Naruto: Chronicles of the Lost Library

The hallway stank.

Not just smoke or chakra anymore—something worse. Like old regrets cooked into poison. Naruto dragged his leg forward, walking hurt, every step kicking pain up his body. His stomach felt sick, but food didn't matter. Nothing tasted right down here. Not when the air felt like it wanted to bite him back.

He walked into a new room. Smaller. Round. Blue light blinking from cracked crystals up top like they were barely alive.

A box waited in the middle.

Of course it did.

He dropped to one knee, already sick of this place. No traps. No weird chakra. Just quiet. Heavy.

He opened the box.

Old scroll. Same Flame-Bearer mark. But this one had something carved in deep:

"History is written by those who burn loudest."

He opened it.

The memory slammed into his head like someone cracked his skull open.

He was seeing through someone else's eyes. Some big guy in a cloak. He stood in front of a bunch of scared kids in training gear. Ten of them. Maybe twelve.

They were crying.

And this asshole was calm.

"Those who can't hold the Flame don't deserve it."

Then flames.

Real ones.

Kids screamed. One tried hand signs. Another turned to run.

Didn't make it.

The man just walked off, bored, like none of it mattered.

Naruto fell back, tripping over himself, chest hurting bad. A sick feeling rose in his throat, like he was gonna throw up.

"What the hell was that? What the fuck kind of training is this?"

The box sparked again.

Another scroll was inside. Hidden.

Name on it: Kazuki.

Naruto didn't want to touch it. Not after what he saw. But his hand moved anyway.

The orb inside was half-broken. It blinked like it was glitching.

Kazuki's voice came through. He sounded tired. Not full of himself. Not angry. Just… empty.

"This is Kazuki… or whatever's left."

"The Library lied to us. We weren't Flame-Bearers. We were fucking firewood."

Naruto's hands gripped tight.

Kazuki kept talking.

"I watched them burn the kids. Told myself it was for the Flame. That silence was worth it. That weak lives didn't matter."

He stopped.

"Kairo begged me to stop."

Naruto's eyes locked in.

Kairo.

Raian's little brother.

"I let him die. I didn't stab him or anything. I just… didn't help. He went down to stop the Channel. It started ripping his memories out. I didn't pull him out."

Naruto whispered, low.

"You let your own brother die? You coward. You just watched?"

The orb cracked.

Another piece rolled out, marked Private – Do Not Archive.

Naruto didn't even think. He tapped it.

It wasn't just a recording.

It pulled him straight into the past.

Kairo.

Seventeen maybe. Pale. Shaking. Burn marks on his hands. Ink on his fingers. He sat alone, talking into a seal.

"If you're seeing this, I failed."

He looked around quick. Like someone might be watching.

"I tried to shut down the Channel. Thought it was just chakra. Just old memories. It's not."

"It's something worse. Like a fucking parasite."

His hands turned hard, tight with fear and he said.

"So that you escaped and all things you said were bullshit"

"Raian won't stop. He thinks the Channel picked him. But it didn't. It picks whoever breaks first."

He looked like he wanted to scream.

"I'm scared. Not of dying. Of being erased. Of turning into another lie in this cursed place."

"Kazuki said he'd help. He didn't. He ran."

He stared straight into the seal.

"I'm not a hero. Just a tired brother trying to stop this shit from swallowing everyone."

"Don't hate Raian. But don't fucking forgive him either."

"End this."

The vision snapped like a thread.

Naruto stood there alone again.

His breath came sharp, like dragging knives through his chest.

"Kairo… you got used worse than anyone."

He stared at the broken orb pieces.

"And Kazuki… fuck you asshole coward."

He kicked the pieces hard. They hit the wall and shattered. Sparks scattered.

He didn't even blink.

He turned around. Dragged his leg. Hands gripped tight. Eyes burning.

He wasn't angry anymore.

He was past angry.

This wasn't about the Library anymore.

It was about fixing the fire.

And making sure it never fucking lied again.