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

I just want to thank everyone who added this story to their favorites and follows, and I also want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

Four chapters.

That was the number of chapters that they read so far, and it was becoming tiring if you asked Naru. She wanted to plan and scheme on how to keep Sasuke from going to Orochimaru as well as figure out how to get to the Hunter Exam. A sigh escaped her lips as her teacher flipped the page into the next chapter.

"This part is more difficult than the first half of the exam."

Naru tilted her head and stared at the screen before them. She could already guess that this part of the exam was going to be difficult because of the thick fog from the previous chapter, but it was another thing to hear herself say it. With a deep breath, she glanced at her teammates and bobbed her head when her teammates frown.

"I want to know what makes you think that it's more difficult," Sasuke commented.

Sakura nodded. "You rarely admit that things are difficult."

"Because you'll hold it over my head," Naru stated. Her teammate looked almost offended as if she couldn't believe for a moment that was the main reason she never admitted for her own wrong-doings. Who on earth wanted to admit that they were wrong when they had a teammate who thrived in being a know-it-all?

Naru pushed up the sleeves of her shirt until it clung to her shoulders. She glanced at Killua and Gon before looking straight at the participants in front of them. There were perhaps more than 50 participants in front of them, but she could be wrong. The fog had made it almost impossible for her to count; it was just that thick.

"The fog isn't the only annoying thing around here," Killua agreed, nodding. "The mud makes it hard for us to run through the mud."

Sweat dribbled down the side of his face, offering a slight shine on his pale forehead. But surprisingly, even though he was sweating—the boy didn't look tired. Not one bit and that amazed her. The participants ahead of them panted like there was no tomorrow. Mud sloshed behind them, but it wasn't as loud as it was in the beginning.

Neji tilted his head to the side. "He must have some kind of training."

"I'm starting to think the same thing," Shikamaru agreed with a frown. He darted his eyes between Sakura, Ino and Hinata before focusing his attention on her. "Think about it Naru, how many civilians do you know that can do this without getting exhausted?"

Sakura nodded. "I don't think any normal person can run that far and not get exhausted."

The number of participants had decreased in the last 30 minutes, but she couldn't tell by how much. All she knew was the voices behind them seemed less. So much less when compared to before. I can't look back without getting lost. Naru rubbed her jaw and glanced down at her pants. Mud dirtied her pants, made them clung to her until it felt like was her second skin.

Ino wrinkled her nose. "You really need to take a shower once the exam is over."

"I'm filthy," she agreed.

Gon nodded and a smile played on his lips. He did not say anything r; she could guess what was going through his mind.

"A lot of participants aren't going to make it," Naru paused when a scream sliced through the air and continued. "If you aren't in front of the pack, you're in trouble. Getting lost in this fog is just asking for death."

The dark-haired boy hummed. "But we'll be fine if we just stay in front."

"The three of you are just weird," Kiba commented with a frown. "How can you talk about death like it's nothing?"

Lee nodded. "It's quite disturbing."

"They witnessed a lot of deaths," Gai replied. Everyone blinked and the thick-brow jounin focused his attention on the screen. There was no smile on his face, and his dark eyes focused on Killua. "Once you witnessed a lot of deaths, you start to become numb to death."

Well, that was one way to look at things. She curved her lips into a slight smile and chuckled. It was great that the older boy could look at the glass half full. Not many people had that talent of seeing the positive. I try that because being negative makes things worse. People described it as naivety, but naivety was better than being so gloomy.

Killua snorted and glanced at him before looking back at the participants in front of them. "Easier said than done."

"Must you be so negative?" she grumbled. It was nice to give them a healthy dose of reality, but there was a place and time to do it. When they were doing a potentially dangerous exam was not the time to do it.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Not everyone can be positive like you."

"You should try it," Naru replied with a grin. Everyone exchanged glances before shaking their heads at them. The 12-year-old girl crossed her arms against her chest and stared at them, waiting for them to make some kind of comment about her behavior. She smiled even wider when she saw that no one was ready to make a comment about her behavior.

The cold winds howled in the background. Something rumbled. Screams split the air in half, and Naru winced. It seemed like the numbers had gone down again. That was great but when would they arrive? How much farther did they have to go? The unknown rattled her nerves. She hated not knowing stuff.

Hinata nodded and darted her eyes to Naru. "You love to ask a lot of questions."

"Too much if you asked me," Sakura grumbled as her eyes drifted to the 12-year-old girl. While she enjoyed answering Naru's questions on certain topics, there had been a lot of times when she wished her teammate would stop with her line of questioning.

"What? Are you scared that you can't keep up, Blondie?" Killua smirked, looking pleased.

She scoffed. "I'm not scared of anything! And if I can't keep up, then you definitely can't keep up, Slow Poke."

Sasuke slowly turned his head to Naru and said in a very slow tone. "Didn't you scream like a little girl when someone mentioned that one of the homes were haunted?"

"You froze during the Wave Mission," Sakura added. "You really shouldn't lie about not being afraid of anything."

Naru scowled and looked away from her teammates while everyone else snickered about the fact that she believed in ghosts. Could anyone blame her if she thought ghosts were real? There was a reason that people talked about ghosts.

He twitched and then scowled as if she insulted him. If anyone should be offended, it should be her because he implied she was a coward. There had only been one time in her life when she had been a coward, and it had been reasonable. It was her first mission, so how could anyone have courage? Fine, Sakura and Sasuke hadn't been terrified.

They hadn't overthought things.

"Anyone would have frozen if they had been in your position," Kakashi said as if his reassurance was going to be enough for her.

Gon flickered his eyes between them, and there was a tiny smile on his face. He looked almost content about the bickering between her and Killua. She didn't get it. Why would he like it? People would have annoyed by now. Anyone else would scream at them to stop by now. But the boy kept laughing and smiling without a care in the world.

"I can keep up," the silver-haired boy declared, keeping his eyes focused on the people in front of them. "I only said that because it seems like you were worried about not being able to keep up."

Oh. Naru's stomach twisted, and the desire to look down at her feet was great, but she controlled herself. It had been wrong of her to make that rude comment. But there was something about Killua that frustrated her. She just didn't know what. The girl released a shaky breath and tightened the sleeves of her jacket.

"Killua-san is actually really thoughtful," Lee commented.

Choji nodded. "I don't think I would notice if Naru was worried or anything."

"That would imply we think Naru is capable of getting worried," Shikamaru observed. Throughout their childhood, he had never once see his former classmate worry about anything. The closest he had ever seen Naru panic was whenever they had to do a paper exam.

"Wouldn't you be worried if you were in my shoes?"

The black-haired boy kept quiet. He knitted his eyebrows together like he didn't understand her fear and concern. Well, he isn't the one that has to worry about his future. She dropped her shoulders and offered a quick side-glance to Killua. For a slight moment, she imagined she saw a flash of understanding before it faded a way.

The silver-haired boy shrugged and increased his speed by a little bit. After a couple of seconds, Killua snorted. "Nope."

"…Your boyfriend is really confident," Sakura stated, shaking her head.

Naru twitched. "He isn't my boyfriend!"

They only just met if you asked her and while she enjoyed their interactions, she didn't like the fact that her teammate thought that Killua and her were going to get together. They were just in the beginning of the book, and there were more things for them to see. For all her teammate knew, they were going to be purely friends.

"You've got a big head, don't you?" she grumbled and looked away from him. Why didn't it surprise her? He had shown time in and time out that he was confident. Even now, in their run, his posture leaked with a confidence that not even Sasuke had. Killua's shoulders were as straight as a board, and a cocky smirk stretched wide on his lips.

Gon blinked. "Killua's head isn't big."

"I'm not talking about the actual size," she explained. Killua wilted and threw her a dirty look but Naru ignored it. "I mean he has a huge ego."

Tenten turned her head to look at her. "Are you really someone who can make this claim? You once declared that you were going to be Hokage during the first phase of the Chunin Exams."

"I wasn't being arrogant," she stated, folding her arms against her chest. "I'm going to make that declaration a reality."

Honestly, she even had the whole thing mapped out in her bedroom. She really did have a map of the whole thing on her wall. There was a reason behind her desire to buy that board from the shop, and it wasn't because her teammate told her that it would be cool for a bedroom to have it. Nope, it was more practical reasons.

But if she considered how he sloshed through the mud without breaking a sweat —then he had a right to be confident. The scent of the participant's sweat clung to the air, and Naru wrinkled her nose. Her fellow participant's clothes were soaked with sweat. And yet, this boy beside her was barely sweating like a pig. His shirt did not even have a patch of sweat.

Something is definitely weird about Killua.

"You don't have to keep repeating how strange he is," Neji stated. "We get it."

As soon as the thought came to her mind, she dismissed it. This was not the time for her to think about the mystery that was Killua. There was an exam for her to focus on. She was going to keep her eyes focused on the people right in front of them. Not on the boy beside her. The exam was more important than him.

"In all seriousness, I'm surprised you aren't making a big fuss about the mud," Killua admitted. Naru blinked and watched as the boy tucked his skateboard even closer to his body. "Or complain about the bugs that have been coming through here."

"You have no idea who you're talking to, do you?" Sakura asked, shaking her head. "You're talking to the girl who used Shino's bugs as a prank because one of the girls dared to speak against Naru's dream."

Ino shuddered. "I can still hear her screams."

"She had it coming," Naru said flatly.

I had Shino as a classmate and used his bugs as pranks but I'm not going to tell you that. A fly landed on her cheeks, and Naru smacked her cheek. Its blood marked her skin, almost tempted her to wrinkle her nose, but she held herself back. Releasing a sigh, she dug her hands deeper into the pockets of her pants and looked at the faint figures of the people ahead of them.

"I'm a kunoichi."

Being able to deal with disgusting things was part of the job description.

"So true," Tenten muttered, bobbing her head.

Gon tilted his head. "Yeah, but I didn't think girls would be cool with dirt."

If they were like Sakura and Ino, then they were right. Those two were willing to do what the job required them to do, but they hated to get their hands dirty. Not unless it was flowers. She inhaled and pulled her bottom lip back. When the Second Phase of the Chunin Exam began, Sakura was not pleased about the bugs.

"They are disgusting creatures that should never come near me," Sakura said as if it was the most obvious reason for why people should hate bugs. The pink-haired girl folded her arms against her chest while Ino bobbed her head.

Kiba grinned. "You're lucky that Shino isn't here or else he would give a whole rant about the importance of bugs."

"Does he still do that?" Naru asked, paling. Kiba nodded, and the 12-year-old girl offered him a look of pity. "I really don't envy being in your position. Seriously, Shino can go for hours when it comes to bugs and the ecosystem."

Until the whole Orochimaru's incident, the girl made it very clear about her hatred for the insects.

"If I want a clean job, then I wouldn't have decided to become a Kunoichi."

Because being a Kunoichi was a messy job.

"This portion of the exam is just annoying because of those screams."

Naru flicked the sweat off her forehead and stared at the people in front of her. The fog thickened just a little bit, but it wasn't enough to make her sweat. Her eyebrows rose slightly when another shattering scream echoed in the air. If this was last year, she would be quivering with fear. Some tears might have spilt, but her missions had toughened her up.

"That shows how far you have come," Kakashi commented, ruffling her hair.

She grinned. "I really came far, haven't I?"

Now this book would show her how much further she would grow in her journey. Naru clasped her hands behind her head and darted her eyes to her friends. It must be kind of annoying for them to see what was going on with her life while they had no clue on what was going on in their lives.

"You can practically imagine how they are dying," Killua agreed, amused. He remained unfazed when another scream erupted from behind them, and Naru frowned. There was definitely something weird about her new friend. It wasn't the way he was amused about talking about people's death which made him strange. Well, that helped. What was weird was how he didn't seem one bit bother by what was happening.

The sirens rang inside her head and Naru blinked when the puddle below her made a splash.

I'm thinking too much for these exams.

She needed to be more aware of what was going on in the world around them.

"These exams are actually good for building up a person's focus when you think about it," Hinata stated. She pinkened when several heads turned around and the former Hyuga Heiress glanced at Naru. "I-If a person misses their way, then they are going to die and I don't think that it's the goal for the second part of the Hunter Exam."

Kiba blinked. "Hinata, you finally said a long sentence without stuttering so much."

"Well, it's still fun, isn't it?" Gon asked, frowning. He went to the left, narrowly missing a tree. He returned to his original position between her and Killua.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well…I guess so."

Humming a quiet tune, Naru interlocked her hands behind her neck and paused when their examiner's voice filtered through the misty air. That was definitely another trap. The man hasn't said a word since we got here, and it's repeating the same message from earlier. She bobbed her head and increased her pace to meet the boys.

"Those beasts are really smart," Shikamaru commented. "It's a good thing we don't have those kinds of animals here, don't we?"

Naru nodded. "Imagine the number of dead bodies that we would be forced to clean up?"

"It'll be better than babysitting," Kiba grumbled. "I hate brats."

The exams weren't all that fun, but it wasn't boring. How many exams had she done that didn't need to use paper exams? None. Even the Academy had paper exams, and they were a shinobi school. In that particular sense, the exams were fun because she shone in these exercises. Though, she hadn't tried in school because of how boring Iruka-sensei made their lessons.

"You're disappointed, aren't you?" Killua accused her.

Disappointed? She jumped over an uprooted tree and listened to the calm beat of her heart. That wasn't the word to use to describe these exams. They were more fun than she expected. But it wasn't as challenging as she imagined it to be. Of course, it might be because that there wasn't a real mind game in these exams.

"The real mind game is trying to keep your motivation up," Shikamaru pointed out. "You've always been a person who has been set on her goals, so you never had to deal with the constant doubts. But put someone like me or even Sakura and we would quit before we even reach to the end goal."

Sakura scowled. "Are you putting me in the same category as you?"

"Would you have given up in her position?"

The pink-haired girl kept quiet.

"Why would I even be disappointed?" Mud sloshed, and Naru slowed down her pace when she found herself too close to another participant. "I didn't have any expectations for these exams. All I have ever thought about since starting these exams is going home and…"

And what?

What would she do when she got back home? Saving Sasuke was a definite. Training was another definite, but what else? I never think about my future steps. Naru ran her hand through her hair, combed through her tangled locks, and blew a strand of her hair back. The desire to claw her hair out had never been greater than now.

She blinked and closed her eyes. That was true, wasn't it? She never really thought about her future steps because she was focused on getting to her goal. What am I going to do once I become Hokage? What's my next goal? She needed to think of another goal once she achieved her final dream. Bobbing her head, she glanced at her teammates.

Sakura frowned and darted her eyes to Sasuke. "If you don't think about your future steps, then what about Sasuke-kun and me? Sasuke's dream is to kill his brother and if you're worried about what will you do next, then what about Sasuke-kun? He hasn't said a word about what he would do after he kills his brother."

"Are you that worried about your parents making a big fuss about you not being there?" Killua tilted his head.

Gon frowned and darted his eyes at her; concern coloured his eyes. He opened his mouth, no doubt to correct him, but she slid her hand over his mouth. If he is going to find out, then I have to be the one to tell him. Gon would make it a big deal when it wasn't a big deal. The topic of being an orphan was one that she was used to talking about.

"If my parents were still alive, then yeah," she agreed, smiling. The silver-haired boy blinked. She waited for him to say something, to offer a look of pity, but he did none of that. A thick blanket of uncomfortable silence settled between them. Naru cleared her throat. "But it isn't my dead parents that I'm worried about but…"

If I'm declared dead, then Sasuke is in even more trouble. Her hand hovered over her stomach and a grimace settled on her lips. She was a Jinchuuriki. The first time the Hokage explained the term to her, he only told her that she had the Kyuubi. But with a little bit more research from the library, she had a better understanding of the term.

Sakura slowly turned her head at her. "What do you mean Sasuke will be in even more trouble if you don't come back?"

"I'm more valuable to the council than Sasuke," Naru stated. Everyone blinked and the 12-year-old girl focused her attention on the raven-haired boy. "I'm their jinchuuriki. If Konoha has to go to war, then I would be expected to go to the front lines. Not only that but if I die, then the Kyuubi can get out of me, and no one wants that. Also, I'm a kunoichi of the village…and this would give Danzo and the council enough reason to declare Sasuke as a missing-nin."

"Naru is right," Kakashi agreed. He focused his attention on Sasuke, who had been quiet throughout the exchange. "The council prefers to keep her safe and has more at stake when it comes to her well-being. The reason that the village has been safe so far is because we still have her, but if the other village find out that she died…then we will be attacked."

Shikamaru frowned. "In that case, then shouldn't Naru have been treated more fairly during school?"

"Our teachers were idiots and human beings," Naru stated. "You try telling a bunch of grieving people to treat a weapon, which killed their loved ones like a human being and you see what you'll get."

"Your friends must miss you," Gon empathized and there was almost a wistful smile on his face.

Do I have friends? Well, Hinata-chan is my friend, but what about the others? Her throat tightened and Naru cursed under her breath. It was so damn stupid for her to think about it. Who cared? Who the hell cared? But, she did care. From the moment she stepped through those Academy's doors, she cared. Always had and probably always will.

The children exchanged glances, and Naru looked away from them. This stupid book had to convey every doubt that she had, every insecurity she ever had while growing up, and she hated it. Sasuke must have noticed her distress because he offered her an awkward squeeze on a shoulder. Who knew that he could even make that awkward?

"You're kinda cool," Kiba said as if he was trying to reassure her. "You were the only girl who didn't swoon over Sasuke."

Shikamaru cleared his throat. "I might be…grateful for the fact that you pushed me into the Arena, though I hate the fact that I ended up having extra work."

"If this is your way of apologizing, then save it," she stated. "I prefer sincere apologies over apologies made because of pity."

"Hinata-chan might miss me," she mused out loud. "But I don't know about Sakura-chan…"

They always had a complicated relationship, though she didn't completely understand the reason behind it. Sakura would smile at her, be kind to her, but…she would never invite her to her home. If she wanted to eat ramen alone with her teammate, Sasuke had to be there. It was like Sasuke was the only thing that glued them together.

"I can see why you think that I want Sasuke-kun to be there, but I don't know what to talk to you about," Sakura admitted. Naru blinked and the pink-haired girl looked at the screen in front of them. "You don't like talking about boys because you think romance is ridiculous. You prefer to read comics and strategy books over mystery novels and romance stories. Make-up? You don't even wear it, and you don't even use any hair care. With Sasuke-kun, well…it felt like there is something that we can talk about."

Naru looked away. "It isn't that I think romance is ridiculous, I think the idea of forcing it on someone as ridiculous. I mean if two people are meant to be together, then wouldn't it happen already?"

"What if they are two oblivious idiots that love each other?" Sakura argued. "Shouldn't we get them together or have someone point out the obvious?"

She twitched. "Are we really having this argument again?"

Sasuke is my best friend. The answer was automatic, but she couldn't say it. Naru exhaled and released a shaky breath before she looked at the people in front. They had been friends from that day on the dock. The day she extended her hand to him; had been the day that things changed between them. But…she couldn't tell them that.

"Hinata-chan and I were becoming close friends," she answered as the mud splashed behind them. "And Sakura-chan is…complicated."

Gon frowned. "What do ya mean?"

"Naru, do you know what kind of girls that Sasuke-kun like?"

Ino twitched and swirled her head at Sakura. "You little sneak! You went to the source to find out what type of person that Sasuke-kun likes?"

"I wasn't being a sneak, Ino-Pig," Sakura barked. "I was being strategic!"

Naru stared at them. "And you wonder why everyone complained about your fights being boring during the Chunin Exams. If you directed all of your energy into your training, then I can only imagine how strong you guys would be."

"Be nice, Naru-chan," Hinata scolded.

They never talked about these things because she just presumed Sasuke had no time for those kinds of things. He was always thinking about restoring the honour of his clan. Naru blankly stared as she shifted to the right, narrowly missing a branch. Sakura had understood it when she told her and they never talked about it again.

Sasuke glanced at Naru and leaned closer to the blond-haired girl. "I'll buy you ramen once we're done with reading the book."

"You know I love how you express your gratitude to me," Naru cheered.

"Did you have to agree to that fight with Sasuke-kun? He just woke up from a coma, Naru!"

He was going to make her fight, even if she didn't want to knock some sense into him. But Sakura-chan always thinks that it is easy to say no. It had been clear as day that he was frustrated, that he was agitated about something. She was…frustrated as well. It crawled under her skin to know that he rushed all the way to her location to get to Itachi.

Sasuke should have known by then…that he still wasn't strong enough to beat him.

"You expect me to just sit there and just let him kill you?" Sasuke demanded. Everyone turned their heads at her, and Naru maintained her composure. She felt her temper rising as the dark-haired boy balled his hands into a fist and narrowed his eyes at her. "Itachi went after you, and he managed to kill my whole clan like it was nothing. And you expect me to just…stay still?"

She clenched her jaw and barked. "Let me bring up the facts because you're so eager to get yourself killed. I was with Jiraiya, and yes he might be a pervert, but he is the Toad Sannin. He is one of the strongest shinobi in the world, so I was safe. You, on the other hand, was by yourself. You wasted chakra to get to me and thought hey, I know one strong jutsu and now I can kill my big brother! Which one of us was being stupid here?"

"Naru is right," Kakashi agreed, looking at Sasuke. "You were being reckless when you decided to go after Itachi. But I blame the jounin that didn't notice you were in the room for spilling the fact."

"I don't know where I stand with Sakura-chan," she admitted, sighing. "It never felt like she really liked me but she didn't hate me either."

She just never said whether we are friends or not. Naru rubbed the back of her neck and stared at the faint figures. There was a sudden tightness in her throat like a knot formed in her throat. It threatened to choke her. Exhaling, she shook her head and increased her pace just a little bit more. Mud smacked her pants, made it hugged her legs even more.

"So you aren't friends?" Killua inquired, looking faintly curious.

She shrugged her shoulders and released a sigh.

"I would like to think we are friends, but I don't know if she considers me as a friend."

Sakura dropped her shoulders and looked at Naru. "I haven't been a good friend to you, have I?"

The fact that Naru would have doubts about their own relationship meant that she must have done something wrong during their time as Team Seven. I can still change things, she thought as her eyes focused on her blond-haired teammate as well as her crush. They still had time, and she could improve her relationship with Naru.

Because why didn't Sakura ever try to invite her to her home but had no problem with asking Sasuke?

"We need to go in front."

The fog had now thickened to the point that Killua's eyes could barely see the faint figures in front of him. Not that it was a huge problem, but his spine kept shivering from the tension. Not the nervous tension from the other participants, but the dangerous kind of tension. The tension that came before a predator was going to attack its prey.

"It seems like we get glimpses of the other character thoughts," Kakashi commented as he skimmed through the chapter before focusing his attention on the others. "This part of the chapter is written through Killua's perspective."

Gai nodded and eyed the screen. "It doesn't seem like anything good will happen in this part."

He snuck a glance at Naru. The blond-haired girl seemed—at first glance—unrattled, but he knew how to read the signs. There was a newly formed sheet of sweat on her forehead. Her bright, blue eyes kept flickering to the back as if she was preparing to sprint from Hisoka. She knows that he is going to kill. Killua exhaled as the winds howled from behind them.

"You also think that Hisoka is going to go on a killing spree?" Naru mumbled.

Killua nodded. "He's excited."

"Get out of there," Sakura cried, grabbing Sasuke's arm. The dark-haired boy pinched his nose but made no attempt to push his teammate off of him. Bright green eyes darkened with worry as they flickered to Naru. "It's never good when you can feel someone's killer intent."

Naru nodded. "I know, and I'm sure that I want to get the hell out of there."

The blond-haired girl swore under her breath ; while Gon stared at them with confusion. Killua jerked his finger for the boy to maintain his concentration on the figures ahead of them. I feel a little bit excited as well. The urge was there, bubbling underneath him but he could control himself. That clown couldn't control himself.

"So you are in the presence of two psychopaths," Kiba stated. "Should we be worried that Killua is going to kill you?"

Naru eyed him. "I'm pretty certain that he won't kill me since he says that he is controlling himself."

Hisoka had been getting more and more excited from the moment he saw Naru's cut healed itself.

"How do you guys know?"

"I can just… tell," Naru whispered, pulling her jacket up. The jacket had been slipping down throughout their run, almost fell down at one point, and Killua had to wonder why she didn't just let it go. The cold winds were going to go away the moment that they reached their destination. But girls were always so weird about their stuff.

"I bet he has a sister," Ino declared. That had to be the only explanation on why the boy knew that girls adored their items, although her former classmate never seemed to care about her stuff.

Nodding, Killua shifted his eyes to the people beside him and then to Gon. The boy frowned, knitted his eyebrows together, and looked like he was going to ask more questions. We can tell because of our experience. He wasn't ready to tell the boy. It was fine for Naru to tell him. She seemed almost like a naïve person if she would tell him that she was a ninja.

Naru twitched. "I'm not naïve! As soon as I meet that bastard, I'm going to give him the silent treatment."

"You won't do it," Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. "You like making friends, and that psychopath seem to have no problem with you."

"Isn't it too soon to call him a psychopath?" Choji asked.

"Killing one more person is definitely not going to be enough for him," Killua observed. He wasn't going to explain right now about how he knew what was going through Hisoka's head. "He wants a river of blood."

"If you don't want to get lost, stick with me."

Stupid bird was trying to trick them again. Killua scowled as feet stomped the grass. Several participants turned to the source of that bird's voice and that only made him scoff. Didn't they learn anything from the first time? Fools. He exhaled and flickered his eyes to Naru and Gon. Both of them had their attention on the people in front of them.

"He is putting on a mask of being an innocent little kid," Kakashi mused with a frown. His stomach rumbled with dislike as he flickered his eyes between Naru and the boy on the screen. While he knew Sakura was only joking about Naru liking the boy, he really did not know how he felt about his youngest student liking this boy.

"Do you think he will do a little detour?" Naru asked, grimacing. "He feels so…excited."

You're to blame for that. He bit his tongue and looked at the girl. For a girl, she was pretty. Prettier than some of the girls that he had been forced to interact with, but she was odd. She was a wilted flower, yet she maintained an upbeat smile. A fake smile and that made him frown. It was even worse when Gon asked about her friends.

Sakura grinned and nudged the blond-haired girl. "Someone likes you! And even though he seems like he might be a psychopath, you can now say that you can get a guy your age to like you."

"At least every guy that liked me, hasn't tried to pressure me to go on a date and likes me for me. Lee only likes you because he thinks that you are a tropy," Naru commented. Sakura scowled while Tenten narrowed her eyes at the dark-haired boy. I really wish I didn't have to point it out, but it feels like it needs to be said, she thought as Tenten scolded Lee.

He exhaled. "Yeah, he will definitely do it, and we need to go in front before we are dragged into it."

"How did you figure that out?" Gon asked. "What makes ya think that we are going to be dragged into it?"

Because Hisoka hasn't stopped looking at Naru. He couldn't tell that or else Gon was going to hover around Naru. It hadn't escaped his attention that the boy was really fond of the girl. Why did he like her, he didn't understand. She was irritating with her nicknames for him. Not only that but she didn't tell them anything about them.

"If you can get her to open up, then you accomplish the impossible," Sasuke stated.

Sakura nodded. "We're her teammates, and we're only learning these details about her now!"

Her parents were one thing but why did she want to go back home? It sounded like she didn't really have friends so why go back? Besides, who wants to continue with a boring job? He scowled and turned his head away from Naru. It was bad enough she distracted him with those annoying eyes. Distracted him when she said…

"But…I trust my friends and I wanna be your friend."

It was a trap because killers like them; don't have the right to have friends with how much blood stained their hands.

The final sentence hovered in the air and everyone looked at the smiling boy in the screen. Their minds turned blank, and Naru could only regard the boy on the screen. She was going to be friends with another killer. I attract weirdoes, don't I? She closed her eyes and shook her head. No one normal would do those exams anyway.

Finally, Ino stated. "Well, we knew there was something off about him, but did anyone think he was going to be a killer?"

"No," Lee replied.

"Hisoka and I are similar," he finally said, curving his lips into a smile. "I can smell it in him."

Gon blinked. "Are you like him? Because I don't see it, do you Naru?"

The words hovered in the air as electricity struck him. Of course, you can't see it. Killua exhaled and shook his head, before glancing at the blond-haired girl. Silence hovered between them like a thick blanket. Blue eyes scrutinized him like she was trying to pick him apart. He watched as pink lips pulled downwards.

Her fingers moved upwards, traced the weird symbol on her Hitai-ate, and Killua waited for her to say something. Sadness slid into her eyes, almost like she understood him — and he scoffed. What did a girl understand? She had been more open than he was. What kind of killer left a hint about their techniques?

"I don't understand you, but I'm guessing that I can imagine your feelings," she mused out loud.

Sasuke frowned. "Are you really focused on that part and not the fact that he is basically commenting about how opened you are about your jutsu?"

"I'll be sceptical too if I was in his shoes," she confessed.

Only her.

"How am I supposed to know?" Naru retorted, dropping her finger. "People are unpredictable. You think you know a person and they surprise you in the worst possible way."

The smile on her lips wobbled, and Killua waited for her to cry, but she just offered him a broad grin. She isn't going to sob, is she? It's obvious she wants to do it. That was…odd. The very few times he interacted with a girl, they would just sob about their problems or whine about it. But Naru had been surprisingly quiet when it came to her problems.

"I don't like crying, and I don't like talking about my problems because it never helped anyone," Naru explained when everyone turned to look at her. "I prefer to handle things by myself."

"Kurapika! Leorio! Killua says that it'll be better for us to move up front!"

His leg stumbled and a warm hand grabbed his arm, steadying him. Killua blinked and turned to meet the warm, blue eyes of Naru. Ocean-blue eyes sparkled with amusement as if she found the whole thing funny. He clicked his tongue, yanked his arm away from her, and run a little bit farther away from Gon.

Unsurprisingly, Naru matched his pace.

"Does that guy have any idea of the tension in the air?" he barked. If the air shimmered with tension before this, now it crackled with tension. From right in front of him, a man turned to look at them and then turned away. Killua trembled and glanced at the blond-haired girl, who still had a smile on her face.

After a couple of seconds, she chuckled. "Well, he won't be Gon if he understood it, and it's kind of cute that he doesn't understand it."

"Of course you would think like that," Shikamaru commented. "I'll be frustrated if I have to be around a guy that doesn't understand anything."

Naru sighed. "That's because you don't like dealing with people, who don't understand everything that comes out of your mouth."

Cute? Killua's eyebrows twitched and he barked. "It also means he is going to get himself into a dangerous situation! He lacks any self-awareness!"

"Is he jealous?" Naru asked.

Sakura nodded. "Maybe a little bit, but it also seems like he is worried about him too."

Yeah, she had the same thought as Sakura-chan when it came to Killua's feelings towards Gon.

The words rumbled in his chest and he waited for Naru to make a retort. She always seemed to have some kind of comeback whenever he unleashed his frustration at her. But the girl didn't scowl at him. She didn't glare or lash out. That made his stomach twisted and turned with discomfort. He knew how to deal when someone lashed out, but there was only silence between them.

"Gon hasn't been in a life-and-death situation," she informed him. Killua blinked as the girl kept her voice steady. "When a person went through a life-and-death situation, then you start to value your life even more. These exams will probably teach him to be a bit more self-aware about his…vulnerabilities."

He mumbled. "And if these exams don't teach him, then what?"

"Then…he needs to experience what near death feels like."

"Bad advice," Kakashi stated, shaking his head. "You don't tell someone that they need to experience near-death to realize the value of their life."

Gai coughed. "It doesn't help."

Naru blinked and tilted her head when the two men exchanged glances. Was there something else that she was missing? Because it didn't make sense. She glanced at her teammates and noticed for the first time that they looked just as curious as how she felt. Their eyes were focused on their quiet teacher.

A freezing wind stabbed him in his arms as screams erupted from all around them. Those words brought a chill down his spine, and that said something. He murdered dangerous men, and their screams had done nothing to him. He had done dangerous missions. Difficult assignments. But, there was a certainty that he would succeed. Assassins took jobs where there was a guarantee of success.

Sasuke blinked. "Well, now we know that your crush is an assassin."

"I expect this behaviour from Sakura-chan," Naru grumbled. "Why are you acting like this?"

He stared at her. "Because I know you."

And I know when you treat someone differently. That was what she guessed what her best friend was trying to say. Naru exhaled and looked at the screen. Well, there was no denying the fact that she was treating Killua a little bit differently from the way she treated Sasuke and the other boys. She exhaled and crossed her legs together.

But one sentence from Naru and he trembled at the idea of near death.

"You shouldn't take missions where you have no chance of succeeding," he commented. "Death is final."

The blonde nodded and smiled, but it was twisted. It screamed of frustration as if… she didn't like the position she was in. Assassins and mercenaries are tools. The rich paid them to do their dirty work. If they weren't satisfied or if they wanted to be cheapskates, they tried to murder them. Those people were fools. Idiots because no one could harm them.

Ino shuddered. "I'm starting to understand why the two of you work well together."

"Because I take orders like a good, little soldier."

A bitter-fuelled laugh filled the air and Killua only stared at her. Why follow? Why not run away? He looked at his hands and stared at the fog in front of them. Running away was better. Always better than being forced to do a stupid job that didn't give him any thrill. He exhaled as Gon came back to match their pace.

"Don't you want to be free?"

Gon blinked and Naru laughed.

"I wish…but you can't always get what you want."

Sakura stared at Naru. "What do you want, Naru?"

"To be in control of my own life," she replied.

"The group right behind us must have gotten tricked," Killua mused when a new round of screams sliced through the air.

Naru shrugged her shoulders and grimaced when her eardrum screamed from the pain. It wouldn't be a surprise if she came out of these exams deaf because those screams had been happening non-stop for the last hour. A metallic stench rubbed against her, reminding her of the inevitable deaths that had occurred throughout the exams. That was going to continue until they reached their destination.

Grimacing, she dug her nails into the palm of her hand. As tempted as she was to turn around, it would be a terrible idea. With the thickness of the fog greater than the thickness of her blanket in Konoha, her eyes could barely make out the faint figure. Her chakra didn't even help because it only made the fog seem just a little bit less thick.

"Are you guys sure that you want to do this exam?" Sakura asked.

Naru and Sasuke bobbed their heads, and the pink-haired girl shook her head.

"Gon."

There was no answer. Killua and her exchanged worried glances before looking at Gon. His eyes might be focused on the faint figures ahead of them, but his fingers tightened around the fishing rod. Killua looked at her again. A frown played on the older boy's lips as more screams erupted from behind them. The thick pungent of blood grew even thicker, almost threatened to overwhelm her. Maybe it is time for me to decrease the output on my nose.

"Good idea," Kiba agreed, wrinkling his nose. "I lost to you because of my sensitive nose."

Naru snorted. "Keep telling yourself that."

It would help her maintain focus.

"Gon." This time she was the one to repeat his name.

No answer. I think I've an idea of what is making him so weird. The frown crept up on her face, and she almost stopped in her tracks. Hisoka's energy was gone. Almost like he dropped off from the face of the planet, and it… brought a chill down her back. If he was gone, then there was no telling where the others were.

"Most likely dead," Choji muttered, quivering.

"You're worried about Leorio and Kurapika, aren't you?" That question snapped Gon out of his thoughts.

Looking over his shoulder, the older boy tittered. "They were behind us…and now they aren't here."

Can I track them down? She wanted to track them down and bring them here. But, it would be difficult with the weather. Dangerous as well, because this swamp was filled with traps. In a way, this swamp was more dangerous than the Forest of Death. It wasn't just the participants she had to worry about, but the animals as well.

If she left the group to go and look for those two, then it would be pointless.

Even if she could find them, she wouldn't know how to look for the others.

"Naru, are you considering the idea of abandoning them?" Kakashi asked, not looking one bit pleased with her. He looked at the screen before focusing his attention on her. The 12-year-old girl felt her stomach stirring with concern and guilt. She knew the answer, knew it better than anyone in the room.

With a deep breath, she bobbed her head. "Kakashi-sensei, I know you taught us that we're scrum for abandoning our friends, but how am I going to be any help if I can't track the others down? How can I get back to Konoha if I went after them? I know it's terrible, but if you think about what's at stake…it's the logical conclusion."

"I thought I taught you better than this, Naru," Kakashi said, shaking his head.

Gai eyed her teacher. "Should you be the one to scold her for this?"

Her teacher winced, and Naru wondered if there was a story that her teacher hadn't told them about.

"We have our own worries," Killua reminded them. His tone carried a hint of warning, and the silver-haired boy focused on the very faint figures ahead of them. "The fog keeps growing thicker, and that makes it impossible for us to see the people ahead of us."

Naru nodded. "It will be impossible for us to regroup if we separate from them."

"Exactly, and then we'll be dead meat!"

Gon pulled his bottom lip, but his eyes still didn't waver from their resolve. Even though sweat slid down the side of his face, he didn't look like he was going to run. He isn't even paying attention. Naru sighed. Why did Killua even bother? The boy was clearly in his own, little world. Kakashi-sensei would be proud of Gon because he was going to go back to their friends.

If Kakashi-sensei was here, he would be disappointed on her stance in the matter.

"We're going to talk about the importance of teamwork later," Kakashi stated, looking deep into her eyes.

Those who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash.

It was easier said than done in this situation.

"We aren't doing a good job of convincing you, are we?" she forced a smile and ignored the slicing motion of Killua's hand. There was no point in pretending that they were doing a good job. It was clear as day that the older boy wasn't going to heed their warning.

Gon whistled. "Well…"

"You can't be serious!" Killua snapped, slacking his jaw.

He is going to get a headache by the end of these exams if he sticks with Gon. She stifled a laugh and whistled when Killua glared at her. The benefit of being hated by a whole village was that she wasn't scared by glares. The coldness of the villagers' eyes had been like glaciers compared to Killua's eyes. His eyes were kinder than their eyes.

But then again, he didn't seem to hate her.

"I would take hate over indifference," Sasuke muttered.

Naru eyed him. "Neither of them are good options."

"You wanna know what I realized in these last few days when it comes to Gon?" The silver-haired boy nodded and Naru cracked a faint smile. "Gon doesn't seem to listen to anyone."

The blue-eyed boy dropped his shoulders. "Then get him to listen! We aren't going back for those two!"

"Did you listen to me? Gon is stubborn as a mule," she retorted. The girl flailed her hands and scowled at the fuming boy. "And if you didn't want him to go then you shouldn't have mentioned about our problems!"

Sakura snorted. "Now you understand our problem when it comes to your goals? We can never stir you away from whatever plans that you come up with."

"My plans didn't involve anyone getting themselves killed," she retorted. "And it wasn't like you could come up with any better plan."

If their problems were focusing on the people in front of them, then Leorio and Kurapika had a bigger problem. They might be dealing with a blood-thirsty clown. She kissed her teeth and put her hands on her waist. Killua narrowed his eyes at her, almost like he wanted to strike her with electricity.

He clenched his jaw. "You were the one that told him that it was impossible for us to get back!"

"And you were the one that basically implied Kurapika and Leorio were dead, smartass!"

"Like an old married couple," Sasuke muttered under his breath. In all the years he knew Naru, not once had he ever seen her bicker with someone to this extent. There was even a little glint of amusement in her eyes. He blinked when his pink-haired teammate inched closer to him. Her green eyes focused entirely on Naru.

Finally, Sakura whispered. "You want to bet that they are going to get together?"

"We all know they are going to get together," he retorted.

Sakura nodded. "Want to bet how long it takes for them to get together? If I win, I will completely stop asking you for dates."

"We'll discuss the terms as soon as we get a break," Sasuke agreed. If he was going to get his pink-haired teammate to stop bothering him for dates, then he would make a bet on Naru's love life.

Her words rang in the air. Naru released a shaky breath, cursed under her breath and looked away from Killua. Only the sounds of their participant's screams and the growls of the animals could be heard between them. Why are we even arguing? It's both of our faults. If neither of them pointed those things out, then Gon would be hesitant about his actions.

"Did you want me to lie and pretend they could live?"

Yes. The word was on the tip of her tongue, but Naru swallowed it down. Lying to Gon wasn't going to help him in the long run. It would just make things worse because he would resent them. She didn't want that. Her chest tightened just a little bit. Her whole life revolved around lying because the Hokage could never explain why people didn't like her.

Well, the villagers anyway because foreigners liked her.

"People do enjoy Naru's quirks," Sakura agreed.

"I almost didn't notice that you were trying to steal from me, kid! You've got some talent."

A pair of warm, hazel eyes came to her mind, and Naru shook her head. He had been a funny man, but he hadn't mind when she talked a lot about her life in Konoha. His companion was even weirder. She inhaled and then exhaled as the wind brushed against her neck. This wasn't the time for her to think back to the faint figures in her memory.

"Who are you talking about, Naru-chan?" Hinata asked.

Naru blinked. "I'm talking about the guy who helped the Third Hokage locate me. I don't remember him all that much, but he was a funny man. He always get flustered and irritated whenever I drew a lot of attention on him."

"No," she answered when the fog in front of them started to fade. "But you should have some faith in them, Killua. Kurapika and Leorio can get through this, isn't that right…where's Gon!"

He wasn't by her side. There was a complete stranger right by her side instead of Gon. There were no harsh breaths behind them. Nothing. The only thing she could hear were the cries of the participants as they died. For a brief second, her heart leapt up to her throat and then she shoved it down to her ribs.

"He went after them while we were bickering, didn't he?" Killua asked flatly.

She groaned. "It's a pretty safe bet."

"And this is why you shouldn't bicker," Tenten said, shaking her head.

Do I go after him? Naru stared at the clear figures in front of her and then looked behind her. A thick blanket of fog covered the area, and there were some faint figures. But were they humans? Or was it another creature? There was that weird, giant tortoise that nearly fooled her into thinking that they were humans.

Luckily, the group beside her had fallen to its trap and she still had her head.

"Nature is cruel," Neji stated.

If I wasn't worried about the Old Hag declaring me dead, then I would go after him. Naru scowled and stared down at her hands. It felt like she was abandoning Gon and the others for her goal. The idea of abandoning her friends was one that she didn't like, but her home needed her. Konoha would get into trouble if people found out that she wasn't in the village.

The village might have caused her pain, but it didn't mean she wanted to abandon it. Her teammate was there, Hinata was there, and there would be so many problems if she died. No, it would be better for everyone if she stayed in the group. Besides I have a duty to do to the village. The moment she took that Hitai-ate from Iruka-sensei, she agreed to be a tool that could be used.

She held her breath and looked up at the ceiling. While she hated the fact she was a tool of war, she accepted the fact that she had no choice but to be loyal to the village.

"You aren't going to follow him?" Killua asked.

She shook her head. "I don't even know which direction he went."

The best thing that she could do was just wait for him.

"I hope Gon-san will be okay," Hinata muttered, looking at the screen.

Naru nodded. "We all do."

(Konoha)

"I don't have a good feeling about this," Sakura muttered as the screen revealed Tsunade s.

Naru nodded. "It isn't a good sign when the whole setting is in another place."

"You can't find any traces of Naru's body or chakra?"

Kakashi grimaced and stared at Tsunade before he glanced at Sakura and Shikamaru. The pink-haired girl trembled and quivered like she was ready to faint from the news. Shikamaru, on the other hand, clenched his jaw and glared at the ground. Both of them demanded to be a part of this meeting for the same reason.

"Why am I in the meeting?" Shikamaru demanded, swirling his head at the people in the group. "I can understand why Sakura wants to be here or even why Hinata would be there, but what am I doing there?"

Ino scowled. "Let Kakashi-sensei read the book, and we will find out what's happening!"

They wanted to know if Naru was truly dead. The former Hyuga Heiress had also demanded to be a part of this meeting, but Tsunade had refused because the girl could find out later. The only reason Sakura was a part of the meeting was because Naru was her teammate. Shikamaru, on the other hand, had been in charge of the mission. He exhaled and shifted his eyes to Jiraiya. The man hadn't said a thing since the news broke out.

"I was in charge of bringing Sasuke back?" Shikamaru muttered, darting his eyes between them. "So…what happened between Naru and Sasuke is indirectly my fault?"

Naru rolled her eyes. "You give yourself too much credit. I bet that I insisted to come along since Sasuke is my friend and teammate."

"It's like she disappeared without a trace," he confirmed. The scent had stopped at the Valley Of The End while Sasuke's scent continued towards Orochimaru's lair. "Pakkun found Sasuke's scent, but when it came to Naru…it stopped at the site of their battle."

He allowed the words to linger in the air and took the opportunity to look at Minato's photo. He wouldn't be happy about what happened. The council was already having a field day over Naru's disappearance. If this continent found out that we lost her then Naru is going to either be scouted or be hunted down. His head throbbed and the frown deepened.

"Yeah, the Akatsuki is still after me," Naru agreed with a scowl. "Kumo might be interested in taking me, and maybe even Iwa."

Sasuke stared at her. "The Akatsuki? Kumo? Iwa? How much haven't you told me?"

"A lot of stuff," she admitted.

Tsunade regarded him. "What are the chances that she is alive?"

"If Sasuke could manage to escape, then we have to presume that Naru is still out there," he confirmed. "Until we find her body then we should operate with the presumption that she is alive."

A loud sigh of relief echoed in the air. Kakashi thinned his lips and turned his head to Sakura, who now rested her legs on the ground. Tears spurn down her eyes and a hopeful smile was on her lips. The knowledge that Naru is still out there must give her some hope that things might be back to normal. But it would never be back to normal.

The council was livid with Sasuke for what occurred.

"What will the council do to Sasuke-kun?" Ino asked, darting her eyes to Naru.

"Considering what I know about them?" Ino nodded and Naru eyed the screen. "They would most likely lock him up for a period of time before they put him under probation. Kakashi-sensei will be scolded because Kakashi-sensei is in charge of us. Going to Orochimaru? Smart plan when it comes to short-term benefits, but a horrible plan when you think of long-term consequence."

"If she is alive, then we should consider having Jiraiya using his toads," Tsunade suggested with a grim tone. "The toads can reverse-summon her here and the whole problem can be fixed."

"I have considered the idea, but I don't think it is wise," Jiraiya argued. Everyone blinked and turned to the Toad Sannin. The man leaned against the wall and stared out at the window with grim eyes. "Naru hasn't contacted us."

Shikamaru frowned. "You think that she might have died?"

"Well, now we know she is alive," Sakura muttered, shaking her head.

Birds chirped in the background as the middle-aged man surveyed the room. For the first time in months, the man dropped the happy-go-lucky mask—the one he always had around the children. There was a subtle grimness in his eyes as if there was an idea in his mind. An idea that he probably did not like to consider.

"All of us have made jokes about that girl being an idiot, but Naru isn't stupid," Jiraiya reminded them. Kakashi nodded while the 12-year-olds teens exchanged glances between each other. "If she was alive then she would have thought about it, before discarding the idea."

Sakura shot her head up and shook her head. "Naru would have told us if she was alive! Why wouldn't she contact us if she was alive?"

"Well, we got the answer to that question in the previous chapter so we don't need to talk about it," Naru said before Sakura threw her an accusatory glare. She really did not want to go through the same topic all over again.

Because she is probably frustrated. Kakashi adjusted his Hitai-ate and stared at the silent Hokage. His blond-haired student had never liked to lose when it came to Sasuke. This battle between her and Sasuke was her loss, and it wounded her pride. Not only that but maybe Naru knew, subconsciously, that the council would try and stop her from going after Sasuke.

"They definitely will try and stop me," Naru grumbled. "Going after Sasuke when he's with Orochimaru…is a dangerous and reckless plan."

Sakura blinked. "But you're still going to do it."

"I'm going to be smart about it," she explained, shrugging her shoulders. "Trust me, I know how to deal with things."

No amount of reason would work on her when it came to her goal. It didn't matter whether or not if her goal was based on emotions or not. His student would go at her own pace when it came to these things. Kakashi flickered his eyes to Shikamaru and then to Jiraiya. The Toad Sannin offered a thoughtful look to Sakura before he glanced down at his hand.

"Naru must be frustrated with what happened," Jiraiya explained, closing his eyes. "She just lost to Sasuke, and I don't think that she is ready to admit this to herself."

The genin curled her hands into a fist. "S-So what? She should come back home. It doesn't matter if she lost, we can try again."

Tears ran down her cheeks and choked up sobs filled the air. The jounin inched closer to his student and awkwardly patted her back as an uncomfortable feeling crept up on him. This was his fault. Sakura came to him about her worries about Sasuke, but he presumed the boy wouldn't do it. He miscalculated when it came to him.

"No one thought that he would do this," Naru reassured Kakashi, throwing an irritated look at Sasuke. "We all thought that he would be smarter about the whole thing and that he cares about us."

Sasuke scowled. "I wouldn't have gone if I thought that Konoha will make me stronger. I might have been contemplating about it, but I've been leaning towards staying in Konoha."

"Are you implying that something must have happened for you to decide to go to Orochimaru?" Naru asked.

He nodded. "Only thing that comes to my mind."

Naru thinned her lips and stared at the screen. If Orochimaru knew that Sasuke was leaning towards staying, then he needs to do something that would shake his beliefs, she thought as her eyes focused on Kakashi-sensei. The only thing that could shake his beliefs was if he had to fight someone, and if those people stated that they gained their strength from Orochimaru.

"It might not matter to you but it matters to Naru," Kakashi explained. "I can't see Naru coming back home until she can get a grip on things."

While Sakura had no problems with speaking about her emotions, Naru had a problem. His student was not the type of kid that cried about her problems or gave up. If she had a target in her mind, then she would do whatever it took to reach the target. He could only imagine three scenarios in which she would come back home.

Shikamaru thinned his lips. "What do you mean by get a grip on things?"

"She won't come back until either she comes back with Sasuke or until she can admit her loss to herself," he replied. "But Naru will come back if she is alive."

"How do you know?" Sakura demanded.

Because Naru knows what is at stake and thinks carefully about the consequence. He rubbed his jaw and looked at his tear-stricken student. Despite how his female student acted, Naru was more thoughtful than she allowed herself to be. The one mistake in Wave Mission aside, his student had shown that when she dropped the façade, she could be cold and calculative when needed.

Ino blinked. "You know if this was a couple of months ago, I would have spluttered and say that you give Naru too much credit. But seeing how she has been pointing out these facts, she might actually be really calculative."

"It makes me wonder why she wasn't being calculative when it came to our match," Neji commented.

Naru sighed. "Most of my moves are close-combat moves, and I needed time to think of a plan. I don't know if the Byakugan can differentiate between my clones and me or not, so I needed time to observe and see what you will do. Now I admit that I was…foolish when I charged at you, but I knew you couldn't differentiate between them. Hence the idea of the tunnel."

"You should have given up when he closed off your points," Shikamaru stated. "That would have been the smart move."

She shook her head. "Smart? Yes but if we played with safety, then you will always give up when the situation is too dangerous. Sometimes, you need to take some damage to figure things out, and I turned the situation around. So was it risky? Yes, but did I get my goal of proving that Neji was wrong to underestimate me and that he was being stupid about fate? Most definitely."

His student had asked the Hokage for more information about her status to understand her role in this village. She knew what would happen to both Sasuke and her if she didn't come back. Sasuke will face a grave consequence for what he did, while Naru will only have to deal with surveillance. Between them, Sasuke was the one in bigger trouble.

"I have faith in Naru," he answered vaguely.

Shikamaru pushed his hair back and asked. "So we are going to leave her be?"

"No, Kakashi and I will track her down," Jiraiya answered. He tore his eyes away from the photo of the Fourth Hokage and focused his attention on all of them. "Naru might have ended up in an area that could be potentially dangerous for her."

"That has been confirmed," Sasuke said dryly.

If she went outside of our continent, then Naru might end up dealing with dangerous people. Kakashi darted his eye to the Fourth Hokage. Minato-sensei had told him about the dangerous animals in the other continents. Some of those animals could trick a person to gobble them up, while there were people that could control a person with just an item.

Kiba nodded. "Those animals are dangerous, but it makes you wonder if there are more creatures for us to see."

"Maybe there's an ant that can eat human beings," Naru said, shuddering.

Kiba snorted. "I think Shino has that ant colony."

"No, you're thinking of the other ants," Hinata commented, shaking her head. Everyone blinked and turned to the former Hyuga Heiress. A frown was stretched across her face, and the preteen looked away from them. "Shino wants to collect those ants, but his father forbid him from collecting them."

"I can only imagine what would stop an Aburame from collecting those kinds of insect," Kakashi muttered.

Gai nodded in agreement.

Naru was strong, but she wasn't strong enough to deal with those challenges just yet.

Ijust hope that she is safe.

He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he failed another student.

"Hey I'm going to be fine, Kakashi-sensei," she reassured her teacher. If it was not for the fact that the book was about her future, then it was because she had a huge goal for herself.

Kakashi nodded and stared at her. "I know you'll be fine now, but it doesn't mean I won't worry about you."

Her chest tightened just a little bit with this acknowledgment. It was nice to know that her teacher truly did care about her, but did her future self know that Kakashi cared? I guess I'll figure out when we read more, but I hope my future self will figure out that Orochimaru might have done something to convince Sasuke to leave us. She exhaled and stared at the book in Kakashi-sensei's hand.

"So who wants to read next?" Naru asked, clearing her throat.

Sakura raised her hand. "I want to read the next chapter."

Thank you for reading this chapter, and please do tell me of your thoughts about this chapter.