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

Although Konoha Village is currently protecting the Nine-Tails, it is always beneficial to learn more about the Tailed Beasts or Jinchuriki in advance.

In the present world, besides Konoha with its nine-tailed fox and Kumogakure with its eight-tailed fox, only Iwagakure with its five-tailed fox remains.

Therefore, the task assigned to Sakumo and the others by the Konoha leadership was to find information about the Five-Tails or its Jinchuriki.

Using Konoha's intelligence capabilities, they provided two possible locations where the Five-Tails might be hiding.

The locations are correct, but Hiruzen Sarutobi and his group intentionally concealed the possible guarding forces at these two locations.

Based on their analysis of Sakumo Hatake's personality, the most likely action Sakumo would take would be to separate himself from his companions and go on a separate expedition.

According to the analysis of the Konoha leadership, those guards would at most cause their mission to fail, but would not pose too much danger to them.

So the likely outcome is that when Sakumo goes to one of the locations, he will find that the security is much tighter than he originally imagined.

Considering the strength of the other group, there is a high probability that he will cancel the mission at the last minute and rush to another location to rescue his companions.

In fact, the events that unfolded earlier were exactly as the Konoha leadership had imagined.

Upon arriving at his destination and discovering that the guards there were far stronger than he had initially estimated, Sakumo left without much hesitation and rushed off in another direction.

It's worth noting that the team he led this time consisted mostly of Chunin-level members.

Faced with such protective capabilities, even Jonin would find it difficult to break through, let alone Chunin.

The problem is that the script took an unexpected turn, completely deviating from the expectations of Konoha's higher-ups.

After Sakumo found his companions, they did not evacuate as expected, but instead disappeared without a trace.

The team, which was supposed to return several days ago, has vanished without a trace.

Just as Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't help but want to mobilize his intelligence agents to investigate whether they had really been killed by the people of Iwagakure.

He finally received a note from Sakumo, sent back through a summoning beast.

The note had four words written on it in messy handwriting:

"Crisis! Act quickly!"

And this was the last message the entire team sent to the outside world.

Chapter 98 Isn't this... bullying?

In front of Kagura and the other two was the very spot where Sakumo and the others had last stayed, as indicated in the mission intelligence.

Seeing Kagura's solemn expression as she gazed at the distant canyon, Hiashi, after a moment's thought, mustered his courage and spoke:

"Teacher, shouldn't we go in quickly?"

To be honest, several days have passed since Senior Sakumo sent the message. Could they have already...?

Although the Japanese player did not continue speaking, everyone present instantly understood what he meant.

Kagura turned to look at the two of them. Although Minato didn't respond, the expression on his face showed that he had the same thought.

The two of them are now very different from when Kagura first met them three years ago.

It must be said that the puberty development of teenagers is quite astonishing.

Over the years, they have grown up and successfully shed their childishness, transforming into mature adults.

If Minato Namikaze were to wear the Hokage robes now, he would basically look just like the Fourth Hokage in Kagura's memory.

As for Hiashi, he is actually younger than the Hyuga clan leader he remembered.

If I had to describe it, he now bears a 7-8% resemblance to the grown-up Hyuga Neji from the original story.

The old man had other considerations for assigning him these two people besides the fact that they were his disciples.

As someone with the Byakugan, Hiashi Hyuga possesses an unparalleled advantage in reconnaissance.

Especially given the current unclear situation, the presence of Japanese football players can definitely be a great help.

As for Minato, he is one of only two people in Konoha who have mastered the Flying Thunder God Technique.

Although it's unclear what exactly happened to Sakumo and the others, Minato, who possesses the Flying Thunder God Technique, would undoubtedly be able to rescue them more easily.

As for their abilities...

Not long before, they had already obtained the qualifications of Jonin.

After only two years as a Chunin, she successfully became a Jonin, which must have made her teacher, Kagura, quite proud.

Upon hearing Hiashi's question, Kagura gently shook her head and replied affirmatively:

"Don't worry, they should not be in any immediate danger."

At least, Sakumo Hatake is definitely not dead yet.

This wasn't due to his confidence in his old friend Sakumo's abilities, but rather stemmed from his trust in the system within his body.

After all, the mission to rescue Sakumo Hatake within his body has not yet shown as a failure, which indirectly proves that he is still alive.

Upon hearing Kagura's assessment, Minato and Hiashi did not raise any questions, but nodded in agreement.

Although they didn't know what Kagura's basis for this judgment was, their years of getting along with her had made them habitually follow their teacher's judgment.

Under the cover of darkness, Kagura finally led the two closer to the canyon after confirming that there were no traps around it.

As they approached the entrance to the canyon, Kagura suddenly reached out and stopped them in their tracks.

He didn't speak, but turned his head and nodded to Hiashi beside him.

Although he didn't say anything, Hiashi understood his meaning in an instant.

Hiashi nodded, veins bulging at the corners of his eyes, clearly having activated his Byakugan.

He carefully observed the valley for a moment before whispering to Kagura:

"There are 7 people's chakra reactions in the canyon, but..."

After tidying up his words, he continued:

"However, the positions of those people seemed a bit strange, as if they were being controlled by something."

Seven people?

Upon hearing this number, Kagura's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

According to the information provided by Sarutobi, Sakumo Hatake led a team of five members this time.

Including Sakumo Hatake, there should be six people.

Who is that extra person inside?

Could that be the powerful enemy that caused Sakumo to call for help?

Thinking of this, Kagura's heart sank.

As Sakumo's close friend, he naturally knew how strong Sakumo was.

In Kagura's opinion, even if Sakumo hasn't reached Kage level yet, he's not far off.

How could such a being be suppressed by one person for several days?

Could it be that the one inside is the Third Tsuchikage—Ōnoki?

But that shouldn't be the case. They just came to investigate the Five-Tails; they didn't intend to steal it. It shouldn't be necessary for the Tsuchikage to intervene.

Besides, I've never heard of the Tsuchikage Onoki having any powerful control abilities.

Wasn't his strongest ability the Dust Release he inherited from the Second Hokage, or was it some other powerful user he had never heard of?

However, a few seconds later, Kagura gave up thinking.

Who cares who he is? Is there any enemy that Kagura can't defeat?

After experiencing so many trials, apart from being defeated by Madara Uchiha and his "Six Paths" back then, Kagura did not believe that anyone in this world could defeat her in a one-on-one fight.

Even if it's just a case of many against few, isn't that still a case of the strong outnumbering the weak?

Um...

Age spots from when you were younger are a separate issue...

So it's not that Kagura is arrogant, but rather that his current strength has given him enough confidence.

It's impossible for me to run into Madara Uchiha every time I go out on a mission.

Let's not even mention that this senior figure hasn't appeared for a long time.

Besides, as a behind-the-scenes boss, he needs to maintain a certain level of prestige.

They wouldn't personally deal with minor characters like Hatake Sakumo and a bunch of Chunin.

Moreover, if it really was this old man who took action, even if Kagura had a lot of confidence in Sakumo, she didn't think he could hold out for several days.

Therefore, after ruling out the possibility of Madara, Kagura was filled with confidence.

Even so, he still glanced at the water gate before entering the canyon.

Without needing his teacher to say anything, Minato, who was on the same wavelength, immediately took out a kunai with yellow runes attached and threw it at a large tree behind him.

Kagura hadn't forgotten that their mission this time was to provide rescue, not to fight.

Before they arrived, the three of them had already discussed their tactics.

Hiashi was in charge of reconnaissance, Kagura dealt with the enemy, and Minato was responsible for using the Flying Thunder God Technique to transfer his comrades out first.

Seeing that Minato was ready, Kagura nodded and led the two of them into the canyon.

Kagura made no attempt to conceal her intentions, and in a flash, she rushed into the canyon.

They stopped abruptly, instantly halting their high-speed movement and standing steadily on a flat area in the canyon.

Under the bright moon high in the sky, the scene inside the canyon was clearly reflected.

The six people, including Sakumo, stood there blankly, their eyes glazed over, as if they were possessed.

Everyone's hands hung limply at their sides, their eyes unfocused as they looked up, their faces filled with confusion.

Kagura only glanced at these people briefly before immediately turning her head to look in the other direction.

He hadn't forgotten that besides these six people, there was another enemy in the canyon.

Just as he made out the figure of the enemy standing above, a slightly familiar voice came over: