Naruto stood before the first trial: a low valley rimmed by great chocolate cliffs, at the center of which lay a field of hollow bunny statues, each five feet tall and crafted from shimmering caramel resin. Their wide eyes gleamed like sugar glass, and they were all positioned mid-leap, as though frozen in time during some eternal bunny ballet.
The cute little fox, sitting on some giant caramel candy was flicking his tail.
"This is the Hollow Hop," Kyubi-kun explained. "You must reach the Milkfalls' cave at the far end of the valley without waking them."
"They're just statues, aren't they?" the boy asked, already inching forward."They don't seem strong, It will be a walk in the park you know!"
The Fox grinned. "Were they? Are they? That's the real question."
The moment Naruto stepped onto the caramel grass, the temperature dropped. The warm bunnyland sunshine dulled to a golden dusk, and a low hum filled the air. Each step made a sound like cracking sugar and every eye among the hollow bunnies flickered for a moment with light—so brief he almost missed it.
"I shouldn't have ignored the warning, Kyubi-kun is always right..." Muttered now a very serious naruto.
He tiptoed, measuring each step, the Fox guiding from the edge.
"Little Grasshoper, their ears hear intent, not sound. Don't think about winning. Think about understanding."
The Boy frowned. Intent? Grasshoper?
He looked at the hollow bunnies—not as obstacles, but as guardians. What were they protecting? The statue at the field's center—a crystalline bell held between two monk-rabbits.
He shifted his focus from reaching the end to listening to the hum reverberating trough the valey, learning it's rythm. With each breath, he felt the statues stillness more clearly, the caramel swaying between each hum, gently, ask caressed by the wind.
Rythmically and steadly, Naruto applied the tree-climbing exercice teachig while walking over the grass, not breaking it, silently. Three-quarters of the way through, he stumbled and a cracking noise resonated in the valley! One of the statues turned its head to his position.
A whisper filled the air: "Who seeks the heart without offering theirs?"
"I do!" the Naruto, now busted, replied. "But I, Naruto Uzumaki, bring mine freely!"
He placed a hand on his chest. His heartbeat echoed across the field. The bunnies bowed their heads.
A path lit up beneath his feet, soft blue light tracing a trail to the other side. Naruto followed it to a white waterfall, probably the fabled Milkfalls. The flow of milk stopped and a rabbit burrow like cave appeared in front of him. Inside, a silent and shady like bunny person offered him the very first Moon Fragment.
The cute litle fox trottled to him, smiling, confirming:
"One House down. Eleven remain. Well done Naruto-kun I believed in you! A true hero in making!"
"Haha of course! And we are the best team here, no one can stop us!"
In this land, nothing was just a game—and every trial would ask something deeper than it seemed.
The second trial was hidden within a golden hill that shimmered beneath the light of a sugar-glazed moon. The hill's surface was oddly warm and sweet-smelling, like fresh pastries. Naruto and Kyubi-kun stood at its base, observing carefully the set of hexagonal openings nestled like burrows in a beehive. A bunny hill-hive maybe?
"This is the Honeycomb Warren," the cute little fox explained, panting and swishing its tail. "To pass, you must navigate its ever-shifting maze. But beware: the deeper you go, the stickier the truth becomes."
Naruto frowned. "Is it really ok to go in just like that? Won't we spoil all that honey?"
"Yes" said his most trusted friend, going inside.
The passageways glowed amber and gold, the walls were pulsating with warmth and whispers. The future Hokage ran his fingers along them—they clung for a second too long before letting go! But after licking them clean, Naruto concluded:
"Tasty!"
As he delved deeper, each intersection seemed to whisper his name, or something like it, words half-remembered from forgotten dreams.
At first, the warren was just a maze. But then came the distractions.
Voices—familiar ones—echoed through the tunnels.
"Stay here," one cooed. "It's safe in the honey."
The voice... it was Sakura-tan!
"You're not ready," said another, sounding like Sasuke.
"As you are ready! Be glad I arrived in time to save you!" Yelled angrily Naruto.
Then the illusions began. A room appeared where he saw his reflection, smiling back—but it was a little older, more confident.
"You can stop now," the reflection said. "We've already won."
Naruto looked to Kyubi-kun, with an expression that meant what is showed.
"That isn't you," said the little cute fox. And took a crunch to sample it for Foxidentification purposes only! Then the duo of friends pressed onward.
Deeper in, the tunnels grew narrower. The human crawled on his hands and knees through syrupy chambers, while the fox wasn't bothered at all. One chamber had dangling golden vines that tried to cradle them like arms but Kyubi kun fough them both for the sake of his samples needed for foxidentification purposes. The second chamber had murals drawn in pollen, showing a happy bunny-girl sitting at a long table surrounded by bunny-like shadows.
"What is this place really?" Asked Naruto, panting.
The adorable little ball of fur finally answered, voice solemn. "It shows you that honey is weet, good tasting, and full of vitamins!"
At the maze's heart was a chamber shaped like a honey drop. Floating at its center, on a pedestal made of pollen and wax, was the second Moon Fragment.
A voice—smooth, warm, maternal—filled the chamber. "Stay. You've earned sweetness."
Naruto stepped forward and said:
"I didn't come for sweetness. I came for truth. And for Kaguya!"
The walls trembled. The maze sighed. And the fragment drifted down. As he took it, a warm breeze swept through the tunnels, revealing a straight path back to the entrance.
Back outside, the young ninja looked at the now bloated fox.
"That was harder than it looked."
The Fox nodded. "Please carry me, I need time to process the samples!"
A young boy was carrying a round fox in his arms, advancing with heroism and certitude toward the next trial.