I Read It In A Book

Chapter 17

Jumping away, Naruto avoided the extended hue of an orange claw that completely uprooted the tree he was hiding behind. Rolling forward, he laid out flat, avoiding the next strike. Quickly, he jumped up before the claw crushed the ground beneath him. While in the air, there was nothing keeping him from harm's way. Menma's fist of chakra punched him full force, throwing him through the heavy foliage, breaking more than just trees on the way.

When he finally stopped, he picked his head up meeting the top of Menma's foot. His body was sent flying again. Only stopping when his back impacted the boulder behind him. Before his body even began falling, he was pressed into the wall of stone when Menma came flying in at incredible speeds. He grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt and yanked him from the rock, ripping it before he threw him towards the ground. Naruto was still sent tumbling across the muddied floor for a few feet, coating his now bare chest in filth.

With a groan of apparent pain, he made it back to his feet. Spitting out the blood, he got into a fighting stance. Menma was crouched down a few feet away from him, ready to pounce. With a burst that kicked up the mud behind him, he ran on all fours, striking Naruto with a wild slash. Naruto leaned out the way and punched him in his side. Menma ignored the hit and brought the same arm back, trying to catch him with an elbow.

Naruto leaned out the way of the strike and gave him two quick jabs to his abdomen. Menma took the hits and went to slash at him again. Before he did, Naruto spun around and kicked him in the throat, silencing the roar. Ignoring the attack once again, Menma followed through and hit Naruto across the face. Naruto fell to the ground but quickly found his feet. Dodging Menma's next few slashes, he kicked off of the tree next to him and clotheslined the Kage until they both hit the ground.

Menma seemed to anger at the maneuver and righted himself as quickly as he could. Naruto did as well and rushed forward. Menma rushed as well and tackled him back down to the ground, pinning him down. Raising his clawed hand, he brought it down, driving straight through his chest. Naruto dispersed in a cloud of smoke before the real one popped out of the ground and kicked Menma forward.

Menma rolled until he was back on his feet. Turning to the redhead, he roared before he sunk deeper into his crouch. Naruto watched casually from a distance as Menma's skin began peel off, revealing some sort of dark red chakra construct beneath his skin. When it was all gone, there was just a figure of deep red chakra with white eyes that just seemed to squint at him. Four tails waved behind him.

Naruto did not seem deterred. He sunk into his stance once again and rushed forward when the beast did. To his surprise he couldn't track him. He was just too fast now. On pure instinct, he slid down, causing Menma to fly over the top of him, slamming into a tree. Now within close proximity, he rushed forward before he recovered. Throwing a punch, his fist burned against the skinless creature.

Shaking it out, he back pedaled and went through hand signs. Filling his lungs, he shot out small fireballs towards the beast that just continuously dodged with relative ease. Jumping up, he used the branches to propel himself higher and higher. At the top branch, he kicked back and away from it, dodging the black ball that was heading his way. In his descent, he stared up, mesmerized by the explosion that lit the sky and momentarily stopped the rain.

Finished with his amazement at the power of the Kyubi, he flipped back around so that he would land right, but he saw Menma get right underneath him. Thinking quickly, he made another shadow clone and had it throw him back towards the tree. He stuck to it with his chakra and watched as Menma clung to it as well and began running up its side.

Cutting his chakra, he began falling towards the figure he couldn't identify properly as his brother. Opening his palm, he formed a Rasengan that quickly developed a small white blade of wind, with it a screeching sound. Menma was too far gone to even recognize what attacks were dangerous or not. He was acting out of pure rage. Naruto drove his arm forward when Menma was in range.