Chapter 114: Titles, Atmosphere and Discussion

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 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?'

__________________________________________

Hope you liked the chapter!

A bit tired today, but I felt like writing for this story today :)) Anyhow, I'll be releasing a chapter the other one tomorrow

Story Shoutout!(send me a DM if you've got any interesting story for a shout out, have little time for reading as of late) : The Last Observer

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