Naru had left her apartment a while ago when she'd sensed several people heading towards it. It wasn't that she thopught they were enemies or anything. And even if they had been it wouldn't have mattered much. Not anymore.

She was now physically strong enough now to fight off an entire army without help if she wanted too. She'd merely abandoned the apartment because she didn't want to deal with a bunch of people.

The noise. It bugged her sensitive ears.

Made her head hurt and somtimes feel sick to her stomach. And she strongly disliked being sick to her stomach. Especially since it took hours to recover.

She did however have no problem with walking through the village. As long as she kept the hood on her jacket up and her head down, she could do just about anything if it meant getting out and about. It was when people expected her to look at them and speak that she got nervous.

She didn't want them to see her eyes. Or her fangs. As small and fairly insignificate as those features were to most people, they still tended to inspire fear in others. And she didn't like that. She didn't like having people run from her screaming, thinking that she was going to hurt them.

She didn't like the rumors that they inspired or what people thought of her. It made her feel ashamed of the fact that she had survived the transformation that Kyubbi had put her through when it was pulled from her body.

She sat down on the steps leading up to her father's crypt and looked around the graveyard. There was only a small number of people who knew that she would come here to hide away form the world and chances of them finding her right away were-

She heard a few twigs snap behind her and twisted around to look at the source and scowled a little bit when her master stepped out from around a tree and looked at her. "Ah, there you are. I thought that you would be here when I couldn't find you at home. Did you know that there is a whole mob of people looking for you right now?"

Naru blew her bangs out of her face a little bit when she exhaled but other wise said nor did nothing. Honestly what was she supposed to say? Of course I know there are people looking for me, but I can't really bring myself to care at the moment. Dammit she was tired! And hungry and her head hurt.

As far as she was concerned everyone should be a little bit more understanding of her need for quiet and rest instead of trying to intrude upon her. Her master walked over to where she was and dropped down so that he was sitting on the steps next to her.

"You know when you were younger I used to bring you here. Every week for the first six years or so of your life. And we would sit right here on these steps and play thumb wars and show your dad the finger paintings you made at school. Or we'd come here for picnics and just sit and talk to Minato until you wore yourself out. Then I'd pick you up and say goodbye to him and swear to god that I would never let anyone hurt you before I would carry you home and put you to bed."

"I don't remember those things." Naru said softly. A sad tinge to her tone was the only indication that she wished she could remember. Jiriaya looked down at her and slipped an arm around her slender shoulders and pulled her against his side.

"I know you don't. But I do. And I owe your father an explination on why the Akutsuki managed to get their hands on you in the first place. I also owe him an apology for not being able to keep my word."

"No you don't..."

Jiriaya gave a dry, humorless laugh. "Yes. Yes I do. I almost got you killed."

"But I'm still here."

"Yes. But not because of me."

"Does it really matter?"

"It shouldn't. But with you strangely enough, it does matter. I want to be able to look your mom and dad in the eye when I die and say that I did my best to make you strong, and prepare you for what's to come. To instill all of the morals, and codes of honor that they lived with; in you."

Naru tipped her head back, letting him see her face a little bit and smiled at him for what must have been the first time in months. Or possibly years. It was a little hard to tell when time dragged by so damn slowly that it felt like forever and a day. Still, the slight display warmed him considerably. "You did good Jiriaya. You really did." Naru rasped, her tone firm yet gentle.

He gave her a small smile back and gave her a squeeze. "Thanks. That means a lot coming from you."

"It should-"

"It does..." Jiriaya said as he slowly pulled his arm out from around her and started to drop his arm before saying, "I have to take you to Tsunade. We're planning a meeting with your friends to tell them about some of your...uh, changes."

Naru's good mood died right then and there, her faint smile vanishing in an instant as her master stood up and held his hand out to her. She didn't want to go with him but knew that he'd chase her down just like he had several times before if she didn't go. Slowly she got to her feet and slipped her hand in his and tried not to flinch when his fingers closed around her hand, holding it in a grip that she wouldn't be able to shake easily.

There would be no running form this. She knew that instantly. That this was simply something that she couldn't hope to hide forever, yet she had hoped to at least have some more time to adjust before anyone was told about her changes and stuff.

But it was beginning to look as if she wouldn't be catching a break for a while. And though she didn't want too, it was time her friends learned the truth about her. Which meant that she would have to tell them everything about Kyubbi and herself among other things.

And she was not looking forward to this at all.