Politics of Mice - Shikyou Shiin
Shikyou would have thought his son was joking, but he had a good grasp of his son's humour.
The son of the daimyo had come to talk.
If nothing else, it would be entertaining to see what the spawn had come up with.
He expected an arrogant brat.
"So. Yumika Nogawa graces us with their presence. I am Shikyou Shiin, the head of the Sound Village sect of the Shiin clan, I hear you wish to talk?"
"Indeed sir, but before that, I felt it appropriate to approach sir Kanshi formally, would it please you for me to continue in such a manner?"
They were polite at least.
"That will be unnecessary. Speak plainly."
"Yes Sir."
Still formal.
Then the brat bowed to him.
"Firstly… My father has done you a great injustice. While I cannot claim to speak for the daimyo, I'm sorry that you were treated that way. My readings into the matter have made me ashamed to be his kin."
Placatives that do nothing to resolve the issue…
"Secondly… I am not my father. I am no politician, and certainly no daimyo. I have neither the power nor authority to do such damage to you or your clan. I am a shinobi in training. All I ask is to be seen as such."
…followed by a clear attempt to wash their hands of the matter. How very much like those politicians they claimed to be unlike.
"It is not my place to repair your opinion of the daimyo. Your opinion of me is what matters. What can I do to fix that?"
It won't be hard to pull his reasoning apart…
"So you say, but you benefit from his patronage do you not? That wealth was built in the blood of my clan and others."
"So you would have me cut myself off from his support then?"
No hesitation.
That was a shinobi response.
Coincidence.
"You'd be willing to take such steps?"
"With all due respect, I expected a knife in my back the moment I stepped through the door. In comparison, such a request is minor. The village covers every necessity."
He had to admit, he had considered it. It was his son that dissuaded him.
Not a complete fool then.
…but there was an issue.
"I thought you claimed to come in good faith?"
Offering 'Good Faith' means to trust.
"I wasn't planning to fight back in such a scenario. I asked how I could make amends, and if that was what it took, so be it."
Well spoken at least.
…but words are worth little.
The brat wished to be treated as a shinobi in training, then Shikyou would test them as a shinobi.
Shikyou had experience with rich brats playing ninja. Their parents paid for the greatest teachers, but the children wasted the chance. It was always good ideas and techniques executed poorly.
Come then, show me what the daimyo's money is worth.
The brat was cautious, a good trait.
Then seeing the chance for what it was, performed a jutsu. A simple clone technique, unimpressive with the tutelage the kid could afford.
Most Uchiha brats could breath fireballs by the age of 6.
The usage lacked lustre and was poorly refined.
The boy's taijutsu was surprisingly decent. While certain elements were familiar, the composition was foreign.
A good teacher then.
The child realised his failure with the clone and changed his tactics.
Versatile.
So he wasn't entirely hopeless.
…but it wasn't enough to impress him.
Better just kill him now.
Shikyou stopped playing. He performed a quick block, followed by a killing blow.
That should be it.
It wasn't. The boy kept fighting until asphyxiation knocked him out.
There was something unnatural about it.
Shikyou Shiin had seen willpower.
That wasn't it.
He had to admit that there might be more to the child. So he had his son fetch a doctor.
"The girl is stable for now. Though with the damage to her ribs, she should avoid speaking or deep breaths at least until the day after tomorrow."
The doctor had been a friend of the clan since before they'd come here.
Girl?
Had this child been an imposter? A body double sent by the daimyo?
"...but I must question your restraint on the matter. Performing a killing blow during a sparring match was unnecessary, and against a child as well. Even knowing that I could fix it, that was irresponsible. If I had been away at the time-"
"There were circumstances in play."
If this was the daimyo's son, the action was justified. That's what he told himself.
The doctor shook their head in exasperation.
"Was it your idea to spar?"
Shikyou nodded.
"Shame on you."
There was a weight to the words. The doctor was a close friend, for him to say such…
"The girl was in no condition to spar. In fact, they shouldn't be moving about at all."
She seemed completely fine.
"What do you mean?"
"It should have been obvious, but if you must know…"
The doctor brought up his clipboard, and started reading off.
"...Most of her bones are barely in one piece, her muscles are damaged, and her chakra coils are exhausted. Her limbs show signs of strain caused by excessive wall walking. The pain from all this alone should leave her incapacitated. If it weren't for the fact that her body's ability to register pain seems to be reduced to all but nothing, she would be."
He turned a page.
"Whoever was fixing her up before did the minimum required work to keep her together, and it looks like none of those injuries have been given any time to heal. These are injuries that seem to have been accumulating over the last 11 months, and the only reason they haven't gotten worse is because her chakra has been very active."
He turned another page.
"I said she was stable, but she needs rest if she's ever going to recover. Even then, her body will be fragile. The current damages are likely to reappear with enough agitation."
The doctor lowered his clipboard again.
"The last time I saw this kind of damage was after treating veterans coming back from long deployments in enemy territory. Who the hell is this kid, Shikyou?"
It would be a lie to say he knew.
There were rumours about the son of the daimyo. They said he spurned all offers of friendship or cooperation. That he insulted the upper ranks of the village publicly. That he looked down on everyone. That he was lazy and unwilling to put in work. They'd all started after the death of Mitsutada when it was made public that the daimyo's son was here. It fell well into the character Mitsutada expected from the son of their greatest detractor.
He'd known that the child had been here before then, but it was clear that it was to be kept secret and that they were off limits.
It is a ninja's duty to lie, and therefore a ninja's duty to doubt.
It was with this thought in mind that he approached the child again.
She was quick to take stock of her surroundings after waking up. There was a defensiveness to the instinct, like she expected to be under attack.
"So girl, you're awake."
It was her response that first set him off.
He'd performed a killing strike on her, one which should be her last memory before the present.
Even his closest comrades could be mildly resentful at being struck.
Yet… nothing.
No aggression.
No hate.
No Killing Intent.
Her posture remained humble, and she seemed deferential to me as the authority here when she nodded.
He also noted that she recognised herself as a girl.
"Are you really Yumika Nogawa?"
He didn't really need to be convinced. Looking her over now, he recognised hints of conviction and honesty. Many of the same signs he'd ignored the day before.
"The son of the daimyo?"
She nodded.
So she is aware of the deception… and willing to reveal it.
This girl was nothing like the boy described in the rumours.
He couldn't keep pretending she was.
"Very well. Send that servant home and cut off support, and the Shiin clan will give you your chance."
She seemed genuinely pleased with the incredibly minor boon. Shikyou had to stop her from getting up to bow.
"Your ribs are still quite damaged, minimise your movements."
His thoughts jumped to the doctor.
"You should be in a lot of pain right now, can't you feel that?"
Shikyou could see the way her chest warped slightly to let her speak, even as blood began to collect at the corner of her mouth.
"Thanks to Mitsutada, my pain threshold is skewed."
The former instructor.
She didn't seem to realise she was bleeding until she wiped the blood from her mouth.
Her reaction? Mild concern.
"Shame on you."
This girl was broken.
He wasn't so heartless that he could ignore that.
"I can't in good conscience send you away in that condition. I assume your next move was to speak with the other clans?"
Any one of them could have decided to end her life. Yet such a course of action seemed most in line with her behaviour so far.
"...if that was what it took, so be it."
"Good, write something for your servant and your father, so you can fulfil your promise. I will bring you the supplies and have it delivered. Once that is done I will negotiate with the other clans on your behalf."
She seemed to to the bloody mess he'd left her in yesterday, it was quite cute.
This child…
He patted her head.
"Get some rest."
He'd have to meet with his clan and change their policy concerning the son of-
No.
-concerning Yumika.
He'd asked his son to escort Yumika to dinner.
Seeing her innocent confusion at the polite behaviour was admittedly guilt inducing, and Shikyou could tell his son thought the same.
Once his son got engaged in conversation, Shikyou picked up on something from the girl.
Envy.
"...but father, I believe we are ignoring our guests."
She shook her head as if to tell them it was fine, but…
"No no. It's not fine. I must apologise for my behaviour! My father is often busy so I got absorbed in the moment, I'm sure you understand-"
Shikyou caught the momentary recoil from the girl.
"Kanshi."
He had suspicions.
"It is likely our guest is uncomfortable with speaking about her father with us. Please respect that."
He watched her reaction carefully.
Relief.
So it wasn't the case, which meant...
Perhaps we aren't the only ones who have been treated unjustly…
He was proud of how expertly his son steered the rest of the conversation.
"Let me escort you back."
The head of the Shiin clan remained seated as he watched his son lead their guest away.
They do look good together…
Plans began to form.
He'd wanted more time to make a decision concerning the girl, but there were limits to how long his son could delay her. So he received the requested letters rather quickly, and had them delivered doubly so.
I still have until she recovers.
He tried to learn a bit more about the girl, being careful not to dig too deep.
She was entirely self taught concerning combat, with exception to learning the basics of the bow. The only reference material she had was a scroll on incredibly basic jutsu.
By any standard, she was a genius.
All the while she downplayed her skills to spotlight her less than stellar fitness, which she attributed to being too 'weak-willed' to properly exercise.
"Even then, her body will be fragile."
It was an absolute shame, a complete waste of potential.
Shikyou doubted Yumika's body could even handle the proper exercise needed for higher level taijutsu anymore.
Once he got her talking, there were some other interesting things that came to light.
She was a pacifist.
She despised causing injury and killing.
A bold thing to admit to a ninja, even if she wasn't doing so consciously. It wasn't a problem in his mind. The third hokage was a pacifist, he was far from weak. Much like him, she seemed willing to fight if it was necessary.
It was much preferred to the daimyo's stance.
She had concerns.
"I don't think the arena is being handled well…"
Shikyou would have to investigate the claims. If they were true, it would be prudent to pull some strings and resolve it.
She knew things.
Arbitrary things that she shouldn't have any knowledge of. He'd have thought nothing of it… If she hadn't been trying to cover it up.
What more is she hiding?
There had to be limits to how many secrets an 8 year old child could have.
One of the clan members was arguing with someone by the entrance to the area.
"...you received the letter didn't you? Then you've heard all that you need to."
"It is my duty to take care of him, I simply want to confirm its validity."
A glare from the shinobi. Shikyou had been very thorough in briefing his clan.
"Ah so you're the one who was supposed to be 'taking care of' them."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
A civilian woman arguing with a shinobi. Most of the time civilians were too scared to try it. It wouldn't do for things to get out of hand here, despite the way Orochimaru ran things.
"What seems to be the problem here?"
The black haired woman turned her glare over to Shikyou. Fierce, protective.
She held up a letter, the one sent to 'Natsuhi'.
"I understand sending a letter to the lord daimyo, but I see no reason I could not be informed in person, or why Yumika has yet to return."
"I can explain the situation, let's continue this inside."
He gave the shinobi a silent dismissal, and ushered the woman into the meeting space where he'd first talked with Yumika.
"I am Shikyou Shiin, head of the Sound Village sect of the Shiin clan."
"Natsuhi, the servant assigned to assist young lord Yumika."
With the recent… forced shift in perspective, he subdued his prejudices and poured out a couple of cups of tea. She politely took a single sip before placing the cup down, awaiting the promised explanation.
"Yumika is currently in no condition to move."
There was a shift in the air. The undirected anger she had been manifesting found itself a target in the form of the clan head.
Shikyou was unperturbed. Compared to some of the stronger foes he'd faced in the third great ninja war, such killing intent was minor.
"I am ashamed to admit that I took things too far in testing the child, but what is more relevant is what the doctor discovered while healing them…"
He handed over the report.
Visible shock. Horror.
Not the reaction of a simple servant…
He shelved the thought, ignoring the subtle feeling in his chest.
"Do you have any idea how this happened?"
She seemed hesitant. Understandable, he did cause the girl further injury.
"I had… misconceptions. I can't undo what is done, but I can try to make things better. So please, if you know anything…"
She relented, reluctantly.
"Issai didn't notice, but after the second time Yumika went to the arena, he-"
"She."
"I have orders, lord Shiin, I cannot-"
"The daimyo isn't here, and I will not have my guest disrespected."
There was a crack in the almost porcelain politeness that had shrouded her very emotive behaviour. Rather than indignation at being interrupted, it was closer to… relief?
He dismissed the guilt-inducing implication before she continued.
"She was moving a bit strangely, like she was expecting a reaction of pain from his arm. When we came back to the village after his third time, we found her as she was being treated by a medical ninja. I'd never seen a body that broken, and from what we heard she was well into recovery by that point. Issai confronted the instructor Mitsutada about it. He had to return home with one arm less."
She spoke of the arena and its instructor venomously.
"I thought it had ended there."
She closed her eyes, as if pondering a regret.
"After learning what happened, Yumika made some sort of deal with Mitsutada. I never learned the details, but Yumika was always up and about by the time I returned to the village. So I thought she'd figured something out."
She'd put the pieces together, and presented like this, Shikyou saw it as well.
"Is that why she killed him?"
It would be natural for anyone else, but when it came to her, it felt off.
Natsuhi scoffed.
"I wish."
She let out a remorseful sigh.
"I think it was when Mitsutada hurt someone else that Yumika started planning it. She's much kinder than I am."
She went quiet.
"...did you know that despite everything, she still didn't want to do it?"
Her shoulders began to shake.
"The next time I found Yumika was after they had stayed with that rat of a man until he passed away. No one cared, but Yumika buried him."
She wiped away some of the tears that began to form.
"She still asks me to bring that monster flowers whenever I leave…"
Shikyou silently handed the woman a handkerchief as she sobbed.
"If you would like, you could see Yumika before you need to leave."
She nodded appreciatively.
"Is there anywhere I can clean up first?"
He recognised the need. He knew a thing or two about keeping up an illusion of strength himself.
"Of course."
It was only when watching the two embrace that Shikyou managed to put words to a silent realisation he'd had.
I'm not just separating a rich kid from their coin purse… I'm separating a girl from her mother.
Neither of the two acknowledge it. As long as the daimyo lived, they never could.
With conviction, plans became clearer.
For now, Shikyou was certain of one thing.
Yumika would have a place with the Shiin clan.