__________ POV Narration __________

At first, Yorihhiko didn't quite know what to make of their guest...

He had guessed that it was likely just a messenger from the Hidden Villages, skilled enough to sneak past all of their patrols and get in proximity to their detection seals.

Some of his men decided to test him with a few attacks. He was trespassing into their territory after all...

The second he unveiled himself Yorihhiko started thinking about the worst possible situation...

'A known assassin paying you a visit is rarely a good thing...'

Regardless, Yorihhiko was confident that he would be able to keep Ken at bay. Especially within their territory.

There were countless seals all over their hidden village, it was a fortress that few could overcome... Although it had never really held back someone that was as strong as the assassin visiting them.

Thankfully, the Red Dot, or Ken, had no intention of starting any trouble with the Uzumaki Clan.

It was the opposite actually. Yorihhiko was glad to hear that, although he was still wary, he wanted to test out the assassin's personality a bit more.

After judging his character a bit, and deciding that he was trustworthy enough, he decided to invite Ken to continue their negotiations in his office.

Uzushiogakure was built mostly out of stone, it actually felt a lot like a 'modern' city, and the infrastructure is similar to that of city blocks from back in his old world.

Their buildings all had the symbol of their clan carved into them. The symbol was present everywhere, from walls, to support pillars and even statues.

Ken was able to 'see' it himself. He even noticed a rather peculiar pattern with the Clan symbols.

Most of the time, the symbol of the clan seemed to be hiding symbols that made up seals.

He wasn't actually able to make out what the seals were for, as his Fuinjutsu was lacklustre, but he still found it impressive...

Clearly, the Uzushiogakure was not something he had many chances of infiltrating.

'Even if I knew more about seals... Most of these have been carved by actual masters. Undoing them or avoiding them wouldn't be easy...'

There were hundreds of people on the streets, but not all of them seemed to be of the Uzumaki clan... At least Ken felt that a few of them didn't have the characteristic massive chakra pool.

The city seemed to be built near a dam, allowing a small river to run through it, with a few boats travelling here and there.

'The Uzumaki clan is a lot bigger than I thought it would be...'

He hadn't expected there to be so many members of the Uzumaki Clan. There were well over 200 members that he counted within the city, among the civilians.

And their clan seemed to also make up the vast majority of shinobi in the village, so their number was certainly much greater. As a 'not-that-old' clan, it was quite strange to see them in such numbers.

There were really no old clans from what Ken was able to tell, with his limited knowledge of history.

The warring states were when most of them were established, and what he was sensing solidified his belief that the Uzumaki Clan was certainly the largest.

Well, it did make sense for them to have as many offsprings as possible. They did have superior genes to the majority of the Shinobi world.

The office of the Clan Leader was not in any special building or place. It was just a regular block like the others, the Leader just happened to have his office there...

Unlike the other hidden villages, it was impossible to tell apart the most important building from any other, which was honestly a good strategy, something that Ken was hoping to replicate as well.

After all, having a large building for the Kage or Clan Leader instantly informed all intruders that 'YES, this is THE building.'

One thing that Ken had to admit was that the building, despite looking normal, was certainly the most looked after in terms of seals.

There were Shinobi patrolling throughout the village and all of their routes also seemed to come in the vicinity of the Clan Leader's office.

It was clear that unless someone was able to infiltrate the ranks of the Uzumaki Clan to gain intel, it would be exceedingly difficult to attack their village.

Yorihhiko reached his office and finally sat down with a sigh. Two guards appeared by his side, both felt like powerful shinobi to Ken, at least as strong as the Clan Leader, at least in Chakra Reserves.

Ken sat down as soon as Yorihhiko gestured for him to do so. He took his seat on one of the nearby chairs and faced the Clan Leader while crossing his arms.

"So... You were saying that you are interested in doing business with my Uzumaki Clan?" The Leader decided to get into business right away, he was a rather busy person after all...

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"Yes, business first. And I'm sure you can figure out what I might want from your clan..." Ken nodded slightly as his words lingered in the air for a bit.

Yorihhiko smiled at the masked assassin.

"Indeed. There are a few things that other villages always request of us. It's related to Fuinjutsu most of the time.

Other times they wish for political ties, to include our bloodline within their villages... Needless to say, we all tend to have some disagreements regarding that last part..."

Yorihhiko didn't bother hiding the state of affairs from Ken, as he assumed the assassin already had knowledge of his clan's dealings.

"... Well, I am really only interested in Seals, specifically the techniques. I am not looking for marriage, thank you very much."

Ken just raised his palms dismissively as he realized just how much importance the Uzumaki Clan had to the other hidden villages...

A powerful bloodline always attracted attention it seemed... Maybe it would be better for him to keep his strange Nature-Related Bloodline a secret...

His comment did seem to bring out a chuckle in Yorihhiko and the two guards that stood behind him.

It seemed that the amicable atmosphere allowed them to slightly relax. Although both the Clan Leader and the guards were still alert from what Ken could feel...

"Well, that's a shame. There were plenty of eligible bachelorettes in our clan, I'm sure we could've found someone willing to marry one with your reputation..." Yorihhiko decided to entertain Ken for a bit.

But the laughter and smiles in the room died down rather quickly, as business was never only about one side...

"So... What can you offer in exchange for our techniques? Even the most rudimentary ones that we have are invaluable to the hidden villages..."

The Clan Leader decided not to beat around the bush with Ken, as he was able to observe that the Assassin was rather straightforward in his intentions.

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware by now, I run an organization that deals in assassination..." Ken nodded as he started speaking. He paused for a few seconds, checking to see if the Clan Leader had looked into him in the past.

"The Dark Brotherhood, was it? Rather broody of a name..." Yorihhiko understood the Masked Assassin's intentions, he had no trouble confirming the fact that he had looked into the state of affairs in regard to the Shinobi World's most famous Bounty Hunter/Assassin.

"It does portray a certain vibe... I'd call it fitting. Currently, however, there are very few members that could prove 'useful' to your Clan.

Most of them are still recruits after all... And I am not going to send my children to war, not for you nor for anyone."

Yorihhiko simply nodded at Ken's words. Though he didn't exactly agree with the masked assassin's ideals.

His views were different, as he was a bit more old-fashioned(or normal for the era, I guess).

In a time of need, everyone needed to do their part and assist the Clan however possible at the end of the day... But he wasn't going to judge Ken for having opposing views.

"While I can't promise to send my recruits to help you anytime soon, I can vow personally help with anything that the Uzumaki clan may need, from protection to getting rid of threats.

From recon to assassination and everything in between. As long as it doesn't require me to turn too many of the Great Villages against me, of course."

Ken was quick to offer his own services, something that Yorihhiko could respect.

Putting himself forward to give his recruits time to grow. It was certainly a commendable approach.

But it was also a bit concerning...

"... While your personal services are valuable, if we are to help your organization, we need some assurance that they can function without you there...

If you happen to be outside the village, and it gets attacked, can you ensure us that the organization is able to protect itself?

If not, how can we possibly entrust any of our techniques to you?"

Yorihhiko voiced his concerns immediately. After all, the techniques of his clan were sought after.

Even if he didn't give Ken anything crucial to the Uzumaki Clan, he still needed to make sure that the techniques were protected.

The Dark Brotherhood was obviously not allowed to spread the techniques they took from the Uzumaki... That was how most deals the Uzumaki made worked.

Ken could understand his apprehension as well. The Dark Brotherhood's affairs weren't exactly public, so most people thought that Ken was really the only figure of any significance in it...

But that wasn't the case anymore.

"I can assure you that my people are capable enough to protect our main base.

Currently, we have one assassin who can fight even against people at the level of the 5 Kage (Akira) and one that is capable enough to go against most Elite Jonin(Tosho).

Besides them, there are around 30 Shinobi ranging from Chunin level to Jonin that are constantly at the base(Saburo and his clones minus the ones that are out collecting bounties), protecting it."

Ken gave Yorihhiko a rather basic description of their strength. It was more than he would normally be willing to give off, but if it was needed to secure more Fuinjutsu techniques, then he was more than willing to disclose it.

"... I find it difficult to believe... You're telling me that there is another man at the level of the 5 Kage within your organization?" Yorihhiko was obviously sceptical. Rightfully so, only the strongest of the 5 Great Hidden villages could boast about having more Kage Level figures within their ranks.

"I can't give you too much information on his identity, meeting him would also be difficult since he is tasked with protecting the Compound in my absence... But I am willing to stake my name and reputation on the validity of this information."

Ken decided to play the reputation card. It was impossible for him to prove that Akira, the Third Blade, was truly at the level of the 5 Kage.

He did KNOW that Akira was strong enough to fight against them, even kill them under the right circumstances. But he had no way to prove it unless he sent Akira after one of them.

Regardless, Ken was at least confident that Akira was stronger than the Kazekage and the Mizukage. From what he gathered, the Tsuchikage, Hokage and Raikage were all on their own level.

"... It is a bit difficult to just take your word for this. Especially since lying would benefit you in this situation..." Yorihhiko still wasn't budging.

'Reputation will only take me so far, huh...' Ken couldn't help but sigh in disappointment.

"I can certainly understand your apprehension... There's no reason for you to make a decision right away, I can stick around for a few days..."

Ken decided to give it some time. But Yorihhiko seemed to have something else on his mind...

"... Besides that, something you said earlier seems to linger in my mind right now... You said that you are unwilling to make enemies out of too many hidden villages, correct?"

Yorihhiko crossed his arms and looked at the masked assassin sitting in front of him with a calm gaze, awaiting a response.

"Yes... I am willing to fight alongside you. But antagonizing too many powers at once might not be beneficial to my organization in such an early stage."

Ken did consider lying to the Clan Leader for a few seconds. But he didn't think he'd get much out of a flimsy promise.

"... It seems that this won't work out in the end... I am not expecting you to die for my clan, but the current situation requires allies that are more 'involved'..."

Yorihhiko shook his head, ending the negotiations abruptly. The Guards behind him seemed to tense up at that moment, likely expecting Ken to try and pull something off...

But, thankfully, Ken didn't seem to be hostile to them, even after Negotiations broke down. Instead, he just seemed curious.

"Current situation? The Land of Whirpools appears to be peaceful currently..."

Yorihhiko couldn't help but sigh at the Masked Assassin's words.

'Might as well tell him... There's not much that can be done at this point.'

"A war is brewing, Ken. One that is even bigger than the last. And I'm afraid our Uzumaki Clan is going to be the first one to fall..."