Naruto: The Blind Swordsman

Chapter 114: Titles, Atmosphere and Discussion

_________ POV Narration _________

Yuichi and Mifune were both invited in the compound at Ken's orders. No grand welcoming party was prepared for them, but they didn't seem to mind. They had come uninvited at the end of the day.

They hadn't even given the Dark Brotherhood or Ken any notice of their visit.

The Blind Assassin was somewhat expecting them to want to meet him. But he hadn't really expected them to come in person.

'I guess they don't feel right summoning a 'child' to their palace?

Ah well, it matters not. One less trip for me to make.'

Ken just shook his head and took his legs off the table. He didn't bother wearing his mask as he was in his home.

Not having an identity to protect sure felt liberating.

He did wonder if he could build a second identity without his mask at some point, but he was too eye-catching anyway.

Unless he constantly hid half of his face, he would definitely stand out. And not in a good way.

Especially now that the world knew he was essentially a blind child.

No one knew exactly what his face looked like... Well, with the exception of a few people within the Leaf and Cloud Villages.

They hadn't exactly shared his appearance around, however. It was most definitely because they realised that Ken wouldn't be outright pleased with that.

They probably figured that he wore a mask for a reason, which was why even the likes of Danzo weren't trying to publish more about his appearance.

Since they likely figured Ken would be able to tell who spread the information and would come after them.

Even if his real age turned out to be very young, he was still a huge threat within the Shinobi World, no one really wanted to cross him directly.

And he doubted Yuichi or Mifune would want to cross him in any way.

If anything, Ken doubted that the visit of the Land of Iron's officials was going to come with any bad intentions.

In the first place, his relationship with the Land of Iron had been nothing but cordial thanks to the 'Bloody Princess' Yue.

Yep. Yue had, at some point, received a nickname in the bingo book. It was after she went on a few missions using the Sewing Needle that she took from Ken's office.

The 'Princess' part stemmed from her rather refined, regal, and childish way of speaking. A stark contrast to her actual nature and means, which was where the 'Bloody' came from.

People realized that Ken was likely rebuilding the 7 Mist Swordsmen within his own organization, and so everyone that was spotted with such a blade was given a nickname.

Yue was considered an A-rank in the Bingo Books, considered an actual threat to even some Jonin.

Of course, it was only speculation from the Bingo Book creators in the Land of Iron and surrounding lands, as they had no way of knowing how she'd fare against an actual Jonin.

The Dark Brotherhood only really went after bandits and criminals at the end of the day.

Tatsuo had received one as well, the 'One-Legged Devil'.

He was also considered an A-rank threat, but his ranking wasn't boosted in any way because he didn't possess any special sword. He was only ranked based on skill.

His title was also self-explanatory. He was a reminder to all that the Dark Brotherhood which the Red Dot had created housed many monsters in it.

He was known for his speed, rivalling Elite Jonin at a very young age.

Well, compared to Ken he didn't seem all that talented now. But he was still essentially one of the best in his generation.

Even geniuses from the 5 Great Ninja Villages could hardly compare with him. And he wasn't the only one.

Plenty of youngsters from the Dark Brotherhood had managed to build some name for themselves, though only those above A rank received a proper nickname.

The others were just called by numbers.

One could guess that their reputation rising also meant the standing of the Dark Brotherhood rose exponentially, as it became evident to the world that Ken wasn't the only one of relevance within the organization.

Of course, to the wider world, the Blades under Ken were still a mystery.

But it wasn't a mystery for Mifune and Yuichi. The two of them already knew about the internal structure of the Brotherhood, and they were also clued in about the Blades and their identities.

The man that came to greet them at the gate was the First Blade, easily recognizable by his mask.

He led them both through the compound and towards Ken's office.

But not before Yue spotted them and rushed to them.

Ken felt that from his office and just smiled at her eagerness.

It was a heartwarming scene, a little girl rushing to hug her father after a rather long period of separation. Well, it wasn't that long since she had visited him, but it was still a bit of time spent apart.

But the most heartwarming part about Yue and Yuichi reuniting was the reaction of the other children.

One would expect them to feel at least a smidge of jealousy, as they had all lost their families.

But instead of feeling jealousy, those that witnessed Yue's bright smile were only happy for her.

Yet another example of the type of atmosphere that the Dark Brotherhood had managed to foster.

Mifune, although nowhere near as sensitive as Ken, could still tell that the children were all happy for Yue just from their reactions, which earned a small smile from him.

He was a bit disappointed that he wasn't all that included in a family hug, as he saw Yue as a granddaughter and Yuichi as a younger brother, but he decided to not intervene.

Instead, his eyes settled on the largest building within the compound, his eyebrows raised a bit as he felt a 'gaze' on him.

Mifune was not a sensor by any means, but he was still a highly experienced samurai that had even butted heads with the likes of Hanzō of the Salamander, who was touted to be as strong as the current God of Shinobi.

Though he had lost that fight, he had still scarred the legendary shinobi's face in the process. Which was a testament to his skills, further vouching for his instincts.

Even then, that feeling of being watched was faint, but he could tell that it was most likely Ken. He had no reason to hide himself in his own home after all.

'His scouting technique sure is terrifying... It's likely what he uses to see.' Mifune narrowed his eyes at the large building that Ken was most likely in.

Yue and Yuichi's reunion and heartwarming hug didn't last for much longer after that. But the little princess did decide to tag along with them.

The First Blade didn't stop her as she was Yuichi's daughter at the end of the day, and the children were all in a period of self-training.

Well, there was the exception of the children still training in the Blind Caves, but they were accompanied by Saburo's clones at all times, and Ken was also keeping an 'eye' on them.

Yue had plenty of free time, and that free time now led to her visiting her Teacher and Mentor's room for the first time in a few weeks.

The First Blade was still the first to enter the room. He didn't bother introducing the newcomers to Ken, he already knew that nothing escaped his 'vision' within the compound and even beyond.

Tosho merely nodded before walking over to the right of Ken's chair and crossing his arms.

After him came Yue, skipping happily into the room with a huge smile plastered onto her face.

"Teacher! Daddy dropped by! Grampa Mifune is also with him!" She spoke out in a cheerful tone, momentarily forgetting her teacher's abilities in her excitement.

"Of course, thank you Yue." Ken responded, his lips turning upwards as he then tilted his head at the last two people to enter the room.

Mifune and Yuichi.

Mifune was seemingly dressed in his usual samurai attire, his long hair caught in a bun and flowing down his back.

Yuichi was also dressed in rather regal clothing, his face covered by a veil which he proceeded to take down the same second he stepped into Ken's office.

The other Samurai that had accompanied them all waited outside of the compound, under the watchful eye of the Strawman's Clones.

"I am glad to sense the two of you in my presence today... But what brings on this sudden visit?" Ken crossed his arms, his head still tilted to the side causing his hair to flow to the side.

This, in turn, revealed his full face to the two men and Yue, who was momentarily stunned by it.

Mifune and Yuichi recovered quickly, as it was a face they had seen before, though they had doubted it was his real face in the past. At least now they had assurance that it was indeed his face.

Ken had no reason to be guarded against them anymore, especially not in his own home. And especially not when he could likely fight the entire Land of Iron on his own.

"Well... Recent news has made us wish to seek you out. I'm sure you know what I am talking about." Yuichi spoke out as some concern reached his face.

Mifune merely nodded along to his leader's words, studying the face of the Assassin he had been dreaming about fighting for years.

It had been a fantasy of his, managing to duel the world's strongest bounty hunter, testing his mettle against one of the finest fighters in the world.

Now that fantasy felt dishonourable as well. With the reveal that Ken was still just a child, Mifune's entire view of him shifted.

He was still a strong figure, at the very top of the world even. But he also still had a lot of potential to grow.

This meant that he, as an older man that had already likely reached the end of his talents, was not qualified to step into the same arena as Ken.

No one really was... No fight against Ken would be a fair fight between adults.

'And by the time he becomes an adult... He won't be the type of person that anyone, Tailed Beast or Man, can fight...'

It was discouraging. But also the undeniable truth.

"I can understand how recent news may have been a bit concerning due to this nation's view on children.

I can assure you that I am not being controlled by any mysterious force if that is what you fear."

Ken decided to start addressing their concerns right away.

Although they hadn't voiced it much, both Mifune and Yuichi had thought about that possibility before.

But that simply didn't fit with what Ken had displayed in the past.

He wasn't a child that could be controlled. It was too difficult to even hold negotiations with him due to how shrewd he was.

"... Although I admit that the thought had crossed our minds, we aren't exactly concerned about you being controlled.

A force capable of controlling you would have already taken over our Land of Iron." Mifune scoffed a bit as he spoke those words out loud.

Yuichi gave Mifune a surprised glance, likely not expecting him to blurt out such a thing.

Neither man liked hearing those words, but they knew that it was the truth.

Ken alone was likely enough to assassinate all nobles within the Land of Iron, and that was enough to upturn the current rule of law completely.

"I understand. So your concerns lie more on your view of children then?" Ken slowly tilted his head onto the other side, Tosho behind him also seemingly relaxing.

Tosho had his own concerns about the way the talk would go.

He had expected something to happen since Mifune, the strongest samurai in the Land, had appeared personally.

Of course, he wasn't tense out of concern for Ken. He didn't think anyone would be able to defeat his Leader.

'But to get to the King, one must face his blades first...'

He wasn't about to let anyone touch Ken under any circumstance. But it seemed no such thing was needed.

"Yes. Mainly, we were a bit concerned for you, so we decided to check on you personally, and apologise for the way we had been treating you as well."

It was at that moment that both Yuichi and Mifune looked at each other and... Bowed?

They both slightly lowered their heads towards Ken, much to the surprise of everyone still present in the room.

The Blind Assassin acted in the exact second they bowed, he waved his hand and told them to stand straight, that there was no need for such things in his office.

But both Mifune and Yuichi were adamant about bowing for at least 10 seconds.

"No honest apology is done with one's head raised up high." That was their reasoning.

"Yet, I believe you've not done anything that you need to apologize for." Ken was still confused by their need for forgiveness.

He always treated them as equals on a political scale, so their plotting against him was just normal.

Of course, it all stopped after he started being Yue's teacher. But that was just a bout of good luck on his side.

But unfortunately for Ken, his age being revealed also meant something else...

'None of my old 'associates' will be able to see me as an equal, huh?'

It was a bitter realization that had been on his mind for a while. He had hoped it was just a senseless worry, as the Raikage seemed to still treat him as an equal of sorts.

Unfortunately, that realization was just the unavoidable truth.

'Alas, it matters not. Those that would look down on me and try to use me would've never been worthy of my trust anyway...'

As for the two people in front of him...

They seemed genuinely apologetic, and even ashamed, at having schemed against a child. It was dishonourable in the culture.

And honour meant everything to them.

Eventually, after Ken confirmed that he forgave them, and had no ill will against them, they calmed down.

And eventually, the topic of his past came into question as well.

"What type of upbringing would bring one as young as you to such a position in life?"

The question lacked a bit of tact maybe, but it was asked in a friendly manner. They weren't in the middle of diplomatic discussions after all.

'I guess I can tell them a bit about my past... Who knows, maybe they can even help me track down my biological parents?'

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