____________ POV Narration ____________

The Raikage couldn't help but gulp as he heard Ken's question.

"So, what is it going to be, A? Do you wish to remain within the Alliance and just benefit from it quietly? Or do you want to leave?"

'This can't be right... Even if he's grown stronger, my departure would still harm the Alliance's standing overall...'

The Raikage told himself that Ken was bluffing, that he was still an integral part of the alliance just like in the beginning, but in the back of his mind he knew that what Ken was saying was true.

Despite his many misgivings with Ken, it only made sense for him to have grown stronger over the years.

The rise of another figure on par with the first God of Shinobi.

It was a frightening, yet very real situation for the entire Elemental Nations.

Though few said it, Hashirama was technically a tyrant for the many Noble Clans and the other Hidden Villages.

Hashirama controlled just about everything in his era with sheer and overwhelming strength.

Ken's talent and potential were the main reason why the initial alliance against him had even been formed.

Indeed, the simple possibility that Ken could become someone like Hashirama had almost banded the whole world against him.

But it had also given birth to their Three Corners Alliance.

Maybe some had forgotten, but back then, it really was only a matter of time before Ken grew too strong to be manageable for even the combined forces of the hidden villages.

It was already too late at that stage, and the Raikage of all people should have known that best.

He had fought Ken personally before, he knew he was outmatched 6 years ago, but now he was likely only able to stall Ken for a minute or two at best...

The rest of the world, the Noble Clans, likely had anticipated this. The only real question was if the world was going to react the same way to him as they did to Hashirama.

'Times have changed, younger generations tend to be stronger than the old ones if we don't take into consideration actual anomalies like the First Hokage and Ken...'

In the end, the Raikage felt pressure from all sides right now.

On one hand, leaving the alliance would make him feel better. His village had already benefited greatly from it, and he could technically cut away and become a neutral party.

'But if I do leave the Alliance, things are eventually bound to go back to how they were before...'

Currently, the Raikage was in contact with the Noble Clans of the Land of Lightning, their relationship was not like before, but they were still somewhat cordial.

But if he no longer had the Alliance to rely on, the Cloud Village would then be forced to go back to fully relying on the Noble Clans for funding and missions.

That all led to the Raikage asking himself one very important question...

'Can I, or the Cloud, avoid becoming enemies of Ken and his Dark Brotherhood after leaving the Alliance?'

The short answer was a 'No', even the best-case scenario in the Raikage's mind was more like a 'Maybe'.

'Maybe if other Lands rise up against Ken first, and witness his strength, the Nobles of the Land of Lightning would realize that the futility of it all...'

But what if there was going to be yet another coordinated attack? What if the Nobles had already banded together against Ken?

Well, that would mean that the Cloud would also get dragged into it, which was not something that the Raikage was willing to risk.

"I see that you are hesitating quite a bit..." Ken muttered as he slowly sat back down, his frame shifting, becoming slightly smaller.

"You aren't seeing shit... Like usual..." The Raikage muttered right back, but he still seemed to be deep in thought.

That small bite he took at Ken had come off almost on instinct, he hadn't even realized his mistake.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

The Master Assassin's finger taped on the arm guard of his chair, a vibration spread through the wood almost instantly, and before the Raikage could even realize it, he had lost his balance as the floorboards underneath him almost exploded outwards.

The Cloud Village Leader managed to regain his balance in time, landing back on the ground on one knee, with his forehead filled with sweat.

"Such jokes are only to be made among friends, Lord Raikage... I'll let this one pass, on account of our past friendship, as well as you still being part of the alliance."

The Blind Monster's tone was cold. It was clear that he no longer saw the Raikage as a friend.

But he also didn't see him as an enemy. He was completely neutral, if not a bit hostile only because of the Raikage's own attitude.

"Sorry for the floor, Hiruzen... I'll pay back for the damages." His tone completely shifted when addressing the 3rd Hokage, who only nodded.

"There is no need to bother about that." Hiruzen waved off the Assassin's concerns whilst still smoking from his pipe.

The entire exchange seemed to interest him, but he also seemed to be quite uncaring. At the end of the day, the Leaf would continue to benefit from the Alliance. Even more so now that Ken had grown stronger. So he was in a very good mood.

The Raikage slowly stood up, his back cracking as his spine now stood straight.

"The Cloud will continue to be part of the Alliance..." Was all that the Raikge could say.

After weighing his options, it was the best thing that he could do for the village. And he could not allow his shortsightedness and personal grudges to affect the prosperity and health of his people.

"Very well. Then we no longer have any issues to discuss." Ken immediately shot up from his chair, standing up and turning towards the door.

"It has been a pleasure sensing you all again in this fine establishment." The Blind Assassin waved at the Leader's present.

"It's also been a pleasure to see you on this fine day, sir Ken." The Hokage smiled as he waved right back, Sakumo behind him mimicking that move.

Yorihhiko also nodded towards Ken.

"Thank you for appearing for my daughter's wedding! She may not have shown it much, but she really appreciates it. She looks up to you more than me these days..."

The current Leader of the Uzumaki Clan seemed to come off a bit bitter at the end, but it couldn't be helped.

Ken was not a figure that anyone could easily compare to. And Kushina had grown up looking at him as the prime example of strength and intelligence that a leader should aspire to have.

Ever since he had saved her and Minato, she had admired him. And that admiration turned to idolization after finding out more about him and his many accomplishments.

It was not a blind idolization, but she did look up to Ken more than she did to Yorihikko or even the current Hokage.

The Blind Assassin left the meeting room whilst whistling a rather cheerful tone, he passed by a few familiar faces, Anbu he had met in the past, all part of Sakumo's team.

Jiraiya was likely still out for the count after getting a wee bit too drunk during the wedding.

But Ken was about to meet yet another one of the Sanin...

"Well, that's a familiar smell..." The assassin commented casually as he turned around and opened a random room within the Hokage's building.

Inside was a small laboratory, where a rather stunned man with fair features was sat down and looking at some samples.

"Glad to 'see' that you're doing work that's not shady as well, Orochimaru." Ken laughed a bit as he walked forward, ignoring the other person in the room, a woman he didn't recognize at first 'glance'.

"Oh, if it isn't Lord Ken! It is truly my honour!" Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin stood up from his desk, his smile displayed his sharp teeth as he walked towards Ken in a surprisingly subservient manner.

Despite the fact that the Blind Assassin was not wearing his titular mask, the Snake Sannin could still recognize him easily.

Ken may or may not have supplied Orochimaru with enough funds to allow him to continue his experiments freely, in exchange for a few favours of course...

The Snake Sannin was smart enough to know to take advantage of such a connection, so whenever Ken was around he would always act accordingly.

"No need to speak of Honor among comrades, Konoha is a powerful part of our alliance after all..." Ken smiled as he spoke politely.

"It's not nice to be ignored, you know?" The woman in the room spoke with a rather annoyed tone.

Ken tilted his head slightly before it finally clicked for him.

"Oh... You must be the last of the Sannin! Tsunade, if I remember correctly..." Ken smiled as he now took a better 'look' at the woman's features.

She was wearing rather simple clothing, her features could easily be called beautiful, and her hair was caught in a ponytail that flowed down her back.

Ken could feel from her chakra alone that she was quite decent in strength. Upon paying closer attention to her, he could tell she was at the level of a Sannin, though certainly weaker than Jiraiya and Orochimaru.

It had become hard for him to differentiate the Sanin from Top Jonin though, as he had already gone far above that level, to the point where they all looked the same to him... Cannon fodder.

One other stand-out feature of hers was that she had a rather large bust, making the Blind Assassin feel sorry for her lower back.

"Indeed, this here is Tsunade and she is the best doctor that Konoha currently has... I am merely trying to assist her get over a traumatic incident." Orochimaru stepped forward, nodding slightly as he recounted the task given to him by Hiruzen.

"No need to inform him of that..." Tsunade muttered, her gaze turning a bit suspicious as she looked at the young leader of the Dark Brotherhood.

"Oh, but If it's about overcoming trauma, then I believe my expertise could also be helpful..."

"Oh, you have experience with this?"

Orochimaru seemed genuinely curious when asking that question. Ken smiled a bit, internally he couldn't help but laugh.

'I have more experience inflicting trauma if anything... But I guess I can use some of Saburo's research here, I have 'read' through all of it anyway. This would be a good way to gain the favour of yet another Sanin.'

"I am highly proficient in Genjutsu and have done a lot of research alongside someone in regards to how it may affect the human mind.

I can help her face her trauma and maybe overcome it, though that depends on her as well..."

He turned his head towards Tsunade as he spoke, gouging her reaction.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, turning to Orochimaru for a second, as if looking for reassurance.

The Snake Sannin merely nodded, seemingly confirming that Ken was trustworthy.

"Very well... If you are willing to help then I accept it."