Redemption In Your Eyes

The Final Valley

Naruto turned over in the sleeping bag, unable to sleep. The black sky was turning gray through the thin forest, and the stars were disappearing. Gaara... His tension was palpable and constricting. Naruto's face was twisted into the flat pillow as his blonde hair fell over it; the scars on his cheeks looked more like whiskers than they had in a long time. In vain he fought harder for sleep, not realizing it was too late. It was dawn.

Itachi rose at the same time as Kakashi. There was silence as their gazes met and they moved to wake their charges. The team packed wordlessly and covered evidence of their camp. Naruto led behind Itachi as they came upon the Akatsuki lair.

The red arches loomed over them as the seal upon the entrance stared back. Itachi turned to his team.

"There are four more of these tags." Taut expressions met his. "They must be removed at the same moment. When a tag is removed, a duplicate of the person removing it is formed." He paused for a moment, uneasy with their fearless determination. This is a bad time for egos to kick in... "The clones will fight to the death." Those words produced the desired caution upon their faces. "Naruto, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Aster- I would like you to remove the perimeter tags. Kakashi?"

The mentioned shinobi crossed his arms.

"Please use your dogs to find the tags."

Kakashi nodded and promptly began summoning.

"Sakura," Itachi continued. "I will removed the tag upon the entrance; you will run in and smash the boulder in the way. Chiyo-san, you will stay with Sakura and I."

"Alright." She tightened her gloves and flexed her fingers, as the older woman nodded in agreement.

Reaching into his hip pack Itachi pulled out his ear piece. The rest of the ninja followed suit. "Report when the dogs have led you to a tag. I will give the signal to remove them."

The dog in front of him was large and gray. Its scars winked at him through its fur as the night's stars had in the dappled light. Naruto sighed heavily. This image of Sasuke's back stayed with him. The Uchiha hadn't so much as glanced at him when they parted from the crimson arch. His chest clenched with the irony.

I will save Gaara.

Still, Sasuke's receding silhouette stayed behind his eyelids.

The dog stopped suddenly and Naruto almost tumbled over it.

"WOOF!" came the reproachful bark.

"Hey!" he scolded in return. He balanced on the rock face, the sound of the nearby waterfall ringing in his ears. For a moment he wondered if he was at Shuumatsu no Tani. The dog barked again, glaring at Naruto and then glancing up. The kyuubi boy followed the dog's gaze. One of the tags glowered down upon them. Naruto pressed the mic button on his earpiece. "Found it."

Naruto's voice sounded through his headset and Itachi glanced down at Sakura. "Alright... Everybody on three... One... Two...Now!" The tag stretched momentarily in his grip and then ripped free of the stone entrance. "Go Sakura!"

"Okay!" Fist glowing with chakra, she ran full force, throwing all her might into the strike as Itachi leapt away.

Suddenly, the rocks exploded. Smoke, dust, and debris clouded the air and Sakura guarded her mouth and nose with her hands.

Deidara sat on the carcass and crossed his arms. "About damn time we finished that, hm!"

Sasori glared at him. "They are here."

"Really?" Deidara grinned, ignorant of the other's animosity. "And how did you know that, hm?"

"Because..." Sasori's eyes locked on the entrance. "I can feel their chakras... Here they come."