Survival Week

After various traps, they came to the last floor...

'Oh my...three will go ahead and two will be left behind if we take the safer and faster path, and then on the other hand, five can go ahead but it'll be a longer path?' Naruko mused as they saw the sign.

'In that case, how much time do we got left?' Leorio asked the others. 'Those dumbass traps and trick paths got us lost real bad I hate to look at my watch.' he said with a cringe.

'9 hours and 10 minutes...the long path that allows all of us in requires over forty hours while the other path is three minutes, but only three people are allowed.' said Kurapika.

'I have an idea.' said Naruko. 'We choose the X door so this way, five of us can go and I have something in mind.' she said. 'I got this idea considering we have weapons and wood here...we can pass with no need for betraying anybody.'

'Eh? Really?' Gon gasped out. The blonde girl nodded.

'Then in that case...' they all pressed X for the door to open...Naruko went ahead to get in, but she braced herself...and punched the door strong enough to bash her way to make a hole.

'...see? We do it this way.' she said to several jaws dropping. 'And judging by the size of this place...its a slide all the way down that by the time we get there, we'll be severely scraped raw...so its fortunate that Killua has a skateboard, and I have tools on me that can make the impossible possible. Help me make a raft maneuverable enough in this small tunnel and we tie it to the skateboard.' she said, taking out a scroll, and unsealed tools meant for building a shelter.

'Yosh! Let's do this!' Leorio cried eagerly as they got to work, chopping wood off the spears and axes present, tying them together and Kurapika measuring the sizes...

xxx

'I gotta admit, not even I thought of that in my day.' Lippo chuckled. 'But still, for an otherworlder to be this powerful at such a young age...'

xxx

Upon finishing the raft but needed a bigger hole to fit it through...they slid all the way down, with about two hours lost in building a sturdy raft to hold all five of them. There was thus, a few more hours to spare.

'Owww...'

That three-minute slide, was an extremely rough slide never to be allowed for public, especially CHILDREN but sadly, a bunch of kids took the plunge just to pass.

'That was rough...' Leorio complained.

'No kidding, my hands are full of blisters.' said Kurapika.

'At least we got out of there!' Gon chimed. 'Naruko's idea was really good!'

'Its only common sense since in our group, nobody has a traitor's bone in it at all.' said Naruko. 'That's a good thing. If we have a traitor, I would have killed them myself.'

'Well, good thing a certain someone isn't with us or that bastard would be a smear on the wall by now.' Leorio sneered.

'Someone?' Gon blinked, forgetting who it was when he met him long ago.

'If you forgot, all the better.' Kurapika sighed. 'I'd rather forget him too.'

'I don't see him here maybe he couldn't find a hidden door, got trapped or killed.' Leorio snickered.

Killua thought Leorio and Kurapika sure are vindictive...he's the one other who knows they're pissed at Tonpa. Judging by Naruko's clueless expression, she has no idea who he is, having never met him.

There are only twenty-five people who made it through. One died, making it twenty-four.

At the outside...their stress wasn't over yet.

'Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on having escaped Trick Tower.' Lippo spoke. 'Only the Fourth Phase and Final Phase remain.'

'Two more...' Hanzo gulped as two more to pass.

'The Fourth Phase will begin over there...Zebile Island.' said Lippo, pointing backwards behind himself with his own thumb, to a small island in the distance. 'Let us proceed.'

He made them come forward in the order they left the tower to pick a number...and it became a game of Hunt or be Hunted.

Her own badge is worth three points and her designated target is also three points, totaling the six she needs to pass.

However, her number is someone she cannot bring herself to deal with...so she took three badges worth a point, and hid herself on top of a canopy, only coming down to eat and bathroom relief.

And even if she grew to like the boys, she would never interfere so she stayed where she is.

Besides, in an exam where anyone can die anytime, the less attachments whose loss she'd get hurt from the better.

She genuinely liked them, but weaker than her, the one coming close to her was Killua in strength and fighting ability, but he's below her by about eight notches in her sealed state, but if she unseals herself, he is no match for her.

Well, she watched and watched Gai, the strongest man in Konoha in regards to insane stamina, endurance, physical and muscular fitness, and being extremely strong and fast. His training is insane that she stole needed items to emulate him without losing her physique as a girl. She can imitate technique, but NOT the body training level and maturity needed. Had she done them herself, she would get injured either for days, weeks, months to a year or more or permanently. Thus during her Academy days, she trained instead of attending most of the Academy Hours she never even needed, but only came for appearance's sake as there were eyes on her sometimes.

Of course, she recovers fast. So her training progress is faster.

Then the rest, was easy.

She became who she is today for survival's sake.

She has no concept of home, emotions, family, friends, bonds and loyalty even if she knew what her world is like, and she has a very twisted personality based on her upbringing. But she knows full well what she wants based on her life. Freedom, home, necessities, safety, and companionship.

She would discard weak friends in fear of the pain, and keep the strong friends who won't leave her alone by dying first, which was why she did not interfere with the exams of the boys while watching.

Gon's target was Hisoka of all people. Hisoka let him live on a whim when he could have killed Gon by merely a flick of his wrist as when she looked at Hisoka, her instincts and something within her screamed danger in all-caps, bold and neon-red and never have anything to do with him ever again.

Kurapika's target was the monkey-user. Kurapika knows how to outwit him, but the problem was the monkey and Kurapika is no ninja, but he managed somehow.

Leorio's target is the girl with the funny hat whose target was the snake-charmer. He's been stalking her for days now because even he is wary of her. Smart guy, because appearances are always deceiving, a trait Naruko herself exploited by looking cute, wearing flowers in her hair, lip gloss and a Yukata.

Killua's target is one of the triplets. Too easy for him.

So she waited out her week and continued spying with her fly-clones...and she realized that in the end, she just can't leave well enough alone after all.

"Really...why am I helping them out...?" she wondered.

She doesn't understand her own feelings.

Her feelings that despite her rationale and beliefs...she actually cares.

xxx

Upon arriving at the cave...

She was just in time to hear running footsteps...out came Gon, carrying Kurapika, Leorio and Ponzu.

'...I don't think I want to know.' Naruko lied in a flat expression as possible. Gon has numerous snake bites on him.

'Ah, Naruko!' Gon cried happily. 'Have you gotten your tag?'

'Un.' Naruko nodded as she took out three tags. 'My target...I really don't want to deal with that one, so I took these three.'

Gon froze.

Naruko was strong. Very strong. Yet other than Hisoka, there's someone else who's so strong in this exam that even she didn't want to deal with?

'Is he strong?'

'No. I didn't want to target this person so I hunted others instead.' said Naruko as she pointedly looked at Leorio.

'Geh?! Leorio's your target?!' Gon gulped.

She nodded.

Forget Ponzu, Leorio...no, anyone who wasn't Hisoka won't last against her!

'Well, wake them up now.' said Naruko. 'Except for bee-girl.'

'O-oh yeah, I can't since the gas is so strong...' said Gon sheepishly as he put them down. He put a number on her lap and frisked Ponzu for her badge. 'Well, you get this one aaaand...for transport expenses. Don't bear a grudge against me!'

Naruko snorted in amusement.

'Let's go to the starting point.' she said. 'We're pretty far from there, it will be a bad idea if we spend the night here. We're five hours away from the starting point. Being late might get us disqualified come morning.'

'Eh? Oh, OK...' and the two kids carried Leorio and Kurapika, leaving for the Starting Point to settle down there in a tent.

'Wow, you have about everything in paper...' Gon sweatdropped as she took out a tent, but only a bed for herself since she never thought she'd be sharing space with people. Tent, Cookingware, Groceries, etc. The only thing they have to get the hard way, was water and she was making Pork Curry with Rice. Not only that, she only brought items good for one person only, so she created wooden plates and spoons.

'Well, at least I managed to make full-use of this tent for once...I brought it as a just in case, but with this exam, no way I can use it in the past few days as my Hunter is most likely looking for me.' Naruko explained. 'I can't sleep peacefully in a tent that way. Reckless and stupid.'

'I guess so...'

'Hey, that smells pretty nice.' Killua and Pokkle came out.

'Mind sharing?'

'Eh? If you got your six points yes. If not, we will have to be wary of you.' said Naruko as she turned her right hand's nails into sharp, dangerous three-inch claws as a warning and she looks ready to fight.

While the claws unnerved Pokkle, for Killua its a normal sight since he can do the same, just that his and his family's wasn't that long...

'Don't worry, I got six.' said Pokkle, showing her his tags.

'Yeah, me too.' said Killua, showing his. She retracted her claws and they can peacefully sit down. 'By the way, where's Kurapika and Leorio?'

'Sleeping off Soporific Gas.' said Gon. 'Here's what happened...'

Gon told them what happened in their time together. During that time, the food became ready.

'Well...wow.' Pokkle gulped. 'I'm glad he's not my target! I'm good, but not that good! Not even I can deal with so many snakes!' he exclaimed. 'In traps, he wins. In combat, I'd win.' he said while eating curry. The carrots and potatoes are boiled so soft. The Onions are also boiled that it melts in the mouth from over-boiling. The pork is ... '...roasted?' he blinked. The pork was roasted before it was boiled into the curry. Its good.

'Ah, its from the roast pork back in our cooking exam.' said Killua. 'She kept it as rations.'

'How the hell did you hide away a pig that big?!' Pokkle squawked, wide-eyed in shock. The Great Stamp Pork, the adult ones are as tall as a double-deck bed and wide as a super-king bed. 'I can understand camping gear but all this time, all you have is a pouch, not even a big bag of camping gear like I have!'

'Tribal secrets.' said Naruko.

Killua and Gon who knew didn't say anything.

After a meal, they went to sleep that by around six in the morning wherein by then the leftovers are eaten...

/The Fourth Phase of the Exam has just ended!/ a woman's voice called out. /Will the remaining participants please return to the Starting Point at once. You will be given an extra hour of time. If you do not return during this time, you will fail the exam. Furthermore, you are not allowed to exchange tags after reaching the Starting Point. Anyone caught switching will be disqualified!/

'Well, we all passed and we got good food on top of it all.' said Leorio as when they woke up, all that's left was the pot of curry, rice, and their plates and spoons.

After eating breakfast, Naruko sealed the pots away and they left the wooden spoons and plates on the ground.

Soon, the others arrived. Hisoka, Hanzo, Gittarackur, and Bodoro.

A ship soon came and a woman came out.

'We will now check the tags of everyone here!' she said, carrying a pen and clipboard to note the tags and point-worth.

Hisoka has 384-3, 80-1, 281-1, and 118-1.

Pokkle has 53-3 and 105-3.

Killua has 99-3 and 199-3.

Gittarackur has 301-3 and 371-3.

Bodoro has 191-3 and 34-3.

Hanzo has 294-3, 194-1, 362-1 and 89-1.

Naruko has 150-3, 80-1, 198-1 and 197-1.

Gon has 405-3 and 44-3.

Kurapika has 404-3 and 118-3.

Leorio has 403-3 and 246-3.

'That's ten people!' the woman declared.

xxx

In the Airship, the Examiners got word that out of the 22 people, 10 passed...and everyone can finally have a break.

However, the Chairman wanted to interview them one by one...