Shinobi World No. 1.
Konoha Year 43, autumn.
Southern Army Headquarters, in the southern Land of Fire.
Shimura Danzō sat at the head of the table, his single eye fixed on the map of the Shinobi World spread before him. His finger moved slowly across it, tracing from the border of the Land of Wind into the heart of the Land of Fire, then to the edge of the Land of Rain.
Sunagakure, Konoha, the Jashin Cult.
The three powers' territories interlocked across this land.
The war had dragged on for years, steadily depleting the Southern Army's forces. Although Sunagakure's "Iron Cans" had been held in check for the moment, they had not been driven back. More troublesome still was the Land of Rain—that nation controlled by the Jashin Cult, spreading like a plague—which was becoming a massive threat to the Southern Army's flank.
"Lord Danzo."
Sai's voice came from the doorway, calm and steady.
"Sunagakure has sent an envoy."
Danzo's single eye narrowed slightly.
"An envoy?"
"Yes. He says he is here to deliver a 'ceasefire agreement.'"
Danzo fell silent for a moment.
"Send him in."
A moment later, a middle-aged man wearing a deep purple robe in Sunagakure's style and a white headscarf entered the headquarters. His face was unremarkable, but his eyes were sharp and his steps steady. He was clearly no ordinary civilian envoy-he was a ninja.
He approached Danzo and bowed slightly, his manner respectful, but there was not a trace of reverence in his eyes.
"Lord Fourth Hokage, I am Sunagakure's diplomatic envoy. By Lord Sasori's orders, I have come to deliver a ceasefire agreement."
He took a scroll bound with golden thread from inside his robe and presented it with both hands.
Sai accepted the scroll and passed it to Danzo.
Danzo untied