Chapter 122: Aftermath Part Four!

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Mifune's POV (Courtyard of Iron Arena - Land of Iron)

Mifune stood with a small group of samurai and shinobi surrounding him, and the Five Kage stood slightly behind them. The audience roared with support and excitement as they saw the gathering of so many well-known names. Citizens from each of the Five nations and even the homeland citizens roared to support their particular representatives. One would not guess there had nearly been a massive incident. 

It was something leaders learned early on. The ability of the populace to move on as long as they were safe. It was fortunate the situation had gone as well as it had. And now the people would act as if they had never been in danger in the first place. 

Mifune, if honest, was at his wit's end. The death of Reizo weighed on him heavily, not an unfamiliar weight, but unpleasant all the same. The first argument between Gaara had frustrated him incredibly. Had Mifune gotten his way, he would've beheaded the monster himself. Only for the beast to be spared by his own victim. The discussion of promotions had been more straightforward but timely; the Kage were incapable of being unbiased, and the whole debate had been full of subtext and attempted manipulation. But it had been decided.

The Genin who had made it to the final were lined up facing Mifune and the Kage with admirable composure. Though Mifune could not help but realize the Leaf were missing some, yet another recent mistake of Mifune's.

The disappearances had now reached five: Sakura Haruno, Rock Lee, Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi, and Yuno Uchiha. It was clear whatever had happened was against their will and potentially violent. Some even disappeared in front of witnesses. Each was a mark against the promise Mifune had made for these exams. That the Iron would not allow its guests to unnecessarily suffer. Mifune resented having had these exams, shinobi had a way of complicating things. But for now, he finished his duty; the time to respond would come.

"My name is Mifune of the Iron, I serve as the General of the Samurai Council. I have been honored to host this special rendition of the Chunin Exams as part of my duties." Mifune began his booming voice reaching throughout the Iron Arena. "It truly has been a gift to oversee such a thing, one that has now ended. Battles had been had, ideals and personalities clashed, and willpower and talent had traded victories in equal measure. But as it always has been, conflict raises victors. Though the tournament had to be called off, there are clearly those who have shown the worth of being given a promotion. For those who have worked diligently and, as such, have shined, a rise of station is needed! The Five Kage and I have debated such a thing in depth. Now you will hear the verdicts we reached."

The crowd had seen more than enough to be satisfied; they now roared to know their champions. Mifune smiled, enjoying the excitement and allowing it to momentarily clear his stressed mind.

"One by one, each Kage will approach and address its entrants. They shall do so for each and, in time, reveal the Chunin promotions. We ask for silence until all the vests are given for each village. Remember, this is not about sides, but cooperation and acknowledgment of the next generation." Mifune answered, and the crowd fell into silence, knowing better than to take the word of a world leader lightly. " Firstly, the Mizukage of the Mist, The Hero of Blood, Yagura Karatachi!" Mifune announced with a lack of excitement. The crowd matched such.

Yagura stepped forward, seeming unaware of the awkward atmosphere Mifune had created. His smile was smile and amused, but his eyes did not seem to shine kindly toward his shinobi. Unlike the other Kage, however, many of the crowd did not like the young man. They had heard tales, but admittedly, from a distance, he seemed ordinary. The messy green hair, short stature, and sizeable ornate-looking staff portrayed an aloof young man, yet he held himself unequally. Eyes never leaving his men, he began. 

"In the Mist, we value strength more than most. We recognize the need for strength, tempered by a hero's instinct and wisdom. We suffer more than most, but we create the men you see before you through that pain. Heroes born of tragedy, soldiers of misfortune. I say such to remember the expectations a Hero like myself must have." Yagura started the crowd, silently stunned by his monologue. His eyes glanced at the first Genin to be addressed. Suigetsu stood, obviously nervous to all. "Suigetsu Hozuki, I have admired you and your brother for the selfless service you gave the Mist. However, you know as well as I that we cannot tolerate weakness; a weak hero is a failure. To lose in the first round and act as brash and foolish as you choose to leave me no choice but to leave you as a Genin for now. Perhaps the shame will nurture the more heroic aspects of your personality." Yagura lectured. The crowd was silent; no one expected such a public dressing down. Suigetsu's eyes were firmly planted on the ground, and shame and self-hatred were evident for all to see. Yagura did not hesitate, however, as he turned to Magetsu. "Magetsu Hozuki, you performed better than your sibling; you held your own relatively well. However, your arrogance is unfounded and, as such, a weakness. May this shame nurture your heroic nature." The dressing down was softer and less brutal, but nonetheless, it brought down the mood in the same way. Chuckling merrily to himself, seemingly pleased with his decisions and behavior, Yagura returned to the line.

The crowd was silent yet not disappointed. It was rare to see or hear from Mist shinobi these days outside of their violent civil war. As such, it had been expected none would even come, let alone be promoted. It likely wouldn't affect the war-torn Mist much, but it was certainly a lost opportunity.

Mifune disapproved of such cruel reactions but would not disrespect Yagura by voicing such; instead, he coughed as his voice sounded off again. "Next to speak will be the leader of the Stone. The Tsuchikage, Onoki of the Scales!" Mifune had always respected Onoki; the man was complicated but often fair, as fair as a shinobi could be anyway. 

Onoki floated forward, facing the crowd and smiling, pleased with their roars of support. Doubtless, the man enjoyed showing up Yagura; wise and patient Onoki was, but Mifune had always seen he had a more petty side. "I have lived many years… more than most men could wish for or would wish for." He explained with a smile. "In that time as a leader of my great home, I have participated in, watched, hosted, and even judged many Chunin Exams. This one was a rarity, containing a litany of talents that only the best could hope to shine in. As such, it brings me great pride to see my grandaughter hold her own. You outfoxed a rather game shinobi easily and even pressured an opponent well above your abilities. Thanks to your tactics, talents, and unique way of thinking, Kurotsuchi of the Stone, I grant you the honor of becoming a Chunin of the Stone. May you serve loyally and without hesitation." Onoki lectured as Mifune handed him the Iwa vest for Chunin.

Kurotsuchi stepped forward, beaming. She accepted the vest and immediately put it on. Once she had regained her composure, she bowed to Onoki and stepped back. 

Onoki floated back gracefully, though no one missed that only one Iwa shinobi was promoted.

Rasa likely realized the crowd may be against the Sand and the failure it had brought him, so he stomped forward and faced the crowd boldly. He looks confident despite the circumstances and has his back to five of the strongest warriors in the world. "The Sand has always been an independent and proud nation. One that values self-independence and loyalty above all else. It is because I had to judge harshly, even regarding my own men." His eyes slid to Kankuro first, Kankuro, my eldest son. You were confident and prepared for battle, but such means little if you cannot adapt to your opponent and waste time with needless self-congratulatory prattle. You have shamed the Sand on this day. You will not be receiving a promotion." Kankuro looked a mix of ashamed and furious. But Mifune watched grimly as Rasa moved on to the next of his kin. "Temari, you are my eldest daughter. You are skilled, powerful, and wise beyond your years. Regardless of whether you have failed on this day, let this be a lesson learned. While performing better than your foolish sibling, you have shamed the Sand. No promotion for such a performance." Temari seemed to take the news worse than Kankuro, who looked abashed and withdrawn. It was a shame to see a proud woman dragged to such by her father. Mifune had thought both had performed well, but his mercy was withheld. The last of Rasa's kin was to blame for such. "Gaara…" Rasa started cold and cruel eyes locked onto the redhead. He was interrupted by the crowd, who hurled abuse at the jinchuriki. Words of hatred were somewhat justifiable. Mifune was not the biggest fan of the beast; however, seeing such unrestrained hate pained him. Gaara fearlessly matched his glare with one of his own. "You, unlike your siblings, have always been powerful and shockingly skilled, though all of which is pointless considering your disloyalty. I had thought the time had come when you realized your position in this world. See, now I was wrong. I will address this once we arrive home. Unpromoted as well." With his piece said Rasa marched back. Only Gaara of the proud Sand Trio seemed unaffected, though he glanced at his siblings in bewilderment. 

A was next, the man seemed somewhat pleased to have watched Rasa not promote any of his students. He eyed the crowd before popping a pose to a roar of applause. A chuckled merrily at such before he continued. "I am known by many titles, the Raikage, the Grand Lord of the Cloud, Unruly A of the Cloud. My wonderful home has produced some of the best shinobi to walk this world for years. The crop you have seen in these exams is a mere sliver of the greatness the Cloud offers. Unfortunately, I must address one who has fallen short…" A glanced at Omoi; faster than most of the shinobi could see, A lunged forward, grabbing Omoi by the face and lifting him up into the sky. "For such an offense, face the IRON CLAW!" A roared, Omoi wildly crying out in pain. Samui, next to her suffering teammate, merely face-palmed in embarrassment. With several samurai's collective efforts, Omoi was freed, a little pained but ultimately unharmed. A laughed, apparently pleased with himself yet again. "Luckily, I will work to improve you, young Omoi. You have failed, but I will remedy that imperfection. Now, to address the shinobi that did the Cloud justice today. Samui of the Cloud, I shall promote you to a Chunin for your skill, intelligence, and unflappable manner. May you use your strength and loyalty to serve the Cloud without compromise." A marched back as Samui nursed Omoi back to his feet.

Hiruzen was last but certainly not the least. The man was a living legend, just like Onoki. The crowd allowed their approval to be heard. Hiruzen showed no reaction kindly regarding the crowd and Chunin hopefuls, with a grace and aura that few could hope to match. Mifune felt shame once again. Nearly every failure of the Iron these exams had been at the cost of the Hokage. But despite it all, Hiruzen seemed pleased and patient as he allowed the crowd to quiet before speaking. 

"First, let me say, regardless of the results or words of my colleagues. I want to assure all the Genin and future Chunin who have fought, bled, and, in some unfortunate cases, even died today that such was not in vain. These exams serve as peace-keeping practice, representing the unity between our villages, our willingness to peacefully discourse, and the focus on the future we've held. Not too long ago, the treaty all five villages signed was printed, and it was an even shorter time since we decided to change how we did Genin. This exam has shown the benefit of such. But before I can address the future, the present must be accepted. During these exams, there was a tragedy. Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi, Yuno Uchiha, Rock Lee, and Sakura Haruno all disappeared during these exams, and their fates are currently unknown. Please keep them in mind. Hopefully, they shall be found soon. But for now, let us focus on the positive, as it were. Because of the number, excuse me for being a little brief while I discuss my men. Firstly Shikamaru Nara,"

Shikamaru stepped forward, looking utterly miserable and despondent.

"You showed great strategy, wisdom, restraint, and the ability to improvise; while not the strongest, you use your tools well. I am proud to promote you to Chunin; take your vest and stand with pride." Shikamaru took his vest as if disgusted by it. Hiruzen nodded at the Nara, who matched it after some hesitation. Hiruzen continued on to the next Leaf Genin. "Shino Aburame."

Shino stepped forward as unreadable as ever. However, Mifune noticed a slight excitement in his step. It seemed even the Aburame could be emotional.

"You did not get much chance to showcase your skills, an unfortunate draw to combat one's teammate. I know such a battle is not one easily won. However, we must judge based on what is shown. Unfortunately, such is not enough to receive a promotion." Shino nodded at such and marched back into line. Mifune nodded at such, respecting the dignity the young man held in defeat. "Next up Sasuke Uchiha." 

The crowd roared in response to such with a roar of approval. Sasuke allowed a slight smirk but marched to face Hiruzen without theatrics.

"Your performance will be remembered well. You faced an onslaught of skilled and powerful opponents. Each you matched and eventually overcame, even that of a jinchuriki. I am aware of how you may feel about me. The man who ultimately agreed to have the Uchiha… taken care of. But I must admit, you do the Leaf justice and the very blood in your veins. I proudly promote you to Chunin for your skill, power, and adaptability." Hiruzen finished with a slight bow, not one of subservience but acknowledgment.

Sasuke repaid such with a mere second of hesitation. Which led to further support from the crowd. 

"Neji Hyuga," Hiruzen continued. Neji received the most polite applause and faced Hiruzen politely, bowing to show his loyalty. "You only had one battle to showcase your abilities. Yet it would be remiss of not only me but my fellow Kage if I did not acknowledge your performance. You showed adaptability, decent strategy, and the skill to back it up. In fact, it is doubtless. Had your luck been better, you would've done much better. With this in mind, I insisted on making this decision. Neji Hyuga, I promote you to Chunin. Own this vest with pride, for it was earned." Neji bowed deeply to such before he rose and rejoined the line. Seeing the youth maintain the decorum and manners their predecessors had developed over the years was good. "Hinata Hyuga-"