The Massive chakra usage to create hundreds of thousands Kage Bunshin earlier seemed to have an unexpected side effect on the Kyuubi's seal within Naruto.
Somehow, the seal felt slightly weakened, or perhaps more accurately, Hana's consciousness within it gained a little more 'room to move'.
Currently, in Naruto's dim subconscious, Hana realized something extraordinary.
Her hands, which had previously only been able to move within the limited area of the giant iron bars, could now extend slightly beyond them. Not much, but enough.
Her blazing red eyes sparkled. She wouldn't waste this opportunity.
Carefully, as if afraid this moment was just an illusion, Hana extended her now slender human-form hand through the gap in the bars. And finally... finally she could touch her prince directly!
Naruto was still lying unconscious in the thin pool of water in front of the seal, his face peaceful though slightly pale.
"Naruto-kun... my prince..." Hana's voice trembled with emotion as her slender fingertips felt the softness of Naruto's cheek.
This sensation... so real. So different from just looking at him from behind bars.
A smile full of happiness etched itself on Hana's beautiful face.
She began to gently caress Naruto's cheek, then with a bit of playful affection, gently pinched his nose, and then her fingers began to trace the contours of her heart's hero's face.
His eyebrows, his blond eyelashes, his slightly parted lips...
Unconsciously, Hana was already completely hooked. Her facial expression turned into a mixture of tenderness, admiration, and... a bit of an acute fangirl's obsession.
Slowly, Naruto began to regain consciousness.
His eyelids twitched before finally opening.
His still blurry vision gradually focused, and the first thing he saw was Hana-neechan's face very close, touching his face with an expression that was... hard to define?
There was a strange glint in her eyes, and Naruto could swear he saw a tiny droplet of saliva almost trickling from the corner of Hana's slightly smiling lips.
"Hana... neechan?" Naruto mumbled, his voice hoarse.
Then, Naruto's gaze unconsciously drifted down a bit.
Because of Hana's bent position as she tried hard to extend her hand as far as possible, the light blue kimono she wore had become even looser at the shoulders and chest.
A 'certain' area that should have been covered was now almost visible, revealing more of her smooth white skin than usual.
Instantly, Naruto's face turned beet red. His eyes widened. "Wa-wa-wah!"
With a quick reflex, Naruto immediately backed away several steps, moving his face out of Hana's reach.
He stammered, unable to speak, and hurriedly bowed deeply, hiding his hot face and ensuring his 'Naruto Junior,' which had impolitely 'woken up' too, wasn't visible to Hana-neechan.
Embarrassing!
'Ah!' Hana jolted in surprise, as if just awakened from a beautiful dream. She saw Naruto suddenly move away and bow in panic.
Instantly, Hana's own face turned red as she realized what she had just done and how she currently looked.
Quickly, she pulled her hand back and tidied her messy kimono a bit, trying to regain some of her dignity.
The atmosphere in the subconscious suddenly became very awkward. Only the faint sound of dripping water could be heard.
Hana cleared her throat softly, trying to break the silence and get Naruto's attention, who was still faithfully turned away from her.
"Ahem... Na-Naruto-kun? Are you... are you alright?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly from embarrassment.
Naruto, after ensuring his 'little brother' was safely 'asleep' again, slowly straightened up, though his face still felt hot. He turned to face Hana, trying to look normal.
"Y-yes, Hana-neechan. I... I'm fine. Just a little startled."
"Thank goodness for that," Hana replied, slightly relieved. "You were unconscious for quite a while."
Naruto frowned, trying to remember. "Unconscious? Oh, right... Orochimaru! Did we manage to escape him? Where are Sasuke and Sakura-chan?"
Hana smiled gently.
"Don't worry, Naruto-kun. When you exerted all your chakra to create those thousands of Kage Bunshin, you managed to create a huge chaos and attract a lot of attention. Orochimaru seems to have left before reinforcements arrived. The three of you are in a safe place now, well hidden. I can sense your team is near your real body."
She looked at Naruto proudly.
"You tried very hard, Naruto-kun. I'm really proud of you. You saved your team and possibly prevented a worse plan."
Hana's sincere praise warmed Naruto's heart, making him forget his earlier embarrassment a little.
"Hehe, that's thanks to your help too, Hana-neechan."
"By the way," Hana continued, changing the subject, "it should be morning in the outside world now. You've slept for quite a while here."
She then seemed to remember something, her eyes sparkling knowingly. "Naruto-kun, do you... want to meet your distant relative?"
Naruto blinked in confusion. "Distant relative? I have relatives?" He had always felt alone.
Hana nodded enthusiastically.
"I'm not one hundred percent sure, but when you spread your Kage Bunshin earlier, I sensed a chakra flow very similar to yours, the distinct chakra of the Uzumaki clan, somewhere around this Forest of Death. Not very strong, but clear enough. Maybe one of the exam participants too?"
Naruto's eyes immediately widened.
"Uzumaki?! Really, Hana-neechan?! There's another Uzumaki besides me?!"
Enthusiasm immediately welled up in his chest. The desire to meet someone who might share his bloodline was immense.
"I want to! I want to meet them, dattebayo!"
Hana smiled at Naruto's enthusiasm.
"Of course. But there's a condition."
She gestured with her chin.
"You have to come closer to these bars again. I need a little 'contact' to help you sense the direction of that chakra better when you wake up later."
Hesitantly, Naruto swallowed. The image of the embarrassing incident earlier flashed again.
But the desire to meet a fellow Uzumaki was too strong. With slow and careful steps, he approached the iron bars again.
"Al-alright, Hana-neechan. But... don't do anything weird again, okay?" he asked softly.
"Fufufu~ Of course, my prince," Hana replied with a sweet smile that somehow felt a little dangerous.
As soon as Naruto was within reach, both of Hana's hands shot out from between the bars, not to help sense chakra, but to 'attack' Naruto's face again with the enthusiastic groping of a fangirl.
'KYAA! NARUTO-KUN'S CHEEKS ARE SO SQUISHY!' Hana shrieked internally, her face flushing happily.
"Hwaa! Hana-neechan! You said you'd help with the Uzumaki chakra!" Naruto protested, trying to dodge, but Hana's hands seemed to have a mind of their own, continuously groping his cheeks, nose, lips, and chin.
Naruto tried hard to look away, trying to look at the dark ceiling of his subconscious, or at the pool of water at his feet, anything as long as he didn't see Hana-neechan who was... 'appreciating' his face.
But his efforts were in vain.
Hana's fragrant scent – a mixture of cherry blossoms and something sweet and calming – unceremoniously invaded his senses, making his head a little dizzy and his focus waver. And when his gaze unintentionally returned to Hana, the sight he saw made him swallow hard.
Due to Hana's enthusiastic movements, her blue kimono had slipped even further, revealing her smooth white skin from her shoulders, upper arms, down to a part of her clean armpit.
Naruto's pubescent brain seemed to short-circuit. That image... was too stimulating.
THUMP!
They both froze stiffly when they realized something that shouldn't have happened, happened again. 'Naruto Junior' had once again shown its existence with valor.
The silence was instant, but it felt very, very long for both of them.
Naruto's face was as red as a boiled crab, while Hana also froze, her hands still on Naruto's cheeks, her eyes wide with shock as she realized the situation.
"I-I... I have to go!" Naruto exclaimed in panic.
Without waiting for Hana's reply, he immediately broke the connection and exited his subconscious.
He was too embarrassed to face Hana-neechan any longer in this condition.
Inside the seal, Hana could only squat, hiding her crimson face between her knees.
"Uuuu... how sinful (lucky) I am... but..." she muttered softly, a strange mixture of embarrassment and happiness churning within her. "My prince... has grown up..."
When Naruto opened his eyes in the real world, he still felt his heart pounding and his face hot. He blinked several times, trying to adjust to the morning light filtering through the leaves of the tree where they were hiding.
The first thing he realized was that he was alone.
Neither Sasuke nor Sakura was around.
'Thank goodness...' Naruto thought with immense relief. His social life as a teenager would truly be over if Sasuke, or worse, Sakura, had seen his 'little brother' wake up before he did.
That would be lifelong teasing material!
After making sure nothing was wrong with him – especially his lower body – and his heart had returned to a normal beat, Naruto slowly crawled out of the narrow tree hollow, looking for his two teammates.
The faint smell of cooking wafted through the air, making him realize he was also very hungry.
... ... ... .... ... ... ... ... ... ...
The faint but enticing aroma of grilled fish finally led Naruto to a small open area near a river. There, he found Sakura diligently tending a small campfire to keep it lit, while Sasuke had just returned from the river, carrying several rather large fish he had caught.
"Naruto! You're awake!" Sakura exclaimed, her face immediately brightening when she saw Naruto approaching. She quickly stood up and went to him. "How are you? You made us so worried earlier, suddenly fainting like that!"
Naruto smiled a little awkwardly, scratching the back of his un-itchy head. The shadow of the 'incident' in his subconscious with Hana-neechan still haunted him a bit. "Ah, hehe, sorry for making you worry, Sakura-chan, Sasuke. I'm fine now. Just a little tired, I guess. Thanks for looking after me."
Sakura smiled gently. "Of course, we looked after you, Naruto. We're a team, it's only natural to look after each other."
Sasuke, who was cleaning fish by the riverbank, just snorted softly. "Hn. Don't be a bother again, Dobe." Though his words were curt as usual, there was a slight hint of relief, or maybe it was just Naruto's imagination. Both he and Sakura were too used to Sasuke's tsundere attitude to think too much about it.
"The grilled fish will be ready soon!" Sakura said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood. "Sasuke-kun is amazing for catching such big fish!"
They then enjoyed their slightly late breakfast peacefully. Naruto briefly recounted (and omitted the most embarrassing parts) how he had managed to create chaos to drive Orochimaru away, of course, with the guidance of 'someone' he kept secret.
Just as they finished eating and began to pack up the remaining supplies, the atmosphere around them suddenly changed. Three figures emerged from behind the trees, walking with an unfriendly aura. They were Dosu Kinuta, Zaku Abumi, and Kin Tsuchi from Otogakure.
"Yo," Dosu greeted with a sinister smile on his partially bandaged face, his large metal arm looking threatening. "Looks like we met at the right time. Uchiha Sasuke, we've come for you."
Zaku grinned broadly, the holes in his palms looking ready to shoot something. "We've been watching you from the start. It's time to prove who's stronger."
Kin just chuckled softly, senbon already tucked between her fingers. "Your Earth Scroll, we'll take it."
Sasuke immediately stood up, his eyes narrowed, his Sharingan not yet active but his alertness at its highest level. Sakura also took a defensive stance beside Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, be careful," Hana's voice suddenly sounded in Naruto's mind, her tone serious. "The one with the bandaged face, Dosu, he uses sound-based attacks through the device on his arm, very dangerous if hit directly. The other one, Zaku, can shoot air and sound waves from his palms. As for the girl, Kin, she's an expert in using senbon that might be coated with poison and sound-based genjutsu using bells."
Naruto nodded faintly, absorbing the information from Hana. He quickly whispered to Sasuke and Sakura, "Sasuke, Sakura-chan, listen. That scary-faced guy, his attacks use sound from his arm, don't get hit. The other one can shoot wind from his palms, and the girl uses poisoned needles and might be able to daze us with bells. I have a plan..."
Sasuke and Sakura looked at Naruto with slight surprise. Since when could this Dobe analyze an opponent's abilities in such detail? And even have a plan?
"What plan, Naruto?" Sakura asked, a little hesitant but also curious.
"I'll distract them with Kage Bunshin," Naruto whispered. "Sakura-chan, you focus on dodging the sound attacks and needles, look for an opening to attack the girl from a distance with kunai or traps. Sasuke, you face the strongest one, the bandaged-face guy. But be careful with his sound attacks, try to disable that arm of his!"
Although still confused about how Naruto could suddenly become 'smart' and strategic, his analysis sounded plausible. Sasuke just snorted but didn't argue. Sakura nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's try it!"
"Heh, whispering and planning something, huh?" Zaku sneered. "It won't do you any good!" He immediately dashed forward.
The Battle Begins!
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed. Five Naruto clones appeared and immediately attacked Zaku and Kin, creating a diversion.
Zaku laughed. "Is this all? Zankūha!" He swung his hand, sharp airwaves shot out, easily destroying several Naruto clones.
Kin nimbly dodged another Naruto clone's attack, senbon flying from her hand. "Too slow!" The bells on her senbon jingled, creating a subtle sound wave trying to disrupt the original Naruto's and Sakura's concentration.
Sakura, remembering Naruto's warning, quickly covered her ears for a moment and leaped back, throwing several kunai with explosive tags towards Kin. "Not so easy!"
Meanwhile, Sasuke directly confronted Dosu. "Sharingan!" Sasuke's eyes turned red with two tomoe.
Dosu grinned. "Beautiful eyes. Too bad they'll be ruined soon!" He aimed his large arm at Sasuke. "Kyōmei Sen!" A high-pressure sound wave shot towards Sasuke.
Sasuke, thanks to his Sharingan, managed to read the attack's direction and dodged nimbly. He tried to get closer, aiming for Dosu's arm.
"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!"
Several small fireballs shot out, forcing Dosu to keep his distance.
The original Naruto, seeing Sakura struggling a bit against the agile Kin and Zaku who kept shooting airwaves, decided to help. "Hana-neechan, I need an idea to disable them quickly!"
"Use Fūton: Reppūshō to disrupt their balance, then attack the weak points I've observed! Zaku is too focused on attacking forward, his sides are open. Kin relies heavily on her agility, make the area around her difficult to move in!"
"Alright!" Naruto and his remaining clones attacked again. The original Naruto focused on Zaku. He dashed to the side, avoiding a Zankūha, then slammed his palm.
"Fūton: Reppūshō!"
A gust of wind hit Zaku's side, making him stagger slightly. Naruto didn't waste the opportunity. A hard punch landed on Zaku's ribs, making him cough and retreat a few steps.
On the other side, Sakura managed to trap Kin. Several nylon threads she had previously set up managed to trip Kin. Before Kin could react, Sakura had already delivered a powerful punch.
Seeing his two comrades starting to be pushed back, Dosu became more aggressive. However, Sasuke with his Sharingan continued to read his every move.
Their fight was fierce, the sound of Dosu's sound attacks and small explosions from Sasuke's fire jutsus echoed in the forest. Sasuke managed to hit Dosu several times with taijutsu, but Dosu's iron arm was really troublesome and his attacks were hard to completely avoid. Several times Sasuke felt the sound vibrations travel through his body, making him slightly nauseous and dizzy.
"Enough playing around!"
Sasuke shouted. He saw an opening when Dosu had just launched his sound attack and there was a brief pause before he could attack again. With trained speed, Sasuke leaped back to create distance, his hands quickly forming seals.
"Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!)"
A more focused and elongated stream of fire, resembling a dragon's head, shot from Sasuke's mouth. Unlike Gōkakyū which spread out, Ryūka no Jutsu was more concentrated and directed. Sasuke deliberately aimed the attack not directly at Dosu's body, but at one of the visible cables or mechanisms on the sound device on Dosu's arm, a part he had noticed with his Sharingan seemed vulnerable.
Dosu was surprised by Sasuke's change in tactics. He tried to pull his arm away, but the speed of the dragon flame, coupled with Sasuke's accurate prediction thanks to his Sharingan, made him a little too late. The fire licked and burned part of his large iron arm, right where Sasuke had aimed.
BZZZT... Sssshhh...
A sparking and hissing sound came from the device on Dosu's arm. Thin black smoke billowed from it. The arm wasn't completely destroyed, but it was clearly damaged.
"Argh! Damn you, Uchiha!"
Dosu groaned in pain and annoyance. His arm could still move, but he felt his next sound attack wouldn't be as strong as before, or might not even function at all. The heat from the fire was also still spreading through his arm.
Seeing their leader injured and his two comrades, Zaku and Kin, already lying helpless (Zaku unconscious from Naruto's attack, Kin also unconscious from Sakura's punch), Dosu realized they had lost.
He raised his uninjured hand. "Enough! We... we surrender." With difficulty, he took out a scroll from his pouch. "This is... a Heaven Scroll. Take it."
He then walked over to Zaku and Kin, carrying them both. "Indeed worthy... of being called Uchiha Sasuke's team," Dosu muttered bitterly before finally leaping away, disappearing among the trees.
Naruto snorted in annoyance. "Tch! It's always Sasuke who gets noticed! Even though Sakura-chan and I fought hard too, dattebayo!"
"Fufufu~ Don't pout like that, my prince," Hana's voice giggled amusedly in his mind. "You were amazing just now! Your analysis was spot on, your attacks were also very effective. Without your direction, that fight might have been much harder. Sasuke is strong, but you were the brains and spirit of this team today. I'm so proud of you, Naruto-kun~"
Hana's sincere praise and coddling tone instantly made Naruto's annoyance vanish.
His face flushed slightly. Well, at least he still had Hana-neechan who genuinely loved and admired him. And for now, that was more than enough for Naruto.
"Oh right, Naruto-kun," Hana continued after a brief pause, her voice now more serious. "I've managed to confirm the location of the Uzumaki chakra I sensed yesterday. She's not too far from here. It seems she's also in trouble."
Naruto's eyes immediately lit up. "Really, Hana-neechan?! Where is she?"
Hana gave a rough description of his location in Naruto's mind.
To avoid arousing Sasuke and Sakura's suspicion, Naruto decided not to tell them about his Uzumaki relative or Hana's help. After the three of them rested for a moment and made sure there were no other enemies around, Naruto stood up.
"Yosh! Guys!" he exclaimed with feigned enthusiasm. "When I fainted, I seemed to remember something from my Kage Bunshin that spread out! It looks like one of them found a route to the central tower that's quite safe and not too far from here! How about we follow that route?"
Sasuke looked at Naruto suspiciously. "Are you sure your memory is correct, Dobe? Don't let us get lost."
Sakura looked more enthusiastic. "A safe route? That's great, Naruto! Let's try it!"
"Of course, I'm sure, Teme!" Naruto replied, trying to sound convincing. "Anyway, just trust me, dattebayo!"
After tidying up for a bit and ensuring the Heaven Scroll they obtained was safe, the three of them immediately hurried to follow the route 'suggested' by Naruto, pushing through the dense Forest of Death towards an unknown destiny.