight hug.

"Yeah... I'm afraid fate hates fairness, Seija." And she didn't stop there. She continued to elaborate on the plan.

"We're going to try to remove any evidence that you exist, ok? We'll store everything in the big scroll we keep at the back of the basement. It was designed to hold everything in there, plus extra. So all of your things; your bed, your pictures of us, your clothes... It'll all go in there."

"Mhm..." Seija hummed.

"There are lots of bad people in Konoha, Seija. People we absolutey cannot trust to leave you alone with talents and genetics like yours. That's why we have to go so far to keep your identity safe." Himiko picked Seija up and carried her back to her room.

"Just a few more days, ok? Then we'll put this whole plan into action. Remember, it'll take about a week for them to be ready to attack and take over the town. That gives us at least six days to prepare and get some last-minute training in. Why don't we start in the morning, ok darling?"

"...Ok mom. I love you..."

"Ryoku and I love you too, dear. Now just close your eyes..."

- - - - -

Seija was once again sparring with her mother.

It had been almost six days now. Tomorrow was the day she would leave.

'The day- Ouch!' Her mother had struck her right in the sternum while she was distracted.

"Seija! Eyes forwards, not inwards. We're fighting, not thinking!" Himiko shouted at her before charging in again.

"Shut up! I'm just angry that we're being separated against our will! Damn it!" Seija snarled as she backed off to the wall of the yard.

Seija brought her hands up into a Bird seal and inhaled deeply.

[Wind Style: Great Breakthrough]

A quiet, yet echoing *boom* could be heard emitting from her mouth as Himiko was forced back by a sudden wave of pressure.

Seija took her chance to launch an offensive of her own, drawing back her right hand into a fist.

Himiko flexed her wrists and prepared to deflect Seija's incoming strike with her Gentle Fist techniques.

Seija's fist shot forwards and Himiko moved to intercept, gently twisting the attack away with her Hyuga martial arts.

At least, that's what she tried to do.

*Slam*

Seija's fist didn't budge to the side even slightly. It struck true, right into the side of Himiko's ribs, sending her flying across the yard until she collided with the tree that had just about managed to withstand all the years of training that Seija put it through. And it held today as well, stopping Himiko's flight in its tracks.

"Mom?! Are you ok?!" Seija had no idea she was capable of something like that. She thought for sure that her mother's deflection would be successful.

Her mother coughed and waved a hand at her.

"It- It's ok Seija, I'm *cough* I'm fine! But more importa- Ow... Importantly, look at your right hand!" Himiko winced when she raised and lowered her hand. A few of her ribs were definitely cracked.

Seija looked down.

It was dark-gray.

Her arm had turned into steel.

"Hahaha! *cough* Leave it to you to awaken a Kekkei Genkai in a situation like this, my darling little genius. No wonder I couldn't move it out of the way!" Himiko truly couldn't be happier. Even in such times as these her daughter found new ways to grow stronger.

Seija watched in awe with her Byakugan as the metal receded from her hand and her skin returned to its normal coloration. She would absolutely have to study that chakra pattern while she was in the summoning realm. Perhaps she could find something fundamental inside this Steel Release that could help awaken more Kekkei Genkai? That would be her goal, at least.

Regardless, that would be for tomorrow. For now, she needed to help her mother with setting and healing her cracked bones. Himiko might need her fighting strength tomorrow; she and Ryoku would come quietly when the Hyuga inevitably demanded so, but if things went sideways and there was no other choice, she would have to fight and it was naturally best to be in peak condition if that happened.