Total Destruction

Author's Notes:

I do not own Naruto nor any part of it.

This is the end of the Jyashin mini-arc. Next chapter is the set up for the real plot.

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Chapter 3: First Meetings

Jyashin realized why his sensei was so desperate, after finally seeing Kirigakure. He had been here three days, and the village disgusted him to the core. There was rampant crime: people stealing every three minutes, shinobi skirmishing in the streets, even a band of outlaws rode into the village and ransacked a store, if you could call it one. The only stores that seemed to be booming either sold heroin or were brothels.

The shops were dilatory and gone to the dogs. Most of the time, people couldn't even get what they wanted, and it wasn't uncommon to see brawls and fistfights in stores where disagreements occur. Jyashin could see other homeless people like him, but they were more abject, as they had to suffer years. Jyashin could swear he saw an eighty-year-old man, so fatigued after years that he had not a single strand of hair, die from starvation, right next to a group of young teenagers eating fries and burgers.

That was in the day; the nights were worse. Since Hidden Mist is close to the ocean, it rains practically every night. The streets were wet and cold and he saw vagrants openly cuddling each other in order to give each other warmth. There were children, even younger than him, who were so starved that he could see their bones. Parents forced their little children to wake up at 2 in the morning to rush into stores and steal whatever they can.

There were a few streetlights, but most of them were broken, or their light bulbs were taken out to be sold. It was under a dim streetlight on his third day in Hidden Mist that he met a young girl who was clearly cold, poor, and hungry. She was playing with and manipulating water, which surprised Jyashin, but a quick look with the sharingan told Jyashin that the girl had a bloodline limit, and was reduced to using it as a play-toy, not able to find any toy.

"You know, that's not exactly how you're supposed to treat your bloodline limit."

The girl didn't even faze, and acted as though Jyashin was not even there.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I only want to help. If you don't do something soon, you're going to either die of starvation, or from the cold."

Still no reaction, though Jyashin could tell she was listening.

"I know a place that is sheltered. It seems like a nice place, and we may even get something to eat. It seems nice, clean, and nobody is around there to steal."

He could clearly see the girl's ear twitch.

"It's not like you have any other choice. You might as well try your luck with me."

"Why are you doing this?" That was the first time she spoke. Jyashin could tell she had a very sweet voice. The girl raised her head to meet Jyashin's, and in the light, Jyashin could tell she was rather pretty, even though she looked wretched.

"I just don't want to see a ninja suffer like a vagrant. Besides, I want to help this village, which was my sensei's dying wish, so I might as well start as soon as possible."

Once the ice was broken, the two of them got along quite well. The girl's name was Kira, and her parents had died long ago. She was abandoned by her parents when they could not support two children, and they cared more for her little brother than her. Her father killed her mother when it was found that her mother possessed a bloodline limit, and her younger brother in turn killed his father. The people blamed the warlike clans for the rundown state of their country, leading to searches of entire villages hunting for clan members.

Though they had their differences, they noticed how similar they were. Both were orphaned, both detested, both wanting to become something greater than what is easy. Jyashin had his sensei as an inspiration, and Kira stated that she would like Jyashin to be her inspiration. The two quickly became friends, and in a bold move, Jyashin stated that he would like them to become brother and sister, which Kira accepted.

"Now, I'll watch out for you, and you'll watch out for me."

"All right," Kira replied.

--

"Pretty nice place," Kira said. Much better than that alleyway."

They were standing on a large building, and to be more precise, they were standing on a kanji for "water". It certainly seemed like nobody dares come here, since the usual night sounds are surprisingly absent from this place. Jyashin had spent the last three days here.

"If you go through the window, there is a room, full of papers. If you shuffle through everything, you'll find some leftover food, quite a lot. But make sure you don't eat too much, or whoever was there will notice, and don't ruin anything either."

They went through the window, and everything was in place just as Jyashin had said. However…

"Hey, did you say the snacks are usually in drawers and not in the open?" Kira asked.

"Crap. They know we're here. Let's bust out of here."

"There's no need to," a voice replied. Jyashin and Kira both turned so suddenly that their necks creaked. "I realized you were here the first day that you came. Nothing wrong, though, in feeding two children who are extremely hungry. And you," he pointed at Jyashin, "seem to be very intelligent, trying to cover up your tracks." In fact, even some jonin may have been fooled. He is good. I should try to recruit him.

"You shouldn't just try to recruit us," Kira said flatly.

Crap, did he say that last sentence out loud?

"No you didn't."

"Ah, I see. How old are you two?"

"We're both 6."

He was shocked. Such power, at only six years of age. WHY DID I NEVER NOTICE SUCH TALENT BEFORE!?

"You flatter us."

"How about this, I'll let you live here, and give you two some jobs here as shinobi. I mean, it is better than living on the streets, and I'll help you two get as comfortable as possible; I'll just need you to carry out a few missions, that's all."

Kira was about to object, but Jyashin replied, "Sure."

"Excellent. I spent the last three days preparing a room for you. I'm sure you two can fit inside. I believe you'll find it quite comfortable."

"Thank you," Jyashin and Kira replied together. They bowed, and the man led them to their room.

"I have some work for you to do tomorrow. Please try to wake up early."

"Sure." Jyashin knew that no matter how early they had to get up, it was better than getting almost no sleep. Smiling, the man left.

"Why did you agree?" asked Kira. "He's planning to make us his personal slaves!"

"If we're going to make a change, this will be the best place to start. Yes, this might not be very big, but we might as well start with the baby steps. Who knows, after a while, if the guy likes us, we could move up the ladder, and make bigger changes."

And so, a whole week passed. Jyashin and Kira mostly helped the man move stacks of papers and books, which was not an easy task. For some reason, even though the man did not like it, he always kept bringing more papers in. Ninjas sometimes come in, receive a paper or two, and leave. Other times, Jyashin and Kira themselves would be told to do something, such as clean garbage or help some old man.

This day, nothing spectacular happened. The day was quiet, and for once, it seemed like the man's room was paper free.

"Everything is finished," the man let out a deep sigh. "Ah! How much I longed for a day like this!"

The man seemed quite content to play with Jyashin and Kira. True, they didn't really play anything, mostly just running around trees and looking at clouds for shapes, but the man seemed happy just watching them. When asked what he would like to do, he just said that he wants to see two kids happily playing, something he assured them he has failed to do for his masters.

That night, the man even tucked the two of them to bed. Before sleeping, Jyashin asked the man one last question. "Who are your masters?"

"Why, the common people of course. I live to help them live, or at least I'm supposed to."

Jyashin awoke with a start. Looking at the clock, it was 2 a.m., the dead of night. He looked around; there was nothing that should have awoken him, which made it all the more suspicious. Jyashin sat up into a meditating pose, trying to sense anything that was out of the ordinary.

Five minutes passed. Nothing was wrong. Jyashin was about to get back to sleep when it hit again – harder, stronger, and closer than last time. There was only one thing that gave such an aura, and it reminded him of his escape from Konoha: it was a killing intent. In fact, this intent is extremely strong, augmented by greed, lust, and power-hungriness.

"Kira, wake up."

"What's the matter?" Kira asked half sleepily.

"We're under attack."

"What?!" Kira's sleepiness disappeared at the speed of light.

"It's aimed at the old man. We have to warn him."

They made their way to the old man's room. He was still sleeping soundly, oblivious to everything. Jyashin opened his sharingan, and noticed that no traps were held, and no jutsus were protecting him. It was really odd, as Jyashin always found the man surrounded by protection. Shaking the old man violently, Jyashin finally woke him.

"Oh, it's you. Sorry, but playing time is over, go back to sleep." He turned the other way.

"You're under attack. Somebody is trying to kill you."

The man turned back, an incredulous expression on his face. He was taken aback. Half of him wanted to dismiss the assassination warning as a child's desire for protecting somebody he likes, but another half told him that the kids were no ordinary kids, and he should pay attention to the warning. In the end, his prudent side won, and decided to alert the ANBU.

Just half an hour later, a full-fledged battle resulted. The cries of the fallen could be easily heard outside, but a thick fog prevented any sight, until thick crimson blood splatters on the windows like paint on canvas.

Jyashin, Kira, and the man all joined the fray. Jyashin then realized just how powerful the old man was: nobody seemed to be able to touch him. A large sword suddenly came out of nowhere, and even though the old man blocked the sword, the force was able to make a gash on the old man's left arm.

"I was wondering who would dare assassinate me," the old man said, "and who could actually mobilize such as large force against me. This plan of yours is quite well-executed, I must say… Zabuzza-san."

"It's time for an old geezer like you to step aside, and let somebody more powerful be the Mizukage," a big man said and he nonchalantly picked up the giant sword as though it were a feather.

"Zabuzza, how has Hidden Mist mistreated you? You're one of the Seven Swordsmen."

"I don't find it enough, and I don't find you satisfactory."

"It appears that your assassination attempt has gone awry."

Suddenly, a horde of ninjas appeared, encircling Zabuzza and the Mizukage.

"Give up, Zabuzza, you can't defeat me in a head-on battle, and you are surrounded. And most of your accomplices have been killed by my ANBU."

"Damn it! Abort mission! Everybody get out! Haku! Give us cover!"

The Mizukage did a few hand seals, and a large tidal wave began to emerge out of nowhere. It washed most of the enemy away, who were all promptly captured by the surrounding ninjas. Kira quickly pounced over to the captured ninja, but dejectedly walked back.

"What's the matter? Did you find… whatever you wanted."

Kira shook her head. "At least I know he's got somebody to look after him."

Jyashin didn't press into the matter, nor did he ask about the meaning behind Kira's reply. "Should we chase them?" Jyashin asked the Mizukage.

"A few of them got away, but no matter. I highly doubt that they will be coming back for a while. Anyways, I need to thank you two for alerting me to the danger."

From that day on, Jyashin and Kira became the personal advisors of the Mizukage. Despite their young age, they helped the Mizukage greatly. At first, it was mostly the Mizukage doing everything, with Jyashin and Kira giving a hint here and there. However, as time passed, the Mizukage gave greater authority to the two of them. By the time they were seven years old, the Mizukage was relying heavily on the two of them, and their opinions were greatly valued.

The Mizukage himself caught pneumonia. Despite the advise of medical ninjas, he refused to take time off.

"I am old. What use is there for someone like me to cling to the last strings of life? Death is a natural part of life; we should embrace it, not fear it. An old generation must make room for the new. After all, the days in our life do not matter, but the life in our days."

Three months passed. The Mizukage grew worse in health as days passed. His body was so deteriorated that he had to relent and delegate many tasks to Jyashin and Kira. Jyashin had spent each day distributing propaganda against the hatred of clans. He had undertaken at least 50 A-rank or S-rank missions, dealing blows to the outlaws that "visit" Kiri everyday. Jyashin became known as a local hero, and shop owners even hung posters of his image on their shops to promote business. The mere image of Jyashin was enough to scare even the most hardened criminals.

Jyashin's policies were ruthless. Absolutely no vice was tolerated. Food was distributed evenly among the people. Stealing was punished by cutting off the offender's hand. Jyashin ordered the ANBU to raid every corner of the village, killing "incurable" vagrants and imprisoning prostitutes. All drug addicts were forced to live in the hospital at their own expense, undergoing remedial methods. All dissenters to his policies were to undergo reeducation, save for one.

"Kira, I understand that you don't want to kill. But all rules can only be enforced after much blood has been spilt. I'm not a sadist; I don't enjoy any part of the killing. But society will not die; survival comes first before morals and the like. Individual sacrifices are necessary, but the society as a whole refuses to be sacrificed. Think of Kirigakure as the King in chess, and we merely the pieces protecting it."

Kira seemed pleased enough with this answer, but still went out of her way to avoid killing. She brought every single person alive. Jyashin went out of his way to honor her beliefs.

Jyashin had solved all domestic problems as well, though he had to admit that he could not have done it without his bloodline limit, as well as Kira's help, since she could understand thoughts and unspoken languages with her genjutsus. His most ambitious project that finally solved all problems, however, was the creation of the Seven Clans.

The Mizukage managed to stay alive three more years. He could barely lift his arms during the last month of his life, but he glowed whenever he was around Jyashin. The council was flustered.

"How do we do this? Jyashin is from Konoha, even though he publicly stated that he has deep enmity with the village that abandoned him."

"We cannot let him become Mizukage! Not only is he foreign, he doesn't have any hair below his head! Only adults – people with a score of years – can take such an important position. And we have seen his brutality. He reminds me of the Reign of Terror, when most of our clans were exterminated from the public."

"Perhaps you are afraid that Jyashin will take your positions from you?"

The council turned to the lone member.

"Listen, Jyashin is not somebody who is power-hungry. His methods must be brutal, because nothing less would solve our problems. Plus, we will continue to have power. Jyashin would much rather have a council do all the paperwork and make most decisions. He has told me that he will only step in if things get out of control, out of domestic issues, or out of our power."

"How do you know he is not lying? A crafty fox may not show his true nature until power reaches him."

"Because he has only done beneficial things to us! If it weren't for him, would we have any power at all over this chaotic land? I'm sure you know what Kirigakure was like before Jyashin came."

"Of course, but the…"

"But what? Commoner and shinobi alike are in the streets, clamoring for Jyashin to become the Mizukage. They love him, they worship him, and they will serve him with fanatical devotion. Never in the entire history of Hidden Mist has one man held so much influence such that we could actually become united for a change. I'm sure you would like for our village to prosper, and no longer slink in the shadows."

"And he has conveniently taken this time to disappear off to nowhere."

"Jyashin is a wanderer, not content to stay at one place because of what he went through. Yet still, he maintains such popularity here. If he becomes the Mizukage, nobody will question his authority, and if he wanted, he could order all the shinobi in the Mist, at this very moment, to overthrow this council and instate him as the Mizukage. But he does not. He shows great restraint. Besides, the late Mizukage knows Jyashin intricately, perhaps the best insight we will ever get. It was the late Mizukage's personal wish for Jyashin to succeed him."

"You seem to have stalked those two quite well."

"You remember Koko, the ninja who was assigned the S-rank mission to find out Konoha's secrets? The only member of the Seven Swordsmen who remained loyal to Hidden Mist? Well, Jyashin is the fruit of his labors, and let me tell you this: Jyashin defeated Koko at the age of 5. Koko had come back to Hidden Mist secretly half a year before Jyashin. Koko informed me of the prodigy he saw, and told me to watch over Jyashin, should Koko be unable to do so."

The council was stunned. True, Koko was the weakest of the Seven Swordsmen, being the seventh, but for a child of 5 to defeat Koko was a sure sign of prodigy.

"It's settled then," the leader said, "since we'll keep the status quo and get everybody happy."

In a cave in River country…

"You're probably wondering why you're all here, in your real bodies, and not your astral projections. This meeting is extremely important, and I need your real presence here."

"Is it about Orochimaru?" said a long-haired, blond man wearing a large black cloak with red clouds.

"Yes, but only partly, Deidara. The departure of Orochimaru from Akatsuki is a minor problem, though it does hurt, with him being a Sannin. The major problem is that he took the Void ring, so we cannot replace him."

"We can simply hunt him down. I know he is trying to start a hidden village in Rice Field country," a medium-height child with heavy lines under his eyes said. This child also wore a similar cloak as Deidara. "I can tell he is afraid of me, the way his eyes shiver whenever he so much as notices my presence."

"True, we can simply kill Orochimaru, but that will draw too much attention to us. Remember, we are few in number, and cannot make our presence known. That's why we have these cloaks, hats, and such: we do not want to challenge anybody right now."

"Of course."

"Then that's settled. Now this other matter, I'll let Zetsu explain."

"I was gathering information on the five major shinobi villages, as usual, and this time, I was investigating Kirigakure. Being the weakest of the five hidden villages, I usually don't spend much time there, unless I feel the need to observe one of their many bloody feuds. What surprised me, however, was the lack of internal conflict at that village this time. In fact, even the bandits and outlaws that are synonymous with Kiri have disappeared. After eavesdropping around, I learned that all conflicts have ceased three years ago."

A large man with blue skin and a face that looks half-shark seemed to sit straighter and perk up.

"Yes, Kisame. It appears that Kirigakure has actually found peace. Though I must admit, the last massacre did practically wipe out all the clans. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they have elected a new Mizukage, which isn't much of a surprise. At first, I assumed the former Mizukage had been assassinated, until I noticed how fanatical the Mist shinobi all seemed. This new Mizukage has united Kirigakure, and judging from the expressions on the people's faces, they all revere him as some sort of god. They even hang his image on their shops! That was when I invited our leader here to inspect the situation with me personally."

"And if I had not found things that even you didn't know, there would be no need for you to so suddenly abandon your mission at finding the whereabouts of Tsunade and Jiraiya. I understand that mission is extremely important, but this is even more of a threat."

"More of a threat than Orochimaru?"

"Yes. I found out the name of this new Mizukage. It may come as a shock, Itachi-san, but he is Uchiha Jyashin, and he possesses the Sea Mangekyo. He evaded your excellent eye because he left Konoha more than four years ago, and his presence was hidden from the Uchiha all his life."

Itachi was silent, as he always was when questioned by the leader.

"This Jyashin, he seems to have similar goals as us, and has already made the first move. I'm sorry, but the seven-tailed Badger has fallen into Jyashin's hands. Which means that starting today, everybody will be divided into groups of two, and assigned specific Jinchuriki to capture. Zetsu and I will continue our original operations, but everybody else will have to capture as many biju as possible. We are one down, but we have far superior ninja than Kirigakure can ever hope."

--

"Well, Kira?"

"Mizukage-sama."

"Please, call me Jyashin. For you, no honorifics will ever be needed. But carry on your report."

"I had followed that Venus flytrap monster you told me was spying on the Mizukage instating ceremony, and I arrived at a cave in River country, where there was a meeting. It appears that the monster's name is Zetsu, and is part of an organization called the Akatsuki. They too, are after the biju, though I highly doubt that they are trying to free them from their rage."

"What makes you say that?"

"You collect the biju so they could find peace and return to the ethereal realm where they came. Akatsuki did not mention its purpose, but since most of them were S-ranked criminals, I gather that they have no benign purposes."

"Do you know any of them?"

"Yes. The leader I don't know, and there is another kunoichi who I don't know. Then, there's Orochimaru, a former Sannin, who recently left the organization. There's Kakazu, who is gargantuan. There's Kisame, a former member of this village who was second in command of the Seven Swordsmen. Next is Zetsu, the half-plant half-human monster who spied on us. Then there's Deidara, and I know nothing about him, other than the fact that he enjoys sitting on large birds. Due to the presence of numerous puppets, the seventh must be Sasori, a missing ninja from Hidden Sand who is the grandson of esteemed puppet-mistress Chiyo. And finally…"

"What?"

"Uchiha Itachi, a 10 year-old prodigy from Konoha who has already become Chunin. Though his skills are only Chunin, he shows great potential. He is son to Fugaku, your father's best friend. He also shows signs of tampering with the Mangekyo Sharingan."

"You may leave."

"Yes." Kira could clearly feel a spiteful aura from Jyashin, and made a mental note to tell everybody not to disturb Jyashin today.

Jyashin wasn't terribly worried about the massacre of the Uchiha. He would have gladly done it himself. What intrigued him was how Kira so easily infiltrated the Akatsuki.

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Endnotes:

Well, that's chapter 3. Please read and review.