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"Wow! Is this the Land of Wind? I can't tell. Where's the desert?"
On a plain covered with green shade, a ninja team was moving slowly. The leader was a man with white hair, the upper half of his face covered by a black mask, leaving only his eyes exposed.
Following him were three teenagers, two boys and one girl, all no more than fifteen years old and radiating youthful energy.
One of the boys had semi-long yellow hair, and the other had black hair. The girl had pink shoulder-length hair and wore the same ninja uniform. Each stood over 1.7 meters tall, giving them a strikingly tall appearance.
"Naruto, what nonsense are you talking about? Don't you see what time it is now? Where is there a desert in the Ninja World nowadays? Have you forgotten your geography lesson? When did the last desert in the Ninja World disappear?"
"Ah? This, that..."
The yellow-haired boy, Naruto, looked nervous, scratching his head and shaking it, clearly unable to answer the question.
"Huh, idiot, can't you answer such a simple question?"
The black-haired boy crossed his arms and sneered.
"Tsk, Sasuke, you guy, do you still remember? We've graduated for years. Who remembers stuff we learned back in the Ninja Academy?" Naruto shouted immediately.
"Idiot, the last desert in the Ninja World disappeared in the seventh year of the Starry Sky Calendar. I remember it clearly; the desert was destroyed by the former Kazekage of Sunagakure and his men!"
"Damn it!"
Naruto clutched his head, wailing in frustration, and then said, "Why do you two remember such obscure knowledge?"
The pink-haired girl, Haruno Sakura, just like the original team setup, stood beside them. The leader Jōnin was none other than Hatake Kakashi.
"Idiot Naruto, use your brain more. Don't forget you're the son of the Fifth Hokage. Your name is Namikaze Naruto; don't embarrass the Fourth," Haruno Sakura scolded.
Naruto turned his face away, still a bit angry, scratching his cheek unconsciously and remaining silent.
"Alright, it's good to know these things; there's no need to argue about it."
Hatake Kakashi interrupted, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked into the distance, then said, "The destination isn't far. We'll arrive in two hours. Do you want to rest here?"
Naruto immediately sat down, looking exhausted, and sprawled out on the ground, "I'm so tired; finally, a chance to rest."
Seeing this, Sasuke snorted, leaned against a tree, and closed his eyes to rest.
Haruno Sakura looked around and asked softly, "Sensei Kakashi, what exactly are we doing here? You've kept quiet the whole way; shouldn't you tell us now?"
This caught Naruto's and Sasuke's attention.
Hatake Kakashi shook his head, pulled down his mask, lit a cigarette, scratched his head, and then said with a troubled expression, "Our mission is to deliver an invitation letter to the Kazekage of Sunagakure."
"Ah? An invitation letter? In this day and age, do we really have to travel so far just to deliver an invitation in person? That's something a phone call could solve!" Naruto shouted.
Hatake Kakashi sighed, then looked at Naruto and said helplessly, "It's your father, oh, that is, my teacher, the Fifth Hokage—he wants to retire."
"What!?"
This news was no small thing, and Naruto jumped up from the ground in shock, staring at Kakashi with wide eyes.
"Are you serious?"
As he processed the news, a smile unconsciously spread across Naruto's face, and he began to jump around excitedly.
"Haha, awesome! Dad's going to retire!"
Naruto paced back and forth, mumbling non-stop. "No, no, I have to make sure Dad spends more time with Mom, and then I need him to train with me. I have to surpass him and become the Sixth Hokage! Haha, it's decided!"
Naruto laughed at his own words, while Sasuke only curled his lips.
"Idiot."
Haruno Sakura hurriedly asked, "Why is it so sudden? Everything seemed fine before, and there was no news in the village."
Kakashi looked even more distressed, glanced at Naruto, and sighed again. "Naruto, your dream of becoming the Sixth Hokage might be harder to achieve."
"Why? Am I not strong enough?" Naruto protested immediately.
Kakashi shook his head. "That's not the issue. You're very skilled and have reached the level of an Elite Jōnin, but it's not a question of strength, it's because..."
He pointed to himself. "I was designated by the village as the candidate for the next Hokage."
"Huh!?"
Naruto's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.
"How could this happen? Why you, Kakashi-sensei?"
Kakashi nodded, exhaled a long puff of smoke, and then said, "Yes, I've been asking myself the same thing—why me?"
Haruno Sakura's face was puzzled as she asked, "According to tradition, there are usually multiple Hokage candidates. Kakashi-sensei, besides you, were there any other candidates? Do you know?"
"Ah, you're talking about that."
Kakashi replied helplessly, "There are no other candidates—only me. I'm the designated one, understand?"
Uchiha Sasuke frowned. "So, the village leaders broke the usual rules and didn't select other candidates?"
"That's true."
Kakashi nodded.
Sasuke frowned even more and said, "This doesn't align with the village's traditions. The village can't be that short on candidates."
Kakashi pulled the corners of his mouth, trying to smile but failing, his expression strange. After holding back for a moment, he finally explained, "Honestly, it's not the village leaders' fault."
Kakashi paused here, then shook his head and said, "No one in the village wants to become Hokage. Or rather, no one of my generation in the village wants to take on the role."
Haruno Sakura asked instinctively, "Then why did the village leaders choose you, Sensei?"
Kakashi sighed again. "No one applied to become Hokage, so I ended up as the unluckiest one, understand?"