Thank you for the support and wishes for my marriage, I really appreciate it.

Music Recommendation: Attack On Titan Season 4 Episode 14 OST -"Floch & The Yeagerists Theme" Epic Orchestral Cover (Available on Youtube)

Chapter 50

Deceiver

(Kirigakure)

Mei Terumi watched the entirety of their village arrive at the gates to watch the return of their triumphant army led by the greatest Mizukage of their nation. Even as they walked through the entrance with a thunderous applause from their citizens, Naruto lead the victorious army with his usual calm and composure while humbly acknowledging the respects he was shown by the villagers with a few waves of his hand.

Behind him came his infamous Generals and Admiral, formerly the Seven Ninja Swordsmen who were met with equal cheering...an act which made them all swell with pride.

Even she, the hated Jinchuuriki at one point was met with rave cheering not only as the Mizukage's wife but as an important warrior of this nation. It gave her peace and showed just how much had changed in her life in a very short span.

But it was not the time alone that had changed...

She remained the ever silent and dutiful wife even during the ceremony that came after where her husband honored all their war dead, awarded medals and golden crowns for bravery to many veterans, gave a thankful speech to all his men and honored his promise of freeing the families of their martyrs from ever paying taxes again...an oath he had given to those dead men and women of Kirigakure who sacrificed themselves in his battles.

It was late evening by the time they finished their duties and were now heading back to their home where their children would be waiting.

Even then she was silent as she looked at the enigma of a man walking beside her.

There was no doubt in her mind about his prowess as a shinobi and a Kage, she had never seen such a charismatic and brilliant commander like him in the shinobi world...a fact acknowledged by even other Kage's after his heroic victories.

He was loved by the people of Land of Water, even the former of Land of Lightning and the other territories they had seized. Under him many things had changed in this world, for the better...

Even in their marriage, he had always treated her with respect and compassion. He loved their children dearly...

If someone looked in her life from the outside, it would seem perfect. Many even told her so...and yet it wasn't.

Far from it.

For she had started to notice the changes within her husband recently, not to mention the disturbing rumors she had heard about an affair that he had with that Uzumaki mercenary during their campaign against Kumogakure, thankfully the woman had went away herself after achieving that goal thereby quelling any further rumors.

Naruto however had made no effort to crush them in the first place, choosing to let them run its course and die in time. A strategy which worked for everyone else, just not his wife who was dismayed by his actions.

Mei knew theirs had been a political union, to benefit their standing and future. But she had seen a brief flicker in him, that somewhere deep down he felt something for her and in time it could transform into something eternal.

A childish dream of a naive young girl...

For she knew now that his heart would always belong to his first wife, Ino. He very rarely mentioned about her in Mei's presence, but whenever he had she had seen the sheer joy and life in his eyes...a feeling he lacked very much in their interactions.

There had always been a distance between them, but also trust and understanding.

Something which was also slipping away rapidly as he was keeping things from her, making secret trips and had kept a truth as grave as the existence of the Otsutsuki from her. Now that the Six Tails had explained just what threat they represented, it was fair to say she was not at all happy with his recent behavior.

Still, she kept her calm until they reached their home and settled in.

She checked on her children first even though she knew the baby sitter from her clan would take good care of them and then joined her husband for dinner which went peacefully without a word being spoken, even so she could sense a lingering sadness within the man even though he had achieved so much love and victories.

Something was wrong with him and it became crystal clear when hours later she found him standing near the cradle of their twins with few tears slipping from his eyes.

"Will you talk to me?" she asked gently, there was a time when seeing him like this would have made her want to comfort him immediately...but the chasm between them was getting wider and wider much to her sorrow.

When he looked at her, Mei saw the way his shoulders were slumped and he looked so tired but nodded as he walked with her towards their adjacent room. As she gained a seat on their bed, he walked towards the nearby table and procured a sealed dossier from one of the drawers which piqued her interest.

"I'm so sorry, Mei" he whispered sincerely,

"Are you, Naruto?"

He flinched on her cold retort even as he gained a seat away from her on a chair and slumped in it quickly.

"It's time I tell you the truth, all of it. You deserve to know..." said Naruto hesitantly, before it was too late. A thought which he kept to himself.

"I know you broke our wedding vows. Don't deny it" said Mei bitterly,

She didn't understand why he seemed surprised that she knew but there was also another emotion in his eyes that made her even more nervous. It was as if he was hiding even worse things from her...

"Yes" he confessed, making her tear up instantly.

"Why? I have given you everything, haven't I? What made you do this?" she asked tearfully, which made him lower his head in guilt.

"You have given me everything, Mei. It's just..."

"You don't love me"

His eyes widened in shock upon hearing those words and had to fight every nerve inside of him that wanted to jump and console the woman that was breaking in front of him. But he had lost that right long ago...even so...

"That's not true, Mei. I did try and I do love you" he said honestly, for it was the truth. Despite everything, a part of him loved her dearly and hated putting her in this situation. It was exactly why he had not pursued a relationship with Kushina or asked Ino to come back into his life for he would only end up hurting them as well in the pursuit of his goal.

And they deserved better.

All of them.

"Then why?" asked Mei angrily,

"The answer to that lies in who I am. My past..." he whispered hesitantly, even as he got up from his seat to walk forward and offer her the dossier which Hanzo Uzumaki had created and entrusted Kushina to leak should he go out of line. An evidence that damned him completely and revealed his true story.

Mei's eyes widened in surprise when she spotted Uzushiogakure's symbol on the dossier and froze in shock when she opened the first page as her world came crashing down.

For there lied the greatest betrayal of her life and that of her country.

"My true name is Minato Namikaze, Former Captain of Uzushiogakure's Spartan Blackops"

He watched all color drain from her face upon hearing those words as she stared at his Service record where a much younger version of him stared back at her with the most determined and vengeful gaze she had ever seen in a person.

She became more and more numb as she read through his exploits in the First Great Ninja War, his family history...

"My mother was Inoue Namikaze and my biological father was Tobirama Senju, although these records have no information of that for my mother kept it a secret from everyone and told me about it only before her death. Through them and my ancestry, I have the blood of the Namikaze, Senju, and Uchiha clan running through my veins" said Naruto honestly,

"What are you saying? What is this?" asked Mei in horror,

"My truth. I was a Spy"

Mei felt her heart stop momentarily upon that confession even as her body started to tremble in absolute fear as she stepped back from this stranger...this traitor sitting near her.

But for some inexplicable reason, she couldn't attack him or run away because even now all she could see was the face of the man she married.

She couldn't do anything but listen as he told her everything, about his past, how he ended up here, how he played their entire nation to achieve his goals and fulfill his mission...

As she learned more and more, she felt sicker than she ever had and vomited her dinner even as he made no move to stop her or be repulsed by it.

However it also explained quite a lot of mysteries that she couldn't understand earlier.

Why he pushed Lord Gengetsu to wage war on Kumogakure, why the alliance with the Land of Fire and its allies, why the Land of Lightning was crushed so mercilessly, how Kiri got its hands on winged device technology which only the Spartans of Uzu had in the past, that Uzumaki mercenary woman who was his first love and a fellow Spartan survivor, why he had insisted for Tobirama to meet their children and so much more...

"You...do you have any idea what you have done? To me? My clan and father? MY CHILDREN!" she yelled in absolute rage,

He didn't flinch or back away when his wife charged forward and gave him one of the hardest punches of his life that sent him crashing to the floor. She didn't relent and continued attacking him furiously even as tears continued falling from her eyes in an unending rain.

Why! Why! Why!

She kept crying that single question over and over again until she ran out of strength and looked at his badly bruised face.

"Monster...do you have any humanity in you at all?"

"You play the bad guy next"

Hanzo Uzumaki's words echoed through his heart once again as he looked into his wife's broken gaze. Just as that man had taken everything from him, he too had taken everything from the woman in front of him.

An endless cycle.

If you want to save your family and everyone you care about, keep walking forward in this hell. It will be a painful journey but you must see it through. Fight for their freedom.

Madara's advice made him clench his fists even as he wanted nothing more than to disappear for putting Mei through something like this. Even so...his reckoning had not arrived.

Not yet.

"Answer me!" she screamed at him,

"You're right. I'm the bad guy, I did betray all of you and did all that you know now" he whispered somberly,

"Naruto-The Great? Maybe that's true...you are this nation's, no maybe the greatest traitor of humanity. A devil who thinks only about himself and would destroy everything for their own goals" said Mei disappointedly,

Those words cut deeper than any blade, bled his heart more painfully as in them lay a cold and bitter truth.

He steeled himself as he summoned the dark ash like chakra from his body that grabbed Mei fiercely even as she struggled violently, removing her from top of him he sent her crashing on the bed reducing the worst of the fall even as he got up on his feet.

Summoning nature energy, he healed the wounds on his body that she inflicted knowing the ones to his heart would never heal.

Neither would the ones he gave to her own.

He could see the clear fear in her eyes now for she knew the power he was capable of, if needed he could kill her right now and none would dare question him over it.

"What are you going to do to me?" she asked hesitantly,

"Nothing" said Naruto honestly,

Mei barely managed to catch the scroll he sent her way and upon opening it, she was left speechless once again.

"It's too late for me to turn back now. Neither can we have a change in our leadership right before the Kage Summit, but that document is my resignation as the Fourth Mizukage as well as the admission of my crimes. I take full responsibility for all of it, even if I never really did anything to truly harm Kirigakure despite being a Spy" said the Fourth Mizukage,

"Zabuza was right. We all should have trusted him, but we were so blind and so are you if you think your actions helped this nation and everyone you say you care about!" she retorted angrily,

She stepped back nervously when he marched towards her and looked at her with his cold red eyes.

"Even if you all knew, do you truly think you can take me down? I killed a tailed beast when you all were barely learning to not shit yourselves in a fight, I have been in more battles than all of you combined have been alive...I can kill any of you easily if you get in my way" warned Naruto mercilessly,

Mei looked away, unable to meet those eyes that she had once loved so dearly. It had all been a lie all along, the man she and everyone of her countrymen thought they knew...never existed in reality.

But as loathe as she was to admit, he was the strongest shinobi of their nation and a brilliant military commander.

He had used Kiri for his own ambition but in doing so had also made it a power that the entire world respected and feared. He had changed all of their destiny's...

"Why did you tell me all of this? Why now?" she asked tiredly,

"To protect you...and our children"

The anger within her heart flared even more upon hearing that confession, yet another feeling also arose within Mei when she looked at his heartbroken gaze.

"In this cruel world of shinobi, the longer you live...the worse you end up becoming. If I knew it would come to this, I would have preferred to die a long time ago. I know my sins, Mei. More than anyone else...when the time comes, I am prepared to face my judgement. But I won't drag you, our children or anyone from this nation in that path...it's the least I can do to atone. Even though it will never be enough..." he confessed sincerely,

"You're right. Your sins are unforgivable and you deserve whatever hell awaits you. Get out!" replied Mei icily,

He nodded stoically even as his eyes bore into her very soul.

"Keep your silence until the right time. For your own sake and the children" he said coldly, earning a murderous glare from his wife.

"Don't pretend to care about this family, monster. I will protect my children from your sins" hissed Mei bitterly,

"You're a good mother, the children are lucky to have you" he whispered thankfully, a gentle look arriving in his eyes which made her heartbreak even worse.

"Just go" she whispered tearfully,

And he did in a flash as she broke down completely for the life she had just lost.

Naruto sat on top of one of his favorite mountains observing the Mist Village in all its glory at night even as its citizens celebrated their victory alongside their shinobi who were finally home.

The fact that this place was also where Mei had proposed to marry him was something he was willing to blame on his need for nostalgia.

His tears had long since dried up yet the pain in his heart burned like a raging inferno swallowing his very soul.

He had known the price he would have to pay for achieving his goals and restoring the family he had lost back to life, but it was still heartbreaking. Even so he had no choice...

Madara had held up his end of the bargain truly and he was not one to break to his own word.

It was all he had left when he had lost everything.

"You've grown into a quite a handsome man"

He paled upon hearing a voice he had nearly forgotten and had never expected to hear again. Hesitantly, he looked back to see the woman who had given him life looking at him with a tearful smile.

"Mother..."

Inoue Namikaze looked exactly as the way he remembered, unblemished fair skinned with long golden locks flowing freely in the air. Her kind blue eyes held the same warmth and love that he had missed for so long...

Just seeing her alive and standing before him made the pain he was enduring and would continue to worth it.

"How are you here? I left you and Yahiko in Uzu with Nagato" he asked hesitantly, even as he got up on his feet and was soon embraced in a fierce hug as she sobbed in joy.

He returned the gesture whole heartedly, for once thankful to be loved unconditionally.

"A Hirashin mark never disappears, but you already know that...my son" said Inoue calmly,

He looked at his right arm to see the very same mark becoming active as if to emphasize her point. She had marked him with it during the First Great Ninja War alongside Nagato in order to come to their aid instantly if they got in trouble.

"I see"

"You look tired" said Inoue sympathetically, even as she caressed his cheek which made him smile.

"Sometimes I feel this is all a long dream. That if I just wake up I'll find myself back in our home alongside the rest of our family" he whispered reluctantly,

"Nagato told me everything. What you went through in this hell, how far you went for us all...I honestly don't know what to say, Minato. I lost that right the moment I left my boys alone in this miserable world" said Ino miserably, as tears arrived in her eyes once again.

"You died to save us on that battlefield. That sacrifice saved our lives and gave Uzu another day to fight" replied her son compassionately,

"I still can't forgive myself for all that my boys endured. Now we have another chance thanks to you, let's just run away from all of this. Yahiko, me, Nagato, I heard about a girl Kushina who loves you dearly and your children...let's just go to a quiet place and live the rest of our lives in peace and happiness. We all deserve that" she pleaded with him,

Inoue looked into her son's eyes and saw clearly that a part of him wanted exactly what she was proposing, but another more stronger part of him wanted something else.

"If I don't stop this cycle it will only happen again someday, Mother. With more grave consequences, besides I gave Madara my word that I shall help him achieve this dream that I now believe in too. He kept his promise, brought all my family and friends back to life. For that alone, I would dedicate my heart to our cause" said Naruto sincerely,

"And take on the entire shinobi world? Just the two of you? I don't doubt the power the two of you hold but against that kind of opposition..."

Inoue paused instantly when she saw a knowing glance present in her elder son's eyes alongside a small smile.

"We'll put an end to this conflict ridden world. As descendants of the Sage of Six Paths, heirs to the Uchiha and Senju bloodline-it is within our power to make a difference. Even if it means we have to fight against the entire world to save it from its own sins...the irony of that isn't lost on either of us" said Naruto with a faint chuckle,

"Only death awaits you on this path, Minato. That and the hatred of this entire shinobi world for they will not accept your wishes" warned Inoue with a heavy heart,

She watched as her son placed her hands gently upon her shoulders and gave her a comforting smile.

"If that is to be my fate, so be it. It shall be the price of my sins, if I don't do this then I would never be able to live with myself for not doing anything to create a safer and peaceful world for my children. Forget about me, Mother. The son you knew died a long time ago, all that remains is a man who desires change no matter the cost. I shall keep moving forward until I achieve my goal...so it's best if you free yourself of me" requested Naruto gently,

"Is that why you are pushing everyone away? Your family and friends? Your wife and children? Me?" asked Inoue furiously,

"I am finally free. This is a path I chose for myself, let me go...Mother" whispered Naruto, as he clenched his right fist and thumped it over his heart.

He watched heavy tears fall from his mother's eyes as she recognized the Spartan Salute he was offering, one she had seen her younger son and his comrades back in Uzu performing quite a lot.

She looked at this person in front of her truly and for the first time recognized that while he had the face of her son but was a completely different person in reality.

The child she had given birth to and loved dearly.

The boy who had sought freedom for his island nation and justice for his loved ones...was gone.

The only thing that remained was a determined man with a vision of his own.

A faint smile arrived on the Mizukage's lips when his mother returned the salute he had offered and overcame her grief to look at him with the respect she would offer to a fellow shinobi whom she acknowledged.

He was further surprised when she moved the clenched fist placed upon her heart right upon his own and this time she could not hold back her tears.

"Devote your heart fully to this future that you wish to create. Those that can't sacrifice anything could never bring true change...I believe you can achieve your dream and no matter what happens I will love you regardless" whispered Inoue as she came closer to offer him a parting kiss on his forehead.

"Take care of Nagato and Yahiko for me" replied Naruto with a smile, even as he fought his hardest to stem the tears that wanted to escape from his moistening eyes.

"I will" promised Inoue, which made her son laugh as well.

"Thank you, Mother"

(Few Days Later)

Naruto looked at the members of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen assembled within his office. In the corner of the room stood his wife who had not spoken a word to him ever since his confession. The only solace was the fact that she had not revealed his true identity to the people yet, not that she could do so openly without jeopardizing her clan and their children's lives.

But it was clear whatever feelings she had for him had died completely.

It was necessary for what was to come.

"The Tsuchikage is mad if he thinks we'll allow him to host the World's first all Kage summit in his village!" said Ameyuri angrily, as she pointed at the official scroll which they had received from the said Kage post extensive negotiations with Konoha and every other shinobi nation of the world, big or small.

"He's the loser!" agreed Jinpachi,

"Lord Fourth, I sense you are not too against this proposal" said Kisame suspiciously, earning a nod from the blonde Kage.

"Let them play their little theatrics. In doing so, they are playing exactly into my plan"

He watched contently as nearly everyone looked at him with confusion evident upon their faces, all except for Kisame who stared at him for a long moment before the man's eyes widened in shock.

"So you figured it out, Kisame" commented the Mizukage with a smirk,

"What?" asked nearly everyone in unison, as they turned towards the sole swordsmen who had as per their Kage's statement.

"Despite having fought alongside you for so long, we couldn't figure it out. We truly sometimes forget just who you are, Lord Fourth" said Kisame with a cunning smile,

"What do you mean?" asked Mangetsu curiously,

"The only reason we didn't continue the Second Great Ninja War so far was because marching towards Iwagakure and its lands would be a brutal and bloody campaign, more than that other nations including our allies are wishing for peace. Kiri would have stood it out as a threat against that to other nations had we continued our long march before negotiating for a favorable peace atleast once" explained Kisame patiently,

"Since when do we care what the others think? If the situation was reversed, do you think they would have given a damn about us?" asked Jinpachi disappointedly,

"Appearances matter, Jinpachi. Deception is a key part of warfare, many of our victories were because of that. The enemy in their effort to showcase their might has invited us directly into their home thinking we don't have the balls to do anything there with the entire world present and will have to accept whatever he tells us in his own stronghold" said Kisame, earning a nod from the blonde Kage.

"Isn't that dangerous for us and a black mark against our fearsome reputation that we are going there instead of them coming to us?" asked Haku curiously,

"Not if they refuse to accept our terms for a new world order. Should they refuse and stand in our way, then our Legions would crush them alongside the leadership of every other nation in one swift strike" answered Kisame,

"How do you plan to march our entire army to Iwagakure itself without anyone noticing-"

Mangetsu's question was left incomplete when Zabuza realized its answer and pointed at the Kage sitting in front of them with a cold smile upon his lips.

"Lord Fourth and his Hirashin...he is the key to this mad strategy" whispered Zabuza in disbelief,

Mei watched how swiftly the other swordsmen were surprised upon learning just what their leader had planned and how their opinions changed swiftly as they all smiled in appreciation, even Zabuza.

But she couldn't, for now she knew what kind of a man lurked behind that brilliant military commander...

The other nations thought they knew him, so did Kirigakure and its shinobi, at one point she had felt the same...but now she didn't anymore.

The Kage Summit, this possible military strike, the Otsutsuki secret he was planning to reveal...it was all a smokescreen for his true intentions.

She listened in silence as he explained their military strategy for the next hour to his trusted Generals- the ones who will be executing his plan and lead Kirigakure's Legions and Navy into this daring...no this suicidal mission.

Yet even in that madness she could still see a glimmer of hope for his plan was truly well thought out, anyone else wouldn't be able to execute this strategy.

But Naruto Namikaze was unique and had been preparing for this moment for a very long time.

"If Iwa and Konoha alongside the other smaller nations don't accept our concerns or wishes, then we must be prepared to crush them. It means going to war against the two strongest nations...maybe even the entire world if the smaller nations join them. Are you prepared for that kind of war? For it will be unlike anything we have ever seen" warned Naruto,

He got up from his seat and walked amongst his comrades to look into their eyes with absolute conviction in his own eyes.

"Ask yourself are you truly prepared to give your heart and soul for humanity and this nation? To the bitter end? Anything less and we shall lose for when the world shall crash down upon us with its entire might, our shinobi will look to you for guidance in that dire hour. You must be the light that guides them through that darkness, no matter what" explained the Mizukage seriously,

"I am prepared for that"

The Seven Ninja Swordsmen looked at their Kage as he made that pledge and most were surprised with the unwavering determination in his eyes. This was a man willing to walk into hell with a smile and face the worst nightmares that awaited them bravely.

Mei's anger simmered down a little when she saw him clench his right hand and thump it over his chest.

The Spartan salute.

Now that she knew his past, she could see how important this was to him. It was a part of who he truly was...something which she could not forget or forgive.

"Give your heart for the future of humanity"

His comrades returned the salute with firm nods before exiting his office to think about what their Kage had just proposed leaving him alone with his wife who was staring at him with an unreadable expression.

"What?" he asked,

"You're a true deceiver. Even the devil could not convince every person to sell their souls, but you could and maybe that's why the Uzukage chose you" said Mei sarcastically,

"Mei..."

"You're so broken from inside that to maintain your sanity- you actually convinced yourself to start caring about the very people you were sent to spy upon. You think you care about them, no you actually believe it to be true even as you lead them to their doom. That is your true crime, Naruto" said Mei angrily,

"And what are you going to do about it?" he challenged coldly with an icy glare,

"You'll know the answer soon enough"

She left with those scathing words and he was not surprised when moments later one of the White Zetsu clones emerged from the wall in his office.

"Should we take care of her?" he asked casually,

"No need. She's doing what I expected her to do, it doesn't affect our plan. One way or another, we shall achieve Madara's dream. We shall unite humanity and bring an end to these senseless wars forever" promised Naruto,

"Madara thinks you're being too hasty by revealing what you have to Mei so far. Just because she's your wife doesn't erase the fact that she is a Jinchuuriki and we need the beast inside of her. Don't forget that" warned Zetsu, earning a furious glare in return from the Kage.

"I haven't told her our plan. Madara gave me what I wanted, he'll get what he is owed as part of our deal. The how you leave to me...is that understood?" asked Naruto murderously, as his dark ash like chakra swirled around the creature threateningly making it raise its hands in surrender.

"Don't shoot the messenger, General"

"Then get out of my sight before I burn you alive!"

The clone fled swiftly the way he had arrived leaving the Fourth Mizukage to sigh tiredly as he walked back towards his desk and sat back in his chair.

Two Weeks.

He would be meeting every Kage and head of state from every corner of the world.

All of humanity will be gathered together in one place in several years.

He looked at his hands and was surprised to see they were shaking terribly, for once he allowed himself this small luxury as he contemplated the sheer scope of what he was about to execute in 14 days.

Either a new era of genuine co-operation in the shinobi world or a conflict unlike anything this world had ever seen to save the soul of humanity itself.

He would either be the Creator or the Destroyer.

The sheer weight of either consequence made him tremble badly as he wiped the sweat from his forehead with his shaky hands.

His eyes then landed upon a corner of his desk where there was a picture of him and Mei holding their twin children with cheerful smiles upon their faces.

A soothing sense of calm washed over his troubled heart as he remembered what he was truly fighting for.

He gently grabbed the picture and caressed his thumb over it even as a lone tear fell from his eyes.

"It's too late to have regrets or turn back...so I'll keep on moving forward"

His eyes turned blood red as he got up from his seat and marched ahead to meet his destiny.

Author's Notes: End of chapter.

Hope you guys liked it.

My updates have been slower as I'm really tied up these days with work, making preparations for my marriage in May and many other things. But I'll post next chapters as fast as I can without being too hasty.

So, the cat's finally out of the bag!

I would really like to know your thoughts on the events that happened in this chapter. Do you agree with the Fourth Mizukage's choices?

If you were a real character in this story, where will you stand? Fight for the existing system and whatever village you were born in and continue the present cycle? Follow Madara and Naruto in whatever revolution they seek for a different future of their vision? Or just get the fuck out of dodge and hope the world's shit doesn't hit you hopefully?

Let's just say I'm damn excited to write the next chapter!

Until Next Time,

Blackwolf501