There was a suspicious man who offered her a drink.

It would be a stupid move to accept anything from anyone in this unknown place, or world, as her inner whispered in her head. The idea of being sent to another world was baffling to the pinkette, but the logical side of her mind was too distraught to come up with a better answer to her current predicament. It wasn't wholly impossible, but the unlikely chance of it being as it is was too low.

It wasn't a genjutsu, that she was sure of. The details were too sharp, too realistic to be made up, and the setting was too unusual to be thought of. The figures, the people around her, they were too real. This was real.

But she was thirsty, and her canteen was nowhere to be found. And she needed something to ground her to this new reality.

Numerous pairs of eyes were watching the exchange as she took the can from the grinning man, who introduced himself as Tonpa and, opening the lid, brought the fizzy drink to her lips.

It was drugged, she realized as she took a sniff and a quick sip. It was a type of laxative.

She felt the male's eyes on her, willing her to finish the canned intoxicant. Fortunately- or unfortunately for the short tanned male, the drug was useless on her, as she had already trained her body to be immune against different kinds of drugs and poisons. And the laxative wasn't even strong. She hid a smirk as she quickly chugged the whole thing, finishing it off with a satisfied sigh and a grateful smile directed at the smirking male. He probably thought he was successful in poisoning her, waiting for it to take shape.

She heard the murmurs around her, 'There goes the rookie crusher.' she couldn't help but snort-quietly, of course, as to not rouse suspicion and therefore attention- at the ridiculous nickname.

She bowed in thanks, not trusting her voice. She went off to walk towards a corner where she could sit and see the whole room. She felt out of place. She could feel eyes on her. She could see the sneers directed at her. The one thing that provided her with some sort of entertainment was that she wasn't the only one with weird hair color, although she was the only one with pink hair. For the first time in her life, she didn't stick out like a sore thumb.

Closing her eyes to ease her internal battle and make sense, she didn't notice the figure slowly approaching her.


Tonpa was dumbfounded.

He did what he usually did during the first phase of the hunter exam, he weeded out the weak. He looked for new faces, put on a friendly front, and offered his 'friendship' and 'good luck' in the form of a drugged drink. That was how he was called the "Rookie Crusher", after all.

Once he spotted pink hair that seemed to have popped out of nowhere, he found his next victim.

Weaving through the participants, he put on a smile that he made sure would look innocent and outgoing. He noticed how distracted the female was, confusion evident on her face. Her looks were exotic, pink hair and jade-colored eyes weren't something you would see in the area. But then again, the participants were from all around the world.

He walked towards the pinkette, noticing how small she was as he stood in front of her. A dark thought passed through his mind, about how easy this little girl could be crushed. But he shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. After all, he had a task at hand.

"Hi there! I'm Tonpa, are you new to the exams? How about a drink, as my way of saying good luck."

He watched as she took the can from his grip. He watched in masked glee as she chugged it down, taking a lethal dose of the laxative.

Only to gape as nothing happened. She finished the whole can, just a small sip should have made her drop in mere seconds!

He was still dumbfounded as he watched her bow in thanks and walk off to a secluded part of the tunnel.

First the white-haired kid, now her?


So the man, Tonpa, her inner supplied, mentioned something about an exam. What exam?

She was still trying to think back to before she got it.

Yesterday, her day went the way it usually it. Rounds at the hospital, a bit of training- her usual routine. It was, after all, peaceful. The war with Kaguya and Madara was finally drawn to an end. The only thing that wasn't part of her routine that happened was when she was called to the Hokage Tower for an urgent matter.

She remembered being too tired to actually listen. Nodding when addressed, she was barely awake back then. The last thing she remembered before going back to her apartment to rest was the serious look in Tsunade's eyes..

..and the necklace she placed around her neck!

Quickly sitting up, ignoring the curious glances directed her way, she felt for the necklace. Finding the piece of jewelry, she held it up to see. It was similar to her master's own necklace, the green crystal shone as the dim light in the tunnel reflected on it. As she held it higher, she saw that there was some kind of liquid inside that swished as she gently shook it.

And then, her mind suddenly had her on high alert as she barely dodged a kunai.

Said weapon was lodged at the stone wall from where she previously sat. Her eyes sharpened as she looked for the culprit. Maybe this wasn't another world, maybe she was just in another unknown territory. And despite the absence of any logical reasoning as how she got there, she hoped that that was the case.

Although her treacherous inner reminded that they were supposed to be at a state of peace with all the villages, including the ninjas.

"So I wasn't mistaken. You are a ninja."

Perhaps not. After all, what kind of ninja would be surprised of encountering another ninja?


Gold orbs twinkled in amusement as he surveyed the scene in front of him.

A new participant with the most unusual aura.

Interesting, he thought as he licked his lips.


Another thing she noticed was that everyone had some kind of number attached to their clothing. She didn't quite notice it at first glance, but as she studied the oddly-dressed figure in front of her, she became aware of something they had that she didn't—and it looked important, too.

The person in front of her was apparently a ninja named Hanzo. In spite of his weird appearance, a bit of what he wore is similar to that of the ninjas' in her world.

Yes, she's beginning to accept this strange new reality.

She could hear the whispers around her, could feel the way people pointed at them despite having her back towards them. She closed her eyes and breathed in, forcing herself to stay calm and hoping that no one else attacked her from behind. Opening her emerald orbs, she scrutinized the male in front of her. Why did he attack her?

Hanzo straightened, grinning. "Can't believe another ninja was going to partake this year. Tell me, what's your name and where are you from?"

Sakura couldn't focus as soon as her inner pointed out the eyebrows he had. Well, she couldn't really judge seeing as she herself had a friend who also has weird eyebrows.

Before she could answer, the dead-end side of the tunnel raised and revealed a man with.. a thin curly mustache and no mouth.

She was inwardly freaking out, but at the same time, she couldn't help but compare the man with her sensei. They had similar auras.

"The first phase of the Hunter's exam will now begin."

She was at a loss. Hunter's exam? First phase? And she didn't even have—As she looked down in distress, she noticed a tag attached to her mid-section where her skirt and top met. She was startled, where did this come from?

Looking around, she noticed a red-haired male wave at her direction and point at the place where her tag was attached, answering her unspoken question. He looked like a jester. He smiled as he put a finger to his lips in a shushing motion, golden orbs narrowing in an almost joking matter before he disappeared from her sight.

Surprised, she looked around and saw the others, or participants, follow the proctor inside the tunnel. And as she looked ahead, it seemed never-ending.

And so she followed.