1 Crossroads of Fate

Special Book

SUMMARY

Fate is a powerful force that not many willingly oppose. It is not an opponent that can be defeated easily. Sakura Haruno learns this the hard way, as she finds herself playing a game with fate. A game where she is literally stuck, in a story of the life of those whose paths she was never meant to cross. She has to make it to the end of the book in order to return to where she belongs. However, with hunter exams, assassins, a sadomasochistic magician, and two boys that remind her of her teammates. Sakura wonders if she will be able to survive to the end of the story.

Sakura wonders if she will be able to survive to the end of the story.

They say that the world you live in depends on the individual. That isn't completely accurate. When you are born, you create a mark on the world, no matter how big or small and that usually depends on you. It will be there; until your last breath. The world is big and everyone chooses the path they want to walk. Sometimes the paths intersect, they connect with others. There are times when the paths connections are only temporary, other times they are more permanent. This is what we define as the path of fate. Something that is predetermined for you. No control.

Who exactly determines this fate is unknown but what we do know, is that sometimes fate takes physical form. Allowing people to see the path and the obstacles they hold long before reaching them.

The relationship to time is distorted to allow a window into the future of another. However, the physical matter of fate does not typically exist within the boundaries of the world it manifests. Instead, it rips through the fabric of space and time and enters into another dimension. Where it will act as a key into the world is has been written. The key will fall on the path of another and a door will appear, randomly switching fates and connecting them to that which was once unreachable.

When people say that life was hard, it was rare that others understood fully what they meant. It wasn't a simple statement with one definition, for the histories behind each varied. A hard life could be never having met your parents, being looked at like a curse, and having a demon sealed inside you without consent, or it could be losing your entire clan to the person you admired the most. These would be considered extreme cases of a hard life. However, for Sakura Haruno, many would say this was not the case. Unlike the rest of her ninja team, she had parents, she did not have a traumatizing childhood; she had never been given hate-filled glares when she walked around her home. However, that did not mean her life was not hard.

Sakura was the only female member of team seven, a group of ninjas from Konoha village (the village hidden in the leaf). One of many.

Petite, with choppy pink hair and emerald green eyes, slightly large forehead, fifteen. Occupation, medical ninja, and apprentice of the fifth Hokage. That was her profile; that was all that defined her. That was who she is. All she was.

"All I am." Sakura sighed glancing down at her hand, she flexed her fingers before making a fist.

There wasn't anything wrong with it, but she just wished she could be something more. Even though she worked so hard and was no longer a naïve girl. There were still some troubling events from her past that continued to haunt her present and looking around the village only seemed to be a strong reminder of that. Of everything she wanted to be and everything, she was yet to become, of her struggles, her constant battle that seemed futile. She had a way to go, but she took each little step every day.

The pinkette ceased drowning in her thoughts, she looked up at her destination. The library. At times like these, after training, missions, battles, it was her escape from this bitter reality that she lived in. The library was near empty, with a few people seated in the front at the tables, behind the shelves of books. Sakura had been in here so many times, it was studying at first, typically medic related and such. Ensuring her mind remained sharp; after all, it was her mind that had gotten her through early battles, it was one of the most reliable tools she had. However, from time to time she went in for the sake of rest and relaxation. This was one of those rare occasions.

The librarian caught sight of Sakura immediately-it was not hard to miss a girl with pink hair. She waved at Sakura and it wasn't long before the kunoichi noticed and walked over to the women behind the desk.

"Hello, Mika." Sakura greeted with a pleasant smile.

"Hello Sakura, it's been a while since I've seen your face here." Mika pointed

Sakura rubbed the back of her head, "I've been busy."

It was honestly one thing after another, it wasn't that long ago her teammate Naruto finally returned to the village after two and a half years of training, the moment he returned seemed to bring up a lot of issues that needed to be dealt with all at once. There was their teammate Sasuke who had deserted the village. Their ultimate goal was to return him, no matter what. There was the criminal organization the Akatsuki that was another problem, there have already been several encounters with them and more problems seemed to follow.

'Of course, that's just how it is.' Sakura reminded herself.

"Are you looking for anything specific?"

Since she tended to spend a lot of time her, Sakura had gained favor with the librarian and usually had first dibs on any new materials. Reading and books may not have been the most exciting hobby, but it was one of the most relaxing-depending on preference.

Sakura put her finger on her chin, in though she glanced up at the ceiling with cracked paint. "Well, I'm looking to unwind a bit so nothing too serious."

Mika stood up and walked around the desk; they say that librarians are usually old women, with tight bun-hair and thick glasses but Mika was nothing like that. She was middle-aged, with fair skin, dark wavy hair; she usually wore fitted clothing-though conservative showed her figure and her eyesight was perfect.

"We just got a new delivery, most of the books are donated and I haven't actually gone through and tagged them yet," Mika explained. She took Sakura through the library, passed a few shelves until they made it to a closed-door in the back. Mika unlocked it and gestured to Sakura to go in.

It was a tiny room, very dusty and the smell of ink and paper was strong. Of course, that was no surprise given the stacks of books piled around it.

Mika looked around for a little bit before spotting a box in the corner, she went to lift it but after seeing the librarian struggle Sakura easily took the box and walked out of the room to one of the desks in the back.

"Here we go." Mika opened the box after dusting it off a bit. She began unpacking a few books. "These all just came in."

"What kind of books are these?" Sakura asked, looking at the pile that continued to grow as Mika packed them out.

"Well to be honest; I don't know," Mika admitted, rubbing the back of her head. "It was just left in front of the library a few days ago. There might be something in here you like."

"Mmm," Sakura grunted softly, "Maybe."

A thought then occurred to Mika, "Tell you what, if you find a book you like. You can take it."

Sakura smiled, "Thanks, Mika."

"But you have to categorize the rest of the books if you do."

Of course, there were usually terms and conditions to any 'generous' offer. Be it from a friend or stranger.

Sakura shifted in her seat, it had been over an hour and she was still sorting through the different books. So far she had piled three cooking books, six children books, nine adult-themed books (some of which she had seen her old sensei Kakashi read before), and two self-help books. She was beginning to think she should just re-read something instead; although she was looking forward to finding something new-it was beginning to feel like a waste of time. She bet if she told Mika she finished sorting the books without finding anything that she would let Sakura look through the other boxes; provided she sorted those out as well.

She was just about to give up as she came to the last book in the box, ready to throw it onto one of the piles when she realized; she didn't know where to put it. There was no synopsis at the back of the book and the title didn't help much either. The book was small, like a journal. It looked worn out. Sakura wiped the front to make out three bold letters painted on the cover.

"HXH?" Sakura questioned, flipping the book around one more time. She started screening through the book, flipping the pages quickly but they were all blank.

"Sakura!" Mika's call nearly caused her to fall out of her seat, "How's it going?"

She looked up, "I'm finished,"

"Find anything interesting," Her eyes lingered on the book in her hand, and shook her head.

"Nothing for me it seems. One of these books is blank,"

Mika flipped through the book and put it back on the table, "You can take it if you want, I'm sure a medic cannot get enough notebooks,"

Sakura smiled, least she was getting something out of this, "Thanks,"

The thing about having a day off was that it was only one day; and with a mission waiting for the next. The following morning she began prepping her belongings and getting herself ready to meet with her teammates. She packed her bag; with medical equipment, food pills, paper bombs, ninja tools, and anything else she needed for a mission.

Standing in front of the mirror, she tugged on the ends of her forehead protector on top of her head. "Alright, that should do it,"

Looking back at the book resting on her desk. Something just kept nagging at her about it since she brought it home with her. It was at least useful as a notebook. And she slipped it into her bag.

With a reassembled team, Naruto and Sakura were still getting used to their new dynamics and that had caused conflict during their missions. While Sakura had dealt with these boyish banters before, it rarely became pleasant. So for the sake of some morning peace, she decided to leave a little earlier and wait around the pathway leading out of the village.

She listened to her footsteps against the cobblestones and the rustling leaves under the crisp morning air, her mind clear for only a few minutes before she reached a turn and slowed her pace. Leaning against the right side of the path, in front of a shallow wall lined with trees behind; no matter how tranquil the environment, it would always be a sight of discomfort. That bench she had been left on in a tear-stained state of unconsciousness. That night when everything changed due to a single decision.

She stepped around, encircling the bench as if she was inspecting it for answers to questions she couldn't voice. And as if attempting to discover how much lower this feeling in her stomach could sink, she sat down.

'Something must be wrong with me,' She thought the only reason she did this was to loath herself further for the past. For letting Sasuke get away and for forcing Naruto to get him back because she couldn't. There was nothing she had been able to do because she wasn't strong enough. And she was still paying the price for it.

She lingered there, with her hands covering her face, and as things grew silent around Sakura when the wind ceased as she heard it. A soft buzzing noise; her eyes trailed to what might be the source until she dug through her bag and found the book.

'Am I hearing things?'

Sakura frowned turning to the first page again, perhaps this wasn't a book as all the pages were-

"No way," Sakura breathed.

Sometimes, when you look for something you find that your eyes wander to everything else around you-making you lose sight of what you seek. It doesn't matter how near or far, how obvious. If you're looking for it, chances are you will struggle to find it. What was happening now though, could not be the case.

Sakura blinked several times in disbelief, as black ink marks in the form of letters began appearing on the first page.

A prologue.

Fearsome monsters….exotic creatures...vast riches and hidden treasures….Evil claves….unexplored lands…The world 'unknown' holds magic. And some incredible people are drawn to that magic. They are known….as Hunters!

'What the heck is this?'

Her curiosity had her turning the next page where she saw the first chapter title right above: Departure x And x Friends.

More words began to form as if they were being soaked up onto the page and Sakura could not take her eyes off of it.

Whale Island, a fishing island, separate d miles from land . Here on the small island, in the depths of the forest, perched on a branch high above overlooking a lake was a young boy, no older than twelve with long spiked up black hair with green tips and large hazel brown eyes gazing over the water in concentration . S mall animals like squirrels and birds comfortably surrounding him, yet he remained perfectly still as he had been for the entire week. A fishing pole held strongly in his hand, the end of the string dipped far down into the lake. This young boy's name was Gon Freecs s .

He was waiting for what the inhabitants of the island called "The Lord of the Lake." A giant fish; that could not be caught-even by fifteen adult men, but Gon was determined to do what they could not-for if he did the reward would be well worth it.

A deal struck with his aunt Mito, for something he truly wanted, "C atch the Lord of the Lake and I'll let you take the Hunter exa m,"

He wanted to take that exam, he wanted to become a hunter; he wanted to understand the significance of this job. What made it so amazing that even his father would abandon him to continue pursuing this career?

A small tug on the line got Gon's attention immediately, he tightened his grip on the rod as another followed. Then a sharp tug had hi m standing up, crying in joy before he began pulling; determined not to let this catch escape him-

That was how Sakura spent her entire afternoon, reading about the young boy Gon, who wanted to become a hunter. Eventually, she began to tolerate the words that were magically appearing on the pages. This wasn't something she had seen before but she couldn't call it impossible. Though when something like this happened, it would have been plausible to expect valuable or secret information, not an intriguing work of fiction.

She had made it through three chapters. The first was mainly about Gon, getting permission to take the Hunter exam. Then about him meeting two more characters on the ship that was supposed to take them to the location of the exam. Leorio and Kurapika.

During a huge storm, the captain requests their presence and orders an introduction and explanation of why they want to become hunters. Gon was initially the only one to answer honestly while Kurapika and Leorio were more hesitant. However, after discovering that this was a test to take the hunter exam, they answered. Leorio wanted to become a hunter for money; Kurapika's reason was more complex.

This is where Sakura compared the character to Sasuke. Kurapika was the sole survivor of a clan called the Kurta. His entire clan had been destroyed by a group of criminals who tracked them down for their scarlet changing eyes.

'This story has an avenger too.'

In the second chapter, Test x of x Tests; the three form a group and need to find the exams site but they have to pass several tests to prove they are worthy of taking the exam. They needed to make their way to a place called Zaban City. It was another part that had Sakura chuckling to herself when she thought back to the chuunin exams. When she and her teammates were genin their sensei had set up a test to prove that they were ready to take the exams-their own test of tests.

Reading the self-writing book, was like standing near a rocky shore without noticing the tide coming in, by the time you realize you need to escape the water, you're already being swept away. She was just about to turn to the next chapter but that flimsy, weightlessness was no longer in effect for the remainder of the pages. She curled her fingers around the edge of the book, attempting to pry it but there was nothing.

"What's going on now?"

The blank that was left under the chapter started to fill with ink; Sakura read:

To those who are able to read the foretold

To those who can oversee the inscribed

Obliterate ties to all you cannot perceive

Abandon that which obstructs the heart

Awaken a path with the realm in which you can foresee

And enter through the gate

Obtain the climax to return.

Sakura didn't even get the chance to wonder about it or scream, before being engulfed by the brightness, a force pulling her forward, drawing her close, and engulfing her. Leaving an empty space on the bench she previously sat, a light restless rustle in the wind.

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This was wrong.

This was all, so very wrong. That was the only thing going through Sakura's mind when she opened her eyes, when the light had dimmed and her vision began to clear, she found that something was very off about everything around her. She was outside, a cool breeze brushed against her skin but she didn't shiver because of the sunlight. Then there was her location, she outside, voices all muffled together with dozens of people walking up and down a neatly tiled street. Sandwiched between two rows of different stalls, from the jewelry she had never seen before, foods with unfamiliar scents, and people with even more unfamiliar faces.

"I'm not in Konoha anymore."

At first, Sakura thought this might be some kind of illusion, but she was trained in being able to see through genjutsu and break free of it. However, when she tried to release it-nothing happened. She was still standing in the middle of an unknown market place. She knew it was unknown because, on missions, she always took note of the geographical area and noticed the distinctions. The weather, the vegetation, the buildings, even the scent...None of which she currently found familiar.

First instinct's usually to panic but Sakura quickly corrected all thoughts of doing such to blend in. Adapting to sudden changes in your environment wasn't that uncommon in ninja training; although admittedly it had taken her a while to accomplish that. If she allowed herself to be frazzled, that would put her at an even greater disadvantage and she wouldn't be able to figure anything out.

'I need to stay calm,' Sakura breathed deeply, before opening her eyes. All signs of worry gone, or well hidden.

She couldn't detect any chakra signals coming from any of these people; which indicated they were all just civilians. However, Sakura kept her guard up.

It was times like these her analytical abilities came in useful. In her genin years, she depended a lot on her mind to outsmart her opponents when she couldn't match them in strength. That was long before her training. However, her mind was one of her greatest tools; it helped her do a lot with a little.

And right now, she had the bare minimum.

Sakura then passed a type of food stall, however what was displayed in front of her looked like roasted frogs on a stick. A husky man held one up and began shouting-also known as advertising.

"Come and get it! Zaban's famous panda-frog-on-a-stick!"

The pinkette's footsteps ceased, the mention of a single word out of that subjective statement. The one thing that was familiar to her, a recently heard word; or rather-read.

It was then that Sakura began to listen more closely to the merchants, all selling their products as they attempted to sway potential customers. That word was repeated again and again, 'Zaban'.

It took but a few seconds for Sakura's face to flash in realization, reaching into her bag. Her movements fell slow, drawn-out, afraid to find the answer. Eventually, Sakura found herself starring at the book. This odd book, that somehow drew her to it.

'That light….' Sakura recollected. She went a few steps back in her memory. It was too convenient; she finds a book that writes itself, and then after a flash of light that comes from that book, she somehow ends up in this place.

'Only one way to make sure.' Sakura breathed softly before opening the book to the third chapter.

Gon and his friends have arrived in Zaban City, site of the Hunter Exam aided by the Kiriko Navigators. They make their way through the busy city market, anxious and excited for what lies ahead. During this, their guide explains, the importance of having one to take them to the exam. For if they did not have a guide, it would be exceptionally difficult to find the location of the hunter exams that changed every year.

As they walking, Leorio and Kurapika did their best to remain casual; however, Gon did not hide that this was his first time in Zaban City. With the enchantment that children often got when being somewhere new. Gon took to almost every stand, waiting and listening to the merchant's praise their products and authenticity.

Finally, they moved out of the market area and into the city square, surrounded by buildings. After a few minutes of following their guide, they were pointed to a large building that towered over all. In fact, it almost appeared out of place. The group believed that this would be the perfect structure of host several thousand exam applicants and were about to head in. A feeling of excitement began to fill them. When their guide called them from behind. They looked at the direction he pointed and their expectations were flattened as they stared at a smaller building, directly opposite the perceived exam site.

The front had a sign indicating a steak restaurant. Leorio was the only one to point out the doubts about this being their actual location for the hunter exam.

Though the guide pointed out that no one would expect the hunter exam, which hosts millions of applicants to be held in a place like this. After all, they wouldn't want just anyone arriving to take the life-threatening exams.

Sakura swallowed hard, she had made her way through a large town square. Found a building that towered over the others and then looked to her right to see a steak restaurant. Disbelief filled her. Everything felt like a very bad joke. She half expected the one's responsible for said joke to appear at any moment and relieve her of this-what might be considered; psychological torture.

'No, no, no. This cannot be happening.' Sakura thought, taking painfully slow steps towards the steak house.

Sakura returned to the book and began reading again.

When they entered the restaurant, it appeared even smaller than the outside. Looking around at the tables filled with regular civilians, there was no indication of any other perspective hunters. The chef at the counter, boiling something in a pan welcomed the group and asked what they would be having.

Before Gon and the others could say anything, their Kiriko guide spoke….

The smoky smell of meat was thick in the air, Sakura looked around the restaurant with cautious eyes. She saw a man, in a chef's uniform; busy grilling something over a fire.

"Welcome."

"Is the back room open?"

The chef looked at her, a change in his eyes. "What will you be having?"

Sakura never thought she would feel this anxious to place an order; for if it came she wouldn't be able to pay and if it didn't her theory would be correct and she would find herself quite discontent. Either way, she was still curious to see what was about to happen.

"The steak combo that opens your eyes to the light. For one."

Now Sakura noticed the change in the chef's expression, his eyes narrowed "How would you like it?"

Sakura got a low churning in her stomach, she took another breath "Grilled over a low flame, until cooked."

The chef returned to his dish, "Alright, let yourself in."

Sakura continued to glance back and forth in the restaurant for anything suspicious until finally, she reached the back room. Four walls, one entrance. The bottom half of the room was lined with red wallpaper, but on the other side of the door; there was another lining that appeared to be a replica of the back of the door. Red lined with gold patterning around it. A table stood right in the middle of the room; no windows.

Heart beating so hard, she could feel it against her chest. She took a seat at the table, attempting to calm her nerves, but every fiber of her being was tense. To ensure that this wasn't some kind of dream, Sakura raised both of her arms before bringing her hands down hard onto her face. Her cheeks stung from the attempted slap to reality. The pain too real to be replicated in a dream.

"Oh my…." Sakura covered her eyes with her hand, "This is real…I-I am actually-

The room gave a small jolt, Sakura opened her eyes to look around. It was then she spotted a tiny screen, right on top of the door she came through. Changing from B8 to B9 and so on. She realized that this was an elevator and given the current point of the story; she didn't need to read to the book to figure out where it was going.

Looking at the book, Sakura attempted again to find some logical explanation. However; the only thing she could come up with is that she has been transported into a storybook! Everything was to the exact detail.

Sakura glared at the book like it was a living thing that she was about to pummel into the ground. She couldn't do that though; she needed this book intact. It was clear that it had something to do with her being here, she just needed to figure out how it brought her here and how she was going to get back.

"I must be following the story of the characters as they go," Sakura concluded, starring at the pages. "That might be why the words only appear when I turn a page…." Looking back up at the screen, Sakura saw that the elevator was now on B20 and going up. "That means, I'll actually see these characters in person…."

With a calm expression, Sakura paged through the book again, returning to the point she had left. From their entrance into the elevator and their exit on B100.

Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio watched as the red doors opened. They entered a poorly lit tunnel, it was wide, with several pipes running along. There in front of them, was a large crowd gathered. Now it was easy to tell just by looking at them, that these were no civilians. Kurapika picked up right away that the people gathered here were each different from the applicants they had witnessed on the boat. The atmosphere tense .

The three were given small white tags, each with a number on it. Leorio was 403, Kurapika 404, and Gon 405. They did not know, but they would be the last numbers, the last applicants.

Sakura frowned at this, 'Last-

There was a soft ding heard and the elevator doors opened, Sakura saw the dimly lit tunnel leading far down and disappearing into the darkness. Then a little closer, there were hundreds of figures gathered together. Sakura knew that all eyes had fallen on her now-that was probably how they reacted every time those doors opened; assessing the competition perhaps. There was a tense atmosphere, a constant sense of alertness. Just as she had read.

'This reminds me of the chunin exams,' Sakura thought humorlessly; thinking back to the first time she had taken the exams. She had walked into the room and nearly lost all confidence at the sight of the brutal appearances of the other applicants. However; that just made her feel better about dealing with this crowd. She couldn't be intimidated.

Although, she was more concerned about what she was going to do from here on. It was her curiosity to test the authenticity of her theory that brought her here. And now that she was…

"Excuse me, miss. You need to take a number."

Sakura looked down, she saw a strange figure, with a bean-shaped head wearing a tuxedo. He held out a white circle object towards Sakura.

"Thank you," Sakura replied slowly, turning the badge around, Sakura saw the number #403. That was her number. She realized two things seeing this number. One; Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika must not have arrived yet-meaning she has read ahead of time, and two-

'I just entered the Hunter Exam.' Sakura's sweat dropped.

Deciding that she wasn't going to get anywhere for now; Sakura jumped onto one of the large pipes lining the tunnel, a distance from the others. So that she could read and hopefully find something that would give her a clue to returning.

She went through the chapters she already read, the words were still there, however anything further than the point she stopped; the pages were blank. And then she found the last words she had read before being brought here once more. These were different from the prologue and the stories print as if it had been handwritten.

To those who are able to read the foretold

To those who can oversee the inscribed

Obliterate ties to all you cannot perceive

Abandon that which obstructs the heart

Awaken a path with the realm in which you can foresee

And enter through the gate

Obtain the climax to return.

Like a poem, riddle, or code; it had to be picked apart carefully. Line by line, word by word, and then put together to find the meaning behind the words. Sakura, however, was quite gifted in the area of deciphering. Begging with 'Foretold and inscribed.' she figured was about the book itself.

'Foretold-as in the future?' Sakura wondered.

The first thing she wanted to try was rewording all of the lines to find a synonymous meaning to it in a plainer version.

'Obliterate ties to all you cannot perceive….Abandon that which obstructs the heart '

Scratching the back of her head, Sakura pursed her lips together in concentration but she couldn't fully understand what was meant by these lines and moved onto the next. 'Awaken a path with the realm in which you can foresee' it was likely pertaining to being brought into this story or world, she wasn't sure.

The last line was the only one that Sakura had no trouble figuring out. While she did not fully understand all of the lines as a whole. She knew that 'Obtain the climax to return,' meant she needed to reach the end of the book to return home.

'At least I hope so.'

The rest of the lines were still blurred, she had some trouble connecting them because chances were she had only worked out most of the denotation of the words; some might relate to signs she was yet to figure out.

"I haven't seen you around here before."

To her side, Sakura saw a pudgy man with brown hair, dark eyes, and thick eyebrows. He wore a blue shirt and a pair of light, blue-grey sweats. On his chest, she saw his tag, #16. The man had a smile that did not reach his eyes. After falling for deceit so many times during her first chunin exams, Sakura took it upon herself to pick up on the slightest hints of it.

"This is your first time taking the exams right?" he pressed.

Sakura nodded. "Is it obvious?"

Although she knew that all of these people were just characters from a book. They appeared so real to her; in the same way that she would see anyone from her world. It was difficult for her to place.

"Well I have taken this exam thirty-five times, so I would know," the man then held out his hand towards Sakura, "I'm Tonpa."

"Sakura," She figured if he wasn't going to give his full name, she didn't have to either. "You've taken this exam thirty-five times…It must be extremely difficult."

"Well of course," Tonpa said crossing his arms. "But hey thirty-five times the charm right?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow; that sounded so familiar. Sakura couldn't help but picture Kabuto. He had apparently taken the exams several times. He may have turned out to be an enemy at the end but he had given Sakura and the rest of their group information on the other exam candidates.

'I wonder if he can do the same,' Sakura thought.

"Tonpa, since you've taken the exam so many times; you wouldn't happen to have advice would you?"

The book, currently only seemed to focus on the main characters-who were yet to arrive. Right now, Sakura found all information to be crucial as she struggled to wrap her head around the fact that she was trapped in the world of a storybook. It was either accept that as reality or asked to be checked into an institution for the insane.

"Well," Tonpa scratched his cheek, looking down at the other applicants. "There are a few I recognize. Like that one over there, number 103. Bourbon, the snake charmer."

Sakura saw a man sitting on the ground, in a meditation stance, he wore a turban and she could see a snake wrapped around his neck….she made a mental note not to get too close to him. Given her past experiences with….snakes.

"Then there is number 384, Gerreta. He is a huntsman, makes good use of killing with blow darts."

Tonpa directed her to another man, sitting at the other end of the tunnel. He was dark-skinned, appeared gangly, with black hair, and was handling a club. It took the form of a long stick with a cylindrical shape on top with an opening (probably for those blow darts.)

After that Tonpa pointed out a few more to her, three brothers-Amori, Imori, and Umori; their teamwork was impeccable. Then Tonpa pointed Sakura to a large man with dark-near orange hair; number 255-Todo, the wrestler. There were a lot of others around but Sakura didn't think it would be fair to ask for information on all of these candidates. She just wanted to know whose toes she should be careful not to step on. Trouble making was Naruto's area of expertise-not hers and she had enough to carry now that she didn't want to waste a hand by forming a fist.

At least for now.

"Well I think that's about it, there are a few others here but those guys are the ones who took the exams-

While Tonpa was speaking, Sakura's eyes were wandering around the crowd as a precaution. All of them seemed to be strange characters to her. Though ironically, she still found that one who was; especially odd. Sakura pointed him out in the crowd.

"What about that one?"

Tonpa followed the direction of Sakura's slim finger and grimaced when he realized where she was pointing. A man with bright red hair, narrow yellow eyes. On his face, a teardrop painted on his left cheek and a star painted on his right. His attire, a reminder of a jester's or magicians with the four card symbols on his top.

"You might want to put that finger down before he sees and takes it off," Tonpa instructed, and she lowered her hand. "That psychopath you should steer clear of. Number 44, Hisoka the magician."

Sakura leaned her head on her knee, tilting to the side. "He looks more like a clown."

Tonpa stiffened, "You really shouldn't say that to him though. He probably would've passed last year; if he hadn't nearly killed an examiner he didn't…..approve of,"

"Killed huh…." Sakura trailed, she was hit with a wave of twisted nostalgia. With all these different types of people, these circumstances, it's like she was genin all over again.

'What exactly have I gotten myself into?'

"Oh yes," Tonpa reached into the side of his bag and pulled out an orange can of juice. "Would you like something to drink? These exams do tend to tire out applicants."

Sakura took the can even though she instantly felt something off when she saw a twitch on the side of Tonpa's mouth when she accepted it. If this was anything like the chunin exams, then needlessly trusting someone would be a great mistake. And with her current predicament, it's not like she was going to blindly trust when there was so much unknown to her about this world. Regardless of the book laying out events. There was only one way to confirm her suspicions; Sakura snapped the can open and took a sip, she instantly knew it was laxative.

However, Sakura had a limited resistance to poison, on top of which she could easily flush out this amount of toxin if necessary or take the antidote she had on her for missions. And she had the specific medicine in her bag for cases like this.

'But it doesn't look like I'll need it,' And it filled her with a juvenile delight when seeing Tonpa sweating in disbelief, so much that she had to give a sweet smile.

"Thank you for the drink,"

He twitched, "Y-You're welc-

"Tonpa-san!" a new voice cut in through the tension that had just formed.

Sakura turned around to where the voice had suddenly appeared, a young boy, he was extremely fair with thick white hair the color of snow that stood higher than Naruto's and much softer in appearance and big round blue eyes that were almost cat-like. He was in baggy clothing, consisting of shorts and a long-sleeved turtleneck under a white shirt that had the number 99 on the right of his chest. He also carried a yellow skateboard under his arm. What Sakura couldn't get over was how young he looked. He couldn't be over twelve.

He looked at Tonpa over Sakura's head. "Hey, you have some more of that juice?"

Sakura's eyebrows furrowed; "Did you already have of it?"

The boy nodded with a bright smile, "Of course it's great! So do you have some more or did she drink the last?"

Tonpa's sweat dropped drown his forehead, he reached into the bag for two more cans; all while struggling to maintain his smile. "Sure…here"

He gave then to the boy and rubbed the back of his head, "Well, I'll see you guys around. Sakura, good luck."

The pinkette waved her hand Tonpa jumped down into the crowd, seemingly disillusioned. Sakura quickly turned her head around to the boy, who had already popped open the can and was ready to chug it down.

"Hey, wait don't drink that!" She covered the hole right before it touched his mouth, his lips lightly brushed up against her gloved hand "It's not safe, he put laxative in all of these drinks."

The boy held a blank expression towards her before grinning, his innocent blue eyes now twinkling with mischief, "It's okay; I've been trained. Poisons don't affect me. I just wanted to see the look on Tonpa's face. Priceless."

Sakura laughed before she crushed the empty can in her hands. "Mithridatism?"

That was the only kind of training she could think of where someone would build up an immunity to poisons by injecting themselves with non-lethal dosages of poison over time. It was a useful way to handle most poisons but it took a considerable amount of time to truly build a tolerance. Sakura had just been fortunate to learn more about these poisons and how to counter them which was why her body was so well built against most.

Tsunade had told Sakura rather find ways to dispose of the toxin in the body completely-through antidotes and neutralizing. That was knowledge a medical ninja was expected to know. Didn't mean she couldn't use it to build her resistance in case those two options weren't available for her. There were still cases where custom poisons could affect her, but that was due to various factors.

"That's right!" He exclaimed watching as Sakura dropped the can on the ground. "You're trained too right? If not you should start looking for a bathroom,"

"It's alright, I can handle this much just fine," Sakura assured, a little mortified at the crude statement "When exactly did you start this practice?"

Putting a finger on his chin, the boy looked up at the ceiling, closing his eyes, "Let's see…um I was too young to remember,"

"Really? That's insane," Sakura said shaking her head, it made her wonder what kind of parents he had.

"I'm Killua,." Introduced the boy

"Sakura,"

Sitting down beside her, Killua rested his skateboard on his lap. "This is your first time taking the hunter exam right?"

"Obvious isn't it?" Sakura asked.

Killua shrugged, "This is my first time too,"

"How old are you exactly?"

"How old are you?" Killua countered,

Sakura crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes, "I asked you first."

"And isn't it rude to ask someone for their age without offering yours?" Killua retorted with a cocky grin.

Surrendering, Sakura answered him, "I'm fifteen."

"Twelve." Killua pointed, "I thought you were younger. You don't look fifteen,"

She wasn't sure if she should take that as a compliment, maybe when she was in her thirties it would be. Even when Naruto returned and saw her after two and a half years, he said that she didn't look like she changed. At the time she didn't understand that he was referring to her demeanour more than her appearance.

"Yeah well I'm taller," Sakura retorted but Killua just burst out laughing that she sought to change the subject, "Hey Killua, why in the world would you need to practice Mithridatism?"

Killua held up his finger, speaking in a matter of fact tone that could not be denied. "Because it's fundamental in assassin training."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "So you're telling me that you're an assassin?"

Coming from a world where twelve-year-old kids begin training as ninja's and eventually facing death more than once by now she really couldn't be too surprised when she heard something like this.

"Well I do come from a family of assassins;" Killua said sighing, "But I didn't want to be one; so I ran away; I mean what kid wants to be told what he has to become when he grows up?"

Sakura's sweatdropped, but she felt that everything Killua was telling her was the truth. "I see; well family traditions usually put a lot of pressure on children-no wonder you ran away."

Killua nodded, grinning wider. "I know right!"

The two stared at one another for a few seconds, waiting for the other to blink before they couldn't hold back their laughter. The laughter echoed through the tunnel that a few heads turned up to look at them, but the two paid no attention.

"You're believing me so easily." Killua laughed.

"At this point, I'm pretty sure I'll believe anything." Sakura meant that.

Sakura and Killua began conversing in a manner that was friendly but never too personal. They had just met after all. Their small talk from a distance appeared to be some kind of period of 'catch up' between old friends. A few minutes had passed and they had ended up reaching the topic of their hair.

"Ne, Sakura, is that your natural hair color?" asked Killua.

"Of course," Sakura stated, in an unfortunate manner. She was the only one in her entire village with this odd hair color. Red-heads were considered natural but pink-heads…not so much.

After some time passed, Sakura heard the doors of the elevator opening. She immediately remembered everything that Killua in those few short minutes managed to help her forget. When the door opened, three figures walked out. Sakura's eyes widened, she immediately began identifying them.

A tall man who appeared older than he was; short dark hair spiked in a crew cut, wearing a blue business suit and glasses. This was the character she had read about in the first chapter-Leorio. Then there was the one Sakura called an 'avenger'; a boy with neat blonde hair, gray eyes wearing a blue tabard over a white full-body suit; that was without a doubt Kurapika. Then there was the youngest and smallest boy in the middle of the two. He had long spikey black hair tipped with green, big hazel eyes that gave an innocent appearance, wearing a green jacket and shorts, he carried a bag with a small fishing pole in it.

'That's Gon,'

It was strange; these characters didn't appear exactly as Sakura had pictured them; since when reading a book the character's appearance depended on the individual reader; however, seeing them in person she was still able to place them. Their real appearance took over her perceived one.

They were going to get their badges; she already knew what the numbers were going to be. Killua watched where Sakura was and saw them as well.

"Hey, that one in the green outfit looks my age." He pointed and he looked intrigued that his expression was cute to Sakura.

"Maybe," Sakura replied softly. That was the conclusion for her, out of everything she had seen. This brought down the curtain.

'I am stuck in a novel,'