Author's Notes: You have to figure the Sound Trio knew the Sound Five. Sure, they didn't know about Kabuto, but he was a spy. The Sound Five are Orochimaru's bodyguards. They knew each other. Hell, they're even the same age. There had to be some interaction.

Kin had always admired Tayuya, but never told anyone. Of course not. The fire-haired kunoichi was a bare four months older then herself, and who would ever admit to venerating a peer? Not anyone with any sense, even though Zaku might have understood, seeing as he had a crush on Tayuya that he had likewise never told anyone about (Kin had noticed anyway, of course. Zaku wasn't subtle, or even very bright, and couldn't hide anything). But probably not. Crushes were acceptable. Admiration was not.

It wasn't for her power, even though Tayuya could take on Dosu and Zaku at the same time and still come out totally uninjured. If Kin wanted to look up to someone for their ninjutsu skills, she would have chosen Kimimaro, with his advanced bloodline and deceptive grace.

It wasn't for her intelligence, even though Tayuya was undeniably a good strategist. Kidoumaru was smarter, was better able to change to his tactics midway through a fight and never bat an eyelash. He could easily beat anyone at chess in Otogakure and had several times, which was why no one played the dark-skinned shinobi anyone except Orochimaru-sama.

It wasn't for her beauty, because Tayuya might have been attractive, but Kin knew herself to be equally so. Looks were nothing to admire someone for.

Tayuya was respected. She was considered an equal by her teammates, because she never gave them time to think her inferior. Kin watched with envy as Tayuya blatantly insulted Jiroubou, the larger shinobi not even flinching, but a fight ensuing anyway between the kunoichi and one of her comrades, because Sakon could never stay out of anything. But it was an argument between peers, both equally angry, both equally arrogant. Tayuya wasn't patronized or talked to condescendingly, because anyone who did soon found themselves with a broken nose and missing a few teeth. Kin wanted that confidence. She wanted that respect, the regard that neither of her comrades gave her because she was a girl, and unlike Tayuya, she hadn't proved that it didn't matter. But Kin knew she would, soon enough. The Chuunin Exams were coming up, and her team was the one being sent. It was there that Kin would show her worth, and gain the respect that she so desperately wanted.

Kin didn't think about why Tayuya's team wasn't being sent instead, even though Kidoumaru was smarter and the twins were faster and Tayuya was definitely a better shinobi then her, because Kin had something to prove, and she couldn't let doubts get in her way. She couldn't doubt herself, because then she would prove what Dosu and Zaku were thinking all along, and Kin wouldn't let herself fail. Not now. Not ever again.