Total Destruction

Author's notes:

I do not own Naruto, nor any part of it. No fanfiction, especially this one, will be as good as the original.

I've been busy doing college apps. Now I'm back.

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Chapter 8: The Jonin Exam

Tsunade looked outside her window as ninjas from all the shinobi countries reached Konoha. Tsunade didn't like the fact that Konoha would act as host again, but she had to admit that there was no other choice. Hidden Sand would not be a suitable place, and small countries cannot maintain peace as well as Fire Country.

Still, there remained the fact that all missions have been stopped for one week, from July 1 – 8. And also, this is a Jonin Exam, not a Chunin Exam. The death rate would undoubtedly be higher, and if anything out of the ordinary were to happen, there are no "adults" standing by to protect the "kids".

Tsunade sighed. A sudden brawl could break out, and Tsunade doubts a chunin brawl could be stopped. There is a high possibility that the brawlers are more powerful than those attempting to maintain order, and if not, lives must be lost if there is any chance to stop the fight. But then, Tsunade had no other choice. Leave these chunin and special jonin out there, and they'll brawl anyways, only with innocents caught in the crossfire. At least in a tournament, they'll remember that they are not supposed to wreak everything.

Tsunade then turned her attention to the matter at hand – assigning teams. Working with incomplete teams during the Chunin Exams was hard enough, but the Jonin Exam was even tougher. Nations don't even have to attempt to make a 3-man cell in this exam. Hidden Mist decided to send one team, plus a loner. Hidden Rock was the worst – it sent 3 loners, who absolutely refuse to be with each other. The others were a bit easier to deal with.

Tsunade then took a look at the Leaf Village participants. Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke had to be separated, she had no idea what could happen if the three were together. They could be a dream team, like the old Sannin, or they could kill each other. Well, Naruto and Sasuke would kill each other, and Sakura would die trying to stop them. Kiba, Shino, and Hinata had to be together – she could not imagine anything better. The Shika-Ino-Cho trio was best kept intact. Tenten and Lee? Why not?

Tsunade smiled nostalgically. The Rookie 9 were once underdogs, now they are top contestants for the big leagues. Perhaps they had the most motivation to succeed, perhaps they had the greatest potential, and perhaps they had the most competition, but no matter what, they have now become the brightest future for Konoha in 20 years, when it seemed the glory of Konoha would never fall.

"Hokage-sama, the ceremony is about to begin. May I take the team assignments?"

"Yes," Tsunade responded, after placing the Mist loner with Tenten and Lee. "I think everything works out quite well." Tsunade leaned back, and took a deep stretch, but then noticed the ninja had not left.

"The contestants are waiting for you."

"Oh! Right. The welcome ceremony. Joy of joys."

Tsunade didn't feel like reading a speech at all, and half-heartedly walked up the hokage building. She really hoped that she could have simply taken a good bottle of sake and drank away till the night. She groaned.

"Hello to you all. As the Godaime Hokage, I will be the host of this tournament. As you all know, this tournament is held to mark the end of this large-scale war. While we should cherish this opportunity, and fight to our heart's content, let us not forget the reason we are here. We are here not for the spoils and morals of war, but for the valor and heroism of peace. Let us observe a moment of silence…" Tsunade hoped that her last sentence would sink into the participants. She waited a full 5 seconds. "And now, let the exam begin!"

Leaf ninjas guided the people to the nearby stands, where the team assignments were handed out.

--

"Chanbara, it is time."

"Screw you."

"No, really. You need to make sure you know who you'll be working with."

"I already know."

"You do?"

"Yeah. I don't give a damn who I'm with. I'm doing everything by myself." Irritation was dripping with every syllable.

"Yes," the Rock ninja coaxed. "Of course. Your goal is simply to kill as many people as possible. But the time is long past when you can simply get your way with brute force. We have to plan, and give a false sense of…"

"My team will find me."

"Chanbara…"

"Ok, ok you bitch. But don't push it."

--

"It's a pity Shikamaru wouldn't join," Ino said to Choji. "We would so rock this exam if he was here!"

"C'mon, Ino," Choji said between mouthfuls of potato chips. "You should know Shikamaru by now. Even if he had a choice, he wouldn't have joined the exam."

"Wait, what do you mean he didn't have a choice?"

Choji smiled.

"TELL ME!" Ino grabbed Choji and shook him violently.

"I'm hungry."

"TELL ME! Tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, tell me, TELL ME!"

"OK, OK you whiner!" Choji laughed. "Shikamaru has been ordered to head this exam. He is practically the supervisor. And just to make sure he complies, Tsunade has made this a mission. I heard she ordered a team of jonins to drag him into the office."

"No way," Ino replied.

"Well, it wasn't too hard. It would be too troublesome for Shikamaru to resist. I guess he's becoming used to working hard, and it would be too troublesome to try and go back." Choji let out a long chuckle.

Ino sighed. "Shikamaru never changes, huh? So who's our new teammate?"

Choji scanned the nearest list. "A rock ninja called Katani Chanbara. Never heard of him. Says here that he never did any C-rank or above missions."

"You mean he's a genin?" Ino was really pissed.

"Hard to say," Choji replied. "A lot of data was lost during the war, and sometimes missions can be classified wrong. A D-rank mission could suddenly turn into an A-rank mission if something goes wrong."

It wasn't too hard to locate Chanbara. There weren't many Rock ninjas here anyways.

"Excuse me," Ino asked, "are you Chanbara?"

"Huh." The ninja was leaning lazily against a pillar, eyes closed, mouth slightly open. "Ino Choji?"

"Yeah."

The ninja opened his eyes. "Fuck this. An anorexic and a fatass."

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?" Choji shouted.

"Fatass. Fatty. Obesity incarnate."

Choji's eyes lit on fire. Before Ino could stop him, he made a dash at Chanbara and punched at him with all the might Choji could muster.

"Choji, STOP!"

A sickening crunch resulted. Choji slumped down onto the ground. He rolled up slowly into a kneeling position, and then vomited a barrage of food.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Chanbara asked.

Choji responded with another bout of vomit.

"Your welcome."

"Choji, are you all right?"

Choji vomited again, though just a little bit this time. "I'm alright."

"How could you do that to him?" Ino demanded.

"I was helping him. His stomach was stuffed, and I had to get him more in shape. Don't worry, lady. You don't need to repay my kindness."

"His fat is needed for his jutsus, though!"

"Then his clan should have been exterminated," Chanbara replied coldly. "A clan that consumes food day in and day out, whose members have little brain and use sheer force, what practicality is in that?"

"Then you'll let them die?"

"Yes. They are parasites. If they don't eat a village bankrupt, they'll at least be an unnecessary drain on the resources that could have been used to help a superior, more fit to survive clan."

Ino was filled with anger. With tears in her eyes, she charged at Chanbara, who raised his eyebrows. Suddenly, Shikamaru and a team of jonins appeared, stopping her.

"The battles haven't started yet," Shikamaru replied. "Save your energy for later."

Chanbara smiled. "I haven't started either. These teammates are just too troublesome. They'll get in the way."

"The teams are set."

"Then I'll just have to get rid of them."

Shikamaru didn't argue any further. He reminded himself that this isn't like setting up a Chunin exam. This exam is highly dangerous, and even Tsunade would have to give in to the demands of certain participants. He could tell that Chanbara was not somebody he'd want to negotiate with. If he went any further, he'll just get more entangled.

--

"Hello Lee-san, Tenten-san."

"Hi," Tenten replied.

Silence.

"Lee?" Tenten turned to ask him, only to see that he was gawking at the girl like a statue.

"LEE!" Tenten smacked him.

"Sakura-chan, I'm so sorry! I'll never do it again! I must defeat myself and train harder!"

"Ummm." The girl was abashed.

"I'm sorry about that," Tenten said. "Lee does get a bit carried away at times. You'll get used to him eventually. I'm Tenten, by the way."

"My name's Kira."

"AND I'M ROCK LEE!"

Tenten slapped him hard in the face.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan! Fighting my inside is almost impossible." Pause. "That's why I'm burning with excitement, now!"

"Are you sure you don't need a doctor?" Tenten asked.

--

"I hate my new team!"

"Naruto, shush. You don't know how scary Tsunade can be."

"But Sakura, we were always a team. We always will be a team, no matter what."

"Listen Naruto. This Jonin exam is completely different from the Chunin Exam. The Chunin Exam's purpose was to show off a village's power, thus the best teams are created. But this Jonin Exam isn't meant to show off how a village is superior to the rest, but rather how we are all equals."

"If you were to ask me, I'd say we make the best teams out there and crush the other villages. Now's our perfect chance."

"You'd have to pull out the roots to take out the weed."

"What do you mean?"

"Think of all those children in those small or weak villages. If we kill their parents or crush their villages, they will surely come back to us with vengeance. Yes, they will be on a suicide mission, but they know it and will still do it to seek revenge. They will be maddened to hate us to the point that they'd give up their lives to destroy any bit of us."

"I'm maddened to destroy Tsunade for wreaking our team."

Sakura smiled. "You're too emotional, Naruto. You should…"

"I don't care! Sakura, just remember: no matter what, we're a team. I'd rather help you than help my 'teammates'!"

"Naruto," Sakura laughed. "That will get you killed."

--

They had been sitting like this for quite a few minutes now. Sasuke and his two new teammates – two Cloud ninjas known as Raijin and Sanda – had been at loggerheads all this time.

None of them talked to each other. None of them were willing to break first. They stared intently at each other, asking the other why they aren't talking.

Minute after minute. Perhaps hour after hour. Even when the announcer began the exam, Sasuke and his teammates had not spoken. Nearby groups nicknamed them the Silent Squad.

Sasuke was still pissed that he lost his old teammates of Team Snake. He was sure he killed Orochimaru, but when he saw Orochimaru's spirit rise out from Kabuto, unite with Juugo and the cursed seal, and then swallow Suigetsu and Karin alive, Sasuke was scared for the second time in his life. Orochimaru was never as kind to Sasuke as before, if you could call Sasuke's "container" status as kind.

Sasuke missed Karin and Suigetsu. He was annoyed yes, but he eventually grew used to it that he now feels a certain loneliness. He had always been a loner, but now, it seems as though he just wished Raijin and Sanda would go ahead and start some sort of conversation.

--

"Are you sure that I did what was right?"

"What do you mean, Tsunade-sama?"

"I'm referring to this exam, Shizune. Are you sure that this exam was the right thing to do?"

"Why should it not? We demonstrate our goodwill and the mixing up of teams was intended to…"

"Shizune."

"Well, it does help in the proliferation of peace and…"

"Shizune."

"I mean, at least equality and philanthropy are evident…"

"Shizune!"

"OK, ok, ok, all right, OKAY! I think it's complete bogus! We might say we want to extend friendship but what we actually want is to crush those villages into oblivion! We actually wanted Hidden Mist, Cloud, and Rock all to be destroyed and grab all the business and spoils left of the destruction! We could care less about their recovery and hope their faces will be splattered with mud forever!" Shizune panted from her little diatribe.

"Precisely what I thought." Tsunade let out a sigh and closed her eyes.

"Well…" Shizune stammered. "I mean, nobody is perfect. And even if we were, we can't predict what happens all the time."

Tsunade let out another sigh.

--

Kira was playing her part well. In fact, she was enjoying it. It wasn't too hard to blend in with Rock Lee and Tenten. Lee can't stop goggling at her, and his comic nature made her mission that much easier. Tenten was the kind of person who acts like a rather bossy mother, but is very caring and kind deep inside.

The first part of the exam is survival of the fittest. Hidden Mist never participated in Chunin Exams, but Kira heard that it is exactly like the second part of the Chunin Exam. Survival is easy – Kira frequently left the village for weeks, sometimes trying to find out exactly where Jyashin is. He'd come back to the village a couple days each month, mainly to hear the council's report and sort a few things here and there.

Kira had been most surprised to see Jyashin stay in the village after the war was over. She had expected him to leave, since all the action was gone.

"Kira-sama, the Mizukage wishes to see you."

"The Mizukage himself?" Kira was looking at the ninja in a questioning way. He had his head bowed, but then again, very few people even dared to look Kira in the face. Even Ankara, the leader of her clan, would not dare to look in her face. Perhaps he was scared that Kira would find out about his jealousy – perhaps he already knew.

Nevertheless, Kira followed the ninja to the Mizukage's conference room.

"Leave us," Jyashin said in his flat, though commanding, voice.

The council left as well as the ninja, who probably would escort them to their rooms.

"Have you heard?"

"About the Jonin exam? Most certainly," Kira replied.

"I have decided who to send. First, we'll send one team. They will be comprised merely of kids. Namely, Kaguya Ano, Manjyoto Jun, and Uchiha Ganto. They've completed their respective clan's own training, but I want them to recognize first-hand how real missions are like."

"But Jyashin-sama," Kira objected, "they are their clans' futures! If they are killed…"

"They won't be." Jyashin said coldly. "Not with you watching over them."

"Me?"

"Yes. Who else better to trust than you? Just watch out for them, but don't get in their way."

"And who will be our supervisor? Each village is required to send one representative to supervise their members' behaviors and to advocate their interests."

"Me."

"NO!" The remaining members in the conference room had said at once. Kira just noticed that there were seven others in the room. Specifically, they are the leaders of the seven clans.

"Do not be troubled," Jyashin said. "I don't intend to come out alive. Anything who's ever had the nerve to attack Hidden Leaf has never had a good ending. I just want you all to be happy, and any curse laid on you should instead be relayed to me."

"No! Jyashin-sama!" Everybody kneeled.

"Please get up. You've done more for me than I have for you." Everybody started. They did not know what they have done to deserve such generosity. "You've given me a home, and a family. I've learned to care for this village. I was born in hate, but raised in love. Well, not really love, but its as close to love as I can get. I just want you to agree to one thing."

"Yes, sir!"

"When I'm gone, I want you to follow Kira with as much devotion as you have given me."

Silence.

"Hail the second Mizukage. Kira, goodbye."

Everything after that had happened so fast. Kira was given her last assignment – simply to blend into Konoha, work well within a team, and end up protecting the three youngsters from Hidden Mist. There was a quiet affair, in which all the ninjas of importance and the council attended. Kira was ordained as the second Mizukage, amidst a sea of tears.

"Now, I will face my destiny," Jyashin had said with a smile, as some ninjas literally crawled to Jyashin, hoping to hold him back.

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