The Seventh Swordsman

Truth

(Mountain's Graveyard)

Mei gingerly opened her eyes and was frightened when she saw only darkness. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself and tried several more times until she succeeded in gaining actual visual of her surroundings.

She was in a gigantic but dark cave with the bare minimum light and was hanging several feet above the ground.

Pain surged through her arms as she realized chakra chains were holding her limbs and looking behind to the source of these bindings, she was truly horrified to see a monstrous statue larger than any tailed beast.

It was a demonic statue in the form of a humanoid entity with a mummified appearance with spike like protrusions on its back. A cold chill ran through her entire body when she found it was already in the process of sucking tailed beast energy from Yugito Ni, the Two tails Jinchuuriki. The woman's eyes were blank, her mouth open in a horrified expression even as a lifeless Bunpuku-the One Tails Jinchuuriki lay suspended a few feet away from her in the air.

They were extracting tailed beasts from their hosts and sealing them into that monster...with the One Tails already extracted. In the center of the cave, she found a dark inhuman creature alongside dozens of his fellow monsters carrying out the ritual with absolute devotion and focus.

Memories came back to her from the disastrous Kage Summit as she remembered Naruto's chakra surging through her body and restraining her control and freewill like in the past before the Battle of Osaka as the Six Tails within her took control. Instead of breaking free from her body, it helped Naruto in battle just as every other tailed beast did the same with their hosts through the Mizukage's help.

She remembered Naruto's conversation with her and Saiken back in Kirigakure before the Kage Summit where he revealed what he and Madara truly wanted to do for which they had sought co-operation from all tailed beasts in exchange for their freedom.

"You managed to convince your breatheren, Saiken" she whispered to the Six Tails,

"For what little it's worth I am sorry, Mei. All of us tailed beasts saw how short sighted world leaders truly were at the Kage Summit even in the face of the Otsutsuki threat. Such men could never save humanity much less end the suffering of us tailed beasts" confessed Saiken with a heavy heart,

"So you all joined Madara?" asked Mei with a sigh,

"We joined Naruto. None of us trust Madara, especially the Nine Tails. The Two Tails doesn't trust Naruto due to their muddled history, but has confidence in the faith the rest of us tailed beasts have in him. In a world full of lies and treachery, he is the only one willing to walk into hell to save everyone- man or tailed beasts alike. If those two men can forcefully make humanity seize its wars then we tailed beasts would not be used in such conflicts again and again" explained Saiken honestly,

"And that peace would be at the price of nine Jinchuuriki's and thousands of more lives"

Saiken was silenced by Mei's cold but truthful statement as they glanced at the corpse of Bunpuku and watched the life draining out of Yugito slowly.

"I'm sorry, Mei"

The Terumi clan heir didn't say anything and looked at the remaining Jinchuuriki, most were unconscious except for Yagura and Mito-both of whom were looking at her right now.

A bitter expression came upon her face as she looked at the former Mizukage when he just gave her a smile.

"The hell you smiling at, traitor?" asked Mei angrily,

"I revealed the truth of your husband back in Kirigakure through my few remaining allies during the Kage Summit time period. I wonder if the Generals and Commanders back home are doing the same to the Terumi clan and your children as your husband did with my clan?" retorted Yagura, satisfaction evident on his face.