After carefully reading through the mission scroll, Uchiha Kagura furrowed his brow.
The mission itself was simple—protect a wealthy merchant traveling to the Land of Whirlpools.
Judging by its reward and difficulty level, it was indeed a standard B-rank mission with no issues.
The problem lay in why Hiruzen Sarutobi himself had come to lead this mission.
Even without actively seeking information, Kagura knew that Sarutobi would officially assume the position of Third Hokage very soon.
At such a pivotal moment, was a B-rank mission worth the personal involvement of a Kage?
Even if they said it was for looking after students, that explanation didn't really hold up.
Kagura handed the completed mission scroll back to the three behind him without bothering to conceal his confusion, turning his gaze to Sarutobi.
Hiruzen immediately understood Kagura's unspoken question.
He cut straight to the point:
"I will officially announce my ascension to Hokage next week. The reason I'm going with you all to the Land of Whirlpools is precisely because of this."
Going to the Land of Whirlpools because of becoming Hokage?
As soon as Kagura pondered this, he instantly grasped what Sarutobi-sensei meant.
During Hashirama Senju's era, the Land of Whirlpools had always been a loyal ally of the Land of Fire.
Particularly between the Uzumaki and Senju clans, their cooperation dated back to multiple alliances formed during the Warring States period.
When Hashirama captured various Tailed Beasts, it was the elder council of the Uzumaki clan who helped seal those beasts.
Otherwise, how could Hashirama successfully distribute the Tailed Beasts to different ninja villages later?
Even more notably, to better control the Nine-Tails, Mito Uzumaki—wife of the First Hokage—voluntarily became the first Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
Now, with Sarutobi about to become Hokage and visit the Land of Whirlpools, this naturally made perfect sense.
It was just like when new national leaders in Kagura's past life would prioritize visiting allied countries to demonstrate goodwill.
Then why go before officially becoming Hokage instead of after assuming office?
Unlike the era where Naruto lived, the current times remained chaotic despite truces among the villages.
Underneath the surface peace, many factions still maneuvered secretly.
Many would jump at the opportunity to eliminate a Kage-level ninja.
The Second Hokage, Tobirama, fell precisely in such a scenario.
Therefore, visiting the Land of Whirlpools as Hokage versus going simply as Hiruzen Sarutobi carried completely different implications.
Put more harshly, even if Sarutobi died along the way, the effect on Konoha's morale wouldn't be severe.
Seeing Kagura's instant understanding, Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction.
Behind him, Tsunade and Orochimaru, after reviewing the mission details and hesitating briefly, also comprehended the deeper meaning.
Only Jiraiya remained puzzled, scratching the back of his head as he said:
"Teacher, what does you becoming Hokage have to do with us doing a mission together?"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he proudly declared:
"I get it now! You're worried that once you become Hokage, you won't be able to go out with us anymore."
"So you're tagging along with us for this mission even before officially starting your duties, huh!"
He shot his teacher a cocky grin, obviously just waiting for a pat on the back.
Hiruzen Sarutobi twitched his lips but held back the scolding words he wanted to say. He turned his head and looked toward the side, giving orders to everyone:
"Alright, hurry back and pack up. Gather at the village gate at noon."
Under the blazing sun shining from the center of the sky, the four prepared individuals had already been waiting by Konoha's gates early.
Kagura wore a combat uniform similar to that of a jonin, except he wore a purple tank top underneath, with a black backpack strapped to his back. Right now, he was kicking pebbles around boredly while sheltering under tree shade along with the others. Just like him, the other three also had backpacks slung over their shoulders, along with their usual ninja gear.
Luckily they didn't have to wait long. Moments later, Hiruzen Sarutobi and another figure gradually came into view.
Right behind Sarutobi was the individual they were tasked to protect on this mission.
This person completely matched Kagura's image of what a wealthy merchant should look like—dressed in an expensive-looking silk purple robe. The rather tight garment further outlined his fat physique. Right now, he was keeping dabbing at his sweaty forehead with a handkerchief, clearly sweltering under that tight outfit.
Seeing the four young ninja, the merchant paused briefly, then displayed a kind smile and nodded at them.
Sarutobi introduced everyone briefly to the client, then politely said to the merchant:
"Mr. Fuchuan, time is pressing. Thank you for your cooperation along the way."
Without waiting for Fuchuan's response, he turned to the team and commanded,
"Move out!"
As the group began advancing, excitement flickered across Kagura's face.
It wasn't just because this was his first time leaving the village since his reincarnation; more importantly, shortly before this mission, he received a mission alert from the System:
"Mission: Complete a Class-B mission.
Reward: Randomly select and master one ninjutsu skill."
Ever since he once drew [Kotoamatsukami] as a skill, he'd been eagerly anticipating which incredible new jutsu he might obtain from the System next.
Just like Kagura, Tsunade and the others were also leaving the village for the first time. Along the journey, they were filled with curiosity about everything around them.
After walking along the planned route for quite some time, they finally exited the forest outside the village. Gradually along the road appeared some human villages—but unlike Konoha, these hamlets mostly looked shabby.
The villagers moving about were mostly dressed in tattered clothes, their eyes full of numbness, as if they were lifeless puppets going through the motions mechanically.
Witnessing such scenes, Tsunade and the others—who had been excited just moments ago—fell silent.
Feeling the atmosphere within the group growing quieter, Sarutobi spoke up:
"Peace has been far too short-lived. Although through Lord Hashirama's efforts we ended the chaos of the era of warring clans... sadly, such peace only lasted for about ten years."
After the outbreak of the First Great Ninja War, these villagers had no means to resist and naturally couldn't develop.
Kagura silently nodded in agreement.
In fact, even among the Five Great Ninja Villages, Konoha was considered a unique existence.
After all, when the village was first established, it gained substantial financial resources from Hashirama Senju's sale of Tailed Beasts.
Consider how the environment of Suna offers nothing but desert for survival.
If given a choice, who would willingly build a village in such a place?
Traveling was always dull, especially when the route offered little scenery.
Surprisingly, hefty merchant Fuchuan kept up with them quite easily.
Come to think of it, it made sense—being a traveling merchant, this kind of trek must've been second nature to him by now.
As everyone's steps gradually grew heavier, the sun unknowingly came to rest on top of a distant mountain.
The afterglow reflected onto their bodies, stretching long shadows behind them.
By now, they had passed through the village and entered a new forest area.
As they walked, Kagura suddenly halted at the front.
Standing before him, one could see his eyes had shifted into [Sharingan] mode.
Staring into the darkened woods ahead, he suddenly gave a hand signal behind him.
Tsunade and the two others following closely tightened their expressions upon seeing that signal.
Their figures blurred into black shadows as they instantly appeared beside Fuchuan, forming a triangular formation around him for protection.
After weeks of training together, the four had worked out a system of hand signals to help during missions.
And the gesture Kagura just made meant:
Enemy approaching!
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