Quickly realizing he was outnumbered and surrounded, Dokueki switched tactics to even the odds, slicing open his thumb on the edge of one of his kunai and forming some quick hand-seals, then slamming his open palm on the ground.
"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"
An explosion rocked the bridge, shaking its foundation already, and forcing Kiba and Tora to throw their hands up to defend themselves. When it cleared, coiled on the bridge beside Dokueki was a serpent. And not just the ordinary kind that Kiba and Akamaru went hunting in the gardens every morning, this one was at least fifty feet long, and nearly a foot wide in some places. Worse, it bore the same sigil as was on Dokueki's forehead protector, branded into it's scales between it's beady yellow eyes.
A summoning. Great, more to worry about.
"Take the girl!" commanded Dokueki, launching himself at Kiba. The snake nodded and with frightening speed shot forward. Before Tora could react it had slipped around her in a tight embrace, pinning her left arm to her side and squeezing her tightly.
"Ackt!"
"Tora!"
"Worry about your own problems, dog-boy!" shouted Dokueki, hurling some shuriken at him and Akamaru.
Kiba snapped his head up and out of the way, but couldn't get his body to follow quite as quickly, and the shuriken tore through his jacket above his arm. Blood started to flow, but the wound was shallow and he wasn't badly injured, but it still hurt like hell. Giving a growl, Kiba changed tactics and hurled forward some small black spheres. They shattered on impact with the bridge, and smoke billowed out instantly, obscuring Dokueki's vision. That gave Kiba and Akamaru the time they needed to make their own preparations.
"Shikyaku no Jutsu and Juujin Bunshin!"
Already vaguely familiar with the sorts of techniques that the Owani clan used, Dokueki wasn't surprised that Inuzuka's were similars. Thus, when two Kiba's emerged from the smoke, fangs and claws forward to tear him apart, he wasn't the least bit surprised.
He was even ready for them.
"You little beast!" shouted Dokueki, hurling a kunai with three exploding tags at the far end of the bridge and launching himself backwards into a flip to clear it. The explosion missed both Kiba's, who leapt onto the railings lightly, but it hit the bridge, and within moments the entire structure was on the verge of collapse.
Both Kiba and Akamaru turned and nodded to one another in perfect sync, pushing off their crumbling perches and launching into the air.
"Gatsuuga!!"
In mid-flight they began to spin and hurled themselves forward like a pair of drills, speeding right towards Dokueki.
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While Dokueki dueled with the dogs, Tora had her own troubles fighting off his gigantic snake summon. Tigtig wasn't of much help either. Though her persian friend had happily leapt onto the snake's side and sunk his tiny teeth into it's scales, it wasn't doing much to hamper the serpent. Or even get it's attention, or so it seemed.
So it was time for a change of tactics.
Wriggling her left hand free between two coils of the snake and bringing her right hand down, she barely managed to form the necessary seals, utilizing a nearby hunk wood that had formerly been a beam in the bridge.
"Kawamiri no Jutsu!"
A puff of smoke later, and the beam was being crushed instead by the serpent, and Tora was free. Tigtig immediately leapt clear as she was on the offensive, crossing her arms in front of her chest and spreading her fingertips. Her nails, as well as her eyes, began to glow as she filled the former with chakra.
She wasn't heir to the Owani clan for nothing, after all.
"Katon - Neko Tsume!" she shouted, and flung her arms forward. Her nails, now flaming cat claws, shot forth as if they were kunai, and all ten struck unerringly into the scaly side of the great serpent, prompting a screech of pain from it's fanged mouth.
Wounded and pained but not defeated, the serpent withdrew a safe distance, and then shot forward with startling speed towards Tora, who leapt up and out of the way. She landed in a crouched position on all fours, hissing like a wildcat, then winced. Her sides her abysmally from the constriction, though she didn't feel the sharp pain that indicated a broken bone. Pushing down the pain, she then launched herself forward to give the serpent a kick upside it's head for her trouble, knocking it backwards but doing very little damage. For that, she needed her partner.
"Tigtig! Time for us to get serious!"
A meow and a nod met her, and Tigtig sprang nimbly to land atop of Tora's head (nearly getting lost amidst her crimson curls) as she formed the seals for a joint-jutsu.
"Konbi Henge: Tora's Kyoneko!"
When the smoke cleared, where Tora and Tigtig had previously stood now lay a powerful striped tiger with crimson fur and the same emerald eyes as Tora. And not just an ordinary tiger, this beast stood nearly twice the size of a regular one, with teeth like kunai and claws almost as big as a short sword. Giving a mighty roar in challenge, the cat hurled itself forward at the snake, resulting in a near-epic battle of the beasts.
A battle which ended up with a rather smug looking red tiger crouched victoriously over the remains (well, pieces really) of a green serpent.
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Her chakra reserves running low, Tora and Tigtig reverted back to human and kitten forms to conserve it, then moved to help Kiba, who was having his share of trouble with Dokueki. Try as they might, neither side was able to land a single blow on the other. Dokueki's attacks were batted away by the spinning of the Inuzuka's, and he simply dodged aside their attacks before they got too close.
Kiba landed, panting heavily for breath. Akamaru did the same nearby. Tora's keen eyes could tell the difference, though it was subtle, and anyone not born Owani would've had trouble picking upon such subtlties.
Dokueki surely didn't, for if he had, he would've gone after Kiba first with his next attack. As it was, his kunai hit the ground and the tag attached exploded next to...
"AKAMARU!"
Losing his humanoid form in mid-flight, the poor little dog went flying into the river with a heavy splash. Kiba, enraged, hurled himself forward, but Dokueki was amply prepared, knocked aside his fist, and responded with a hard kick that caught Kiba full in the ribs. He stumbled backwards, sinking to his knees.
Dokueki, unaware of the fate of his summons or Tora's position, grabbed up some kunai, and amused himself by whirling them on his fingers as he made his way towards Kiba to finish him off. "You stupid little brat... you've given me -and- the Hidden Swamp more than enough trouble... so it's time to put you to sleep...!"
Tora's eyes caught Kiba's, and she nodded once. As if thinking the same thing, he instantly realized her plan.
"... for good!"
Dokueki reared back his hand, but a fat ball of fur launched itself into the air and sank his teeth into the Swamp ninja's wrist. Fully half a second later, the impact set in, and he gave an undignified screech, waving his arm about to dislodge the annoying little furball.
"Get it off! Get it off!"
"Katon - Neko Tsume!"
Dokueki's head snapped up, eyes wide in fear, and he launched himself skyward to narrowly avoid being impaled by flaming claws that shot underneath him. However, between the two attacks he was sufficiently distracted not to have noticed Kiba's own moving into position.
"Tsuuga!"
Kiba's attack struck with the force of a battering ram, slamming fully into Dokueki's unprotected back and wrenching a cry of pain from the Hidden Swamp jounin, even as he was sent hurtling through the air to crash down on the far side of the river. As cruel fate would have it, he struck the shore just a few feet away from an impact in the water, which might've been far kinder to him.
Kiba landed on his feet, and immediately stumbled. Soft hands quickly caught him before he fell.
"Hey, it's okay... I gotcha..."
Kiba glanced up to see Tora's concerned green eyes peer down at him. "... thanks," he said after a moment, when he managed to stand on his own feet without assistance. A quick inspection proved he wasn't as badly as hurt as he thought he was. No broken bones, certainly, just badly bruised all over.
"You're welcome," she replied. "I guess this makes us even for rescuing me from Swamp in the first place," she added playfully. He laughed at that, and she started to join, but then clutched her sides, which were still also bruised from the snake's constriction. "Ooooh... that hurt... I think I just lost about eight lives."
Speaking of lives reminded Kiba, and his eyes widened. "Akama-...!"
"S'okay, I got him," came a third voice, from down by the river.
Uzumaki Naruto, his blonde spikes dripping wet and his entire body soaked, bus his expression still happy, strolled out of the water, carrying a white lump of fur in his arms. Both Tora and Kiba moved in quickly to take a look, finding Akamaru uninjured (if unconscious).
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It was half a day later that the team made it back to Konoha's gates and made their report to the Hokage'a office. Though Tora had been ambushed before they'd made it there by an overjoyed father who'd nearly sent her to the hospital himself, the way he hugged her, further abusing her bruised sides. Tsunade was more reserved in her welcoming home of Kiba and Naruto, though a faint smile tugged at her lips.
"On behalf of Konoha, we formally welcome you home," she stated. Tora, mindful of her manners, bowed respectfully, and even Tigtig gave a happy mewl from their perch in her arms.
"I will do my very best," she replied.
"Yes, I've no doubt," replied Tsunade, who'd been eyeing the reports Kiba and Naruto had given. Typical of most of Naruto's reports, it was lacking on details outside of a battle, and then going into a detailed blow-by-blow account, though Naruto's poor grammar and writing made it difficult to read. Kiba's was much more concise, though not as much as his teammates tended to be. Still, she knew enough. "Based on the accounts of your conduct during the rescue mission, I'd say you've more than met the requirements we set here in Konoha. You'll be assigned to a three-man team once you've recovered..."
"I'm ready now...!" she replied cheerfully. "Hokage-sama," she added respectfully, remembering herself.
Tsunade arched an eyebrow but decided to let it pass. "Jounin Otonashi will be your squad leader, and Hiro and Sarochi your teammates. They recently lost one of their number during a mission and need a replacement. Report to her first thing tomorrow at training ground two. Be prompt!"
"Roger!" she replied, with a happy salute. She was still smiling when she, Kiba, and Naruto were dismissed so Tsunade could see to her paperwork.
"Oiy! Inuzuka!"
"What?" grumbled Kiba, turning back to face Tora, who still held onto that overly bright smile.
"I... well I just wanted to say it's gonna be fun living here in Konoha! Especially if I get to see more of you guys all the time," she added.
"Uh... yeah..." he replied dully. "And... thanks to you too. For saving my life."
She gave him a playful swat on the shoulder (which earned a wince, since she struck his injured one). "Anytime, dog boy!"
"Hey, you two seem to be getting along pretty well now," remarked Naruto.
Kiba and Tora snatched their hands back as if they'd caught fire.
"We... we are no such thing," replied Kiba briskly. "I'm just glad she didn't get in my damn way during the fight!"
"Your way! How dare you, you stupid mutt I was the one who distracted that Swamp while your dog was knocked into the drink! Incidently, the smell of wet dog? I can do without!"
"Shuttup! It was your fault you got kidnapped in the first place! And this is the gratitude we get for rescuing you?!"
"Harumphf! Stupid Dog."
"Harumphf! Stupid Cat."
As one, both Tora and Kiba turned on their heels and marched in opposite directions, leaving one very confused blonde ninja standing in the middle of the hallway, scratching his forehead.
"What the heck... was it something I said?"
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Watching from an adjacent room where they'd been waiting, Tsume and Tora's father smiled. The next few years would be interesting in an effort to make peace between the often troubled Inuzuka and Owani clans… but it would be well worth it.
And now at least, all debts had been repaid.
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Author's Notes:
Katon - Neko Tsume is "Flaming Cat Claws," and it hurts like hell. Konbi Henge: Tora's Kyoneko is the "Combination Transformation: Tora's Big Cat" technique. Basically, since Tora's name already means Tiger.