Chapter 32: Meeting and Traveling News

Chapter 32: Meeting and Traveling News

_________ POV Narration_________

Ken and Saburo started making their way towards the cave that Akira resided in without wasting more time.

They had sealed the secret lair entrance to keep it hidden and intact, to make sure no one would just accidentally stumble upon it, though that was already unlikely.

Ken realized that if a sensor as good as him ran by it, they could still spot it, but it was really impossible to plan for all possible situations.

Still, the Blind Swordsman was quite pleased with the way things had developed.

'With Saburo, we've gained 45 able-bodied shinobi, all chunin or above. Well, 44 to be more exact. I doubt the original body will ever go in any missions.

He shouldn't even be allowed to. Losing him would be a lot more annoying than losing a single highly trained assassin.Ñøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.

With his help, I can finally jumpstart this organization for good, start hunting bounties on a broader scale...'

Ken was well and truly excited for Saburo to settle into his little organisation, getting the Strawman's allegiance was the greatest reward for all of his trouble with the Grass Village.

Their techniques and money were also good, but he wasn't even sure how much money was in the scrolls he had stolen, nor what techniques he had received.

'The most valuable thing is the friends we made along the way... Puh...' Ken couldn't help but laugh internally at his own bad jokes, some small chuckles escaping outside as the blind swordsman was not as cautious as usual.

The most amusing part was that Ken and Saburo were the furthest apart from friends. They were both well aware that as soon as their business relationship soured, they would be at each other's throats with no hesitation.

Ken put no trust in Saburo. And the Strawman was not oblivious to that. No, he even respected it.

'Such is the mentality one must have in this bleak world...' That was what the Strawman thought. Though he found it exceedingly odd that a child could adapt to their world so quickly and easily.

Ken's occasional giggle and raspy chuckle along the way as he remembered some random joke was the only thing that could remind Saburo that the Blind Monster was still a child.

The Strawman always just looked at the masked child with a raised eyebrow, not bothering to ask what had amused him so much.

The entire situation was amusing to him, to begin with, so he wasn't about to judge the perpetrator for laughing.

An entire village begging the one they had attacked to please leave them alone was a funny prospect.

Ken and Saburo reached Akira's cave after a few more minutes.

Instantly, Akira became alert when seeing close to 50 Shinobi descend on his hideout, he immediately tried to run away but seeing Ken calmed him down greatly.

The thought of Ken allying himself with the Grass Village and hunting him down again didn't even cross his mind.

Well, it had slightly. Ken was travelling with plenty of shinobi visibly wearing a Grass Village Headband, but Akira shoved the idea out quickly as it was a rather stupid conclusion to reach.

After all, if that had been the case Ken would have already knocked him out and/or killed him.

He also took notice of Ken's appearance, his long coat was now both tattered and bloody, it also revealed parts of his body, filled with scars and lithe muscles but no wounds whatsoever.

"I was about to think you wouldn't make it back, boss!" Akira immediately started calling Ken his boss and rubbing his hands together like a shrewd businessman.

Seeing him come back unscathed made Akira want to follow him immediately.

After all, someone that could stand up to an entire village was usually someone worth following, and Akira was already a wanted man, he needed protection.

"If you keep doing that with your hands I'll cut them off..." Akira immediately stopped rubbing his hands together at Ken's threat though.

"What's with all of the Shinobi though... Are you getting escorted out of their territory or something?"

Akira pointed at Saburo and his many clones.

"They will be joining me from now on. I am building an organization currently, and some extra hands are welcome. Yours will do just fine too." Ken decided to just be upfront with Akira, as he wanted to invite the thief to join them as well.

"Thanks, boss! I'd be more than glad to join ya!" Akira immediately kneeled in front of the Bounty Hunter, calling him boss once more.

By revealing the news in such a way, the shrewd elder had managed to momentarily take the target off his back and put it on the bounty hunter that was now technically one of the richest men alive.

'Such power and wealth are currently just roaming the world, huh?' Many bounty hunters were tempted to try their hand at the newly risen Red Dot. But not that many were actually willing to try.

His reputation was already quite fearful before, but now it had already reached a whole new level.

It was clear that no shinobi was going to stop by and sit down at any of his roadside grill parties. The fear had now truly set in, and it was clear that Ken didn't just go for targets.

It was still unknown what exactly made Ken attack the village, so people would rather choose to not find out on their own skin... The limits of the Red Dot's patience that is.

The 5 Kage were well aware of the full situation though, especially those that had wanted Ken dead.

No one bothered to speak out on Ken's reasons, so they remained a mystery, and the Blind Swordsman was called a bloodthirsty monster and criminal.

Ken and the rest had caught wind of that, about one week into their journey while passing through a small village.

The people there were visibly fearful of Ken and his men, a squad of close to 50 shinobi rolling up on a village was rather intimidating after all.

They also received other new and rather interesting pieces of information.

'The Second Shinobi War has officially ended, huh?' One week, in one week the villages had finally stopped their fights. The highlights?

Konohagakure had managed to defeat Amokagure and Sunagakure, or at least it did so on paper. Losses were great on all sides.

Now, the Leaf Village was the strongest hidden village. It had proven itself by fighting on multiple fronts and having the most powerful shinobi.

For one, the Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, the current God of Shinobi, is said to have mastered all ninjutsu.

There were also his disciples, all 3 of which had become renowned in the war and had gained the title of 'The Sannin'(Legendary 3 Shinobi). They had gained their titles by facing off against Hanzo of the Rain, who had bestowed the titles upon them by himself during their battle.

It was a rather heroic tale, as Hanzo was known for his strength, a man powerful enough to stand on the same stage as the 5 Kage.

Another prominent figure was Konoha's White Fang, who had also distinguished himself against the Sunagakure.

Overall, the village was simply brimming with talent and power. How could it not? Especially with the strong foundation that the first and second Hokage had left them.

Still, the end of the war made no difference to Ken.

It only meant that he would be able to go about his business while witnessing a bit less bloodshed on the way.

The Blind Swordsman was already lucky enough to have stumbled upon 3 different sites where Shinobi had killed each other en masse during his bounty hunting.

It was a rather grim scene, and even nature seemed unwilling to grow there for a while, though that might've been because of the scorched ground and cracked earth.

Ken and the rest continued their journey without bothering too much to dwell on the news.

It wasn't like they didn't expect the Grass Village to paint Ken as some sort of maniac. That much was so obvious that it hadn't even deserved mention before.

The point that the Blind Swordsman had wanted to make had still come across.

That he was a bounty hunter whom one shouldn't be messing around with.

That was the reputation that Ken had wanted to build when he had set out in the first place, so in a sense, he could thank the Grass Village for the help.

Ken also remembered something quite crucial as soon as he entered the forest where his hideout was.

'... I forgot to tell Tosho to prepare housing for all of us ahead of time...'

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Hope you liked the chapter!

Was able to write it a bit earlier today ;)

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