__________ POV Narration __________

"Hmm? Seems that plenty of characters have appeared, I do feel a bit strange being the last to show up."

Sarutobi sighed as his sandals touched the ground. He eyed all of the people present, and it was about who he had expected.

Mifune was a representative of the Land of Iron since the entire conflict had happened in his territory.

The Raikage and Killer B, since their relationship with the Red Dot and the Dark Brotherhood was said to run quite deep.

Finally, Ken and his associates, although most of the Dark Brotherhood were busy either tending to their own injuries or helping the samurai who were injured.

"Hmph, let's skip the fake humility Sarutobi. It doesn't matter if you got here first or last." The Raikage seemed to be quite accustomed to Hiruzen's antics.

It was true that the Third Hokage was always polite, but the Raikage had learned of a different side of him during the many battles they had fought.

Behind that polite and gentle exterior was a calculating and shrewd mindset that easily rivaled that of Danzo. It was a pre-requisite after all, the job of a Kage required a certain degree of finesse.

"As tactless as always..." The Hokage shook his head with a wry smile before continuing. "But you are correct. The only thing that matters now is... Why exactly did you call all of us here Ken?"

With his question, everyone's attention was now turned back toward the young leader of the Dark Brotherhood, who just continued to smile.

"You didn't need me to come here to help defend the Brotherhood if Mifune and the Cloud were here already... So what exactly do you have in mind?"

Mifune, The Raikage, and B all looked at Ken with the same curiosity.

Within Killer B, the 8 Tails, Gyuki, was also observing the situation with quite a bit of intrigue.

'Hmm... I wonder if he ended up confirming more about his existence... B! Try to get some private time with Ken after this is over... I want to have a word with him.'

B sweated a bit when hearing his beast companion shout in his mind. He could only sweat and not internally at that, most of his attention was still fixated on Ken and his upcoming words.

The Blind Assassin seemed happy to have all of their attention, and he finally clapped his hands, allowing his smile to die down.

"Hmm... To think I made it this obvious... I was wondering if I should wait for one last person, but it seems that they may be taking a bit longer than expected."

Ken's head tilted to the side as he released a tired sigh.

'I would have preferred if the Uzumaki to be here as well, but whatever... They are in cahoots with the Leaf, so this should be good enough. Optimal conditions for my proposal anyway, no need to delay it.'

"Before I confuse you with my plan... I believe it may be better for me to share my story with all of you, my goals..." Ken's serious tone was only further emphasized by his stony expression.

Normally, the Raikage would've told just about everyone to jump straight to the point, but he didn't dare to be that rude towards Ken and risk ruining their friendship.

Meanwhile, Hiruzen was similarly a bit frustrated internally, the Raikge was one of his bitter rivals at the end of the day, and having to meet him on cordial terms felt quite odd with the ongoing war.

But he was also intrigued. After all, Ken's past and motivations were still a mystery to the world at large.

Mifune only nodded and waited patiently. He knew that Ken was not prone to sharing too much about himself. Hell, there was a reason why Ken hadn't even shared his age with his students in the brotherhood at first.

'... But why did he share his age with the Cloud in the first place? What exactly compelled him to do so?'

The old general looked over at the Raikage and B, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Was it because Ken's friendship with them ran deep? But it wouldn't have been an exaggeration to say that Ken's friendship with the Land of Iron ran deeper.

Hell, he was basically family in Yuichi's eyes, and Mifune himself considered him one of their most trusted and capable allies.

'There must be something more to it...' Mifune's tired eyes scanned the battered field, the mounds of corpses that had gathered.

And at that moment, something in his mind seemed to finally click into the right place. The feeling of finally placing the last piece in a puzzle.

But before he could even think his theory through, Ken started speaking once more.

"You see, I've had a rather limited childhood... Always running around and fleeing authorities... I guess you could say I was a mountain child."

The Blind Monster's tone seemed quite melancholic as he remembered his past, a melancholic smile seemed to surface on his face too.

"My parents were deserters, bounties were put on their heads because they refused to die in a war that had nothing to do with them. In doing so, they lost their honor, their families, and eventually their lives."

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Mifune looked to the side a bit as he remembered more about the 'Mountain Hyenas', the people Ken called his parents.

They were by no means despicable in his eyes. Daisuke had been quite a reliable man up to that point at the end of the day. And the group he led weren't criminals in the samurai general's eyes, just slippery and clever.

The old general didn't hold any anger at their betrayal, but the law was still the law. They had to set a precedent to prevent more deserters in the future.

"As I traveled the world, I couldn't help but run into conflict more and more, furthering myself into the Shinobi world without even explicitly desiring to.

I needed eyes, so I built the Brotherhood, I needed ears, so I built connections with the underworld using my rising reputation.

I needed stability so I sought out the Uzumaki and learned Fuinjutsu. I needed limbs, so I befriended powerful allies, both knowingly and unknowingly."

Ken smiled as he recounted his story in a very abbreviated manner. He didn't go in-depth, but at the same time, he said just enough to allow the people listening to build an image in their minds.

"With every step I took, I ran into more and more 'war'.

Each time I fought to achieve what I set out to do, and each time I succeeded. I created a safe haven for me here, within the ruins that lay before your eyes..."

Ken pointed towards the remains of the Dark Brotherhood Compound.

Mifune's gaze softened, studying the scene in front of him, he couldn't help but feel that it was tragic.

"As your eyes can observe, the world is insisting on dragging me into its wars and misery...

No matter what I did or would do, someone would always find something to latch onto, and war would happen again.

The orphans of war that I adopted are bound to be plunged into more and more conflict and war as time passes..."

The Cloud Duo and the Hokage seemed to feel quite a bit of pity towards Ken's story too. But they, especially the Raikage, seemed to feel quite a bit of rage towards the circumstances.

And upon feeling their emotions bubbling, the Blind Monster realized that it was time to reveal his goal. To strike whilst the iron was hot, so to speak.

"That's why I gathered you all here. People I've forged alliances with, people I've realized would be sympathetic to my cause."

The Assassin's serious expression broke for a moment, as he smiled and looked to the side.

"It seems that the last arrival is also here now..." In the distance, a flashing red figure in the distance.

The Hokage also smiled upon seeing it, slowly taking a step to the side as the figure approached them at great speed.

"Hoh? So he's supposed to be that 'one last person' huh?" The Raikage gave Ken a trembling smile as the figure in front of them became clear.

A middle-aged man with long flowing red hair, dressed in a grey jonin fest soaked in blood, with black trousers and sandals.

On his chest was the large symbol of a whirlpool, and on his head was the forehead protector with a similar symbol.

On his back were two bloodied blades, alongside something that seemed like a barrel strapped to his back.

"Wow... Seems I've missed quite a lot." The newcomer looked around with a placid expression before his gaze finally rested on the Cloud Duo, the Hokage, and Mifune.

The Raikage looked to the side and scowled, averting his gaze as he recognized that man instantly.

Uzumaki Yorihhiko. The current leader of the Whirlpool Village and head of the Uzumaki Clan.

"You've missed out, but not on as much as you'd think... I was just about to get into why I called you all here."

Ken smiled and crossed his arms, Yorihhiko nodded and slowly unstrapped the barrel from his back and dropped it on the ground, raising a small cloud of dust.

"Hmm it's been a while since we've talked in person, but I couldn't refuse an invitation from you.

Some rather unsavory figures around, but I admit I am also quite curious as to what's on your mind..."

Yorihhiko commented as he gazed towards the Raikage, who continued to scowl, this time meeting the Whirlpool Kage's gaze defiantly.

"Don't get too cocky, Yor-" The Raikage spat out with disdain, but was interrupted by the booming sound of Ken clapping once.

Everyone's attention was finally back on the Blind Monster, who seemed a tad disappointed.

"I get that not everyone here is in good relations with one another, but please let us keep things civil... There has been enough bloodshed today." The Assassin spoke with his arms crossed, his voice monotone and devoid of emotion.

The Raikage sighed and mumbled an apology, whilst Yorihhiko shook his head and continued paying attention to Ken.

"My goal is simple. To prevent what has happened today from happening again anytime soon, I want all of the people present here to form an alliance."

Ken heard a few confused 'huh's and 'ooh's, before the information sunk in properly.

"Wait what?!?" The Raikage's eyes widened as he glanced over at the Hokage and Yorihhiko, who seemed to be raising their eyebrows in confusion.

"No offense, Ken. But the Cloud and the Whirlpool are not in the greatest of terms..." The Uzumaki Clan Leader shook his head with a strained smile.

"Same for the Leaf Village..." Hirzuen added to that as his expression remained unchanged. His eyes narrowed at Ken, however.

Mifune remained silent, merely observing the situation whilst stroking what remained of his half-burnt beard.

"It is true that your villages are at war... But do you three wish for that war to continue endlessly? What exactly would you even achieve from that?

Yorihhiko, the Cloud took part in the Alliance made to ruin your clan, but they were just a group amongst the many that had gathered there, and they didn't even reach the shores of the Land of Whirlpool..."

The Uzumaki Clan Head scratched his chin as well, slightly tilting his head to the side as he gazed over at the Raikage one more time.

Meanwhile, Ken continued.

"Hiruzen, the Leaf, and the Cloud both took plenty of damage throughout this war. There shouldn't be much animosity at this point unless you feel the need to spill more blood needlessly..."

The Hokage was not as silent as Yorihhiko however.

"It is true that both sides are losing in our conflict. But that does not mean that we would be prepared or willing to become close allies."

Ken seemed a bit disappointed to hear that, but he also seemed to have been expecting it.

"I am willing to act as a mediator amongst the three of you, this alliance isn't something to help us fight against the world. It's meant to give the world a chance to rest.

At least while the people here are in power, it would give our respective villages and the people of our Lands some time to breathe. A period of peace, so to speak..."

Ken's words seemed to resonate with both the Hokage and Yorihhiko, who looked at each other for a second.

The Raikage himself didn't seem to be against his idea. Only he knew how much his people had suffered due to the ongoing war. He had also grown tired of it now.

He liked the rush, he loved to fight. But he was always going to put the needs and wants of his people first, and he knew they needed peace.

"The Land of Iron is also willing to act and mediate between the nations within the alliance."

And his words essentially sealed the deal for all of the Kage present.

They all looked at the usually silent samurai, as he took Ken's side without even the slightest hesitation.

In the end, they all nodded and agreed, they still gave each other not-so-friendly looks, but Ken was sure such things would be fixed with time.

And so, the 'Three Corners Alliance' was formed. An alliance consisting of Samurai, Bounty Hunters/Hired Assassins, and Shinobi.

But there was still one more issue left to address.

And the Raikage was more than willing to be the one to point out the elephant in the proverbial room.

"Ok... So all of us present here will work together form now on, to ensure each other's prosperity...

But we don't hold the final say in war decisions. So, what about the actual Nobility of the Lands that rule over us? "