Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Ninja may have been able to surprise people in most respects, but when it came to food, he worked like clockwork, appearing without fail at Ichiraku's at Noon for his lunch, unless he was in the middle of a mission.
He'd been deep into his third bowl (extra-thick beef) when Sakura had found him and passed along her message from Tsunade. Basically, to utilize his tremendously useful ability to be virtually everywhere at once and round up those who could help in tracking down and rescuing Tora (of whom he was given a brief description). His mission accepted, Naruto gulped down the remains of his bowl, tossed down some cash for the old man and his daughter, and leapt up into the air.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"
A burst of smoke and then no less than a dozen Naruto's were running in all directions to seek out those they knew and those who could be useful. Tsunade's instructions (brief though they were) permitted only Genins to be used. So Naruto immediately thought of the Rookie Nine, as well as Gai's team, and set out to their usual stomping grounds to recruit them for a noble mission.
Unfortunately, easier said than done.
Stopping by the Hyuuga complex, a member of the Branch family informed Naruto that Neji and his team were away on a mission to the Bird Country, meeting with their feudal lord and lady about some protection work. They also said they hadn't seen Hinata today either, so Naruto didn't expect to find her either. He tried the Academy next, but Shikamaru was away on a field trip with some of the younger students. Ino and Chouji were in the hospital recovering from their last mission. Asuma told him that. While there he bumped into Kurenai as well, but she only confirmed that Hinata and Shino were away on a mission near Hidden Grass territory, and would be aware for some time. And Sakura was on full-time hospital duty, it was made clear she couldn't be part of this mission.
Coming close to pulling his hair out in frustration, Naruto turned to the only remaining Genin he knew of, and thus found himself at the Inuzuka compound.
"Hello?" he called out. "Anyone home?"
"Around the back, Naruto," came a female voice from behind the house proper. "In the training field!"
It was in the backyard of the Inuzuka's home that Naruto found the speaker. Kiba's older sister Inuzuka Hana, who was playing fetch with her three canine companions, each of whom was about as big as Naruto and looked vicious in a fight, though right now they were cute as puppies chasing after Hana's thrown sticks. She took a moment to brush her hair back before turning to face him.
"Naruto-san... what can I do for you?" she asked.
Naruto was tempted to ask her to join the mission as well, but she wasn't a genin (at least, he didn't think so, wasn't she a chuunin? No, she must've been at least that, she had the flak jacket) but instead asked if Kiba was around, fully expecting to have to carry out a solo mission if Kiba wasn't able to join him.
To her relief, she put two fingers to her lips and blew, giving a sharp whistle noise that grated on Naruto's ears. Fortunately, it passed quickly. When it was done, two figures came running towards the field from the far end, two more forms loping along beside them on all fours.
It was Kiba and his mom, as well as their dog familiars. Naruto smiled, maybe he and Kiba wouldn't have to do this mission alone after all. There was always Akamaru, after all.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Naruto quickly explained his mission to the three Inuzuka's, the two older women's interest grabbed when the Owani clan was mentioned.
"So come on let's go Kiba!" shouted the blonde, grabbing his arm and hauling him after himself as they ran towards the gates.
"Hold it!" shouted Kiba's mother, whom Naruto vaguely recalled was named Tsume.
Both boys skidded to a halt, and Akamaru bumped into the back of Kiba's leg. "What?"
"We're coming with you," stated Tsume in no uncertain terms. Her companion, a big shaggy gray wolf with an eyepatch, barked in agreement.
"Granny Tsunade said I'm not allowed to bring non-Genin," replied Naruto. "She said..."
"She can take it up with me when we get back," replied Tsume, patting Naruto on the shoulder. "Besides, I've got an old debt to repay the Owani clan. This seems like a good opportunity. We're coming."
"Oh... okay then. Uhm... where do we start?"
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
The Inuzuka clan were expert trackers, rivaled in the past only by their allies the Aburame, before the Bikouchuu bugs had all but been wiped out. They could track a single scent across the length of the Fire Country and into another. One they were on your trail, a shinobi could run, but they couldn't hide.
Tsume, Hana, Kiba and Naruto made good time to the attack locale, considering it wasn't far from the southern gate of Konoha. From there, it was an easy matter to pick up the scent of the only Owani who hadn't gone north into Konoha to be hospitalized. Owani tended to smell differently than most shinobi, much like the Inuzuka's. No matter how frequently they bathed, the faint smell of wet fur tended to accompany them wherever they went. Most learned to politely ignore it (especially if they wanted to keep all of their teeth).
So they had the scent, and they were off, racing along the ground. It only took them an hour to cut the distance to their quarry in half, and by then they knew exactly where they were going.
South of the Wave Country, on a peninsula bordering the Fire Country, there existed the tiny Twilight country, a murky region that seemed perpetually covered in overcast skies and dark nights. The ground below wasn't very pleasant either, being some of the murkiest, slimiest swamps this side of the world. The four ninja and their familiars had to slow to a near-crawl to avoid leaping headfirst into quicksand or a bog. The region quickly told Tsume, the most experienced of the team, exactly where they were going.
"The Village Hidden in the Swamp," she spat bitterly. "Xenophobic, psychotic, inbred bastards, every one of them."
"Xenop... whaaa?" asked Naruto, brushing a few tall patches of tall grass out of the way.
"They don't like outsiders," replied Hana, ducking under a low branch. "And don't ask what inbred is I really doubt you want Mom to tell you."
This earned her a dirty look from Tsume, as if to say 'and what's -that- supposed to mean?' None-the-less, the two kunoichi got decidedly quieter the closer they got to their objective. Soon it became visible in the thickening mists, a haze of light on the horizon and the distinct, shadowy shapes of buildings.
"Hidden Swamp," stated Hana, kneeling on the ground and sniffing slightly. "The girl's scent continues that way."
"Then that's where we go."
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
After another hour or so encircling Hidden Swamp, the team met up and regrouped on the far side. By now, thanks to the efforts of the Inuzuka's keen eyes and noses, they had a rough idea of where everything was, and were ready to plan an attack.
Tsume held up her hand to signal for a stop, and squatted down in the muddy ground. Naruto and Kiba moved in quickly to listen, as did Hana. "Here is our plan," she stated, grabbing up a stick. "Simple and straight-forward. Hana... you and I will hit here..." she said, drawing a rough circle of the village and tapping the far side. "This is near their Academy. No casualties, we don't want to start a war. Just throw down a ton of smoke bombs to create confusion and panic. We'll withdraw when it gets too hot."
"Kiba, Naruto..." she continued, tapping the other side. "Go in here. This should be where the Owani girl is. Grab her, get out, then run back to Hidden Leaf as fast as your legs can carry you. Don't wait for us, don't even come back for us if it seems we're in trouble. Your mission is the girl, got it?"
"Got it mom," replied Kiba.
"Yeah," added Naruto. "They won't know what hit 'em."
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
The plan almost went off without a hitch.
Kiba and Naruto were in position, concealed behind some thick cypress trees, watching the sentries of what they could only presume was the Swamp prison, since most of the windows were covered in bars. It wasn't very big though. Hopefully they wouldn't have trouble finding their objective and getting out quickly. However, once explosions started breaking out on the far end of the village they started running into trouble.
For one, Naruto slipped into a patch of swamp water before they reached the building, noisly splashing it everywhere. Both of the guards, already tense from the explosions, spotted his distinct bright orange coat easily, and they would've turned him into a kunai pin-cushion if Kiba and Akamaru hadn't come through with a Gatsuuga that knocked them both down pretty quickly. Naruto angrily stomped out of the water, which had already soaked his pants, but he didn't have time to stop and dry off as he and Kiba tore off the door's lock and made their way into the small building, following Akamaru's keen chakra-sniffing nose.
"Okay Akamaru, where is she?"
"Arf!" barked Akamaru, pointing his nose towards a nearby door.
"Got it," he replied. Then, much louder, "Yo, Owani! Stand back!"
"Ready!" came the reply.
"Tsu-!" Kiba called out, about to charge forward and spin, but a whirl of chakra behind him caught his attention. Fearing an enemy attack he slid to a halt and turned to face his enemy, only to spot Naruto and one of his clones preparing his signature attack.
"Rasengan!"
Naruto slammed his whirling ball of chakra against the door, tearing it wide open in a matter of moments despite being made of solid steel. Naruto grinned at his teammate. "Can't let you have all the fun, can I now?"
Beyond, both boys quickly caught sight of their objective, a young girl not much older than either of them with crimson curls. The tiny cat crouched at her feet, not much bigger than Akamaru, confirmed her identity. "Who're you?" she asked, and then spotted Naruto's forehead protector. "Konoha?"
"We're here to rescue you, now let's get out of here!" replied Kiba. As one, the three of them (as well as their two familiars) ran towards the door. Several more guards tried to stop them but Naruto and Kiba made quick work of them. They didn't even need fancy ninjutsu to take them out, they settled for good ol' fashioned kicks and punches. Comparable to most Hidden Villages, and especially Konoha, the shinobi of Hidden Swamp were so weak it was almost embarrassing.
Naruto said as much.
"Pushovers," agreed Kiba.
"They're tougher than they look!" replied Tora hotly, angry at the implication her Clan had been taken by amateur shinobi. "Some of them, at least," she added, giving a kick in the side to one of the fallen ninja, as payback for her being taken captive in the first place. "Where're we going?"
"Back to Konoha," stated Kiba, as they emerged from the building. Once they were safely outside, Kiba turned to Naruto, nodding. "Okay, now."
Naruto snapped his hands together into familiar seals.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
By the time Hidden Swamps forces recovered with moderate quickness after Tsume and Hana's opening attacks. Fortunately, since neither Inuzuka kunoichi was aiming to kill, none of the Academy students were hurt, none of their shinobi Chuunin harmed. They pulled back before anything big happened and, as planned, made their way along the coast and around the swamp before putting on speed towards Konoha, hoping to lead off pursuers.
Unfortunately, no such luck.
Realizing they'd been duped when signal flares went up from the prison, Hidden Swamp redirected their forces quickly, sparing only a few to chase after the Inuzuka women. They found a blonde-haired boy, another Inuzuka, and their Owani prisoner escaping, heading north towards the Wave country. Unfortunately, they weren't able to move fast enough, and they got corned down a back-alleyway by some big jounins.
However, it was all part of Kiba and Naruto's plan.
Two puffs of smoke later, and only the blonde-haired boy retained his original look, the other two now looked like mirror copies of him. Three puffs of smoke after that, and there wasn't anything left in the alley except empty air and some very confused Swamp jounins.
Bunshin no Jutsu -and- Henge no Jutsu. They'd been tricked.
Now, in the office of the head of the Hidden Swamp, their leader, an ancient shinobi with skin like dried leather, was plotting what to do next. He stroked his white beard, his one eye a baleful yellow as he watched the horizon. Two subordinates already lay dead at his feet for delivering such distressing news, and the third looked on the verge of soiling his undergarments.
"Fetch Dokueki," their leader stated.
Grateful to leave, the subordinate all but bolted out of the room.
In Hidden Swamp, Dokueki was a name synonymous with fear and death. Whenever a mission had to be done, they sent him. And he hadn't failed yet.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Author's Notes:
Hidden Swamp and the Twilight country are completely made up, but they fit roughly into that small unnamed country on the world map of the Naruto-verse, on a peninsula. The one below the Wave Country and the Great Naruto Bridge. Dokueki is Japanese for 'Venom.'