Naruto: By lying low and hiding, he eventually became the leader of the Legendary Sannin.

With that thought in mind, he lay down on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

At that moment, he was unaware that it had happened not long ago.

The protagonist he firmly believed in had unknowingly changed due to his time travel.

And the great battle he thought was at least 40 years away would be brought forward as a result...

Nothing happened that night, and the next morning...

The four members of Class 7 reunited in front of the mission distribution point.

But this time, apart from Kagura, the other three all looked tired and yawned.

They seemed to have put in their all to cultivate yesterday.

Looking at the appearance of the people in front of her, Kagura sighed again.

He shrugged and, as the team leader, walked up to the staff and inquired about today's tasks.

The receptionist looked up at them and then said:

"Oh, so you're from Class 7 this year."

You don't need to accept missions here today. Just go directly to the Hokage Building later.

"Lord Hiruzen Sarutobi has a mission for you to complete."

Upon hearing this, the group exchanged puzzled glances.

I didn't hear Sarutobi-sensei mention this yesterday either.

Seeing the crowd's confusion, the staff member smiled and said:

"Oh, this was arranged on short notice this morning."

"Go quickly, Lord Sarutobi has been waiting over there for a long time."

Upon hearing this, the group didn't ask any more questions and quickly headed towards the Hokage Building.

Inside his office in the Hokage Building, Hiruzen Sarutobi smiled as he looked at his four prized students.

In fact, he will officially become the Third Hokage in just one week, and his work has been getting busier and busier lately.

This also meant that he had almost no time to lead these students on missions.

Fortunately, I heard from others that all four of them have recently completed their assigned tasks perfectly.

This made me, as their teacher, very satisfied.

He tossed the mission scroll in his hand to Kagura, who was standing at the front, and gestured for her to open it.

Kagura untied the string from the scroll and began to examine it carefully, while Hiruzen Sarutobi explained:

"This time you're taking on a B-level mission, which requires you to go outside the village to carry out the task."

Moreover, I will be leading the team this time!

Chapter 12 The World Outside the Village

After carefully reading the mission description on the scroll, Uchiha Kagura frowned.

The mission was simple: protect a wealthy merchant to the Land of Whirlpools.

In terms of reward and difficulty, it is indeed a B-level mission without any issues.

The question is, why was it Hiruzen Sarutobi who personally led the team?

Even without him making a special inquiry, he knew that Hiruzen Sarutobi would soon officially assume the position of the Third Hokage.

At such a critical time, is a Rank B mission worth a Hokage personally carrying out?

Even using the excuse of taking care of one's own students is unacceptable.

Kagura casually handed the completed mission scroll to the three people behind her, making no attempt to hide her doubts as she looked at Hiruzen Sarutobi in front of her.

Hiruzen Sarutobi immediately understood Kagura's question.

He spoke directly:

"I will officially announce my becoming Hokage next week, and that's why I'm going to the Land of Whirlpools with you all this time."

Was he going to the Land of Whirlpools because he was about to become Hokage?

Kagura thought for a moment and instantly understood the meaning of Sarutobi-sensei's words.

During Hashirama Senju's time, the Land of Whirlpools was a loyal ally of the Land of Fire.

The Uzumaki clan and the Senju clan have a cooperative relationship dating back to the Warring States period.

When Hashirama Senju was capturing the various tailed beasts, it was the elder of the Uzumaki clan who helped him seal the tailed beasts he had captured.

Otherwise, how would Hashirama Senju have successfully sold this unstable power to the various ninja villages?

Later, in order to better control the Nine-Tails, Mito Uzumaki, the wife of the First Hokage, voluntarily sacrificed herself to become the first Nine-Tails Jinchuriki.

Now that Hiruzen Sarutobi, who is about to become Hokage, is on a mission to the Land of Whirlpools, it is a logical step for him to do so.

Just like the Earth where Kagura originally lived, newly appointed national leaders usually need to visit friendly countries as soon as possible to show their goodwill.

As for why he had to go before becoming Hokage, rather than after taking office?

Unlike the era Naruto lived in, the current situation is still in a state of chaos.

Although the villages had signed a ceasefire agreement, undercurrents were still running deep.

If given the chance to kill a Kage-level opponent, many people would choose to try.

The Second Hokage, Tobirama, perished precisely because of this.

Therefore, going to the Land of Whirlpools as the Hokage and going to the Land of Whirlpools as Hiruzen Sarutobi himself have completely different meanings.

To put it bluntly, even if Hiruzen Sarutobi had died on the way, it wouldn't have been a major blow to Konoha's morale.

Seeing Kagura's instantly understanding expression, Hiruzen Sarutobi nodded with satisfaction.

After watching the mission and hesitating for a moment, Tsunade and Orochimaru understood its meaning.

Only Jiraiya, scratching the back of his head, said in a goofy manner:

"Teacher, what does your becoming Hokage have to do with joining us on missions?"

Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he said confidently:

"I understand. You're worried that once you become Hokage, you won't be able to go out with us anymore."

So you specially accompanied us on one last field mission before we took our positions, right?

After he finished speaking, he looked at the teacher with a smug expression, as if expecting praise from the teacher.

Hiruzen Sarutobi twitched the corner of his mouth, but ultimately swallowed back the words he was about to utter.

He turned to the side and instructed the crowd:

"Alright, you all hurry back and pack your things. We'll meet at the village gate at noon."

We'll set off at noon today.

The dazzling sun hung in the center of the sky, and the four people who were ready had been waiting there for a long time at the gate of Konoha Village.

Kagura was dressed in a combat uniform similar to that of a Jonin, except that she wore a purple vest and had a black backpack on her back.

At that moment, he was hiding in the shade with the others, kicking pebbles out of boredom.

Like him, the other three also carried an extra backpack compared to their usual attire.

Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long. A moment later, Hiruzen Sarutobi and another person gradually came into view.

Following behind Sarutobi-sensei was the target they needed to protect.

This person's appearance perfectly matched Kagura's imagination of the word "wealthy merchant".

She wore a purple silk coat that looked expensive, and the slightly tight-fitting clothes accentuated her plump figure.

He was wiping the sweat from his head with a handkerchief, clearly very hot.

Upon seeing the four people, the wealthy businessman paused for a moment.

He then gave a friendly smile and nodded to everyone.

Hiruzen Sarutobi gave a brief introduction to the customers and then turned to the wealthy businessman and politely said:

"Mr. Fu Chuan, time is of the essence."

You must be tired from the journey.

Then, without waiting for Fu Chuan's response, he addressed the crowd:

"set off!"

As the group set off, Kagura's face showed a hint of excitement.

Besides the fact that this was the first time he had left the village since his transmigration, the main reason was the mission prompt he had received from the system not long ago:

"Mission: Complete a Level B mission."

Mission Reward: You will be randomly selected and will be able to learn one ninjutsu.

Ever since he drew the Kotoamatsukami skill last time, he has been looking forward to what kind of overpowered ninjutsu he can draw from the system next time.

Like Kagura, this was also the first time Tsunade and the others had left the village.

As they walked, they were filled with curiosity about everything around them.

After walking along the predetermined road for a long time, they finally emerged from the woods outside the village.

Along the way, some human villages gradually appeared.

Unlike Konoha Village, these villages mostly appear dilapidated.

Most of the villagers walking around during this time were dressed in rags, their eyes filled with numbness, going about their work like zombies.

Seeing this, the crowd, who had initially seemed somewhat excited, gradually fell silent.

Sensing the atmosphere in the team had turned cold, Hiruzen Sarutobi spoke up:

"Peaceful days are far too short."