Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult content, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in later installments.
* * * * * *
Even before Orochimaru finished saying "begin", Tora had swiftly and wisely retreated from Itachi, her steps as silent and sure as a cat's. Her own strategy of withdrawing saved her from defeat, as Itachi pallid hand shot out from the cover of his cloak as swift as lightning, a kunai extended. The scarred blade would have gouged her abdomen had she been even a millisecond slower. However, by the time the blade had disappeared back into its sheath, Itachi was on the move, darting after the retreating girl.
'Damn it,' Tora thought as she nimbly sprinted from bough to bough of the mighty forest trees. 'Our speeds are matched equally, but my stamina will be my downfall. I can't keep this up much longer. I need a plan... yes, that will work.' The fourteen year old girl deliberately slowed her pace the slightest half step, closing part of the gap between her and her opponent.
Itachi spotted the slight misstep in Tora's path, and used the tiny imperfection to gain distance on her. Slipping ahead silently, his speed now greater than hers by the tiniest bit, he closed the distance between them. However, just as he was launching the barrage of shuriken from between his fingers, Tora disappeared. Itachi, his mask of indifference slipping slightly, halted in his step and, in the space of a second, tried to sense her chakra. The ebony-haired sage cursed the annoying girl- she had clouded her chakra to the point where it was practically nothing.
Suddenly, two feet landed firmly on Itachi's back, sending his stumbling forward. Tora landed from her flight on the spot where he had been standing just a breath before, watching silently as Itachi smoothly regained his footing and faced her, now perching on a branch about seven feet away.
'You thought I fell between branches. That was foolish! I slowed my step so that you could get close enough, then I dropped under the branch and swung myself back up, kicking you!' Tora's firmly-set frown almost slipped into a smirk, but she controlled herself. 'No, this man is too strong for that. I do not want to make him my true enemy.' Not giving Itachi a chance to rush her, Tora turned and dashed away again.
Itachi, frowning in frustration, followed heatedly behind, mentally berating himself for falling for such simple taijutsu. But, yes! Ah, he had her in his sights now. She wasn't going to pull another stunt like that again, not on him! Itachi smirked as a plan came into his head. This Tora, the tiger girl, was it true that kitties couldn't swim...?
Tora grunted in exertion as she ran from her pursuer, her stamina waning dangerously. She had to end this quickly, or she would get caught and killed. Raw, panicked energy coursed through her veins as she nimbly avoided Itachi. But already, in her state of instinctive fear, she had formed a new plan, maybe one that would work better.
Tora leapt from her tree, up into the air. By focusing all of her chakra into the bottoms of her feet, she flew up into the dark night sky night a comet. She went as far as she could afford to- twenty feet in the air. Looking down, she searched for Itachi.
'I will have you this time- my fire jutsus have yet to be beaten.' Tora's emerald eyes widened, letting in any light available so that she could see where her attacker would emerge from the treetops.
Suddenly, in an explosion of brilliant orange leaves, Itachi zoomed up at Tora, his glowing Sharingan eyes whirling around in preparation for mirroring. Tora's eyes widened- his speed was incredible. Her fingers flying nimbly into the animal signs of the zodiac, she attacked.
"Renda no Hi no Jutsu!" Tora and Itachi cried at the same time. Great walls of vivid flames shot forth from both of their hands, zooming towards each other and exploding in a blinding flash upon impact. But Itachi didn't waste time. Not waiting to see the outcome of the attack, he shot up at Tora and grabbed her in a headlock.
"You bastard!" growled Tora as she struggled in his grasp. Her long, black-colored nails shot up and clawed at Itachi's eyes, but the teenage boy used his other free hand to twist her wrists behind her back. Gripping her wrists too tightly, Tora's concentration loosened and her chakra soared from her feet back through her body. Now the only thing keeping her from falling was Itachi's concentration. But suddenly, wind rushed up to meet Tora, and the two fell.
"What the hell are you doing?!" growled Tora. 'If he lets me go, I can land safely. If he hangs onto me, we will both die.' Before she got an answer, though, Tora noticed the gap in the tress they had just plummeted through. It all pieced together. 'Wait- a gap in the trees means a break in the ground. A break in the ground means a body of water. A body of water means death!'
Itachi felt Tora squirm in hi grasp and smirked sickly, sensing her sudden fear at the truth. But it was too late for her now.
The two sage ninja plunged into the murky water, Tora's struggling increasing ten fold as she felt the wetness on her skin. But Itachi didn't let go, even as the two sink the bottom of the river.
Tora, the tiger girl, couldn't take it. She let her eyes begin to close.
* * * * * *
In chapter four: We all know that Tora didn't die, but what will happen when she is placed on Itachi's team?
Rated PG-13 for: Violence, adult language, adult content, and suggestive content. Rating is expected to rise in later installments.
* * * * * *
Even before Orochimaru finished saying "begin", Tora had swiftly and wisely retreated from Itachi, her steps as silent and sure as a cat's. Her own strategy of withdrawing saved her from defeat, as Itachi pallid hand shot out from the cover of his cloak as swift as lightning, a kunai extended. The scarred blade would have gouged her abdomen had she been even a millisecond slower. However, by the time the blade had disappeared back into its sheath, Itachi was on the move, darting after the retreating girl.
'Damn it,' Tora thought as she nimbly sprinted from bough to bough of the mighty forest trees. 'Our speeds are matched equally, but my stamina will be my downfall. I can't keep this up much longer. I need a plan... yes, that will work.' The fourteen year old girl deliberately slowed her pace the slightest half step, closing part of the gap between her and her opponent.
Itachi spotted the slight misstep in Tora's path, and used the tiny imperfection to gain distance on her. Slipping ahead silently, his speed now greater than hers by the tiniest bit, he closed the distance between them. However, just as he was launching the barrage of shuriken from between his fingers, Tora disappeared. Itachi, his mask of indifference slipping slightly, halted in his step and, in the space of a second, tried to sense her chakra. The ebony-haired sage cursed the annoying girl- she had clouded her chakra to the point where it was practically nothing.
Suddenly, two feet landed firmly on Itachi's back, sending his stumbling forward. Tora landed from her flight on the spot where he had been standing just a breath before, watching silently as Itachi smoothly regained his footing and faced her, now perching on a branch about seven feet away.
'You thought I fell between branches. That was foolish! I slowed my step so that you could get close enough, then I dropped under the branch and swung myself back up, kicking you!' Tora's firmly-set frown almost slipped into a smirk, but she controlled herself. 'No, this man is too strong for that. I do not want to make him my true enemy.' Not giving Itachi a chance to rush her, Tora turned and dashed away again.
Itachi, frowning in frustration, followed heatedly behind, mentally berating himself for falling for such simple taijutsu. But, yes! Ah, he had her in his sights now. She wasn't going to pull another stunt like that again, not on him! Itachi smirked as a plan came into his head. This Tora, the tiger girl, was it true that kitties couldn't swim...?
Tora grunted in exertion as she ran from her pursuer, her stamina waning dangerously. She had to end this quickly, or she would get caught and killed. Raw, panicked energy coursed through her veins as she nimbly avoided Itachi. But already, in her state of instinctive fear, she had formed a new plan, maybe one that would work better.
Tora leapt from her tree, up into the air. By focusing all of her chakra into the bottoms of her feet, she flew up into the dark night sky night a comet. She went as far as she could afford to- twenty feet in the air. Looking down, she searched for Itachi.
'I will have you this time- my fire jutsus have yet to be beaten.' Tora's emerald eyes widened, letting in any light available so that she could see where her attacker would emerge from the treetops.
Suddenly, in an explosion of brilliant orange leaves, Itachi zoomed up at Tora, his glowing Sharingan eyes whirling around in preparation for mirroring. Tora's eyes widened- his speed was incredible. Her fingers flying nimbly into the animal signs of the zodiac, she attacked.
"Renda no Hi no Jutsu!" Tora and Itachi cried at the same time. Great walls of vivid flames shot forth from both of their hands, zooming towards each other and exploding in a blinding flash upon impact. But Itachi didn't waste time. Not waiting to see the outcome of the attack, he shot up at Tora and grabbed her in a headlock.
"You bastard!" growled Tora as she struggled in his grasp. Her long, black-colored nails shot up and clawed at Itachi's eyes, but the teenage boy used his other free hand to twist her wrists behind her back. Gripping her wrists too tightly, Tora's concentration loosened and her chakra soared from her feet back through her body. Now the only thing keeping her from falling was Itachi's concentration. But suddenly, wind rushed up to meet Tora, and the two fell.
"What the hell are you doing?!" growled Tora. 'If he lets me go, I can land safely. If he hangs onto me, we will both die.' Before she got an answer, though, Tora noticed the gap in the tress they had just plummeted through. It all pieced together. 'Wait- a gap in the trees means a break in the ground. A break in the ground means a body of water. A body of water means death!'
Itachi felt Tora squirm in hi grasp and smirked sickly, sensing her sudden fear at the truth. But it was too late for her now.
The two sage ninja plunged into the murky water, Tora's struggling increasing ten fold as she felt the wetness on her skin. But Itachi didn't let go, even as the two sink the bottom of the river.
Tora, the tiger girl, couldn't take it. She let her eyes begin to close.
* * * * * *
In chapter four: We all know that Tora didn't die, but what will happen when she is placed on Itachi's team?