Sorry I have been busy, but i hope you enjoy this new chapter

We had been on this mission for only two days, but we were getting close to our destination. It was around noon and we were stopping for a quick lunch break.

Sasuke sat across from me in the hidden area we stopped in, while Sakura and Kakashi sat across from each other. Our seating arrangement created a safety area around our client.

So far there had been no problems on our mission, but to think of it or say it would curse us.

After we had finished lunch and were packing up, Sasuke excused himself so that he could go to the bathroom. The raven had been doing that the past few days, and it was odd to me due to the fact that he usually didn't have to go to the bathroom that frequently during any of our other missions. 'Is he sick? Or is there something we should be aware of going on with him?' I wondered. I didn't want to question his actions though due to the fear of what his answer may bring, if any answer at all.

As we traveled for the rest of the day, he stayed in his position while seeming to be deep in thought. Around four pm, we arrived at the target village and agreed to stay for the night and part of the next day so that we could rest up and restock necessities before heading back to Konoha.

When I woke the next morning, there was another letter for me in my bag connected to my ramen cup for that morning. Such an appearance of it concerned me that someone was able to get it into my bag at some point without me or anyone else noticing.

Now I wasn't sure how to take the letter randomly showing up, but I knew I wouldn't tell anyone about it unless it became a problem. Also, it seemed like the person was stalking me due to how the letters showed up and how the person knew where I was at. Now, just to check out and see if my assumption about it being the same person was correct, I turned over the envelope and found the same raven sticker on the back.

I did a quick glance around the room before attempting to open the letter to make sure I was alone. I carefully pealed off the raven sticker and opened the envelope to get the letter out. This made me excited about what the person had to say now that they couldn't wait until my return to the village to say.

Naruto,

I am running out of time to talk to you.

I know I don't talk much, but I wish I could talk to you all day. I would like to listen to your sweet voice as you talk on continuously about nothing and everything. Watching you talk on, laugh with others compared to trying to talk to me makes me regret not responding to you and how poorly I have treated you, but I must keep up appearances around the others for now due to an up coming mission I must go on.

I will continue to listen to your heavenly voice from the side lines, but one day I hope that voice will converse with me in a long conversation. It aggravates me to think of all those horrible and ungrateful people who you have dated in the past. It takes all the self-control I have to keep from bashing their heads in for hurting you the way they did.

Your Raven

My face had heated up while reading this letter, especially at the part about my voice. The part talking about how this person wanted to bash the head in of those who had previously hurt me made me giggle a bit. I may not know who it's from, but this person made my day better and I wished I could know who it was. Such things also showed me how much this person liked me and how long they had been following me.

I carefully folded the letter back into the envelope and put it in my bag where I knew it wouldn't get damaged on the way home. I then got ready to leave, making sure I had everything packed, and grabbed my cup of ramen to make for breakfast.

Sasuke had not been in the room since I had woken and none of his stuff was present making me wonder if the rest of my team had left without me. I threw my bag over my shoulder on my way out and went to make sure everyone was still here.

It turned out they were in the kitchen eating and talking, well Kakashi and Sakura were talking while Sasuke was slowly eating his breakfast deep in thought about something.

Sitting in my apartment, having returned quickly and safely from the mission, I decided that I should attempt to write this Raven person back. I grabbed a rarely used pen and a nice clean, unbent sheet of paper and sat down on my couch to write.

Raven,

I love the letters you write to me, but why are you not willing to talk to me? Is it something I did that made you so unwilling to contact me upfront?

I wish to get to know you better since it seems that you know me quite a bit. Meet me at the training fields if you can, if I'm not there, then I'll either be at my apartment or at Ichiraku.

Hope to see you soon!

Naruto U.

If this person was going to use animals, then I figured I should too. I dig around my living room for an envelope then carefully fold the letter and put it inside. 'Wait, I should have some fox stickers around here somewhere…. Now where did I leave them?' I thought, remembering the time that Kakashi had given me those stickers as a present for my birthday.

After tearing apart my whole apartment in search of the stickers, I found them in a box in my closet put on a shelf marked random. I put a sticker on the back of the envelope to seal it the stuck the letter to my door in hopes that the one that has been leaving me letters would find it. After that, I headed off to the training fields to work on some taijutsu then go to Ichiraku to talk to the old man and his daughter.

I was slightly depressed that the person hadn't shown up, but when I was getting ready to enter my apartment I noticed another letter with my name on it. Excited, I took the letter off my door then went inside quickly shucking off my shoes and jacket so that I could sit on my couch and read the letter.

Naruto,

I'm glad to have found your letter! I had to go home and write back right away.

I'm sad to inform you that I have to go on a long mission that will take a few years to complete, however I hope that you wait for me to return. Tsunade has set up a mission for you that should take the same amount of time as my own. Upon our return I shall reveal myself to you.

By the time you begin to read this I will have already left for my new mission. Whatever stories you hear, please realize that they are set up to make it look like I left and became a trader to Konoha. You will be the only one to know the truth that I will be away on a mission. Go and see Tsunade tomorrow for your mission and I hope that you will return safe and sound.

Never forget that I love you,

Your Raven

I felt light headed and a bit dizzy when I had finished reading this letter. 'It can't be real! There's no way that this person is leaving so soon! Why couldn't the Raven just tell me who he or she was? Ugh….' Thoughts like this kept filling up my head. The only thing that brought me out of my trance was the urgent banging on my door.

I opened the door only to find a spastic Sakura explaining to me that Sasuke had left the village and gone to Orochimaru. At this news, my mind blanked. With my mind now back in motion I left with Sakura to go consult the Hokage about what was going on while thoughts of how Sasuke's leaving coincided with the latest letter I had received.