"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE IS MISSING!" Tsunade screamed, anger and fear bombarding her soul. Jiraiya normally would have cowered in fear, but he was so lost looking, so pale and worn that something in Tsunade settled down. "Explain yourself, Jiraiya."

The man handed her a letter. "I found this, after we settled down for camp about two weeks into our trip. I woke up to Naruto just being gone, he even left his sleeping bag. I couldn't even resummon him, with the Toads. The letter explains it all..." His tone was soft, miserable and weak, so much so Tsunade could barely be mad and so she looked at the letter.

To whoever...

My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and my life is a joke. For so long I served others, fighting to be Hokage or save Sasuke or Haku or Wave or the village or Tsunade. I never fought for myself, and looking back I really should have.

If you know me and wonder why I am talking like this, I guess I should explain. After the Valley of the End, I was in the hospital for a while. One night, I woke up to go to the bathroom and heard someone say my name. In the end, I listened to some nurses, I don't know who, taking about my injuries. Sasuke broke my neck and damaged my lungs and heart with his chidori. I can't see the damage but it was real and it horrified me.

I had nightmares for a week after that. Of my death at Sasuke's hands, at Kabuto's when he attacked my heart, and so many other things. I realized that I never considered my own life, ever. That led me down the rabbit hole as it were, and I started to think about other things. Eventually, I started to think about the people I served, I thought about Kakashi, who barely taught me and favored Sasuke. I thought of Sakura, who hit me and mistreated me. I thought of Sasuke who tried to kill me and would have without the Fox. I thought of Iruka who barely helped me and rarely talked to me. I thought of Jiraiya who stole my money, abandoned me frequently, and threw me down a cliff for training a power I never asked for. I thought of Tsunade who was rarely if ever nice to me, to anyone really, especially Shizune.

I realized how little I had, how little I gave myself. I chose a goal that was for others, and never myself.

I need answers, but I did not trust others to help me. I remembered the library and sent clones in disguise to the library in droves. I read over sixty books in two weeks, the headaches were intense but worth it. Some scrolls and books on taijutsu and chakra control, others on trauma and psychology and history. Anything I could get my hand on for answers, I chose a random method to get my answers. I even read a whole dictionary and thesaurus to understand what I was reading. Having that knowledge, especially a book on Reincarnation and another on trauma, changed me. It allowed me to open my mind, and expand my person until I became a new person.

I bought another thirty scrolls and books and hid them in a sealing scroll. As I traveled with Jiraiya, I continued to read and I also started to train on the subjects I read on like Taijutsu and chakra control. It was really helpful.

I ended up getting in contact, accidentally, when meditating which one book said was good for focus and mental healing, with the Fox. I figured it might help with the constant anxiety I was feeling, the emptiness. Jiraiya constantly abandoning me for prostitutes and drink helped. We spoke for a while and it suggested that I go on my own trip, in disguise, and find myself... and so that is what I did.

I won't tell you how, but the Fox is blocking the reverse summoning jutsu. You will not find me. I spent my childhood fleeing from Ninja after pranks. Please leave me be, I will be fine. I will be back when my time training with Jiraiya, who wasn't even training me, is over.

Do not worry...I will still be training to become strong enough to make my own path. Never think I won't be strong enough to do this.

Naruto.

Stunned, Tsunade slowly put down the letter. "What have we done, Jiraiya?"

"We chased away Minato's son, the last Uzumaki and the Jinchuuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox... "

"I... we have to find him. Immediately."

Jiraiya sighed. "Tsunade, I tracked him down for two weeks, not a trace of him could be found. He had clones go in his place, they moved in every direction, mixing his scent around and about. We cannot summon him... I think he might be impossible to find."

She sighed right back. "That...I... I will send ANBU after him. We have to find him!"

"Do what you must, I will contact my spy network, See if we can find any trace of him,... but I doubt he will find him. Something big changed in that boy, he is a new person and I am not sure we can follow his line of thoughts."

"Let's pray you are wrong."

Chapter end, tell me what you think in the reviews.

This was a lot of fun.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.