The final day has come. Naruto must finish his training and prepare to rescue Itachi. It will not be easy. The day is for training; the night, for the mission. The time has arrived. Day 7 begins now.

Uchiha Hideout (morning)

Naruto awoke in his bed. He wasn't surprised. It was the new normal for him to awake suddenly in his bed. Ever since the day that the Ninetails dragged his body back to the hideout after Yugao got away, he had been waking up without being able to remember when he fell asleep…or passed out.

Naruto got out of bed and looked around to make sure everything was secure. He stepped out into the great hall and saw one of Shino's insects scurry away. *It must be going to tell Shino that I am awake. Why didn't they stay around though?* Naruto frowned as he walked toward the kitchen. He saw a note on the fridge written in Hinata's hand.

It read:

Naruto,

I am sorry that I could not stay to keep an eye on you until you woke up. Father would be furious if I spent the night with you, especially without telling him. I hope you are doing well. Please come see me as soon as you can.

Love, Hinata

Naruto read it again to make sure he did not miss anything, and then he put it on the table and walked out of the kitchen. Naruto was worried. The three of them had to be ready tonight. This would most likely be their last day as shinobi of the Hidden Leaf Village. Naruto couldn't help but feel guilty for dragging Shino and Hinata into this. *They chose to be at my side rather than stay with the village.* He smiled. He really had made some good friends.

Naruto sensed something and quickly pulled out a kunai. He readied it and waited as he stared at the entrance. The boulder did not move. Instead, a figure dropped down into the hideout. It took a few steps forward and stopped before the light hit it. "Naruto, I see you are awake."

Naruto's eyes widened and he grew a bit cautious. "Is that you, Sasuke?" The figure stepped forward to reveal itself. Sasuke was wearing a loose dark purple shirt and black pants. He also wore a black cape with a purple spiderweb pattern on the back. "Naruto, my older brother sent me."

Naruto was speechless. "Itachi-sensei? But that's not possible. He is in prison!" Sasuke nodded. "Yes, he himself is, but he sent a clone to come find me. He wants you to know that he has been monitering your progress and he is very pleased with how far you have come."

Naruto was so confused. "Monitering? You mean he has been watching me the whole time and didn't even explain things to me?" Sasuke just waited for Naruto to finish. "Naruto, you have to realize that you cannot always rely on your sensei to give you all of the answers. Surely you of all people know that." Naruto frowned but was still upset.

"He has helped you. He sent me to train you in his place. I am to teach you how to resist the Sharingan." Naruto eyed Sasuke cautiously. "You don't seem too happy about that." Sasuke shook his head. "Would you be happy if someone told you to teach me how to exploit your greatest weakness?" Naruto frowned. "No, I guess not."

Sasuke nodded. "Good, we are on the same page. However, I have not agreed to teach you just yet." Naruto looked curious. "What do you mean?" Sasuke took a step forward. "If I am to teach you how to beat my most powerful jutsu, then you must teach me how to defeat the Ninetails." Naruto was shocked and flinched to show it.

"Sasuke, you can't be serious." Sasuke nodded. "I am very serious. This is the price I need you to pay." Naruto shook his head and regained his cool. "Sasuke, I don't know how to beat the Ninetails. I don't know any weaknesses or even an effective way to trap him other than sealing him away." Sasuke looked disappointed. "Then I'm sorry Naruto, but we have nothing left to discuss."

Sasuke turned to walk out. Just before he left, Naruto stopped him. "Sasuke, wait." Sasuke stopped but did not turn around. Naruto hesitated. "A three-pronged seal can stop the transformation. I don't know if it always works or if it was just luck, but that's all I know." Sasuke said nothing. "There has to be something else you want! I have weapons, and money. Please, just tell me and it's yours. Help me save your older brother. Help me save Itachi."

For a long time, niether of them said anything. Then, Sasuke turned around. He had a smirk on his face. "There is only one thing I want Naruto." Naruto nodded calmly. "Name it." Sasuke took a step forward. "The Ninetails."

ANBU Headquarters

Danzo was sitting in his throne. There were five dead shinobi in front of him. "They failed to capture that little brat…" Danzo shook his head in disappointment. "Failure is not acceptable." He motioned to one of his guards and they took the bodies away. He sighed and took a few breathes.

"From what the last survivor told me, Naruto is much more powerful than I predicted." He slammed his fist down onto the chair. "Dammit! Why did they give him seven days." Danzo grew frustrated. He took out a kunai and threw it to the other end of the hall. It punched right threw the solid rock and impaled the ninja standing behind it. It was one of the ANBU, but he didn't care.

"It ends tonight. Naruto will come to free Itachi, and by doing so will doom himself and his friends. Then I can assume control of the village." He smirked.

Hyuuga Mansion

Hinata was pacing around her room. She knew that everything came together tonight. All of their training together was for the hope of saving Itachi. She sighed. *If something goes wrong…* She shook off the thought. "Naruto knows what he is doing," she reassured herself. "I just have to do my best to help."

She heard a whistle coming from outside. She walked over to the window and looked out. It was Naruto. She quickly ran downstairs to meet him. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see him frowning. "Naruto, what's wrong?"

Naruto sighed. "Hinata, Sasuke came to see me this morning." She gasped. "Sasuke? What did he want?" Naruto frowned. "He said that Itachi sought him out and asked him to train me." Hinata was confused." But Itachi is held captive. How did he go to Sasuke?" Naruto shook his head. "It's a long story, but I'll tell you soon. First, we have to go find Shino." She nodded and they left the house.

Aburame Compound

Naruto and Hinata walked up to the door of Shino's house. Naruto walked up to knock but before he could, Shino opened the door. "Naruto, Hinata, I'm glad you came." The two of them looked at him with a puzzled look. "Please come in."

They nodded and followed him inside. Shino motioned for them to sit down. "I have some disturbingly pleasant information. The entrance to the underground passage near the cliff is currently unguarded." Naruto nearly jumped out of his seat. "What! What do you mean that it is unguarded?" Shino cleared his throat. "I meant exactly what I said. The entrance has no guards stationed at it and it looks as if there won't be any there tonight."

Naruto hesitated. "I've got a bad feeling." Hinata nodded in agreement. "It seems like a trap, but it's an obvious one." Shino chimed in, "It's almost like they want us to get in." A shiver went down Naruto's spine. "Should we try a different route?" Hinata asked.

Shino shrugged. "I'm not sure. If they moved the guards from that entrance, they could have been stationed elsewhere." He paused. "Then again, it could be that they have a large force just inside waiting for us."

"No." They both looked at Naruto. "We stick to the plan. Everything stays the same." Shino shook his head and tried to reason with him. "Naruto, everything is not the same. This could completely ruin our strategy." Naruto shook his head slowly and closed his eyes. "Whether they moved the guards or set an ambush doesn't matter. All that matters is that we get inside."

"Naruto, listen! We can't just rush into this. All of our lives are at stake tonight—" "Don't you think I know that!?" Naruto interrupted. He breathed heavily. "I know what is at stake Shino. We have been training for this." Shino interrupted him. "Then why won't you listen to reason?"

Naruto paused and Hinata looked worried. "Shino, this is the most dangerous mission any of us have been on. We also have a time limit." Naruto hesitated. "If we don't take this opportunity, we might not make it." Shino thought for a few minutes and Naruto continued. "Shino, Hinata, I know that this doesn't look like a smart choice right now, but please trust me."

Hinata held Naruto's hand and squeezed. Shino sighed. "I do trust you Naruto, our lives are in your hands." Naruto nodded. "Don't worry I won't let you two down." Shino took a deep breath and Hinata nudged Naruto with her shoulder. "Naruto, wasn't there something you wanted to tell us?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. Shino, Sasuke came to see me this morning." Shino looked astonished. "Sasuke? What did he want?" Naruto continued. "He claimed that a clone of Itachi spoke to him and asked him to train me." Shino looked confused. "Train you? I thought Sasuke didn't even like you."

Naruto shrugged. "He doesn't, but his appearance alone is enough to make me believe his story. He wants me to meet him alone at Tenchi Bridge." Shino frowned. "Are you sure that is a good idea Naruto? Sasuke is not exactly the friendly type." Hinata nodded in agreement. "He could be setting you up."

Naruto nodded. "I know, but I've got a bad feeling about tonight. It feels as though I'm missing a piece of training to help prepare me." Hinata looked worried. "Is training with Sasuke that important?" Naruto nodded. "He is supposed to teach me how to resist the powers of the Sharingan."

Shino grew suspicious. "That doesn't sound like knowledge that he would just give away." Naruto frowned. "He asked for something in return." Hinata asked him, "What did he ask for in return?"

"Well…"

Flashback

Sasuke turned to walk out. Just before he left, Naruto stopped him. "Sasuke, wait." Sasuke stopped but did not turn around. Naruto hesitated. "A three-pronged seal can stop the transformation. I don't know if it always works or if it was just luck, but that's all I know." Sasuke said nothing. "There has to be something else you want! I have weapons, and money. Please, just tell me and it's yours. Help me save your older brother. Help me save Itachi."

For a long time, niether of them said anything. Then, Sasuke turned around. He had a smirk on his face. "There is only one thing I want Naruto." Naruto nodded calmly. "Name it." Sasuke took a step forward. "The Ninetails."

Naruto's eyes grew wide. "You can't be serious Sasuke. I have no way to give you the Ninetails." Sasuke shrugged. "I'm sure my mentor could find a way. He is an expert at high-level jutsu." Naruto hesitated. "That is my price Naruto. Take it or leave it."

Naruto looked up at Sasuke. He only slightly resembled Itachi. The hair and eyes were nearly the same, but everything else was different. "What do you plan on doing with the Ninetails?" Sasuke closed his eyes. "I have recently been assigned the task of guarding the Ninetails. I'm sure you have heard of the Akatsuki." Naruto nodded his head.

"Hopefully they won't come after you for awhile, but when they do, you won't be able to defend yourself alone. They are S-ranked criminals." Naruto frowned. "Who assigned you to protect me?" Sasuke shook his head. "That I cannot say, but you will know eventually."

Naruto thought about it carefully for awhile. Sasuke grew impatient. "Do we have a deal, Naruto?" Naruto looked up at him. "Yes."

Aburame Compound

Both Hinata and Shino were speechless. "Naruto," Hinata started, "Is it even possible to give someone the Ninetails that is inside you?" Naruto shook his head. "I don't know. I'm not even sure if I want to give it up, vut I need to save Itach-sensei." Shino nodded, taking everything into account.

"When will you be back?" Naruto looked over at him. "Meet me on top of the Hokage Mountain at 10pm, both of you." They both nodded and Naruto looked at Hinata. His eyes were loving. He leaned in to kiss her and afterwards he stood up. "I will be back." And with that, Naruto left to go see Sasuke.

Thanks for being patient with me. It took me about 2 weeks and an energy shot to get up the motivation to finish this chapter, but hopefully it was worth the wait. Please review and come back for the next chapter!