"I swear to Kami I am going to kill Tsunade-sama next time she assigns me an overnight mission with Kiba..." grumbled Neji as he stood leaning against an oak.

"Awwww..." asked Tenten with completely fake concern, "What's wrong with Kiba?"

"He talks in his sleep so loudly that it's impossible for the rest of us to rest. I couldn't even meditate it was so bad. Honestly, you could have warned me about it before we left."

Tenten shrugged, "It never bother me. He's always been quiet enough when I've slept near him, or been on missions with him."

Lee dropped out of the tree above them, "He is not that bad. I have spent many nights at his house before, and I have never noticed anything. Then again we never did much sleeping back then, but that is not the point." He shrugged, "I do understand why he would be having sleep disterbances. He is the type of person that would have problems when under stress. And as much as he misses Naruto it very likely that he would begin sleepwalking or sleeptalking."

Neji sighed, "It's always about Naruto with him..."

Tenten grinned, "What do you expect? He's just a love-struck puppy who feels all alone."

Neji rolled his eyes, "He's got it easy. If he would just accept that Naruto isn't comming back anytime soon and move on he wouldn't be so lonely. Kami knows he could have his pick of the eligible singles in the village."

"Neji, you really don't have a clue about guy's like Kiba..." sighed Tenten, shaking her head. "See, someone like Kiba is so loyal and dedicated that he'll never give up. On anything. No matter how hopeless it seems. He'll wait untill the end of time for Naruto to come back."

Neji shrugged, "I get that part. I just don't see why he's like that. I know he's practically a canine in human form, but isn't that taking it a little far?"

"Not for him," answered Tenten and Lee simultaneously.

Neji just sighed and sat down.

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Naruto lay unconscious at the base of an enormous sycamore tree, far away from anything and everyone he knew. He'd passed out from exhaustion, something he did quiet often. He'd left his village a year to the day beforehand, and had heard nothing of it or his friends. He hadn't had the time to write back, nor did it matter, as he was never in one place long enough to wait for a reply to any letter's he sent. Jiraiya kept him busy, unbelievable so, and had to keep him moving; a new place for every jutsu he taught the young man, who was no longer a boy. The white-haired man shook his head and stared at the unconscious form, "Lazy-ass...He's only been at it for 15 hours. I could have gone 22 without a break..." He picked the boy up and carried him back to the inn they were staying at for the week. Naruto, mind fuzzy and three quarters of the way asleep only sighed and thought, "When did Kiba get here..."

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Kiba yawned and patted Akamaru absently; his mind was far away, thinking of the boy he loved and waited patiently for, until the end of time if need be. "Where are you Naruto...?" He sighed and watched the sun as it set lower and lower on the horizon.

Akamaru sighed, "The more you think about him, the harder the waiting becomes."

Kiba snorted, "Doesn't matter anymore. Every second feels like an eternity anyway." "

Come on Kiba, sitting here sulking for the next year and a half isn't going to make it any better. You've been depressed this whole year. Isn't it time to stop feeling sorry for yourself and move on?"

"I don't want to move on. I just want him back. I'm more than willing to wait untill he returns."

"You are the worst liar I've ever met. Well accept for Lee. He's horrible. Anyway, don't give me that bull about being happy to wait. You're miserable and you know it. Granted, I'd rather you stay her and sulk than dive into some kind of uber denial and start doing stupid stuff to distract yourself."

Kiba laughed, "I thought you said that me joining the ANBU fell under that category?"

"It does, but you have me with you to keep you safe. I mean doing some crazy suicide missions."

"I tried that, but Tsunade wouldn't let more go. She's knows me well enough to know what I was doing."

"True. This Hokage is a smart one. But eventually you would have found a way to outsmart her. If it wasn't for Lee and Tenten still being here I think you would be trying harder. Not to mention Shino and Hinata. And Choji and Shikamaru. And Neji, Gaara, Kankurou, and Temari. Face it Kiba, there's too many people here that would stop you if you ever did anything stupid like that."

"Yeah, yeah...Don't remind me. I try not to think about it."

"That's your problem. You don't stop to think about the other's anymore. If you did you'd realize that you're not the only on that misses him. Or that feels as lonely and lost without him as you. Look at Hinata. She loves him as much as you do. She knows exactly how you feel right now. And think about Lee and Tenten. You three plus Kakashi and Iruka are the closest to a family Naruto ever had. Lee and Tenten love him like a brother, Iruka and Kakashi like a son. You aren't the only one affected by his absence."

"I know that Akamaru. It's just hard...damn hard...We were so close for so long..." he paused "...It's kind of like losing a part of yourself; Naruto being gone." He chuckled, "That made no sense whatsoever, did it?"

Akamaru laughed, "Nope. But I get what you mean." He yawned and stretched, "Anyway, enough with the deep thinking. What's for dinner tonight?"

Kiba blinked and laughed hysterically," Spazzy dog!" Akamaru grinned his doggy grin.

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"Where to now Pervy-sage?" whined Naruto, sore and and tired from his last training session.

Jiraiya sighed, "Just keep walking. We'll be there soon enough."

Naruto glared, "How soon is soon?"

Jiraiya tossed a scroll at the blonde's head, "Shut up and keep walking!"

Naruto grumbled, "Any chance we're staying in a town tonight? Or is it more camping under the stars?"

"Town."

Naruto grinned, "Any chance you'll lend me a dollar or two of my money to buy some stamps?"

Jiraiya glanced over his shoulder at Naruto, "Stamps? What do you need stamps for? Sending a letter?"

Naruto grinned, "I'd like to."

Jiraiya wasn't going to leave it at that, "Who ya gunna send it to?"

"None of your business."

"Tell me or no money for stamps."

"I despise you, you know that right?" growled Naruto

"I'm waiting..."

"I just want to send a few letter to my old friends. You remember Kiba and Lee and Tenten right?"

Jiriaya nodded, "The Inuzuka, taijutsu boy, and that weapon lover? Yeah, i remember them. You never wanted to send them a message before, why now?"

"Well, it's been over a year since we left and I promised that I'd write them," he shrugged. "I figured it was time."

Jiraiya sighed, "Alright. I'll give you five bucks to spend in the next town. Do whatever ya want with it. Just stop asking for money everytime we come to a town."

Naruto grinned, "Thanks."

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Kiba was floored when the letter came. Talk about unexpected, he was just getting back from a diplomatic mission to Suna when it came. He actually ran into the mailman as he placed it in his mailbox. Not one to get decent mail often, he tossed it on the table and ignored it. That is, untill he realized he recognized the handwriting on the envelope. And that said hand writing belonged to one sunny haired boy that had been the focus of just about every thought the brunette had for the past year or so. Kiba literally stood there with his jaw hanging open for about a minute before grabbing the letter and tearing it from the envelope. He didn't even notice the phone ringing untill the machine had picked it up. Nor did he notice the message untill he realized that it was Lee's voice. Then he realized what the boy was saying and dove for the phone...

"You got one too?"

"Hello to you too Kiba. And yes, I did. Needless to say I was surprised when I saw it."

"Yeah...I didn't even realize what the letter was for about five minutes. Have you read your's yet?"

"Not fully. I'm only about half way finished. It is quite long."

Kiba glanced at his and realized there were multiple pages. "Yeah...Mine is too."

"Well anyway, I was just curious as to whether you had received one also. I'll leave to your reading. See you tomorrow Kiba."

"Yeah, bye Lee."

He plopped down on his couch and unfolded the letter. His focus turned to the first page...

Kiba,

Been awhile. Sorry I haven't written sooner. Been kinda busy...and never in one place long enough to send a letter... Pervy-sage's been keeping me damnably busy. Nothing but work work work. It's not all bad though. He's taken me on a guided tour of the world. Been to some places I never even knew existed. I never realized just how long a boat ride could stretch, especially when traveling between continents. Yeah, I've been to another continent now. Well, three actually. Seen all kinds of people and animals. Some of these places are weird. I thought the old pervert was kidding when he told me we'd be going to a place where'd they'd don't have shinobi. Never thought any place like that existed, but they do. Like i said, weird places, too much technology for my tastes. I think that's their way of compensating. The languages are funny too. First time I heard someone speak in English I laughed. Sounded like a group of squirrels chattering to each other. Freaking weird. It's not so bad when you learn the language. Actually come in handy now, I can complain about stuff and no one but Jiraiya has any clue what I'm saying. Gunna make for some interesting situations when I get back next year. So anyway, how have you been...

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Those letters were that last anyone heard from Naruto for quite some time. Even Kakashi was flabbergasted. He and Jiraiya kept in touch, even if sparatically, but he hadn't gotten as much as a hint to their whereabouts for months. All quite confusing, and very annoying. Last he'd heard they were somewhere in Europe. No clue as to an exact location, but at least it was a general idea. As for now, nothing. Not a clue. They could be anywhere on the planet. This didn't sit to well with anyone, but what could they do about it.

Tsunade was the lucky one. Exactly one month before the two and a half year mark she received a scribbled letter from Jiraiya saying that they were back in the country and would be arriving soon. No date, no time, just a promise they would be home soon. Which could mean anything. Jiraiya wasn't one for punctuality. His idea of soon could be months for all he cared. The news did bring hope to Kiba and the others. "At least we know he's still alive..." was all Kakashi would say on the matter. Kiba and Iruka were both about to slap him, but where stopped from a glare by Tenten, "Behave boys." Lee smirked from next to her.

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Jiraiya called Tsunade the day before they were to arrive, knowing it was best to let her know so that she wouldn't send a bunch of trackers after him the second she was informed he was there like the Third had done. Tsunade just happened to let it slip to Genma that they were comming back. Genma, after excusing himself to go "investigate" some pressing matters, ran to find Asuma to tell him but ran into Kakashi first and told him. And then Kakashi, in usual fashion, nodded calmly and meandered off into the distance. Once safely out of visual range of Genma, he sprinted full speed to the academy and tore Iruka from his class. Iruka practically yelped for joy at the news. Lee, who was a guest teacher for one of the weapons training classes, just happened to see Kakashi dragging Iruka from his classroom and went to investigate. He did yelp for joy at the long awaited news. Without a second thought he dashed full speed from the academy and right to his apartment, knowing that Tenten would be there. He was talking so fast that she had to force him to slow down and repeat himself. All it took were the words "Naruto" "home" and "tomorrow" and she was jumping for joy with Lee. They ran to the vet clinic, knowing full well that was where Kiba would be. They ran back to the storage room where Kiba was taking inventories.

"Kiba! Kiba! Kiba!!!"

Kiba stuck his head out from behind a pile of food filled bags, "What?"

"He's comming home!!!!!!!!!"

Kiba's jaw went slack, "When!?!"

"Tomorrow!!!" they both exclaimed. Kiba smiled stupidly for about a half a second before fainting.

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Naruto couldn't sleep. Who could blame him. He'd spent the last two and a half years traveling the world and wanted nothing more than to go home and sleep in his own bed again. He also wanted nothing more than to jump out of bed and run the last 20 miles home, but that would piss of Jiraiya and that is never a good idea. Why the old pervert had decided to stop when they were so close to home was beyond Naruto, who could have easily walked the rest of the way on his own. He sighed and tried to fall asleep, his head under his pillow in an effort to block out Jiraiya's horrible snoring.

In the morning...

"Come on old man! Hurry up and let's get out of here!" Jiraiya glared at Naruto, a clear warning to shut up. Naruto knew he was pushing his luck that morning, especially since Jiraiya is not a morning person, but he didn't care. All he wanted was to hurry home, and ta hell with the consequences of pissing off his sensei. "Tell ya what, how about you stay here and sleep some more and I'll run ahead?" Glare, growl, and random object flung at Naruto's head. And the morning continued in that fashion untill Jiraiya finally got himself ready and they departed for home.

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"Any idea when he's supposed to get here?" asked Kiba as he paced the Hokage's office.

Tsunade shrugged, "I don't know...Knowing Jiraiya it could be awhile. He's not one for getting up and moving early if he has nothing to do that day. Although with Naruto there he might just get annoyed into leaving earlier than normal. I wouldn't be surprised if that brat just up and leaves him there."

Kiba sighed, "Damn it...I want him home already..."

Tsunade yawned, "Kiba. Go home. Wait there. If I know Naruto, he'll go right there when he gets back. Find your friends and wait for him like you always do. I'll make sure that Kakashi doesn't get ahold of him before you guys do." Kiba smiled and nodded gratefully.

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"How much farther is it?" asked Naruto for the fiftieth time that hour.

"I swear I am going to murder you if you don't shut up brat," growled Jiraiya murderously. Naruto fell silent and focused firmly on the horizon, hoping to spot the gate of the village.

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"Kiba, seriously, stop wearing a track into the floor..." sighed Tenten as she watched him pace. "And you are giving me a headache, stomping like that. Sit down already." Kiba mumbled something incoherent and continued to pace.

"Let him pace Tenten. It's better than him sitting down and twitching. At least this way he will not flip over any furniture when Naruto arrives...Probably..." Tenten sighed and let the issue drop.

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"FINALLY!!!" screamed Naruto when the village gates came into view. He started running toward the gates but was stopped by Jiraiya, who had grabbed the collar of his jacket.

"Slow down Naruto. No need to race. The village will still be there."

Naruto struggled, "Let me go! I'm sick of waiting for you!"

Jiraiya slapped him over the head, "Shut up ya little brat. Just keep walking."

Naruto grumbled but resumed a much more normal pace.

Five minutes found them standing just outside the gates.

Naruto sighed in relief, "Can I go now? We're home, and I've got stuff I need to do."

Jiraiya sighed, "Fine, whatever. Take off. Just don't come crying to me when you get jumped by Kakashi."

Naruto laughed, "I'm so not going anywhere that Kakashi would have a chance to."

"Whatever," sighed Jiraiya. Naruto grinned and dissapeared.

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"Well, he's gone and done it..." sighed Tenten, staring at the indentation worn into Kiba's floor. "He's finally managed to leave a trail in the floor..."

Lee chuckled, "You had any doubt's that he would?"

Kiba sighed, "Would you two stop talking about me already?" Tenten was just about to reply when her jaw went slack. Kiba and Lee blinked, neither of them were looking in the same direction as she had been. Lee turned his head to look and his jaw hit the floor. Seeing them both slack jawed was all he needed to know about who was standing behind him...

"Naruto...?"

Naruto grinned, "Hello Kiba."

Kiba closed the gap between them so fast none of them had even registered that he moved. By the time by the time they did notice, Kiba had Naruto in a bone crushing hug, crying joyfully. If Naruto's arms hadn't been pinned to his sides by Kiba's hug he would have been returning it just as hard. It took Tenten and Lee a few more second to fully grasp what was going on and then they too where squeezing the life out of they're favorite blonde.

"Okay guys...Naruto needs air...You can let me go now..." gasped Naruto after a full minute of being crushed. Tenten and Lee let go, but Kiba only loosened his grip somewhat. "Kiba, can I have my arms back?" panted Naruto.

Kiba blushed and realized what he was doing, "Whoops, sorry..." He let go of the half choked blonde.

"Thank you," said Naruto after he took a deep breath and got some oxygen back to his crying lungs. "So anyway, how've ya'll been...?" he asked, grinning like a madman.