Ken didn't know what to think, his mind was filled with thoughts of revenge, but he still took a moment to regain his bearings.
He stood there for a few seconds, seemingly staring into the abyss. If he had any eyes, they would most certainly be both empty and bloodshot at the same time.
The 6 corpses that stood in front of him, the way they were just unceremoniously thrown after being decapitated... It simply didn't sit right with him.
They were his family. The only family he had ever had in both of his lives put together.
They were the first friends he had made, the first people that he had actually cared about.
His mind was simply having a hard time registering the image his senses were describing for him...
At the same time, he felt conflicted... For the longest time, he had placed almost no value on any life, human or otherwise. Yet the people in front of him, he couldn't deny their value to his life.
The first 4 samurai that died Ken hadn't gotten that attached to, but the 6 before him had been there with him through thick and they had all experienced countless hardships together.
All of them had been simply surviving in that cruel world that Ken had ended up in.
He had been far more attached to Daisuke and Keji than the others, but they had all still been his family, and all of them treated him with care.
They had been the first ones to ever do so. And now they were gone. Ken knew he now had to cope with that.
But, at the same time, he didn't know any healthy ways of dealing with loss, as he had never experienced it to such a degree.
So, Ken didn't mourn for long though, getting up from the ground, straightening his back and grabbing his blade.
'Whatever bastard did this is sure to still be nearby...'
He had heard the explosion just recently, the blood was still fresh, and the bodies were still warm.
All signs pointed Ken towards the obvious reality that the killers were near... Very near.
With a deep breath, the young swordsman managed to find the smell of 7 different people besides his family and immediately started dashing into the forest, tracking them down as best he could.
The mountain-raised child now had the nose of a wolf, and the agility of a cheetah as he leapt from branch to branch with the grace of a leopard, not making a single sound as he got closer and closer to his prey.
The smell of blood that was wafting from behind him got further and further, as he now could feel the culprits clearly within his senses.
Stepping from tree branch to tree branch, and eventually landing on the ground. He could now discern some of the features of the men as the air around them fluttered around them.
7 people, all of different heights, all seemed to be carrying strange blades.
Ken couldn't tell much else about their appearance, as he couldn't exactly see how they were dressed or discern any facial features.
With a leap, he pounced on them like a hungry predator. Just as reckless as he always had been in his last life.
His blade was already drawn as he stabbed toward the one dragging behind them all.
It was the largest man among them, with a blade large enough to match that seemed to be oddly round in shape.
The man in question didn't even turn around his hands didn't even move as he simply tilted to the side and dodged Ken's stab.
Ken was a bit surprised by that, his technique had been flawless and he didn't think he'd be detected, still, he didn't let that dissuade him, as he quickly turned his blade and slashed at the man.
The swordsman in question quickly grabbed at the blade on his back and blocked Ken's sword strike, shocking Ken with his reaction speed and agile movements.
Ken immediately used Chakra Flow, his blade flickering with electricity as he tried to dig into the man's blade...
But the second the chakra came in contact with the man's sword, it seemed to be absorbed.
At a speed Ken could barely react to, the tall and bulky man kicked toward Ken, aiming right for the young child's stomach.
Ken managed to put up his guard, blocking the kick and getting sent flying backwards, smashing into a tree and breaking it. As the air left his lungs quickly.
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"What the hell is wrong with this brat!?" The large man said as all 7 of the swordsmen looked at the young attacker with different expressions.
They were none other than the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist, a group of Jonin that had been going around the world in order to make a name for themselves.
They had specifically come to the Land of Iron after hearing about a rather elusive bandit group, the 'Mountain Hyenas' which had somehow racked up a rather high bounty from the Daimyō of the Land of Iron.
The swordsmen of the mist had decided to take up that bounty, stalking the mountains for a few days before finally finding a trace of one of the usual routes that the bandits took.
It just so happens that 6 people came down the mountain after only a day of waiting, 2 more than what the group was reported to be.
But the swordsmen didn't bother much, swiftly killing all 6 of them without much issue.
All 7 of them were Jonin after all, and they were even stronger than the vast majority of other Jonin, so the runaway samurai/mountain bandits didn't even get to react before they died.
The strike that sealed the deal had been from Jinpachi Munashi.
He was able to use his Shibuki/Blast sword, which was quite literally a scroll filled with explosive tags on a handle, to blow up and disorient the samurai, which allowed the others to decapitate them swiftly.
They gathered the heads in a sack and started making their way back to the Daimyō's palace to collect the bounty.
That was when a small child attacked them out of nowhere.
More specifically, Ken had tried to kill Fuguki Suikazan, the current wielder of the Samehada. The most monstrous blade of the 7 swordsmen of the mist.
Ken's assassination techniques were top notch, the way he had approached them was truly frightening, as not one of the 7 Jonin had noticed him in any way.
He had made no sound, and they could feel no chakra or bloodlust from him, it was as if they were attacked by a ghost.
The only reason Fuguki managed to survive, was the Samehada, the sword had wriggled in panic when sensing Ken's approach, alerting its owner that something was indeed wrong.
Had it not been for the sword's sentience, Fuguki would have most likely been stabbed and killed in an instant.
Fuguki's brow was filled with sweat as he looked at the small brat that had almost just killed him.
"Hmm? A little kid just snuck up on us?!" Jūzō Biwa, the current wielder of the Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife wielded by Zabuza in the future) said as he grasped at the blade on his back.
"Be cautious... He seems rather dangerous..." Kushimaru Kuriarare, the tall blonde swordsman that wielded the Nuibari(Sewing Needle), said as he also took out his long, needle-shaped, blade in one hand and his wire in the other.
"What's all the fuss, it's just some random brat..." Jinpachi said as he put his Blast Sword on his shoulder and started walking toward the kid.
"Oy, did you get lost?~" The second he reached in front of Ken, Ken leapt towards him.
Ken knew that he wasn't likely to be treated as a child since he had just ambushed them, so he wasn't planning to wait for them to attack first.
Jinpachi smiled sadistically as he swung his Blast Sword towards the child, not showing any mercy as his blade released an explosion large enough to shake the earth underneath them.
Ken was sent flying by that explosion, breaking a few more trees with his back as he stabbed his blade into the ground to stop himself.
Ken didn't even get the time to breathe, as another swordsman was already on him. This time it was none other than Jūzō, who had followed Ken at breakneck speeds and swung his sword towards him.
Ken barely got to raise his sword in time to meet the incoming strike, shocking Jūzō with his reaction time.
Unfortunately, reaction time couldn't make up for the difference in weapon quality and strength, Jūzō's blade broke through Ken's small katana rather quickly, slashing the young swordsman across the chest horizontally.
The bones in Ken's hands cracked due to his opponent's strength, making the situation even worse.
Ken fell backwards, his hand losing its grip on the broken katana as he hit the ground.
Jūzō couldn't help but laugh out loud when seeing the blood spill from Ken's lips.
"Hahahaha! I can't believe this brat! Did you guys see the way he blocked that?!" Jūzō said as he turned around and looked at his colleagues.
That was a huge mistake on his part. Ken slipped the mask off of his face and Ken quickly jumped onto the man's back, crossing his legs around his torso and instantly biting at his throat with his sharp teeth.
Jūzō was shocked, quickly grabbed onto the child's hair with one hand, and slipped his fingers onto his lower jaw with the other.
His fingers bled as he struggled against the rabid child's teeth. He eventually succeded in what he had planned, breaking Ken's jaw with his superior strength and kicking Ken into a tree once more.
Jūzō was no longer in any mood to laugh, he clutched at his throat as he gasped a few times, spitting some blood as he realised that he had actually been injured rather seriously.
"I told you to be careful..." Kushimaru walked over, he would have stabbed Ken through the head, had Jūzō not been able to break his jaw.
"S-shut up!" Jūzō said as he still clutched at his bleeding neck.
"He must've been related to the bandits from earlier. Most likely out for revenge." Another one of the swordsmen walked towards the downed Ken.
This time, it was Jinin Akebino, the wielder of the Kabutowari, which was technically a hammer and an axe tied together.
"Such a pathetic little thing..." Jinpachi said with his blast sword still slung over his shoulder.
"... No need to ridicule him..." Kushimaru said, giving his companion a long look before staring back at the downed child.
At this point, all of the swordsmen noticed something... Their opponent, the one that had almost killed two of them and that managed to block so many of their strikes...
Was completely blind.
Not only blind, but completely missing the upper half of his face, it was honestly jarring to look at even for the trained Jonin.
"... I think it's better we kill this one here." Kushimaru said as he raised his needle blade and stabbed the child directly in the chest, right through where he knew the heart would be.
The other swordsmen also seemed rather weirded out, ultimately, they all agreed with Kushimaru's decision though, seeing no issue with getting rid of a future powerful enemy out for revenge.
Still, their jobs were done, so they went back and collected the sack filled with the heads of the mountain bandits and continued going down the mountain.
Ken didn't have any bounty on his head, so they didn't bother with him anymore. Simply leaving the corpse behind...
The 7 swordsmen were left a bit humbled by the experience, especially the two that had almost lost their lives in the fight against a blind mountain child...
As they were leaving, Ken's fingers twitched a bit.
Not one of them had noticed it though. After all, who would think such a thing was possible, right?