Konoha Year 49, Land of Rain, overcast skies.
Time moved on to Konoha Year 49. The Third Shinobi World War had entered its final stage, but the embers of war still smoldered in certain regions. After successfully reaching a ceasefire agreement with Kirigakure and relieving the pressure on the eastern front, Shimura Danzō and the Root elites under his command did not return to Konoha to rest and reorganize. Instead, they were urgently dispatched by the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, to the battlefield in the complex and volatile Land of Rain.
The Land of Rain was a small nation shrouded in rainclouds year-round. Because of its unique geographical position at the border of the three great nations of Fire, Wind, and Earth, it had become a stage where every faction fought for advantage. At this moment, the situation here was exceptionally delicate. On the surface, Konoha and Sunagakure were locked in a standoff at the border, with occasional clashes, yet when facing the Hidden Stone, they also maintained a certain degree of cooperation. In secret, however, the demigod who ruled the Land of Rain, Hanzo of the Salamander, felt an unprecedented fear and wariness toward the rapidly rising internal organization known as the Akatsuki.
Danzō led Root to quietly arrive at Konoha's stronghold on the border of the Land of Rain. The atmosphere here was oppressive, and under the endless rain, the camp seemed muddy and cold. Danzō's single eye swept over the map. The situation in the Land of Rain was even more complicated than he had expected. In name, Konoha and Sunagakure were confronting each other at the border, with friction breaking out now and then, yet they also had some level of cooperation when opposing the Hidden Stone. What truly interested Danzō was another piece of intelligence