_________ POV Ken _________

I could only sigh as I placed all the blades in their respective scrolls, storing them all within the seal on my wrist.

Tosho was allowed to keep the Samehada for now, it seemed to like him anyway.

Saburo also took the bodies with him. Jimpachi's was too far gone, but the others were good enough for him to mummify and use as puppets.

They are inevitably going to be weaker, as most of Saburo's Strawman Clones are mummified alive. But they should still be decent enough.

His technique is still intriguing... The more I find out about it, the more curious I am about what other things there may be in this world...

The Dark Brotherhood is already back at the compound by now, Reverse Summoned there by the people that stayed behind.

Tosho and a few more wanted to stay behind with me, but I need to spend some time alone.

The curtain of the Four Red Yang Formation has also already fallen, revealing an empty dark sky, with only a sliver of moonlight shining through in this small village.

The Uzumaki held the barrier through their own efforts, but it wasn't even needed in the end...

So much work for so little gained in return...

Inefficient.

But this was never supposed to be a matter of reward. This was purely for revenge. One might even say that revenge was supposed to be the reward...

After all, why else would I go against the Mist? What would I stand to gain?

Sure, getting a few shiny swords can be considered as 'profit'. But it hardly matches the risks I am undertaking...

So, in the end, the only proper reason for hunting down the 7 Swordsmen is revenge.

Revenge for the time they killed my family, and for the time they almost killed me.

They said revenge was a dish best served cold, but even still, it didn't quite feel like an appetizing meal...

The more I felt them suffer, the less I cared about them. Maybe it's because of my growth through the years. The time I spent mulling over the moment I would get to kill them.

I raised my expectations so high, that I could never match them... But my expectations were only really for myself.

I expected this to 'feel' different. I expected to actually feel more satisfaction from this, to feel some modicum of ecstasy even.

Finally 'getting justice' for my family. For the ones that raised me in this life, took care of me like I was one of their own, gave their lives for me...

But in the end, nothing really changed.

The wheel still rolls the same, and the sun still rises and falls the same way... What I'm trying to say is... What exactly have I accomplished with this?

No, that's not the right train of thought... The 7 Swordsmen of the Mist were scum, not deserving of life in my 'eyes'. Killing them is not the problem...

The problem is that I expected more... From myself.

So, where does this leave me?

Not like my life ends with my pursuit of revenge... That was never going to be the end of me.

I have already built a new family. Started caring more and more for the people of the Dark Brotherhood.

In retrospect, I only managed to do it so easily thanks to the warmth that the samurai had shown me... They taught me how a father should behave himself.

Even if they weren't strong, they still served as proper role models for my addled mind, which was still searching for a purpose at the time...

In the first place, this life was given to me as a second chance. I wanted to use it to redeem myself and live an honest life...

But that might've been too much to ask for in the end. People like me aren't made for peace...

Maybe that's why I was born into this blasted world in the first place. Sent to a place where I could put my skills to use, while not becoming a complete outcast in society.

While my revenge rang hallow, it is still very much a done deal. So I am now free to just live my life quietly... As quietly as the leader of an assassin organization can, I guess.

The Mist will certainly try to find trouble with us, but at this point, the Dark Brotherhood is powerful enough to handle a mere Mist Village. I am not even worried.

Even if they have something up their sleeve, and they prove too troublesome, I can always call upon the Uzumaki for assistance. They won't ever hesitate to fight someone that is already their enemy...

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I guess we'll just see where the future takes us. After all, there is too much that I cannot know. One day we will also be forced into war, I need to at least make sure that we are beyond ready.

The more preparations we make now, the fewer losses we accrue later on.

For now, my utmost priority will have to be developing the recruits further, as well as recruiting more people in general. Expanding the Organization should be the obvious next step...

But I think it might be better for me to look into myself as well.

Mount Myōboku, was it? The home of the Toad Sages. I need to find my way there somehow...

I think I remember something about one of the Leaf Sannin, he was said to be able to summon a huge toad during the Second War.

I guess I'll have to get in contact with the leaf now... He's the most obvious entry I have right now. Let's just hope they are more welcoming than the turtles...

Well, talking about the leaf... They seem to be approaching this place.

I wanted a bit more alone time, but meeting that Toad Sannin should by a higher priority than a bit of self-reflection.

Even better, it might be worth waiting to find out more about myself before another bout of self-reflection...

I guess I'll just wait for the Leaf Shinobi to arrive here and have a wee chat with them.

_________ POV Narration _________

Anbu of the Leaf all ran in the direction of the Village...

It was impossible for the strongest village to not notice a huge barrier appearing in their territory after all.

The Uzumaki Clan had already informed them that it was just there to serve as a coffin for the 7 Swordsmen of the Mist, but Danzo, the founder of the Root, and Hiruzen Sarutobi, the current Hokage, felt the need to send people to check out the scene.

Everything seemed to be over by the time their Shinobi got there, but it looked like an entire war had happened.

Huge parts of the forests around the village were missing, and the largest damage was done to the part of the forest that was seemingly blown away with a powerful explosion.

It was rather frightening to the Anbu that had checked out the scene, but they weren't exactly worried.

After all, they had their captain with them.

Sakumo Hatake, or The Leaf's White Fang.

His spiky, silver-coloured hair, danced into the wind as he stood in the middle of that exploded field, his cold eyes glancing around, looking for any remains of evidence pointing them to what might have happened.

The Anbu Captain wore a standard Leaf-shinobi uniform with a pair of gloves, a flak jacket, bandages on his right arm, and the addition of a distinctive short white sleeve which had red edges and the Leaf Symbol on its back.

He also wore a holster diagonally over his right shoulder which held his White Light Chakra Sabre. His weapon of choice, a tanto he had received during his service for the Leaf, a powerful short blade that was made out of Chakra Metal.

The Anbu he had taken with him, a small squad of 10 agents, were all scouting either around the area or ahead of them.

They had already taken a look at other places where it seemed like a battle had taken place.

The remains of traps were scattered all over the place. It was clear that the Mist Swordsman both put up a fight and didn't have it easy in any way...

Sakumo was a bit upset that the Leaf wasn't exactly given a good description of what the Dark Brotherhood had in store for the Mist Swordsmen.

They had hoped that it wouldn't cause too much of a mess with the surrounding area and fauna. But it seemed that the Assassins weren't exactly concerned with such matters.

"Sir Sakumo!" One of the anbu appeared behind the musing captain, a man wearing regular anbu garb, combined with an animal mask. He had one knee on the ground as he addressed his superior respectfully.

"We've found traces of battle in several areas, we assume all of the bodies were collected... And brought to the middle, the village itself should still have them unless the Brotherhood decided to keep them."

The Anbu quickly gave a report of the situation, his voice cold but filled with awe and respect for his captain.

Sakumo just looked at him, gave him a warm smile, and nodded.

He then turned into a blur, as he dashed towards the village in question himself.

'I doubt there's any of them left... But I wouldn't mind actually meeting someone from the Dark Brotherhood, they seem to have close ties with the Uzumaki Clan.'

The relationship between the Uzumaki clan and the Dark Brotherhood was a confusing one for the Shinobi World. Their alliance hadn't exactly come out of nowhere, however.

It was just the first sign of the Uzumaki Clan's willingness to share its knowledge of Fuinjutsu with the world.

After avoiding destruction at the hands of the Shinobi Alliance, they had done quite a few drastic changes to the way they 'gate-kept' their techniques.

They still kept the most valuable techniques to themselves and their allies, but they now made fair trades regarding techniques that were more elementary, essentially allowing other nations to eventually develop their own Fuinjutsu Masters over time.

The change, while drastic, was expected. After all, the Uzumaki Clan was strong now, but they needed to ensure their survival for future generations as well.

Now its only real enemies were the Rock, the Cloud, the Waterfall, and the Mist. The ones that were allied together already.

Normally, their enemies would've targeted all of their allies as well. But the Raikage was very much against involving the Dark Brotherhood in the war.

The others also agreed with him because involving the brotherhood would also mean involving the Land of Iron, a force that would essentially tip the scales of the current balance which was currently somewhat in their favour.

The politics of the Third Shinobi War were very much confusing to Sakumo. There was a good reason he never wanted to be Hokage at the end of the day...

He had never been good with politics. He very much preferred working in the field, that was where he excelled.

And now, to his surprise... He came face to face(mask?) with someone he hadn't expected to meet.

"Red Dot... I had expected the Dark Brotherhood to have left by now." The Silver-Haired Shinobi crossed his arms and looked at the dangerous assassin with a wary gaze.

They weren't enemies, but they weren't truly allies either.

The only reason that The White Fang didn't prepare to reach for his blade already was because of their common link, the Uzumaki Clan.

"They have all left already, including those of the Uzumaki Clan, which were keeping up the barrier..."

Sakumo wasn't exactly surprised by the gruff voice that responded to his greeting.

"I remained behind to mule over some things, I wasn't expecting to run into Konha's White Fang here." Ken shook his head as he understood exactly who the person in front of him was.

He had a certain presence about him, he was certainly among the strongest shinobi that Ken had ever met. Certainly stronger than A, the dead son of the Raikage.

At least that was the vibe Ken got from the Shinboi. There was no sure way to tell without actually fighting him. His reputation did put him above A, however...

Ken recognized Sakumo by the descriptions he knew of him. The man was dressed exactly as he had been during the Second War.

"Well, I apologize for interrupting you..." Sakumo was surprisingly polite, he scratched the back of his head and showed the Assassin Leader in front of him a bright smile.

"I do have a few questions if you don't mind..." The White Fang raised his palms up in front of his shoulders as he approached the assassin slowly.

"No need to be so tense... I do have the time to answer you. I also might have a mission for your village..."

Ken responded by stepping towards him as well, taking his hands out of his coat and showing them to the Silver-Haired shinobi as well.

Sakumo blinked a few times, forgetting most of his questions, as his mind filled with curiosity.

'... A mission?'