Chapter 22 Chakra Corruption

She had an impish, smug look on her face as she ruffled the boy's hair vigorously, a mischievous glint in her eye.

Her skin was darker than the man's, but a healthy color like Naruto's.

A photo of his parents.

His hands suddenly began to tremble and he quickly put the photo down, fearing that he would accidentally drop it.

They looked exactly as Kyuubi had described them, but seeing them in person felt different, more real.

He looked so much like his father, no wonder Jiraiya had hallucinations around him, but his facial shape and skin tone were clearly from his mother, and even in still photos, he could see the toughness that Kyuubi described.

A foul energy suddenly churned in his stomach, a painful reminder of why he was here: his parents were somewhere at this moment, they were still alive and needed him.

He carefully put the picture frame back where it belonged and picked up the one next to it.

He found the key that Jiraiya had used to open the spare key box, and then used one finger to feel through the other keys one by one until he found the one that was emitting faint chakra.

He counted the keys, then carefully removed them from the key ring and closed the drawer.

He walked over to the bottom drawer of Jiraiya's desk and used the key to unlock the reinforced metal box inside.

He found the row of keys marked "Archives: Spare" and took the first one. He closed the box and locked it to prevent any unsighted ninja from peeking.

He ducked into the corridor.

Now that the Anbu were gone, as the Hokage had gone off duty, he walked silently down the corridor to the door of the archives room.

He hid in the corner, synchronizing his chakra with the faint rhythm of the wood and plaster walls.

Soon, the door clicked open and out stepped the Chuunin Administrator, a serious ninja with dark hair and large eyes.

He yawned and walked down the short hallway toward the bathroom.

Naruto slipped inside before the door was completely closed.

The forbidden technique room is located in the innermost row of bookshelves, just behind the B-level physical skills bookshelf.

He navigated the maze of books and scrolls with ease. He had only two minutes. Three at most.

The lock on the door for the jonin key was obvious, but Naruto had to move a small bookcase to reach the second lock, which inevitably made some noise.

He moved quickly, unnerved by the sound of wood rubbing and scraping against the wall, and as soon as he found the second lock, he immediately inserted Jiraiya's key into it.

He turned the key, and with a slight click, the chakra alarm went off.

He pushed the bookshelf back into place and inserted the jonin key into the lock on the door.

He breathed a sigh of relief when no alarms went off in the room and nothing exploded in front of him.

But at this moment, he heard the sound of the library door opening, and he couldn't help cursing.

He quickly dodged into the room and held his breath.

When he heard the door start to close, he almost immediately closed it behind him and prayed to whatever gods he didn't believe in that the chuunin didn't hear anything.

He waited behind the door for a moment, his ear pressed against it, his heart beating fast.

A minute passed and he didn't hear any footsteps coming this way.

In fact, he could hardly hear anything at all.

Even with his keen hearing, the room was unnaturally quiet.

Soundproof. It dawned on him.

He breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

He turned around and looked around the room.

The room was larger than he had imagined, with tall bookshelves lining both walls, piled high with scrolls.

There were no windows in the room, so Naruto had to rely on his body clock to tell the time.

He had about seven hours until daybreak, and ideally he should be out of here in six hours.

Time was running out, so he found the bookshelf where the medical ninjutsu was stored, took down a whole shelf of scrolls and books, spread them on the floor, and began to work.

******

After nearly an hour, he finally found what he was looking for.

The book was old, the leather spine cracked and the ink faded on the torn pages.

It is a record of chakra diseases, and one of the chapters is titled "Chakra Corruption."

He focused more than he would on reading any jutsu, committing all the content to memory.

【Chakra Corruption

Definition: A disorder of the chakra pathways caused by changes and disturbances in the chakra properties due to external forces. It can be a primary or secondary disorder depending on whether the disturbance is peripheral or central.

Symptoms: Severe lethargy, inability to stay awake for long periods of time, radiating pain from the contaminated point, fever, blood poisoning, and inability to properly refine the chakra. In severe cases of primary central chakra system disease, symptoms may also include nausea and vomiting of solidified chakra. This condition must be treated immediately, as prolonged suffering from this condition may result in death.

Causes: Certain rare toxins can cause this condition, but the most common cause is an overdose of artificial chakra after repeated chakra depletion. For this reason, the condition is also known as "war fever." In rare and usually undocumented cases, extreme mood swings or upheavals can also cause this condition, especially in those who tend to have a strong Yang or poor Yin control.

Treatment: The only known cure for chakra corruption is blood transfusion. First, as much uncontaminated chakra as possible should be drained from the patient. Once this is completed, a steady stream of chakra should be slowly infused into the patient over several days. Most severe symptoms are relieved immediately, but lethargy and fever may persist for a week or two as the chakra system drains the remaining corrupted chakra.

No.

It can't be true.

Will not.

Naruto threw the book to the ground, tears stinging his eyes.

He let the tears flow because he was tired, broken, in pain, and there was no one around to hear him cry.

After all this, there was nothing he could do.

Not only was he unable to help, he might even have been the one who harmed the Nine-Tails.

Extreme mood swings.

This is the only explanation that makes sense. The Kyuubi doesn't need chakra pills and can't be poisoned.

Naruto knew that the Nine-Tails' only emotional support was him.

Damn!

He cried and sobbed because there was nothing he could do.