Recovery and Training, Saving Hinata

Orochimaru would never bother using Impure World Reincarnation on anyone below Kage Level, and he had yet to collect the remains of any other Kage Level fighters.

Not unless White Zetsu helped him gather them, as he had helped Kabuto Yakushi in the original story.

For now, Orochimaru had only the Fourth Kazekage to use as an Impure World Reincarnation Puppet.

And Naruto had gone and ruined even that.

Orochimaru's narrow, snake-like eyes fixed coldly on Naruto in the air. After a while, he could only let the matter go.

As Orochimaru had grown older, he had turned to sophisticated "truth-seeking" techniques like Impure World Reincarnation and immortality techniques like Living Corpse Reincarnation.

Apart from extending his neck to bite people and using his signature seal-less Ninjutsu, Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, he rarely fought with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu as he had in his youth.

"Heh, heh." Orochimaru laughed again, though Naruto thought he heard a trace of resignation in it.

"Naruto-kun, I'm sure we'll meet again in three years!"

With that, Orochimaru took Sasuke and Sakura and slowly sank into the ground until they vanished.

Before leaving, Sasuke kept his eyes locked on Naruto. His gaze said it all:

Naruto, I'll defeat you in three years!

Naruto raised an eyebrow from afar. He couldn't have cared less. What, was Sasuke planning some grand comeback?

Heh.

Orochimaru was waiting three years to take Sasuke's body and gain the power of the Sharingan. Naruto needed those three years to grow stronger too.

There was the Sage Transformation Body, the Eight Gates Released Formation, and those few prodigies in Yukigakure, for instance.

Poof!

Gamabunta vanished as well, returning to Mount Myōboku. Naruto slowly descended to the ground.

Kakashi, Might Guy, and Asuma ran over. Watching Orochimaru retreat, they felt a strange sense of