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The Land of Rice Fields is a small country sharing a border with the Land of Fire. Orochimaru, a former Konohagakure ninja, took control of the country, and renamed it the Land of Sound.
Otogakure is Orochimaru's personal village. He founded it for the sole purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments, and his quest to learn all the jutsu in the world.
Once Orochimaru was killed the village was not disbanded, but rather quickly taken over by other ninja vying for the possession of leader. This makes it one of the youngest and least ordered villages of the ninja world.

Sai raised an eyebrow questionably at all the people that littered the streets, the yelling, the sounds, the smells. A sigh pressed through his lips, twenty-five years ago this place was so much more controlled... But that was back under the command of Nara Vaun, that creepy man that choose the appearance of a little child. The memory of the man however did bring a smile back to Sai's face as all the training he did with the man had made him into the cruel nature fighter he had become.

Glancing over to the large company in the vehicle, Sai's face turned sourly. He hated crowds, he hated feeling cramped. He barely had any leg room and the old craving to kill Tobias and turn him into his own personal pimp coat was clawing at his throat and slowly choking him. "Well... If ya didn't smell like dried up a** and feet..." Sucking his teeth loudly as the finishing of his sentence, Sai quickly opened the door to the vehicle and hoisted himself onto the roof, flicking off the group as he did. "Ciao ********> With a laugh, Sai launched himself from the roof into the crowd and continued making his way towards the Colosseum on foot.

As he walked, the landscape chanaged slightly. It was calming in what he saw. The heat of the desert faded slowly as the earth beneath his feet started to solidify and become soil. Then wheat replaced the emptyness, lots and lots of wheat and rice just out growing. He could only grin woundering who's fields he was walking through right this moment. It was at that moment he remembered something... His boots. He woundered if there was anything special about them so he desided to put them to the test. He started out with a jog. Nothing special, they were much more comfortable then his old sandels though that was for sure. Then he went into a run, which again nothing special happened. The wind flowing passed his face felt nice though, just to blow his hair out of his face and just the feeling of freedom. Nextly he moved into a full out sprint. This is where the difference was made. He could feel himself going a hell of a lot faster then normal and the sprint didn't seem to bother him as much as it normally would have. He grinned and continued to follow the wind which was guilding him. After about two hours of traveling without rest, He finally reached his destination. He stopped to make sure he had everything. He'd made sure while in the desert to strap the wicked looking blade onto his back and put the cloak over his shoulders as to hide most of it. It was then he realized that he didn't have any of his gear that he had gotten from the academy when he graduated... Well he'd have to do his best without them. He moved though the streets, his ears at full attention with this many people around him until he was guided by a shinobi of higher rank then himself to the exam area and was let in.
{58}

Notwen had a conversation with Mama Miyazaki, which ended in her telling him about the Chuunin Exams and giving him a map of the world. The exams were to take place in the Sound Village, which was located in Rice Country. He thanked her for the information and left on Kaala.
Just before leaving the village, Notwen stopped at Soba's house. He found that the door open and the area had been upturned. He shook his head. This was the beginning stage of Soba's last battle.
"Kaala, please stay here and keep watch." said Notwen in a quiet tone. The armored bird nodded in acknowledgement and turned to keep a lookout. Notwen went into his room and packed a backpack with clothes, toiletries, and snacks from the kitchen. With a last look at the house, the boy climbed onto Kaala's back and told the bird to fly due northeast.
It felt awesome to fly on Kaala. Unlike riding on Voir, the ride was much smoother and it granted warmth against the cool winds that blew at these altitudes. Far below, Notwen spotted a caravan of carriages heading in the same direction. That must be Yuuki's ride, he thought. Kaala picked up speed, leaving the caravan far behind in a matter of moments. The sand dunes slowly began leveling out and soon became flat green rice fields. The smell also changed. It wasn't like the leafy forest smell of Makry. It was a more subtle sweet smell. So that's what grass smells like...
"Master, the hidden sound village is just ahead." said Kaala, beginning to descend. Notwen looked below and saw it too. A small village teeming with excited people from all over. He also saw a large edifice at its center. The armored bird landed a short distance from the village itself and Notwen slid off its back. He walked around to bring mobility back into his limbs. A blue light shone behind Notwen for an instant causing the boy to turn around. Standing where Kaala was supposed to be was a black-haired boy that seemed to be his age. He wore bizarre clothing, his eyes were an orangred. "You didn't expect me to go into the village in my true form did you, Master?"
"I guess you're right." said Notwen laughing. Together the two walked towards the Sound Village. Once in the village, Notwen got the urge to use the bathroom. "Kaala, could you please find out where to sign up for the exam and meet me back here? I need to use the bathroom." Kaala nodded and was lost to view in the throng of people. Notwen walked off in a different direction. Since most of the people in the street were taller than him he could only see a few building signs. He pushed through the crowd and ended up in an alley. The boy was about to 'go' on the wall when someone dropped to the ground behind him and struck him in the head with a blunt object. Notwen fell in a heap unconscious. Yuuki + Notwen: 378 Lines

Notwen drifted in and out of conscience four times in an unknown space of time. The first time he came to, Notwen felt himself being dragged, but couldn't do much because he blacked out again. The second time he came to, Notwen was lying naked on some sort of experiment table. There was a bright light above him, and he could make out the shapes of men wearing lab coats around the table. One of the men noticed him awake and walked over.
"Welcome to Raito-Harusen kid. Don't worry. You will not make it out of here alive." Again Notwen blacked out. The third time he came to, the room was dim. He sat up and gasped.
The lab room was completely destroyed and there was a huge hole in the wall. He brought his arm up to rub the back of his head, but stopped half way.
"Wha-" even his voice sounded a bit different. Then he saw it. "What....am i....doing over....there?" he said weakly, looking at a his body. It was completely naked and severely damaged, but easily recognizable because of the orange hair, hazel hue of the half-opened eyes, and the fresh scar that ran down diagonally across his upper body. Notwen stumbled back, but stepped on something. He looked down and saw he was stepping on one of the men in lab coats. Their bodies littered the floor everywhere.
I have to get out of here! Notwen thought, looking around, and spotted a bin near the hole in the wall that had all of his things in it. He dressed quickly, noting that the clothes fit a bit smaller on him. He strapped the Seienken over his back and ran out into the night. "Kaalaaaaa!"

Kaala had been waiting for an hour and a half at the spot Notwen had designated and was beginning to worry when he heard the boy's voice in his head. "Master?" he whispered. The voice he heard was very similar to Notwen's but a bit deeper. Kaala closed his eyes and focused on the source of his master's chakra. He sensed it coming from the opposite end of the village. How the-! he thought. It was impossible for Notwen to have gone that far. "Suzume Koumyaku!" With a great leap, Kaala flew in human form to Notwen's location landing in front of a black-haired, dark-skinned individual wearing his master's clothes.
"Kaala-" began Notwen but he was quickly pinned to the ground by the latter his armored bird form.
"It's me, Notwen. Don't you recognize me?" said the dark-skinned boy. Kaala looked into the boy's eyes. The left was blue and the right was hazel. Instantly Kaala removed his armored talons, releasing his master.
"Master....What happened to you?!" said Kaala, reverting back to his human form. He assisted Notwen back to his feet and dusted him off.
"There is no time to explain it in full. I was jumped by some guy in an alley. When i woke up i was in this body and my old one was thrown on the floor. Please take me to the sign-up."
"Ge on." Notwen did and Kaala flew him over to the area above the sign-up desk. "I'll go up and investigate this place. Good luck, Master." Notwen thanked Kaala and jumped off, landing lightly right in front of the desk. This body was tougher than his old one.
"Name?" asked the jounin sitting behind the desk.
"Notwen Uchiha." replied Notwen. The man nodded and gave him a ticket with a number on it. Another jounin appeared and escorted Notwen to the first test. Yuuki + Notwen: 418 Lines

Hisaki lowered himself into the calm, serene waters of Otogakure's own Honeyasume Inn and Onsen. For the first time in years, Hisaki found himself at a place he could truly enjoy. The bath, it was completely silent, save for the gurgling of a nearby brooke that brought the steaming water into the pool. Even the birds did their best to compliment the relaxation. Overhead, there were no hawks or crows, but instead there were sweet-singing songbirds, chirping a quiet, yet sweet melody. Hisaki melted in the tingling-hot waters; it was a very relaxing way to end such a grueling day in the exams.

Hisaki slid in to his collarbone, and whispered, "Thank the gods for such a splendid place. I don't care what some people say: There's gotta be something out there to make a place so perfect." Hisaki sighed in relief. However, his sigh was cut short as a gobbling-like chatter came from the rice paper doors to the Inn. Suddenly, with a burst of noise came leagues of tourists and travelers, finding their own place to rest before the big show began.

Hisaki was suddenly swept over by the incoming crowd. In just minutes, a completely empty onsen turned into a madhouse full of reeking, smelly men. Hisaki groaned, squeezed in the corner right beneath the miniature waterfall. Hisaki lowered his face slightly and blew some angry bubbles, This is friggen ridiculous... We'll at least beneath the waterfall, I won't hear their chattering and cackling. Stupid old people...

Hisaki looked at his reflection in the misty water, and continued his thinking, Well, I could start to think about my time in Hell again. Maybe I'll dig up a few more memories if I think hard enough. Hisaki closed his eyes and straightened up. The pounding water on his head made it fairly easy to focus as his mind went into a zoned-out state. Inside his head, his mind picked up where he left off.

Oasis left the area of the first portion of the exams with a wide grin on her face, she had learned of a 'new' land and made a new friend what a day. Now it finally occurred to her that at least one of her friends might have already finished the maze as well, and so she decided to make it her mission to find her friends. However as she skipped along she stopped in a position not overly conducive of standing having paused due to a scent that caught her attention, and as she started to rotate towards the scent she lost her balance and crashed to the earth, this was only a minor setback however as she bounced back to her feet and raced in the direction of the scent. She came to a skittering halt at an interesting vendor, he had colorful spheres with skewers stuck through them.

Oasis' mouth popped open as she looked at the interesting food "...Sand kunoichi huh... How about some dango?" he questions holding one of the sticks up. "Its one Ryo a pop, but I will let you try one for free first." he states with a smile.

Oasis' eyes bugged out and she reached for the free sample pulling the first ball from the stick in one bite. She attempted grinning and chewing at the same time which was fairly inefficient followed by an attempt at speaking "Oooh sho ash ango, ish derishous!" came a muttered muffled highly difficult to understand statement from Oasis before she swallowed the bite and grinned broadly "OASIS WOULD LIKE THREE MORE PLEASE!" she chimes with a big bright smile as she plucked three ryo from her pouch and dropped them on the counter, the man shook his head lightly she sure was sprightly for a sand nin.

"alright then, there ya go three dango." he states as he handed the nine skewered spheres to Oasis who took hold of them carefully as she chewed on the one she was given free now it was time to find a good spot to eat this food. She turned around a number of times not really seeing anything until she took note of a place that said 'taiyaki' on the sign she blinked and tipped her head, what was taiyaki? She walked towards it but before she could get in she saw someone very familiar sitting near by. A massive grin overtook Oasis' features as she launched from her current position and landed on the ground with a 'whomp' in front of Hatsuma, she had one dango in her mouth as she landed and nodded brightly 'waving' with her head seeing as her hands were full. She gulped down the piece of dango and decided on a more appropriate greeting "Oi Hatsuma, did you have fun in the maze thing too?" she questions as she looked at what Hatsuma was eating "...wha's that?" she questions after a few moments of contemplation.