On the border of the Land of Fire stood a somewhat dilapidated old temple.
The temple had only one main hall. Inside, a monk wearing a white haori sat before a Buddha statue, his eyes closed as he chanted sutras.
Tap, tap, tap!
Footsteps sounded as someone entered the temple grounds.
The newcomer wore white beneath a black outer coat.
Bandages wrapped his head, covering one eye.
You would not find a second person dressed like that anywhere in the shinobi world.
He was none other than the Darkness of the Shinobi World, Konoha's great Root, Shimura Danzō.
The monk sitting before the Buddha statue stopped chanting. Hearing the footsteps come to a halt behind him, he smiled.
"As expected, you came after all."
"Hmph. I'm here. What are you going to do about it?"
"Your coming here means you believe what I told you before. It shows your trust in me.
And to live up to that trust, I will naturally help you obtain what you want."
With that, the monk stood and greeted Danzo with impeccable courtesy.
"Greetings, Darkness of the Shinobi World. My name is Jigen. I am merely a wandering monk."
"Jigen? A wandering monk?"
Danzo sized up the man before him and sneered.
"You? You don't look anything like a monk."
Jigen wore a white haori, with a red guard around his neck and red bands around his wrists.
Only a section of hair at the center of his crown remained. He had grown it long and tied it into a wolf's tail that hung behind his head.
Beneath his left eye was the Roman numeral IV, and a diamond-shaped mark sat in the center of his chin.
All his fingernails were painted a distinctive black.
Nothing about his appearance resembled a monk.
Jigen smiled.