Chapter 180: Pragmatism, Bonding and Purpose

Chapter 180: Pragmatism, Bonding and Purpose

___________ POV Narration ___________

It was a sunny day in the Land of Keyes, Yamada Tomichi, the kage of the hidden village within that land couldn't help but take a sip of tea as he enjoyed the view from his window.

Their hidden village was a coastal one, being right near a beach, hidden among sand, rocks and foliage.

But despite its natural camouflage, it was still a rather great tourist attraction for many.

Some called it the 'Pearl of the West', a nation so beautiful nestled in between the below-average lands of the Rock and the Wind.

Yamada was immensely proud of his village, especially since he was the son of its founder.

The Land of Keyes formed a bit later than most, as things were still quite messy after the Warring States period for them.

It was hard for their land to consolidate enough power to protect itself from the giants surrounding it.

Thankfully, they were able to avoid being invaded many times due to their being able to foster good relations with most of their neighbours.

Yamada's participation in the Shinobi Alliance against the Uzumaki was also a way for him to show his support to the Tsuchikage at the time.

Of course, it turned out to be a bust, but Yusuzo was forced to cut his losses in that situation.

Thankfully Onoki had much bigger issues in his hands than picking on a smaller land for abandoning the alliance at that time.

So, Yamada was left pretty much unaffected by most issues. He was also one of the lands that didn't participate in the War on the Dark Brotherhood. Also called the 'War of the Greats'.

The Land of Keys was simply not in any state to get involved in such conflicts.

Yamada had put a lot of effort into maintaining the neutrality of his Land that entire time. His only real regret was not being able to join the Three Corners Alliance and benefit from it.

Alas, it wasn't as if he was worthy of it in the first place. Their Land of Keys would've been significantly weaker than all of the others, and they were also not much better financially than any of them...

He sipped his tea as he looked over some files, random reports about the village's finances and the number of new genin they had produced that year.

Such reports were integral to the job of a Kage, Yamada was to check them before sending them forward to the Daimyō of the Land of Keys in his quarterly report.

As he was checking those files, a shinobi dropped from the ceiling of his office and took a knee, grabbing the Kage's attention almost immediately.

"I guess it must be important since you are interrupting my tea time..." Yamada muttered as he gave the masked Anbu a cold gaze.

"S-sir, we have reports that the Red Dot has been spotted heading towards and entering the Shura Clan's compound!" The Anbu wasted no time in giving his report.

The silence in the room following his report was so deafening that one couldn't even hear the sound of the waves outside crashing into the coast.

"The Red Dot... Wha- Why would..." Yamada lost his composure at that moment. Thê source of this conte/nt n/o/v/(el)bi((n))

After all, Ken was a figure that could singlehandedly wipe out the entire Land of Keyes within the day. Yamada was well and truly stumped.

'What could he want from such a remote clan? Is he perhaps interested in their bloodline? But it is quite useless since it is uncontrollable...'

"S-sir, should we send a party to intercept and attempt to question his intentions?" The Anbu continued kneeling as he spoke out.

His words seemed to grate Yamada's ears, however.

As Toyama grew older, he too felt disappointment in his younger self. However, he was more stubborn than his wife and never fully admitted his fault—at least until his mistake was 'staring' him right in the face.

Regardless, Ken's story of revenge wasn't the only concerning aspect to the parents... There was also their son's reaction to it all.

Hiroshi really seemed to be cut from the same cloth as Ken. He seemed more impressed and fascinated when hearing about the gruesome deaths of the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist.

They were not killed in battle, they were tortured, broken both physically and mentally and ultimately murdered in their lowest moments.

Ken had likely left them with such deep mental scars that they were never going to make it to the Pure Lands.

After all, any soul with attachments and regrets was forever going to be stuck in limbo.

Ken's revenge had inadvertently doomed their afterlives as well.

The Shura Clan had deeply spiritual beliefs, and so did the clan that Ryoko originated from, which was why they were all the more horrified by what their son, Ken, had become.

Although, they really didn't have the right to call him their son.

"Anyway, that's enough about my life. I am doing well for myself, I am a proud father of hundreds now, and the Brotherhood is thriving more than ever."

Both Ryoko and Toyama felt their eyes almost pop out of their sockets when hearing that. At least until they remembered that Ken was considered a father figure for all recruits in his organisation.

Hiroshi really seemed to admire Ken a lot. And how couldn't he? A child that was dealt what was likely one of the shittiest hands in life turned everything around thanks to sheer talent, hard work and determination.

Of course, if one were to ask Ken directly then he would contribute most of his success to his unmatched talent.

His skills as an assassin had carried over, but it was thanks to the body that he was born into that he was able to use them from such a young age.

Had he been a normal child, then he likely would've only started his life in the Shinobi world at around 15 or 16, when his body would've matured more.

He would have lost many opportunities, and he would have certainly not been able to rise as quickly.

"Now then... Let me get to why I've decided to visit you all in the first place..." Ken slowly leaned into his chair, Hiroshi's attention was completely fixated on him.

His parents both nodded.

"Information and blood samples... We will do our best to help you with everything you need, Ken..." Toyama spoke out, his gaze told of his inner turmoil, betraying his calm exterior facade.

But Ken didn't really care, instead, he smiled and started learning more about his clan and its current situation, as well as the circumstances of his birth...

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Hope you liked the chapter!

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