__________ POV Narration__________

The Daimyō of the Land of Iron, Harada Yuichi, didn't simply sleep on the news of a strange village popping up in the middle of a mountain range in his territory.

Even if it was on the border, it still fell under his jurisdiction. He did learn that the ones that helped build it were paid handsomely, upon interrogating one of the workers, he learnt a bit more about the people occupying it.

'Shinobi, as well as children that seem to be victims of the war...'

It was a concerning situation for the Land of Iron.

The first thought that came to mind was that deserters from the Second Shinobi War had decided to create a new village in the Land of Iron, to provide a home for the ones that had their lives ruined by the war.

Yuichi couldn't quite bring himself to respect deserters and Shinobi, but he actually found the idea a bit heartwarming.

However, he didn't want to get involved in a dispute with any of the hidden villages regarding the shinobi that had taken refuge in his country.

That was why Yuichi had decided to send a delegation to the sprouting community. To see what exactly was their deal and understand what course of action he should take.

'As much as I like the idea of war orphans having a home, I don't want it to be done at my expense.

I need to find out where this village gets its funding and whether or not it's a threat to national stability.

If it isn't, and they've managed to help our country, then they should at least pay taxes like any other village.'

That was the thought process of the Daimyō, at the end of the day, if the community was to contribute to the country, he didn't care if they were former shinobi.

He would be willing to tell the hidden villages to fuck off if the need arose.

There was however the possibility that they were actually spies sent by one of the hidden villages.

But it seemed unlikely, none of the hidden villages had anything to gain from aiming for the Land of Iron.

The Land of Iron was mostly a mountainous region, all of their castles and cities were easy to defend and all of their soldiers were used to the terrain and cold temperatures.

Back in the warring era, many clans had tried to take the Land of Iron, only to be forced to back away by samurai determined to defend their homes.

Many warriors had distinguished themselves at that time, their families now part of the nobility in the Land of Iron.

They weren't afraid of any of the other Lands surrounding them, even if they were smaller in size.

After all, from reports, none of the shinobi were wearing any headbands. Meaning they had abandoned any loyalty they once had with their former villages.

The delegation he sent was comprised of one Hokoshu, a noble appointed by the Shogun, and two Hatamoto, Banner carriers that were there to protect the noble messenger in his quest.

They were there specifically to invite the leader of the community to meet with the Daimyō, the noble was there to represent the Land of Iron's honest intentions.

The delegation was greeted at the gate, it was newly constructed, and a small wooden fence surrounded the small village from what they could see.

There were two masked men guarding the gate, standing eerily still and not moving even an inch as they waited on the orders of their leader.

The Hokoshu had already been greeted by a person wearing a different mask, one with a red line down the middle. Their conversation hadn't gone quite well.

'You want to summon our leader to your castle?'

'Of course, it's only customary that a land owner greets the true ruler of the lands he occupies.'

'True ruler. huh?' Tosho said mockingly as he shook his head a bit.

The delegate scowled a bit when sensing the disdain in the masked man's voice.

'Watch your mouth when speaking of the Daimyō. You are currently in the Land of Iron, you shall treat its ruler with respect.' The Hokoshu spoke with a confident and accusatory tone.

He didn't appreciate his superior's name being taken in vain, nor did he appreciate Tosho's disrespectful nature.

Alas, Tosho who had lived as a poor peasant for the better part of two decades didn't have much respect for the rich ruling class.

'Whatever... I'll inform our leader of your presence. You can speak to him yourself' Tosho simply waved his hand and turned around.

The Hokoshu wanted to admonish the masked retainer when hearing his dismissive tone. Tosho's back disappeared before he had the chance to.

The Hokoshu and the Hatamato wanted to enter the village then, but the two guards simply raised their palms.

"We shall escort you to the leader's compound." One of the masked guards said as it gestured for the delegation to follow him.

At that point, the Hokoshu simply nodded respectfully, he was displeased with the fact that this 'leader' hadn't come out to greet them, but he appreciated being escorted inside nonetheless.

The inside of the village looked quite beautiful, even by the Hokoshu's standards. It was clear that it was built with quite a large budget.

And in the distance, he and the Hatamoto were able to see dozens of children happily training and walking around, watched over by masked men that looked similar to the guards.

The delegation immediately became tense, as they realized a rather chilling fact.

'This... They're training children to become shinobi?!'

They knew that they needed to report the matter to the Daimyō with haste.

The community that they were visiting now was clearly not just a regular village, and every resident seemed to either be a masked shinobi, or a child still in training.

'Building a hidden village in our territory... This spells trouble.' The Hokoshu gulped a bit as he looked at his surroundings.

The guard leading them was just as quiet as before, in fact, none of the adults seemed to be talking or conversing in any way.

It was as if they were just wardens.

'At least the children don't look to be mistreated...'

That was the one redeeming factor in all of that. The Hokoshu noticed how they all seemed to be wearing new clothes, and all of them seemed to be well-fed.

Even better, to the side, he could see one of the masked guards cooking a large pot of warm stew. The Hokoshu could clearly see that there was a lot of meat inside that stew.

'At the very least these are people we may be able to talk to...'

Overall, it gave both the two Hatamoto and the Hokoshu a decent impression of the village. That didn't change the fact that they all detested how the Shinobi started training their young though.

Eventually, the delegation reached a large building, which seemed to be more akin to a mansion, with a wooden structure and a tiled roof.

There were two more guards stationed at the entrance, which greeted the delegation with a nod, before showing them inside.

The halls inside reminded the Hokoshu of his own home. Large and spacious, spotless and clean, while also being well-lit and decorated.

'It's clear that this leader knows how to live...'

It was rather impressive after all. The village was starting to look less like a village and more like a compound with a mansion housing a stray noble.

The faces of the delegation changed as soon as they entered the room of the leader though. Two more guards at the door opened it for them, allowing them to enter.

The leader sat in a chair, his spiky long black hair flowing behind him as he sat down with his legs crossed.

The man wore a black coat that covered most of his body, just like all of the other adults in the compound, but the delegation instantly noticed something different.

His white mask had a large red dot in the centre, one that sent shivers down their spines.

'Shit... Why is this man here?!'

The short man was currently the most famous bounty hunter. The madman had attacked a hidden village unprovoked and brought it to its knees.

He was both dangerous and unpredictable. In that instant, the delegation felt as if the situation was just going to take a turn for the worst.

The Hatamoto by his side also immediately tensed up, their hands trembling as if they prepared to reach for their blades.

The Red Dot wasn't even alone in the room. By his side stood two people. All dressed the same as him, but their masks all had a different number of lines on them, instead of a dot.

"Greetings, representants of the Land of Iron." The Bounty Hunter's voice broke out first, relieving some of the tension in the room, at least momentarily, with his polite tone.

The Hokoshu even sighed in relief when hearing that. Unlike Tosho, Ken seemed to be respectful at the very least.

"Greetings, I must apologize for the prolonged silence. I was a bit taken aback by your presence..." The Hokoshu decided to simply calm down and carry out his mission.

He was just a messenger at the end of the day. It was unlikely for him to be killed off for no reason. As long as he acted with respect, the Hokoshu believed he would be just fine.

The Hatamoto at his side were also trained enough to know when acting was a bad choice. So they both chose to remain completely silent.

"I can understand how my presence may be a bit offputting, especially with the rumours that have been circling around lately.

However, I assure you that you are in no danger currently. I do not wish to make an enemy out of the Land of Iron."

At that point, the Hokoshu was completely relieved. Not only was the Red Dot nothing like the rumours, but he was also polite and well-spoken. A man that knew his way around diplomacy, at the very least.

"I am glad to hear that... However, I am afraid that the Daimyō wouldn't quite agree with you building a hidden village here..."

The Noble decided to also address the elephant in the room after realizing that Ken was someone he could converse with.

"Oh, I can assure you that we are not building a hidden village. This is merely the compound of my bounty-hunting organization.

It hasn't been established for long, but I was planning on getting in contact with the Daimyō myself."

Ken decided to not tell the whole truth in the end. He didn't feel that the Land of Iron needed to learn of his intentions and aspirations for now.

"Hmmm... A bounty hunting organization? That is quite unheard of... I guess you will have to speak to the Daimyō directly regarding the rights to build such a thing in his territory."

The delegation still didn't seem completely convinced by Ken's answer, but they weren't quite willing to challenge him directly.

"I am sure we will be able to come to an agreement regarding that.

Regardless, this organization is only funded and built through the money we make from hunting bounties and killing threats to the Land of Iron.

I doubt the Daimyō will be unable to see the benefits of keeping such an organization around."

Ken's answer was just as polite as before. Constructed well, almost as if he had already been expecting them, and had thought of exactly what to say beforehand.

"I am able to see the benefits of such a thing... I am sure the Daimyō will also be curious to learn more.

I am here to formally extend an invitation to you. The Daimyō wishes to meet you in person in his castle.

You may come at your own convenience, but please try to make haste... I am sure you understand that this is a rather delicate matter."

The Hokoshu placed a small scroll on the table in front of Ken as he spoke, wanting to quickly complete his mission so that he could leave the compound/village.

"Of course. I shall start making my way there this week. Thank you for delivering this message to us."

The Red Dot simply nodded, not bothering to extend his hand and read the letter in front of the delegation.

The Hokoshu felt that it was a bit disrespectful of him, but decided not to say anything, as Ken had been quite polite up to that point.

"Of course, it's been a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, Red Dot."

The Hokoshu bowed slightly before preparing to take his leave.

"A pleasure indeed..." Ken nodded a bit, before turning his head to the side of one of his retainers.

"Second Blade... Please make sure to escort these men out of the compound."

The delegation watched, the man that wore a mask with two lines simply nodded and walked to their side.

"There's no ne-" The Delegation wanted to leave the village anyway, but they didn't exactly feel safe walking around with one of the Red Dot's retainers.

"Think of it as me showing my sincerity. We shall speak again at the palace." Ken didn't bother to hear them out anymore, simply gesturing for them to leave.

The Hokoshu wanted to protest once more, but decided against it, and simply looked at his men and started leaving.

As soon as they left the room, Ken sighed.

"Rather annoying, huh?" Tosho said as he looked at his leader with a side glance.

"Maybe, but it is something we would've had to deal with eventually." The Blind Leader shrugged a bit.

"This doesn't feel quite right... I think you should take us with you when you visit the castle." Akira said as he scratched his chin a bit.

"There is no need to overcomplicate things. I can always escape if I find out they're planning something. Besides, this doesn't feel much like a trap, at least not a physical one..."

The leader simply shook his head, placing his mask on the table, raising his head high and taking a deep breath.

"They will certainly try something if you don't agree to submit to them. But your reputation might make them reconsider taking action." Tosho was also a bit unsure when speaking, he wasn't quite used to politics either, so he was mostly going by what his gut was telling him.

"Regardless of what they attempt, I'll at the very least hear them out." Ken smiled a bit, revealing his sharp teeth and canines to his two retainers.

"We are still preparing for 'that' mission though, so this isn't exactly ideal timing..." Tosho said as he turned his head and looked at a billboard on the wall.

It was filled with different pictures, currently obscured by a screen to their visitors, only visible from the leader's chair.

On the billboard were the pictures of 7 people, all impaled with knives on that wall.

"Indeed, but there is no hurry, we'll get to it after training our current set of recruits, which might take another 2 years." Ken simply shrugged.

"Indeed, I guess you'll really have to reach an understanding with the Land of Iron then." Saburo also walked back in at this time, already knowing what the discussion was about from the clones that stood at the door.

"I doubt it'll be that difficult. This compound is sure to have left a rather good impression on the delegation.

It was a good choice for you to give the children a break from training and to start cooking with the windows open when they arrived..."

"Of course, thank you for noticing my efforts... Though some of the children still continued training, hardworking seedlings, the lot of them." Saburo simply bowed slightly, smiling a bit under his mask.

'I guess you can't really hide anything from this child's 'eyes' huh?'

"... As a reward for your carefully planned presentation of our organization, I'll make sure to put a bit more funding into the laboratory.

At the very least hurry its completion so that you may be able to restart your research." Ken didn't seem to pay any mind to Saburo's 'thanks'. He instead decided to just give the man a tangible reward.

A carrot on a stick for him to continue performing. That was the only strategy that would truly ever work with someone like the Strawman.

Saburo was aware of the way Ken thought about him, and he was pleased that he didn't need to bother hiding his intentions around the Blind Child.

The Strawman simply smiled and nodded when hearing that he would be able to restart his research sooner.

After all, he had placed everything on hold in order to help Ken with the Dark Brotherhood.

"Of course..."

They then continued going over a few papers, including the invitation from the Land of Iron's leader.

Tosho also went to train the children. There were a lot of them now, so Saburo's clones were assisting him with the training as well.

The next few days flew by quickly, and Ken eventually left his office with a smile on his face.

'Time for Diplomacy, huh?'

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Hope you liked the chapter! Was forced to stay more at work today ;(( Overtime's a bitch, can't wait to be done with it for good

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