With the fourth Moon Fragment in their pocket, our restless and favorite duo run trough a winding trail of moss-covered stones until they reached a cluster of hills that rippled like waves frozen in time. Each hill had a wooden door at its base, shaped like a rabbit's arched back, with knotted ears for handles.
The smart and adorable fox stopped before the largest hill. Its door was painted with glyphs: spirals, crescents, and question marks scratched randomly in a toddler skill level fashion.
"The Riddle Burrows," said the sweet little fox. "Home of the fat hobb... rabbits, where wit and word mean more than sword or speed."
The boy raised an eyebrow and asked with exasperation:
"Another maze?"
"Nah, probably just some carrot riddles." Kyubi-kun replied.
"Oh no! What should I do? I hate riddles!" Complained Naruto.
"Just answer with carrot, it always works!"
He opened the door, using his soft little paws.
Inside, a warm golden glow revealed tunnels lined with parchment and chalk drawings, lit by glowing mushrooms shaped like question marks. The tunnels split and rejoined unpredictably. Each path had a guardian—a rabbit carved of stone or wood or even animated leaves—who asked a riddle before allowing passage.
They very soon discovered the first guardian, who asked it a rabbit-ish like voice:
"What is orange, screams underground, and never pays rent?"
"A carrot!" Replied Naruto, trusting the wisdom of his companion.
"Accepted!" declared the rabbit-guardian, disapearing with the door.
They continued rushing trough the tunel and soon enough arrived at the second riddle.
"I'm orange, crunchy, and I once dated a potato. What am I?" Asked the guardian with a suspeciously-same voice as the first guardian.
"A carrot!" replied Naruto again.
"Accepted!" declared the rabbit-guardian, disapearing with the door, exactly the same way as the previous one.
And just a few meters away, they discovered the third one.
"I hide in the dirt like I'm in witness protection but show up in every salad. What am I?"
"A carrot!" Happily said Naruto, totally sure he had the good answer.
"You are correct, young one!" Said the usual voice and the door disapeared.
They advanced deeper in the burrow, with each riddle solved, the paths grew narrower and stranger. At one point, Naruto had to crawl through a tunnel made of riddles themselves—phrases swirling in the air, shifting and rearranging, but one thing remained: the answer was carrot.
Eventually, they reached the heart of the burrows: a round chamber with twelve rabbit statues sitting in a circle, each holding a lantern of different color. In the center floated the fifth Moon Fragment, encased in a sphere of rotating riddles.
"You already know the answer," said Kyubi-kun with an encouraging foxy smile! Pushing the young ninja forward with his gentle, soft, fluffy paw.
"Carrot!" Naruto affirmed.
The riddles around the Moon Fragment slowed. The sphere dimmed. Then cracked. Then shattered, and the fifth Moon Fragment floated into his hands.
As they exited the Burrows trough the a passage newly opened, the cute little fox spun playfully saying:
"Seven Houses remain. But with you it won't take long for the princess to be freed!"
Naruto nodded, already wondering what the next trial would be.
From carrot riddled warrens, the path curved gently downward into a valley hidden beneath mist and moonlight. They run together along a marshmallow-soft trail until they reached the edge of a vast body of water—a lake so still, it looked like polished silver.
"Lagomorph Lake," explained the lovely little fox. "A place of reflection, but not all reflections are true."
The Boy peered into the water. At first, he saw only the moon and clouds, and his own tired eyes gazing back at him. Then he noticed something strange. His reflection didn't move when he did.
"My reflection is not moving!" Said Naruto jumping, pointing at the image in the water.
The wise fox nodded. "This House reveals who you think you are. The fragment is hidden beneath the surface. But to reach it, you must confront your image—and not let it become you."
A lilypad-shaped boat drifted silently toward them, rowed by a bunny in a translucent cloak. Without a word, the boy stepped aboard, and so did the fox.
They glided across the glassy surface, passing scenes reflected from above and below, all of them included carrots at some point. Naruto ate mostly only premade ramen, so the images of carrot were either from the supermarket, or from his previous experiences in Usagi Land.
The boat docked on an island shaped like a rabbit's paw. In the center stood a ring of crystal mirrors, tall as trees, arranged in a perfect circle.
As he stepped into the ring, the mirrors shimmered.
Each reflected a version of him: one brave and armored like a ronin, one sneering and cruel, one small and weeping, one silent and undecided. Twelve mirrors in all. Each twisted just enough to make him pause.
"You must walk the path of reflections," the cloaked bunny said. "Choose the one that is true, not the one you desire."
The Boy walked past the armored version, the clever version, the carefree one, the bitter one. He stopped in front of a mirror where he looked exactly the same, except his eyes were wide with wonder. Not fear. Not arrogance. Just open.
"Neither of them! I am Uzumaki Naruto! The next Hokage of Konoha! I will become the most powerful ninja in the world you know!" Said energically the future greatest Hokage in the world.
The world rippled. He was suddenly underwater. Yet he could breathe.
All around him were glowing fish shaped like bunnies, weaving trails of stardust in the current. In the lakebed he saw a stone shaped like a crescent moon. Embedded in its center: the sixth Moon Fragment.
He reached out and touched it. In an instant, the water vanished, and he stood on the island again, soaked but whole, the fragment glowing in his palm.
"I knew it Naruto! You are the best!" Happily complimented the litle fox, happily humping around the young ninja.
The cloaked bunny bowed and said:
"The carrot another see is not the true inner carrot of onself."
As Naruto and Kyubi advanced further, the moon above blinked.
And ahead, the trail curved toward the towering silhouette of the Cottonwood Court, where the trial of choice would soon unfold.
With six Moon Fragments secured, our heroes followed a winding trail of feather-soft grass toward the distant walls of a white-stone fortress. The sky darkened slightly as they approached, not with clouds, but with soft flakes that drifted like snow—except they were tufts of cotton. They floated down lazily, piling in corners.
At the fortress gates stood a towering rabbit carved from ivory wood, holding a gavel made of pressed lavender. When the two friends drew near, the statue lowered its ears.
"You stand before Cottonwood Court," it declared, its voice soft and measured. "Within, all truth is tested. All choices are weighed."
The boy's throat went dry, as he felt alot of pressure from the stern look of the giant bunny. The ever-wise little fox whispered:
"This House doesn't test strength or cleverness. It tests conviction."
The doors opened with a sigh.
Inside, the court resembled a grand library carved into tree roots, with a parliament like organised space in the center. Dozens of rabbits in long judicial robes sat on sits made of quilted moss.
Naruto stepped onto the platform. The cute little fox on the other hand, put on a nice magistrate wig and advanced toward the attorney's sit.
A voice rang out. "You are summoned to account for the choices you have made—and those you have not."
"Objection!" Objected Kyubi-kun.
"I have not..." Continued the president but he was cut back immediately.
"Objection! Here is the list of all officials who accepted carrot briberies this week!" Objected and accused the ever so clever and cute little fox.
The judges all bowed their heads. They fell to the fox's schemes once again.
The seventh Moon Fragment appeared, floating above the center of the room, wrapped in cotton.
Happy, Naruto took it, the door behind him opened to a path paved in golden petals. Our courageous duo entered the path together and started to run forward, their goal still the same: save the beautiful princess Kaguya!
Ahead, the Petal Parade was awaiting their arrival.
The golden path from Cottonwood Court unfurled like a ribbon through a valley that bloomed with impossible color. Cherry blossoms swirled in the air without wind, and flowers of every imaginable hue danced in rows beside the trail. From a distance came the rhythmic sound of drums, bells, and a hundred happy bunny feet.
"We've arrived to the Petal Parade," the cute little fox said. "But don't let the cheer fool you—this trial tests the heart in motion."
Naruto blinked:
"I am sure we will finish it as fast as always!"
As they walked further in, the path widened into a plaza surrounded by towering blooms and paper lanterns shaped like rabbits. Bunnies in festival attire twirled on floats made of woven vines and rose petals. Confetti fell from the sky in slow shimmering spirals and a gentle melody, both joyful and haunting floated in the air.
Here, a bunny-girl in a regal kimono greeted our heroes.
"To reach the ninth Bunny House, you must dance trough the Petal Parade from sunrise to sundown. Keep rhythm, keep pace, and keep hope in your heart!"
Naruto grinned and nodded. How hard could it be? He will become the strongest Hokage very soon, this was not even a challenge for him!
He was handed a pair of soft shoes stitched with daisy thread and a sash of white silk was tied around his waist. The fox on the other hand, just went to the spectator's area, as he was a fox and not a dancing rabbit.
As the parad begun, it moved slowly at first. Bunnies twirled and leapt, their movements light and dreamlike! Naruto was mimicking them, stumbling only a little, and soon found a rhythm as he smiled!
But as the sun climbed, the dance grew faster, the rhythm shifted, the steps changed but everything was under control, he wasn't tired yet as it was an easy task compared to chakra control training involving trees.
At noon, the path split into twelve lanes, each with its own music. The dancers fanned out. The young ninja chose the quietest lane, where violins played at a much slower tempo, he needed a little break.
The blossoms here drifted downward like tears. Dancers moved slowly, as if remembering someone they missed. He danced anyway, recovering stamina, slowly but surely.
As the sun began to fall, Naruto started to feel tired. But he kept going following the rythm, not copying anymore but dancing the bunny dance naturaly.
As twilight touched the sky, the music slowed and all the lanes converged again in the center plaza.
The dancers bowed to each other, one by one. Then the public statred to applaud, and Kyubi-kun ever so cheerfull yelled:
"Amazing Naruto! You were great!"
The bunny-girl in the kimono approached.
"You did not fall behind. You did not rush ahead. You moved with truth. You deserve a carrot!"
She opened her sleeves, revealing a glowing blossom. It unfolded, petal by petal, revealing the eighth Moon Fragment within, and a tasty looking red carrot.
Naruto took the prize and the snack, and munched the carrot energically, happy!
The crowd parted, revealing a bridge of floating petals that led onward. The fox nudged the human's ankle with his muzzle.
"Only four more. And Kaguya waits." The fox confirmed.
Naruto looked back at the festival one last time. Then forward they went.