Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, sadly. Nor do I own any char or anything else from it. It all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto who wrote the story and did the art for Naruto.

Summary: Naruto has many masks, but who can see the real him. Leaving Konoha for years after failing to bring back Sasuke he bumps into Sasuke but can Sasuke figure out who he truly is and find out who his dobe really is behind his masks?

Note: Please understand this is my idea, so there are going to be many things about this that don't follow along the anime/manga. Also this is going to have guy/guy pairings so if you don't like that then please don't read. Also no flames please, this is my first attempt at a story. Thank you and hope you enjoy.

Prologue: Failure and Farewell

Naruto sighed as he looked back at the giant gates of Konoha, his home for fifteen years. Well it wasn't what most people in his shoes would call a home but he loved the place and the villagers, even the ones who hated him and treated him like he was a monster. Monster…he knew he was and not just a vessel fro Kyuubi. He was very much responsible for all those deaths when Kyuubi attacked…for Iruka loosing his parents. His face didn't have the big goofy grin he normally wore and his eyes were dull with the pain he truly felt all these years but hid behind a mask. He was not on a mission that required him to sneak out in the dead of night and he was dress to not be seen, his jumpsuit of orange and black left behind and replace with brown pants and a green shirt and his hair was dyed to a brown color. As for the three whisker marks on each cheek, he used a transformation jutsu to hide them but used very little charka so any good ninja could not detect it.

He turned to face the gates and bowed before pivoting on his heel and walked away. No…running away is more like it part of him spat angrily in his mind. He shook his head. No he needed to find himself and train. He left a letter for Tsunade that he needed to get away and find out who he really was and come to term with things, especially his failure to bring Sasuke back. That thought caused a tightening sensation to grip at his chest. Since being put in the same team with the number one rookie of his class he had spent his time in getting Sasuke's respect and acknowledge as an equal but he failed that as well. Perhaps if Sasuke got to know the real him-but then again he would probably just call him weak. In truth he wasn't the stupid, happy-go lucky, prankster nor was he Konoha's number one hyperactive, knuckleheaded ninja. If anything he was good with deceptions, no one saw through his mask-not even the people close to him. All those time of smiling and being loud as well as acting stupid was the mask he wore to hide the pain and sorrow he felt.

His feet lightly scrapped against the ground softly with the ninja sandals he wore on his feet. He was running away, not telling anyone good-bye besides in the letter he wrote, even after all they did for him. He knew if he tried to say it in person he would either be stop or he couldn't get himself to depart anyways. He wasn't sure where he would go, he simply figured just traveling around and learning as he went was good enough. Perhaps one day he would return and maybe they'll let him be a Hokage, a dream he still had but now he wanted it in order to protect everyone. He traveled light and used the moonlight to guide him, though it wasn't needed. Any ninja from Konoha would know the surrounding area and the forest like the back of their hand. After a bit of walking he would stop and raised his hands in a sign for using the transformation jutsu.

"Shadow clone Jutsu." He whispered out, using as little charka as possible. He made about 20 clones of him but all of them were how he should look. Each took off in a different direction and he even had one walk with him so it was seem that the real him was just walking along with some guy while he left as well and when he got to the first village or rest stop he would have it like they would part ways before releasing the jutsu. He traveled through the entire night and into the day without being detected to a rest stop where he would face his clone "Goodbye Naruto, thank you for bringing me this far. I hope your travel goes well." He would bow before taking off in a different direction from his clone. He had to admit he was good at acting, perhaps he should consider taking that up for some odd job. He would stop and took one last look at the land behind him and whisper so quietly that it fell on death ears "Goodbye everyone…and Sasuke." Without another look he turned around and walked away until he could no longer in view.

Okay that's the prologue. I hope it got you guys interested. I tried to think of how Naruto would look, I mean he wouldn't want to change his whole appearance; the amount of charka that would take would give him away to any good ninja I think. And yes I dumped his orange jumpsuit…for one it stands out too much if you're trying to not be notice, two Naruto in this story wore it for a reason but you'll have to wait to find out.

I think the hair and whisker marks would give him away and traveling with his clone to a spot where people saw them was a good idea, so I think, it meant for anyone looking for him and asking is they have seen Naruto by describing what he looked like and a ordinary person wouldn't think of the guy he was traveling with, right? And for the other clones, it was merely to by time. Most people think Naruto doesn't think things through and not very bright until it like during a battle or something, which is why I mention he was good at acting because that's not how he is in this story. When watching the anime I always saw it that Naruto was just putting up a farce the whole time.

I hope to get the other chapters in soon, and really this is just something I have in my mind, making it up as I go along but the overall plot I have in my head. Oh this story is for Clear-Jello who I know by doing a Naruto/Sasuke rp with currently.