Chapter 6: Archive of the Fallen
After the encounter with the Astral Parasite, the silence felt particularly oppressive. No one spoke aloud, but all three — Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata — felt it: This is just the beginning.
Naruto opened a new tab in the system — Archive of the Fallen. Its interface was different from the others — neon symbols shifted into shadows, and the background seemed to... whisper.
Loading memory fragments...
Attention: Playback possible only in dreams.
Activate?
[Yes] / [No]
— Are you sure? — asked Hinata, watching Naruto stare intensely into the air.
— If I don't find out now, we'll remain in the dark, — he replied and mentally confirmed: [Yes].
The world around began to blur. He lost his balance... and fell into a black vortex.
He woke up... not in Konoha. Before him was a ruined temple, surrounded by scorched earth. Overhead — an eclipse. Around — dozens of silhouettes. People. They were screaming. Groaning. Fighting.
And among them — one. In a black cloak. With the same symbol as on the plaque at the training ground. The one he had seen in the vision. He was kneeling, leaning on a sword.
— We didn't want power. We sought the truth. But the System chose us... and took us one by one.
The voice was tired, broken. He looked directly at Naruto, even though it was just a memory.
— If you can hear — you carry it. It means you still have a chance. The main thing is — don't awaken everything at once. Don't trust it, even when it promises.
The System... it's alive. And it's afraid of you.
Naruto shot up in bed. His chest heaved. He was drenched in sweat. The system reacted immediately:
Archive successfully loaded.
New perk tree available: "Path of the Fallen"
Features: High risk. Potential above average. Some skills conflict with basic ones.
— Path of the Fallen?... — whispered Naruto. — So, they were... like me?
He went outside. Early morning. But the air felt heavier than usual. In the distance, over the forest, black smoke was rising.
A couple of minutes later, all three were standing at the eastern gate.
— It's not just a fire, — said Sasuke, squinting. — Chakra... there's too much of it. And it's unstable.
BEEP.
System activated emergency notification: "Chakra Field Distortion"
Detected: Invasion by unstable System carrier
Name: Unknown.
Type: Erroneous carrier
Danger: Critical.
— Someone else... with a system? — Hinata was frightened. — But why "erroneous"?
Naruto clenched his fists. His heart pounded like a drum in a temple. He felt it: this wasn't just an accident. It was a test. Or a trap.
— If someone with a system went down a different path... it means we're not the first. And maybe not the main ones.
The system blinked.
New Event: "Fracture of Fate"
The choice will have consequences.
Next point: Crossroads of Three Paths. Time to arrival: 6 hours.
Naruto glanced at Sasuke and Hinata:
— It's time to make a choice. The game is over. Now the path begins.