Many Sound Shinobi came into the ring. All impressed with my power and skill. I heard none of their praise. The only thing I noticed was the splinters of what used to be a flute. Wood gathered the fragments, and then formed a box around them.

I picked up the box. I knew how to make it look like I was enjoying the attention. I've had to do it all my life. I made a Wood Clone of myself and slipped out of the mass. The second I was back in the main hall I made the Clone disappear. I held the box close to my nearly flat chest. I didn't know where I was going, I just walked.

"Heading for the mess hall?"

I turned around to see the brown haired girl that I had switched soaps with. She was covered in Calamine lotion.

"Ummm. Yes?" I was unsure of what to say.

She laughed. "I'm Kotone." She held out her hand, then retracted. "I don't want to give you Poison Ivy."

"I'm not allergic to Poison Ivy by the way." I shook hands with her.

"Really?" She asked surprised. "Most people are." She took the lead since she knew where the 'Mess Hall' was.

"What's a Mess Hall?" I asked.

Kotone laughed. "It's where we eat. A big dining room pretty much."

"Why do you call it that?"

"Well this is before I came here, so I'm kinda sketchy on the details but... There was a massive food fight like the first week the Sound was formed!" Kotone shuddered. "Lord Orochimaru wasn't pleased from what I heard."

We both laughed. "Hey, what's Tayuya's problem?" I asked.

"Tayuya's tough on all the new girls but she does seem to hate you..." Kotone paused. "OH! Lord Orochimaru told us you killed Kin." An odd expression crossed her face. "You don't seem like the type to kill someone though..."

"I didn't kill her!" I exclaimed in surprise. "Kin was a friend of mine!"

"She was?!"

"Yes. We met in the Chunin Exams. In the Forest Of Death her squad, my squad and a squad from Kusa formed an alliance. We had it easy!"

"Really? Kin became friends with you? Just like that?" Kotone asked me in surprise.

"Yeah. I have a feeling it was because I punched my cousin and sent him flying!"

"You did that?!"

"Yep! The kid was bugging me!" I laughed, Kotone was laughing as well.

"I can see why you were friends with Kin. You're easy to get along with..." Kotone went quiet.

"What's the matter?"

"Kin was a friend of mine as well... And if you didn't kill her... Who did?" Kotone looked me dead in the eye. Her cerulean eyes met my brown ones.

"I never said anyone killed her." I blinked.

"You mean... Kin... Is...?"

"Yes. I watched her and Zaku leave the Leaf. They didn't leave with the other Former Sound but they're alive."

"And Dosu?"

"He was killed." I felt anger pulse through me.

"Who-?"

"Orochimaru used him as a sacrifice for Impure World Resurrection." I made it clear I didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"You're in for it." Kotone said. "If you think your Initiation is over..."

"I can take whatever they throw at me." I said dismissively.

"You sure? The people around here can be cruel..."

"I can handle it."

"Here's the Mess Hall. Although I might want to warn-"

I pulled open the door without hearing the rest of what she said. I did summersault forward and caught the bucket of water before it could spill. There were several gasps of shock, some groaned in disappointment.

"I told you she wouldn't fall for it." I heard Kabuto say from a table against the wall. "She didn't fall for it at the Hospital either."

The Mess Hall was just as Kotone had said, a huge dining room. Four long wooden tables extended from one end of the room to the other. Some of the people here had mutations done to them but most didn't.

Tayuya was glaring at me, still soaked with a towel around her head. She got up and grabbed my wrist. "Next thing is a tradition here." She got an evil smirk on her face and sat me down on a bench.

Jirobo placed a large plate with a cover in front of me. I raised an eyebrow at him. He smirked as he lifted the cover.

"Worms and grasshoppers?" I asked grabbing the plumpest worm I could see, I held it as far from me as possible. I scrunched up my face in disgust. I smirked before I popped it into my mouth. "Is that the best you can do? I grew up having to prove that I wasn't a girly-girl! Believe you me I have eaten a lot of these over the years. By the way..." I grabbed a grasshopper, it was cooked. At least that much. No tape worms then. I made sure there was a nice, big crunch when I ate it. "Tastes like chicken." I said licking my fingers.

I continued to eat, making sure it grossed out the people around me. "Well I'm full." I carelessly tossed a napkin onto the large, now empty platter. "Night!" I waved my hand in a goodbye gesture as I walked out the door. These people need to be original. I thought as I walked down the hall.

"Nozomi!"

I turned to see Kotone coming toward me.

"That was the coolest thing I've ever seen! You totally showed them up! I've never had the guts to do anything like that!"

"I've just been through this before. The Initiation stuff. It's old hat for me."

"I mean the way you showed Tayuya up as well!" Kotone's eyes held admiration.

"She does that to everyone."

We turned to see Sasuke standing there, his eyes were full of hate. He gave me a glare that made Kotone wince, but I just gave him a blank look as he passed me.

"He's kinda cute but he's also...." Kotone's words died in her throat.

"Don't go after him." I said. "His heart is filled with darkness. He cares for no one. He only wants revenge." By the looks of it Kotone was going to take my warning. "Let's hit the showers. I need one."

Kotone laughed as she lead the way. At least not everyone here is heartless.