I stood abruptly, leaving more than the required money on the table as I stalked out of the restaurant.

I've had enough of her whining. I didn't know how much I could take.

Not once, but twice. She calls me a demon twice.

And thing is, nobody objected.

What the hell have I done to them?

What did I do to deserve treatment like that?

I slipped into a dark alleyway and dropped the henge. My breathing was harsh and uneven in a struggle to contain my rising emotions. Every time I replayed the event in my head, my anger grew. Anger, hurt, fear.

Is this really what they thought of me? 

All those times they met up with each other and ignored me...

Is this...

What they said behind my back?

Somehow, that was worse than when the villagers yelled it to my face. I felt betrayed. After some time, I'd begun to think these people were my friends. But to think they never thought the same, never even acknowledged all that I've done for them...

I'd tolerate a lot of shit, but this? I won't brush this off like I normally do. I can't. I like to think that I'd help them no matter how they treated me. That's how I thought. But not getting an ounce of gratitude in return was harsh. 

I didn't want to help people who treated others like this, and Kurama doesn't deserve to be at the Leaf's mercy. That's it. That's all the reason I need.

With just a few words, this village lost someone who could've been valuable to them. 

'I made up my mind.' I told a wide-awake Kurama.

"Well," Kurama said, "what'll you do now?"

I opened my eyes that had been squeezed shut. 'I'll give both us and the villagers better lives. Lives without the two of us involved.'

Kurama's POV~

'Hm.' I thought. 'Kit's made up his mind.'

Naruto was an interesting human, I'll give him that. I wouldn't say this to anyone, but I was happy for him. He was suffering too much in this village. And the way Konoha and the Hidden Villages treated Bijuu...

I gritted my teeth, controlling my anger. I didn't want Naruto to feel my agitation.

I calmed down at the thought of Naruto. My favorite human by far. The one human who didn't see me as a demon fox. Or a weapon. He only used my power because he had my permission. He treated me...

Like a friend.

I smiled as I watched through Naruto's eyes. My fishcake really was an interesting human.

Naruto's POV~

It felt wrong leaving without saying goodbye. I suppose I could leave a couple notes.

"Of course you should leave a note. Were you really going to take off without saying anything?"

'No.' I scoffed, 'But Tsunade will be sad - '

"If you disappear without a trace."

I paused and laughed. 'Wow Kurama. You're so considerate of Tsunade's feelings.'

He hesitated, taken aback, I guess. He harrumphed, "I'm not being considerate of her feelings. She's - She should just know what's going on, okay!"

I smirked, 'Sureeee.'

"Shut up!" he snapped and grumbled like a hissy cat, "I'm going to take a nap."

'K.' I hopped into my apartment window, swiftly and silently. The slight breeze of my movements   ruffled my blonde hair and unzipped jacket, otherwise making no noise. There wasn't much to hide from, but I wanted to be on the safe side, in case any ninjas were out. If there were any ANBU or particularly stealthy jonin, I'd rather not let them know what I'm up to, since I might not be able to sense them if they're skilled. Although, even Kakashi underestimated me, thinking that only a bare hint of concealment could hide him from me, so I would probably notice if anyone was nearby.

"We should keep our friendship secret, right?" I murmured aloud.

"That would be the smartest thing to do. Although it would make your reasoning for leaving somewhat vague. They know you suffered though, so who can blame you?"

I wrote a quick note, not addressing it to anyone in particular:

If anyone is wondering where I am, I have left the village.

Tsunade, Pervy Sage, Kakashi sensei, and the few others who never betrayed me...I hope you understand. I know, as a Jinchuriki, I am of great importance to the village. But, don't take my leaving as betrayal or me giving up. I am simply tired of risking my life for people who never appreciate it. 

Konoha is strong. You will be fine without me. I ask that you don't try to find me. As for those who acted like my friends, only to call me a demon behind my back, I want you to know that although your words were harsh, you can stop acting. It would hurt me less if you came out with the truth of your feelings.  And I don't hate anyone in this village for how they treated me. It was a natural human reaction after all.

Again, I ask for understanding and nothing else. Tell Sasuke that I don't regret bringing him back, and if he tries to go rogue I'll stop him again myself if I have to. Wake up, baka. This village is your home. You have friends who support you, unlike me. Revenge blinded you.

Goodbye, Konoha.

-Naruto

"You got a little intense there."

'I guess. I've never really let out my true emotion to anyone but you before.' I stared at the paper a bit longer, at my slightly sloppy handwriting. It's not that I never improved my writing. I just wanted them to know that this was Naruto speaking. The true Naruto.

I pinned the note to the wall, and I didn't waste any time in grabbing my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. Hopping onto the open windowsill, I glanced back once more. I wondered idly how long it would take for someone to find the note. How Tsunade or Jiraiya would react to seeing the graffiti I didn't even bother to clean.

I wondered why, despite my anger, I still didn't hate my so-called friends. Perhaps, just like I was asking they understand me, I could understand a little about why they said what they said.

In one of those rare instances, at the thought of how heartbroken two certain Sannin and a Hatake would feel, I felt tears slip down my cheeks. Despite that, I didn't regret my decision.

Turning away from my ghost of a room, I leapt out into the night.

Tsunade POV~

five days after Naruto left

"Tsunade-sama, it appears we have a problem -"

"We can't find Naruto." Kakashi said from the window, interrupting Asuma's report. There were very few times I'd seen Kakashi so riled up, and this was one of them. Of course, most other times he got this intense also involved his teammates, and I couldn't say I was very calm myself, so I couldn't blame him.

It had been two days since Sakura found the note Naruto had left behind, and four since the blond had been gone long enough to cause suspicion. I guessed that by now Naruto had almost a week's head start and was way too good at hiding his tracks.

My emotions were stirring so hard that I slammed my fist down and smashed the table in half. "Kurenai!" I shouted to the other jonin in the room, "Send your team out to look for him! You leave in THIRTY MINUTES. NO LATER. GO."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Kurenai said, leaving the room. Her team was made up of natural trackers, so it was expected. Besides, Hinata and Shino were two people who I knew had no prejudices against Naruto. He must have recognized this too. If anyone could convince him back, it was someone like those two.

When I read the note, I could't face anyone for the rest of the day. He knew this. The boy who reminded me so much of my younger brother, the one who had brought me back from my trench of darkness and self-pity and restored my hope, had left me. And he knew how I would feel. 

Even then, I couldn't help but understand him. Of course. Why hadn't I done something before? I knew he suffered, but why didn't I pay him enough attention to see how deep his pain really ran? Why couldn't I stop this?

I wouldn't admit this to anyone, but after reading the note he left, I couldn't stop crying for hours.

Of course, the elders had their own reasons for wanting him back.

"We must make it the utmost priority to retrieve him." Koharu was saying. "We can't let our Jinchuriki fall into the hands of other villages or enemies of the Leaf."

"We must keep him under close watch as soon as we get him back. The Jinchuriki must be locked up. It's the only way to ensure our deadliest weapon doesn't fall into the wrong hands." Danzo said. This comment alone made me angry enough to punch down a wall and three windows, as well as crushing the table we were sitting at.

How dare they speak of Naruto as if he was only a tool.

How dare they.

Shikamaru POV~

three days after Naruto left

"Naruto really left the village?" Ino asked, her mouth agape in shock.

Sakura nodded, "Kakashi-sensei asked me to find him, but when I checked his apartment, all I found was that the whole place had been cleared and he was gone, leaving only a note saying that he'd gone. And - And there was also..."

"What?" Kiba asked.

"W-Well, his door had been kind beaten up and opened really easily, as if someone broke in. And on his wall there was...graffiti."

"Graffiti?" Neji asked.

"Yeah. They said things like 'monster' and..." she looked down. "'Demon.'"

"That's awful." Lee said. For once, his 'youthful vigor' was no longer causing him to jump around. Instead, for the first time since I'd met him, he was sitting down in one place, a sad look on his face. His knee was bouncing up and down, though, and there was this determined gleam in his eye. I already knew what he was going to say -

"We have to bring him back!" he shouted, leaping up to stand on the table. "We have to show him that there are still people who believe in him here! That Konoha can still be his home!"

"Even so, we treated him pretty badly." Choji said, "I mean, do you remember us ever inviting him to our get-togethers?"

Silence.

Ino muttered, "First Sasuke and now him..."

I thought back to when I read the note. The way he talked about us, it's as if he overheard one of our conversations or something...

"What are you thinking about, Shikamaru?"

Ino's voice reminded me that I was still there with the others, and they were all staring at me expectantly. They knew me well enough to know when I was thinking of something, apparently. 

"Well, remember when we were talking at the barbecue place a few days ago, not long before Naruto left?"

Everyone nodded.

"And you guys remember that guy who just up and left super suddenly? It was right after Sakura called Naruto a demon."

Everyone nodded again, albeit more slowly.

Neji's eyes widened in realization. "I get where you're going. Henge jutsu isn't very complicated."

"Exactly." I furrowed my eyebrows, "I get the feeling that guy might've been Naruto in disguise. Overhearing his own teammate call him a demon must have struck him hard, explaining why he left so suddenly. It also explains how Naruto disappeared not even a day after we had that conversation."

"Naruto was...spying on us?" Tenten asked, everyone else only shocked into silence. Sakura had this guilty look on her face that made me want to scoff out loud. Sure, Naruto was a loudmouth who was annoying to people, and sure, Naruto was the Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, but he was still a person. From the way Sakura treated him, it was no wonder he left the village.

"He must have felt betrayed. Of course he would leave, after hearing that conversation." Neji crossed his arms and looked down. 

"I doubt he'll want to come back. Not after what we said about him." I said. For once, I didn't feel like just kicking back and doing nothing. Not when one of my comrades was in such a situation.

I gritted my teeth. I'm supposed to be the smart one, aren't I? How come I was stupid enough to not be there for Naruto when he clearly needed it?

I sighed. "Sitting here and talking won't solve anything." I glanced up at the others. "We have to bring him back."