_________ POV Joseph _________ (This is kinda the usual staple for my fanfics, POV's will change from time to time)

The years flew by as I grew up.

It didn't take me long to realize that I am not exactly in a modern time. The people that saved me are all samurai, deserters to be exact.

At first, I wasn't sure where I am exactly. But after listening to some conversations, I heard names like 'Shinobi' and 'Kage' being dropped.

It reminded me of a Japanese cartoon I used to watch when I was in the orphanage. About a kid that dreamed of becoming the Hokage.

At first, I thought it was absurd, but that would explain the energy I can feel in my body, and around me.

I don't know how, but I was reborn in this world. I don't know where exactly, but it's certainly not in any major city.

Shinobi are also not common around these parts. From what I was able to pick up, this country's military only consists of Samurai.

I am now thankfully able to speak Japanese perfectly, I picked up whatever words I didn't know during the years.

My benefactors also did their best to teach me how to talk. It was rather clumsy, but they tried nonetheless, and it did help me in the end.

In the end, I even received a name. They decided to call me Kioshi Ken, which would literally translate to Silent Blade... I think I'll go with that name from now on, purely out of respect for my saviours.

They took inspiration from the fact that I didn't really cry at all as a child, not even when starving for several days.

That instance was rather common, although my benefactors did their best, it wasn't all that easy for them...

I don't blame them at all though, they were the ones that gave me a second chance at life. I don't know where I would've ended up if I died again, maybe I would've just gone to hell as I deserve.

These men, although not innocent angels, gave their best to protect me and preserve my life. Maybe they are, in some way, trying to repent for their sins through me as well?

Regardless, the ten deserting samurai that adopted me all went through so many hardships.

Four of them passed away in these five gruelling years.

The first one to pass away, and someone that I learned the name of later, was Nakada Isamu. He passed away because he wrapped me in his winter clothing.

A cold of all things got to him, whatever medicine they had, they used it all on me. The warmth of the fire wasn't enough to cure his ailment.

They couldn't afford to go to a settlement, as they'd get hunted down and killed. In the end, Isamu told them to shut the fuck up and let him die.

From what the others said, the man went out with a smile...

The other three were brothers. They only went by Ryou, Juro and Ken.

They passed away in quick succession, as a group of samurai had managed to find our hideout. Since my saviours were deserters, they were simply treated as criminals.

The three brothers were the ones to hold back the samurai, while the rest of us fled. Well, I was still a baby, so I was carried.

The fact that they had to die made me rather angry, but there was simply nothing I could do as a baby...

Stolen novel; please report.

Now, I've grown quite a bit. I am around 1 meter (3.2 feet) in height, and I have been doing my best to train my body ever since I could walk around.

Well, as much as one can train as a baby. Which is not much, but I at least gained some coordination faster as I got used to my body.

As described by Daisuke, the leader of the deserter group that took me in, my appearance is extremely strange. Jarring even, some people would be terrified if they aren't prepared to see it.

I have long spiky black hair, that's not the scary part though(obviously). Thing is, it's not that I am blind. I am actually missing the upper half of my face completely.

Anything above my mouth is gone, only appearing as swirls of flesh apparently... At least my nostrils are intact.

One of the samurai that had some knowledge in medicine did try to see if my eyes were covered by patches of skin.

A birth defect that was possible, and they thought/hoped that they'd be able to help me if that was the case.

But he only ended up discovering that my skull doesn't even have eye sockets at all. Which makes me feel a bit strange.

How much radiation was my mother in this world exposed to for me to end up like this?! Well, it was enough to fry her brain and destroy any sense of morals she might've had.

I didn't let that discourage me though. Even without eyesight, my other senses seem to be able to make up for that.

Smell, Hearing, even feeling vibrations through the earth... Although I can't see, and I won't ever be able to see, I am able to use my enhanced senses to make up for that.

It took actual years of training and acclimating, but now I am able to feel whenever people are nearby. It's odd, but it's likely due to this strange energy inside me.

I thought it was chakra, as that was what I remembered being used in the show... But it wasn't as simple as that.

Koji, the 'doctor', was able to confirm that my chakra networks are different than usual, but he wasn't able to tell me much more than that.

Apparently, we'd need a diagnosis from a much more skilled medic-nin to be able to tell what is actually going on with my body.

But, even without that, I can sense what is inside my body. After feeling around a bit more, there seem to be two different energies always present in my body.

I assume one of them is chakra... But what is the other one supposed to be?! I never paid much attention to important things when I watched that show. I was just a small kid, and I only watched a bit, barely even remembering the names of the main characters...

That doesn't matter anymore though. I can pretty much ignore that show, for now, I can focus on survival first, and worry about everything else later.

Now, I have reached an adequate enough age to actually start training my body. There is still some baby fat on me, but I can start somewhat developing some strength.

Currently, we are just sitting in a wooden hut, built in the middle of the thick forest. Daisuke and Koji are the only two people present for now, the others are out hunting.

It won't be easy to convince either of them to train me, but I do need to try to persuade them.

"Daisuke..." I could sense the leader turn his head towards me in surprise... I guess I don't talk a lot.

"What's wrong Ken?" He asked as he patted the snow off his lap. He just came from outside, we're still in a land that seems to have an everlasting winter.

"I want to become strong..." I tried my best to sound as serious as possible, but that is extremely hard to do with a child's voice...

I can't really sense Daisuke's expression, but I'd guess it would be looking a bit confused right now.

"Umm... I don't know if that's a good idea... Where did this come from anyway?" He asked, the confusion in his tone is rather evident, I can also feel the change in his heartbeat, indicating that he is panicking a bit.

I guess it makes sense, I am still blind, and they probably don't want me fighting in the future. Teaching me how to fight, would be like putting me in danger to them... At least at first sight.

"Daisuke, one day I will grow up. And in this world, for people like us, living peacefully isn't a choice... I need your help. Please." I said, bowing my head in his general direction.

I've never been against doing things like this. Pride has never meant anything to me anyway.

I am also a child now, there is no shame in bowing to someone that took it upon himself to raise me after I was abandoned and left for dead.

"..." I could hear Daisuke's breathing become a bit slower, I guess he needs a few seconds to think about it.

It might be a bit strange to hear this type of talk from a 5-year-old, but they haven't exactly raised me to think like a regular child.

They raised me teaching me that the world isn't a kind place, preparing me for the worst. I guess he just didn't think I'd ask to be trained so soon...

To be fair, they did try at first. To raise me like a regular child. But the deaths of Ryou, Juro and Ken made them realize that innocence would only get me killed in the future... Especially with my constitution.

Still, I get why he's hesitating so much. Not being raised as a naive child and learning to fight are two different things.

"Very well..." Daisuke ended up saying, gaining an odd look from Koji. Can't exactly tell, but I could feel Koji turning his head towards him, so I'm just assuming here...

"We start tomorrow. I will teach you to the best of my ability." I could feel him nodding his head to Koji

Just like that, I now have a sparring partner.