Konoha Crush Plan 8

"What did you say?!" At those words, Naruto exploded like a lit powder keg. He rushed up to Sasuke, grabbed his collar, and roared:

"You bastard! How could I leave you behind and run away alone?! If we fight, we fight together! I'm not scared of that monster!"

Though Sakura's face was pale and her body trembled slightly, she stood firmly beside Sasuke as well. Tightening her grip on her kunai, she spoke in a trembling but unmistakably clear voice. "Naruto's right. We can't abandon our teammates! If Team 7 fights, we fight together!"

Sasuke looked at the two teammates who insisted on staying regardless of the danger, especially the unflinching look in Naruto's eyes. A barely perceptible flicker passed through his scarlet Sharingan.

He snorted and shook off Naruto's hand. His voice still carried its distinctive arrogance, but some of its chill had faded.

"Hmph. Suit yourselves. But..." He turned his head, glancing at them out of the corner of his eye. "You two had better not hold me back."

Naruto froze for a moment, then understood Sasuke's awkward acceptance. He thumped his fists together, a grin full of fighting spirit spreading across his face, and answered loudly, "That goes for you too, you stuck-up jerk! Don't let us outshine you!"

Inside the Four Violet Flames Formation, the air was suffocatingly heavy with the deathly still chakra filling it.

Before Orochimaru, two wooden coffins engraved with the characters for "First" and "Second" slowly rose from the ground with a teeth-grating scrape.

Yet just as the third coffin was about to emerge, it shook violently several times, as though blocked by an invisible force. Finally, it sank reluctantly back into the ground and vanished.

Orochimaru's golden, slit-pupiled eyes narrowed slightly before he clicked his tongue in disdain. "Hmph. Did the