FicWad

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Also this story is a lemon fiction therefore is intended for people of a legal age from wherever they come from. So if these type of stories offend then stop reading now. Thanks.

Chapter 6: Nation Building: A Promise Kept: Part 1

Time Skip to the Battle between Land of the Sun and Claw:

Kurotsuchi couldn’t believe how safe she felt traveling through the carnage of the battlefield. She attributed a part of it to how sure footed the Beast seemed to be moving through the fog. She caught a glimpse of yellow causing her to look over and saw that it appeared the Land of Sun’s samurai forces hadn’t seemed to break formation. The part of her brain not imagining herself being claimed by the man who was apparently taking her behind Sun’s lines was shocked to realize that the new country apparently had a shinobi force capable of repelling Iwa’s Western Army. She briefly wondered how her village’s intelligence forces could have had such a glaring hole in the information they had gathered. She figured that in order for Sun to match Iwa’s forces they would have needed to have at least a similarly sized force comprised of Shinobi. She abandoned the belief though as she suspected that it might have been born of the pride that she had held in her village. She frowned as she had to correct her thinking as the fact that Iwagakure was no longer her home settled over her along with a wave of sadness.

The Beast upon noticing her melancholy stated, “I know it is hard to have to think of the village that you have served for so long as no longer being your home. But you will not regret joining my Pride.”

“Don’t you mean the shinobi village you established in the Land of the Sun?”

She saw the Beast was smiling beneath his mask as he replied, “There is no shinobi village. The ones currently devastating your former home’s forces are my mates.”

“I don’t understand,” Kurotsuchi said confused, “Are you saying you aren’t a part of Sun’s military?”

“The Land of the Sun is my territory, and its rulers are also a part of my Pride. But, that does not mean we serve it in the same manner as the Shinobi villages serve the Daimyo. This territory was established to create a buffer for my mates and myself, as well as our children.”

“D…do you expect me to provide you with kids?”

“Only if you so desire,” The Beast replied.

Kurotsuchi was shocked at just how much she found that she desired it at the moment. To her it felt like a primal urge that was only growing stronger as they reached a tree line that was behind Sun’s forces. The fog was still thick, but the sound of fighting was growing more distant although she believed it could just be that there were less men for the Beast’s lovers to kill. He set her down and stepped back to take in her beauty. Something she did as well as her eyes traced over his exposed chest. He reached up to his face pulling back his hood before pulling his mask away.

Kurotsuchi gasped partially in surprise at her recognizing the Beast right away. But also because she was surprised at how handsome she found him, especially as his red eyes had returned to their normal blue. He stepped close to her again and reaching behind her head he pulled her possessively against him. Her hands rested against his bare chest allowing her to feel his heartbeat. She found the calm steady beating both strange and reassuring. It felt strange to her due to their just having left the battlefield so she would expect it to be racing as much as hers had been. Yet, that was also what felt so reassuring about it as she felt the calmness was due to his belief in his power, as well as faith in the power of the women he had chosen as mates.

She stared up into his warm eyes wondering why he hadn’t kissed her yet until she realized that he was waiting on her. He might have taken her behind the Sun’s lines on the promise that he was going to claim her as his, but in truth it was so she could make that decision. She marveled at his self-confidence, but the dryness of her lips and the fact that she had allowed him to carry her there was all the proof she needed that the choice had already been made. His waiting on her consent was a form of respect that he was giving her. She knew that if she pushed him away then he would accept her decision, although she couldn’t say if the protection from him and his mates’ wrath that he had afforded her would disappear thus making it so she would share in her former comrades’ fate.

Kurotsuchi supposed that the fact that she was thinking of the dying Iwagakure shinobi in such terms was all the proof that she needed as to where her heart now lay. Therefore, she stood on the tips of her toes and sealed her lips to Naruto’s giving herself to him and his Pride. Almost immediately she had her breath stolen away as the blond man kissed her fiercely. That wasn’t to say that she didn’t give as good as she got as she pressed her mouth against his just as hard. Their tongues clashed while their hands began traveling over each other’s bodies.

Kurotsuchi moaned into him as his hand traveled over her breast before squeezing it through her shirt. The momentary lapse on her part caused Naruto to seize the moment as she began to surrender to her desires. She began to lose herself to the primal urges welling up in her as she breathed in more of his musk, until he ended the kiss. He stepped back to allow some space to appear between them before divesting himself of the fur jacket that he wore. Kurotsuchi licked her lips as his muscular torso was exposed to her hungry gaze. A gaze that was returned in his eyes.

He held up his hand, and Kurotsuchi tensed for a moment as she noticed wind swirling in front of it. But she relaxed figuring that if he had wanted to do her harm then there had been ample opportunity for him to do so. Not to mention he could likely easily best her without going full out, so couldn’t see him playing some kind of game with her. He smiled upon seeing her relax so placed his hand against her, and despite it feeling like a gentle breeze was swirling around her, that breeze was absolutely devastating to her clothes. Her clothes were shredded to pieces like invisible razors were flying about her, yet not even a scratch appeared on her skin.

Her eyes grew wide as he stepped back to admire her now naked frame. Her hands traveled unconsciously to cover her exposed breasts and groin. She stopped though realizing how silly and pointless such a gesture was.

The blond man approached her again and wrapped her in his arms kissing her once more although not with the same sense of urgency as before. Kurotsuchi melted into him, enjoying the feel of his naked flesh against hers, and by the time the kiss ended her vagina was leaking its juices down the inside of her thighs.

He pulled away again, and she watched with hooded eyes as he began kissing down her body to kneel before her. The non-animal part of her took a moment to appreciate and congratulate her on her choice of mates due to the fact that even with many lovers and ability to force her to his knees before him, his first inclination was to see to her pleasure. When his tongue first hit her pussy, her animal portion joined in on that praise.

Kurotsuchi threw her head back and moaned as she stood in the field with one leg draped over Naruto’s shoulder and both hands buried in his hair as he thirstily drank in her essence. She didn’t bother to muffle her voice while he used his tongue to fuck her in order to entice her honeypot to release more of her essence. From Naruto’s efforts she soon felt the tightening in her stomach that told her that she was getting close to release. A release she announced with a loud shriek that caused the nearby Sun forces to wonder who had met their end.

Kurotsuchi’s eyes rolled up into her head as the wave of bliss crashed through her, until she began to topple back. Naruto quickly stood catching her with one arm. The former Iwa-nin smiled as she said contently, “Thanks.”

“For what,” Naruto said confused.

Kurotsuchi would have felt an urge to laugh if she didn’t suspect he was being sincere. After all, in the short time since their reunion he had saved her from death, offered her a home, and just given her a mind blowing orgasm. Figuring that she would follow her new mate’s example and let actions speak louder than words she stood on her own power before walking over towards a tree. Bending over at the waist, she gripped the trunk and spread her legs wide apart to display her soaked cunt to his eyes before looking over her shoulder to state, “It doesn’t matter. Now why don’t you come here and plant that nice hard cock you’re hiding in my soaking wet pussy.”

Kurotsuchi again had the feeling that she had chosen wisely as Naruto undid the rope belt holding his beige pants up. Although she had seen the outline of his hardness, watching it spring free to stand out proudly sent a quiver through her pussy as it anticipated receiving it. Naruto stepped free of his clothes and stepping behind her as he rubbed the cheeks of her ass for a moment. His hands then slipped around her hips before gripping them possessively and pulled her back on his cock slowly. Her eyes grew wide as she slid back on it as once he entered he quickly passed the deepest point she had ever been touched before. She cooed as she felt the head touch the entrance of the womb that would one day contain her and his children. Kurotsuchi marveled as her mind so easily accepted the idea that one day she would be providing Naruto with an heir that contained her blood and his.

Kurotsuchi felt some hesitance appear as her rational self attempted to remind her that she had never truly wanted children because she had been so focused on becoming the Tsuchikage. It had been a harsh truth to accept, but she had noticed that women in the Shinobi world tended to get one of two stories. They either got the man they wanted and sacrificed their careers to have a family. Or, they didn’t get a happy ending love wise and could continue to contribute to their careers. As proof of her belief, she had only needed to look as far as the first two women to attain the rank of Kage. Tsunade had lost the love of her life and although she had spent the majority of the following years drinking and gambling. It could be stated that since she hadn’t found a new love it had allowed her time to get her act together in order to become Hokage. The other woman obviously was Mei Terumi, the Mizukage, who despite attaining the rank of Kage almost seemed to have come to resent it to some extent as she felt she missed out on a happy ending. While Kurotsuchi had admitted it was sometimes amusing to watch the woman berate or threaten some of her subordinates as she sometimes misheard what they said often relating it to the fact that she wasn’t married. But in hindsight, Kurotsuchi felt it was a sad indictment of how her gender was treated.

Naruto had remained motionless which surprised her as she had expected him to already begin taking his pleasure from her. Yet, she found herself both touched and amazed that he could read her so easily as he stated, “If you are feeling unsure of your choice now is the time to speak up.”

She looked back asking, “What spell have you cast on me? All my life all I wanted was to become Tsuchikage, yet after just a few moments with you I’m on the verge of throwing that all away.”

Naruto smiled as he said, “Who said you are throwing it away? If I have cast a spell on you, it is simply letting that side of yourself that you’ve felt that you had to deny to reach your goals professionally make its desires known. You don’t have to choose between continuing to be a kunoichi strong enough to be recognized as a Kage and starting a family with me. I want you to become as strong as you can. Then I want you to help me pass that strength onto our children should that be what you desire. All I ask is that you lend me your strength to support our Pride, how you do so is entirely up to you.”

Kurotsuchi saw the sincerity in Naruto’s eyes and saw that he saw everything that made her both a woman and a warrior. Moreover, she saw that he truly desired it. She suddenly could perfectly understand why he had gathered what she assumed was a harem of strong women willing to bear his children. Therefore, with both her natural desire, and rational self in agreement she began to slide forward until his cock nearly slipped free. She marveled at his willpower as he remained stock still obviously willing to let her pull off of him if that was what she desired.

Although, she also suspected that a part of him knew that wasn’t her intention, which she proved as she threw herself back against him, and buried his cock back inside. With her decision made, Naruto became an active participant as his grip on her hips firmed up and began to pull her back and forth over his cock. She moaned loudly as she helped by eagerly throwing herself back at him every time he pulled her hips towards his to meet his thrust. She lost track of everything outside of the cock stirring her up her insides taking her to a height of pleasure she had never reached before with a male lover. Therefore, when she suddenly came she wasn’t quite sure what was going on and wondered who it was screaming in such ecstasy.

When she realized it was her, she wondered what it was she had experienced before but realized she had never truly cum as the feelings now coursing through her paled in comparison to the orgasms that she had given herself with her fingers, had with previous lovers, or even had just enjoyed from Naruto’s tongue. She couldn’t even compare the pure bliss that she was experiencing while enjoying an orgasm given to her by her partner’s cock. She suspected that the reason for it though was because her womb so desperately wanted to drink in Naruto’s seed.

She felt a sense of disappointment as her orgasm began to die down, and she had yet to receive his seed. But it didn’t last long as Naruto lifted her up and holding her by her thighs began to pump his cock into her furiously. Her pleasure quickly began to return to its previous level as her back rested against his chest. She reached back and placed her arm over Naruto’s shoulder so she could look into his eyes. Feeling a deeper connection other than just where their bodies had become one, she stuck her tongue out which Naruto began to flick with his own.

Yes… you’re incredible…I can’t believe I just came and I am about to again,” she moaned adding her praise to the sounds of his hips smacking against her flesh that were already filling the clearing.

Kurotsuchi swooned internally as she was too busy moaning as Naruto stated, “My life’s goal is to make sure my lovers are always completely satisfied. Now cum!”

Naruto stabbed his cock viciously into her causing her body to follow his command as his cockhead pressed against her womb. Kurotsuchi screamed again causing some of the Sun’s forces to look at each other in the fog as they wondered if they should be terrified someone could let out such a sound, or titillated. One of the commanders felt her pussy moisten as she had a pretty good idea that it was likely the latter, and knew that once the fog lifted that she might have to make good on her statement to suck the cock of the masked man that she had mocked when he had stated that just he and his lovers would be enough to deal with Iwa’s forces.

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Olivia Mira Armstrong, looked back behind her as despite the echo of the cry making it sound like it could have come from anywhere, she was sure that was where the scream had come from. Despite being confident in her forces strength, she had argued against an upfront confrontation with Iwa and Claw. She had argued that a guerilla battle would be the only way to triumph. Having been one of the generals of Honey’s small standing army, she had doubted they would be able to withstand the coming onslaught even bolstered as they were with the forces of the other countries that made up the new Land of the Sun. Furthermore, she had been less than impressed when her leader, along with the other women that made up the leadership of Sun, had introduced a group that they had called The Pride to the armies commanders. When the Pride’s leader had stated that they would crush the coming army, she had openly scoffed stating that odds were they would all be corpses by the nightfall of the battle. It had annoyed her that she was being asked to put her faith in some guy dressed up in a costume, and when he had again insisted that they would be more than enough she had stated that she would gladly kneel before him and suck him off if he wasn’t all talk.

She still remembered the way he had smirked as he said, “Well that just gives me all the more reason to succeed.”

She had blushed as the other commanders had laughed, but while a certain part of her had been annoyed at her concerns being taken lightly. A part of her had been drawn to the man as she could tell he didn’t consider his words to be merely bluster.

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Kurotsuchi was covering her face in embarrassment as she had cum so hard that she had squirted. Her new lover and mate chuckled as he said tenderly, “You’re acting quite cute right now.”

She tore her face from her palms to glare at him, but her harsh reply died as his kind smile greeted her. “Don’t be embarrassed,” Naruto stated, “What just happened means I can hold my head up high for making my new lover feel so good.”

She felt the embarrassment recede as she instead smiled to reply, “Oh, you did more than make me feel merely good.”

She could see her words made the man proud but then she moaned softly in loss as his cock slid out of her as it softened. He set her down and held her up for a moment as her knees were still weak. The fog had already begun to fade revealing the death that remained behind. She couldn’t believe the devastation that had been visited upon the Iwa’s forces. She doubted any of the others that were witnessing the scene could believe it either. As such, although somewhat covered by the foliage of the tree line the fog had come from, she doubted anyone would see the naked woman standing at the back of Sun’s forces.

She sighed contently as Naruto placed his fur cloak around her, and his scent from it filled her nostrils. She felt several people appear behind them. Naruto didn’t look back while asking, “Where are Sakura and Tsunade?”

“The other woman that was targeted for assassination was injured before Kagura could reach her,” a voice that Kurotsuchi recognized answered.

She could hear the concern as he asked, “Is she going to make it?”

Kurotsuchi looked back over her shoulder to see Naruto was again wearing his pants and that the woman had pulled the black cloth that had been covering her face down. She recognized Tenten beneath the lioness shaped helm as the woman replied, “If those two aren’t able to help her then she is beyond saving.”

Naruto nodded as he said, “Please protect them while they work on her. Once she is stabilized enough to move we’ll be returning home.”

“You aren’t going to make that woman follow through on her declaration?” Tenten asked amused.

Naruto chuckled as he replied, “She was merely upset that Kayo and the others were putting so much faith in us. She had no reason to believe that I was doing anything but boasting.” Kurotsuchi looked back to the Sun’s forces as she noticed Naruto’s gaze had zeroed in on a blonde woman that was taking advantage of the stunned disbelief of the Claw army as she pointed her saber at them while shouting for her men to charge. The Samurai forces of Sun charged forward causing the Claw army and remaining Iwa shinobi to panic. They broke into a disorganized mob as they tried to escape from the charging army. She shook her head in disbelief as Naruto added, “I see no reason to rub her face in her being wrong about us. She’s prideful enough that she might just do it because she said she would. But I wouldn’t want to see her demean herself in her eyes to remain true to her words.”

A quick swirl of leaves informed Kurotsuchi that she was again alone with Naruto so asked, “What now?”

“Now we wait and see how the world reacts,” Naruto said his tone strangely unemotional. “If the other powers leave us be, then there will be no further need for bloodshed. If not, then they will truly come to wish that they had if they want to be our enemies.”

Kurotsuchi watched as Sun’s forces chased down the retreating Claw forces like a lion would an antelope. She had little doubt that by week’s end Sun would have fulfilled its vow to cut the country of Claw in half. But she also got the sense that she was looking upon the birth of a new world in a sense, where just like her allegiances had shifted so drastically in the course of a few hours, the old friendships that Naruto had weren’t necessarily enough to not be considered an enemy by his current standards. She suspected that going forward; even old friends were going to have to prove their desire to remain considered as such.

She smiled predatorily as she was quite certain that the current Tsuchikage was definitely going to be a future enemy, and she looked forward to thanking him for pushing her into the arms of her mate. And what a huge mistake for him it had been.

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Picking up from previous chapter:

Kayo was on all fours as she was crouched down in the tall grass near a camp filled with Samurai from Honey. She received a kiss to the cheek from her mate crouched over her as she began to crawl forward and let out a soft moan as Naruto’s cock slipped out of her as she had wanted to enjoy it one last time before returning home. Naruto pulled down the back of her kimono as she crawled out of the grass. Almost immediately the Samurai around the fire stood as they noticed the woman they had been searching for crawling to her feet. They shouted to a command tent causing a fierce yet stunningly beautiful blonde woman to appear.

“Lady Kayo,” she said sounding somewhat surprised the woman had managed to survive in the harsh environment for so long. “When we found your husband’s remains we had feared the worst. I’m glad to see some of my survival training has paid off.”

“Thank you Commander Olivia,” Kayo said as the leader of Honey’s samurai forces stopped a respectful distance from her. “It wasn’t the environment that nearly did me in though…”

“Yes,” Olivia said quickly, “We found the body of your handmaiden. I suspect your husband decided to avoid a divorce.”

Kayo noticed Olivia’s grip on her sword tightened when she nodded making her suspect that the woman wished she had been the one to end her husband. She imagined that Olivia would delight in hearing how Naruto had ripped his throat out with his bare hand. But, instead she said, “Olivia, I didn’t choose to make myself known to your search group without reason.” The first woman that would make up the political arm of the Pride could tell she was surprising the blonde warrior. Despite their getting on well, she was quite aware that Olivia viewed all of the nobles from Honey as being weak. Continuing with confidence, she said, “It appears that several of the search parties that have recently joined the search for me are doing so for members of my late husband’s family. They seek to make sure that I share his fate.”

“That would be my guess as well,” Olivia admitted, “Yet what makes you so sure I’m not working for them.”

Having heard how the woman intended to put Kayo on the thrown from Ino as she had used the various wildlife to spy on the search parties to identify which was safe, she stated amused, “A little bird told me that I can trust you. However, I don’t plan to be a figurehead.”

She could tell all those present were surprised that she knew of what Olivia had hoped to achieve using her. She gave a tight grin as she added, “I know you feel constrained in this country. You tire of the corruption of the noble families and within the military. What I’m going to propose will allow you the freedom to deal with both.”

Kayo knew that Olivia was curious about her behavior as she had likely been expecting to find a panicked princess that she could easily install as the Daimyo in order to institute the reforms that she wanted. The last thing she had likely expected was for her to be the one being dictated too. She could also see a hint of suspicion as she knew that Kayo could have likely been found by one of the other search parties hoping to either remove the Daimyo’s wife as a potential replacement, or use her to their own ends. Ends that might have involved removing her, as she was considered a thorn in most of the military commands structure’s side.

Kayo put her at ease as best she could by stating, “I need your strength to insure that I am made Daimyo. If you support me, the country we build will become a premier military power.”

Olivia watched her for a moment, before sticking her hand out stating, “Tell me exactly what you have in mind.”

Taking the hand, Kayo smiled as she shook it before she began to lay out the foundation to what would become the Land of the Sun by first securing Honey. Olivia after a rough outline had been put in place that left out The Pride’s involvement invited Kayo into her tent. Before she followed, she dragged her feet through the dirt where she had been standing as she knew she had leaked some of the seed her mate had just placed inside her. She looked forward to the day, when such an occurrence would leave her with child. But she knew that before she reached that day there was still quite a bit of work to be done, so once she returned to Honey’s capital she would set about securing the position of Daimyo, before extending an invitation to a certain priestess that had a desire to have her belly swell with a certain man’s child as well.

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Karui was breathing heavy as she watched the other two women she was sparring with cautiously. She gripped her practice blade tighter while she waited for one of her opponents to present an opening. It grated on her, as she imagined it grated on Tenten that the third woman seemed to barely be winded. As a result they both diverted most of their attention to Sakura, but they still made sure not to forget about each other either.

Karui charged at Sakura letting out a fierce yell as she closed the distance between them. Sakura stepped back as she swung her practice blade in a downward arc. The Pink haired kunoichi then ducked as Tenten leapt from behind Karui swinging the wooden blade she was using to aim for Sakura’s neck. Tenten sailed over as she missed and then rolled to her feet as Karui spun her blade up at the still crouching medic-nin. Sakura leapt backwards avoiding the strike as Tenten charged where she was going to land. The medic landed just as the bun-haired kunoichi reached her. She avoided several of Tenten’s swipes at her while Karui moved to support her this time as both women agreed that Sakura was the bigger threat.

As she angled herself to box the kunoichi between them, she allowed herself to feel a sense of annoyance at having to admit that she couldn’t best Sakura on her own. However, it wasn’t something that she intended to let stand for long. The primary reason besides her sense of pride in her skills was because although those in the warrior branch hadn’t really discussed who would be the next to carry Naruto’s child among them, there was almost an unspoken understanding that it would be a decision that would be made via some sort of tournament. Truthfully, Karui was surprised at how much she desired being among the kunoichi chosen. A part of it was because of how she suspected how the choice would be made, and it would help validate her estimates in her abilities. After all, she would admit that being around kunoichi like Sakura and Tsunade had sapped her of some of her self-confidence. Especially due to how both women tended to end the training spars against them with flicks to the forehead that sent the flying.

An ability that Sakura demonstrated as Tenten attempted to do a reverse spin that if the blade was real was intended to behead the medic. However, Sakura stepped in and caught the brunette’s wrist before flicking the back of the weapon user’s skull. Tenten didn’t go flying off, but Karui winced sympathetically as she knew it was similar in feeling to what Sakura felt on the few occasions that they had connected with their wooden blades.

Tenten let go of her blade as Sakura released her and her hands immediately went to the flick point to begin rubbing it. Karui’s cursed as without Tenten’s help her plan to force Sakura between them were dashed. Abandoning it, she charged forward to swing wildly at the medic, who thanks to Tsunade’s avoidance training easily slipped around the blows. Karui missed with an attempt to bisect her opponent at the waist, but Sakura quickly stepped back before moving forward once the practice sword missed and then flicked her in the forehead. Karui let go of the sword unconsciously as both her hands shot to where she had just been hit. “Shit… bitch… anyone ever teach you how to hold back.”

Sakura smiled good naturedly as despite the woman’s words the two of them got along quite well as a result of their fiery personalities. As such the medic replied with a smirk, “Trust me when I say that I am compared to how my teacher sparred with me.”

Tenten straightened as she said, “Speaking of whom. It isn’t like her to miss a training session. She’s obviously gunning for your spot as queen of the Pride, Sakura.”

A new voice cut in stating, “She’s currently bonding with Shizune.”

Sakura smiled at her mother who had spoken and was approaching them. She noticed the other women were wearing similar ones as lately bonding had taken on the extra meaning of sharing Naruto. Sakura felt herself growing wet as she pictured her teacher and fellow apprentice on their knees before Naruto and sucking his cock. She fought back the desire to reach between her legs and rub her snatch to instead state, “Well if that isn’t a valid reason to skip out on training then I don’t know what is.” Pulling her mother close as she reached them, Sakura said with a seductive purr, “Speaking of bonding how about we put in some mother-daughter time in later.” She then kissed her mother heatedly as she channeled some of the lust that she had begun to feel from picturing her teacher with the man they all shared. It sent a delicious thrill through her as her mom became an active participant in it.

Mebuki pulled away leaving a trail of saliva connecting them as she said with a mischievous smile, “As you wish my queen.”

Sakura rolled her eyes as her mother joined in on the teasing her for the nickname she had earned from the other women as they had noticed the start of a rivalry between Sakura and Tsunade. Since, the former Hokage had been rejuvenated due to Ahri’s chakra, she had been training extra hard to recapture her peak. Since many recognized Sakura as the current strongest among them due to her still being in her prime that had naturally meant the master would challenge the student. The pink haired medic hated to admit it, but Tsunade was quickly closing the gap that had primarily been a result of her advanced age which although she had become younger, didn’t mean the strength had simply come along with it. Not to mention the difficulties she had with her chakra control now as it had returned to its youthful levels and potency.

Sakura did worry that the nickname might be a prelude to some jealousy appearing in the group so said, “Jeez, can you stop calling me that. I’m no queen, and there aren’t going to be any among us.”

Mebuki looked like she was going to make a point of how she was only teasing, but Karui said, “Speak for yourself. I’m the very definition of a queen.”

The women laughed together, but then Ino caused the good cheer to vanish as she ran up to them stating, “I hate to spoil the mood, but we have visitors. They aren’t some sightseeing nobles either.”

Karui frowned as she knew what the Yamanaka was alluding to. In the several months that they had been living in the Savanna there had been a few times where they had been forced to scare off some group of nobles either on safari or there to hunt the wildlife. For the most part, Ino had been more than enough to handle it by possessing one of the local wildlife, usually a lion, and attacking them. With her training she usually was able to send them running back to their home countries. It had been a task made all the more important as Naruto had finished the wall around the Warren in only a week. But since a manmade structure would definitely attract the wrong kind of attention it was why Hinata and Ino basically spent a majority of their time scouting the area. Although, it was a task Ino had been performing on her own since Hinata had followed Kayo back to the Honey Capital to keep tabs on her.

Ino would often start the day off by possessing a hawk to scout the area and mark which noble groups were potential threats to them. At that point in the past, she would turn things over to Hinata if they moved into the area they considered too close for comfort. She would use her bloodline to get close enough to scout out if there were shinobi present, or the types of weapons the group was carrying. That was when Ino took things back in hand and would use the wildlife to scare them away. However, with Kayo having assumed control of Honey those nobles were becoming fewer and fewer as she had annexed the Savanna.

Karui suspected though that wasn’t what attracted Ino’s attention however, leaving her to suspect that the group was likely hunting a different type of prey, namely Naruto and his mates. “I’m guessing these guys aren’t here to take in the sights,” the dark-skinned woman stated.

“Maybe if that sight is to take our heads back to Konoha or Kumo,” Ino replied dryly, “These guys are all shinobi. I’m guessing they finally figured out that the money trail we established leading south using the marked bills was fake. I’ll go get Naruto.”

“What for?” Karui said feeling a certain thrill passing through her, “We’re just as capable of handling this as him. Besides, isn’t that the reason he had me design those uniforms.”

“You mean costumes,” Ino said teasingly.

“Whatever,” Karui said biting down on her annoyance, “The point is, are we really going to run to Naruto to ask his permission to handle this, or do we act like the Lionesses that we are trying to emulate.”

Sakura smiled as she agreed with Karui’s sentiment, “Hell yeah we can handle this.”

“I agree,” Tenten said as Karui noticed an excitement growing among the women. She suspected that it was due to their finally being able to put the training that they had been engaging in to use against a potential threat to their home. “I think we should show these guys who rules these lands.”

“It’s a shame they won’t be able to tell anyone though,” Mebuki stated gently reminding the other women that engaging them meant one side or the other needed to be eliminated completely. Her words served their intended purpose as she saw the excitement wilt somewhat to be replaced with that reality.

For a moment Mebuki suspected that they might decide to get Naruto after all, but then the determination returned as Sakura said calmly, “If they’re coming here looking for our heads, well I for one have no problem leaving with theirs.”

Ino nodded as she stated, “Then let’s get to it.” The women sharing a common purpose headed to the Warren in order to change into the uniforms that in time they hoped would install fear into the future enemies of the land that they intended to claim as their own.

*****************************

Kagura held back her annoyance as a man behind her stated, “What the fuck are we doing here boss? All the other groups targeting this bunch are looking south of here.”

The man that the complaining thug was addressing answered, “And fat lot of good that has done them. I never much liked the theory that they went south. They supposedly burned down that bounty office to cover their tracks, but then go and use a bunch of the money from it. If that isn’t a false trail then I don’t know what is.”

“Fine, I get that,” the Thug retorted not willing to let the matter go due to his displeasure at walking through the sweltering Savanna on the word of some newcomer to the group. “But why the fuck are we taking the newbie’s word that they are here?”

Kagura turned causing those following her to all place their hands on their weapons. She couldn’t blame them for their lack of trust in her, especially as she could kill the lot of them without feeling anything. Yet, at the moment she needed them if for no other reason than to become corpses while she settled things with the woman responsible for Tsunade’s murder. In truth, she believed the whole lot of them were on a suicide mission as she doubted that should Naruto turn serious they would leave with their lives. In fact, she almost pitied the group that she had joined as she imagined that they were too stupid or greedy to realize the truth.

She felt a similar feeling for herself as she wondered why she was willing to throw her life away for a woman that had rejected her. Truthfully though, she suspected it had less to do with Tsunade then the fact that the two women that the Sannin had chosen to train had betrayed her. Kagura had accepted that Tsunade had been right not to train her from the understanding that she had achieved in their fight. As a result, after surviving the cave in, she had gone into hiding. She had survived by taking jobs from people too poor to hire a proper shinobi village. It had surprised Kagura that she had been able to live a somewhat decent life through such work, but in hindsight she supposed she shouldn’t have been. Truthfully, the Shinobi system was one that was meant to turn a blind eye to those unable to meet their prices. After all, while C ranked missions could involve combat they also tended to be at the upper edge of what a slightly well of person could afford. Therefore, smart bandit groups tended to at least have one or more shinobi with them which automatically prompted a mission rating of B or higher. At that point it usually fell to a village elder to make a request to the Shinobi village in question in order to meet the fees required to hire a team. But even in those cases depending on the type of threat encountered it could push the cost of hiring shinobi too high for a poor village to pay. More than one village had been left in a lurch when they had misrepresented the threat only for the team they hired to leave them high and dry upon learning of this.

In truth, Kagura had come to hate the current shinobi system as she had seen firsthand that it didn’t truly dispense justice. Instead it provided a meal ticket for what were still essentially nothing but mercenaries, that just had better homes then when they had been roving clans competing for the Daimyo’s cash. Truthfully, the only people that ever tasted justice from the current system were those that tried to change it, or as in her case, had outright challenged one of those powers. Granted, she knew that her motives weren’t pure back then, but she did find it rather ironic that she was cast as a villain when a shinobi village would let a farmer and his family be slaughtered simply because they were unable to meet its demands of payment for protection.

While it was true that in the past Konoha hadn’t been as grievous an offender as its shinobi would often continue a mission even after learning they had been lied to, or the Hokage would purposeful undercharge a client so that he could assign a team to fix the problem. In the months since the new Hokage had taken the reins, it had become one of the strictest villages in enforcing the idea that shinobi would solve any problem so long as their price was met. She knew there were quite a few that felt stifled by only being able to help provided the village was paid, but a part of her suspected that it was to force the followers of the Will of Fire to either acquiesce, or eventually rise up so that they could be put down by the current regime.

Still, Kagura didn’t exactly care one way or another as it just meant there were more jobs for her to accept instead of a village. That was provided that she survived her current task, which she highly doubted. Ultimately, she pinned her desire to kill the two women that had been Tsunade’s apprentices on two things. The first being that she still felt a great deal of admiration for Tsunade, which truthfully had only grown as she heard how the woman had faced Madara and although she hadn’t won, she was the only reason the other Kage survived the battle. As such, she believed the former Hokage had deserved more than an undignified death in the street by a woman that was supposed to have the traits that Tsunade had said she lacked. The second, she would admit was simply because of her own pride. Many claimed that Tsunade had been the pinnacle of kunoichi, and Kagura could attest to that having faced her head-on. Therefore, she desired to face the woman that had supposedly knocked Tsunade from her spot. Granted, Sakura had faced a Tsunade that was pushing on sixty and was nowhere near her prime, but still she hadn’t been much younger when the Hokage had bested her. Therefore, a wild and dangerous part of her wanted to see just how well she would perform against a woman that was.

All of this passed through Kagura’s mind in the handful of seconds where she watched the bounty hunters and missing-nin she had aligned with. The man that had questioned why she had insisted they search the Savanna was watching her nervously. She couldn’t blame him, as one of the band’s members had taken to believe that due to the provocative way that she dressed it meant she would spread her legs for anyone that paid her a compliment. In truth though, she had been tempted as it had been a few years since her last sexual encounter, and the man had been handsome enough. But, he had made the mistake of thinking her a common whore as she had rejected him outright. He had learned quickly that had been a mistake. Still, despite the fact that he would likely never walk the same, she imagined when the tale of the expedition was told he would look back as that being the moment fate had decided that he would live.

Letting the silence last a little longer she said calmly as her fox mask muffled her response slightly, “We are here because if they took the time to create a trail heading south then they likely went the opposite way to put as much distance between them and pursuers as possible. That way when people wised up it would have given them even more time to disappear.”

The thug, guessing that since he wasn’t already in traction that the woman was indulging him responded, “Yeah, but still, why here? Up until a few weeks ago when the new Honey Daimyo annexed them nobody laid claim to these lands.”

“A part of the answer you seek is in your own question,” Kagura stated as her gaze discreetly drifted to a bird that had been circling them overhead. “That was a rather strange move for the Daimyo Kayo to make, especially so soon after taking the throne. Moreover, there is the tale being spread that she was saved from her husband by some sort of lion. They can’t really disprove this as scavengers had their way with the body when it was found, but it is kind of hard to believe a beast would kill him but leave her unharmed.”

“Okay, so what,” the man retorted, “She probably just offed him in order to assume the throne.”

Kagura rolled her eyes, although the mask hid the gesture. “Really,” she replied letting her low opinion of the man enter her tone, “She killed him, his samurai guards, and apparently also disappeared the mistress they were traveling with by herself. She then hid in an uncivilized land known for its savage beasts for several weeks before being rescued looking none the worse for wear.”

“Maybe she hired some…”

The boss stepped in stating, “Will you fucking give it a rest. Her theory is sound. I did a little digging as well before I agreed to end the hunt down south and it turns out our query had a run in with the woman sometime in the past. It might be that she annexed these lands because he saved her and now she is trying to return the favor. Also, a group of poachers that I know have recently stopped bringing their goods to market. Yet strangely enough no new group has taken their place. So I’m of the opinion that either they are just stockpiling some goods to drive the prices up, or they were eliminated. They had a little hidey-hole near here so well look to see what’s up, and if they’ve seen anything suspicious.”

All the men drew their weapons as Kagura suddenly threw a knife at the bird she had been watching. A few had done so suspecting she was about to attack them. But most watched her blade fly at the bird only for it to suddenly role over onto its back and dive as it avoided the projectile. To their credit most of the men recognized the unnatural way the bird moved to avoid being skewered; those that didn’t were skewered themselves as a hailstorm of kunai descended on them from behind a nearby pile of rocks.

Kagura battered the weapons away as she danced to avoid the ones that she could. The thug that had been questioning her had the apparent good fortune to be standing in a spot where the rain of blades apparently wasn’t falling, but as several men moved to that spot it proved to be a trap as he pulled his blade cutting the two closest down.

“What the hell are you doing?” The man following behind the two shouted as the thug crossed blades with him.

Kagura wasn’t entirely sure either, but it all fell into place as the leader shouted, “It’s the Yamanaka. She…”

The white haired woman if she wasn’t busy avoiding the blades trying to pin her to the ground would have slapped her forehead. As although she had found the bird’s interest in them rather curious, she hadn’t made the connection that it could be Ino Yamanaka. She had instead trust in her instincts that something was wrong and the bird that had been circling overhead as if tracking them was it. But before she could state her agreement, a hand reached up from the ground and grabbed the leader of the group’s ankle. He looked down in surprise before he was pulled into the earth as the woman that had grabbed him switched with him. The woman that appeared was wearing an outfit that was comprised of skins that she guessed were taken from some of the lions that called the area home making Kagura suspect that she knew where Naruto and the women with him had taken refuge. She wore a helmet that looked like a roaring big cat with the front of it open, but covered in a black cloth that hid her face, yet had two holes to reveal her green eyes. She also wore a short furred cape that reached just about mid-back that covered the tanto and tool pouch that she had strapped behind her. The woman produced a small sphere covered in exploding tags that she then tossed into the hole she had appeared from just before she raced across the killing field of falling blades.

The entrance of the tunnel that she had made erupted into flames likely killing the group’s leader if the woman hadn’t done so as they switched places. Kagura watched as the newcomer gracefully moved through the rain of death as she charged towards her. For a moment, Kagura almost suspected it was Tsunade as the revelation that Ino was alive made her suspect the former Hokage wasn’t as dead as everyone believed either. But the newcome’rs physique lacked the curves of the blonde Sannin, but the kicked that she delivered didn’t lack any of the power as Kagura pulled her blade to block it and was sent flying as a result. It carried her clear of the falling kunai, which ended moments after the woman that attacked her appeared from it as well.

Kagura watched as four women wearing similar outfits as the first appeared from the outcropping of rock. They met several of survivors of the kunai storm that had begun moving towards the origin place of the attack in an attempt to put an end to it. The group that had remained still, due to it being all they could to dodge or deflect the blades formed a circle as they prepared to join the vanguard in attacking the four women, or to attack the one between them and Kagura.

The woman facing her kept her back to the group as if daring them to attack which several of them did. Kagura wanted to curse them as fools, but didn’t as she suspected by the very nature of the attack it was kill or be killed so the men would have gained nothing in not doing something. She did find that aspect partially surprising in part due to the revelation that Sakura and the others might not have killed Tsunade, Tenten, or Ino. A fact she suspected was highlighted as she guessed two of the four women were the Yamanaka and Brunette weapon user. She pegged one of them as Ino due to the Thug she had been controlling leaping in front of a sword that had been mean for her back allowing her to take the thug’s weapon and use it to split open her attackers throat. She finished off the man that she had compelled to act as her human shield for good measure before throwing the borrowed blade into the back of an axe using man that was facing a woman with claws extending from her wrists.

Kagura took her eyes from the fight going on in the background to focus on the woman before her and the man hefting his blade over his head to cleave her in half. The green eyed woman waited until the last second to spin out of the way as he brought it down, and then lashed out with a backhand that connected with the man’s face. Kagura could tell the blow shattered the man’s skull before he rocketed off into the distance. She then charged forward towards the man following in his wake. She raised one hand catching the hands he had wrapped around the hilt of his blade as he attempted a similar strike. She easily stopped his attack, and retaliated with a palm strike to the man’s chin that caused his neck to snap so that his head hung loosely back behind him as he fell backwards.

The next three remaining men were more cautious as they stopped their charge. One of the men remained before her while the other two moved to flank her. The woman allowed it to happen as Kagura could tell she felt in complete control of the situation. She could understand why as for a moment nothing happened before the man in front of her yelled to attract her attention as he charged. The other two moved silently using the noise of the first to cover their approach. The woman’s eyes never left the yelling man as she simply raised her foot above her head and brought it down on the ground. The earth reacted violent as she struck it causing a crater to appear around her as she leapt backwards dropping something as she flew away. One of the men was sent airborne and soared towards her due to his being caught by surprise at the maneuver. The woman’s leap carried her over him and so she kicked out with both feet smashing him into the earth like a meteor and using him to clear the site of the devastation. The other two men fell into the collapse as they had used their chakra to remain grounded. They found another exploding sphere waiting for them which went off killing the pair.

Kagura saw a chance so charged pulling a pair of knives just as the woman landed, but one of them was blocked by the tanto that her opponent had strapped to her back. Her other blade was blocked as the woman caught her wrist stopping her from plunging it into her would be victim’s side. Kagura struggled to move them closer, but found her opponent’s grip unmovable so that to the casual observer’s eyes it looked almost like she was hugging the woman from behind.

Her opponent’s green eyed gaze turned to stare into her masked while she said, “Trying to stab me in the back, now that’s rather un-sportsman like.”

“Says the bitch that launched a surprise attack. Funny, I always would have thought you lacked that killer instinct, Sakura,” Kagura said growing frustrated at her inability to move her blades in the slightest.

Sakura didn’t sound surprised that the white haired woman recognized her as she stated, “You’d be surprised at just how sharp my killer instinct has become, Kagura.”

Kagura was forced to leap up and over as Sakura attempted to kick back against the former ANBU’s shin. She quickly spun to face the medic-nin but found Sakura hadn’t moved to follow up. Instead, she began to pace in a wide circle which Kagura matched while keeping her guard up. It irked her somewhat that her opponent’s appeared relaxed, although her training told her there were no opening to be exploited. Sounding almost like she was catching up, Sakura asked, “So, what brings you all the way out here? I find it hard to believe that you are interested in the reward that I’m sure Konoha is offering.”

“What makes you so sure?”

Sakura shrugged as she replied, “Just a hunch. You caused quite the ruckus back in the village, yet despite surviving hardly a peep has been heard from you since. It might just be that you were keeping a low profile as you licked your wounds. But that was what? Five years ago? That’s a pretty long time to just lie low.”

Kagura charged as she shouted, “What do you care what I’ve been up to? I’m here for your head isn’t that enough of a reason to fight.”

Sakura avoided Kagura’s swipe of her blade by rolling back, but the white-haired woman threw her second blade as the lioness garbed woman rose back to her feet. She used her tanto to deflect the blade that would have otherwise pierced her skull to the side, but rather than sail off, it reversed course as Kagura pulled her arm back. The blade came back around as the chakra thread she had affixed to it followed her arm movements. Sakura countered though by spinning out of the way and then kicking the handle of the blade sending it spinning back at the former ANBU. At least that was what Kagura believed at first, but her training quickly told her that despite how close the blade would pass, she wasn’t the target of it.

She trusted her training so didn’t move as it flew by. She turned to follow it and saw that it had buried itself in the back of a man that had seen the writing on the wall and began running from the four women tearing through his comrades. The blade caught him right between the shoulder blades causing him to fly forward a few feet as the projectile lifted him off his feet before he crashed down and didn’t move again.

She directed her attention back to Sakura stating, “So I guess none of us are leaving here alive then. I can’t say I blame you as mercy would only bring more hunters here, but still considering the leniency you showed Tsunade and the others, it’s a move that is a little more cold blooded then I would have expected.”

Kagura took a small measure of satisfaction from seeing that Sakura was surprised at her realizing Tsunade was alive. Still Sakura didn’t dwell on it as she responded, “Well, when a group comes to collect a price on your head it’s kill or be killed. I highly doubt if our roles were reversed and we were begging for mercy that your group would be lenient.”

“They aren’t my group,” Kagura replied, not wanting to be linked with the men motivated simply by money, “I had come here to kill you and Shizune for betraying Tsunade. After all those times of being rejected because of her claims that I lacked compassion to hear that she was done in by those that supposedly had it was more that I could bear.”

Kagura spun and leapt as she deflected an attack to her rear which turned out to be a dart fired from a blowgun from one of the other women as they had mostly finished up with the men they faced. She watched the last two feel as one of the women wielded a sword and cut through their blades and necks as she swung in a wide arc while using her lightning chakra. She watched the useless blades and headless men topple over as she cursed mentally at taking her eyes off of Sakura. She felt the other woman’s presence behind her as something was stabbed into her neck. Her consciousness began to fade to black as she stated, “It wasn’t compassion that prevented me from killing Tsunade. If she had been a genuine threat to what we are going to build here then regardless of our past bond I would have finished her.”

Sakura dropped down to her haunches next to the woman as she removed the dart that she had jammed into her neck. She checked her pulse before then moving a strand of hair from Kagura’s face before adding, “Just like if you were to be a threat. But this is a new world and yesterday’s foe might just be our Pride’s new addition.”

*****************************

Kayo smiled as she reread the letter from the Land of Demon’s stating Shion’s willingness to visit. It was a welcome change of pace considering the numerous angry ones that she had received from nobles across the continent that were upset at her annexing their little playground, the Savanna. She smiled as she pictured Olivia’s displeased scowl when she informed her that she would have to prepare to receive the Priestess of Demon Country. The moment didn’t last long as she knew that her general would have reason to be annoyed considering the state of things within Honey. Having already sent a servant to inform her, Kayo imagined it would only be a matter of time before she received a visit from the gruff woman.

In the meantime she recalled the events of the few weeks since her return as both women had hit the ground running in securing her position as Daimyo. While the majority of the populace had most certainly wanted her to assume the position, the same could not be said of her husband’s extended family. Not to mention the many officials beholden to them for their wealth and positions of power. Fortunately, Olivia had spent a considerable amount of her free time over the years dreaming up scenarios to remove them and the other corrupted generals in Honey’s army.

Luck had been on their side as it was apparent that most of the nobles had not expected her to return from her trip. Therefore, they had positioned themselves to remove the next viable threat to assuming the positon of Daimyo which had been her husband’s uncle. He had long been considered the power behind the throne, but with his favorite nephew removed had decided to take the reins of power himself. That had been put on hold as he had made a great show of welcoming Kayo back, but when she had made it clear she wasn’t going to be his pawn he had quickly decided to eliminate her. He had likely figured that he could also pin it on one of the other relatives thus taking care of two problems at once.

The assassin never reached her though as Hinata, who had accompanied her back to keep an eye on her during what could have been a turbulent period, had dealt with her would be killer. The Hyuuga had then while henged as the intruder, allowed herself to be “discovered” before leading Olivia’s guards on a merry chase. Several archers had taken aim as she made her way outside the castle, and “hit” her. She fell over the castle wall, where a quick search had found the body of the man that her husband’s uncle had sent to kill her.

The man that went for him though had far better results as Naruto had infiltrated his supposedly impenetrable castle and gave him a similar treatment as he had to Kayo’s husband. Kayo smirked as she remembered how when news of the powerful noble’s death reached the others, those that had been pointing fingers from the attempt on her in an attempt to cast blame on each other, had truly become fearful of this new power behind the scenes. She couldn’t exactly blame them as she figured most of them had a pretty decent idea of what they had been capable of. But with the death of the most powerful player in the game to become Daimyo’s sudden removal, they truly had no idea of even who they were playing against.

Their position was further weakened since with Kayo’s backing as the Daimyo, although it hadn’t been made official at that point, Olivia began removing their powerbases from beneath them by bringing to light the evidence of corruption that she had been gathering for just such a day. Therefore, when Kayo offered them a generous stipend to drop their claims and leave Honey, the would-be challengers took the money and ran. Kayo had further secured her place with the people as she had done so by raising the money by selling most of the castle’s possessions and had turned over most of the castle grounds to the soldiers. It had given her home a more militaristic feel then she was comfortable with, but she knew it was only a temporary matter. Although she did like how the sparse and simple decorations that remained reminded her of the warren. She imagined that in time when the capital of the country they were trying to build was selected, the home of the women that would make up the political wing of the Pride would have a similar feel.

Kayo looked up from a letter that she was reading as she heard the sounds of Olivia’s boots approaching her chambers. The Daimyo sighed as from the sound of her gait, it was telling her all that she needed to know about the general’s mood about needing to secure the castle for an additional VIP when there might still be people aiming for her head. She stood preparing to meet her ally and she hoped friend, but would admit to not being sure about the latter. She looked forward to the day, when she would be able to let the woman know her concerns while appreciated were unnecessary as she was already under someone’s protection. But that revelation she knew was still a ways off so in the meantime calmed herself in order to make her case as to why the meeting was necessary.

*****************************

Kagura watched as two massive doors opened to the wall that surrounded what she guessed were the women’s home. She felt a sense of embarrassment as her wrist and ankles where tied to the shaft of a spear which was carried by Tenten and Sakura. All in all, it made her feel like a game animal that was being brought home by the hunters that had snagged it. Still the large wall and wooden gate gave her a sense of familiarity as it reminded her somewhat of Konoha. It did differ slightly she saw as she was led in as although it was about half as tall, it was much thicker. Furthermore, there was a second set of gates inside, which began to open after the first set closed. Being carried inside as she was staring up at the sky, she noticed a large tent like canvas stretched over the interior section surrounded by the wall. She could see that there was a gap between it and the top of the wall to allow in sunlight, but noticed that sections of the canvas could be opened and closed to let in more as desired. She suspected that the top was to prevent the harsh sun from beating on the inhabitants all day, but also to prevent aerial reconnaissance like Ino had used to spot the group she had been with.

Kagura’s attention was next drawn to the woman that had operated the controls. She instantly recognized the busty blonde as Samui, but what captured her attention was how the woman was barely dressed. Rather than a shinobi that had been living on the lam for a few months she gave off the appearance of a woman that had gone native so to speak. She was wearing animals skins that covered only enough to be considered proper to a more civilized minded person, such as Kagura, would deem acceptable. Yet despite noticing the white-haired woman’s wide-eyed stare she fully believed that the cool looking blonde wouldn’t have minded being completely nude.

She smiled slightly while stating, “Interesting game you brought back. I’m not quite sure how we should cook it.”

Kagura’s eyes grew even wider at the statement as she wondered if they really had turned to cannibalism, but then a moment later her pale face turned crimson as Sakura replied in a tone filled with innuendo, “This dish is one best eaten raw.”

Samui gave a slight nod as she replied, “Well Naruto is still enjoying his current meal. But I bet he would like some dessert.”

“I bet he would,” Karui said as she began heading to the rock outcropping which considering the walled barrier surrounding it seemed rather strange.

Upon reaching it the women cut their prisoner loose with Sakura asking, “So who wants to do the honors?”

Tenten smiled as she said, “I’ll go. Since she also looked up to Tsunade, I want to see her face when she lays eyes on her.”

“Okay,” Sakura said, “We’ll be along after we change and get cleaned up.”

Tenten nodded before turning towards Kagura stating, “After you.”

Kagura stood as she didn’t have much choice as her chakra was sealed. Stepping into the place that she had heard the women describe as the Warren, Kagura was surprised to find the floor and walls paved with stone. She reached a three way intersection with one of the branches looking far less developed. Curious as to what was down it she asked, “Still in the renovating phase?”

Tenten shook her head as she replied, “That’s where we perform the human sacrifices to our heathen gods.” Kagura couldn’t tell if the woman was joking, but nonetheless was happy when her guide added, “But that’s not where you’re heading. Go straight until the last room.”

Kagura did as she was told noticing a few more offshoots that broke off. She noticed that one had a crib inside, just as she reached the last chamber. She stepped inside and felt like she had passed through a barrier of some kind, which she guessed she had as suddenly she heard the sounds of groans and grunts coming from a pit at the center of a room. Also, upon entering the room, she noticed a sweet smell that caused her body to flush and felt a desire to find its source. She edged closer to the pit, when suddenly she was pushed from behind. She flew towards the center of it landing on something soft as if felt like a large mattress. She was about to glare back at Tenten, but paused as instead she focused on a completely nude Tsunade.

Her eyes nearly came out of her skull as she saw the former Hokage bouncing wildly while facing away from the man whose dick she was riding. The two were sitting on one of the levels just before the cushion that Kagura was on with the Hokage’s legs spread widely so she could push herself up and down the shaft buried inside her. She could see Naruto’s pleasured filled face as the blonde Sannin bottomed out on his cock before rising back up to repeat the slide down. She could also see Shizune was kneeling behind the man licking along his neck and back while her hands were wrapped around his muscular chest.

The dark haired woman noticed their guest so said, “Um… it looks like we have some company.”

While Naruto’s eyes focused on Kagura, Tsunade appeared to be in her own little world as she said frantically, “I…I don’t care. They can wait their turn… I’m so fucking close.”

Shizune giggled, before licking Naruto’s ear as she replied, “I think you should take a moment to see who is watching right now. It’s an old acquaintance of yours. How’ve you been, Kagura?”

“What?!” Tsunade said opening her eyes to see the shocked woman staring at her. Due to her surprise, her footing slipped causing her to fall heavily on Naruto’s cock, which stabbed her womb causing her to arch her head back as she let out a shriek as she climaxed hard.

Kagura watched the Sannin shiver in ecstasy before noticing that Naruto wasn’t in much better shape as he pulled the Hokage’s hips tight against him and began pumping her with his seed. Tsunade let out another hollow of pleasure as she climaxed again from having her womb pumped full of his semen. The blonde kunoichi relaxed after a moment as she stared off blankly with a satisfied expression on her face.

Kagura felt Naruto’s eyes on her so she shifted her icy blue eyes to meet his warm ocean like ones. They moved after a moment as Kagura felt a presence behind her, who Naruto addressed as he asked, “Just what have you ladies been up to while I’ve been entertaining?”

She could hear a smile in Tenten’s voice as she replied, “Oh, you know, a little of this, a little of that. Oh, we might have also dealt with some bounty hunters that were heading this way.”

Kagura watched Naruto’s warm eyes cloud over for a moment, but although at first she imagined it was in anger at the woman acting without him. She realized the ire was directed her way as he asked, “I take it that she was one of them.”

“That’s right,” Tenten stated matter of factly. Kagura felt a moment of worry as her instincts told her that the man before her could easily slaughter her if he viewed her as a threat. That feeling intensified and then faded as Tenten added, “Apparently, she was here after Sakura’s head though. It seems she took offence at her supposedly killing Tsunade. Although taking in her current state you might be the true culprit.”

Tsunade snorted before replying, “You’re one to talk. I’ve seen your after orgasm face you know.”

Tenten laughed as she replied, “They don’t call it the little death without cause. Now do they?”

“I suppose not,” Tsunade said her gaze meeting Kagura’s as she used Naruto like a throne. “Yet, I am surprised that you would try to avenge my death. I can’t say we parted on the best of terms.”

Those watching the women could see her shame as she replied, “I know. I... you were right to reject my desire to learn from you. I can’t even really say that I was here to avenge you though. I… I simply hated the idea that one of the women you passed me over for was responsible for it.”

“That is little different then wanting to avenge a master killed by a fellow student,” Naruto said as he rested his chin on Tsunade’s shoulder.

“I was never her student though,” Kagura countered.

“Weren’t you though?” the male blond asked tilting his head. When she focused on him, he smiled explaining, “You seemed to have learned the last lesson that she taught you rather well. You recognized what it was inside yourself that needed to change namely your lack of compassion for your comrades.”

“What about you then? It seems to be a lesson you’ve forgotten considering you turned your backs on yours,” Kagura said challengingly. She felt a part of her wilt though from the dark looks she received from Tsunade and Shizune. She also imagined it was one worn by Tenten as well.

Surprisingly Naruto seemed pleased by her question. “True, it does look like that. I have after all turned my back on the Leaf. But as to the people, well that remains to be seen. My fall from grace as it were has opened my eyes to something that I was a bit wary of when people first treating me like a hero, but let myself forget in my desire for acceptance.”

“W-what’s that,” Kagura asked. She shifted slightly and stifled a moan as she felt a dampness between her legs. She tried to focus on Naruto’s face, but kept finding her gaze drifting to where he had been connected to Tsunade as his cock had wilted and his seed began to leak from the former Hokage.

Still she did process Naruto’s words as he explained, “After I defeated Pain, I found myself loved and adored by the same people that had before kept me at a distance and tried to deny I existed. People even asked me to sign autographs for them. I was a little hesitant at first because it seemed like a dream come true. But now, I realized that most of the people simply came around because I had done something great. Yet, those were the same people that were the first to abandon me when it appeared I had lost control with Shizune. Remaining loyal to such people would be foolish. Instead, I’m going to build a new home here. Those who called themselves my comrades will have to show me that is what they wish to remain.”

“And, what of your old enemies?” Kagura asked.

Tsunade smiled hearing a hint of desire in the woman’s voice as she was sure her mate’s pheromones had awakened a sense of desire inside the former ANBU. She stood from Naruto’s lap and crossed the short distance between them before kneeling before Kagura. She could see the other woman’s face flush further as the scent of Naruto that coated her caused the woman’s lusts to grow stronger. The Sannin put her finger under Kagura’s chin stating, “Well it’s only natural that if yesterday’s friend could be tomorrow’s enemy, then yesterday’s enemy can become something more today.”

“Wha…”

Kagura’s question was cut off as Tsunade sealed her lips to the white-haired woman’s. Her eyes showed her surprise at being kissed by the woman that she had admired, but then they grew hooded as she began to reciprocate. Their tongues clashed as Tsunade began to push Kagura onto her back as the Sannin’s hand reached between her legs. Kagura moaned into the kiss as Tsunade began rubbing her pussy through the bandages that she wore under her barely there skirt.

Tsunade broke the kiss stating, “You’re so wet already.”

“W-what’s going on?” Kagura asked not sure how or why things were turning out the way they were.

She moaned as Tsunade’s rubbing grew firmer while she explained, “From the moment you’ve entered this room you’ve been placed under a spell by your own biology. Our mate is a very potent man and his pheromones have been incubating a desire inside you.”

“What… what desire?”

“To be taken by him of course,” Tsunade replied before bringing her lips to Kagura’s collarbone. The woman let out another moan and began pushing her hips against Tsunade’s hand to increase the pleasure that she was feeling. Tsunade pulled her lips away after leaving a kissing mark as she smiled from the woman’s reaction while adding, “My fingers feel good don’t they?”

“Yes,” Kagura hissed breathlessly, “B…but… this isn’t real… it’s just a natural… reaction.”

“Of course it is,” Tsunade said as she pulled her hand from between Kagura’s legs. Showing off her pussy juiced covered fingers; she then stuck them in her mouth before moaning from the taste. Giving Kagura, her own look of lust she explained, “It being natural means it doesn’t get any more real than this. Kagura his pheromones are simply stripping away the cloak of civilization that you wore. It has in essence simply made you more honest.”

“T…that’s not true… oh gods…”

Tsunade smirked as the denial turned into a moan as she crawled over Kagura and placed her knee against her mound. A few moments later she was rubbing herself against it while Tsunade continued, “Sure it is. What is it that our biology drives us to do? To procreate and to find a suitable mate to pass on our genes with, everything else outside of that is just fluff. Outside, in civilization, women and men will take a partner for all sorts of reasons, perhaps because he or she has wealth that can provide for a comfortable lifestyle for them and their offspring. But here, all that is gone. Right now, your body has already communicated to you that sitting before you is a perfect mate. He’ll provide you with strong children, and so it responds, hoping to entice him into claiming you.” Tsunade helped Kagura to sit up slightly as she moved so that she could see the still sitting Naruto. She couldn’t deny that the blonde woman’s words felt true as she felt a quiver that originated in her pussy as she saw his cock was once more standing tall and erect. Tsunade noticed it as well stating, “And it seems that you have. All you need now is give voice to your desire.”

“B…but what about…”

“What comes after?” Tsunade asked holding a finger to Kagura’s lips to silence her. The woman nodded so as she explained she dragged the finger down the former ANBU’s body. It began to glow green as it reached the wrappings covering her chest so that she easily cut through them freeing her breasts. “That I promise you will follow, Kagura. From today on you will become one of our Pride. Your children will be loved and cherished by all of us, just as you will be as well. All you need now is simply feel.”

Tsunade’s finger had continued on its journey easily slicing through the other woman’s skirt and the bindings beneath it. The blonde woman then spread them so that her mate could have a clear view of the new pussy being offered to him. Naruto looked over his shoulder kissing Shizune tenderly before walking towards the two women as he approached Kagura could make out the just forming baby bump that Shizune had. It surprised her at how much she found she desired the same in that moment.

Her eyes locked with Naruto’s as he knelt down before her and asked, “What is it that you desire?”

The question surprised Kagura as truthfully she didn’t have an answer. In the past it had been to be acknowledged by Tsunade, and then a desire for revenge on her after being rejected. But afterward there had been nothing, as she had become a woman just going through the motions. Despite her recognizing the flaws in the Shinobi system, she hadn’t done much to correct them as she had only helped the helpless because it had been all she really knew how to use her skills. Yet, stripped naked before Naruto, she found Tsunade’s words held a unique truth in them as if she did bring a new life into the world; she’d have a reason to continue to use the skills that she had honed. A purpose to protect the man before her children, as hers would be among them along with the small fragile world Naruto was attempting to build to protect those important to him.

She found that much as Tsunade had explained a part of her knew what it wanted and that Naruto was the most suitable one to give it to her as she said, “I want everything you have to give.”

Naruto smiled as he gripped her hips possessively pulled her up into his laps so that she was positioned over his cock. He gave her a cocky smile as he asked, “Are you sure you can handle it?”

Her own smile became feral as she replied, “I’m eager to find out.”

She cried out as Naruto pulled her onto his cock as he grunted, “So am I.”

Kagura’s legs and arms wrapped around Naruto as he slid her over his cock effortlessly. She moaned louder when he leaned forward to latch onto her nipple and yelped when he nipped it. He was more tender with her other breast as he suckled it for a moment before rolling his tongue around the hardened nub. He then broke it free of the orbit it had been tracing around her aureole as his tongue traced down from the top of her mammary, before it traveled through the valley created by them, and then up her neck where he buried it into her gasping mouth. Kagura hands traveled up from his shoulders to behind his head as she tried to pull him deeper into her mouth, while her toes curled behind him as much from the kiss as the dick she was guided over.

Naruto leaned forward placing her down on the mattress. It caused her to break the kiss as he began slamming into her fully, and his cock began hitting her even deeper. She felt it trying to drive itself into her womb and began to try and aid it as she used her legs to pull her hips into his powerful thrust. She urged him on shouting, “Fuck… you’re so fucking deep…don’t stop…”

Despite her plea, several heartbeats later he did the opposite of what she wanted. But before she could complain, she found herself flipped over onto her stomach. Naruto raised her hips up and then pushed his cock back inside. Kagura moaned into the mattress as he climbed to his feet in order to drive his cock into her harder and faster. Her mind went blank as the only thing it focused on was how good it felt to have Naruto’s cock drilling through her sensitive passage and the building pressure it was causing within her. In truth, she felt a bit like a pump attached to a balloon that Naruto was eagerly pumping until it broke.

She found herself a little intimidated by that impending release as although she had been with a few lovers, many of whom were rather skilled in the bed as they had managed to get her off. Those orgasms had never held the same promise of euphoria the one currently building inside her seemed to. She didn’t know why, and that partially scared her as she didn’t know who she would become on the other side of experiencing it. After all, the times before had been a way to just release the stresses that accrued from the job. As such while pleasurable, they had quickly faded from memory. She doubted that would be the case this time, and wondered why. Although unsure, a part of her suspected that it was her body rewarding her for choosing what many considered the pinnacle of shinobi to father her children.

Naruto’s thrusts became more urgent and violent as his grip around her hips tightened to pull her back towards him fiercely. Kagura simply went along for the ride, but arched her back as she climaxed when with a final powerful thrust he jammed his dick as deep as possible and began flooding her insides with his cum. Kagura wailed like a siren as the world went white from the powerful release that she experienced. She then fell forward bonelessly like a Yamanaka that missed with a mind-transfer jutsu as it took several minutes for her consciousness to return to her body. When she did, her body still refused to move more than necessary so she flopped onto her back while trying to squeeze her pussy tight to prevent any of the warmth that had been deposited inside her from escaping. She was greeted to the sight of a now naked Tenten, Tsunade, and Shizune kneeling before a standing Naruto as they licked his cock clean. They each took turns taking him into their mouths before moving aside to let one of the other women have a turn.

Naruto’s eyes met hers and he smiled softly, but then looked up. She followed his gaze and felt a sense of embarrassment as she saw the other women of the Pride sitting on the various pillow covered levels that led down to the main floor. They were all nude with some still rubbing their soaking cunts as they took in the show. She felt an urge to cover up but it faded as Naruto gripped Tsunade by the hair to pull him away from his cock. She made a small sound of protest, but it never grew louder as Naruto addressed her and all the women present, “Welcome your new sister into the fold.”

Kagura watched Tsunade follow his instruction as she crawled until her face was just inches from hers. “Welcome to the Pride, Kagura.” She then kissed her, letting her taste the combination of her combined essence with his that coated Tsunade’s lips and tongue. Kagura found it intoxicating as she pulled the blonde tighter to her. But then she moaned as she felt a tongue begin probing inside her. She broke the kiss to see that Shizune was kneeling between her outstretched legs with her mouth clamped to her pussy. She moaned, but it was silenced as she was pulled into a kiss by Tenten before even more kisses began landing all over her body.

Naruto watched with a pleased grin as his Pride welcomed its newest member. Sitting down as Kagura began to moan from Shizune’s tonguing of her snatch; he became rather eager to feel it on his manhood again. He restrained himself as he wanted to allow his mates a chance to become better acquainted with each other. While patience wasn’t exactly his strong suit, he busied himself with thoughts of the women not present as he figured soon he’d be paying Kayo and Hinata a visit to bring Shion into the Pride.

****************************

Kayo stood near the front gate of the castle watching a palanquin that was being carried by servants and was surrounded by a retinue of guards approached. She felt a smile grow on her face as she imagined how Shion would react when she learned what the true purpose for the meeting they were about to have was. Olivia, who was standing next to her noticed and still annoyed that her concerns about the security demands had been disregarded asked annoyed, “What are you so pleased about?”

“I just have a good feeling about the exchange we are going to have that’s all,” Kayo said with a hint of amusement.

“Well, if we end up in a war because some noble assassinates the Priestess as a form of retaliation against us, don’t come crying to me.”

The scowl on Olivia’s face grew wider as Kayo replied, “I told you that your concerns are unwarranted. All the threats to us have been removed…”

“Except the one that killed your Uncle-in-law,” the blonde general countered, “We never learned who was behind that one. Whichever noble had access to such a fierce warrior is going to be force to be reckoned with.”

Kayo nodded as she said, “Of that we are both in agreement.”

Olivia eyes grew wide as she realized what Kayo was suggesting. She took a moment to compose herself before asking, “Are you saying…”

“I’m not saying anything at the moment,” Kayo said showing a fierceness that Olivia hadn’t seen before. It disappeared a moment later as she directed her gaze at the general adding, “But in time everything will be made clear to you. Of that you have my word.”

Olivia studied the Daimyo for a moment before nodding as she replied, “Very well. Then perhaps you can enlighten me as to the true purpose of this meeting.”

“Let’s just say that I’m helping someone to keep a promise,” Kayo replied as the litter carrying the Priestess came to a stop and she went to greet her. She felt Olivia’s eyes on her, but also the ever present gaze of Hinata who was awaiting the appearance of Shion with the same fervor as her. A servant slid open the door on the litter revealing the woman inside prompting Kayo to say, “Welcome to the Land of Honey. You and I have much to discuss.”

“Really,” Shion said warmly as she stepped out, “Then I’m eager to begin. I hope you don’t mind but I’m also rather eager to hear about your time in the Savanna. It sounds like quite the harrowing experience.”

“Parts of it were,” Kayo said, “But I’ll gladly share with you all the details of my experience there. I’m sure that once you’ve had a chance to join in on my experience, what I hope to propose to you will be accepted.”

“Oh, I didn’t know you asked me here to make some sort of proposal,” Shion said a little surprised. “Is it about supporting you in your annexation of the Savanna? If so, then I will gladly accept as it was barbaric how people hunted those beautiful creatures to make rugs out of them or to hang their heads on a wall.”

“It is related to the Savanna,” Kayo admitted, “but let’s give you a chance to slip into something a little more comfortable looking. I don’t know about you, but I’d almost rather go around naked then wear these uncomfortable getups.”

Shion laughed lightly as she replied, “Well I don’t know about getting naked. But I can agree with the sentiment.”

Kayo gave a mysterious smile as she said amused, “Oh, I’m sure I can talk you out of your clothes.”

Shion looked a little confused by the statement, but shrugged as she followed alongside the woman rather intrigued by what it was she was about to pitch.

Next Chapter: Nation Building: A Promise Kept: Part 1

Author’s note: Well first of all, thank you to all those that take the time to review. For those expecting the Shion lemon this chapter, I decided to make it two parts and save it for the next. The Primary reason being that I figured going with the Kurotsuchi one kind of made up for it. Also, the next chapter should also be the end of the Nation Building arc. From there, it’ll begin to dovetail into more of what the immediate aftermath of the battle is. Naturally, some people will likely figure out that Naruto has returned regardless of his clothes. It should also serve as a way to further expand on the point started in this chapter about people not really being able to rely on their old relationships with him. It’s kind of hard to explain if this chapter didn’t make it clear without giving too much away, but I can promise that the chapter after next will set the tone for a time between Gaara and Naruto.

As to when the next chapter will be ready, well I want to get out a couple more Eroninja first. I want to finish the Night Terrors arc, and then think the chapter after that. I also have a chapter of the Promise to put out. So I’ll set a goal for the end of May.

Again, thank you for all the reviews and comments for my stories. I hope this chapter made the wait worthwhile, so until next time take care. Sincerely, The Lemon Sage.