So... My house wasn't really a house. It was more like a nook inside of an apartment complex.

There was no one waiting for me.

I looked down at the somehow-sentient notebook and frowned at it.

"Hey, what gives? Aren't I supposed to have parents or something?"

Last I checked, orphans weren't really allowed to live on their own... Right? Well, at least that's what I think the law must've said. Yeah, pretty sure that kids under the age of fifteen aren't really capable of taking care of themselves like they would have to if they were to live on their own.

"Ye do, lassie."

A notebook was speaking.

I was talking to the notebook.

Well... This wasn't really the strangest thing I had experienced until now. Waking up in a fictional world and having to live as if I had known the people around me my whole life certainly took that prize. Although the talking notebook was second on my list of weirdest things I've ever experienced.

"Then why isn't anybody here?"

The room I was faced with didn't look bad. But it also didn't really look lived in. It was a standard, seemingly-created-for-a-single-person apartment. There was a tiny living room directly in front of my doorway, a little opening in between the living room and the doorway that I had not yet investigated, and a hallway that led towards the left. It was a small and cramped space- it certainly wasn't appropriate for more than one person to live in here.

"Yer parents are the owners o' this complex." The notebook explained.

Suddenly I heard the rustling of paper being flipped. When I glanced down, it was to find the notebook open and flipping through the first two pages, to land on the page on the right that had been blank the last time I had checked.

It wasn't blank anymore.

There was a picture there, large enough to make out enough features that I wasn't straining my eyes. It was a couple- a man and a woman. The man was dark skinned with bright blue eyes and dark black hair that was tied into a bun. The woman was tanned, with equally blue eyes and a head of blue hair that seemed to be the same shade of the blue hair that now belonged to me. They were both smiling broadly, with the woman pulled into the man by a tight hug.

Fujuko Fujita (Female- 48 y.o.) and Akira Akagawa (Male- 50 y.o). Civilians: Konoha-born. They are owners of a couple of apartments in both the shinobi area of Konoha and in the civilian quadrants. Parents to three children:

Akio Akagawa- 14 y.o. Eldest of Fujuko and Akira's children. A civilian, much like his parents, that is learning to become a civilian's doctor. Currently in the normal academy.

Aoi Akagawa- 12 y.o. She is currently training to become a ninja- just recently graduated the academy exame to become a genin. Currently on Team 9 which is composed of her, Sai Nakamaru, and Haku Yakushi.

Ayumu Akagawa- 10 y.o. Youngest of Fujuko and Akira's children. A civilian, just like Akio and his parents. Still much too young to decide on a career path.

*Akio Akagawa insisted on becoming a ninja when she was only five years old. Fujuko and Akira enrolled her in the Academy much later than what is considered a normal age- instead of at age 6, she entered at 8 years old. The gap between her skills and those of her classmates are apparent, but she is not far enough unskilled to hold back.

Okay… So, from what I can make out from this…

"Alright… I'm not an orphan."

"Right ye are."

Pursing my lips, I looked over the information once again. "I've got two brothers… One older by two years and the other one's younger by two too…" Huh, coincidence? I think not! The parents had most probably planned to have their kids in this manner. It wasn't really anything important to think about, but I still chose to waste precious seconds thinking about it.

"And my parents don't want me to be a ninja?"

"Hate the idea so much they allow you to live alone in the shinobi side of town just so ye don't accidentally fill the boys heads with insane ideas."

I couldn't help it- I winced softly at what the notebook said.

My parents had never been mean enough to kick me out of the house simply because I wanted to do something they didn't necessarily agree with. Throghout my life, I had done plenty of stupid things to get my butt kicked out onto the streets. Not once had my parents given up on me, though... Not once had they forced me away from my siblings simply because I was not following their path.

My parents had been amazing... Were amazing.

Blinking, I forced myself to remember that this wasn't my life. It couldn't be. It was some kind of fever dream or something... How could being inside a cartoon world not be part of some strange, coma-induced hallucination?

Even as I tried to tell myself that this wasn't my reality, I couldn't truly remember just how my parents looked. Although I could clearly remember the faces of the people that had been on the picture the notebook had shown me.

I'd need to think about my parents at some point... 'After getting answers to some questions', I told myself.

"So I'm alone?" I asked, just to make sure that I wasn't missing anything.

"Aye. Now, supper up so ye can get to work bright an' early tomorrow mornin'."

"But I still have things I need answers to!"

I was talking to a notebook and I wasn't even questioning it anymore.

Should I even be questioning it, though? This was a talking notebook that magically filled up its own papers whenever it wanted to, it seems. Said magical notebook had alluded to trying to 'fix' the world- not just any world, at that, but the Naruto world...

Maybe I should just go with the flow and question anything anymore? Like, this world is clearly not my own. I have no idea how I got here and only have a faint idea as to what I'm supposed to be doing here... Quite frankly, the more I thought about it, the easier it was to see that it was some kind of weird dream. And if it's a dream, I just have to follow it through until I eventually woke up... Simple enough, right?

"Ye can ask questions later. Fer now, Oi have to plot and ye have to eat. Now, on ye go, Aoi. Ye've got a busy day tomorrow."

I did as told and made my way to the fridge, where I found some kind of leftover in a bowl that just required me to heat it up to eat.

Huh... There were microwaves in this world... Weird place.

"Just act natural, lass. Act right an' everythin' will fall in place."

I felt like telling the notebook that there was nothing normal about suddenly waking up in a world that was not your own. It was even less normal to be helped out by a talking notebook. And, even less normal of all was finding out that said talking notebook was around because of some unclear mission only said notebook knew about. But, instead of pointing out just how truly abnormal my situation was, I placed the notebook in the large pockets of my (Aoi's? Mine?) pants.

The library. I was in front of the library that Genma had asked us to meet him at eight in the morning.

It was precisely seven forty five in the morning and it was all the notebook's fault. It had decided to wake me up early and force me to think that it was later than it actually was so that I could reach my destination early.

Quite frankly, I was beginning to think that this notebook was out to get me. In some way. Most probably. Maybe it was playing an elaborate trick on me. Maybe the notebook is the one that is running the simulation that is making me think that I'm in the Naruto world when I'm actually in some sort of medically induced comma while someone pumps my organs out of my body to sell them to the highest bidder.

With a soft sight, I tried my best to not feel naked in the clothes I was wearing.

Once again, I was wearing black pants that were tight on my waist, flared out, and tightened once more by my shins. But whoever Aoi used to be, she was not a very organized individual. There was a surplus of clean plants in her closet... But there was a rather large lack of clean, modest shirts. And no jackets whatsoever. So I now stood with a sleeveless dark gray, high collared shirt, a mismatched set of gloves, and the same red scarf from the day before.

I didn't really know what Aoi was supposed to look like... But I felt like I was wearing almost the same clothes are yesterday. Except for the fact that this shirt was more of a halter top, like the one the blonde girl I saw yesterday was wearing before we were placed in our teams, and my stomach was completely exposed.

"Oh, Aoi. You're here."

I did not scream when these words were whispered into my ear. Although I did jump, whirl around to face whoever had spoken, and promptly tried my best to punch them. Seeing how my arm was poised a bit above my chest, I would have punched them in the neck if they were around my height.

They were.

Before I knew it, Haku was coughing at the unexpected hit, both of his hands clutching at his pale neck as I could only stare in growing guilt at him.

Had I... Had I just hurt a ninja in training?

No way!

I was... Me. And this guy... Well, this guy has been training for forever!

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" I immediately began to rush around him, heart pounding at a mile a minute as he choked on a possible answer.

I had just hurt my teammate... Was that a normal thing? No, that couldn't be! There was no way that teammate violence was something normal in the Naruto world! Wait a sec... Weren't Naruto and Sasuke supposed to be on a team together?

So busy with running around Haku asking questions he didn't answer, I didn't notice when Sai walked up to the both of us. But I did notice it when someone behind me chuckled softly and murmured, "I thought you only abused of Hiroshi, Aoi."

I blinked at him in nothing short of confusion.

"Who's Hiroshi?"

He sighed, shaking his head, "Hiro. Your best friend, I assumed. Maybe I was wrong, though, to presume such a thing."

Oh! Hiroshi is Hiro... That'd make sense... A nickname, then.

Haku breathed in a large gulp of air and finally calmed down. He smiled softly, closed his eyes, and I had never seen such a genuine looking fake smile before in my life.

"I am so sorry, Haku..." I tried one final time, only for him to wave me off.

"It was foolish of me to sneak up on a capable kunoichi. The fault is my own."

Horse crap, I thought. But someone's sharp whistle caught my attention and pulled me away from calling Haku out on the stupid thing he had just said.

When I turned around, it was to find a purple haired woman smirking at us with the evil intentions of a predator prepared to hunt down her meal. As soon as my eyes fell on her, I felt a harsh thump against my left leg- right below the pocket that housed the Irish-accented notebook. And my eyes widened, immediately wondering just what the heck that was about.

"Genma's kiddies! Aren't I glad to have caught you before he did!"

The woman strode towards us with conviction and confidence. The closer she got, the clearer my memory of her became. And the wider my eyes got.

Anko Mitarashi. Insane proctor of the second phase of the Chunin Exams in the anime... Or had it been the first phase? Maybe the third? Maybe she hadn't even been in the Chunin Exams... This whole lack of memory thing was beginning to get pretty annoying.

"Shiranui's got a whole set of elaborate traps set up for you because he wants to test you kids out." She informed us just as she reached us, placing her hands on her hips as she leaned forward, bending at her hips, to look us directly in the eyes. "But I've got a better set of plans, so we're going to make a small detour. Now, if you don't want to end up locked up in T&I, you better follow me."

I blinked up at her.

Then I looked at both of my teammates, trying to gauge their reactions. Haku look puzzled while Sai was smiling in that cold and blank way that made him look more like a robot trying to be a human than an actual human.

"Uh... Maybe we should wait for-"

"Anko!"

The woman screamed at the growl that came from behind us.

I turned around to look at who had yelled for her, only for my blood to run cold... Just as I felt a harsher thump on my left leg.

There was a behemoth, scarred and angered, barreling straight towards us. His dark eyes were narrowed in pure rage, his scarred face was pulled into a tight scowl, and there was 'MURDER' written over his whole body.

"Test number one, kiddos! Escape!"

Smoke suddenly clouded my whole vision. And before I knew it, I was being dragged away from the spot I had been standing on by a harsh grip on my arm.

Next chapter: Hijacked and Kidnapped!: Now that Anko has, in essence, taken over Genma's tests, just what kind of insanity does Team 9 have to face to ensure their genin promotion? A Mission Begun!: Finally, Aoi gets a glimpse at her main mission in the Naruto world... And is promptly thrown into a world of confusion and instability.

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