Mario steps out of the dark portal, arriving in the Hidden Leaf Village after about three years since he was last here. He sighs, knowing that he doesn't have time to waste as he makes his way toward the dwelling of the Hokage; hopefully, Tsunade would still be in charge and would be able to loan some help.

Tsunade sits at her desk, looking over mission reports. She seems annoyed at her two guards.

Mario soon reaches the Hokage's residence, and after requesting an audience with Tsunade and waiting for a bit, he finds himself standing before her. "Lady Tsunade, long time no see. I hope the Hidden Leaf Village hasn't had any Heartless problems since my companions and I left."

"None at all, Mario." Tsunade says, waving off her guards. "What brings you back to the Hidden Leaf?"

Mario sighs as he rubs his head. "Well, it's a bit of a long story." For the next ten minutes, he explains the presence of other worlds, of the world he and his friends are actually from, of the rising tensions with the Fallen Angels, of Sora's murder, and of their current need for help to stop them once and for all.

Tsunade leans back in her chair, amazed. "I knew there was something about you and your friends." She says. "But this? This blows my mind. You remember fully well what happened here before you left, and I'm afraid we have gotten no further with the war against the Sound. I'm not sure we can spare any Ninjas....right now Naruto seems to be our only hope."

Mario gives a sigh. "Understood; well, we'll send Xildus around later on, so if you happen to have any spare ninja available for what I think you can consider an S rank mission, let us know." He then thanks her for her time and leaves, sighing as he walks back into the middle of town. He places a call to Axel. "Same situation here; they can't be sure that they can spare anyone. At this rate, it seems the whole infiltration might turn up a bust."

"Understood, we have the Phantoms help, but it's not enough." Axel says. "Meet back at Radiant Garden."

Mario nods, opening a dark portal and stepping through.

{Mario to Radiant Garden}