บท 47: 47: Sit Down
Hiruzen Sarutobi was dead.
He must be.
He died and went to hell for all the mistakes he made within his lifetime.
...
Because that can be the only possible explanation for the titanic wall of paperwork that had now built up inside his office.
"Zo... I am not trapped in a Genjutsu right now, am I?"
An Anbu agent wearing a cat-like mask appeared from the wall next to where Hiruzen was standing, at the entrance to the office.
"Erm... no, Lord Hokage, I do not believe you are. The paper is all real."
Hiruzen sighed and trudged into the room, before sitting at his desk and grabbing the first sheet of thousands to see what the hell all of this was about.
He squinted at the paper and read the first few lines, before frowning and picking up the next one, and the one after that.
"Reported Reincarnator sighting in Konoha downtown... Reported Reincarnator sighting in the Fire Capital... Reported Reincarnator sighting at the Konoha Hotsprings..."
He facepalmed and quickly sorted through several stacks, only reading the first line before moving onto the next.
"It's... it's all just supposed Reincarnator sightings from the general public. This is useless! What am I even supposed to do about these?! We can't just send a shinobi to investigate every single one, there are literally THOUSANDS of these reports!" He ranted, veins popping on his forehead as the Anbu agent, Zo, watched on with growing anxiety as the Hokage's chakra began to press down on the room.
"Ahem, Lord Hokage, you may wish to reign in your chakra before the paper stacks start to fall over."
Hiruzen gasped, surprised that Zo was even still present in the room and he quickly took a deep breath to get his energy back under control before his whole office could be flooded with loose sheets of paper.
"Right. I apologise for forcing you to see me that way, Zo. It is just... the paperwork, you know?" He said with an awkward smile.
Zo simply tilted his head and responded.
"Lord Hokage, if paperwork is such an issue, why not hire an assistant or two..." He glanced around the room at the towering stacks of reports, "...Or several dozen, given the sheer quantity of work to be done. I know you have a few assistants who at least handle bringing the work to the office in the first place, but surely it would be best for you to hire additional help for-"
Hiruzen cut him off before he could finish.
"No, Zo. That simply would not do. I am the Hokage! I must set an example to the younger generations! How could I be so heartless as to foist my work onto the shoulders of a subordinate? No, I must face these paper-skinned demons alone."
At that, agent Zo could only shrug and turn around, before phasing into the office wall once again.
Hiruzen turned back to his work and grimaced. Now, he talked a big game about setting a good example and all that, but he sure did wish he could find some way to work through all these reports at least a little bit faster on his own.
- - -
At that moment, a certain blue-haired girl sneezed while she and a couple of shadow clones used their Paper Release Kekkei Tota to rapidly sort a pile of paperwork into a freshly-purchased filing cabinet.
'Huh... I don't think it's that dusty in here, is it? I'd better clean the house again, just in case.' Konan thought to herself while rubbing her nose.
- - -
'Ah, that sure would be nice...' Hiruzen wistfully imagined.
As much as these reports were almost certainly all going to just be overreactions from the public, likely just randomly accusing anybody they didn't like of being a Reincarnator to get them arrested, Hiruzen believed it was necessary to sort through each and every one.
Konoha's shinobi force had not located a single Reincarnator yet, which Hiruzen lamented, as that put them behind their biggest rivals, Iwa and Kumo, who had both tracked down and dealt with numerous of these reborn children already. Assuming that the intel from Konoha's spies in the enemy Hidden Villages was correct, of course.
Hiruzen was very eager to speak to one of these people some day. The possibility of knowing the future could become a great asset during the upcoming war, and the Reincarnators supposedly also could receive special gifts from these strange 'Systems' that they were connected to for performing tasks called 'quests'.
Gifts such as otherworldly powers, or strange potions and elixirs that could cure wounds in mere moments. Needless to say, Hiruzen wanted to add such a useful force to Konoha's military as soon as possible.
'Perhaps they are similar to the followers of Jashin?' Hiruzen wondered. The followers of Jashin were a cult of mass-murderers from the Hidden Village of Yugakure, in the Land of Hot Water. They were an obscure group, exceedingly difficult to track down and remarkably hard to stamp out. Every few decades, the cult would appoint a single mighty worshiper to become a Saint, granting them immortality as long as they regularly murdered people in Jashin's name.
It was unknown whether this 'Jashin' was a real god, or some kind of powerful evil spirit, but that wasn't relevant to the point. The point was, perhaps these Reincarnators received their powers and tools from a similar being?
Hiruzen had no clue, and he didn't think he would ever be able to find out unless he spoke to a Reincarnator in person.
And so, he soldiered on. Into the trenches of paperwork that he was now painfully familiar with.
- - -
Later that day, at one of the Hidden Leaf's many training grounds, Senku and Kei were having a small panic attack.
"Sado? Kasumi? What are you two doing here?!" Senku exclaimed as he and Kei arrived at their meeting point.
"Ichiro? You as well?" Kei asked a third boy who Senku didn't recognise. He wore the Uchiha Clan symbol on his clothing just like Kasumi did, and apparently Kei recognised him from somewhere.
As for why they were panicking...
"Uh, hey Senku," Sado responded, "Did Mrs Himiko call you here too? Apparently she invited Kasumi and Ichiro over there as well. Do you know what's going on?"
Senku was surprised that Sado was so calm. Perhaps he simply hadn't realised it yet?
"Sado, do you not realise what's happening right now?! We're ALL Reincarnators here! Ichiro, you're a Reincarnator too, right? If Kei knows you, then you probably are, right?"
Ichiro caught on to what Senku was implying and his, Sado's, and Kasumi's eyes went wide.
"You think that Himiko-sensei knows what we are?!"
"That's right. I do know." A voice from the trees behind the group spoke.
The group whipped around and took a number of different stances. Senku and Kei were the most relaxed, as they immediately recognised the voice, but they still put their hands on their weapons. Sado and Kasumi both drew their swords, Sado with his large odachi, and Kasumi with her Anbu-style shortsword. Ichiro didn't draw a weapon, but as his stance shifted, Senku swore he could see sparks of white light ripple around Ichiro's hands.
Looking to the treeline, Senku could see his sensei walk out with her hands in her pockets, her white eyes shining in the evening gloam.
"Wow. You kids sure are feisty, huh? Senku, Kei, I'm a little hurt that even you two are on guard against me. But I suppose I can't blame you given your circumstances."
Himiko Hyuga's casual attitude caused the group to back down slightly, but they didn't put their weapons away.
Himiko simply walked over to one of the training logs set up in the area and sat down on it, linking her fingers in front of her knee.
"I'm gonna cut straight to the point. You five are Reincarnators, you're shit at hiding it, and I'm not gonna tell anyone that you are as long as you talk to me here today. That's why I got in contact with you all and arranged this meeting."
The Reincarnators froze for a moment, most of them not knowing what to do. None of them were anticipating that they would suddenly lose their cover on a random evening at a random training ground.
Senku slowly took his hand off his katana's hilt and loosened his stance.
"Alright... what do you want to know, sensei?"
- - -
A few minutes went by as Himiko asked her questions. Simple stuff at first, like 'how much do you know about the process of Reincarnation?' and 'how the System works.'
"I see... so you died in your last life and were reborn in this one by the will of a god-like being? Makes sense, given the meaning of 'Reincarnation' I suppose. And this System, it awakens when you are five years old, exactly?" Himiko asked them.
They nodded. Himiko leaned forwards and spoke again.
"And how exactly does your future reading work? It can't be that you can see the exact future that's going to happen, or else you would've known that I would call you all here today. So how does that work?"
"Uh... well, sensei, it's not really 'future sight' per-se. It's more like a prophecy, I guess? We've seen exactly one future that we know should happen, but given the fact that we know it, it probably won't go exactly as we've predicted." Kei answered.
Himiko tilted her head.
"How come?"
"Well, because people's actions have knock-on effects that can drastically change the future, I guess? We've seen one timeline of events that can happen, and it will happen for sure if we don't do anything about it - heck, we know some parts have happened already, since we also saw a few events from the past as well - but I personally don't think many of the future events will happen anymore..."
"Hmm... I think I get it. So you saw a 'timeline' of events, but as more and more changes happen early on in that timeline, the more the future will shift away from what you saw, is that right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
At this point, Sado took a moment to sheath his odachi and speak up.
"Alright... was that all you wanted to hear, Mrs Himiko? It's your turn to answer our questions now! How did you even find out we were Reincarnators in the first place?!" He asked.
Himiko chuckled in a way that sent a shiver down his spine as her eyes locked on to him.
"Kid, you should be seriously careful with who you talk back against during an interrogation. You're lucky I'm not a vindictive person. To answer your question, I began to notice irregularities about you lot as I got to know Senku and Kei as my students, and then those two introduced me to the others. Every now and again, something that didn't add up would occur. For example:
Senku, that sword you have... It looks like a normal blade at a glance, if a little fancy what with all the engravings adorning its hilt and blade. But I've seen you fight with it; It cuts like no blade I've ever seen before, easily slicing through your targets despite the lack of chakra being pushed into it, and your relatively low strength. Logically speaking, it should not cut that well no matter how skilled the craftsman was. And yet, the results speak for themselves, as you have cut through entire trees with just a single casual swing before."
Senku flinched and glanced at the red-hilted katana hanging from his waist. This was the first item he pulled from a gacha as a reward for causing a girl from the Academy to develop a crush on him. It was a Rare-grade weapon enchanted with improved sharpness. Apparently, it cut just a little too well to be inconspicuous.
"Sado, we've only seen each other a few times since Senku introduced you to me two years ago, but you're even more obvious than he is. To put it bluntly, you shouldn't be as strong as you are. You have immense physical might for your age, able to easily lift and swing that odachi which is as long as your whole body.
When I observe your chakra network and muscles with my Byakugan, I can see that there should be no way for your body to put out as much force as it does. But clearly, the results speak for themselves. Either your System or your Wishes are somehow empowering you, aren't they?"
Sado sheepishly looked away. Clearly, the Stats he'd gained from working out with his Training System functioned independently from his physical body.
She turned and faced the third boy who Senku hadn't met before today.
"And you, Ichiro Uchiha, are worse than both of them put together. That white light around your hands emits zero chakra. Not even a single drop. In fact, your whole chakra network seems totally unaware that the light is even there. But when you punch something, that light seems to cause huge vibrations that shatter your target. The Uchiha Clan is singing your praises for your talent and strength, but I know better. That must be a power granted by your System or perhaps a Wish, just like Sado's strength, am I right?"
A bead of sweat dripped from Ichiro's forehead, but he remained silent.
"Heh, I'll take that as a yes. I could go on about Kei and Kasumi as well, but the point is that I've managed to figure out that each of you five kids are Reincarnators. And to answer a statement that Sado said earlier, no I am not done with you yet. I've yet to even mention the whole reason why I gathered you all and started asking these questions in the first place."
Her gaze intensified.
"I want you to confirm something for me. And this is the most important question..."
Senku gulped as Himiko's Byakugan activated, her glare seeming to bore into their very souls.
"Are you kids the originals, or did you replace the previous owners of your bodies when you Reincarnated?"
Senku was thrown off by the question, falling into thought as he considered the words.
'Replaced? No... I don't think I replaced any 'original Senku' as far as I know. I still remember my childhood like any normal kid would, even before my System awoke. I remember getting attached to my new parents as if they were the only ones I've ever known. Hell, I can barely even remember my parents in my previous life, all that stuff's just faded into the background now. I feel like I should miss them, but I don't. I've got new parents now, and that's all that matters as far as I care.' He thought. Nodding to himself, he glanced around at the others, and while he couldn't be certain, he was pretty sure they felt the same way.
"No, I don't think we replaced anyone, sensei. As far as I'm aware, we're still the same people we've always been since we were born in this world. I remember being a kid even before my System and memories awoke at five years old, and I'm way more attached to my parents in this life than I am to my previous ones."
He shivered as he felt his sensei's eyes turn towards him. Slowly, she nodded to him.
"Okay... What is the exact process?"
This time, Kasumi held up her hand and answered.
"When we turn five years old we gain access to our Systems that we chose when we spoke to the Great System after we died. Then, on every birthday until we turn nine years old, we receive a 'memory surge' that restores about a fifth of our previous life's memories each time it happens. But those memories don't just replace our current ones or anything, they just get added on top I think... I personally never felt like I was being replaced or replacing anyone as it happened."
She scratched her head. "Although mine's not done yet because I'm still not nine years old..."
Himiko seemed to be satisfied with the answers so far, but she still wanted a final confirmation.
"So... to clarify, you are still the exact same kids who you always have been, regardless of any additional memories from your past life? Even with all of your previous life's knowledge, and your future sight, and these weird Systems and Wishes all added to the mix..."
She almost sounded desperate, Senku realised. He didn't think he'd ever heard her be anything other than cool and confident for the entire two-and-a-bit years that he'd known her as his sensei. Why was this point such a big deal to her?
Kasumi shrugged.
"Yes? I'm... Kasumi Uchiha. Always have been. Honestly, the Reincarnation feels less like awakening to my own memories of the past, and more like receiving the memories of a spirit who died long ago, if that makes sense? Like, they might have been my memories once upon a time, but now...? Now they're just a useful benefit to my life that I just happened to gain by pure chance."
Himiko sat completely still for a moment before looking down and holding her head in her hands.
Senku could see her shoulders start to shake.
Was she... crying?
Seconds later, Himiko threw back her head and looked up to the sky.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!"
...And she laughed uproariously.
"I knew there was something weird about that girl! Heh... memories of another life, who would've thought?"
"Uh... sensei? What girl?" Senku asked.
Himiko slapped her forehead and suddenly pointed at him.
"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!!"
Senku felt like he was about to be blown away when she suddenly shouted at him.
"Uh... Okay?"
Himiko seemed to pause as she realised that she'd snapped at him, before laughing again and hopping down from the log she was sitting on.
"Heheheh... phew... Sorry, Senku. Looks like this was getting to me more than I thought when the info about Reincarnators was relayed to us Jonin. A bunch of things that made no sense just started to add up, you know? Now, you kids have set my mind at ease. I know you were telling the truth, my Byakugan would've shown me if your body displayed any of the tell-tale signs of dishonesty."
With that she turned around and walked back towards the edge of the training ground. Looking over her shoulder just once, she called back to them.
"Oh and don't worry. Your secret's safe with me. And if anyone accuses you of being a Reincarnator, I'll vouch for you and say you aren't unless the evidence is really stacked against you. Just be careful not to reveal your otherworldly powers and equipment around anyone else with a Byakugan, just in case.
See you at training tomorrow, Senku and Kei. Or any of you others if you want to join in too."
After saying those words, she casually waved back to them before disappearing into the treeline, leaving behind a very confused but mostly relieved quintet of Reincarnated kids.
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