Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Dealings and Manipulation

_________ POV Narration_________

To say that Ken's entrance left an impression on the people present would've been a severe understatement.

None of them had managed to sense him until he made himself known.

The nobles especially hadn't even looked at his side of the table.

And the samurai lined up near the table had also done precisely as Yuuko had said, averting their gazes from the table where the most influential nobles ate.

It was a great mishap on their part, but it wasn't completely their fault either.

At the end of the day not even Mifune, their strongest samurai and general, managed to sense Ken.

At least that occurrence gave them a bit of perspective on how grim the state of affairs would be if they were to actually start going after Ken.

Mifune's prediction about the Red Dot being able to assassinate all of them by the end of the week seemed a lot more plausible now.

It didn't help that they didn't have any seals or formations in place to detect intruders. Mifune was at least now aware of a major flaw in their defence.

After all, if Ken was able to sneak in, then others would be able to do so as well. The last thing the Land of Iron needed was for their leader to be assassinated.

Ken now sat at their table masked, but all of the nobles present still remembered how his face looked. Or rather, lack of face.

Mifune and the rest didn't really take it seriously though, they just took it as Genjutsu or transformation.

After all, Ken was well known for only his mask, they doubted he would reveal his real face to them...

Yuuko also became very curious, especially when seeing the abnormal appearance he had chosen to 'transform' into. She now wanted to see his 'real' face even more.

'I'm sure I'll have the opportunity if I do end up allying myself with him or his organization...'

Yuuko smiled mischievously underneath her spread-out fan. With precise and careful movements, she inched a bit closer to the bounty hunter at her side.

No one besides Mifune noticed her actions. The General simply scoffed at the fox-like noble lady.

'Scheming types are always the most annoying to have in a court...'

Ken proceeded to ignore her presence completely.

"Now, Lord Yuichi, I'm glad you wish to get straight to the point..." The bounty hunter nodded and crossed his legs, interlocking his fingers above the table as he turned his head towards the Daimyō.

"Of course, I'm sure you are a busy man after all..." Yuichi smiled underneath his golden veil, now finally calm.

He was still planning on punishing all of the Samurai in the room for letting a renowned assassin just sit at the same table as them unnoticed, but that would come later.

"I heard plenty of reports from my delegation, as I'm sure you were expecting." Yuichi brought up a small scroll, opened it up and started looking through it right in front of Ken.

"Of course, I assumed the Daimyō would be interested in what happens in his own territory." The assassin simply nodded, his stature remaining the same.

"Indeed. Especially a land such as ours. I was not expecting to find out that you are building an entire organization right at the borders..." Yuichi didn't bother mincing any words, he also wasn't putting on any airs of superiority while sitting at the same table as Ken.

He was simply lining the facts, listing everything that he had found and that had been reported to him.

"Alas, I was never trying to hide it anyway. Rumours spread quickly even when silence is bought..."

"Indeed, silence can only be bought from trustworthy people anyway... The construction workers you had hired weren't all quiet about what they had helped build."

"Figures. Alas, I want my associates to have the best possible arrangements and living conditions." Ken smiled a bit under his mask as he spoke of that.

It wasn't even a lie. He knew that the morale and determination of his recruits were directly tied to their living conditions and food.

The construction workers he had hired were only paid a bit for their silence, their real purpose was to spread word of the Dark Brotherhood while making it look like he wasn't actually trying to catch anyone's attention.

And they had accomplished their mission perfectly, exactly as Ken had wanted them to.

Mifune looked to the side with a raised eyebrow, studying the assassin with a careful gaze.

"Most of your associates are still children in training..." The General scowled as he spoke, addressing the issue of Ken training up child soldiers instantly.

"Indeed, all of the children were given a choice when recruited.

To either remain with their old orphanages and live their lives normally, hoping that no other wars break out and they survive or join our Brotherhood and train as assassins."

Ken recounted their recruiting process without withholding anything.

He had given Tosho specific requirements for the recruitment, and it was likely the most humane/morally sound way to go about things.

Ken was against involving civilians in conflicts, but he wasn't planning on stopping them from joining if they wanted to. Which was why he decided on using that 'choice' as a recruitment strategy.

"Tsk, and we're supposed to just believe you?" Mifune was a bit sceptical, the same as the vast majority of nobles present.

Yuuko didn't seem to particularly care about the recruitment process, but she still decided to speak out.

"Now, I understand scepticism, I myself wouldn't be inclined to believe everything that our guest says at face value... However, if I remember correctly, the Delegation was able to attest to the treatment of the orphans..." Her melodious voice was calm.

She spoke in a clear tone, defining her position and using the 'evidence' they had to further her points, at the same time gaining a few points with the Red Dot.

At least in her mind, Ken didn't see her any differently because she spoke out in his favour. He was still just as indifferent to her.

She appeared impartial in her words, but it was clear to anyone with the brain that she was planning something.

"Even if your recruitment methods are humane, the fact that you are going to use child soldiers is still not in line with the customs of our land..." Mifune was still unconvinced and was quite willing to bring up any subject.

Even if he wanted to avoid a war, that didn't mean he was ok with what Ken was attempting to do in their territory. He just hoped they'd be able to convince the Bounty Hunter to move base elsewhere.

"Do not worry... I am also vehemently against using children assassins. I don't plan on sending any of them on the field before I feel they are truly prepared.

And one of the factors necessary would be for them to mature properly." Ken didn't mind having to explain parts of his plans to the people present.

His organization already had people working as assassins and bringing in revenue in the form of Saburo's clones.

Their organization was still sitting on a lot of wealth stolen from the Grass Village, but that was not going to last them for the entirety of the recruit's childhoods.

The clones were genuinely the only reason they were able to recruit so many people at once. So Ken considered Saburo a very important ally, so he needed to treat him with 'care'.

"... I understand. If that is truly the case, then ethically speaking your organization is indeed not unaligned with our policies." The Daimyō nodded as he spoke, rather pleased with what he was hearing.

"However, these claims do still need to be verified." Yuichi looked toward Mifune as he spoke. The general seemed to get the message.

"I would like to propose for one of my men to stay within the compound and report the status of the recruits to us on a regular basis." Mifune looked at Ken with a serious gaze, his eyes narrowed.

"Unacceptable. The Dark Brotherhood is a personal business, it has nothing to do with the Land of Iron itself." Ken didn't even take a second to think about it. He turned his head towards the General with a scowl underneath his mask.

"This 'Dark Brotherhood' of yours is still within our territory. You can either move camp or accept our demands..." Mifune was quick to hint at the possibility of Ken moving his base, but the Swordsman was having none of it.

Yuichi gave his general a strange look. 'A rather risky strategy to employ... But I can salvage this.'

"... I-" Ken was about to tell Mifune off, but the Daimyō interrupted their argument.

"Now, I believe we can come to a middle ground when it comes to this. The Dark Brotherhood will remain a private business, of course.

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However, I propose that we should be allowed to send a person to check it out at least once a month..."

Yuichi gestured for his General to calm down as he spoke, and he addressed Ken with a respectful tone.

"... I can agree to that. We may discuss more details when the time for that comes." The Masked Swordsman nodded, and Mifune also seemed to agree with the compromise, though he still seemed a bit uneasy.

"I'm glad we can come to an agreement with that... However, there is also the issue of taxation... All revenue made within the territory is taxed by the ruling part of the said territory."

Of course, the most important part. The Daimyō would obviously also reach the subject of money and taxation.

"That is the case under normal circumstances, yes. However, our main and currently the only form of income is bounties. Those are not usually taxed under any jurisdiction."

Ken had already made sure to study the law of the Land of Iron, and Saburo did help him a lot with his knowledge.

Although the strawman was more inclined towards knowledge of human experimentation, he was still able to help Ken learn about the laws.

Most of Ken's time after the delegation had visited them was actually spent listening to either Tosho or Saburo read books about the Laws and customs of the Land of Iron and the lands surrounding it.

"Indeed, taxation for bounties isn't an issue. It would actually be unethical for us to tax bounties. However, your organization itself stands on our land, so tax for the land does need to be paid.

Bear in mind, that this will be the case in any Land you got to unless you are to become affiliated with the government in question." Yuichi was surprisingly lenient, at least all of the nobles present were thinking that he was lenient.

But no one raised their voice or complained. They didn't exactly want to enter the sights of the assassin that had just snuck up on them.

So at the very least Ken's entrance did its part in helping him gain an edge in the negotiation.

'I was expecting this type of tax to come into question... I don't think I have a way of outright avoiding it, but the Dark Brotherhood can't currently afford to pay taxes on land, lest we go broke much faster than expected.'

"I understand that some type of remuneration must be given for the land we are occupying, although I am not pleased with it.

We have occupied an unused mountain range and started developing with money out of our own pockets."

Yuichi nodded a bit when hearing Ken's words, and he instantly started thinking up a way to come to a compromise regarding that tax.

They couldn't just avoid taxing the Dark Brotherhood, as it would make it look as if the Land of Iron was afraid of Ken.

"Well, maybe you should've reached out to ask for authorization before you started doing things on your own..." Mifune was also of a similar mind, but he was still doing his best to antagonize Ken, and hopefully convince him to leave the Land of Iron altogether.

'Someone like him is bound to bring along a lot of trouble... I don't want his presence to burden my people.'

This time, Ken seemed to ignore Mifune's jab. Only scratching his chin a bit as he started speaking again.

"Well, I understand your stance on this. I believe we can come to an agreement regarding taxation as well.

For instance, my Dark Brotherhood can make sure that the streets are clean wherever we can.

That in itself should boost your income as more and more merchants will start frequenting the safer areas."

The Daimyō nodded when hearing Ken's explanation, but it seemed that he wasn't fully satisfied with it.

"That is true... However, that is merely an aftereffect of your main business, which is collecting bounties." Yuichi didn't hold back at all, immediately pointing out the thing that was displeasing him.

"Of course, that can also be argued. However, you cannot deny that such a thing wouldn't happen without the presence of my organization.

A lot of the members of bandit groups don't even have bounties, and we are taking care of them as well.

Outlaws like that are bound to become less and less eager to set up their business in the Land of Iron due to our spreading influence.

Overall, I think you have a lot more to gain from keeping us around than driving us away."

The nobles in the room seemed to nod when hearing Ken's explanation, they all seemed rather pleased with it.

Even Mifune seemed to be contemplating it seriously. Yuuko at Ken's side once again hid her smile behind her fan.

'This... His answers are too careful, he definitely prepared everything beforehand... Either that or he is a really good speaker.

Not only that, but instead of following up on his arrival and threatening us with our lives, he is genuinely debating the Daimyō, proving he wishes for a partnership, and that he isn't hostile in any way.

Either way, a business venture with him is starting to look more and more like a necessity for my clan to become more prosperous...'

The noblewoman's eyes narrowed as she started seeing Ken as a capable man. One worth keeping around at the very least.

"You do make a great point... It does seem that the benefits of keeping you around are far greater." Yuichi smiled underneath his golden veil, his thoughts were somewhat similar to Yuuko's, but he was looking at ways from a very different perspective.

'This man... He is indeed formidable. I need to do my best to gain at least partial ownership of that organization...

Heh, I think I have a plan for that already. But it will have to wait.'

"Good points indeed..." Now it was time for Mifune to speak out again.

"But, there is still the risk factor involved." At that point, all of the nobles looked at Mifune, glad that someone was addressing that as well.

"It is no denying that you are a controversial figure, Red Dot, the shinobi you keep with you are also unknown, though we were unable to find anything on them, so it should be fine in that regard."

"Controversial indeed, however, none of the nations would ever be waging a war with a mere organization." Ken nodded at the General's concerns, understanding his concerns perfectly, and doing his best to dispel them.

"I don't want our nation dragged into the struggles of the Shinobi. This is my main concern. Please don't drag my people into a bloody war..."

The General's voice sounded tired by the end, and this time Ken turned his head towards him again.

"I understand, I assure you that I don't want your people, or my organization, to ever get involved in the wars that Shinobi are constantly fighting...

In the first place, sending children that were mostly orphaned by war into a war would be exceedingly cruel."

After that, the throne room was silent for a few seconds, as the nobles took a few seconds to process the words of the Assassin leader.

The masked swordsman pursed his lips, as he stretched his legs a bit underneath the table.

"Well, I for one am glad that we managed to reach an understanding." Ken nodded and slowly stood up, surprising the nobles present.

"You are departing already? A feast would be in order since this is the start of a rather fruitful partnership." The Daimyō asked as he immediately waved to his servants and signalled them to bring more food to the table. 

"Lord Yuichi, I appreciate the offer, however, I am needed elsewhere. It has been a pleasure, we shall meet again, of course." Ken then bowed slightly as the Daimyō and the nobles were present, his black hair swaying slightly as he then started walking towards an open window.

Some of the samurai eyed him carefully as he passed them by, some even reached for their blades, almost instinctually.

Ken didn't react to that in any meaningful way, after all, it was rather normal for trained warriors to react in that way when a beast stared them down.

No one stopped him as he leapt out the window either.

And just like that... The meeting was over.

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Hope you liked the chapter! Wasn't able to write too much today :)) Got home really late after meeting up with friends.

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