Another World

For little Naruko who was basically ostracized, shunned and hated by everyone, she definitely had plenty of time.

She was taught how to read and write, which she learns quick, but pretends to 'learn like her peers'.

Then she spends her time roaming around the village because after a year, she was mostly left alone.

She sneaks around to watch how people do things.

Buying and selling, the price lists, what girls her age do and wear as nobody in the orphanage teaches her.

Then how ninja train.

By sneaking around the Academy and Training Grounds, she knew how everything works by merely looking. Then she refines them to her standards and making them hers by tweaking some things here and there for her comfort in usage.

Thus before she was six, she already knows how everything works.

How to create and use chakra, how to train, techniques...thus she bid her time in school.

She only bothered attending the first two years of the Academy...and only showed for Academic Subjects, never showing up for Shinobi Classes...because she already knows what to do, and takes care of herself just fine at her own pace.

That suited the biased Chuunin just fine.

For them its better that the Demon Child doesn't know how to defend itself for the time of reckoning.

How wrong they were.

When the more bold ones tried, they were nothing more than gory smears on the ground.

All it took, was a copied, overpowered and mastered Gatsuuga.

Years later...

Naruko, aged 12, caused one hell of a ruckus in her own way, when the Hokage checked all the graduating ninja classes...yet not one has her name in it.

'What the...there's no Uzumaki Naruko among these classes? That can't be right, I enrolled her myself!' Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen sputtered at his Chuunin Teachers who winced. 'What the hell is going on here?!'

'Er, the thing is, that one can't be a ninja...if she doesn't take shinobi classes.' a chuunin squeaked.

'She only ever showed up for Language, Math, History, Biology...that's pretty much it...she never even showed up for Kunoichi Classes!'

'She's only around for three years and when the shinobi years of the curriculum began, she never came sir.'

'Really? I didn't know.' said Iruka, the last teacher. 'I just started two years ago, how would I know she's even enrolled?'

The Hokage snapped his fingers and next thing poor Umino Iruka knew, his fellow teachers are knocked out by ANBU and hauled away. 'E-ehhhh?!'

'I'm sure you understand the situation, Umino-kun?' the Hokage asked Iruka in a business mode that made the Chuunin gulp. 'If they ever sabotaged her ability to defend herself just so the mentally-compromised citizens can take revenge on a poor child whom they made a scapegoat just for inheriting the Yondaime's will...heads will roll. Quite, literally.' he growled. 'Minato trusted her will and her power since she was an infant to imprison it to keep us all safe...and what did our people do? Dishonor his wishes so severely that she has no childhood I wouldn't be surprised if one day, she spits at this village when she gets fed up. I really wouldn't be surprised.' he sighed. 'There's only so much I can do for her...I may be leader but that doesn't mean I have control over free wills either.'

'I'm not getting any younger...but I have yet to find a successor who would be kind and humane to her. Nobody ever smiled at that child nor showed kindness to her. Tell me, what do you see in an isolated child?'

Later that day, even further chaos occurred when Naruko was nowhere to be found...and they can never find her for a couple more years.

The only thing that kept Jiraiya from being depressed, was a Prophecy from the Toad Sage, hinting she is still alive...just beyond anyone's reach for now.

xxx

Naruko was far, faaaar away.

She's on a rare metal ship heading not for any country ninja had been to.

Faaaar beyond that, in fact!

The men told her(in her disguise as a very poor old man) that they rarely do business with ninjas since they're an ambiguous violent lot whose natures you can never tell. They'd rather do business with people they can at least, READ and know they're safe to be with. But there are some things only the ninja lands have that other countries want.

Upon traveling to a new land, a land where people are more into outwitting each other by being very skilled in politicking, bargaining and hunting...

Naruko figured she'll be free here and never worry about ninjas ever again.

Unknown to her, that suited the fox within her just fine. His host focused on surviving and living because others tried to make her life hell just for merely existing. She has no clue why but he knows full well its because she was his host.

Upon landing on an island...

'Well, here's where we get off gramps.' said the sailor. 'We're at the border islands.'

'Border...islands?'

'Yah.' said the Captain. 'Our world is just within a huge-ass lake everyone mistook for as the huge ocean. There are five 'worlds' within this huge lake and each world is surrounded by Border Islands in a circle, each with a Gatekeeper. The likes of us can sail because we got nothin' to lose, and merely sailing beyond the Border Islands alone is a risk, even if its on a good weather day. Strangely, nothin' happened so far and we're thankful that we can sleep a night away for a whole change. No doubt our luck will end soon but that's life. You win some, you lose some. Well, we'll pay the Gatekeeper we've known for years a Toll before we go to the next world where we'll pay a toll again just to get in.'

'...and what do they charge?'

'Loads of stuff we got from other worlds. They don't charge money. They got no use for it.'

'...'

'Well, the writing is different, wanna learn?'

'Before that, what's the world beyond the lake we are in?'

'The Gatekeepers said only those with incredible luck, strength and knowledge can survive that hellhole that humanity retreated to the lake for safety.' said the Captain. 'Its a world of monsters equipped with everything that can either kill you instantly, or prolong your agony before you die. They're hell born with fangs, legs, wings and fins unleashed.'

Upon arriving in a 'new world'...Naruko looked on in awe and marvel.

Upon learning the world's writing system, the rest was easy.

Upon bidding the ship farewell, Naruko happily explored her new world...that took her a year to do so. Because other parts are not allowed unless you're a Hunter.

Thus at age 14...she took the Hunter Exam, wearing just a knee-high yukata, a morning glory hairpin and a matching barrette that bound her hair at the tip. For footwear, she wore sandals. That's it.

Since this world has a more traditional equivalent of her world called Jappon, its clear that there were once travelers from her world, most likely wanting to get away from the bullshit ninja are causing every decade or so. And the universal currency is Zenni. She could buy as much yukata as she wants, as she was never used to dresses, shirts, pants, shorts and skirts...things teenagers her age wear here.

She read every book in her travels with her clones.

She doesn't need school to obtain knowledge thus. Why bother when she has her abilities that help her learn faster?

She decided to become a Hunter just so she can explore places forbidden to her before.

And the test at first, was boring. All running and making sushi(she has no idea like everyone else) until due to the unfair exam, they had to do a deadly version of boiling an egg.

Then at Phase Three Site...is where she met them.

'Everyone, the third exam will begin here.' said a person who looks like...a green bean wearing a suit. 'We are now in Trick Tower.'

'Trick Tower?'

'To pass this phase, you must reach the base of the tower in 72 hours.' said the bean. 'With that, I pray for your success.' and the airship left.

'...Trick Tower...a place where the world's most heinous criminals are held.' Naruko mused in her soft-spoken voice.

'Criminals?' somehow, a boy with incredible hearing heard her even though she spoke in a whisper. 'Nee, what do you mean by that?' he asked, approaching her.

'In any city and town, there are prison facilities for offenders where even life sentence is given. However, Trick Tower holds the world's most dangerous criminals who are either on Life or on Death Row. Their crimes are so heinous that letting them stay in normal facilities are out of the question, and holding them here is the best option. Where escape is impossible.' Naruko explained. 'If falling down won't kill you, the beasts here would. Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, nothing but forests and mountains for miles where any beast and insect can make your life miserable, unable to get food easily without a brush with death, and no medical treatment if you got bitten, stung or broke a bone...so the world's worst criminals have no choice but to stay here where it's safest.'

'Most likely, the warden will have us deal with the tower and its tenants. The deal would most likely be: shave off the examinees and per examinee is a year or some off your sentence or you're no longer on Death Row. So they'll do anything to make us fail or kill us. If not them, the Tower's traps will deal with us if we made a mistake.'

'Well, they sure left us in some messed-up place.' a man griped.

'Trick Tower...if there are traps, that means hidden passages too!' said another as there's now a scramble to look for a passage.

'Hey, won't you join us, onee-san?' the kid asked Naruko. 'Let's look for a passage together!'

'...'

This kid is so...innocent.

He has an air that she can't say no to him.

People like him exist?

So she indulged him for now, and they found five passages.

The two boys are also friends with two older ones...who they called over and went into the doors they found...only to end up in a big room wherein to reach their goal, they have to 'do what the majority says'.

For now, Naruko stayed silent since she wasn't used to talking so much and let the others talk...while choosing which way to go by voting, and taking care not to trigger anything.

She gave them her name when asked.

'You're a really quiet girl huh?' Leorio mused while thinking she was also just as expressionless.

'There's no reason for me to talk much since I traveled and lived alone for years.' said Naruko. 'I'm here just to get a license to go to places barred from common man, I could care less about the jobs it offers.'

'WHAT?!' Leorio and Kurapika squawked in shock.

'D-don't care?!' Kurapika cried. 'You don't care about the prestige and privileges being a Hunter brings?!'

'Nope. I have no use for that unless you count travel needs and expenses a privilege since traveling to places barred from humans. I want to explore the world and find an ideal home to live in. The place I came from...was not ideal.'

'Not ideal?' Killua blinked.

'What do you mean?' Gon asked her.

'I came from a land beyond the borders.' said Naruko, taking out a marker pen and doodled on the wall, drawing an accurate map of their world...and then a circle drawn with broken lines. 'You think that this is the only world we're in? You'd be surprised.' she said. 'I was surprised too when those sailors told me. The circle with the broken lines represent the Border Islands, each with a Gatekeeper. You pay them a toll in order to go past them to obtain fuel, food and water enough for the journey beyond. They don't care for money, they care more for goods from other worlds. Southwest of your world...is my world.'

Naruko drew a map of her world. 'Much smaller than yours, right? My world is full of ninjas...and every century, there would always be a Shinobi World War when I looked up our history. And when I explored your world and I ended up in Jappon, the people there originally came from mine, probably tired of the bullshit there. Because when wars occur...who suffers? Warzones tend to be in neutral countries and the people either get caught in the crossfire and killed, or forced to be drafted against their wills under martial law to bolster war forces. I found ancient books that the Japponese Ancestors were from the Second Shinobi World Wars did the same thing I did...take the Ship, and sail away. But because I'm a girl, I pretended to be an old man in disguise for my own safety since they've never had a woman in a long while.' the implications were not lost on the worldly-wise but her words confused Gon who has no clue. 'According to them, there are five worlds in total...within a huge lake that everyone mistook for as an ocean.'

'We're in a lake?!' Leorio asked her incredulously.

'Yup...and by getting off the lake, is hell unleashed.' Naruko continued grimly. 'Personally I don't believe the sailors that such a place exists and that I'm as skeptical as you are, but when I asked to see with my own eyes, they said, 'Hell no' even if I paid them all gold in the world because on the shores is a dark world full of monsters. Everything will be out to get you in an eat-or-be-eaten world. Everything there is equipped to kill and eat anything that shows even a small moment of weakness. Only truly-strong, capable people who are born lucky will survive and live to tell the tale. I suppose its enough for me that other worlds exist...I want to go to the other three worlds and be the first person to do so.' said Naruko. 'I too, am a shinobi. But just a Genin-Class. But as I never even enlisted in the military as I have no loyalty to the village who made life difficult, you can call me a Nukenin, a Rogue Ninja I suppose.'

'Heee...'

'I'm also classified as an adult there.' Naruko continued. 'The minute you are a Genin at age 12-13, you are old enough to even get married...and your duty is of course, produce as many descendants as possible who'd just be another soldier in the roster if you really did marry that young. I don't want my children to be born just to fight and die for a world I don't even like.'

'Looks like its a mystery we'll have to see through when we all get our licenses.' said Kurapika. 'Are those sailors of yours still there?'

'They change location as many times as Hunter Exam Sites change every year. If I were to go back, I'll have to hunt for them just to go back and pay them to ship me back.' she told them. 'Their ship will really stand out. Its built for surviving the journey. They care more for what keeps you alive as toll. The only time they care for money is when the ship needs repairs. The waters beyond the Border Islands are full of random rogue waves even on a clear good weather day and nasty sea beasts that the trip alone is based on luck whether you live or die.' said Naruko. 'I paid them in bulk with preserved foods, fruit and rice enough for the seven-month journey.'

'Well...shiiit...that means that's a load of food you paid them with.' Leorio croaked out.

'Un.'

Naruko had ways to prove she was a ninja.

Her jutsus alone was a dead giveaway.

When they fought prisoners, she created two clones of herself. One: to demonstrate the fact that she basically created Suicide Bomber Clones of herself, and threatened her opponent that he'll blow up with her clone.

Then in other traps, she effortlessly helped them survive by doing stunts too impossible for a normal human to do.

The final kicker?

She unrolled a scroll with so many squiggles surrounding a big character in a circle.

'What's this?' Kurapika asked her.

'Dinner.' said Naruko. 'Incase you hadn't noticed...we haven't eaten for a whole day now and its now midnight.'

'Huh?! Its night already?!' Gon cried in disbelief.

'It says so in our watches.' Naruko quipped. 'Our watches are in digital mode. 12 is noon, and 24 which is basically 12+12 is 24. Our clocks now say 24:00.' she said, pointing at her own watch, making them look at theirs.

'She's right.' said Leorio. 'So we have to do our time by 12 before it reaches 72 which is our deadline...'

'Yeah, we're here for three days which means we cannot sleep at all or lose precious minutes to pass this phase.' said Kurapika worriedly.

They watched Naruko form some hand seals, nipped her thumb till it bled and smeared it on the big character where the blood disappeared...out came smoke and...a giant roasted pig.

'Isn't this back from Biska Woods?!' Killua gawked out as they stared while trying to register in their minds how could she put a whole giant roasted pig inside a scroll with weird writing!

'Yup. I took the opportunity to stock up on rations back there after doing my test.' said Naruko. 'Because there's no telling when we'll get to eat again.'

'...no argument there...' Kurapika choked out. 'Stand back, I'll at least cut off meat chunks we can hold to eat for dinner before Naruko puts the rest away.' he said, drawing out his sword, and cut out meat chunks for them to eat before Naruko sealed the pig away.

With this stunt, they really believe her now as last Kurapika checked, no tribe or ancient culture can do what she just did!

In the meantime, Lippo was phoning the President...

'I see...is that right?'