Naruto: Chronicles of the Lost Library

Naruto sat alone at Ichiraku that evening, stabbing at his bowl of ramen like it had insulted him.

Teuchi raised an eyebrow. "You good, Naruto? Never seen you bully a bowl before."

Naruto gave a half-assed grin. "Yeah, just... thinking."

Truth was, ramen wasn't hitting. Nothing was. His brain was stuck on the damn scroll. And the whisper.

Turn back.

The voice hadn't just echoed in his ears. It had dug into his spine. That scorched stone under the Hokage Monument wasn't just some old rock.

It felt him.

And worse? It knew him.

He didn't even finish the bowl. Just left a few bills on the counter and muttered something about needing air.

The streets of Konoha were calm under the moonlight. Peaceful. Too peaceful. It pissed him off.

Because inside? His heart was throwing punches.

By the time he reached the monument again, it was well past midnight.

He stood there, staring at the burn-marked stone like it owed him an explanation.

"Alright, you creepy bastard. Let's do this."

He stepped forward and placed his palm on the spot.

No gentle glow this time.

The damn thing moved.

Stone grated against stone as a seal pattern crawled across its surface, slow and eerie as hell. The sound was deep—like something waking up after centuries of sleep.

Then… a crack.

A literal crack opened at the base. Cold air punched him in the face like a warning.

Naruto stepped back, eyes wide.

"What the actual f—… okay. Okay. Shit."

A hidden tunnel, carved into the goddamn mountain, revealed itself like it had been waiting.

His knees wobbled a bit. Who the hell wouldn't hesitate? But curiosity? Curiosity lit a fire in his gut.

He stepped in.

The air hit different down there—damp, cold, like breathing in history and rot. The tunnel twisted, winding deeper than he thought possible. Every step made the village feel more distant. Every breath got heavier.

Then he saw it.

A door. No—the door.

Massive. Round. Covered in glowing seals that pulsed like veins.

And right in the center?

A carved eye.

Six tomoe circled around it like a curse no one had ever broken.

Naruto didn't know what the hell it meant.

But it was looking at him.

Not the way people looked at him in the village. Not like the Hokage. Not even like Kurama.

This was different.

This was like standing in front of something that saw everything—past, future, and every broken piece in between.

For a second, he didn't feel like a hero.

Or a Jinchūriki.

Not even a fighter.

He just felt… small.

Like a dumb kid messing with powers he had no business touching.

He whispered, voice dry and sharp, "So this is it. The Library…"

The door groaned like it hated being awake. Dust fell from the ceiling.

And then the stone started to shift—

Grinding.

Growling.

Opening.

Naruto clenched his fists.

No going back now.

Whoever built this place?

They weren't building a library.

They were building a damn grave.