Main World.
Konoha Year Twenty-Two, spring.
Northern Land of Fire, the front lines of the Kumogakure Battlefield.
The snow covering the plains had begun to melt, exposing the gray-black soil beneath. The wind was still bitterly cold, but the sunlight already held a little warmth.
Years of border warfare had long since worn down both hidden villages' fighting spirit. Konoha and Kumogakure alike were mired in exhaustion, and a stifling, heavy air of impending ceasefire hung over the battlefield.
Tobirama Senju stood on high ground, his silver hair stirring in the wind, his red eyes fixed on the distant Kumogakure Defense Line.
Several disciples stood behind him-Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Torifu Akimichi, and Kagami Uchiha. Each face bore varying degrees of fatigue, but each pair of eyes held its own calculations.
Danzo stood behind and to one side of Tobirama Senju, his hands clasped behind his back, his expression blank. His gaze rested on Tobirama Senju's back, an almost imperceptible coldness hidden deep in his eyes.
"Sensei, someone has arrived from Kumogakure."
Hiruzen Sarutobi walked up beside Tobirama Senju and spoke quietly.
"They say the Second Raikage has agreed to peace talks. The location is the Neutral Zone outside Kumogakure."
Tobirama Senju nodded.
"Let's go."
He turned and walked down from the high ground.
The others followed him.
Outside Kumogakure, in the Neutral Zone.
A hastily built wooden cabin.
The cabin was small, only a few dozen square meters, but it could accommodate both delegations. Tobirama Senju sat on one side of a long table, his silver hair gleaming coldly under the light. Behind him stood Hiruzen Sarutobi, Shimura Danzō, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, Torifu Akimichi, and Kagami Uchiha.
The Second Raikage sat across the table, his burly frame like an iron tower. Several Kumogakure