___________ POV Hiroshi ___________

For as long as I can remember, my senses were always stronger than those of others. I kept this little secret to myself, as I thought that everyone could at first.

My smell could pick up on more subtle scents, my ears could make out hushed conversations even through walls. And I could always 'feel' an energy revolving around my aunts and uncles, and even my friends.

This was especially true when they entered a frenzy, they always become 'beastlike' in some sense or another.

I can somewhat predict when a transformation is going to happen a few seconds before it does due to the Energy around the person rushing into their body. This has always been helpful whenever I am helping my mother.

Still, it took me many years to even slightly get the hang of that energy, no one else seemed to be able to feel or see it, but it really is everywhere around us in nature.

Every tree, every animal, they all seem to be guaranteed to have it, though to a very small extent.

It almost feels like this world is alive and breathing, like a human! I mean, it's a cool thought to have, what if I manage to befriend it one day? Heh.

But my enhanced senses weren't really limited to just smell, sight, and energy. I was also always able to pick up on the mood of those around me, which is great because it helped me cheer people up whenever they were feeling down!

Maybe it's because of these 'abilities' that I always felt as if part of me, of this family, was 'missing'.

It was as if there was a constant hole in the wall in my room. One that Mother and Father both struggled hard to hide with paintings or posters.

That 'hole' was something I always tried to fill out on my own. Making friends my age, and speaking to people I 'felt' were good.

My parents had moments where they looked really sad, where they cried and tried to hide away from me. That never worked, I could hear them.

No words were spoken between them, only my mother's tears being shed and my father consoling her while holding back his own tears.

I always thought that they were sad because I did something wrong, I strived to always be a good boy for them! The crying and sadness eventually dwindled, before disappearing altogether.

I was happy. Mother and Father were happy.

Well, as happy as could be. Some bad people came by regularly to collect a toll from Dad. They were really mean too... I tried fighting them once, but I lost badly to that leader, Iruma.

He broke my arm, and Father had to kneel before him and beg him to spare me... It was bad.

My acting out put my dad in a really bad position with the hidden village in general, since then I always hid in my room whenever they came by.

At least a year passed since then... And after such a long time, I've heard mother crying, again.

When I came downstairs, I also saw the cause of it.

A man, taller than me and father, a bulky frame filled with muscle hidden underneath a thin coat.

Long spiky hair flowed down to his lower back. His features were great too! A sharp jawline, and a slightly upturned nose.

Many would call him conventionally attractive, but the upper half of his face was mostly covered by his bangs, so I couldn't see his eyes at all.

Upon seeing him, my mind felt both a strange sense of familiarity... and fear.

His scent alone... It was unlike anything I had felt before.

The smell of a beast.

But he made mother cry, so I couldn't let it slide. I was prepared to fight him if needed, even though every nerve in my body was telling me to do the exact opposite.

Thankfully no such thing ever happened.

Despite smelling like a beast, he behaved as anything but one.

He was my brother... The missing piece. I could feel it, behind that beastlike scent, the familiarity in his features.

He looked somewhat like father, it felt as if he was older than me, but in reality, we were twins.

Finding out about his story made me mad at my parents... How could they abandon him like that? Left him to fend for himself? Well, not even that. A baby couldn't fend for himself.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

I've seen how clumsy they are in the younger members of our clan. Essentially, they left my brother to die.

But I can't bring myself to stay mad at my parents, feeling their sadness and hearing their cries... It all makes sense now, they've been suffering silently for a long time because of this.

They are not the same bad people that would do that to a child anymore. I've seen them care for the young in our village, I've felt their love growing up...

Because I know them, I can bring myself to forgive and forget... But I doubt Ken would.

His emotions are impossible to read. But he seems warm to me.

God... All those stories, blood-pumping adventures, and plots! It feels as if I am speaking to a character from a book.

Everything was going great. He even agreed to remain for dinner! Mother's joy was palpable, I could almost see it radiating off of her as she skipped over to the kitchen.

Dad was mostly silent, but I could feel his happiness as well. He's never been good at expressing his emotions though.

Then those bad guys that harassed Dad had to come by and ruin the mood.

Though... When they chose to pick on Ken of all people I felt mad.

Before that scent seeped out of brother again, and that smile spread on his face...

Iruma was something like a wall for me, one I had to break through and just couldn't. It made me want to get stronger, but I am still not confident that I'd be able to beat him.

But, when put into perspective... He feels more like a bug in front of brother.

___________ POV Narration ___________

"... What rude guests." The unmasked Blind Assassin's voice rang out through the room.

He was unimpressed. Petty people who clung to any sense of power and authority over others existed everywhere. Iruma was the textbook definition of that.

Toyama's breath hitched immediately, for a split second, he felt fear. That was due to the humiliation and trauma that their 'guest' had inflicted on him.

He thought that his son had made a mistake and that now his entire family would pay for it.

Of course, that thought only lasted a half-second, as he then eyed Ken's mask which was currently faced down on the table in their living room.

'Instead of us making a mistake... It may be more accurate to say that Iruma may have just doomed the Hidden Village he is so proud of working for...'

Ken's reputation, or rather infamy, was not anything to scoff at. It was said that his means were frightfully efficient, and his powers were beyond monstrous.

An undying monster was what many knew him as.

A general 'Do Not Engage' order had long since been passed down to all shinobi working for any hidden villages, no matter the size. This was especially true for the smaller Lands around, those that didn't have the protection of Great Kage.

After all, Ken was recorded and renowned for having almost dismantled a hidden village similar in strength to the one in the Land of Keys while only being around the age of 10 or 11 at most.

Toyama's fear shifted due to that. Towards Ken he couldn't help but feel a bit of fear, but also a lot of respect. He realized at the very least that Ken was a lot more fearsome than Iruma could ever dream of becoming.

As the father of the house was pondering on that, Iruma scowled and gave a short laugh to his stooges, who struggled to laugh with him. The wild smile on Ken's face seemed quite creepy to the two shinobi.

"Guests? What? Is this brat mentally damaged?" Iruma continued laughing as he patted his own stomach.

"Oi, other brat! How about you tell your brother how things stand around here?" Iruma addressed Hiroshi with quite a bit of authority.

But the young teen didn't budge. Really, he didn't even feel scared at all.

Just his brother's presence was enough for him to feel completely relaxed. Which enabled him to just yawn at Iruma's demands.

"Huh? The kid has gotten more arrogant it seems..." Iruma's hand reached to his back pouch as he spoke, he seemed to be doing his best to act as menacingly as possible.

"I'll have to teach you a lesson it seems. Maybe break the other arm? Or rather cut it off entirely..." The Special Jonin smiled as he took out a kunai.

When hearing that, Ken turned his head towards his twin, tilting it slightly.

Hiroshi seemed to be able to feel his confusion, so he just smiled and started explaining while rubbing the back of his head.

"I don't like him, so I tried beating him up once... Didn't really work out. He ended up breaking my arm."

Ken nodded upon hearing his brother's explanation.

Iruma seemed confused for one moment, unsure where all the fear he had instilled in Hiroshi had gone.

He also glanced over at Toyama, who for some reason wasn't doing anything to discipline his brats either...

Ken's hand slowly reached over to the table, and he flipped the mask over.

Iruma's confusion was quickly replaced by frustration at not being taken seriously.

But before speaking again he did take note of Ken's action... And his eyes did end up landing on that mask.

Any frustration that could've been found in his eyes, in his furrowed brows vanished instantly. His eyes widened, pupils expanding slightly as sheer terror gripped him.

Even the genin behind him had a similar reaction. After all, any shinobi that existed knew about the Red Dot, or at the very least knew enough to know not to provoke his ire.

"Brother, you lost to this man?" Ken's head turned back towards Iruma.

The Special Jonin could feel his hair falling out of his scalp when he heard the word 'Brother'.

"L-Lord Ken! I will repent, and I will make sure nothing like this happens again! Please spare me!"

In an instant, he was kneeling on the ground, head smashed against the wooden floor whilst every muscle in his body trembled in fear.

The two behind him were a little slower, but they did very much the same thing.

"... I don't remember asking any of you to kneel yet." Iruma could almost feel his neck being cut open just from the tone in the Blind Monster's voice.

He was about to force his body to stand up, but as soon as he moved even slightly upwards, he felt a foot land right on the top of his head, pressing his face back into the floor 'gently'.

"But since you are all wild dogs anyway, might as well stay like that." Ken didn't apply much pressure yet, though he could've easily just killed the man in that instant.

Hiroshi's eyes widened as well, not because of how Ken acted, but because of the speed at which he did.

Hiroshi's eyesight was just as good as the rest of his senses, but he couldn't even track Ken's afterimage.

Toyama also couldn't help but sweat. Ken really was an authoritative figure wherever he went, a leader and a man who demanded respect.

He was not and could not be disrespected freely. It didn't matter if he was in his own home or not.

As his biological father, the Shura Clan head could not say the same...

"I don't really remember your name, wannabe Jonin... But I think you understand the situation you are in right now." Ken smiled widely, just as he had when first speaking out.

But this time, with the added context of Ken's identity, the smile was a lot worse for Iruma, who was too scared to even soil himself.

The Blind Swordsman could feel Iruma's terror, which fueled his smile even further.

'Now then... What should I do with these guys?'