Chapter 3

AN: Well here is chapter 3 of Naruto the Republics Last Hope but first I would like to say Thank You to everyone who viewed, followed, fav, and reviewed last chapter. Speaking of reviews how about I answer some.

Avidnarutofan: Thank you for another review, In regards to Yoda understanding and changing the code it is due to him being almost 900 years old and he has a long time to reflect on things as well as think about things and after hearing Naruto's story he realizes that if the Jedi stay the way they are then they are doomed to fall at some point due to being stagnant in their ways which will allow their enemies to play on their weaknesses like Naruto pointed out.

As for the Jedi having a private army they don't Naruto can technically be classified as a Mercenary

Hanmac: Yes there will be some more Naruto x Aayla romance/relationship building soon likely in this chapter if it plays out how I have it planned, In regards to Bariss over Luminara; Luminara was one of the requested pairings in the challenge so she must be in, however I may be able to work Bariss in but no promises.

DragonPony022: Always nice to hear from you, Yes Ahsoka will be joining the harem but remember she isn't that much younger than Naruto because he is 18 while I think she is either 15 or 16 at this point in the clone wars.

RevanofSithLord: Yes I think so too but I had completely forgotten that Kit Fisto was on the Jedi Council at the time.

Mundanebeast: Yes and there is a reason why he didn't reveal Sidious's identity which will be revealed in time.

Zues501: Once again thank you

Cf96: I am using the traditional Stormtrooper design from episodes 4-6 but they will have the color schemes of the clones from the clone wars series, basically some troopers will give their armor a personal flair, and no Proxy isn't with them.

Haywireseagull: First off hilarious name, now in regards to the Name of Naruto's ship it was one of the guidelines in the Challenge so I had to name it that.

Now as for everyone else who reviewed Thank You. It was also brought to my attention that I made a mistake with the time setting last chapter regarding when Naruto was born, he was born 6 years after the fall of the Republic and the Rise of the Empire. Naruto's Harem so far: Aayla Secura, Luminara Unduli, Ahsoka Tano, ?, ? *The last two I will keep secret for now however I may had one more if I can figure out a way to add her, but I decided to reveal the two besides Aayla due to so many people guessing right.

It had been a week since Naruto and Galen's meeting with the Jedi council and quite a bit had happened. The day after the meeting with the Jedi council Master Yoda had made an announcement to the entire Jedi Order in regards to the changes of the Jedi Code and that Jedi were now allowed to form bonds and be in relationships, and when asked why he merely responded with "Stagnant we have become, exploit this our enemies can". This resulted in a variety of responses from the Jedi; many were happy with the change because they saw the benefit of the change, some were neutral to it and merely went on with their business, and a few of the more prudish Jedi protested it but upon realizing that they were the minority stopped their protests.

Naruto spent a few days talking and training with Aayla and enjoyed being around her and telling her about some of his adventures; he also spent some time sparring with Bariss. Naruto also spent some time talking with Shaak Ti and telling her about when he was her padawan and some of funny things that happened during their time together like the time he was practicing use the force to lift things and ended up lifting a large column of water from a nearby pond, before losing his concentration and it landing on Shaak Ti soaking her causing him to laugh before she Force Pushed him into said pond.

Naruto was currently walking towards the Jedi Council room where he was to meet Anakin Skywalker and his Padawan Ahsoka Tano where they would be assigned a mission together. As he reached the door to the council chambers he remembered his meeting with Master Yoda yesterday.

*Flashback to day before*

Naruto was standing in Master Yoda's personal meditation chambers after requesting a private meet with him to. Naruto looks to Yoda "Master Yoda thank you for meeting me in private" he says getting a nod from Yoda before he continues "I know the identity of Darth Sidious however I felt it was best to only tell you at this time, that way we can begin planning for when we eventually confront him" he says to the aged Grand master.

Yoda looks at Naruto for a minute thinking "Wise choice you have made, let him know we are onto him we cannot" he says knowing that if the Sith Lord found out that the Jedi knew who he was then he would likely accelerate his plans or act in a way they couldn't predict.

Naruto nods "That is correct Master" he says before he narrows his eyes "Darth Sidious is Supreme Chancilor Palpatine" he says causing the Grand Master's eyes to widen slightly. Naruto sees Yoda's reaction and nods his head.

Yoda stares at Naruto for a minute processing everything he was just told "Between us this must stay, Until time is right" he says getting a nod from Naruto "Tread carefully we must or repeat history will" the aged Grand master says narrowing his eyes slightly and getting a nod from Naruto.

*End Flashback*

Naruto walks through the doors and enters the Jedi council room and bows to the council before noticing two people standing off to the side before noticing that they are Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano.

Anakin Skywalker is a Caucasian male with brown hair and blue eyes, over his right eye is a small scar. He is wearing the standard Jedi robes and boots however they are a combination of black and brown, clipped to his belt is his lightsaber.

Ahsoka Tano is a 16 year old mocha-skinned Togruta female with blue eyes and white markings on her forehead. Like Shaak Ti who is also a Togruta she has head-tails similar to a Twi'lekk however instead of coming out the back of the head like a Twi'lekk's they frame her face and rest over her shoulders. She is wearing a brown tube-top similar to the one that Aayla Secura wears; that stains against her Mid-C cup breasts and shows of her toned stomach. Ahsoka is also wearing a brown miniskirt that barely covers her curvaceous backside, a pair of white stockings that are pulled up to just below where her miniskirt ends, and finally clipped to her belt are her two lightsabers with one being a little smaller than the other.

Naruto looks to the Jedi council and smiles "Greetings Masters you called for me?" he asks already having an idea of why he was called considering that Anakin and Ahsoka were there.

Obi-Wan nods "Yes Naruto allow me to introduce my old padawan Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker and his padawan Ahsoka Tano, they will be joining you for your mission" he says gesturing to Anakin and Ahsoka.

Naruto turns to Anakin and shakes hands with him "It's nice to meet you Anakin Skywalker, I am Jedi Master Naruto Uzumaki" he says before turning to Ahsoka and smiling which causes her to blush slightly "Hello Ahsoka Tano I have heard much about you and how skilled you are" he says causing her to bluch a little more.

Anakin nods to Naruto "It's nice to meet you too Master Uzumaki I look forward to working with you" he says a little curious about Naruto.

Naruto chuckles "Please just call me Naruto; I have never been one for all that stuffiness about titles and what not" he says getting a few chuckles from some of the Council and Anakin who nods before they turn back to the Council.

Obi-Wan clears his throat "Now we have receive reports of a new ship that the Separatists have built that has the ability to disable our ships with one attack leaving them wide open to be destroyed" he says causing Naruto's eyes to narrow at the prospect. Obi-Wan keys a button on his chair and a hologram of a huge ship about half the size of the Kyuubi no Kitsune with two large disk like structures on either side of it appears; "This is the ship in question it is called the Malevolence" he says gesturing to the hologram.

Shaak Ti continues from where Obi-Wan left off "Master Plo Koon was the one to bring us this data after his ship along with two others were attacked and destroyed" she says causing Ahsoka's eyes to widen in fear that her former master was hurt or worse. Shaak Ti sees this and decides to put the younger Togruta's fears to rest "Master Plo Koon was able to escape and was rescued before he delivered the data to us" she says seeing Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief "However judging from the ships course it is likely headed for one of our medical stations where over 60,000 injured clones are currently being treated, it is also rumored that General Grevious himself is in command of the ship" she says.

Naruto's eyes narrow hearing this as he can't stand when enemies attack the injured who can't even fight back "I take it our mission is to intercept and either incapacitate or destroy the ship before it attacks the medical station" he says having an idea of what the mission objective is.

Shaak Ti nods "Yes the three of you along with a small fleet will intercept the ship and either incapacitate it and call for reinforcements to help finish it off, or if possible destroy it" she say getting nods from Naruto, Anakin and Ahsoka as they bow to the council before heading to the hangar and board a transport to Anakin's Venator the "Resolute".

Onboard the "Resolute" Anakin, Ahsoka, and Naruto reach the command bridge where they find the officer of the ship waiting for them. Anakin walks forward and smiles "Adimral Yularen it's good to see you again" he says happy to see the commander of the ship.

Admiral Yularen smiles "Master Skywalker it's good to see you again too; I take it we have a mission" he asks happy to see the Jedi.

Anakin nods "Yes we are tasked with the destruction of that new ship the Separatists have called the Malevolence that has been taking out our ships" he says getting a nod from the admiral; "The ship is on its way to attack a medical station and we are to prevent from getting there" he says activating a hologram of the ships course to the medical station.

Naruto looks at the hologram and narrows his eyes "Due to all the stars and it can only navigate one course, however it has a head start meaning if we follow its course we won't make it on time" he says getting a series of nods before he gestures to a nebula off to the side of the Malevolence's course "If we were to take a squad of bombers through this nebula we could get to the medical station a little while before the Malevolence drops out of hyper-space and launch an ambush it and either destroy the bridge or the weapon that disables our ships, afterwards our fleet will drop out of hyperspace and cut the Malevolence's escape off before destroying it" he says getting a nod from those gathered.

Anakin thinks the plan over for a minute "It is a sound plan; Ahsoka and I will lead the squad of bombers" he says getting a nod from everyone.

Naruto thinks for a minute "I will join you to provide fighter support while my ship the Kyuubi no Kitsune joins our fleet for the ambush" he says getting a nod from Anakin before they head to the hangar to get in their bombers or in Naruto's case his fighter. As they were walking Naruto pulls out a comlink to contact Aayla who was onboard the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

On board the Kyuubi no Kitsune Aayla was standing on the command bridge waiting to hear from Naruto about their mission when she hears her comlink beep and notices it's Naruto trying to get in contact with her before answering it "I'm here Naruto what's the situation" she asks.

Naruto smiles "Were about to head out to intercept the Malevolence and I need you to link up with the "Resolute"" he says relaying the plan to Aayla "You have command of the Kyuubi no Kitsune until I return" Naruto finishes with a smile while chuckling as he pictures Aayla's face.

Aayla was speechless after Naruto told her she was in command of the Kyuubi no Kitsune because it was his personal ship and he was trusting her with it after only knowing her a little over two weeks. She snaps out of her stupor "Okay Naruto stay safe out there" she says hoping he would be okay because even though she had only known him a little while she had come to care for him and being around him made her feel safe and warm.

Naruto smiled "All right Aayla see you soon" he says before turning off his comlink as he reaches the hangar with Anakin and Ahsoka. Naruto and his fellow Jedi walk over to the squad of clones that will be their fellow pilots for the assault; who all snap to attention when they see them approaching.

Anakin stops walking and stands in front of the group of clones "Okay shadow squad we got ourselves a mission to take out the Sep's new toy" he says as a pulls up a hologram of the Malevolence "This is our target the Malevolence which is currently on its way to attack a medical station that has 60,000 of your brothers on it" he says causing a few of the clones to curse. Anakin nods his head and switches the hologram to show the Malevolence's current course "Will be piloting our bombers through this nebula and come out in front of the Seps and proceed to attack either the bridge where General Grievous is rumored to be, or we target the Ion Cannon which will prevent the ship from disabling our forces" he explains.

The clones nod as Anakin continue to explain the plan of attack "After we take out one of the two targets our reinforcements will arrive and proceed to destroy the enemy" he says getting another series of nods from the clones. Anakin nods seeing they understand the plan before gesturing to Naruto "This is Jedi Master Naruto Uzumaki and he will be providing fighter support for the mission" he says as the clones look to Naruto who nods and waves at them.

The clones salute Naruto causing him to chuckle "At ease and please don't salute I am not a stickler about things like that, and I consider all of my comrades family" he says surprising the clones by what he just said. Naruto turns to Anakin "We should probably wrap this up and get going" he says getting a nod from Anakin who dismisses the clones as they each go to their bombers.

Ahsoka turns to Anakin "So which one is mine?" she asks wondering which bomber she will be piloting.

Anakin chuckles "You will be with me as my gunner" he says surprising Ahsoka.

Ahsoka is about to protest his decision when Naruto cuts her off "Ahsoka he is not doing this because he doesn't think you're ready" he says causing Ahsoka to look at him "He is doing it because he trusts you to watch his back out there" he says causing her eyes to widen as she turns to Anakin who nods.

Naruto walks over to Ahsoka and pats her head "Don't worry Ahsoka your time to lead will come soon so be patient and try to prepare yourself mentally for when it does because the decisions you make while leading determines if your comrades will live or die and it is a heavy burden" he says with a small smile as he sees realization in her eyes "Besides even though we have only known each other a short time, I can tell that when it is your time to lead I am positive you will be a great leader" he says causing her to blush slightly.

Naruto turns to Anakin "So where is my fighter located" he asks getting a smirk from Anakin who leads him to a Delta 7-Interceptor that is painted orange with black swirls that look similar to a whirlpool or a maelstrom causing him to chuckle; and a red and blue R4 astromech buckled into the astromech slot.

Anakin chuckles seeing his expression "I thought you would find it funny" he says getting another chuckle from Naruto before continuing "After we were given the mission I had Ahsoka send a message for one of the spare Delta 7's to be brought aboard for you to use and have it painted, however I didn't know she had ordered it to painted like this" he says before both turn to look at Ahsoka.

Ahsoka rubs the back of her neck while chuckling sheepishly "Well I overheard you say that your favorite color was orange, and your name can be translated to Maelstrom so I had it painted this way; do you like it?" she asks hoping he does and that she wasn't in trouble.

Narut chuckles and walks over to Ahsoka before leaning down and kissing her forehead which causes her to blush severly "I love it thank you Ahsoka" he says causing her to sputter and Anakin to burst out laughing at his padawans current state before she glares at him and uses the force to lift a wrench off the ground and hit him in the stomach with it knocking the wind out of him.

Naruto and Ahsoka laugh seeing Anakin try and regain his breath and after he does they each go to their ships. Naruto climbs into the cockpit of his ship and gets situated before turning to his astromech "So were partners now" he says getting a series of beeps in reply. Naruto smiles "So you got a name little buddy?" he asks wondering if he has been given a nickname yet. R4 makes a series of beeps that Naruto realizes is him say no which causes him to smile "Hmm since you don't have a name how about I call you Gama" he asks getting a series of beeps that equates to the little droid saying "Okay". Naruto smiles hearing this and notices the bombers taking off and starts up his Delta 7 and following them out of the hangar before he links up with his Delta 7's hyper-drive ring.

Anakin in the lead bomber looks back to see the rest of the squad and Naruto behind him "Shadow Squadron tighten up formation and sound off" he says and one by one they sound off with the clones nicknamed Matchstick, Broadside, and Tag calling in as Shadows 2-4.

One by one the clones sound off with Hotshot and Jess rounding out Shadow Squad as Shadows 11 and 12 and Naruto keys his comms "Fighter Support ready" Naruto checks in before he hears Admiral Yularen give them the go ahead to make the jump to hyperspace; and after everyone gives their systems one final safety check the make the jump to light speed.

(On Board the Malevolence)

On board the command bridge of the Separatists newest ship the Malevolence battle droids were going about their duty performing various tasks as General Grievous stands behind them menacingly watching as the Malevolence destroys another group of Republic ships as a hologram appears in front of him.

The hologram is of Count Dooku also known as Darth Tyranus. Dooku looks at Grievous "I see our newest weapon is proving to be quite effective" the count says.

Grievous coughs a little before answering "Yes it makes killing the Republic dogs almost too easy" he says with confidence at how easy it is to destroy the Republics ships. A battle droid then says how he can't seem to hit anything resulting in Grievous back handing the droids head off causing it to fall out of its chair before a new droid takes its place.

Dooku sees this and scowls slightly "Those battle droids are expensive Grievous. The Jedi don't treat their clones that way" he reprimands.

Grievous coughs a little before scoffing "The care the Jedi show for their clones is what makes them weak" he says with venom at how the Jedi treat their clone troopers.

Dooku nods "A weakness we will exploit" he says before pulling out a holodisk that shows a medical station "This is the Republic's secret Outer Rim medical station and it is currently unprotected and treating at least 60,000 clones so we will do the humane thing and put the clones out of their misery. Once the medical station is destroyed the Jedi will have nowhere to send their wounded clones which will result in them dyeing" the count says with a small evil smile.

Grievous gives the hologram of Dooku a small bow "It will be my pleasure my lord" the droid general says as the hologram of the count disappears. Grievous turns to the droid at the navigation controls "Set a course for the Ryndellia System" he says before the droid sets the coordinates and the Malevolence enters hyperspace.

(Back with Naruto and the Strike Force)

Naruto, Anakin, Ahsoka and the rest of the bomber squadron exit hyperspace and come out in front of a giant orange nebula. Anakin cracks his neck to get some kinks out from the trip through hyperspace before signaling the squadron "All right all we have to do is navigate the nebula and we will get to the medical station before Grievous" he says getting a series of rogers from the squadron before they head into the Nebula.

Naruto chuckles at their eagerness "Remember to be careful and stay alert though; a nebula can be unpredictable and we will have to navigate by keeping an eye on the person in front of you due to the nebula jamming our sensors and being thick" he says warning them of the dangers associated with a nebula before the group enters the it.

As the group fly through the nebula Ahsoka keeps checking the sensors when she realizes something "Naruto how do you know about this shortcut?" she asks wondering how he knew about it.

Naruto chuckles "It's an old smugglers route that I along with Galen used to use quite a bit before we met Master Shaak Ti and the others" he says chuckling at some of the memories of when he and Galen would use the route to smuggle supplies to the Rebellion.

Anakin thinks for a minute "I feel like I should know this route but I can't quite place my finger on it, what's the name of it?" he asks trying to remember why the nebula seems so familiar.

Naruto smiles "It's called the Balmorra Run" he answers back through the comms.

Anakin's eyes widen "Wait you mean it's THAT route oh force me" he says finally realizing why the run seemed so familiar.

Ahsoka hears the nervousness in her masters voice "Why what's so special about the Balmorra Run" she asks wondering why it's such a big deal.

Naruto chuckles "The Balmorra Run is the nesting ground to the Giant Neebray" he says before Ahsoka asks what those are "Giant Neebray can basically be described as giant space whales that eat the gases from the nebula" he says answering the teenage Togrutas question.

Ahsoka listens to Naruto's explanation before she notices something on the scanners "Master I am picking up something big on the scanners and it's not alone" she says worried about what it could be.

Anakin hearing this immediately tells the squadron to form up on him single file as Giant Neebray appear all around them. Naruto seeing this chuckle sheepishly "I may have forgotten that Giant Neebray are currently in their mating season" he says gaining sweat drops from everyone as they begin weaving in and out of the Neebray.

As they are evading the Neebray Matchstick clips one of the whiskers on a Neebray with one of his engines causing it to flare and spark before he gains control of it and rejoins the squadron. Naruto seeing this narrows his eyes and notices the engine sparking slightly "Shadow Two fall back to in front of me your engine is sparking slightly and its better safe than sorry" he says before Matchstick falls back to in front of him and the squadron exits the nebula.

The squadron exits the nebula to see medical station in the distance when Ahsoka notices something on the scanners again "Something is coming out of hyperspace and its BIG" she says right as the Malevolence drops out of hyperspace right in front of them and they begin their run.

(Malevolence Bridge)

Grievous was standing on the bridge watching as the Malevolence drops out of hyperspace right in front of the medical station when a droid looks over to him "General there is a squadron of Republic bombers behind us and they are on a bombing run" the droid says.

Grievous growls "Turn the ship to the side and launch fighters while powering up the Ion weapon" he says as the droid nods and sends out fighters while other droids power up the Ion cannon.

(Back to Naruto and the others)

Naruto and the others were on approach to the Malevolence when he spots fighters "Heads up we got fighters incoming" he says bore the squadron passes through the incoming fighters firing all the way and taking a few of the fighters out. As they pass the fighters Naruto sees the Malevolence fire its Ion weapon sending a large purple disk of Ion energy at them "Shit everyone climb make for the edge of the disk" he says before he pulls his fighter into a steep climb behind the rest of the squadron.

As the squadron climbs to avoid the attack Matchsticks engine sparks before cutting out leaving him in the path of the attack as the rest of the along with the droid starfighters who got caught in the attack. Naruto and the rest of the squadron climb over the top of the disk of Ion energy and contacts Matchstick "Matchstick you okay?" he asks the clone.

Inside his cockpit Matchstick shakes of the aftereffects of the Ion shock and key his comms which are surprisingly working "Yeah I'm okay my bombers out of commission though so I will need a pick up when you guys are done" he says after checking to see if his bomber would still function.

Naruto sighs in relief "Hang tight we will be back to pick you soon" he says glad that Matchstick is okay and shaking the feeling that it could have been a lot worse if he didn't have Matchstick fall back to in front of him.

Anakin leads the squadron up the length of the Malevolence towards the bridge dodging laser fire from the Malevolence's gun towers "Stay on target everyone we are nearly to the bridge" he says as two Shadows get shot down and he avoids laser fire.

Ahsoka sees another bomber get shot down "Master we need a new plan" she says before watching another bomber get hit and explode in a fiery ball "Everyone is getting shot down" she says trying to talk sense into her master before the entire squadron is lost.

Naruto hears this and watches as yet another bomber gets hit before spiraling into one of the gun turrets and exploding "She is right Anakin at this right even if we make it to the bridge we won't have enough firepower to destroy it; we need to go for the Ion weapon" he says watching as another bomber gets hit and exploding as he dodges the explosion and shrapnel pings of his canopy.

Anakin thinks it over for a minute "All right everyone go for the left Ion weapon" he says breaking off his run on the bridge and firing his proton torpedoes at the connectors for the Ion weapon along with the rest of Shadow squadron while Narut shoots it with his fighters laser cannons causing it to explode after they pass right as it is about to fire sending a wave of Ion energy through the Malevolence causing numerous explosions as it limps away.

Naruto sees this and smiles as a group of Republic Venators along with the Kyuubi no Kitsune drop out of hyperspace. Naruto smiles and keys his comms "Glad to see you made it to the party Aayla" he says.

On board the Kyuubi no Kitsune Aayla smiles hearing Naruto's voice "Glad to be here from you, I see you saved some fun for the rest of us" she says glad that he is safe before ordering the ships to fire on the Malevolence as tries to limp away.

Naruto smiles "Well you know me I am very generous" he says chuckling "Also can you send a transport to tow one of our bombers back" he says thinking of Matchstick who is still stuck in his bomber.

Aayla smiles "Sure thing Naruto now how about you and the rest of the squadron come aboard and relax while we take out the giant tin can" she says.

Naruto chuckles "Sure thing" he says before keying the comms to the squadrons channel "All right everyone we are landing on the Kyuubi no Kitsune my personal flagship for some rest and relaxtion, by the way first round is on me" he says getting a cheer from the clones as they land in the hangar.

After landing in the hangar and leading the clones to the bar Naruto gives Anakin and Ahsoka a tour of the ship and by the time they reach the bridge Ahsoka and Anakin have their jaws on the ground at how big the ship is and his forces. Naruto leads them to the bridge where Aayla is waiting for them and smiling "I see he gave you to the tour" she says getting nods from Anakin and Ahsoka "My expression was the same as yours" she says giggling while Naruto laughs.

Anakin snaps out of his stupor and turns to Naruto "How did you get your hands on this ship because there is no way the Republic gave it to you" he says getting a nod from Ahsoka.

Naruto smiles "Would you believe me if I said I was from 24 years in the future" he says chuckling as he sees Ahsoka and Anakin's jaws hit the ground once again "I will explain everything after were done here" he says getting nods from them before his eyes narrow "Something is coming that shouldn't be here" he says.

Suddenly one of the officers speaks up "Sir a ship is dropping out of hyperspace" he says getting everyone's attention "It's a Nubian diplomatic starship" the officer says.

Anakin's eyes widen realizing who it is and rushes over to the comms when he hears the pilot of the ship call a distress call saying they are caught in a tractor beam and being pulled aboard the Malevolence. Anakin turns on the comms "Padme is that you?" he asks wondering why she is out here.

Onboard the Nubian starship is senator Padme Amedalia and her protocol droid C-3PO are trying to break out of the tractor beam when she hears Anakin over the comms "Anakin is that you?" she asks before shaking her head "Doesn't matter keep up the attack I won't be a political prisoner" she says before her ship is pulled into the Malevolence's hangar cutting the transmission off.

Back on the Kyuubi no Kitsune Anakin listens as the transmission cuts out and slams his fist; "Order all ships to stop firing" Naruto says getting a nod from one of the bridge officers before all the Republics ships stop firing. Naruto turns to look at Anakin "C'mon Anakin we got a little lady to save" he says with a smirk causing Anakin to smile. Naruto turns to Aayla "You have command of the ship again Aayla, once we get the Senator and are clear open fire and reduce that ship to scrap" he says getting a nod from her before he heads to a transport followed by Anakin and Ahsoka; they had a senator to save.

End Chapter 3