Ken the Bounty Hunter EP. 1: The legacy.

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This story plays in an alternative universe where Ken grew up without knowing who his father is. He is an unaffiliated mercenary ninja.

Corrected English translation by steviekins96

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gsD7-Kdwl4?si=2LYjX3I2YF7JVGIU]

Ken: I finally found you, Hatake Kakashi.

Ken: As expected. After he leaves his position, there will be no more protection.

[Ken, unaffiliated ninja, 16 years old]

Ken: Eh, you gave me a lot. Thank you. You are beautiful and also kind.

Girl: Aww, you’re welcome! Please come back again.

Ken: Of course!

Girl: Are you a tourist? Would you like us to show you around Konoha?

Ken: Wow, that’s really nice of you. Thank you very much!

Kakashi: I wonder why a tourist like you is buzzing around me. It’s certainly not a coincidence, is it?

Ken: What are you talking about? Give me back my camera. Why would I follow you!?

Kakashi: That’s what I want to know too. Can I see the picture you took?

Ken: Are you crazy? That’s rude!

Ken: I said give it back!

Kakashi: Sorry, maybe I misunderstood the situation.

Ken: I told you already!

Kakashi: I’m just wondering why a tourist like you, carrying a weapon, is following me all the time?

Ken: What are you talking about? How can I bring a weapon to Konoha? I’m not even a ninja

Kakashi: And what’s under your hoodie? Isn’t that a sword?

Ken: (This old man..!)

Kakashi: What! Explosive Tag!? When did he put it on me!?

Villager: Explosion!!?

Villager: What happened!!?

Kakashi: Stop!

Ken: Eh, he’s not following me?

Ken: It hurts! This old man is moving way too fast.

Ken: Wait, I’m sorry, please forgive me! I’m just here to test your skills. Don’t fight with your full strength. I am just a cute kid.

Kakashi: Do you think saying this will make everything end easily? Get up!

Ken: Alright~

Kakashi: A trap!!?

Kakashi: This boy made a two step trap!?

Ken: Come on, I almost killed him. This old man is very quick.

Kakashi: This boy… Everything goes according to his plan. He let me near him on purpose. This gave him the opportunity to plant an explosive tag on me without me noticing, and to lure me to the place where he had set up a trap. How long had he been planning this?

Kakashi: We never held grudges against each other. Why do you want to kill me? Can you tell me the reason?

Ken: If I tell you, will you be willing to die for me?

Kakashi: Probably not. I can’t do that.

Ken: Then don’t ask.

Kakashi: That short sword!? Where did you get it from?

Ken: Hmm, you know about it?

Kakashi: Give it to me!

Ken: Eh, I suspect this one has a good price?

Ken: If you want it, come and take it.

Kakashi: Yeah, I will.

Ken: Wow!

[Purple Electricity]

[Lightning Mesh]

Ken: This old man is really good at dodging.

Kakashi: Where did he go?

Kakashi: Another trap!?

Kakashi: ..isn’t it?

Kakashi: (Underground!?)

Ken: (This old man. He stumbled against my trap but he still managed to dodge my attack.)

Kakashi: (This boy isn’t bad at all. Plus he’s very smart. I should not underestimate him.)

Ken: Lightning Barrier!

Kakashi: His Lightning squeezes is so quickly!

Kakashi: Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall!

Ken: Finished.

Kakashi: Your lightning barrier isn’t bad at all. It can pierce my earthen walls.

Kakashi: But it still has a weak point, you know?

Kakashi: Answer my question. Where did you get this sword from?

Ken: Give it back!!

Kakashi: Get up!

Ken: Damn it!

Kakashi: (…as if I’ve seen his face somewhere.)

Ken: Give me that sword back, please…

Kakashi: If I turn you over to the authorities for attempted murder of the Hokage, you will be sentenced to death. No matter what, you’ll never get it back.

Kakashi: We can settle this matter like adults. If you tell me where you got this sword, I will not put you in prison. Are you interested in this offer?

Ken: Sure, I’ll tell you! I bought the sword somewhere. I can find the trading information for you.

Kakashi: If you just bought it recently, why does it seem so important to you? Would you sell it to me?

Ken: I’m not selling it. It’s just..that I’ve been using it for a long time. I don’t want to give it to anyone, that’s all.

Kakashi: You know, this sword used to be mine. I got it from my father.

Ken: !

[White Light Chakra Sabre]

Kakashi: I gave this sword to a girl over ten years ago.

Kakashi: Blue hair with red eyes. Have you seen her?

Kakashi: Her face is very similar to yours.

Ken: I’ve never seen a girl with the characteristics you described.

Kakashi: Well, it really can’t be helped.

Ken: Hey, you said you’d let me go!?

Kakashi: I’ll release you once I get the information I need. But since you keep lying to me, I’ll have to summon other ninjas to take you in for examination.

Ken: Wait! I’m not lying, I said I’m going to get you some trading information.

Kakashi: I wouldn’t risk letting a cunning person like you go. I’d rather let my ninja search for it later.

Ken: (This old man actually met my mom! He gave that sword to her? Why? How are they related?! She said this sword was very important to her. That’s why she gave it to me…)

Ken: (Wait, hold on. I have to keep a clear mind! This is a big deal, isn’t it!?)

Ken: (Let’s think about this issue later. First, I gotta get away from here before the other ninjas come)

Kakashi: He’s gone!? How did he untie the rope!?

Ninja: Sixth Hokage, we’ve checked around. There was no sign of him at all.

Kakashi: Spread the search across the border. He must have found a way to escape outside the village.

Ninja: Understood!

Ninja: We examined the rope you used to bind him. It had gunpowder on it. We think that he would use the gunpowder hidden in his gloves, to cause a small explosion so the rope would burn and tear. He probably also injured his hand.

Kakashi: Got it.

Ninja: You’re bleeding!? You told us that the boy just stole stuff from you!?

Kakashi: There’s nothing to worry about. It’s not very deep.

Ninja: But!

Kakashi: You can leave.

Ninja: Is he kidding? This boy caused the 6th Hokage to get wounded? This is no ordinary robbery?!

Ken: Damn. I managed to escape, but the sword is still in the possession of that old man. What should I do?

Ken: That sword.. How did all of this come about? How are they actually related?

Girl: I..I’m sorry. I saw that you were hurt and I was worried. You are bleeding a lot… Do you need help?

Ken: Eh, you’re the girl I met in the village. (Damn, I was so busy thinking about the sword that I didn’t notice that someone was following me. But she doesn’t have a killing intent.)

Girl: I’m glad you remember me. What happened to you?

Girl: Let me help you heal the wound. My house is nearby. Don’t be afraid.

Ken: (It’s really strange. How come the villagers still don’t know what I’ve done? Maybe they just don’t want people to panic)

Girl: Can you tell me what happened?

Ken: …….

Ken: This morning I took a walk in the village. Then a group of strangers approached me. They hurt me and took everything I had. Fortunately, I managed to escape.

Girl: Seriously, how could something like this happen!?

Ken: I’m really scared. I didn’t think a big city like Konoha would be so dangerous.

Girl: I’ll take you to the police station so you can file a report. They must catch those bad guys so they can be punished for what they did.

Ken: I’d like to rest until the wound heals a bit. Now I don’t want to go out and meet anyone.

Girl: You must be really scared. You are really pitiful.

Ken: But I’m really lucky that I met you. You are so kind. How should I repay you?

Girl: Eh! It’s okay. Well, you’re having a hard time, so I just want to help.

Ken: Oh, I still don’t know your name. What’s your name?

Girl: I’m Hazakura, and you?

Ken: Hazakura-chan? Your name is so beautiful. Plus, you’re cute and kind. My name is Ken. Nice to meet you.

Hazakura: Nice to meet you, Ken-san. Make yourself at home. You can stay here as long as you want.

Ken: Thank you very much. I’m sorry to bother you.

Hazakura’s Mother: Enjoy your dinner. I didn’t expect Hazakura to have such a good-natured and handsome boyfriend like you.

Hazakura’s Father: You can stay and rest here for a couple of days.

Hazakura: I told you he is not my boyfriend!

Ken: Thank you very much, if there’s anything I can help you with please let me know.

Ninja: Please open the door. We are Konoha Ninjas. I would like to request your cooperation for us to check some things.

Hazakura’s father: Eh, ninja? What’s going on?

Ken: (Shit! They followed me here? So quick!)

Hazakura: Ninjas? What are they doing here?

Hazakura: Ken-san!?

Ken: Damn, can’t you just let me rest for a day?

Ninja: We met a suspicious person over here!

Ken: What, why are they so many!?

Ken: Then I’ll break out through them!

Hazakura: Ken-san, what happened? Why are you in such a hurry to come out like this!?

Ken: Hazakura-chan, why are you following me!?

Ninja: 6th Hokage. He’s here!

Ken: Back off or this girl will surely die!

Hazakura: K.. Ken-san, what’s going on? Are you the villain!?

Ken: Sorry, but you shouldn’t trust strangers like this, you know?

Hazakura: Even though I tried to help you! So please stop doing this!

Ken: Hey, what are you doing!?

Ken: Get out of here! It’s dangerous!!

Ken: What are you doing? Back off! Do you want this girl to die!?

Kakashi: If you’re afraid that Kunai will cut her then don’t put it on her like that.

Ken: Damn it!

Ken: Back off! I won’t let you guys catch me. I will absolutely not to die!

Kakashi: You won’t be killed just for trying to steal something from me. Don’t worry.

Ken: What do you mean!?

Kakashi: Even though you haven’t committed a serious crime, I need to use so many ninjas to catch you. Because I know I won’t see you again if I let you escape today.

Ken: I haven’t committed a serious crime!?

Kakashi: Can you trust me? I just want to talk to you…just us.

Kakashi: I returned your bag and your sword. Looks like this short sword is very important to you, isn’t it?

Ken: !

Kakashi: I know you have to hide your personal information as much as possible. So just tell me if the person who gave you this sword is still alive?

Ken: ….Yes, she’s still alive.

Kakashi: Well, I’m relieved.

Ken: Why did you help me?

Kakashi: I don’t know…

Kakashi: I feel that the look in your eyes is exactly the same as mine from before. You’re also a smart boy who seems to have gone the wrong path.

Ken: …..

Ken: As you already know, the person who gave me this sword is my mom. I fixed it until it worked fine again.

Kakashi: I see…

Kakashi: What about your father?

Ken: I don’t know who my father is and I never wanted to know.

Kakashi: R..right.

Ken: How do you know my mom?

Kakashi: It’s a long story.

Ken: Well, you don’t have to tell me. I might be upset if I hear it.

Kakashi: ….. (He wants to know but at the same time he doesn’t.)

Ken: My mom is going to be very angry with me if she finds out what kind of mission I took. The Hokage’s bounty is very high. If I can kill you then I can take my mother to a good place. We can finally have a home.

Kakashi: You’re such a good boy but I don’t think your mom would be happy if she knew how you got the money, you know?
Ken: I know. Up until now, I feel really stupid. It’s the first time I’ve ever been cornered like this. If something really happened to me, I don’t know what my mom would do.

Kakashi: Well, that’s it…maybe if you want a good place to live, Konoha might be right for you. I may not be able to pay for my bounty but I promise to help you with everything.