I realy love this music and that the ficture that i draw Naruto and Naru what' ya thing about that ?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.

As the group walked in darkness towards their destination, Naru found herself pondering over the next test they might have. She couldn't help but wonder if the next test is hard. Everything was getting harder and harder in the most strangest way, with everyone they meet on the road testing them. If the couple ends up testing them then she wouldn't be surprise, with what was happening.

She clutched her chest, as she suddenly felt a stabbing pain in her chest. The throbbing pain was a stupid reminder of her fight with Sasuke. Why the hell was her wound affecting her now of all times? Her eyes turned angry, furiously glaring at the animal life around her. This wound, why wasn't it feeling properly? The only good thing about having the Kyuubi was having it heal her. Even through she despises the demon for ruining her life, there was no denying that it saved her life more times then she can count. It saved her from all the rotten food she had eaten, healed her from any broken bones she had and so many other things. But why the hell wasn't it healing this stupid wound?

"Is something wrong, Naru?" Gon asked, looking at her in concern.

"No, nothing." Naru said softly, realizing that the boy must have noticed her wincing. "I'm fine, I just been thinking about something stupid."

"You're clutching your chest as if you have a serious wound!" Gon said, staring at her. "What happened? Did you got hurt on the way here?"

Naru opened her mouth to protest but, looking at the boy's eyes, she knows that she couldn't truly lie to him. However for his sake, she would. So she gave the boy a nod and a reassuring smile, while feeling guilty as she did so. Looking at him was a reminder of her friends. He just reminded her so much of Konohamaru, with how naïve he is. Tears started to build up in her eyes as she remembered all the times she spent with him. So many times did she saved him from bullies or cheered him up but, now...she can't do that again. No longer can she scold him whenever he was acting reckless or being an idiot.

Naru-nee-chan, can you teach me a jutsu!

She winced at the memory, taking a deep breath and tried to remind herself that she will see him soon.

That's unfair, nee-chan! You cheated!

She gulped and rubbed her eyes, trying to drown out the sudden memories of her home flooding into her mind. But it was of no use to her, because half of her was wishing that it was true, and that when she opened her eyes again, everything would reset and turn back to normal.

But she knows that it won't happen.

"Naru, what's your village like?"

Naru stared blankly at Kurapika, who gave her an apologetic smile, and winced as more memories rushed into her head. Images of her smiling friends flashed through her mind along with the icy, cold glares of the villagers before, memories of her Academy days flashed through her mind. Her eyes turned somber, tracing the warning signs outline. Her village was a beautiful just like a garden but like every garden there were weeds. Trusting someone else wasn't something to do, not even if her own life depended on it. Because that was how she had survived until the Hokage found her, the life of starving little girl who hardly knew the kindness of people and lived wondering when she will get her food.

Until the Hokage found her, her life had basically been horrible.

What happened to you child?

"Hello! Is anyone there?" Leorio asked, breaking her from her memories. Naru blinked her eyes, surprise to see the older man staring at her with concern and notice his hand was in front of her. She didn't realize it but she had been clenching her hands the whole time. The blonde relaxed her hands and stared at the ground, trying to gather the strength to stop the tears from coming out of her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Naru said.

"No need to worry about it, Naru. We got worried when we saw that you suddenly stopped walking." Gon said, giving her a warm smile. Naru rubbed the back of her neck, feeling unease at how to respond to this display of concern. They were strangers to her yet they were concerned about her, despite knowing her for a few days. For a moment, she wondered what they wanted from her. People always wanted something from her. The Hokage had wanted her to be a shinobi, never saying it aloud but the intention was there. Measuring her strength was the reason Sasuke had been bother with her. Getting closer to the boy she like was Sakura reason for hanging around with her. Only Hinata was a true friend to her, having no intention of using her.

"I guess I should answer your question about my village." Naru said softly, giving them a small sad smile. "Like any place, it has merits and demerits. The villagers are...kind and nice, being one of the friendliest villages in the land however; the villagers give ridiculous price on food and drinks. The civilians look up to the shinobi because most of our village's income comes from the mission that the shinobi take, while the rest is trading. However, the Hokage and the clans in the village control everything. I never explained to you about the Hokage, did I?"

They shook their heads.

"The Hokage is the leader of our village." She explained. "The Hokage is the most respected person in the village and is also the most powerful, not because of the position but because the person has to be the strongest shinobi in the village. The Hokage must be willing to give up their life to protect the village."

"How old must one need to be a shinobi?" Kurapika asked.

"It varies between person to person and country to country." Naru answered truthfully. "In the past, kids younger than me became shinobi because of the war. Some become ninjas at the age of 12, while others used to become ninjas at the age of six or older."

Kurapika and Leorio winced, staring at her and then Gon before clenching their hands in anger and horror. Naru stared at the moon as memories of Haku and Zabuza words about how a shinobi is only a tool to the village. Looking back, she had been furious at their words but now she knows better. She was a tool in her village. Disobeying the orders of the Hokage is a death wish and dying for the village is seen as an honor. An honor! None of them see how horrible it is to be close to death! And she was like them! Believing it was an honor! Her lips curled sardonically, remembering her last moments in the Valley of the End. She felt no honor in dying for the village. Only anger and bitterness of how her life would end. She wanted so much more. A family, to be the Hokage and most of all to be loved, this was all what she wanted. If she were to die then she wants to be around her love ones as she dies, instead dying in an empty wasteland.

Yes, dying for the village was not an honor as they say it is. She knows no one will take the time to mourn her death. They would feel joyful of how the demon child had finally been killed, forgetting how the demon child did it in the name of the village. Forgetting how she much she had longed to become the Hokage.

"Naru, if it's painful to speak about your village then we won't push you." Leorio said, snapping out of her thoughts. She blinked her eyes at the warmth in his eyes, marveling at how he didn't seem angry that she had punched him in the stomach. Why do they put up with her? Why didn't they treat her like the villagers? Would they be disgusted with her if they knew about the demon inside of her?

"No, it's alright, I need to continue on about my village." She answered, clearing her mind of all of her doubts. "Konoha is one of the biggest and wealthiest villages in the elemental country, as well as being one of the strongest. We have a lot of allies between other villages but we also got a lot of enemies."

"Why is it so famous? And why are there so many enemies for your village?" Leorio asked.

"We won a lot of the wars between the villages." Naru replied quietly. "Because of that, the other villages has to pay the price and became our allies or give up one of their lands to us. In other cases, they lost so many of their shinobis, an example is that in the last war caused us to become enemies of Iwagakure because the Yondaime Hokage killed so many of their shinobis in one night."

"T-That's amazing, right?" Leorio asked, looking quite frightened at the idea of a man being able to do it.

"Yes, he was the most amazing shinobi Konoha has produced." Naru answered quietly, unconsciously rubbing her stomach as she remembered how Mizuki told her about the Kyuubi being sealed inside her. "Nobody knows how to use the jutsu that he used on them because as far as anyone is concern, he hasn't taught anyone that jutsu."

Naru watched as the man's shoulders relax at her words, not blaming him for relaxing at hearing this. She strode forward to walk beside Gon. To hear a man murder many skilled fighters was a frightening thing to hear. However it was war, and the man had a job to do. Killing all those people had been his job, no his duty and it was one that helped them win the war, as Sakura will always remind her. That had been the first time; she realized just how terrible their life would be. Murdering all these people was terrible. All of them had families, friends or a love one who will miss them, and they were to be murdered because the shinobi was paid to do it. The families will blame them, always forgetting that they too have to do the same thing.

This is the only thing she hates about being a shinobi.

"It's gotten pretty dark." Leorio said, staring around the forest with unease. "Two hours by foot, she said! Two hours passed two hours ago, dammit."

"Complaining won't change a thing, Leorio." Naru said, sighing at the older man's complaining. "We'll get there until then, stop complaining."

"Well, when are we going to get there?"

"Do I look like a map?" Naru asked sarcastically, glaring at the man. He shook his head, wisely keeping his mouth shut.

The blonde rolled her eyes at him and started to tighten the headband around her waist, feeling how loose it became. Traces of dried blood could still be seen, a painful reminder of the events of the Valley of the End. She should clean it but can't find it in herself to clean it. All she needed was to remind herself of how much stronger she should get, so that she can face her friends with no shame.

She will show them she had become stronger then before. Show them that they can rely on her on anything. Show them she can protect them from anything dangerous. The feeling of weakness is one she can never forget neither the humiliation. Being defeated by him was humiliating and made her feel weak.

She won't be a weakling or be disgraced by Sasuke.

"Another warning sign about demon beasts?" Leorio said staring at the tenth warning past they passed through.

Naru furrowed her eyebrows and stared at the worn-down warning sign. "What are demon beast?" she frowned at the letters in the warning sign. "They keep mentioning them. Why are they so dangerous?"

"They aren't dangerous per say." Kurapika said, walking towards her. "Demon beasts are beasts capable of human speech hence why they are called demon beast. In fact some of them can take a form of a human."

The blue-eyed girl furrowed her eyebrows at this piece of information, trying to picture the image of the beast in her mind. Nothing came to mind. The blue-eyed girl sighed and started to relax her forehead. These countries weren't anything like her home. The animals, the people, they were all different. In a good way. It just made her more curious, making her longing to learn more about this whole new world.

"I see it." Kurapika said, pointing to the house under the large cedar tree. Naru grinned but a sense of dread started to fill her. There's no sound that can be heard in the forest, not even the sound of the wind blowing or a growl of an animal. Naru took out her kunai, eyes scanning the area for any sign of danger but she found nothing. No evidence, clues, hints of danger in the room. She reluctantly put her kunai back and stared at the shabby cottage in front of her.

"It's quiet." Kurapika said. "Are we the only applicants?"

"It seems so." Her tone was dull, refusing to show any sign of worry. "We should go inside and check to see if anything happen." Her fingers slowly traced her headband, feeling anxiety taking over her heart. "We also need to be very cautious and don't come in until I tell you so. If I don't tell you to come in, in ten seconds then run here. Remember to be vigilant and if there's any sign of danger, you know what to do."

They all nodded their heads and stood behind her, waiting for her to open the door. She could feel her blood rushing to her muscles, feeling the urge to run into the place but she controlled herself. She couldn't run away now. Not now, when she was just so close to getting back home. Gritting her teeth, the blonde forced herself to open the door, ignoring the small voice in her head that said something bad was going to happen.

Naru couldn't breath or even formed a proper thought at the sight in front of her. An ugly creature was grappling a young woman's neck, smirking and snarling at the screaming young woman. What the hell was happening? She took out her kunai, ready to attack the vile beast in front of her but she couldn't. What if the beast attacks Gon and the others? The size of its claws tells her that it is strong enough to kill them. If they die then she can never forgive herself. The sound of a man yelling snapped her out of her thoughts and brought her attention to them. The man was injured, having a twisted leg but this didn't stop him from wiggling to the monster, being so desperate to save his wife. She observed the living room, finally noticing how chaotic it looked. The chairs had been kicked around, one of the tables were smashed into pieces and blood...blood spilled into the ground. She sniffed the air, wrinkling her nose as she tried to get rid of the metallic sent of blood from her nose.

The sounds of thundering footsteps echoing in the weak wood made the blonde winced before cussing out loud. Boys! They never seemed to listen to her! What part of being vigilant did they hear! Next time, she will force them to sit down and repeat after her.

"A demon beast!" Kurapika yelled, immediately getting into attacking position.

The monster snarled and twisted its body and jumped out of the window with the young woman in its arms. Her anger boiled at this and without thinking, Naru started to follow the beast into the forest with Kurapika and Gon following her. She couldn't find it in herself to listen to the order that Kurapika gave to Leorio about taking care of injured one or stopping to wait for them. Waiting for them means there was more chance of the woman getting hurt! The sudden image of the crying man rushed through her mind, fueling her desire to save the woman.

She will save the woman and bring the couple together again.

Her heartbeat became more erratic as she entered deeper into forest, knowing what might transpire in the dead of night. Darkness. Evil always came out during the night, feeling the strongest when people can't see them. Snakes, wolves and other animals prefer hunting at night because animals let down their guard. However, she isn't an animal. She won't let down her guard! And she will save the woman and get her answers!

Naru took a deep breath and closed her eyes, concentrating in gathering chakra to her nose, ears and even her eyes. When she opened her eyes, Naru could see the forest more clearly and smell it even better. The actual linings in the tree and the colors of leaves, coupled with the scent of the freshly moist grass. She focused her eyes on the beast and took a sniff of its scent, clenching her hand when she saw it was a male.

The beast travelled faster, causing her to move even faster to catch up with him. With a small sigh, Naru leaped across two trees, rubbing the back of her neck. She pulled her kunai from her kunai poach, ready to aim it at the moving beast but the sight of Gon with his fishing rod stopped her. What the hell was he planning to do? He couldn't defeat a beast with a fishing rod! It's preposterous. Not even she would dare do something like that and that's saying something! They called her the unpredictable ninja! Compared to Gon, she was predictable.

She slipped into the shadows, deciding if it will be best if she observed of what will happen. Will Gon be able to defeat the creature with his fishing rod? Or will he fail and get hurt? If the latter happens, then she will step in and defeat the demon beast herself. No way in hell will she allow the boy to get hurt, not as long as she is with them!

Gon increased his speed, trying to catch up with the demon beast in front of them. There was no denying, in Naru's mind, that the beast was fast. If she weren't a trained shinobi then she would have trouble trailing it. She twirled her body to jump to the branch next to her when she saw that the beast was heading east. A sudden movement from the east caught her eye but it didn't stop her in her quest to catch up with the beast and the boy. She stopped running, highly aware of Gon's immediate attack from the sudden jump in his body.

Fishing rods strike the beast's forehead, leaving a huge bump on his forehead and forcing it to drop the young woman. Naru whipped around, ready to save the young woman from her fall but, saw Kurapika holding the young woman in his hands. Her blue eyes searched for the beast, heart thrashing in her mouth, but the beast was nowhere to be seen.

She kicked a rock, feeling disappointed about not being able to have a go with the beast but, a movement in the shadows caught her notice. Was it an animal? Will it attack Gon while he attacks the other beast? Gritting her teeth, Naru started to chase after the beast.

She won't allow the beast to attack Gon! It has to go through her before attacking Gon!

The sudden gush of wind didn't stop Naru in her quest of catching up with the beast, intending of stopping it from hurting her acquaintance. The flow of the wind suddenly got harsher; nearly pushing her off from the branch she was in. It was becoming harsher and harsher to her. Sniffing the air, Naru loosen her grip on her weapon and touched her chin, fixing her attention on the beast.

Was it possible...?

No, she can't be certain until she interrogates it.

As she and her target came close to an opening, Naru twisted her leg and slammed her leg against the beast. The demon beast yelled and yelped as it tumbled down to the ground. Still staring at the beast, Naru jumped elegantly down in front of the beast. The beast snarled at her but she ignored it. Instead, she leaned against one foot and continued to observe the beast.

Nodding her head, Naru went closer to the beast, dodging and blocking any attack the beast made. She flicked her finger against the beast, watching in satisfaction as the beast was sent towards the bark of the tree.

"You'll pay for that!" It yelled, readying to attack her again.

Shifting to the left, the blonde inspected the beast as it stumble at the sudden dodge of the attack. Naru sighed as the beast lunged at her, clenching her hands into a fist and gave a gentle punch to the demon beast. The creature was thrown against the wall. The beast was now slackened against the tree but it didn't stop it from glaring at her.

"You're not the one that Gon had strike." Naru sat down on the ground. "And you aren't harmful, not you, not the other beast. Although you play a convincing job of making me believe it. If it hadn't been for the fact that in the last second, I saw you give a thumbs up to the other beast then I wouldn't have notice it."

"How did you know that we are different?" The creature asked, wincing as it tried to sit up.

"Hmm? Well, the two of you have similar scents." The blonde walked towards the beast, helping it stand up properly, before continuing. "The beast and you have your scents entwined together, so it was a little bit hard to decipher but...when the winds kept becoming harsher, your scent started to become very clear to me. You're a female, while he is a male."

"What else made you think that we aren't harmful?"

"The other beast could have attack me when I first entered but, yet he didn't." Naru said softly, tapping her finger on her chin. "Normally if you're going to kidnap someone, you're going to hurt any witness of the crime or the people who are trying to stop you. It didn't. Instead it runs to the windows, not bothering to hurt me. Not only that, it was protecting the hostage as if it were its own child."

The beast stared at her, looking surprise at this and then stared at her, particularly at her whisker marks before the band around her waist. Lowering her band, Naru took in a shaky breath as a sudden burst f memories started to hit her relentlessly. There was no trigger. Nothing. Yet, something was happening to make her remember her home. Naru bit her lips until blood came out, hoping the pain will stop the sudden flow of memories.

It did.

"I know you won't harm us. Your eyes along with the other beast look far too gentle, to actual commit the crime of harming someone." Naru said, smiling at the female beast. Her smile turned into a look of loathing. "But, if anyone harms one of my friends then I swear I will harm them, that's something you must know."

The beast nodded its head and scrambled, looking ready to run away from her and the blue-eyed girl didn't blame her. So many people told her she could be frightening when she was like this. Only this this, she forced herself to act this way.

"You should go check on your friend." Naru smiled wearily at the creature in front of her. "He will need some help when dealing with Gon, the boy can be so damn troublesome that it isn't funny!"

"But what about you?" The creature asked.

Naru shrugged her arms and replied. "I will just head my way back towards the cabin. I've faith that Gon will do pretty well against your husband and you." She chuckled. "He always surprises me in the most strangest of ways."

Naru grinned as Kurapika and Leorio stared at the four creatures with confusion and shock. She drew up one of her kunai, twirling it around her finger as the two boys stared at her. Closing her eyes, the blonde threw her kunai in the direction of the closest tree. She watched as it twisted and turn until it meets its target, the tree trunk. She smiled at the sight of the kunai hitting the middle of the tree trunk. Leorio didn't seem as happy as her because he suddenly yelled.

"Be careful! Don't you know how dangerous these things!" Leorio yelled irritably. "You could have seriously injured someone!"

"I've perfect aim if you must know, Leorio. If I wanted to harm someone then I would have changed the direction of how I threw it." She prowled to her kunai and put it in her kunai pouch. "Besides, I've been practicing these things for the past couple of years...I think I know how dangerous it is."

"I don't think you realize the dangers of carrying it around!" Leorio yelled.

"I've been trained with a kunai for as long as I could remember." She glared at the man. "The village won't give us a kunai until they know for certain that we won't do anything suicidal or stupid! And they taught us how to use a kunai!"

"Well I think-"

"Calm down, Leorio! Naru!" Gon said, to the arguing pair.

The blonde took several calming breaths, trying to regain control of her temper. The four creatures stared at the two of them with amusement, looking ready to laugh in any moment. Crossing her arms, the blue-eyed girl stared at the Kiriko and ignored the chatting Leorio. At the current moment, she wanted to throttle the guy for implying she didn't how to use a kunai.

"How many years has it been since we've met a human who could tell us apart?" The male Kiriko said, staring at Gon and Naru with amazement and excitement.

"This is exciting." The female Kiriko said.

"The one that got hit by Kurapika and me is the husband." Gon said, pointing to the Kiriko on the left. Naru hummed in agreement before informing them that she had hit the wife.

"Can you tell me which is which!" Leorio complained.

"I would love to tell you but you won't learn anything." Naru said sweetly. "Besides, knowing the difference between the two of them is much more easier than holding a kunai! Right?"

The older man gulped at the cold look in the eyes, trying his hardest to look anywhere but her eyes. She snorted. Coward! She wasn't the strongest kunoichi! And he's frightened of her! The man won't last a day with Anko or in the Forest of Death.

Well, I'm sure by now that you guys know that my wife and I are your navigators." The male Kiriko said.

"I'm the daughter." The woman from before said, making her appearance known from behind the one who spoke just before.

"I'm the son." The man said, making a 'V' sign with his hands.

"My daughter and my son were disguised as the married couple in that house under the lone cedar tree." The right Kiriko told everyone.

"And as Kurapika-dono pointed out, this tattoo is my proof that I will remain celibate for the rest of my life as strictly the wife of god." The woman held up her right hand and Naru scrunch her eyes, trying to figure out what the writing said. "Only one with extensive knowledge of ancient history would have recognized it."

"Leorio-dono couldn't figure out my identity to the end." The son paused for a second. "However, the first-aid he administered was faster and more accurate then even a doctor and beyond anything else, he continued to console me and encourage me when I was worrying about the safety of my wife."

"The two of you are those rare people, who once in a decade that can distinguish us. The two of you possessed superhuman athleticism and observation skills." The two married Kiriko praised in unison. Naru rubbed the back of her head at the compliment, feeling quite uncomfortable with this praise.

"I hit you around a little without thinking." Gon said, rubbing the back in his head in embarrassment.

"I hope that my hits wasn't...too hard, if so then I apologize for the hardness of all my hits." Naru said, looking down at her feet.

The married couple only smiled, shrugging their apologies off. "All four of you pass." The wife said.

Naru and Gon high-fived each other while Kurapika and Leorio pumped their fist in the air. For the first time today, Naru felt more light-hearted and at ease, now knowing that she was definitely one step closer into going home. It won't be long before she gets to have her favourite ramen again and see her friends again. As soon as she gets back, she will treat her friends to ramen!

The four Kiriko's began flapping their wings, snapping the blond-haired girl from her daydream.

"Well, we shall lead you to the Hunter Exam Hall." The husband Kiriko announced. Soon he was up in the air, telling them to hang on to the Kiriko's legs. Naru went over to the son Kiriko and grabbed on, Gon was with the husband Kiriko, Leorio with the wife Kiriko, and Kurapika with the daughter Kiriko.

Together they went off.

Like always, Zaban City was busy and bustling.

Over the years it had grown rich and vibrant with life from the wealth of gold under the ground. From the shady dealers and scammers to the joyful giggles from the children walking home. This whole place was so similar and yet so different from her home village. Food was plentiful, goods cheap and its citizens were happy. This city was the type of that was filled with so many different types of people, the type of city Naru had always wanted to see.

"Are all cities like this? This building has to be the tallest building in the whole world." The blonde asked, pointing to the skyscraper in front of them.

Kurapika nodded. "Yes, most cities have skyscrapers and tall buildings, Naru and this isn't the tallest building in the world. "

"If that isn't the tallest building in the whole world then, I'm afraid to know what is." She muttered under her breath, pushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear. "This whole place is so different from Konoha! Next thing, I know I will see a grandpa able to do exercise without being tired."

The three boys laughed at her words, causing the blonde to pout at them. Shaking her head, the blonde started to muse about her silliness. It's stupid of her to not think this place will be different. Of course, this city will be completely different from her village. There's no shinobi, no war, no true violence in this world. It's a world where she can only dream of.

"Must be that building over there." The Kirko said, pointing over to a building, bringing Naru back into reality. Glancing at the building, Naru started to whistle and rubbed her chin. It was a huge building, towering over the many shops and vendors surrounding it. Not surprisingly, many people were rushing in and out of the building, yelling at each other when someone bumped into each other.

Still, was this seriously the building?

"Wow~" Gon said, looking at the building with awe.

"I got to say that the tallest building I have ever seen. It's even taller than the building that we just past." Naru said in agreement. "How long do you think it took them to build it?"

"From all over the world." Leorio muttered.

"This is where all the hunter prospect gather." Kurapika said, sweating at the sight of the building in front of them.

A small smile graced her lips, and Naru started to undo her headband and put it around her head. How far did she come? A few short weeks ago, she had been laughing and smiling with her friends, unaware of how much she is going to loose. Now, here she was, aware of just what she will do to go back to her home. To her friends. Yet now, when she closes her eyes, Naru wonders if it is a dream. It felt like a dream, beautiful yet so horrible. It felt like any moment, she would wake up and find herself in the hospital with the cold stares of the nurses as her company. Just the mere thought made her feel bitter. The idea of Gon, Leorio and Kurapika being figures of her imagination, just showed how lonely she is.

"Hey! That not that one." The navigator said, smiling at the four applicants. Naru arched her eyebrows when he pointed to the restaurant beside the building-they have been staring at. "The entrance is over there."

They stared at it for a few moments before saying in unison. "No matter how we look at it! It's just a normal restaurant."

"Navi-san, you're joking right?" Leorio asked, staring at the navigator with anger. "You're telling me that all the hunter prospects from the entire world are gathered here?"

Naru shook her head and said. "Leorio, calm down! The navigator won't joke about something like this!" she frowned. "It's surprising but there must be a reason why the exams are held there instead of the tall building beside it."

"Yes, there's a good reason as Naru-sama says." The Kiriko said. "No one would expect the Hunter Exam, which expects millions of applicants, to be in a place like this would they?"

Naru hummed in agreement and followed the others into the restaurant, grinning and beaming at the smell of food. The restaurant reminded her of Ichiraku by giving a cosy and homey feeling. The blonde closed her eyes, remembering all the times Ayame and her father would encourage and cheer her up.

She missed them with all of her heart and the thought of them brought a pang to her heart.

"Your order?" The cook asked, snapping Naru from her train of thoughts.

"The steak meal." The Navigator answered.

The man raised his eyebrow and asked. "How would you like it cooked?"

Navigator smirked and replied. "Slowly over a weak fire."

"Please, follow me to the room." The waitress said, gesturing them to follow her. Naru put her hands into her pockets, noticing how the waiters were trying their hardest not to stare at them. Interesting...it seems like they weren't the first ones to come here today and they must be others. Question is, how many people are there? And how are they able to fit in this building?

They soon stopped walking when they reached the back of the restaurant. The waitress opened the door, revealing everyone a room with a table filled with food. Immediately, Naru took a seat and started to take a bite of the food, having been nearly a whole day since she had eaten proper food.

"One out of 10,000." Naru tilted her head and furrowed her eyebrows at the Navigator. "That's the probability of making to this room." He headed towards the door. "You have done extremely well for beginners. We'll be more than happy to guide you guys next year."

"Well, good luck, rookies." The navigator said, before closing the door on them.

"That's rude." Leorio muttered angrily as he ate his steak. "He talked as if he knew we wouldn't pass this year."

"Do you think that it's that likely for a Rookie to pass?" The blonde clasped her hands together and smiled sardonically at the man. "Chances of a rookie passing exams like these in their first go, is slim. Nearly zero, maybe five percent chance if you're really good or hard-working."

"What makes you say that?" Gon asked.

The blonde shrug her shoulders, giving them a bitter smile and answered. "Well, because I did an exam similar to this...it was less tiresome then this exam but the idea is the same. If you wanted to get promoted then, you had to do these exams. To pass, there were a series of test and each one became harder then the next...well except for the last exam. In my exam, chances of a rookie genin passing a chunin exam are slim so, a Hunter Exam? That has to be lower. " She paused. "Death has already happen and if it's anything like the chunin exam then more deaths will happen because this is similar to the Chunin Exam."

"So, you know what to expect from these exams then, since it's so similar?" Kurapika asked.

The blonde shook her head. "No, these exams are also very different from each other." She sighed. "I'm afraid to admit it but the Hunter Exam appears to be more difficult, more challenging. None of us had to search for the exam site or have seen the applicants die in search for them. Yes, our exams were a little bit more easier, still dangerous but less of risk then these exams."

"I see."

"Now, back to the main topic, do any of you know what's the chance of Rookie passing the Hunter Exam?" Naru asked, gazing intently in their eyes. "And why? Because there must be a reason why the Navigator-san said that to us."

"The probability of a rookie passing the Hunter Exam is one every three years." Kurapika answered quietly. "Among the rookies, some of them go insane from the cruelty of the exam while some become incapacitated from the heckling of the veteran examinees."

"But why do people go through such hardship to become a hunter?" Gon asked.

"For Honour, money, pride, revenge, fight worthy opponents and of course, my favourite fame. Some of them did it because it's their dream to become a hunter. " Naru held up six fingers to emphasis this. "These are the six main reasons why almost people might do stupid terrible things, such as taking these type of exams. Revenge, well because you might get info on people you wish revenge and fame because you can boast and say 'I have done the exams', making you famous because you did find the exams."

"But you and me aren't taking the exams for these reasons." Gon said.

The blonde blinked her eyes and said slowly. "You and me are different...you're doing it because you're searching for your dad and wish to know why he pick his job over you, right?" Gon nodded. "I, on the other hand, am searching for a way back home and so, we may be the rare few people who aren't doing it for these reasons."

"So, if you weren't searching for a way back home then you won't take the exam?" Gon asked.

"Bingo." Naru sang. "I wouldn't take such a stupid exam if I didn't have to find my way back home! I'm not impulsive or reckless enough to do such a thing, besides being a Hunter has no use to me. In fact, I don't know what's the use of being a Hunter!"

"No use to you! Did you come to these exams without any knowledge of it?" Leorio glared at the two of them. "Where've you been living under a rock!"

"Konoha doesn't tell us anything about the world around us." She sighed. "We've only been taught about the normal jobs and shinobi as well as a little about Samurai but, nothing about Hunters! Our village sees no use to tell us."

"Well, it's our duty to inform you two why the Hunter Exams are so important then!" Leorio announced.

"What! Why! The job is completely irrelevant to me if I didn't have to go back to my village!" Naru stood up from her seat and glared at them. "What's the big deal about being a hunter, anyway?"

"A Hunter is the most well paying job in the world/ a hunter is the most respected job in the world!" Leorio and Kurapika yelled in unison. Glaring at each other, the two of them stared at the yawning blonde, who gave them each a blank look that said 'so what?'.

"Yes, but why is it a great deal? Why do you two make a big fuss about it?" Naru crossed her arms. "If it's a Gon, who's speaking then I'll understand but, you two! Why do you two see it so much as a big deal!"

"The license card is issued out only to official hunters!" Leorio explained, looking ready to jump and down in excitement. "This card guarantees free passageway through any country! And you can use the majority of their public facilities for free! 60 of the 100 world's wealthiest people are hunters! This card symbolizes status and wealth, and if you were to sell it, your family would be well off for seven generation! Not to mention the only ones allowed to use this card are pro-hunters!"

Naru hummed. "Well, I guess being a hunter does have merits in that case since you can visit all those countries." She looked at her fingernails and continue. "Besides, all that money can help me buy me a new apartment and help me be set up for life."

"Don't listen to Leorio! What he's saying is wrong, Gon, Naru! Protecting and enforcing the order of humans and nature is the true duty of a hunter. Capturing beasts and seeking out treasures is for amateurs!" Kurapika said, glaring at Leorio. "A pro-hunter prioritizes the protection of precious cultural artefacts and endangered species! Obviously, to be able to successfully perform these duties, one must possess a wide range of knowledge, a healthy physical condition and strong convictions! It may be difficult, but I truly believe it's worth doing."

"However, looking at Kurapika's point, I can see why it would be seen as a big deal." She took a small sip of her tea. "Capturing criminals, protecting endangered wildlife, all of these things are something worthwhile because without them, we may have chaos or end up not knowing what life was like before all this."

Gon looked at her in confusion while Kurapika nodded his head in agreement in her words. Leorio didn't look happy with her response but didn't make any disagreeing comment about her words.

"Perhaps, when I get fed up with being a shinobi and found my way home then I will do such a job like Kurapika have described. " Naru smiled at them and leaned against her seat.

Kurapika nodded his head and gave a triumph smile to Leorio, who scowled in return. Naru rolled her eyes at the pair of them and took a gulp of tea, watching in interest when Leorio turned his attention to Gon.

"Gon, what do you think?" Leorio asked.

"What type of hunter do you want to become?" Kurapika asked.

"Well, I don't know." Gon complained. He was about to continue, when there was a sudden vibration throughout the room, telling the group that they had arrived. Naru jumped out of her seat, not wanting to hear the two older boys arguing about who is right.

"Looks like we arrived..." Kurapika said, walking towards the door.

"We'll continue this talk later!" Leorio said to the three of them as the door opened. Naru rolled her eyes and sighed, hoping that the man will forget what he had said. She didn't want to get too involved with this type of conversation.

What she saw when they left the elevator door surprised her. Crowds of people were surrounding the area and all of them looked anxious as well as excited for the exam to start. She scanned the room, mentally doing an estimate of how many people there are in the exam at the current moment. There had to be more then 200 people...no, more then 300 people in this room. She licked her lips, finding herself getting more and more giddy at the amount of people she may have to fight.

However, she must be cautious because getting killed was not an option.

"This place is rather dark." Leorio pointed out. "Looks like some kind of underground passageway."

"That's because it is." Naru said dryly, observing the participants in front of them. "What else can it be? It's definitely not a sewer as you can't smell the filth and it isn't one of those train stations that you told me about, is it?"

"There are so many people!" Gon said, stopping the two of them from having an argument.

"More then I actually expected, there has to be more then 200 people in this whole place." Naru grinned. "But that's makes it more fun, I bet it makes it more interesting as well."

"Why?"

"Well, the more people there are, the more rowdy they will be." She crackled. "I bet we get them all riled up without meaning too."

Gon grinned happily at her and asked. "I wonder how many people are there here?"

"You guys would make it 406." A man said, causing the group to turn around to look at him. The man was short and fat, with a box-shape nose and he had a smile in his face but Naru didn't like the man. The gleam in his eyes told her that he plans to crush them, plans to annihilate any dreams they have. She crossed her arms and glared at the man, daring him to converse any further. The man flinched but didn't bother to take her warning.

That's fine; she'll have fun crushing him.

"I'm Tonpa." The man said, jumping down from the pipes before shaking hands with Gon. "It's nice to meet you."

Naru smiled and said sweetly, "It's our pleasure to meet your acquaintance."

"You're new, aren't you?" Tonpa asked.

Gon nodded and asked. "How did you know that?"

"That's easy." Tonpa answered, smiling at them. "Since I was ten years old I have taken this exam. This exam will be my thirty-fifth time taking the exam."

"35 times?" Gon asked in disbelief.

"I'm what you call a veteran." Tonpa said proudly. "If you have any questions just ask."

Naru sneered at him. "You've done this exam 35 times, really?" she smiled coldly. "You must be really weak to not be able to pass these exams, I mean you'll think you'll pass after 35 times. How can you be use to us then?"

The man smiled uneasily and stuttered. "T-these exams aren't exactly easy to pass. B-But I know everyone here."

"Everyone?" Naru muttered under her breath. "Interesting...might be of used..."

Leorio and Kurapika stared at her, gulping at the sight of the smile on the blonde's face. The past few days taught them a lot of things about her. First, she's sweet to you if you don't piss her off. Second, don't ever insult her intelligence. Third and finally, when she has a sweet smile on her face then you're in trouble.

"So, can you tell us who we have to look out for?" Gon asked.

"Sure. Number 103 is called Barbon the snake tamer. He's extremely tenacious and it'll be a pain if you make him your enemy." Tonpa said, pointing to the man with a cloth wrapped around his head. Looking over a man with a funny moustache, black hair, and a grim expression on his muscled face, he said, "Number 76, Cherry the Martial Artist. He is unsurpassed when it comes to hand-to-hand combat." Then, his attention snapped across the room to three boys who looked to be brothers with their matching clothes and caps. "Number 197-99, the Amori Brothers. They always perform well with their impressive combination play." Next, he glanced towards a man with extremely curly, black hair, tanned skin, and a puffy hat. "Number 384, Hunter Gereta. He can capture any kind of beast with his arrows and club."

"What do they have in common?" Naru asked.

The older man was taken back by the warmness of her voice and answered happily. "They are just about the ones who come every year. They're highly skilled, but barely miss the cut."

Naru nodded her head and ruffled her hair but stopped when she heard a scream. Turning towards the direction it came from she spotted two men. One had his two hands cut, looking quite shock and bewildered. The other wore a white and pink outfit; his red hair slicked back and was holding his hands out wide like he was enjoying a joke.

"Your arms have disappeared." The red-haired man said. "This isn't an illusion or a trick."

The other man moaned in pain, yelling out. "M-My arms!"

"You should be careful." The red-haired man smiled. "Always apologize first if you bump into someone."

He isn't someone you want to mess with. Demeaning eyes, silted like a fox and utterly cold. Here was a murder, a person heartless enough to kill someone with any guilt. Fear started to fill her chest as she saw the blood spill from the applicant's hand and how his face grew deathly pale. This man reminded her of all the killers she saw, except worse. He truly appeared to not have a heart, not from how happy he was to see the blood split.

This man was the worst kind of murderer, the one that belonged in the same category as Itachi and the others.

"Ah crap, we got a dangerous one again this year." Tonpa gulped at the scene in front of them. "Number 44, Hisoka the Magician. He would have passed last year, but he was disqualified for nearly killing an examiner who was getting on his nerves."

"And he was still able to come this year and openly take the exam?" Leorio asked in alarm.

"This has to be one of the most insane things I ever heard." Naru wiped the sweat off her face. She gave one last look at the man Hisoka and shuddered, feeling her heartbeat becoming more and more wild as she remembered the bloodshed. Never had she felt so much bloodlust, it felt wilder, more difficult to breath.

It was worse then Gaara's bloodlust and that was saying something!

"Of course. The examiners of the Hunter Exam change every year." Tonpa explained. "And the contents of the exams are decided by the examiners as well."

"Meaning, you could do something terrible this year and will still be able to participate in next year's exam, right?"

"Yes." Tonpa said, nodding his head at her. "If the examiner of that particular year says 'pass'...even the devil could pass the Hunter Exam."

Everyone turned paled at his words, including Naru, who rubbed the back of her neck in discomfort. She certainly doesn't like where this conversation was heading.

"Aside from the examiner, he also incapacitated 20 other examinees." Tonpa said, drawing their attention back to the previous topic. "It'll be best to stay away from him if you can."

"Is there anyone else we need to worry about?" Naru asked.

"There're plenty others who are dangerous too." Tonpa admitted. "But I'll let you know ahead of time so don't worry."

The blonde narrowed her eyes when the man brought out a few cans out of his bag. Why would the man have brought so many drinks? Something was wrong about this. It feels like Kabuto all over again. He was planning something, something to endanger the three boys. She doesn't want to get any friends hurt because of her. Memories of waking up to see Sakura injured rushed through her mind. She gritted her teeth and shook her head.

"Aren't you going to take one?" Tonpa asked, handing her a juice.

Naru blinked her eyes and frowned at the sight of the others have a juice. "No, I don't like juice." She took the can and threw it at the dustbin, ignoring the shock looks from the others. "In fact, I don't think any of us should drink that juice!"

"Why not, Naru?" Gon asked.

The blue-eyed girl put her hands in her chin. "Well, think about it. Tonpa-san has so many cans in his bag, isn't that strange? How can we be so sure if he hadn't contaminated? We need to be in the safe-side, you know." She rubbed the back of her neck, smiling apologetically at him. "It isn't like I don't trust you Tonpa-san, but we just need to be on the safe side, right guys?" she glared at the three of them to make her point.

The others gulped and immediately gave the cans back to Tonpa, who looked put out at this. Naru didn't miss the disappointed and anger in his eyes. She furrowed her eyebrows and nodded her head. Most likely, he did something. She narrowed her eyes at the man, who laughed and quickly made an excuse about going somewhere else.

The blonde sighed and turned around to the three boys. "How could you three be so stupid!" she yelled. "Are you seriously that naïve to believe that you can trust the other participants?"

"B-But, he helped us out." Gon said, gulping at the icy glare from the blond-haired girl.

"Yes, Naru. He can't be that bad if he was willing to give us information." Leorio said.

"Not that bad, huh?" she shook her head. "I'm going to tell you something that you should keep in mind when taking exams like these, don't ever! Ever, think people won't use dirty tricks! Tell me, did you come here thinking that there wasn't a possibility of people use dirty tricks?"

The two boys laughed nervously at this, looking as if they had never thought about it while Kurapika seemed embarrassed at this.

At least someone was willing to show it.

"You're fools but, you've never been to exams like these so you can be...forgiven, this time." She took a stick from the ground and started to draw figures on the ground. "If you were desperate to become a Hunter, what would you do? And let us say it was, your fifth attempt all right! Now, what you would you do to guarantee your chance of becoming a hunter? Would you A) work hard to become a hunter, B) Do research on what type of people become a hunter, or C) Torment your competitors?"

"A" Gon and Leorio answered.

"C." Kurapika answered quietly, causing the others to look at him in shock.

The blonde smiled at the older boy. "You're right, C!" she said. "You can't do A because you already did that and look where it ended! Doing B is the same thing, so your only option is C because you're desperate. Tormenting your competitors to the point where they drop off from the exam is where you have a good chance of becoming a hunter because less competitors means more chance."

"Are you saying that Tonpa-san was trying to torment us! But why give us information?" Leorio yelled

"Now, you're getting it. To answer your question why...well it's pretty obvious." The blonde smirked. "He was making you think, you can trust him, and when we lower our guard, he will strike. Laughing as he does so while you three cry in despair." She curled her lips in distaste. "Listen if you want to pass then listen up! Don't trust whatever he says; don't take whatever he gives you! If you want to survive! If you want to get to the final phrase then relay on each other or someone, who is a friend to you! Got it!"

They all nodded their heads at her and the blue-eyed girl smiled at the three of them. This causes the three boys to sweatdrop at the girl's sudden change of mood. One minute, Naru can look like your worst enemy and the next minute, she is a cute little girl, who looks so innocent.

They just hope that she can continue to look that way to them for the rest of the exam.

Thank you for reading! In the next chapter, you will finally see Killua.

Sorry about update late I'am veryyyyyyyyyyyyyyy lazy. Beside i really like to read fanfic and when i found one that i interesting in i will forget all about everything else.  Further i am not really good at english i just write my fanfic in english to improve my english skills (i read a lot of english fanfic to ^~^) so it take me alot of time to put right word in my story. Hope you forgive me about my grammatical errors.

I would love to hear your thought on this chapter and what you might think will happen in the next chapter.  

hope you like my story 

Ruby.