_________ POV Narration _________

Yorihhiko sighed as he looked at the masked man in front of him.

The Red Dot looked much the same as he remembered him...

He initially wanted to postpone the meeting or try to cancel it altogether until the situation became a bit more clear.

It was only after a bit of thought that he realised Ken could be able to shine some light on the situation.

He was, after all, present on the Land of Whirlpools while the Shinobi Alliance was approaching.

"Ken... I was not expecting us to have a meeting this soon after the last..." 'Or ever...' Yorihhiko was the one to start the conversation, dismissing his guards at that exact moment.

Even if they were his trusted people, he needed Ken to be willing to speak out honestly. And the masked assassin was likelier to do so in a private environment.

Although, expecting honesty out of Ken was a bit much...

"Indeed, I was also not expecting the Shinobi Alliance to give up so easily..." Ken shook his head, his long hair swaying slightly as Yorihhiko eyed it suspiciously.

'The only known culprit was said to have short hair...'

Yorihhiko did consider the possibility that Ken had some way to regrow his hair quickly, but he had no actual evidence to point towards that.

"They were torn apart on their way here, as I'm sure you already know."

"Of course, I know... News travels very quickly. The Raikage's son also appears to be missing." Ken smiled underneath his mask as he crossed his legs.

"Correct. Do you know how many casualties they had?" Yorihhiko's eyes narrowed a bit as he looked over one of his reports.

"Unsure if that was ever publicized... But it should've been in the thousands..." Ken shrugged as he remembered the bottom of the sea being covered in a blanket of bodies— Entire hills of corpses for the fish to feed on.

"Spoken as if you've seen it with your own two eyes..." Yorihhiko said as he tilted his head.

"Oh, I wouldn't go so far... I've not seen anything, unfortunately..." Technically, not even a lie.

The honesty in his tone was almost like a curveball to Yorihhiko.

'He's either a very good liar, or is actually being truthful...'

It wasn't that hard to infer that the casualties ranged in the thousands. If it wasn't that major then the Alliance wouldn't have disbanded/fled with their tails between their legs.

'I guess I won't be able to prod too much from him like this...'

"Understood... I'll be more direct then... Did you have anything to do with this whole situation?" Yorihhiko noticed that Ken wasn't going to admit to it unless confronted directly.

"Even if I did, I would never admit to it, Lord Yorihhiko..." Ken's tone was neutral, speaking as if it was nothing more than a matter of fact to him.

Yorihhiko narrowed his eyes once more at the assassin.

"However, now that the situation has blown over... I think it would be convenient for us to renegotiate our deal, wouldn't it?"

There it was...

Yorihhiko smiled as the situation somewhat clicked in for him.

'I see... So he's not really bothering to hide his involvement from me, but he won't admit to anything that could be held against him in the future... Smart.'

Ken was already a significant force on the world scale, no one would dare accuse him randomly without any real evidence.

Yorihhiko read a bit between the lines, but it wasn't that hard for him to figure it out in the end...

'... He's either the only culprit, his association helped him or he is connected to the culprits in some other way...'

Yorihhiko would have to verify if Ken was spotted anywhere during the two-day period. And that would be more of a clarification for him.

But even then, he wouldn't have anything concrete to be able to relate the incident to Ken reliably.

He had been precise in the way he had handled the whole situation. Not appearing personally at all, not letting himself be linked to it in any way...

"Fine... Still, our Clan appears to have found itself owing someone quite a large favour..."

'He's fought almost the entire Shinobi World and made no enemies in the process... Inadvertently also gaining an ally in us...'

Yorihhiko at that point had two choices...

Play dumb and send Ken out or reward Ken accordingly and make a reliable ally out of him.

There was also the middle ground, which would be treating that as a regular negotiation... But that would have similar effects to the first choice.

The first choice, as well as the 'middle ground', would end up losing any possible partnership with Ken, the Dark Brotherhood, and the Grey Fox(if he even was a different person).

He did consider it for a few seconds... His clan was essentially in the clear for now, the Hidden Villages had squandered a lot of resources.

They were going to be safe for a good while... But not forever.

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Yorihhiko realised that his Clan was still a big target. There was also the reveal of them having someone like the 'Grey fox' in their ranks. Which wasn't all that good in the long run...

They had plenty of powerful shinobi and spies... But they didn't have someone of that calibre.

Yorihhiko knew that the fabled 'Grey Fox' would either serve as a deterrent... Or as a target on their backs...

'The balance in the world shifted, our Uzumaki Clan now appears far more capable and powerful than it actually is... This will certainly spell our doom eventually...'

It was that thought that helped him make his decision...

"I can certainly provide you with techniques... But I can also do much better than that... How about I send a Fuinjutsu Master with you?

They can stay at your base from now on, teach you and your people as much as you need to learn..."

Ken would've raised an eyebrow if he had any.

The Uzumaki had never given away any of their masters... The Leaf Village included. Unless it was for marriage, of course, but that didn't really count.

They always sold the services of their masters. Knowledge was closely guarded, so sending a master off to teach others was extremely unusual...

"That... Would be quite generous of you..." Ken was about to comment on the exclusivity of the offer but decided against it in the end.

'So the Uzumaki have decided that it's better to keep me and my organization close... Huh?'

Ken didn't for one-second think that the Fuinjustus Masters wouldn't report back to Yorihhiko, they were most likely going to also act like spies.

But that was fine. Having Yorihhiko know some things wasn't that big of a price to pay when compared to what he was getting out of it...

'Starting a Fuinjutsu division within the Brotherhood just like that, huh?'

"Generous indeed... I just realised that cooperating with your brotherhood would be beneficial to our Uzumaki Clan as well..."

Yorihhiko nodded with a smile as he took out a few scrolls from a seal on his palm.

"As a gesture of goodwill, I will send with you my only son... He is still young and has a lot of room for growth as a person, but he is already a fully-fledged master."

"I appreciate your goodwill, Yorihhiko... I'm sure our cooperation will be a fruitful one." Ken shook the Clan leader's hand as the two of them smiled warmly at each other. Ken's face was still hidden, but the intent was there...

Yorihhiko's eyes shined as he closed the deal with that same smile on his face.

He also handed Ken the scrolls, informing him that they were high-level Fuinjutsu Techniques.

He also gave Ken a basic description of all of them, including their names...

The first notable one was the 'Four Red Yang Formation'. It required 4 participants, all needing to have chakra reserves comparable to that of the 5 Great Kage.

It was certainly requirement heavy, but it was for good reason... It was an almost indestructible barrier that spanned a huge distance. No one could get out, no one could come in.

It was certainly one of the strongest barrier techniques, if not the strongest...

Then there was the Chakra Draining Seal. That one was quite self-explanatory, but Yorihhiko explained it himself anyway.

It allowed the user to place a seal on an individual which slowly drained them of chakra. All of the Chakra was transferred to the user.

That one was also very useful. Not as advanced as the previous one, Ken could think of a few uses for it...

And, last but not least...

A sealing technique called 'Crimson Seal'. It was somewhat of a mix between fire style and Fuinjutsu. Its other name was 'Fire Release: Heavenly Prison'.

Yorihhiko explained that the ones who are subjected to the technique would have a red seal spread throughout their body, preventing them from moulding chakra and from using techniques.

It will also drain them of their chakra at a slow but steady rate.

It was somewhat sadistic... But Ken could see a lot of practical uses to it...

Its best feature was that whenever the one afflicted by the seal tried to leave, they would only get to a certain distance before bursting into flames from the inside.

The technique would seal the fate of the victim through a quick(usually nonconsensual) cremation.

The user of the sealing technique could also ignite the seal whenever they wanted.

Ken couldn't help but get excited when hearing about the utility of the seals presented to him.

'I can't wait to learn Fuinjutsu properly...'

Yorihhiko claimed that the techniques were just gifts he was willing to give him in order to sweeten the deal...

And needless to say, Ken was sold.

He was long before any of the seals were given, but he wasn't going to refuse a free meal.

He already wanted to have a partnership of sorts with the Uzumaki Clan, so the entire exchange was a net positive for him.

After that, the meeting concluded on a high note. Ken kept the scrolls, and he went off to sleep in his assigned room.

He was allowed to spend the night there as Yorihhiko briefed his son on the entire situation...

His only son, Uzumaki Kazue, was excited at the prospect of not dying alongside his clan.

He had been in a good mood ever since hearing that the Shinobi Alliance had been crushed mercilessly!

But he didn't expect to receive a long-term S-Class mission from his father right as the news set in for the rest of the clan...

"So you're telling me that I have to go and actually teach others our techniques?!"

Uzumaki Kazue was a Red Haired and Violet-Eyed young man. Around 1.7 meters tall, with a rather muscular build. There was no trace of fat on his features.

His face and body were littered with numerous scars, all gained from his exploits in the Second Shinobi War.

He was only around 21, much older than Uzumaki Kushina, his little sister.

The Uzumaki Clan leader's family was quite split up, unfortunately. Yorihhiko's wife had died while giving birth to Kushina.

She was weakened by illness, it was an unfortunate loss, but thankfully no one blamed Kushina for it... It was rather the opposite. She inadvertently became Yorihhiko's treasure while growing up.

Anyone that so much as looked at her funny would be set straight instantly.

He had even assigned three Anbu Squads to protect her at all times when she was in the Land of Whirlpools.

But the siblings hadn't interacted a lot...

While Kushina was growing up, Kazue was stuck training himself and doing missions, eliminating threats and fighting in the Second Shinobi War...

And his training certainly paid off... He was now the youngest Fuinjutsu Master and a fully-fledged Elite Jonin. With Chakra Reserves on par with his father.

After the Second War ended, Kazue returned home to find his sister missing, sent off to Konoha for her own protection.

He was young and hot-headed, a trait shared by many of the Uzumaki, but he was also loyal to a fault.

He was more than prepared to die alongside his father if it meant killing even one more of the people that were going to be threatening his sister's life in the future.

He was happy that the worst was avoided... But he wasn't expecting to be sent on a long-term mission now.

"Yes... You'll be going to one of our newer allies... The Dark Brotherhood." Yorihhiko nodded, smiling with pride while looking at his son.

"... Sounds familiar... Wait. You mean that group of bloodthirsty bounty hunters?" Kazue's eyes widened in realization.

"... I guess the rumours paint them as such... Regardless, that matters little to us. I can't give you any details, but know that their leader played a big part in our survival this time around..."

Yorihhiko's gaze turned serious for a few seconds as he stopped playing the part of the father and turned back to begin the Clan Leader.

He didn't like being vague with his own family, but he was also not willing to compromise his relationship with Ken and his associates.

"... Understood Lord Uzukage..." Kazue merely nodded with a serious gaze.

He didn't try to ask for more explanations. He knew that the job of the Kage/Clan Leader was the most important one, and he didn't blame his father for taking it seriously.

"I knew I could rely on you... You must do your best to learn more about them, at the same time, teach them to the best of your ability..." Yorihhiko nodded to his son as he spoke.

"Of course sir..." Kazue responded in kind, taking his Clan Leader's orders to heart.

'So we aren't holding back our techniques this time around, huh?... I guess it was about time...'

Kazue couldn't help but sigh as he left his father's office. He walked down the halls of the 'Kage Building' while his gaze scanned the walls.

'So the Dark Brotherhood was the one that saved us this time around huh... Or their leader, I guess? Grey Fox, or whatever... The leader was named differently from what I remember though...'

Kazue rubbed his chin as he remembered the nickname of the leader.

'Red Dot... I can't wait to meet him!'