(Konoha)
Hiruzen Sarutobi alongside his advisors and few clan heads watched the video recording sent by the Uzukage on the Astral Projector. It was the pinnacle of Uzu's success, the likes even Konoha couldn't even dream to achieve. The recording had been sent by one of Uzu's deep cover operatives within their new revolutionized ally nation.
He glanced to his side to look at his mentor, Tobirama Senju.
He saw the man briefly smile when he watched his only son appear in front of a deeply enchanted crowd whose roars nearly deafened the entire world.
The Fourth Mizukage.
While the coronation ceremony was nothing out of the ordinary, the sheer presence of so many people from each of the Land of Water's territories marked the beginning of a revolution that had shaken the foundation of the ninja world.
A shinobi had seized a great nation under his rule.
"The feudal lords are calling him a tyrant, if not for our current war situation I am very sure our own would also publicly denounce him like the others have already done" commented Koharu seriously,
They were all surprised when Tobirama chuckled a bit drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Does that look like a tyrant to you? No tyrant ever gave back so much" countered the Senju clan head without hesitation,
Hiruzen and the others would have argued but they had all heard of the swift reforms the new Mizukage had brought to his nation. In a matter of a few weeks, he had literally changed the destiny of his nation and the people loved him for it-evident from the sheer amount of presence and cheering they saw right before their eyes.
"I don't think any Kage ever received such reception upon his coronation" whispered one of the other clan heads,
"That's no Kage, my lord" replied Lord Shin Nara cryptically,
"Lord Nara?"
"That's a conqueror. A King in the truest sense" answered the Nara leader,
Despite not being on his side, Tobirama felt immense pride from the bottom of his heart for what his son had achieved despite all that he went through in his miserable life. If he had been born in Kirigakure, Tobirama himself would have volunteered to follow the man before him.
There was something truly special about the boy, a feeling he had only experienced for his deceased older brother who had ruled over the shinobi world.
Now another Senju had taken up that mantle.
"Tobirama is a good leader...but Naruto will be simply great"
He remembered Mito's parting words to his son before he left their village and the visual before him was proof of the woman's words coming true.
"Did he really defeat two Biju and an army that outnumbered his paltry force many times over?" asked Danzo skeptically,
"All the reports we received from all our sources point that way. Does he ever lose any battle at all?" questioned Homura in disbelief,
Tobirama understood his former student's feelings. As far as they knew the new Mizukage had never lost a single battle at all.
His series of victories beginning with his conquest of Osaka which led to Tobirama's freedom from Kumogakure's captivity. It then went on to an even more impossible victory when he went deep behind enemy lines and eliminated the Lightning Daimyo starting a war of succession that was only recently solved leading to great instability.
The successful assault of Nagi Island, forming a peace treaty with the Land of Fire and now winning a civil war.
If those feats weren't impressive enough, he remembered Operation Thunderbolt and all the other missions he had successfully completed either as an Uzu Spartan Captain or acting as a Kiri Anbu Operative. Each victory though came at a heavy price leaving the boy alone in the end without any family or friends. However, it was a cost only Tobirama and a selected few individuals knew the boy had paid.
But for the rest of the people of the world who didn't know the full story of Naruto Namikaze, there could only be one possible assumption due to their limited knowledge.
His son was a conqueror-not just of the battlefield, but also of the hearts and minds of people if the unstoppable cheering he was witnessing was anything to go by.
A Shinobi King.
"What does this mean for us?" asked another clan head,
Tobirama peaked a glance at Mito who gave him a nod as he turned his gaze back towards Hiruzen and the rest of the people in the room.
"Only that we were lucky to form an alliance with him and we should keep it that way if we are to win this war" advised Tobirama,
"Then we should turn this 'conqueror' and his undefeated armies might upon our enemies starting with Kumogakure. Gods know we need the help" proposed Lady Mito,
"I agree. For now, he might just be the answer to the foes that threaten to destroy us. I'll make sure our men are ready when he makes his next move. In the meantime, I'll send a congratulatory message from our end alongside a few gifts to honor his ascension" decided Hiruzen,
"Wise choice, Lord Hokage" agreed Lord Shin Nara,
None of the others present in the room raised any objection to that bringing an end to their emergency meeting, yet Tobirama's gaze found itself glancing back at the video recording.
He didn't know what the future held for them but for now...
"Your mother would be proud. As am I''
(Kirigakure)
General Abe was being marched through the halls of the Kage Tower by a squad of Anbu Blackops. He could not help but rethink about the events since his defeat as he was led towards the new ruler of their nation.
Thousands of his men had died during the Capital's fall but the moment he surrendered, all those who followed suit were spared and instead taken prisoners.
Even when Mangetsu Hozuki learned of his father's tragic demise, Commander Saji of the Kumaon Brigade and the other Seven Ninja Swordsmen had prevented the grieving boy from extracting any unwanted vengeance upon their prisoners citing their General's orders to them.
Ever since then he had heard great tales from his prison guards about the sheer amount of changes their new ruler had undertaken since his rise to power. Most of it for the good of the people and the nation instead of feudal nobility.
It had greatly increased the respect Abe felt towards the young man even if he was the one keeping him and his family hostage.
He saw two Anbu standing guard outside a door and realized the decisive moment had arrived.
Once he was led inside, he finally came face to face with the man whose tales had spread to each and every corner of their nation. Perhaps even the world.
General Abe offered a respectful salute to the Fourth Mizukage prompting the young man to get up from his seat in a respectful acknowledgement of that gesture.
He then gestured for the Imperial General to take a seat followed by signalling the Anbu to leave the room.
Once they were gone, he took his own seat and looked at the older man.
"Please forgive me for not being able to offer you congratulations on your victory" said Abe truthfully, for doing so would only highlight his own failure to protect his feudal lord even more.
The new Mizukage displayed maturity beyond his young age by waving off that apology.
"You did your job, General. I can respect that as did I although I wish this conflict had never happened in the first place" answered Naruto honestly,
"This conflict brought you here, Lord Fourth" pointed General Abe, was the man playing him by denouncing the civil war that led to his very ascension?
"I did not wish for it or start it but that does not change that many people of our nation died in it. Including innocents, a price that is heavy for me to accept nonetheless. Do you know why you are here?" asked Naruto, earning a nod from the older man.
"You want me to lead a suicide force to Osaka in order to draw the military power of Kumogakure away from their dear village and feudal capital where you plan to launch your real attack. Your advisors told me about it as they brought me here"
Naruto nodded which made the man in front of him continue.
"Ruthless but a practical strategy. You want to get rid of all those who fought against you in the civil war without staining your own hands and be called a butcher. Our families held hostage and threatened if we do not follow this order" pointed General Abe harshly,
"It's the only way to save your lives and those of your families"
General Abe was surprised upon hearing those words and watched the Mizukage sigh as he got up from his seat to glance back at the village from the window of his office.
"Your side also committed grave atrocities upon the people of this village and our Kage. There are many who have not forgotten that. I am in a position now that I could execute you all and the people wouldn't bat an eye since you were the ones protecting a regime that kept them impoverished and suffering" explained Naruto,
"And yours is any different?" countered the General, earning a determined and icy stare.
"It is"
Abe backed down since he knew it to be true even if he didn't want to accept it, since that only showed he had supported a ruler who had never truly cared about the people of this nation.
"But unlike the Daimyo and the rebels, I am not a butcher. Throwing your defeated forces into prison and taking your families hostage was the only way for me to prevent my followers from inflicting horrible massacres upon your faction. Even now many ask me for your heads and the only thing stopping them is the fact that I convinced them about this plan of action. They think this punishment is worse than death" explained Naruto frankly,
"And it isn't?" asked General Abe curiously,
"I am well aware that many will die in this diversion but that can't be avoided. The only thing I can offer in return for those deaths is a full pardon and burials with full honors as well as the promise that their families will be taken care of" pledged Naruto seriously,
General Abe was quite surprised by the genuine terms being proposed considering his faction had completely lost and was at the mercy of this man.
"Why do you want me to lead?" asked the General,
"Because you are the only one who can actually save this army and keep the casualties to a minimum. All those who survive this battle and are ready to pledge their loyalty to the new regime shall be pardoned and accepted back amongst the armed forces even if many don't like it" promised Naruto,
"I don't understand. Why go so far for us-the losing side?" questioned the General seriously,
"How can I conquer other nations if I cannot even win the loyalty of all my countrymen? Besides, extending a hand to the losing side in order to completely unite one's nation is the duty of any competent ruler"
General Abe's eyes widened upon hearing those words from the Mizukage himself. Even after everything that had happened, even if they were on opposite sides...the man still considered him and the other rebels as citizens of this nation.
He was willing to put aside the cries for vengeance for the sake of their nation's future.
He doubted the former Daimyo, Yagura or he himself would make the same choice had they been victorious in their struggle.
Or maybe that was exactly why they had lost in the first place as they had fought for maintaining the current status quo, their own powers and those of the nobility. While Gengetsu and his successor were fighting for the people and the right future of their nation.
His decision was made.
Naruto watched the General get up from his seat and walk towards him. He looked into the man's eyes for a long moment before the General knelt in front of him respectfully.
"I shall follow you, Lord Fourth"
"With people like you by my side, I might just conquer this world" he replied with a smile, as he offered his hand to his new ally who accepted it respectfully.
(Dungeons)
Kushina watched the prison guards quickly offer respectful bows as their new Kage walked past them with her following behind him. Together, they marched towards a particular cell where a former enemy was held.
In the past few weeks, this man had lost everything and was a shell of his former self.
He was overthrown from power, his entire clan executed right before his eyes.
And now, he would truly cease to exist even if he remained alive for however long in this world.
Kushina would have hesitated from doing what she was about to had the same man not tried to kill her oldest friend, tortured the previous Mizukage to death and terrorized the people.
As Naruto opened the cell's door, she came face to face with Yagura Karatachi or what was left of him.
Upon realizing just who had arrived to meet him, he tried to break free but the dozens upon dozens of chakra chains she herself had created kept him restrained and drained what little chakra that was already not taken from him. The man was not tortured despite him having done the same to his predecessor but she could see he had stopped eating properly after witnessing his clan's execution-something that had scarred him for life if the madness in his eyes was any indication.
"Here to gloat, my fellow traitor?" spat Yagura with hatred clearly present in his bitter tone,
"It's time" answered Naruto simply,
"If only the fools who follow you can realize your real truth. That you are an even bigger traitor than they think I am, spy" accused Yagura,
"I am not here to discuss right or wrong with you. There was a time when I used to think of such things,now I only believe in having the power to accomplish my dreams. To not follow people that I hate" refuted Naruto without hesitation,
He gestured to his friend who walked forward but was stopped when Yagura looked straight at him.
"Why did you eliminate only my clan and not the others?" asked Yagura honestly,
"It was the least bloody option. The other clans are bigger and more stronger than yours, something which I can use in the war effort. You on the otherhand were the face of the rebellion-punishing you is necessary. My supporters wanted to crucify someone-I chose you and your family became you were the most visible and least bloody option. That's all" replied Naruto frankly,
"You really are a heartless bastard" whispered Yagura venomously,
"You lost the right to judge me the moment you tortured our predecessor to death. I defeated you in battle and as the loser, this is your fate. Yagura Karatachi: For your crimes against Kirigakure, I sentence you to a life of slavery. Enjoy your new prison" declared Naruto without hesitation or mercy,
Kushina quickly performed a set of hand seals before slamming her right hand over the struggling former Mizukage's head making a set of kanji's flow across his entire body. In a few moments, the man slumped over only to rise up again a few minutes later, only this time his eyes were blood red in color.
"What?" asked a gruff voice, which certainly did not belong to the soft spoken Karatachi clan head.
"Hello, three tails" called Naruto respectfully,
"It's you. What is the meaning of summoning me like this?" asked the Biju now completely conscious in the body of his host,
"We loosened the seal controlling you, enough for you to seize control of this body without completely breaking free while trapping your Jinchuuriki's conscious in his own mind" answered Naruto, making the Biju glance at Kushina who stared at him unflinchingly.
"You Uzumaki are really something. But again, why?" questioned the beast,
"I promised to improve your situation. This is the first step" said Naruto seriously,
"I'm listening"
"For now, I am willing to give you limited control of this body. Help me defeat my enemies in this war and I shall set you free" offered Naruto,
"Just like that?" asked the tailed beast skeptically,
"You'll be free to live wherever you want as long as you answer my nation's call whenever required. To defend my people whenever your powers are required. Do that and you won't ever have to be confined to Jinchuuriki's again" promised Naruto,
"So from a Slave to a mercenary? That's some improvement" said the beast mockingly with a laugh,
It was quite surprised when there was no outward reaction by Naruto who simply stared right into his eyes despite the mockery.
"Do I have your word that I'll be set free of this body if I help you win your war?" asked the three tails seriously,
"Yes" answered Naruto honestly,
"Then I shall help you defeat your enemies. With this body, maybe I cannot do as much destruction but my attacks will be more precise and deadly. Yagura never really stood a chance against someone like you" whispered the three tails with a chuckle,
"You'll learn about your target soon enough and will be shipped out soon under General Abe and his army. I don't need to say that you need to pretend as if Yagura is still in charge for your allies to not panic and do something foolish" cautioned Naruto,
"What makes you think I won't just kill them all and switch sides?" threatened the Biju,
He saw the boy's natural blue eyes turn red in an instant followed by a monstrous killing intent now being rained down upon him. The Fourth Mizukage walked back into the cell until he was staring right into the Biju's eyes.
"You are free to try. And I promise to hunt you down to the end of this world and beyond, your end will be something every Biju will remember and fear. Or work with me and I'll help improve the condition of your breatheren" proposed Naruto icily,
The Biju looked at him for several long moments before giving a single nod.
Wordlessly, the Fourth Mizukage walked out of the cell with an ice cold but satisfied smile present on his lips.
"Is this truly a good idea?" asked Kushina, as she followed after him.
"It's a gamble. In case the beast tries to betray us, then I have already marked his host's body. I'll teleport wherever he runs off to and deal with him personally" reassured Naruto confidently,
"I don't understand...why?" she asked curiously,
"Let's just say it's an insurance" answered her old friend cryptically,
"Insurance?"
"Against someone whom I don't trust completely"
Kushina didn't understand his reasoning despite the explanation but chose not to pursue her questions further.
"Now that we have the beast's co-operation, use it to gather its chakra that our dear Uzukage had requested to make his secret super-weapon. Can't have him thinking that we are no longer loyal to him or that the curse mark on you is undone" suggested Naruto seriously,
"I understand. There is something that I have wanted to ask you" whispered Kushina hesitantly, making her friend look at her curiously.
"Will you attack Uzu for what was done to us and the Spartans?" she asked honestly,
"I would like to avoid that. No matter what happened it's still our motherland, I'll be content to let it retain its autonomy if the Uzukage confesses his crimes and resigns after restoring the honor of our comrades. They will however join the great nation I shall build, should they refuse then I will bring them to their knees just as I must for the other nations" explained Naruto without hesitation,
"Then I hope the Uzukage sees reason" prayed Kushina hopefully,
Naruto chose not to comment on his friend's optimism. Knowing the old man and his desire to cling to power even after so many years, it didn't look as if he would give them an easy way to resolve this.
But he would cross that bridge at the right moment.
As night settled in, he found himself resting atop one of the mountains surrounding the Mist Village. Looking down, he saw all the lights across the different sectors and the vast forest that surrounded its outskirts.
Glancing even further, he saw even more swaths of land.
All of it belonging to him.
It was still surreal to accept that he was now the uncontested ruler of an entire nation and just a Kage of a military village.
The Fourth Mizukage.
"I wonder what you would think of me now, Mother?" he whispered outloud,
Even after all these years, her loss haunted him. She had died protecting her son whom she wished would grow up to be a fine Uzushiogakure shinobi. Instead he joined the Blackops, then became a Spy and now the ruler of a completely different nation.
A part of him knew it was pointless to think about what she would think when Inoue Namikaze had been dead for years...maybe it was just another way for him to remember her.
He didn't know what she would think of his actions and journey...but he had wanted her here.
"Lord Fourth"
He blinked in surprise when he saw Mei climb up one of the slopes leading towards the cliff he was currently sitting over. Had he been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even sensed her presence?
Her presence also reminded him of the marriage proposal made by the girl's father and it made him hesitate.
He liked the girl but his heart belonged to another, even if she was dead. Kushina understood that fact despite her own feelings for him, their relationship being complicated to say the least. But Mei...
"I'm sorry for intruding" she apologized sincerely,
"You wouldn't have if you didn't think what you wanted to discuss was not important. Still you climbed up an awful lot of distance to reach me" he commented with a chuckle while glancing at the high mountain the poor girl must have climbed whereas he had simply teleported here via one of his marks upon the hilltop.
She nodded and took a seat as he allowed her the next couple of minutes to catch her breath before looking at her expectantly.
"I heard about what my father did" she said at last, albeit hesitantly.
"Mei" he began, but she raised a hand making him pause.
"I want you to know that I can talk him out of it" she proposed resolutely,
He continued listening to her and understood the meaning behind her words quite clearly.
"And I'm sorry I couldn't congratulate you earlier for becoming Mizukage" said Mei apologetically, which made him smile and wave off her apology since he had already received countless such congratulations already.
"It's nothing"
"And I'm also sorry for hurting you and raising arms against you" she whispered sadly,
"Is that why you are offering to talk your father out of the marriage proposal as a form of apology or because I am just not good enough?" he asked jovially, making her eyes widen in horror.
"Nothing like that. I-" she was about to clarify, until his pleasant smile made her stop.
"We're friends. What kind of man would I be if I abandoned you when you needed me most. Besides you did what you had to protect your family. It was just an unfortunate situation, but we are past that now" he reassured her,
Her eyes became moist when she looked at the faint white hair among his blonde ones, a result of that devastating battle. She had heard whispers among the doctors that he had lost quite a few years of his life exerting himself beyond humanely possible.
And yet he didn't blame her for putting him in that position...
How could someone be so selfless?
"I know what the clans want from me. As the last of the Namikaze clan, they want me to marry once again and have more children so my line doesn't go extinct. The reason why I haven't given an answer to your father is not because I don't like you or see the sound reasoning behind the village requesting something like this from me. But I couldn't protect my wife and unborn child...I can't just forget that or forgive myself for not being there when they needed me most. Doing that again to someone else is not something I wish for. Besides, something that is supposed to die and doesn't will eventually fade away. Be they clan, system or nations. Maybe it's my clan destiny to fade away with me" he explained patiently,
Mei understood quite a lot from his answers but it only increased her respect for him. Many would call him too fearful for not choosing to marry once again, but most of such people saw a Kage or the last heir of a clan on the brink of extinction. They couldn't or most probably didn't want to see the person who had suffered a great tragedy in his life and was impacted because of that quite deeply.
"Besides, we are at war. As Mizukage, I'll be leading my armies into battle against our enemies. That definitely raises some serious questions about a happy future. Even if I am to ignore all of that and marry, my wife will be required to bear children very soon given the state of the world due to the ongoing war. They won't just be responsible for helping rebuild my clan but also keep this nation together while I am at war. Should I fall in battle unfortunately, another power struggle will start and while I would like to trust our people, there will always be a few who would want to completely disband the old power structure- just like I had to with Yagura. I am prepared to die but can't watch my future family be killed in a power struggle should I fall"
"Is that something you want for yourself?"
Mei was taken aback a little by the harsh possibilities he had presented but also grateful that he was actually thinking about the challenges and dangers his possible spouse would be facing. Most men in his position would have simply done what his supporters were asking without giving such deep thought on the consequences.
But she had also thought about the same over the past few weeks.
"When you put it like that, there is no one else but me who can bear that responsibility" she replied confidently, and didn't miss the surprise on his face. Most women would have ran off but she hadn't.
"Explain"
"I am the heiress of one of the noble ninja clans of this nation. As such I am well versed with the politics and the factions involved in it. You have a favorable opinion of me despite my Jinchuuriki status and are a dear friend, something I'm not sure the next ruler will be if something happens to you. More than that, you are currently the only shinobi in this village who can handle the beast inside of me. My Seal will weaken during pregnancy and I know you can keep the beast under control with your power during that critical stage. I am more than capable enough of crushing anyone that dares to harm me if our last battle was any indication" she pointed with a smirk,
To say, he was impressed would be quite an understatement. There really was a sharp mind behind that beauty of this woman.
"This marriage is as much to secure my own future and that of my family. Most importantly, you are one of the few who treated me like a real person and not a pariah. You stood up for me, encouraged me and protected me even when you suffered for it. You promised me a better future and I see that you are delivering it step by step. I consider you a dear friend and would like us to be more, if you want it" proposed Mei with a gentle smile, a faint blush creeping up on her cheeks.
Naruto contemplated her explanation and honestly couldn't come up with a better way forward. The village wouldn't leave him alone on this topic anytime soon and did he really have the right to end his clan's history? His mother had went through great struggle to give him a future, had wanted him to carry the Namikaze name forward with pride.
But what would doing this mean for his future? What answer he would be able to give Ino if he was able to bring her back to life with Madara's help? Would he still be able to have a life with her if he married someone else?
Would she take this as a betrayal of their relationship?
"I need sometime to think about this, Mei" he answered at last,
While not the answer she was hoping for, she understood his need to contemplate this course of action. She trusted his judgement and knew he would do what was best for both of them.
"I want you to join me in the next campaign. I won't be able to take Kumogakure and their feudal capital without your help. If we achieve victory together, the dissident voices in the village will have no choice but to accept this marriage despite you being a Jinchuuriki. It will also allow me to decide for myself and give you the same opportunity. What do you think?" he asked her seriously,
"It's a good idea" she agreed readily,
They settled into a peaceful silence and after a few moments, he offered her his hand which made her smile even more as she joined hers with his and realized how warm it was.
"It's quite a view" she whispered happily,
"It is" agreed Naruto, as he watched the moonlight shine upon their village.
"I'm proud of you, Naruto"
He smiled briefly wondering if she would feel the same way if she came to know his real truth. But that was a question he would prefer remained unanswered, so he settled for a simple one instead.
"Thank you"