The Hokage smiled at Tashi, beckoning Danzo to bring him the white scroll. Maki was looking uncomfortable... The white scroll was laid over the treaty and set down, "As the technician of Tanigakure-" The Hokage said to Maki, "You are the highest authority on dangerous and forbidden techniques. A few years ago... there were reports of a certain ruin in the Land of Rivers."<br/><br/>"We had sent someone to claim it, but I am afraid that<em>you</em>got there first." The woman said.<br/><br/>"Bansentennin. The word forbidden is Bansentennin." Maki said, at last understanding.<br/><br/>"Before the village was founded, the Uchiha and Senju clans joined together to defeat that clan. They are the founders of Medical Ninjutsu, and that made them more dangerous than I could begin to describe." The Hokage went on to explain, "Their leader was slain, but the First was not convinced that he was dead. Or even that he<em>could</em>die. Some men hailed him as a saint capable of bringing their dead back to life, but he was in fact a demon of false promises. Should he come back, or should that clan ever return in earnest... In every land, in every village, Madara and Hashirama made them swear to turn that clan from their homes, to spurn their aid and to deny them asylum. In return, they would receive the tailed beasts and hope that it would not come to war."<br/><br/>But war had come anyway. Nearly two decades ago... it was a stretch to presume that those other treaties about the Bansentennin had been faithfully adhered to.<br/><br/>"If your Daimyo wants to call upon the old alliance-" Danzo said, "Then he should abide by the oldest condition- All knowledge of that clan and their jutsu must remain with us for safe-keeping. If you harbor any member of that clan, regardless of their rank or standing in Tanigakure, then they must be turned over to us." He lifted the white scroll up to the older man in the room and nodded.<br/><br/>"Tell us truthfully." The man in the glasses said as he passed the scroll off to Maki, "Do any of the following people live in your village? Do they have family or relatives in Tani? A shared surname... And this intelligence may not be current- if there's any other members that you know of..."<br/><br/>Maki passed the scroll to Tashi, bidding him to give it to Jun when he was done.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Hideki Ito - Presumed deceased<br/>Kakuzu - Surname unknown, no long a member, presumed deceased<br/>Ryoichi Fujiwara - Presumed acting leader<br/>Shirō Mengishii - Possibly operating in Sunagakure<br/>Masamaru Kitano - Operating in Kirigakure<br/>Yoshio Kaneko - No longer a member<br/>Yasuji Shinozuka - No longer a member<br/>Shinno - Surname unknown, no longer a member<br/>Unidentified Male - Possibly operated in Konohagakure, presumed deceased<br/>Unidentified Female - possibly operating in Yugakure</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br/>"On behalf of the Daimyo of Tanigakre, we accept your demands." Maki said, bowing her head to the floor, "Thank you for your gracious help."<br/><br/>"One more thing." Danzo said, just as she was about to get up and leave, "...The gold mines of Sunagakure. If they should be captured during the war, Konoha shall have the right to them."<br/><br/>The kunoichi jounin licked her lips and looked like she was about to refuse, stealing a glance towards the silent Hokage... but Maki merely bowed again and said to the tatami mat, "As you wish."<br/><br/><hr/><br/>"Hahaha! That talentless pervert?" Tsunade said, waving her hand dismissively, "No woman in this village would be safe with<em>him</em>in charge. Hrmph."<br/><br/>Outside...<br/><br/>A white-haired man in a long bushy ponytail was stalking along the outside of the bathhouse. He was young and tall, in his early twenties and in both his hands were a pair of skewers with roasted meat stuck on them. He chewed on one as he giggled. In the wooden fence separating the hot springs from outside observers, he leaned his cheek up against the wall and closed one eye, trying to spy a bit of flesh between the crack in the planks.<br/><br/>After awhile, the man began to... sense something. Often, when he was so captivated with his research, anyone could sneak up on him. He had gotten wary of vengeful kunoichi and then turned around. His eyes went wide when he spotted... a large wolf, panting and salivating at the sight of his skewers. The man shook his head as he softly hushed Xexen to be quiet. The<em>last</em>thing Jiraiya needed was a large rowdy wolf making a ruckus outside the hot springs.