Darkness had swept across the land of Kirigakure no Sato. The oceans and rivers and even the puddles in the streets had been dyed red with blood and nothing would be able to remove the stench of death from the area for a long time. But with the new day comes hope, and the sun was attempting to peek through the nearly always cloudy sky of the bloody mist village. A raven navigated its way through the rain and its sound caused the head of a shadow to turn slightly towards it, awaiting the beautiful creature as it gracefully navigated the stormy skies and prepared to land. The shadow reached up a gloved hand and removed the tube from the bird’s talons; taking a coin from his pocket and slipping it into a pouch to return to the sender of the package before sending the bird back off. He slid into an area where the rain wouldn’t damage the parchment and slid it out of the tube, unrolling the note inside and reading it quickly so that he could burn it after.

"Dear fellow Patron, I've heard many glorious rants about your bravery and assistance in the cold war Kirigakure was forced to endure, and first and foremost i would like to personally congratulate you on your attempts and your successes. I managed to acquire your temporary address from few sources that knew of it, but i couldn't have received them without hunting for them myself. I promise you an offer, during our meeting, should you accept my invite. I am a noble fighter much so like yourself, and I'd like to generously invite you to a meeting, between strangers indeed, but one that promises the formation of a great comradeship indeed. Should you choose to accept my invitation, please meet me at the Fusa Prison site so we may discuss the aforementioned offer.

Yours truly, Zero."

The Sword Saint smirked slightly as he took the lighter from his pocket and ignited the parchment, his hand instinctively moving to brush over the handle of the blade that sat strapped to his waist. The Messiah had served him well over the course of the Battle of the Seven Bells, allowing him not only to kill the general of Seven Bells’ army, Mizuru, but also allowing him to strike a fatal blow to the dangerous and murderous missing nin, Ukiyo Senju. Though she had been his friend at one time, she had completely lost herself and what she had once been and there was no other choice for the sword saint but to end her existence as it currently was, so that she could be remembered not as the monster she was turning into, but as the gentle and caring person she once was. He shook his head as he thought of the memory of his blade cleaving her in half, a memory he wouldn’t easily forget and that had been haunting his dreams along side the death of his lover. He would never be the same after either incident, but that wasn’t important right now.

As he walked towards the site of the demolished prison, he could feel the weight of the Sword of the Immortal Blaze sitting on his back and he remembered the history he had with this blade, carving out a bloody crest across the criminal syndicates of the world, and attempting to bring an end to the reign of terror that drug lords and slavers had impregnated upon the world with their vile acts. He was most proud of the time he had spent within the Aoi Bara as an advocate for peace and prosperity. He had done truly good work with them, and he would never forget the time he spent with the brother of his dead lover, the leader of Aoi Bara, Tsuyo Hyuga. He also remembered his mentor, who taught him how to forge a blade and helped him form the Sword of the Immortal Blaze. He had spent many years training under the mentorship of Sasori Hiroshi and he wouldn’t ever forget the time they had spent together.

As he walked up to the runes of the once heavily populated Fusa Prison he could still sense the death that had once happened here. The Shroud of Shadows covered him from detection, but he slid it off to reveal his armour and face, as he assumed that the person he was meeting would want to see who he was looking for. He found a nearby rock that was low enough for him to sit on and took a seat, crossing his arms and tapping his fingers on his biceps as he awaited the man who referred to himself as Zero, green eyes scanning always to keep sight of his surroundings.