_________ POV Narration _________

Ken studied the little girl's shaking figure with curiosity, unsure of what to expect from her.

The samurai present seemed to be rather confused at the Assassin's intentions.

Why would he tell their young lady to get her hands dirty in such a gruesome manner?!

Well, not like she would accept... Right?

... Reality is oftentimes different than what you would normally expect.

With not even a second's hesitation, the little girl seemed to be possessed, she lounged forward, holding the small scalpel with one hand, thrusting it forward towards the man's right eye.

"P-please don't-!" The prisoner didn't even get to finish his sentence before the little girl plunged her scalpel towards one of his eyes, missing slightly and cutting near his temple and eyebrows.

The man released a pained scream and tried trashing against his restraints. The Samurai and nearby prisoners seemed to flinch at the man's screams.

The samurai were even about to intervene before Ken raised his hand, stopping them before they even took a step in her direction.

The little girl didn't seem discouraged about missing once, nor did she seem discouraged by the man's despairful wailing.

Instead, she used her free arm to grab onto the man's dishevelled hair, pulling on it slightly and holding his head in place as she then took another stab at his eye.

This time, her aim was good, her hands precise. Ken felt the scalpel plunge into the prisoner's iris without any resistance, squirting out blood, tears and eye fluids...

The girl didn't stop there, her task wasn't to stab the man's eyes but to gouge them out... Slowly, painfully...

All of her repressed sadism seemed to come out all at once, unleashed upon the poor prisoner that was now nothing more than a victim.

His cries of pain, his requests to be saved. No one was going to listen to them.

The girl then took out the scalpel, it was so sharp that it didn't even pull out the eye with it, so she could continue having fun!

She continued plunging it, this time into the sides, slowly but surely pooping the eye out as she cut into the muscles that were holding it in place with almost surgical precision.

Although certainly passionate, she was clearly also an amateur. She wriggled around, causing her victim more and more needless pain with each cut.

After the eye pooped out, she slashed only one more time to cut it off completely, allowing the mangled eye to fall to the snowy ground, which was now almost painted red.

The man ended up passing out, while the samurai watched on with both disgust and fear, as the young lady then continued to do much the same to the man's other eye.

Meanwhile, Ken 'watched' on without any reaction, his unmoving back and lack of reactions further helped unnerve all of the people watching.

'... Yeah... This is exactly what I feared would happen... But hey... At least she's not infatuated with me, per se...'

Ken felt the little girl's scalpel plunge deep into the man's eye, the pain seemed to wake him up once again as his squeals continued.

'I think I know exactly how to diagnose this... She's simply a natural sadist. Like I am, but I learned to repress it to some extent.

Unlike her... I have a lifetime of experience where I just played into this same obsession...'

Eventually, Ken released a sigh, just as the little girl continued cutting into the man's eye. That sigh sounded almost bored to the samurai nearby, which further unnerved them.

The little girl also looked up, her glee vanishing for a moment as she wondered if she did something wrong.

Instead of just wondering, she voiced her concern out loud.

"A-am I doing it wrong?" The little girl's innocent voice and frown didn't at all fit her almost crazed eyes and bloody face.

She could feel the samurai in the courtyard looking at her with disgust, she almost felt a little guilty...

But after an entire year of wanting to do such a thing, that guilt was overshadowed by bliss...

However, despite her momentary bliss, she was growing concerned. Not because of the Samurai, but because of Ken's sigh and lack of reaction...

Was she bad at it? Did she not have any talent? Was he disgusted by her inadequacy?! She couldn't have that! She wanted him to be her teacher!

Their lessons hadn't even started properly and she was already allowed to do something she could only dream of before... She NEEDED him!

Much to her despair, Ken didn't respond right away. Instead, he took a small handkerchief and patted the blood off of her face, fully revealing her face to the world.

Her eyes were almost bloodshot, she seemed to be out of breath. Her black hair almost dangled in front of her eyes... And her cheeks were adorned with a deep blush.

"... You did plenty..." Ken said before placing his arm on the suffering prisoner's head.

The little girl took her hand away at that moment, extracting the scalpel out of his left eye as well as she watched Ken's hand.

Before she could even open her mouth and ask to be allowed to play more, Ken's hand seemed to grow in size, becoming covered in scales.

His fingers dug into the prisoner's scalp as the man struggled for a few more seconds... Before.

"*CRUNCH*"

The man's remaining eye, weakened by Yue's knife, popped out of his crushed skull as his life was finally snuffed out, sparing him any further pain.

'M-monster... What a monster...'

The samurai all reacted the same, reaching for their blades as they sweated heavily in front of the masked assassin.

Ken didn't even acknowledge their presence there. He simply sighed as he shook bits of the brain off of his hand with a flick of the wrist, further painting the snow around them.

"T-that..." Yue looked at the scene with wide eyes.

She then blushed and brought both of her hands together.

"That was amazing! Can I learn to do that as well!?" She skipped happily from side to side, much like she had done when Ken had first seen her... Needless to say, it seemed a lot less innocent when she was smeared in blood from head to toe, after torturing a man.

"... Unlikely. You'll possibly be able to do something similar..." Ken didn't give her a straight answer, instead, his head turned to the other two prisoners.

The two of them trembled, the cold and the fear had gotten to them. Getting to hear their 'comrade' getting tortured by a clumsy little girl didn't help their anxiety.

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One had already pissed himself, the snow turning a deep yellow as he shook and cried under the blindfold.

"That's awesome! I can't wait!" Yue's figure shook with excitement, her hands raising as she then also turned to the other two.

"... Can I... Keep going?" She brought her hands together, almost pleadingly.

Ken considered it for a moment, before sighing deeply.

Before the samurai could even react, Ken unsheathed the blade of one of them, cleaving the heads of the two criminals in that same motion, before plunging the blade into the ground in front of its owner...

The samurai that had his swords stolen couldn't help but take a step back in fear as he felt his empty sheath. The others grasped their blades, fear gripping their minds as not one of them could even react to the assassin's movements.

"This concludes today's test... You can go rest for now." Ken waved the disappointed little girl off.

Yue's excitement may have been dampened, but she was still pleased to have passed Ken's test. Even more, she had gotten a glimpse at her teacher's true strength!

'He was even faster than Mifune! Well... I can't react to either of them... But he seemed faster!'

The little girl fled to her room after that, happily humming and skipping along, unnerving all of the servants that saw her in her bloody clothes.

Eventually, one of them did drag her to take a bath... And while that was happening, Ken entered Yuichi's office once more.

Mifune was already there, looking at the ground with a dark expression, and Yuichi was looking even more grim.

"... I'm guessing you received a report already..." Ken crossed his arms and tilted his head at the Daimyō.

"... Yes... One of my men came and told me the moment it all started... Received a detailed report minutes after it was done..." Yuichi didn't raise his head to look at the masked assassin.

Ken just sighed and sat down on a tatami mat nearby.

"W-wh-" Yuichi's voice was interrupted by Mifune's booming voice.

"WHY WOULD YOU LET HER GO THROUGH WITH IT!?" The General sounded almost personally insulted.

It couldn't be helped after all... The general saw Yue as his granddaughter. He didn't like the thought of her staining her hands in such a gruesome manner.

He was angry, frustrated... And he didn't have anyone to take out that frustration on. No one besides Ken that is... Who could technically be blamed for the escalated brutality of their plan...

"General Mifune..." Yuichi sighed when hearing his general's angered tone, but he didn't try to calm him down... He did want to hear Ken's answer first.

"Why, huh?..." Ken shook his head when hearing that question, lamenting its stupidity before signing once more.

'I can't expect them to know what it's like...'

"It was a gamble, of sorts... A test." Ken's voice made Yuichi raise an eyebrow. As a father, he could feel anger boiling in his veins, but as a leader, he knew that he couldn't latch out at Ken...

"A gamble?! You tarnished Lady Yue's purity for a gamble?!" Mifune was less restrained though. He was a powerful samurai, unafraid of anyone and anything.

"... Sorry to say this... But there's not much purity to be found in her..." Ken's words seemed to grate Mifune further.

The General took out his katana, seemingly resolved to die if it meant taking down the man that had just insulted his perceived granddaughter.

This time, Yuichi calmed him down, he did so by wordlessly walking in between him and Ken.

He didn't take Ken's words as an insult. He knew that the assassin wasn't the type to throw baseless insults around.

He looked at the assassin with a stony expression before opening his mouth.

"What do you mean by that?" Yuichi's eyes were cold, his tone betrayed his true feelings...

Anxiety, fear, concern.

'At least he's a good father... Maybe Yue's fate isn't bound to be the same as mine...' Ken shook his head before opening his mouth once more.

"No one is that eager on their first kill... Let alone their first time torturing someone...

That is unless they've played out that same scenario a million times before in their minds. Even then, it would be difficult for a greenhorn to replicate what she just did...

She has a talent for this... Much like I do."

With each sentence that came out, Yuichi's concern grew more and more. Mifune also put his blade down, his anger being snuffed out by a similar feeling to that of the Daimyō.

It wasn't far-fetched to say she had talent.

When it came to killing, one's mentality was one of the most important factors... And she seemed to have no qualms about getting her hands dirty.

"S-so... Little Yue wanted to do such a thing for a while now? B-but how?" Yuichi looked at Ken with wide eyes, his tone resembling that of a concerned father more and more, as his stony exterior broke completely.

Children being accustomed to killing and torture wasn't all that uncommon in that world. Especially amongst shinobi... But Yue had been specifically sheltered from that since birth.

She was the jewel in Yuichi's eyes. And he couldn't bear the thought that his upbringing may have brought her to a point where she became a bloodthirsty maniac...

"You tell me... How long has she wanted to get involved in this world?... How long ago did she request to be trained?" Ken slowly sat up and stood face to face with the Daimyō, turning his head up to him and pretending to look him in the eye.

"A-around the same time the kidnapping happened..." Yuichi's own eyes widened as he listened to his own words.

'Don't tell me...'

Mifune's eyes also widened, as he also reached a conclusion on his own...

Regardless, Ken was there to clarify things for them. Speaking from experience.

"That was her breakthrough... The first glimpse she had of this world... She was captivated by it... Enamoured with it... Not with me."

At that moment, Yuichi's shoulder's slumped.

'So it all comes down to that... Huh?'

He had tried to ignore it...

He had done his best to think that the attempted kidnapping hadn't affected his daughter that badly...

But he couldn't deny the reality staring him in the eye.

His daughter was shaping up to be a true sadist... Someone that found true pleasure in death and inflicting pain. The exact same type of person he had sought to shield her from in the past...

'What do I do?!' Was the first question that reached his mind.

Behind him, Mifune sheathed his blade, his gaze resolute, his teeth clenched together.

Yuichi struggled a bit internally.

The first thing he figured was to try and help her suppress her urges. To try and shield her from herself essentially. To do just like he had done before, but better!

... Unfortunately, he now knew that such a thing was impossible.

He couldn't shield his daughter at all times from everything. One day he would also no longer be there for her... She needed to somehow be able to stand on her own.

'What do I do...' This time, the question was less pronounced, almost as if he was losing his energy gradually.

For a split second, the thought of imprisoning her came to mind...

To keep everyone else safe from her, from the monster she was bound to become... But he quickly discarded it.

'No... Even if she's like this... She's still my daughter. I will love and support her through this... Maybe it's just a phase?!'

At that point, Ken could almost guess the thoughts going through his head.

The assassin took another step forward, his arm reaching up and patting the Daimyō's shoulder.

"I know this is hard to come to terms with... I understand how this would be difficult to see... But you need to understand that this won't change..."

Yuichi looked towards Ken once more, his gaze discouraged, his eyes downcast.

The assassin ignored the emotions flowing out of the father as he continued.

"Today's events prove that she's too far gone already... If it hadn't happened, she would've likely found another outlet... Maybe an animal, maybe a servant... But it is inevitable."

The very thought seemed to send a shiver down Yuichi's spine. Behind him, Mifune's shoulders also slumped.

He now understood the situation fully... And he naturally blamed himself for it.

'Maybe if I gave her more guards... If our background checks were more thorough... If I actually managed to teach her swordsmanship beforehand... Teach her self-restraint...'

Alas, perfection wasn't ever going to be achievable... They had done everything possible in order to shelter her.

All in vain. Everything was ruined by one half-baked plot made by a few somewhat powerful kidnappers.

"S-so... What can I do now?" In the end, the father couldn't help but seek advice from Ken...

It was safe to say that Ken was speaking from experience. Even Mifune marvelled at how he was able to dissect the situation and understand Yue with such precision...

And unlike them, he wasn't just speculating that she was infatuated with something... He had proof...

"The true question is... How much do you love your daughter?" Ken's voice sounded almost comforting. As if he was making an effort to sympathise with the father's plight.

"... More than anything else in this world... She's all I have..." Yuichi answered earnestly. He no longer cared about his position, he no longer cared that he was speaking to a suspicious individual...

Thanks to that, the Blind Assassin realized just how serious Yuichi was...

"Good..." 'She has a support network of sorts to fall back on at least...'

The Assassin paced around the room for a few seconds, thinking about his next words for a bit, contemplating the best course of action for himself.

'I could take care of her... No, I should do that... The Daimyō would both be eternally grateful to me, and I would shield the world from her... Teach her properly... Direct her sadism properly...'

"We need to teach her... There's no use in teaching her restraint at this point in her life..." 'Hell, it's likely impossible... I tried to restrain myself plenty while in my youth... It just made the spree a lot more brutal for my victims...'

"She likely tried restraining herself for a year already... Today was when she got to let off some steam..." Mifune spoke out this time, sighing in frustration as he sat back down, gripping his knees with a grave expression.

"Indeed... The most we can do is teach her how to use her talents accordingly... I will take her under my wing. Turn her into a sharp blade, one that won't be pointed at innocent lives..."

Yuichi looked at Ken with wide eyes. Through all the concern and fear, he could feel some relief as well.

"Y-you would do that?" The Daimyō was clearly desperate, being helpless when it came to taking care of his daughter was gruelling for him.

Mifune opened his mouth, he was likely reflexively going to reject Ken's offer...

'But can I claim to train her as well as he can? I already tried during the past year... I failed constantly. I couldn't even grasp her true desires...'

His own inadequacies were what stopped him from speaking out.

"... I will do it." Ken ended up answering the Daimyō...

'It seems I have more work in the future... But I also technically have the Land of Iron in the palm of my hand now... I would say it is worth the hassle.'