Naruto waited for Guren's henged clones to pull most of the guards away from his location on the opposite side of the camp. While he liked to think he could wipe the floor with the bastards, he would have to wait until after the hostages were safe. He looked forward to that moment as he intended to pay Vega back for what he and the bruiser with him had done to Konohamaru's squad.
Seeing that as many of the guards willing to move had, Naruto quickly charged down the dune towards a pair of sentries. Luckily they were preoccupied with the chaos on the other side of the camp rather than making sure their side was secure so Naruto easily handled them with a Sage powered punch the sent the men tumbling. Quickly reaching the tent, Naruto sliced through the fabric in the back using his chakra blades. Aware that it was empty except for the scared captives he slipped inside to find most of the people had awaken and were staring at the battle going on.
Naruto spared a moment to see how Guren's clones were faring and cursed as he saw that several had been destroyed already. Aware that once someone with some brains realized the attackers weren't human that they would like figure out the attack was a diversion, Naruto knew he needed to get the people moving. Channeling chakra into his blades he sliced the bars to the cage causing the people to look back towards him. Giving them a reassuring smile he said, "Come on! I've been sent by Seramu to rescue you. Head out the back."
Hearing their fellow tribeswoman's name the captives all quickly did as Naruto instructed, except for a woman in the back that greatly resembled Seramu, and who was simply staring at him like she had seen him before but couldn't place where. Not sure why the woman was staring at him when she should be escaping Naruto charged into the cell and guessing her to be his client's mother said, "Sara, pull yourself together. Your people need you."
Hearing that, snapped Sara out of her daze as she said, "Yes, your right. Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet," Naruto said following the woman out the tent. "Let's save the celebrating till you're safely reunited with your daughter."
Sara was about to agree when a high pitched yell cut through the night. Looking up to where it came from she saw Vega leaping from the top of the tent towards them his claw aimed for Sara's heart. Naruto leapt in front of her and used his blade to block the blow. He grunted and was pushed back into her as Vega used where Naruto blocked his blade as a pivot to bury his feet into the blond's chest before leaping away.
Vega landed smoothly on his feet opposite Naruto and as he straightened up said, "Naruto Uzumaki. You have an annoying habit of showing up where you aren't wanted."
Naruto motioned for Sara to continue running as he created several clones to escort her. He turned back towards Vega slowly and for a moment was concerned that the man realized that he had been one of the Hunter-nin that had prevented him and Balrog from killing Team Ebisu. But sensing that perhaps he had some prior run in with S.I.N or whoever was actually pulling the man's strings said, "I'm pretty good with masks. I don't remember squaring off with you before."
Vega chuckled as he said, "No we've never had the pleasure of tangling before. But, your past actions have caused us considerable setbacks."
"I can't really say that I'm sorry to hear that if you spend your time kidnapping people," Naruto said preparing to charge. He stopped though as a cloaked figure dropped in front of Vega. Naruto frowned as he couldn't get a sense of the person even with his Sage abilities active. He could tell that it was a woman via the chakra he could feel, but the cloaked figure almost felt like a doll with no personality.
"Please evacuate sir," the cloaked figure said. "Lord Bison would not wish for you to be captured here."
"I think the same could be said for you Cammy. Do not dally long."
"Affirmative," the woman said tossing her cloak to reveal the beret and green leotard that she wore. Marking Naruto's face she added, "Target confirmed."
Charging forward as Vega leapt away, Cammy leapt at Naruto as she began to spin in a feet first version of fang over fang. Naruto leapt over the attack, but Cammy landed beneath him and leapt upwards connecting with a shot to his stomach. Naruto groaned from the blow as he landed roughly on the ground. Cammy pressed her advantage as she charged where the jinchuriki was lying. Raising her foot all the way up to her head she attempted to bring it down on his skull, but Naruto blocked the blow as he glared angrily at the woman with his yellow eyes.
He pushed the woman's foot back with enough power that she was forced to flip backwards to keep up with it. Landing on her feet as Naruto flipped back to his, she moved to charge him again. But she was forced to leap out of the way as Naruto reached her first and had attempted to bury his fist in her stomach. Cammy, rolled to her feet and tried to attack his exposed back, but Naruto spun in place and connected with a backhanded fist which although greatly powered down still hit with enough force to send the woman spinning away. She hit the ground hard, but nevertheless tried to get back up.
Naruto moved to secure the woman, but a large cloud of sand shot into the air on the opposite side of the tent pulling his attention away. Aware that Guren might be in trouble, he turned back to his opponent and saw that she had managed to flee as his focus shifted. Able to sense her chakra he knew he could still catch up to her, but unwilling to leave Guren to face the rest of the slavers by herself moved to offer his assistance.
However, he made it a handful of steps before a large contingent of bandits began streaming down the hill. Seeing that they were heading for the central tent where the captives had been held, he figured that they were opportunist hoping to take advantage of the chaos in order to make off with the goods while the Marauders were defending the camp from Guren's attack. "When it rains it pours," Naruto said preparing to meet the charge since he didn't want them going after the free captives once they realized they were already gone. He just hoped Guren could hold out until he arrived.
*****************************
Guren watched as the dark-skinned man appeared from the dust cloud he had made as he smashed her clone into the ground. Forming crystal blades on her forearms, she quickly closed with him and made a swipe at his stomach. Birdie blocked the blow using the chains wrapped around his forearms before lashing out with a kick. Guren crossed her arms and blocked the blow, but skidded back on her heals.
Before she could attack once more she was forced to defend herself from one of her opponent's men as he swung a short sword at her back. Guren blocked the blow with her left forearm blade before cutting the man's leg off at the knee with her free hand. Spinning she attempted to finish him by burying a blade in his chest, but Birdie used the moment to unfurl the chain around his right forearm and threw it so that it wrapped around her outstretched arm.
He pulled her off her feet towards him, but Guren used her free arm to slice the chain off and before she had even landed created a crystal dragon which sped towards the large man and hit him in his chest. The jutsu picked him up and carried him until it smashed into a wagon. Guren's attention was pulled from him as several of Birdie's marauders charged her having finished off the last of her crystal clones.
Guren turned to face the closer threats. Fashioning several crystal shuriken in midair she sent them flying towards the charging marauders. One hit true catching the man in the throat causing him to fall back into one of the other men. The third reached her, but she parried his downward strike by crossing her forearm blades over her head. Before she could try to push him back she heard Naruto shout, "Guren watch out!"
She was pushed to the side just as a broken axel from the wagon Birdie had crashed into smashed into her rescuer as well as her attacker. She stared at the shocked Naruto who was impaled on the makeshift weapon as was the man she had been fighting.
"N-no," Guren said weakly not wishing to see another good person die for her. "No!" she shouted as she rounded to face a smirking Birdie as his remaining men began to close in around her. His smile faded though as suddenly the ground began to shake before razor sharp crystals began to shoot up from the ground around her.
Birdie's smirk faded into horror as the sprouting crystal forest decimated his men as they began to sprout branches which impaled them. He stood transfixed as Guren slowly approached him with more and more crystal spikes appearing in her wake. He snapped out of his daze as he watched one of his men leap through the growing crystal forest to leap at her back only for a crystal to shoot out of the ground and impale his stomach. Watching one of his few remaining men die got the large man moving in the opposite direction from the woman only to run right into the blond he thought he had killed. Naruto smashed his fist in the man's face knocking him out cold.
Looking at the crystalline structure that now stood in the middle of the desert Naruto said, "Maybe you should lead with that attack next time."
Guren had stopped in shock at seeing Naruto appear from the opposite side of the camp unharmed. She looked back at where the dead one should be and not seeing any sign of him realized it had been a clone. She felt tears appear at the corners of her eyes, but pushed them away as she said, "What took you so long?"
Naruto jerked his thumb back the way he had come as he answered, "We had some party crashers try and sneak in the back."
Guren nodded, but asked, "What are we going to do with them?"
Naruto picked up Birdie and despite the man's being much bigger than him, easily carried him over his shoulder as he said, "I figure we'll leave them tied up here. I'll make some clones to keep watch and send one to Suna. Gaara should be happy to learn some thugs who've been attacking his people have been dealt with."
Guren nodded as she kept telling herself that the Naruto, she had seen die was just a clone. But that a good person could have lost his life for her was all the convincing that she needed that she should remain locked away for the rest of her days so as to not let such a thing happen again.
*****************************
Naruto sat at a position of honor as he watched the people celebrating by dancing around a fire as others ate and drank. He looked at the people's leader who looked away quickly giving him the impression that she had been staring again. Naruto coughed gently into his fist to get her attention and he noticed that her cheeks gained a little color as she looked at him. Leaning forward he commented on the festivities, "This is the most lively funeral that I've ever been too."
Sara nodded as she said, "I can imagine. It took me a little getting used to as well after Roran was destroyed. It's a tradition of the caravan that we survivors joined with. Seramu's father was a tribal leader that I had married a few years before Roran's fall. He was the one that helped us go from a stationary kingdom to a band of travelers. The reason he gave for such a lively ceremony despite the solemn occasion was that the desert is a harsh place and every day of life you can squeeze from it is a victory. And thus when death inevitably wins you celebrate the many victories that came before."
Naruto nodded as he watched the people celebrate the lives of the warriors that had died defending their people. "Are you going to be okay with most of your protectors gone?"
Sara nodded as she answered determinedly, "We'll be okay. This is not the first time the desert has tried to claim the people of Roran. It shall not be the last." Sara paused like she wanted to ask him something, but then thought better of it. Naruto wondered if it was related to the looks that she kept sending towards him. He considered asking her, but felt that it might embarrass the woman.
He was about to ask her what Roran was like before it fell, but stopped as Seramu broke away from the people dancing around the fire to stop in front of him. Holding her hands out to him she asked, "Naruto come dance with me."
Naruto was tempted to take her up on her offer as he recalled how the girl had crushed herself to him upon his return with her tribesman and mother as she thanked him for keeping his promise. He had thought he sensed a hint of jealousy radiating from her mother, but quickly dismissed it as his imagination. Although he could hear a little envy in Sara's voice as she said, "Leave him be Seramu. I'm sure he's quite tired from fighting those men."
Seramu frowned at her mother, but before she could respond Naruto said, "Actually, I should go check on Guren. "
"Why does she refuse to come down?" Seramu asked as Naruto got back to his feet.
"She lost somebody important to her and believes she isn't deserving of happiness," Naruto said sadly on the woman in question behalf.
Naruto smiled as Seramu retook her position in the women dancing around the fire as he made his way to where Guren was. Finding her alone near a small grove of palm trees far away from the lights strewn about the camp he said, "You know this celebration is as much a thank you for us as it is to celebrate their love ones that passed on."
Guren looked back at Naruto for a moment as a weak smile appeared while she said, "I saw you eating. It looks like you did enough celebrating for the both of us."
"It would have been rude to let all that food go to waste," Naruto countered with a smile. Besides, my partner would prefer to sulk out her by herself." Guren didn't respond so Naruto asked, "Is this really what you think Yukimaru wants?"
Guren looked back at him as her eyes hardened. Angrily, she replied, "How should I know? But it doesn't matter. I've decided to return to prison after this job is completed. I don't deserve a second chance or to be happy."
"With all due respect I don't think that's a decision for you to make," Naruto said causing the woman to shoot to her feet.
"Where do you get off deciding that for me?"
"I'm not, well not entirely making that decision for you. I think Yukimaru did when he choose to give his life for yours. I don't think he would be happy knowing that you plan to spend the rest of your days being miserable," Naruto said.
W-why can't you understand…I-I've done horrible things…"
"And today your actions saved lots of people," the jinchuriki said closing the distance between them. "You wouldn't have been able to do that from a prison cell. Plus, you gave Yukimaru's gift to others as well"
"Gift," Guren said softly.
"That's right; his gift of life to you has been passed on to the people of Seramu's tribe. These people will always be indebted to him for saving you."
"W-what you say sounds nice…but it doesn't erase the things I've done in the past."
"No it doesn't," Naruto conceded, "But what you did back then doesn't invalidate what you did today either." Naruto stopped in front of Guren and let a mysterious smile appear on his face as he said, "Besides…according to desert law your life belongs to me now."
"W-what do you mean?" Guren said growing quite aware of Naruto's close proximity to her. She stepped back a little only to butt up against one of the trees.
Naruto smirked as he stepped closer and brought a hand up to Guren's cheek. Staring into her eyes he said, "Sara told me that when a person saves another's life, he must take responsibility for that person for the rest of his days."
"I…I release you from the obligation," Guren said feeling the warmth seeping into her from the blond's hand as she resisted leaning into it.
"That's nice of you," Naruto said bringing his lips closer to hers, "But, I don't wish to be released from it."
Naruto pressed his lips to hers causing Guren to stiffen. She pressed her hands to his chest but found she didn't have the strength to push him away. Naruto pulled back causing her to whisper, "W-what are you doing?"
She could feel the smile that appeared on his lips despite them still being only millimeters from hers as he said, "I take my obligations seriously. I'm going to remind you why it's great to be alive by pleasing your magnificent body."
Guren opened her mouth to respond but was cut off by another kiss from Naruto, who snuck his tongue into her mouth. Guren again stiffened as if to push him off, but once more found her strength unequal to the task. What's more to her embarrassment, she found that her body was quite appreciative to the blond's efforts as it began to grow flush.
She moaned into his mouth as he pressed his knee between her legs and against the tree as she pressed down on it ever so slightly. The sound forced Guren to accept that she wanted what Naruto was offering as she moved her hands up to his hair to pull their mouths closer together. Her tongue began to stroke against his as Naruto moved his own hands to the rope which held Guren's green robe closed.
Pulling it away, he let the robe open before sliding his hands to Guren's backside. He pressed her harder against his knee causing her to moan and to begin rubbing her mound against it. An action Guren mirrored as she moved her own gloved hands to Naruto's ass which she gave it a firm squeeze of.
Naruto pulled back, but only long enough to spin Guren around and press her front against the tree as he began to attack her neck with his lips. He groaned as he nibbled on her ear, when she pressed her ass up against his hardening cock and began to grind against it. Naruto cupped her mound from the front and feeling how wet she was through the thin shorts she wore beneath the robe said, "You're drenched down there. It's been a while hasn't it?"
Guren bit her lip and nodded as Naruto began to rub her cunt through her shorts. Feeling how hard he was she surmised, "What about you? I know you're no virgin…you're hands are too experienced…but it must have been some time for you to be this hard."
Naruto chuckled as he said, "No, it's just a testament to what a beautiful woman you are, Guren. The truth is…" He paused as he slid his hands into the front of her shorts and as he buried his middle finger inside her finished, "I actually have a harem of women who I love and cherish. Just as I plan to love and cherish you."
"W-what," Guren said, but found it easy to believe as it would explain how easily he was exciting her body. She suddenly recalled how Karin said her offer would change Guren's life and believing it had less to do with the job she had been offered as the man that she had been partnered with said, "K-karin is one…"
Naruto nodded against her head as he pulled the right side of her maroon shirt up to expose Guren's tit. Fondling it, and playing with her nipple he said, "That's right. Give yourself to me Guren and I promise you'll never have reason to regret it. Together we'll make a world Yukimaru could be proud of." Guren nodded as she bit her lip from the pleasurable sensations coursing through her, but Naruto said insistently, "Tell me!"
"Yes," Guren moaned, "Take me Naruto. Make me yours."
Naruto grinned hungrily as in a smooth motion he pulled his hands from the front of her shorts before pushing them down to her knees. Then quickly freeing his cock he began to kneel and pulled her down with him. Once his knees hit the ground he pulled her soaking quim onto his cock causing both of them to groan in delight.
Naruto then began a slow rocking of his hips as Guren held onto the tree in front of her. Guren barely moved as she received his gentle thrust as she let Naruto set the pace, but she moaned as his hands began to fondle both her breasts. Guren let go of the tree to lean back against his chest before turning her head to kiss him. Their tongues once more danced with each other as Guren's hands moved Naruto's ass to begin a gentle nudging action.
Naruto understood the gesture so began to increase the power and pace of his thrusts. Guren bit her lip as she struggled not to give voice to the moans that threatened to spill out less some of the revelers hear and investigate. It proved difficult as Naruto moved so that he could push her onto her hands as he began to pound her pussy with powerful thrusts that hit her deepest spot. Feeling r a tenseness beginning to settle over her, she moaned, "Y-yes…I…I'm going to…I'm going to cum."
"Me too," Naruto grunted. Guren felt the dick sliding within her growing larger as Naruto groaned, "Oh fuck!"
Guren came as well as thick strands of cum began to fill her womb. Aware of her surroundings though, she didn't scream out as she instead whimpered and shook uncontrollably. She was about to collapse face first into the sand, but Naruto grabbed her around the stomach and pulled her back against his chest. He held her against him as he kissed the side of her face and said, "Remember this Guren. I'll always be there for you. I want to be the place you can return to."
Guren still catching her breath brought her hand up against Naruto's face to pull his lips against her neck. Naruto began to kiss along it, and feeling his dick once more begin to stir inside her, he began sliding her along his length once more. Guren moaned as her body began to react to the dick stirring up the cum it had just deposited. Letting herself be swept up in the pleasure she couldn't help but feel that Naruto was living up to his promise of reminding her body about the pleasures of being alive.
Something that a pair of violet eyes watching the new couple was rather envious of.