It took Naruto exactly three minutes—three blazing minutes of pure, unrelenting speed—to zip her way into the Tea Country. She tore through the landscape like a firecracker on the Fourth of July, a blur of red and yellow, sending dust, leaves, and a few unfortunate chickens flying in her wake. If anyone had blinked, they would've missed her entirely.

When the Flower Forest finally loomed into view, Naruto skidded to a stop. It looked like something straight out of a nightmare; the trees were gnarled and twisted, their thick branches hanging down like clawed hands ready to snatch someone up. The air was so thick with damp and rot it practically clung to her like a wet blanket. A series of old, rotting signs were nailed haphazardly to the trunks around the entrance, each one practically screaming bad news.

"KEEP OUT!"

"NO TRESPASSING!"

"DANGER!"

Naruto's lip curled into a smirk. Yeah, right. Like a bunch of rusty signs were going to keep her out. After everything she'd been through, this felt like a walk in the park. If anything, the signs were more like a flashing neon billboard saying, "Come on in, it's safe! We swear!"

"Pfft. Whatever," she muttered, giving the nearest sign a lazy flick with her finger as she brushed past. The forest parted reluctantly as she pushed through the undergrowth, her footsteps light, confident, like she owned the place.

As she ventured deeper into the woods, the air grew still. Too still. It was like the forest itself was holding its breath, waiting for something—her—to make the first move. It was almost unsettling. Almost.

But then, as if on cue, things went south—fast. Out of the shadows leaped a pack of enormous tigers. And not your average run-of-the-mill big cats. These beasts were as large as small houses, their glowing eyes locked onto Naruto like she was the juiciest steak they'd ever seen. Behind them, the ground seemed to ripple as a swarm of gigantic centipedes, worms, and snakes—each one uglier than the last—came writhing and slithering forward, heading straight for her. It was like someone had released a cursed zoo's worth of nightmares.

Naruto blinked once. Twice. Then, with a completely deadpan expression, she muttered, "Are you kidding me? What, do I look like a lunch or somethin'?"

The tigers snarled in response, their saliva dripping onto the dirt with a sickening hiss. Apparently, they thought she did.

Naruto sighed, rolling her eyes. "Alright, alright. I guess you asked for it." With a casual flick of her wrist, her Adamantine Chakra Chains shot out from her back like golden vipers, wrapping themselves around the beasts in a split second. The chains glowed with a fiery chakra, pulsing with raw energy. With a flick, Naruto sent the entire menagerie of oversized creatures flying through the trees like rag dolls. The forest echoed with the satisfying sound of crashing branches and yelps of pain as the creatures disappeared into the distance.

"Not today, idiots," Naruto muttered, dusting off her hands. The chains retracted back into her body, their job done, leaving Naruto standing in the now-quiet forest, unbothered and unimpressed.

The deeper she ventured into the woods, the darker it got. The shadows thickened, swallowing the light until the world around her seemed bathed in an eerie twilight. But finally, after what felt like a lot longer than it probably was, she saw it. Nestled between the towering trees was the well she had been searching for.

It was… underwhelming, to say the least. The stone was old, cracked, and covered in a thick layer of moss. Vines draped over the edge like nature had tried to bury it out of sheer embarrassment. Tree roots snaked their way around the base, wrapping it in a suffocating embrace.

Naruto approached it cautiously, her eyes narrowing. She didn't trust this thing for a second. "Is this it?" she muttered. "Looks more like a horror movie prop."

The lid was barely hanging on, rotting away like it had given up on life a long time ago. With a grunt, Naruto heaved it off, letting it thud to the ground beside her. What greeted her inside wasn't exactly refreshing. The water—if you could even call it that—looked more like liquid sludge. Thick, dark, and smelling vaguely of despair.

"Ugh, gross," Naruto gagged, covering her nose. "I'm supposed to drink that?"

But, ever the problem-solver, Naruto had come prepared. Reaching into her kunai pouch, she pulled out a small packet of Bleaching Powder—because what ninja didn't carry that around? "Thanks, Pervy Sage," she muttered as she dumped the powder into the well. Instantly, the sludge began to hiss and bubble like some kind of witch's brew, clearing up after a few seconds into something resembling actual water.

"I am done being called a chibi. I want to get be a teenager again!" Satisfied, she scooped up a few drops into her hands. "Here goes nothin', 'ttebane…" She gulped the water down, grimacing slightly at the taste. It wasn't bad per se, but it wasn't something she'd write home about either.

She waited. And waited. Then waited some more.

Naruto's patience—if you could even call it that—was wearing thin. She tapped her foot, arms crossed, glaring at the well like it had personally insulted her. "Come on, come on... dattebane—"

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her gut, twisting her insides like someone had grabbed her stomach and was wringing it out like a wet towel. Naruto gasped, doubling over as the pain spread through her body like wildfire. "Gah! What the hell—?!"

It wasn't stopping. It was getting worse. Her bones felt like they were being stretched, her muscles twisting and pulling as her body started to grow taller. Her clothes strained, trying to keep up with the changes, but thankfully, the seals she'd worked on with Jiraiya held firm. Still, Naruto was gasping in pain, tears stinging her eyes as she struggled to stay upright.

Then, as quickly as it had come, the pain stopped. Naruto stood there, panting heavily, her vision still a little blurry as the world came back into focus.

Something was definitely off. Was she finally the blonde teenage boy again? She did feel taller and… stronger.

Naruto blinked, looking down at herself, her heart sinking.

"I… am… back—WHAT THE HELL?!" she screeched, her voice cracking in disbelief. She wasn't a boy. She wasn't even back to her regular body. She had grown, sure, but—

"I'm still... mom?!"

Out of pure frustration, she whipped out a shadow clone without thinking. The clone appeared beside her and, immediately, both of them facepalmed in perfect sync.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Naruto groaned, her voice muffled by her hands.

The clone just sighed, staring at her. "Yep. Still mommy wannabe. Except now you're like… a teenage version? Maybe five-foot-three?"

Naruto groaned louder, throwing her hands in the air. "Great! Just great! Exactly what I needed! A teenage mom version of myself! I didn't sign up for this! And—" She glanced down at her clothes, grateful that, at least, they hadn't ripped. "—well, at least I didn't go Hulk on my outfit. Small victories."

The clone, however, wasn't done with its observations. Its eyes were fixated on something… else.

Naruto frowned, then followed her clone's gaze. Her face paled. "What… the hell… is that?!"

The clone shrugged, grimacing. "If I had to guess, I'd say Pervy Sage would probably call that a 'modest B cup.'"

Naruto's face turned beet red. "WHAT?!" she screamed, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "As a thirteen-year-old girl, I didn't have to deal with this kind of crap! Now I've got—this? Why does my luck always suck, 'ttebane?!"

The clone rolled its eyes, sighing heavily. "Look, I get it. It sucks. But we don't have time to freak out over your... developments. There's a war, remember? The clones are running out of chakra. And you've got unlimited chakra, unlike us poor clones."

Naruto clenched her fists, frustration radiating off her, but she nodded. "Yeah, you're right." She dispelled the clone with a flick of her wrist, taking a deep breath.

Immediately, her body flared with golden light as the Golden Chakra Cloak enveloped her. The familiar warmth spread through her, but something was different this time. Her aura was... dazzling, almost divine. She felt like she was glowing, a literal walking sun. Her chakra pathways had developed dramatically along with her body. Fascinating.

She was told that Kakashi-sensei had a Hiraishin kunai with him. Time for some Flying Raijin.

"Alright, let's do this!" she yelled, her frustration transforming into fiery determination and disapping in a flash of yellow and red.

The well was there, if one looked closely, there was a sentence there engraved on the lid under the moss.

'Imagine what you desire as you drink.'

Û~Û

Author's Note:

That was fun to write.

Hey, a certain somebody in the review section predicted this chapter perfectly. Am I that predictable nowadays… aww. Anyway, hats off, man!

I'm curious to know what you all think, so don't forget to drop your thoughts in the review section!

Hope you had fun with this chapter, folks! Buckle up, because things are about to get wild. Stay tuned for the next one!

Next Chapter: The Two Children of Prophecy and the Kin Slayer Reunite!

Coming Soon: The Ghost of the Uchiha

Till next time!