Naruto: Chronicles of the Lost Library

The corridor sloped downward like a throat — narrow, damp, ugly as hell. Stone pressed in from both sides like it was trying to crush him. The kind of tight that made your brain start whispering, you're not walking out of this alive.

Naruto kept walking anyway.

His steps were slower now. He wasn't limping yet, but damn, it was getting close. The heartbeat thread under his feet had finally shut up. Good. He was tired of feeling like some chakra-powered freak's heart monitor.

He reached a fork in the path. The left side was wide and glowing like it wanted to be picked.

So obviously, he went right.

Because screw safety. That always worked out.

Halfway in, something clicked under his boot.

"Shit—"

Boom.

A seal blasted from the floor like the ground itself had been waiting to punch him in the leg. Not fire. Not wind. Just pure chakra pressure — the kind that knocks the soul out of your body.

It launched him sideways like a ragdoll.

He slammed into the wall. Hard. A sharp crack rang out — stone, or maybe bone, he couldn't tell. His thigh ripped open on impact, blood spilling out like someone popped a balloon.

"FUCK—!" he snarled, biting his arm to shut himself up before the scream echoed through the whole goddamn tomb.

He hit the floor like trash. Rolled. Groaned. Looked down.

The gash was ugly. Deep. The kind of cut that screamed infection incoming. Blood soaked the bandage before he could even finish wrapping it.

"Stupid… asshole… place…" he muttered, pressing his palm down hard, trying not to pass out. "What, the Library pissed I touched its damn heartbeat?"

He lay there for a minute, face against the freezing floor, biting down curses between shallow breaths. The pain wasn't even the worst part.

It was the quiet.

No recording. No haunting voice. No Kazuki speech.

Just silence. Cold, smug silence.

Like the place was laughing at him.

Like it wanted to say you don't belong here.

He dragged himself up. Leg trembling. Head spinning. But he moved forward, because quitting was still more disgusting than bleeding out.

A few sharp turns later, he stumbled into a stone room. Nothing fancy. Just a table, a box, and a chakra seal on the wall blinking like it was trying to remember how to hate him.

The second he stepped in, the damn box cracked open on its own. No jump scare. Just a weird old orb inside — scratched, pulsing faintly like it was holding its breath.

Not one of those chakra loops. This was different. Raw.

He touched it.

The air warped.

Suddenly, he was somewhere else.

The memory vision kicked in — no Kazuki. No Raian.

Some kid — barely older than Naruto — stood in a dusty chamber that looked just as cursed as this one. He had black hair, pale skin, robes stitched with that stupid flame symbol like a cult kid trying to look important.

He looked like Raian.

Just younger. Not broken yet. Not insane yet.

The boy spoke. Voice low. Flat.

If anyone finds this, don't tell him I left it behind. He'd be pissed.

My name's Kairo. Raian's brother.

Naruto's eyes narrowed.

He used to smile, Kairo said. Said he'd become the strongest Flame-Bearer alive. The idiot read everything. Obsessed over the Library. Laughed at things he didn't understand.

But the deeper he went, the more the place chewed him up. He stopped laughing. Started talking to the walls like they were fucking people.

Kairo's hands trembled.

I begged him to leave. I tried to drag him out. But he wouldn't budge. Said the truth was here. That it was calling him.

So I left.

If you're hearing this, then yeah — I left a piece of me here too. Guess I'm not as brave as I thought.

He paused. Looked right at Naruto.

If you see Raian, don't try to save him.

He doesn't want to be saved.

The orb blinked. Faded. Gone.

Naruto stood in the dim room, blood drying on his leg, heart pounding like a war drum.

He leaned against the table, groaning, sweat running down his face like someone left the faucet on.

Raian's brother, huh? he muttered. You bailed. Honestly? Don't blame you.

He looked at where the memory had been.

But me? I'm not bailing. If your brother's still rotting down here, I'm dragging his stubborn ass out — whether he wants it or not.

He limped toward the exit, spitting blood and dirt from his mouth.

Behind him, the chakra seal on the wall flickered once.

Then went dark.

Almost like the Library had heard him.

And for once?

Maybe it actually gave a shit.