Prophecy of the Third Hokage's Death (Skip if Disliked)

The sunlight shone on Naruto as he walked out of the Hokage building, but he couldn't feel its warmth. He simply glanced left and right before heading off in one direction.

Konoha's streets were bustling with people, as lively and crowded as usual.

Naruto walked along, having already put the recent events out of his mind. Since the Third Hokage wanted him to give up on the Chunin Exams, he would continue to stir up trouble in Konoha.

Upon arriving at their meeting spot, Naruto saw the little girl and his face immediately lit up with a smile.

Everyone was preparing for the Chunin Exams, and everyone was busy. Naruto originally had D-rank missions to pass the time, but then Kakashi excused him from them.

However, the Third Hokage's order for him to abandon the Chunin Exams immediately sent Naruto back to square one.

Kakashi was busy tutoring Sasuke, and Sakura was busy studying Medical Ninjutsu. The other teams were all preparing for the Chunin Exams, and even Hinata was working very hard.

Everyone was busy, leaving Naruto with nothing to do, as free and unrestrained as clouds in the sky, yet incredibly bored.

So, in the morning, Naruto took the little girl to the forest to catch wild beasts. In the afternoon, he took her to a shallow stream to catch fish. At sunset, they went to the Hokage Rock to overlook the Konoha village.

Although Naruto asked about the whereabouts of the other three, the girl vaguely said they went to play on their own. He didn't pay it any mind upon hearing this and continued his leisurely fun.

If he were alone, even the most delicious food would lose some of its flavor. Having a companion for meals greatly satisfied Naruto's desire to show off.

He wasn't short on money anyway. He had barbecue for lunch and Ichiraku Ramen in the afternoon. The next day, he switched to seafood, and then to mountain delicacies.

The days passed, and the Chunin Exams drew closer.

"This must be very expensive, right?" the girl looked at Naruto, somewhat confused. Even with her naivete, she sensed that this extremely costly lifestyle was a bit exaggerated.

Naruto didn't feel anything about it and replied to her.

"Is it?"

"Yes."

The night breeze blew as the two stood on the Hokage Rock, looking at the myriad lights of Konoha. Naruto jumped onto the railing and simply squatted on it, saying, "It's fine as long as I'm happy. Money isn't important."

A long time passed after his words, but Naruto didn't receive a response. When he turned to look at the girl, he saw a hesitant expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, then added, "Let's go see the Valley of the End tomorrow. There seem to be big red fish there."

"I can't go tomorrow," the girl suddenly said.

"Alright then, I can go alone," Naruto said. "What about the day after tomorrow? It seems we've been everywhere we could go, and there's nothing fun left."

"I have something to do, and I might not have time to play with you anymore," the girl said hesitantly. "I really want to, but there's something very important."

Naruto was taken aback for a moment. He jumped down from the railing and suddenly showed a smile, saying, "What are you talking about? If you have something to do, then go. We're both from Konoha, right? We'll definitely have time to play together later."

"Yes," the girl's eyes dimmed slightly as she said this.

"Then go. We'll get together when we have time," Naruto waved at her, his face showing no sadness.

"Okay," the girl nodded, standing still in place for a moment. Then, she slowly turned around until she completely disappeared into the darkness.

Under the night sky, Naruto let out a long sigh, a hint of melancholy appearing on his face before it turned happy again.

"The only ones likely to infiltrate Konoha at this time would be Orochimaru's people, Tayuya."

At this moment, Tayuya had returned to the four-person squad's lodging. Calling it lodging was a stretch; it was actually just a drafty, abandoned house.

"Hey, Tayuya, why are you back so late again?" Kidomaru asked from a distance.

"It's none of your business," Tayuya said coldly, not even looking at Kidomaru.

"You..." Kidomaru felt indignant but held himself back.

He knew Tayuya always spoke in a sharp, sarcastic manner. But almost simultaneously, Kidomaru thought of a question.

Tayuya probably didn't have that kind of attitude in front of that person, did she?

Upon thinking this, Kidomaru felt indignant again and spoke up.

"Tayuya, the Chunin Exams are almost here, and Lord Orochimaru has ordered us to prepare. You're not going to get involved with that guy again, are you?"

"It's none of your business," Tayuya's crimson hair, which fell over her eyebrows, obscured her eyes. Her gaze remained cold, and she seemed to be in a bad mood.

"Tayuya, you jerk!" Kidomaru couldn't take it anymore. He rushed forward, blocking Tayuya's path, and shouted at her.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for that kid? You just tricked him out of a few meals. Speaking of which, that Nine-Tails Jinchuriki is quite the sucker..."

With a bang, Kidomaru's pupils widened. The next second, he spat out a mouthful of sour liquid, his entire body instantly arching like a shrimp.

Tayuya had kicked Kidomaru in the abdomen. She looked at him indifferently as he knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach in pain.

"Kidomaru, are you alright?" Jirobo, who resembled a sumo wrestler, hurried over to help Kidomaru up, asking with a worried expression.

"Get lost!" Kidomaru pushed Jirobo away, his face filled with anger, and left through gritted teeth.

The next day.

Naruto went out for a stroll as usual, fishing by the river and swimming under the waterfall. After playing alone for a while, he found it rather boring.

He had guessed Tayuya's identity but didn't expose her.

The reason was simple: perhaps Tayuya was the only one who was so idle at that time. On the principle of passing the time, they played together for a few days.

Now that his dream was over, he was going to start causing trouble for Konoha.

Naruto brought up the system panel and typed the following into the puppet persona's message box: "August 29th, nothing much to do, a little prophecy: the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will die during the Chunin Exams."

After clicking confirm, a smile curved Naruto's lips.

And in that instant, almost everyone in Konoha village dropped what they were doing, their faces showing expressions of shock.

The Third Hokage would die?

In a certain Konoha hot spring, the men's bath.

Jiraiya, soaking in the hot spring, suddenly became serious, staring intently ahead. His inner peace was instantly shattered by this news.

Even though Jiraiya and the old man disagreed on some matters, it was precisely because of this that he chose to travel, and Tsunade chose to indulge in gambling.

But no matter what, Jiraiya had never thought that old man would die. Yet, this method was clearly not a prank; the message entered his mind without the slightest chakra fluctuation.

It was as if a thought had entered his own mind, yet it was so clear.

With a splash, Jiraiya stood up directly from the hot spring. He wrapped the white scarf he was wearing around himself and slowly walked out of the bath.

He had to go see that old man, the Third Hokage, and check if he was dead or not.