Naruto wanted out. He'd been in this room, in this bed for far too long, and he was already feeling the restless effects of being cooped up for too long. Not only that, but the medical staff here really didn't like him a whole lot. He had a feeling from some of the looks, that they'd inject him with something horrible if they had the chance, and could get away with it. Sure, there were a handful of nurses that liked him, but some of them scared him even more than the ones that didn't like him. They were way more nice to him than proper, and sometimes got touchy and grabby while giving him looks that girls used to give Sasuke; like they knew something about him that he didn't.

Naruto hated the hospital...okay, so he didn't hate the hospital, as he didn't like the word hate. Hatred led to stupid, and stupid led to people like Sasuke and Orochimaru. Naruto frowned. It had been a week since the retrieval, and things had been really crazy since then. He just knew that Sakura hated him; the fact that she hadn't come to visit him was proof of that. Not only that, but everyone probably thought he was weak again because he hadn't been able to bring that bastard back. And the worst part about it was that he couldn't do anything about it...okay maybe that was second, as the worst thing was the major lack of ramen.

As boredom crept in on him, Naruto sat back with a huff. Turning his head to the small desk next to him, Naruto spotted the scroll, and the rather crude looking seal drawn upon it. Ero-Sennin had showed him how to seal things in scrolls, and even left him some things to practice with, but he'd gotten the gist of it rather quickly, and was once again bored. He shouldn't be sitting in a hospital bed doing nothing, he should have been out training, getting stronger so he could bring Sasuke back; so he could keep his promise to Sakura-chan. Baachan had told him to stay until he was discharged, even though he'd been completely healed by the next day. What Naruto didn't know, was that he wasn't being kept due to any physical injury, more like observation to make sure he hadn't suffered any psychological trauma from losing his friend to the job whether by death or defection. She'd seen what that could do to someone first hand, on both accounts.

His thoughts were derailed when a Chuunin Medic entered the room with a scowl on her face.

"Alright brat, I have to check your vitals, so shut up, sit still, and don't disturb me." She spat, earning a glare from the blond. Still, Naruto cooperated. He'd seen what medics were capable of with Baachan and that teme Kabuto, and he didn't want to make her mad at him...not right now, at least. Once he got stronger, he was going to show them all who was boss.

As the mean lady left the room, Naruto gave her the finger, gaining a small sense of vindication. He was getting fed up at the way he was being treated by the hospital staff, and his dislike of being cooped up, and not allowed to train was making things ten times worse. It took another half hour (which for Naruto felt like a month), before Naruto couldn't take it anymore, and he finally snapped. He was getting out of here, no matter what anyone said. Besides, it's not like they would miss him all that much, seeing as they'd only been in to check on him once since he'd been there.

Climbing out of bed, Naruto began searching the room for some clothes, thankfully finding some of his things in the closet. It wasn't much, but a pair of shorts, a tee-shirt, and some sandals were better than nothing. Naruto quickly dressed, and rolled up the scroll that he'd been practicing with. As he was about to climb out the window, Naruto paused. Maybe he should leave a note for Baachan, so that she wouldn't worry. Ero-Sennin said she got weird when she worried, and tended to get smushie and punchy. Sitting at the desk, he opened, and tore off a blank section of the scroll, and wrote a note to Tsunade. Little did he know that his note would cause her more worry than not leaving one at all. Once he was done, he snuck out the window, and took off across the rooftops.

Naruto reached his apartment in record time, and began packing away everything he'd need for his training trip; namely his ramen supply, his shinobi equipment, and his training scrolls from the Academy (well the ones that Mizuki hadn't given him). Ten minutes later would find Naruto standing in his apartment, saying his farewells (best you don't ask).

Creating a squad of clones to throw off his trail while he made his escape (cuz he knew baachan would put him right back in the hospital, and make him stay even longer), Naruto grabbed his plant, Fern-chan, headed out the door, and locked it. Naruto made a quick pit stop at Iruka's- using the spare key he'd been told about- leaving his plant in the living room where Iruka would be able to find it. Finding something to write with, he left a note for his favorite teacher to look after his plant while he was gone. After that was done, he exited the small apartment, replaced the key, and was on his way to his destination for the next month; since that's how long his ramen supply would last before he had to come back and refill.

Meanwhile, back at the hospital, a nurse by the name of Kaori Tachigawa was headed to the room of one Naruto Uzumaki. She was one of the few nurses on staff who didn't hold a grudge against the boy. As a matter of fact, she was one of the few people in the village who knew what Naruto held, who put it there, and exactly why it was put there. Having known the boy's mother- her elder brother had been one of the boisterous woman's teammates- she knew of Naruto's impressive lineage. She'd volunteered for the job of letting him know that he was being cleared to leave, and that either his sensei would be along with a change of clothes for him shortly. The way his face lit up everytime made her feel warm inside. If only she were about ten years younger.

She was also one of the ones, who having given the boy a chance, couldn't help but be drawn by his bubbly personality. While she never liked the reasons for his frequent visits as a child (she was rather glad when Sandaime-sama began enforcing his law with extreme prejudice), she especially liked when she had to give him his baths while he was there; he was so adorable and funny when he was being shy. While many would call her overly paranoid, she was one of a small coalition who'd always feared Naruto was a serious flight risk, and had always told Sarutobi that she thought Naruto might run away if all the hatred continued.

Unfortunately for Naruto, it would be just this particular paranoid nurse who found his note. Picking it up, and sighing- for she knew Tsunade-sama would be furious that he'd been allowed to escape.

Kaori started feeling light-headed as she finished the note. The very thing that she'd feared would happen, had actually come to pass. Now she two choices. First, she could faint, and it would be who knows how long before she woke, or someone else found the note- possibly someone who would see it as good news- and give Naruto-kun an even bigger head start. Second, she could do what she could to make sure that word got to Tsunade-sama as quickly as possible. That was a difficult choice, but she made it in the end. Kaori Tachigawa let out an ear piercing shriek, before her eyes rolled, and she keeled over backwards.

Seconds later, several masked shinobi had arrived on scene to find the woman sprawled on the floor, the note nearby. One of the shinobi saw the note, picked it up, read it aloud, and let out a loud curse.

"Naruto is gone." She said, before directing one of the others to go get the Hokage. "Everyone else, alert the others, and being a search." Lifting her mask, the violet haired kunoichi had to force back the tears that wanted to form at her eyes. She'd been a part of his Anbu guard along with Kakashi, Tenzo, and Hayate while he'd been at the Academy, and had grown fond of the boy. She just knew this was going to be a cluster fuck of a disaster.

888

Tsunade came barrelling into the room, nearly taking out a meter of wall as she did so.

"What's this about Naruto running away?" Tsunade's eyes went into her hairline as Neko shakily handed her the note.

Tsunade-baachan,

Hopefully by the time you see this, I'll be long gone. Sorry for leaving like this baachan, but I couldn't take it any longer. The people here never liked me because of Kyuubi, and I sometimes don't think they will no matter what I do. You know why I had to get stronger, and I couldn't wait for Ero-Sennin to decide he wants to train me, so I decided to go out on my own. Besides, it's not like anyone here will miss me all that much, considering no one ever came to check on me.

Naruto

"Kami no." She said, tears forming in her eyes. "How? Why? He never seemed like he was depressed before."

"If I may, Hokage-sama." A male voice said from behind a mask. "It could be that the defection of Sasuke Uchiha has had a bigger impact on him than we thought. In this vulnerable state, the normal things that normally don't effect him are having a larger effect on him."

"Neko, send out the summoning hawk." Tsunade ordered, running through the seals for summoning. "I want very ninja in the village with a summon or partner capable of tracking in my office in ten minutes. Bear, you go get Kakashi personally, we can't afford for him to be late this time. Tell him he'll be demoted to Academy ninjutsu training if he's a second late. Katsuyu, bring me Jiraiya, I don't care how or where you find him." Without another word, Tsunade left the hospital.

888

Tsunade sat behind her desk waiting for the summoned ninja, when a frantic swirl of leaves announced the arrival of one Kakashi Hatake.

"You're early Kakashi." Tsunade jibed, sure that even with her ultimatum, he'd be just barely on time.

"What's this about Naruto being missing?" He asked, without preamble. Tsunade had her answer about his promptness.

"In a moment," She said, sliding Naruto's note to him. "Read this, and I'll explain everything once the others arrive."

Kakashi did as told, reading quickly, and waiting impatiently for the others to arrive. He was just about to create some Shadow Clones to hasten who they were waiting for, when he remembered that he didn't know who had been sent for. Luckily, his wait ended a moment later as the door opened, and several shinobi entered. First came Shibi Aburame, followed by Hana and Tsume Inuzuka, Anko Mitarashi, Asuma Sarutobi, Yuugao Uzuki, and Hiashi Hyuuga. The sudden appearance of Jiraiya's chakra signature on the window sill signalled that he'd been there longer than he himself had.

"You summoned us, Hokage-sama?" Shibi asked, his monotone questioning. It still amazed people how the clan could create different intonations and expressions in such a bland monotone. "I also notice that everyone here is a tracker of some sort."

"Naruto has gone missing." She said. "He left a note explaining why he felt he had to leave. Apparently, even someone like Naruto will eventually crack. He's gotten it into his head that because of the Kyuubi, no one wants him around, and that it would be better off if he left. Not only that, but there is also a threat to his life from an organization hunting the biju sealed into him. He needs to get stronger, but he doesn't seem to want to wait around for Jiraiya to stop peeping long enough to help with that." She sent a glare to her teammate, and softened it seeing his already dejected countenance.

"I'm not sure how long he has been gone, but I want him found, and brought home." Tsunade said, an almost growl to her voice. "You three are the best trackers this village has to offer," She said turning to Shibi, Hana, and Tsume, "-your summons are exceptional at tracking," Here she turned to Kakashi and Anko, "and your summons have experience finding Naruto when he's hiding." Here she turned to Yuugao and Asuma, "-Hiashi, the range of your Byakugan is rumored to be able to span nearly the entire village. Do not fail me. Dismissed!" The shinobi disappeared.

"I'm going to go talk to Gamabunta and Fukasaku to see if they can track him via the toad contract." Jiraiya said, before he too disappeared.

8888

An hour and a half later, the summoned shinobi had returned, looking dejected. Theyd' come up empty handed, and all were feeling somewhat dejected about it. Shibi and Tsume were disappointed, because they'd been unable to perform their duty, knowing how much it meant to the Hokage. Asuma and Yuugao had known the boy for nearly all his life through their familial and work relationships with the Sandaime Hokage, and were fond of him. Kakashi felt as if he'd completely failed; not only Naruto as a sensei, but his own sensei in not doing more. Hiashi, most of all, was feeling the disappointment. He knew how much this was going to effect his daughter, and truly hated having to tell her that her crush was missing.

"Report!" Tsunade ordered harshly, taking in their looks, and a lack of Naruto.

"Well, we started at the hospital, where everything started, and found that he'd used the window to escape. We followed the scent to his apartment, hoping that we might get lucky..." Kakashi paused here.

"And?" Tsunade pressed, but Kakashi couldn't continue, so Yuugao did so.

"We searched his apartment, and found that it was cleared of not only all of his cup ramen, but his camping equipment as well."

"We found over a dozen scent trails, leading me to suspect he used Kage Bunshin to throw us off his trail." Kakashi explained. "The only problem is, every single trail goes a certain distance, then just disappears, synonymous with the clone popping."

"Is that all?" Tsunade asked, getting visibly upset.

"No, but it was bizarre." Kakashi said. "There was one trail, one stronger than all the others that we were sure was the real Naruto. It went to Iruka's apartment, through the front door, oddly enough. We sent for Iruka, so that we didn't intrude, and when we looked inside, all we found was Naruto's plant, Fern-chan, sitting in the living room." At this point, Yuugao paused, remembering how distraught Iruka had become when they'd told him what happened, and why they were searching his home. Anko picked up.

"Once we got back on the scent trail, we followed it through the village, criss-crossing several of the clone paths, before following it up to the top of the Hokage Monument. Just to make sure he hadn't..." Here, Anko paused, remembering how bad things had been when she'd first returned, and how close she'd come to taking the plunge over the side of the monument. Asuma finally picked up the narrative.

"Tsume and Hana took their canine friends, and searched the area along the bottom of the monument, just to be sure.

"We didn't find anything to indicate that he had gone that route." Shibi said. "And from your explanation of the letter, and his disposition, I doubt he would have ever kill himself in such a selfish fashion."

"The rest of us followed the trail off into the woods behind the monument until it too suddenly went cold, just like the others."

"What are you saying, Kakashi?"

"Naruto is gone, and we have no way of tracking him." He said. "At least not the normal way. Unless Jiraiya and the Gama summons can locate him using the contract bond, then we may never find him." He would have continued, but the very stern voice of his leader spoke up.

"Tell me you have something, Jiraiya." Every eye, as one, turned to the window, to find the Toad Sage with a surprisingly forlorn look on his face.

"I'm sorry, hime, but I've got nothing." He said. "Wherever he is, it's blocking the connection. He obviously doesn't want to be found, or if what I fear has happened, they don't want him to be. The only thing I'm sure of, is that he's still alive, or the bond would have been severed, and they would have noticed that."

Seeing Tsunade grit her teeth, Jiraiya dismissed both the gathered shinobi, and the Anbu guarding her. The gathered left without a single complaint for two reasons. First, they knew that if anything happened Jiraiya would be able to protect her better than any of them could. Second, they could tell that this was a private moment, and that if Tsunade was going to break down, the only two people she'd allow to see it were Shizune and Jiraiya. As soon as the room had emptied, Jiraiya pulled Tsunade from her chair, and held her to his chest. Less than a second later, the tears came, and a second after that the sobs started.

888

Meanwhile, Naruto had arrived in small a clearing behind the Hokage Monument. He took a moment to just enjoy the sounds and smells of the area. The gentle trickle the small waterfall and spring nearby, the smell of the surrounding forest. Then, with a look of determination, he got to work.

Because the only people aware of the grounds were dead, having formerly been the secret training place of the Shodai and Nidaime Hokages, no one thought to look there. There's also the fact that it's got a seal protecting the user from being found, complete with sight, sound, scent, and chakra reading suppression; a seal created by none other than a certain redhead Uzumaki. It was where Minato used to sneak off to, to escape his paperwork, and secretly meet up with the woman who would bear his child. The result, none of the trackers sent to find him would be able to detect him there.

TBC...