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Orochimaru had barely finished speaking when Naruto appeared beside Sasuke, smiling at Orochimaru with amusement in his eyes. Orochimaru gritted his teeth at the sight of him. "Naruto Uzumaki."
Sasuke and the Third Hokage were delighted to see Naruto arrive. Sasuke smiled at him. "Did you deal with Gaara?"
Naruto smiled. "Yeah, Gaara's gone back to Sunagakure. He gave me a few things before he left, and we became friends. I believe our relationship with Sunagakure will change because of him."
Sasuke was thrilled to hear this. It brought them a big step closer to their dream and strengthened his belief that they could achieve it. Seeing how happy Sasuke was, Naruto understood what he was thinking and smiled along with him, his spirits lifting.
Naruto looked at the Third Hokage and grinned. "Old man, I thought you were dead. Looks like you're a tough old pervert to kill."
The Third Hokage smiled. "These old bones won't give out so easily, not before I see you bring peace to this world. Hahaha!"
Naruto laughed too. "Then you'd better stay alive. Don't go dying on me. I'll make sure you see a peaceful world."
The Third Hokage smiled. "I believe you'll accomplish what we couldn't."
Naruto turned toward Orochimaru, the First Hokage, and the masked youth, his expression turning serious. "Orochimaru, are you going to retreat quietly, or keep going with that boring plan of yours? Choose." As soon as he finished, the Third Hokage and Sasuke watched Orochimaru warily.
Orochimaru smiled. "Naruto-kun, do you think I'd give up so easily? Don't forget, we aren't at a disadvantage. It's three against three. We're evenly matched. Hehe."
Naruto sighed. "So you still want to fight? Just because you have this barrier?"
Orochimaru smiled. "Hehe, this is the Four Violet Flames