Everyone in Konoha felt a sudden burst of chakra but as quickly as it happened it stopped. There was only a handful of people who recognised that chakra and only three who had any inclination to rush to its source. Jiraiya, Iruka and Kakashi all converged on Naruto's apartment to discover the reason for the surge in chakra. They were not prepared for what they found...

"What the hell was that?" Iruka asked as he unlocked Naruto's door with his key. "Nothing good I'm afraid" Kakashi responded, sniffing the air and detecting blood. "Let's just remain calm, I'm sure everything is fine" Jiraiya said, portraying more calm than he felt as the memory of Naruto covered in his own blood flashed through his mind. "Don't let yourselves be caught in any genjutsu, spread out and remain on alert." Jiraiya warned as they entered the apartment.

The apartment was pitch black and as quiet as death. The three men spread out, checking each room until they all ended up in Naruto's bedroom. At first, it appeared as though he was just sleeping, blanket pulled around his curled form. Jiraiya felt so uneasy, he walked closer to study the scene further, but his attention was drawn to the small envelope on the bedside table. Kakashi and Iruka waited as the Sanin explored, not wanting to disturb Naruto but still alert. Jiraiya let out a gasp as he read the letter and promptly removed the blanket and began shaking Naruto with a force. "Naruto! Naruto!" He cried before lifting his student into his arms and disappearing. Kakashi and Iruka read the letter that caused such panic in Jiraiya and quickly understood what has happened. There were only two words written on the letter and the caused a similar reaction in the remaining two. They both vanished with a flash, using all their speed to reach the Hokage's office where they knew Jiraiya had taken Naruto. All that was written on the letter, in jagged scrawl, damp from tears were the words you're welcome...

Naruto could feel himself flying through the air. He had no idea dying would feel so pleasant. Now he knew without a doubt that it was the right decision to make. He finally felt at peace.

Jiraiya was in a panic as he burst through the office doors, unable to form words as Tsunade turned, ready to start throwing punches before she saw the unconscious Naruto in his arms. "What happened?" She asked, praying she could remain strong enough to help her little genin. "Don't know, found him this way. Suicide attempt." Jiraiya huffed, barely able to form words between the energy he had expended racing over and the grief that was suffocating his heart. Tsunade examined Naruto and was bothered by the lack of wound until Jiraiya placed his hand on her shoulder and formed the 'release' hand sign, sending his chakra into hers. "That little..." Tsunade trailed off as the genjutsu was broken, noticing the severity of the damage, not just from tonight but from years of abuse.

Tsunade held back tears as she sent her medical ninjutsu into the gash up his arm. She was examining the scars over his body, deducing that the earliest ones were roughly 10 years old which only caused the tears she had been holding at bay to overflow, landing on Naruto's closed eyes. She couldn't help but notice how happy he looked to be knocking on deaths door. Some part of her felt horrible for taking that joy away from him but at the same time, she couldn't lose him.

"He lost a lot of blood. He should be fine, as long as he rests. We will hook him up to an IV and perform a blood transfusion, he should wake up in a day or so. Obviously, this was no accident. I'm going to set him up in the guest chambers here, you are to stay with him Jiraiya. Did he leave a note? We need to understand what lead him to this..." Tsunade trailed off, staring at the person she loved like a little brother.

Kakashi and Iruka appeared in the doorway, holding Naruto's note. They handed it to her. She began crying and felt her heart break. "Ok. Lets keep this incident quiet for now. Something pushed him to this. I don't need anyone adding to the problem by leaking this information. Jiraiya you stay here with Naruto. Kakashi & Iruka, go to Naruto's apartment, clean up any evidence of this attempt and find anything that can help explain his state of mind, journals, pictures, letters, anything. We will meet back here in the morning and decide what to do from there. I understand that this is a very difficult thing to deal with but he will need everyone's support when he wakes up. Finish the tasks I have given you and then rest. You are dismissed." Tsunade said, wiping her tears. Kakashi and Iruka left silently, feeling a heaviness settle in their limbs.

"Carry him to the guest room and I will start the transfusion. He will be fine, you need rest as well Jiraiya. Ill set up a cot for you next to his bed. He will need you to be at your full strength when he wakes up. I have this horrible feeling that he will try to run when he realises that we know about his habits and pain. We can't let him go without helping him first." Jiraiya looked so defeated as he nodded his agreement and picked Naruto up. Naruto stirred slightly, feeling himself no longer flying but falling.

Jiraiya had a fitful sleep, trying to rest but his mind just kept replaying the incident in his mind. Finding Naruto laying on the floor in the kitchen, finding him curled up in his bed covered in blood, all the injuries he received while training that he could've easily dodged. Jiraiya was beginning to figure things out but his mind was torturing him with the information. He could now see clearly all the times Naruto didn't look quite like himself before flashing his sheepish grin and spouting some arrogant nonsense. All those time he would refused invitations to stay out and have fun and would then train the next day with a slew of different injuries. It was all starting to add up and Jiraiya felt like he was the worst person for not realising what had been happening to his student over the three years they travelled together. Minato would be so upset with him for not taking better care of his son. Jiraiya finally found a restful sleep after saying his silent prayer to Minato and Kushina, promising to do better from now on.

Kakashi and Iruka weren't really sure what they were meant to be looking for. They had cleaned up his mattress and sheets, opting to replace them rather than trying to salvage something that was clearly ruined. Next they worked through his drawers, feeling progressively worse for invading the privacy of someone they had so clearly failed to help. Kakashi left Iruka to continue exploring the bedroom and went searching in other areas of the house. He couldn't help but feel responsible for his student and was feeling the soul deep wound he experienced when his father committed suicide all those years ago. Selfish as it was, he did not want to go through all that again and didn't think he could live with himself if he truly failed his precious student.

Kakashi was feeling incredibly defeated as he rummaged through Naruto's bathroom cupboard, thinking of how he failed him and Sasuke. He was honestly praying that there was nothing wrong with Sakura otherwise he would have to declare himself the worst sensei ever. He was shaken from his depressive thoughts as he found a box, hidden at the back of the cabinet behind the towels. The box contained a number of illegal and deadly herbs, several dull kunai, crusted in blood and the remains of their team photo with Naruto's face scratched out. Kakashi had no idea Naruto hated himself so much but this evidence also suggested that this was no a one off incident. How many times had Naruto tried to kill himself before tonight?

"Hey Kakashi, I found something." Iruka called from the bedroom, his despair was palpable. Iruka held a journal and a dozen letters for Kakashi to inspect. Each of the letters was unopened but has been dated on the front. He opened one that was dated 3 years ago, just after Sasuke had left:

I failed again. I couldn't even bring that Teme back. I know it is all my fault and I don't blame the village for holding this against me. All I ever wanted to do was protect people but I cant even do that right. Maybe I will be able to get it right this time. I'm sorry for all the pain that I have caused.

Naruto

Kakashi couldn't bring himself to read anymore of the letters and Iruka was already crying. He looked through the journal after placing the letters in the box with the other evidence they had found. The journal was surprisingly detailed considering how much they believed Naruto hated writing. It was a complete account of every incident that had taken place while he was in the academy, how he dealt with them through self-harm and how many times he attempted suicide. It also detailed how the Kyuubi had begun talking to him as a friend, lending him strength and healing his wound. Kakashi and Iruka looked again more thoroughly, knowing there must have been other journals detailing his life after the academy and possibly before. They found them eventually, hidden under a false floor board, 4 other books filled with pain, despair and thoughts of death.

"Well," Kakashi mused, "at least we know what that chakra flare was." Iruka raised his eyebrow in silent question. "It would seem the nine tails wanted us to find Naruto before it was too late. Lets call it a night. Tomorrow is going to be hard enough as it is. See ya." Kakashi vanished in a puff of smoke and Iruka walked slowly out the front door, locking it behind him. He could feel the despair pooling in his body like he was dragging chains. "Oh Naruto," he whispered to himself, "Why wouldn't you tell us how much pain you were in..."