With the Third Hokage's letter tucked against his chest, Sarutobi Shinnosuke hurried to the capital of the Land of Fire.
"Please inform the daimyo. I have a letter from the Hokage!"
Shinnosuke spoke to the two samurai at the entrance to the Daimyo's Mansion.
The heavily armored samurai said little. One turned and went through the gates, while the other silently watched Shinnosuke in his ANBU attire.
Before long, the samurai opened the mansion's luxurious mahogany doors and gestured for Shinnosuke to enter.
As the Hokage's son, Shinnosuke had visited the Daimyo's Mansion more than once. With the situation urgent, he quickened his pace.
Entering the hall, Shinnosuke removed his Monkey Mask. In this situation, it was better to approach as the Third Hokage's son.
Dropping to one knee before the seat of honor, Shinnosuke handed the letter from inside his clothes to a servant beside him.
"Oh~ Shinnosuke, it's been so long."
Gently waving his fan, the daimyo of the Land of Fire greeted Shinnosuke in an effeminate voice.
He gestured for Shinnosuke to rise and took the letter from the servant, paying no attention to the formalities the Third Hokage had included.
He opened it, scanned it carefully, then abruptly slapped his armrest.
"I knew it! The Hokage would never do this. It was all his subordinates acting on their own!"
Shinnosuke was about to answer when he saw someone wearing a Daimyo Fan Crown emerge from behind the screen.
"Give it here. Let me see, cousin."
The emblem on the fan crown belonged to the Land of Lightning!
"Report!"
"Contact with the Two-Tails squad has been completely lost!"
A Cloud Shinobi rushed into the Raikage Building and reported to Dodai, Kumogakure's current acting commander.
Dodai frowned, staring at the map whose outer areas were marked in