Hikari wandered back to the fresh air and crowded village. She would have to wait until the Chuunin Exams were over before she could be assigned a team… if she even stayed that long. She thought back to her most treasured time in the sand, meeting the boy who changed her view of demon hosts. She hadn't thought that they may have been treated badly, or ignored.

"Kari?" Hikari was used to this voice, the thought that was not her own.

Ookami-san? She responded.

"Was it really wise to come to this village? After all, you were a disciple of Orochimaru for a few months…"

Yeah, I realize it may not have been the wisest of all decisions, but there's a reason I need to be here. I'm just not sure what that reason is quite yet.

"Whatever you say, Kari."

Hikari had a nagging feeling to come to the Hidden Leaf ever since she was in Orochimaru's legion. Sound ninja were of the most ruthless she had ever met in her years of travel. Friend to every village, ally to none.

She soon found herself wandering around the village, eyes attracted to anything colorful or shiny. She enjoyed listening to the gossip of the Exams so far. Seemed the town favorite was some kid named Uchiha Sasuke, as he was the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan massacre years before. She felt bad for him, knowing what it was like to see a loved one die, especially all a person had.

However, they spoke of a name that gave Hikari déjà vu, Gaara of the Sand. She felt a weird tug around my neck when they mentioned him. They said he was to be feared, as he was easily the most dangerous of the Exams.

Now that it was brought to her attention, the whole town was buzzing with excitement and anticipation as it seemed the fight was between Uchiha-san and Gaara-san quickly approached. It was only in a few days, in fact. Hikari couldn't help but feel her stomach flip over as they spoke of the confrontation.

Something wasn't right. She knew the Sound was mobilizing, and got the hell out before she was dragged in to any direct village against village battle. It went against her instructions.

"Respective Kage-sama," she recalled her letter saying. "Please allow Yukimura Hikari passage into your village. Having passed the hardships of the Hidden Steel's ninja academy, she has proven herself to be a very level headed young woman. However, there is a secret buried inside of the lovely girl. The Mythological Snow Mountain Wolf exists, within her body. She is a demon host, but her status as such must be kept as a topmost secret. The other nine hosts live with the knowledge that they were chosen to be a body in which the chakra of the beasts were sealed into without consent. Hikari's situation is slightly different…"

Her fantasy was broken by the sound of practice: hard breathing and shouts of jutsus.

"Chidori!" Came the unknown voice once more.

She felt her feet follow the sounds of training.

She peered behind a tree; normally she would have gone unnoticed, if it weren't for the new Hidden Leaf forehead protector's glare.

A kunai was sent flying. Hikari brought a hand up with inhuman speed, catching the knife's finger-hold and flipping it around, making it her weapon in seconds.

"Nice aim," she complimented, stepping out of the shadows and leaning on the tree in plain view. The boy had red eyes with apostrophes floating around the pupils. She recognized them to be sharingan, a blood line limit exclusive to the Uchiha Clan. "You must be Uchiha-san."