Disclaimer - I do not own Naruto. This should be obvious. I'd be rich and uber happy if I was the creator.

Author's Note - A definite AU. Naruto had left for a two year training period, leaving everyone he knew behind without saying goodbye. Here he muses on how his teammates no longer know him. As usual, I just write the first scenario that comes to mind.

Page Three - Picture

Naruto sighed heavily and threw his pack onto the floor of his dusty apartment. He had not been in it for about two years. A thick layer of dust covered almost everything. With a sneeze, he walked to a window, opening it in hopes of getting rid of the dusty smell. After struggling with the window he threw himself onto the couch, sending up a cloud of dust on impact.

"Has it been that long?" he said to himself as he looked around. It had been two years, possibly a little longer than that since he had been in Konoha. He had left to train on his own in hopes of fine-tuning his skills and mastering new ones. His determination paid off, since he came home knowing much more than he had known two years before. During the course of his training he became more mature and goal orientated.

Tsunade had been notified of Naruto's return and had notified Kakashi and his two students, Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. Though that had been about 12 hours ago. He sat by his phone, watching it intently in hopes of one of them calling him.

Waiting by the telephone
Breathing through a giant rubber hose

He propped his chin on his hand and stared at the phone, his blue eyes unblinking. He missed his teammates terribly, but he had to go and better himself. Sighing, Naruto shifted his position and laid back on his couch, not before noticing a small picture of Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura and himself when they were only Genin.

God only knows
Photographs of you and me
Pictures of the friends you used to know
Where did they go?

Where did they go? He wondered to himself as he stared at the picture. Sure, he left, but they hadn't even bothered to see him. Perhaps they were waiting for him to find them, or they just didn't care about him anymore.

"I've missed you guys…" he said as he touched the picture gently.

Don't take my picture down
Don't erase everything that we had

Meanwhile, Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke stood in front of the Ichraku Ramen looking for Naruto.

"Tsunade-sama said that Naruto came back not too long ago." Sakura said as she looked around for the blond haired ninja.

Kakashi and Sasuke nodded in unison as they watched Sakura look around.

"If he's not here…where could he be?" Sakura said dispiritedly.

Sasuke shrugged as Kakashi leaned against a wall, trying to think of where Naruto could be.

Don't think I let you down
And I might be gone, we'll meet again
Can't find you, so I'll call your name

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs, causing Kakashi and Sasuke to jump slightly. "Where in the hell are you!" she shouted again, this time walking off in search of him.

"Where is she going?" Sasuke asked.

"Looking for Naruto of course. We should look around for him, we'll have a greater chance of finding him if we split up." Kakashi said as he moved away from the wall. "Go tell Sakura to meet back here in an hour." with that Kakashi disappeared, leaving Sasuke at the ramen shop.

He shrugged and ran off to go tell Sakura what Kakashi had told him.

Riding on this satellite
Sun faded and sweaty, but that's alright
Cause I'm still alive

Sakura collapsed on a bench sweating profusely. She had been running around non-stop for the last 30 minutes searching for the damn boy, but he was no where to be found.

"Where can he be…" she said softly between breaths.

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Naruto had fallen asleep on the couch, holding his picture of Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura. As he slept, memories played on in his head, similar to having your life flash before your eyes. He dreamt of meeting his teammates, completing missions, saving his teammates, and getting saved. He rolled onto his side, sending the picture of his team to the ground.

Always stranded in this memory
Your mouth is wide open
You can't scream
Oh you can't scream

An hour had passed as Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi met up at the ramen shop once again.

"Find him?" Sakura asked.

"If I had found him, don't you think he would be standing next to me right now?" Sasuke said, causing Sakura's shoulders to slump slightly.

And don't take my picture down
And don't erase everything that we had
Don't think I let you down
And I might be gone, we'll meet again
Can't find you, so I'll call your name

Naruto yawned loudly as he sat up on his couch. He looked around in surprise, forgetting where he was.

"Baka…" he said softly to himself as he bent down to pick up his picture. He stared at it for a few minutes and set it back on the table.

"If they're not going to come to me, then I will go to them!" he said loudly as he jumped up. He quickly ran out of his small apartment and stopped abruptly.

"Owww…maybe I should get something to eat first." he said as he held his stomach, which was growling loudly.

And don't take my picture down
And don't erase everything that we had
Don't think I let you down
And I might be gone, we'll meet again
Can't find you, so I'll call your name

Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura were still standing by the ramen shop trying to figure out where Naruto could be.

"Did you try the bath house, Sakura?" Kakashi asked.

Sakura shook her head. "Do you want me to go check there now?"

"It'd be a good idea." Sasuke said.

Sakura nodded and turned around. She stood still for a moment, squinting her eyes to get a better look at a tall figure in an orange jacket coming their way.

"N-Naruto?" Sakura said as she stopped squinting.

"Hm?" Sasuke said as he turned around to look.

Sakura turned around to face Sasuke and Kakashi. Kakashi nodded in confirmation as a gigantic smile crept along Sakura's face.

"NARUTO!" Sakura yelled as she ran to meet her teammate.

Naruto looked up to find Sakura running at full force towards him. He didn't have enough time to brace himself for the impact as Sakura glomped him to the ground.

"S-Sakura-chan, good to see you." Naruto said as he lay on the ground.

Sakura quickly got off Naruto and dusted herself off.

"Why didn't you tell us you were back?" she asked as Kakashi and Sasuke met up with her.

"I thought you guys would have already known since I asked Tsunade-sama to inform you guys." he said as he got up.

"We looked all over for you." Sakura said as she smacked Naruto upside the head.

"I-I was at home the entire time." Naruto said as he rubbed the side of his head that Sakura smacked.

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura all looked at Naruto with blank expressions.

Of course!

All three thought in unison as they stared at Naruto.

"Heheheh…well, less talking more eating, I'm starving." Naruto said happily as he walked over to the ramen shop and sat on one of the stools. He pounded his fist on the counter to get the attention of the cook as he made his order. Cheers could be heard within the small stand as the employees noticed that their number one customer had returned.

"Lets go eat." Kakashi said, grinning from behind his mask.

Sakura and Sasuke nodded as they followed their sensei.

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After Notes -

Didn't come out the way I had really envisioned it. But due to lack of time and consciousness, I took the quicker route instead.

Please R&R, I'd really appreciate it.