Chapter 35: Foretelling the Third Hokage's Death (Skip If You Dislike)
Walking out of the Hokage building, sunlight poured over Naruto's body, yet he felt no warmth from it. He merely glanced around before heading straight off in one direction.
Konoha's main street bustled as always, thronged with people coming and going.
As Naruto walked along, he had already pushed aside what had just happened. Since the Third wanted him to give up the Chūnin Exams, then he would just have to stir up trouble in Konoha instead.
When he arrived at the meeting spot, he saw the little girl waiting there, and his face instantly broke into a smile.
Everyone was busy preparing for the Chūnin Exams. Each person had their hands full. Naruto used to pass the time with D-rank missions, but even Kakashi had relieved him of those.
And then, with just one sentence from the Third telling him to give up on the Exams, Naruto suddenly found himself back to square one.
Kakashi was busy tutoring Sasuke, Sakura was busy learning medical ninjutsu, and every other team was hard at work preparing for the Exams. Even Hinata was putting in great effort.
Everyone was caught up in their own busyness—everyone except Naruto, who had nothing to do. He was like a cloud drifting freely across the sky, yet endlessly bored.
So that morning, Naruto took the little girl into the forest to catch wild animals. In the afternoon, he brought her to a shallow stream to fish. At sunset, they went to the Hokage Rock to overlook the Hidden Leaf Village.
Although Naruto asked about the whereabouts of the other three, the girl only vaguely said they had gone off to play on their own. He didn't think much of it and continued enjoying his carefree days.
After all, eating even the most delicious food alone could lose its flavor. Having someone to eat with greatly satisfied Naruto's need to show off.
Besides, he wasn't short on money. Barbecue for lunch, Ichiraku ramen in the afternoon. The next day, seafood. Then mountain delicacies after that.
Days passed like this, and the date of the Chūnin Exams drew ever closer.
"This must be expensive, right?" the girl asked, looking at Naruto in puzzlement. Even in her innocence, she could tell this kind of lavish lifestyle was excessive.
Naruto didn't feel anything about it and simply replied:
"Is it?"
"Mm."
The night wind brushed past as the two stood atop the Hokage Rock, gazing at the myriad lights of Konoha. Naruto hopped onto the guardrail and crouched there, speaking casually.
"As long as we're happy, who cares about money?"
His words hung in the air for a long while with no response. When Naruto turned to look at the girl, he found her wearing a hesitant expression.
"What's wrong?" Naruto asked, then added, "Tomorrow, let's go check out the Valley of the End. I heard there's a big red fish there."
"I can't go tomorrow," the girl suddenly said.
"That's fine, I can go alone," Naruto replied. "What about the day after? I think we've been to just about everywhere. Not much left to see."
"I have things to do. I might not have time to play with you anymore," the girl said hesitantly. "I really want to, but… there's something very important I have to do."
Naruto froze for a moment, then jumped down from the guardrail. Suddenly, he broke into a smile.
"Whatever. If you've got something to do, go ahead. We're both from Konoha, right? We'll have plenty of chances to hang out later."
"Yeah." When the girl said this, her eyes dimmed slightly.
"Then go on. We'll hang out when you're free," Naruto said with a wave, his face showing no sign of sadness.
"Alright." The girl nodded, stood still for a moment longer, then slowly turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Under the night sky, Naruto let out a long breath. A trace of wistfulness appeared on his face, then quickly turned into a grin.
"At a time like this, sneaking into Konoha… must be one of Orochimaru's people. Tayuya."
…
By now, Tayuya had returned to the Four-Man Squad's so-called residence—a dilapidated, drafty set of abandoned houses.
"Hey, Tayuya, why are you back so late again?" Kidōmaru called from a distance.
"None of your business," Tayuya replied coldly, not even sparing him a glance.
"You…" Kidōmaru bristled but held his tongue.
He knew Tayuya's way of speaking was always abrasive, but almost at the same time, another thought struck him.
She probably doesn't act like this around that guy, does she?
The moment that idea came to him, Kidōmaru couldn't help but feel a stab of resentment.
"Tayuya, the Chūnin Exams are coming up. Lord Orochimaru ordered us to be ready. You're not still involved with that kid, are you?"
"None of your business." Tayuya's long crimson bangs shadowed her eyes. Her gaze remained cold, her mood visibly foul.
"Tayuya, you—!" Kidōmaru finally snapped. He rushed forward, blocking her path, and shouted:
"Don't tell me you've fallen for that brat! All he did was feed you a few meals. And that Nine-Tails jinchūriki's just a sucker anyway—"
Bang!
Kidōmaru's pupils dilated. A moment later, he gagged violently, spitting up bile as his body doubled over in pain.
Tayuya had kicked him squarely in the gut, watching with icy indifference as he collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach in agony.
"Kidōmaru, are you okay?" Jirōbō, built like a sumo wrestler, hurried over to help him up, concern on his face.
"Get lost!" Kidōmaru shoved Jirōbō aside, fury twisting his features as he stalked away.
…
The next day.
As usual, Naruto wandered idly, fishing by the river, diving beneath waterfalls. After playing alone for a while, he found it all dull.
He had guessed Tayuya's true identity but chose not to expose her.
The reason was simple: when he was bored, she was probably the only one equally idle. So, to kill time, they had hung out for a few days.
Now that the dream was over, it was time to stir up trouble in Konoha again.
Naruto opened his system panel and typed the following into the Puppet Persona message box:
"August 29. Out of boredom, here's a little prophecy: The Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, will die during the Chūnin Exams."
He hit confirm, and a smirk curled Naruto's lips.
In that instant, nearly everyone in Konoha dropped what they were doing, their faces flashing with shock and horror.
The Third would die?
At a certain hot spring in Konoha, in the men's bath—
Jiraiya, soaking in the water, suddenly grew serious, his eyes locked ahead, his inner calm shattered by the sudden message.
Even though Jiraiya and the old man had disagreed on many things—so much so that he chose to travel the world and Tsunade buried herself in gambling—
Never had he imagined the old man would die. And this message clearly wasn't a prank; there hadn't been the slightest chakra fluctuation, yet the thought had entered his mind.
As if it had been planted directly into his head—so vivid, so undeniable.
With a splash, Jiraiya stood up from the water. Wrapping the white towel around himself, he strode out of the hot spring.
He needed to see the old man. To see if he was still alive.
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