The Marionette (Naruto Fanfic)

'So quick like a ninja'

Growing up as a kid, I wanted to be a ninja. In martial arts, even though I did Chinese kung fu, I always wanted to be this secret samurai or a ninja. There's something about ninjas that was very appealing to me as a kid. So of course, I was climbing a lot of trees and other things and getting up to mischief - good mischief.

- Ray Park

Third Person POV:

The silence in the arena was deafening.

It didn't waver nor did anyone dare to break it, it merely hung in the air.

The remaining shinobi watch on as the siblings in the pit of the arena stand perfectly still, waiting for the perfect moment to strike but neither wanting to make the first move.

Finally the stark white haired girl, Ryuu breaks the silence, her melodical voice chiming as she speaks "how about this Midori, we just go at it and start a new tally. Winner takes all." The eight year old brunette twitches his fingers in anticipation, "why not Ryuu, let's give them a show."

For a few seconds genin and jounin spectators wonder if either of them are going to move until suddenly they're clashing kunai in the middle of the arena. The two of them engage in a taijutsu battle that makes Lee's speed look like child's play.

Naruto stares in awe at the duo "hey guys did anybody know that they could fight like this?" All the genin shake their head without sparing Naruto a glance as they have become transfixed with the fight below. Sakura whispers venomously at Naruto, "I bet Sasuke knew."

Ryuu ducks as Midori throws kunai, quickly countering by plucking one of them out of the air and throwing it back at the boy as she charges at him. She throws a chakra infused punch at him which he dodges with ease, jumping back to put some distance between them.

Midori weaves some hand signs exclaiming "earth release: dead wire" making lengths of spiked chains of stone erupt from the ground, he grabs onto one end and begins swinging them wildly in Ryuu's direction. She dodges the stone chains fluidly before gathering chakra into her fist and punching the ground, splitting it open forcing Midori to relocate.

The genin's jaws drop in shock, Shikamaru is the first to recover "these two are very troublesome. If she hits him, it could do some real damage. I mean seriously she literally split the ground."

Ino audibly gulps "you don't suppose she'd still want to hit me for being mean to Midori right?"

Naruto throws her a very uncharacteristically sarcastic look "no of course not. You only verbally assaulted her brother, whom she would give her life for and made him cry on multiple occasions. I'm sure she doesn't hold that against you at all."

Ino pales considerably at the though before pointing an accusing figure at the snickering Sakura, "Don't laugh forehead! You backed me up at the restaurant, your heads on the chopping block also!" The pinkette shivers at the thought.

Meanwhile Midori releases his chains as he finds a semi stable rock parallel to Ryuu. The both of them weave hand signs at lightning speed, Midori says "earth release: Swamp of the underworld!" And Ryuu yells "water style: thousand needles of death!" Saukra and Naruto gasp, thinking 'that's the same move Haku used.'

Midori dodges as many as he can but a few water needles embed themselves into his shoulder while Ryuu is ensnared in the mud created by Midori's jutsu. Midori grabs his katana projecting fire chakra through the blade, he rushes forward at the immobilised Ryuu who doesn't move an inch as Midori stabs her through the heart.