Konohagakure, the Hokage's Office.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the broad windows and spilled across the polished floor, lending a little warmth to the room that symbolized the village's highest authority.
Yet the atmosphere inside was anything but peaceful.
Shikamaru Nara sat before a low table beside the Hokage's desk.
An exquisite shogi board lay before him.
The pieces stood in neat rows, but Shikamaru's brow was tightly furrowed. His fingers tapped unconsciously against the table, betraying his frustration and unease.
Although his gaze rested on the board, his thoughts had long since flown to the distant Pure Land, to the battlefield of the Six Paths Life-and-Death Shogi that would decide the shinobi world's future.
"Come to think of it... when exactly is that 'match' against the Sage of Six Paths Naruto mentioned supposed to start?"
Shikamaru muttered under his breath, rubbing his aching temples.
"How long has it been now? Reports from the battlefield have been coming in fits and starts. All we know is that the fighting is intense. Even Teacher Guy and Dai have come back."
"And the strangest thing is..."
He stared at the empty space across the board.
"Why hasn't the Sage of Six Paths on the other side moved a single piece?"
From Naruto's brief explanation before leaving and the subsequent accounts of eliminated Konoha ninja, Shikamaru knew that this Life-and-Death Shogi was more than a contest of strength. It seemed to involve a strategic struggle governed by some higher order of rules.
As Konoha's next-generation strategist, Naruto had entrusted him with the important task of playing in his stead.
Yet ever since he had connected to the game, he had found that the pieces representing their side moved or changed status automatically according to the actual situation on the battlefield, governed by some sort