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Family

Chapter 10

Ghostly voice…

Neji closed his eyes and deactivated his Byakugan. He had just finished examining the sick sixth Hokage. Hinata wasn't the one who examined him because she was really in grief and sadness because of the though that there is a possibility that she'd lose her husband again.

Beside her sat Reiji, her only son. His golden eyebrows were arched in anger; he was angry because he didn't know what was happening to his father. Fear suddenly engulfed his heart when he thought back to the moment when his mother murmured the words "he could die…" a while ago. He clenched his fist and waited in anxiety for what his uncle found out.

Tsunade stood beside Neji; she was trying to examine Naruto herself.

"So, what have you observed?" Tsunade asked Neji.

Neji opened his eyes. "Many of his tenketsus have been closed; chakra circulation has stopped at some of his body parts and if they don't open he will continue to remain weak. Most of the ones that are closed are minor holes but some major ones are open. It seems some kind of force is responsible for closing the holes." He said and Tsunade nodded; she found out the same thing.

Hinata gripped the armrest badly; she almost destroyed it if it wasn't for Reiji.

"There is hope, Okaasan…" He whispered at his mother.

Hinata calmed down. Reiji was right; there is hope that he will get through this.

"Couldn't we do anything, uncle?" He asked. "I haven't tried opening holes but maybe you did." He said; Reiji was skilled with the taijutsu of the Hyuuga clan. Hinata had started to train him years ago. "Maybe we can open it by pouring chakra into it?"

Neji shook his head. "That is too much of a risk since we don't know what the effects of trying to open it are. It could be worse since we'll force it; or we could end up damaging his tenketsus…or the seal might close it again." He said.

"But…we can't just sit here and watch! Father might die!" He exclaimed.

Reiji clenched his fist.

"You're right…" Neji agreed. "We can't just sit here and watch him die." Neji approached Naruto more and he pulled out one of Naruto's sleeves. He hit a tenketsus; his hands remained there for awhile while his Byakugan was activated. He poured chakra unto the hole. He pulled away his hands and asked, "What the…?"

"Why? What's wrong?" Hinata asked and stood up from her seat.

"The hole has been blocked by something…I was able to open it for just a short amount of time but…I wasn't able to open it completely." He paused. "Fortunately, the tenketsus were not damaged…" He added.

Hinata sank back in her seat when after hearing that Neji's efforts were in vain.

"I'm very sorry that I didn't help much. I must go back home and see if I can find out anything at the Hyuuga clan's library…." Neji left.

"I'm going to check Konoha's library as well." Tsunade left.

Hinata and Reiji were left at the room. Reiji was thinking of possible solutions for their problem.

While he was thinking, "Hinata-chan…Reiji-kun…" Naruto whispered. He instantly drew his family's attention. His wife and son rushed by his side. Hinata took his hand and caressed his forehead with the other.

"Otousan…is there something you want to say to us?" Reiji asked.

"In the archives…secret room…" He whispered in a very low volume of voice. He looked really sick and weak. "…A book…other seals…" He coughed.

"Naruto-kun, please don't speak…it might worsen your condition…" Hinata squeezed his hands.

Naruto weakly raised and waved his other hand to dismiss the subject of keeping his mouth shut. "You have to…" He passed out.

There was silence as Hinata caressed Naruto's hair.

"Okaasan…you should stay here with Otousan…" Reiji whispered.

"Why?" She asked.

"I'm going to the archives."

---

Tsunade laid the thick book at the table. She saw Reiji who just arrived at the library. "Did anything bad happen, Reiji?" She asked with a worried voice.

Reiji shook his head. "Otousan told me something…" He paused. "Because you were the past Hokage, please grant me access to the archives." He said. "Please…" He added.

Tsunade rubbed her forehead while she opened the book she took at the index page. "Why do you need to go there? The archives only contain records of this village's shinobi." She said.

Reiji bowed his head. "I beg you…please grant me access."

"Tell my why first." She said while she turned the page to the page containing information about seals.

"Otousan told me I could find something there in a secret room…" He said.

Tsunade stopped looking at the book and looked at the Rokudaime's son. She didn't know about any secret room in the archives. "Why didn't he tell us?" She asked.

"You have already left when he spoke to us about the room." Reiji said.

"I'll go with you; the room of the archives is a big one." She said.

"I think it would be better for me to search there and for you to search here. That way, we could save time…" He said. "And besides, I think I could manage." He flashed a grin.

Tsunade ruffled his hair. "Very well, I will grant you access." She said. "Give me a paper." Reiji hurried and found a paper and pen and gave it to her. Tsunade signed it. She gave it to Reiji.

Reiji left the library as soon as he got the signed paper. On his way out, he saw Jiraiya.

"Hey!" Jiraiya called but Reiji just passed by him. "What is that boy up to?" He asked himself. He entered the library.

"Oi Tsunade!" He caught her attention.

"It's about time you arrived. "She said while turning pages.

"I'm leaving…" He said.

Tsunade raised her head and looked at him.

"…to find more things about the seal and Takamura clan, there are still some places I haven't visited." He said.

Tsunade nodded. "When the seventh day arrives…" Her voice saddened. "And you haven't found out anything, come back…for the sake of Naruto." She said.

Jiraiya nodded. "I'll do my best." He said.

"Tsunade-sama, there is trouble!!!" A chuunin shouted. "Have you seen Naruto-sama around?" It was Kotetsu.

Tsunade shook her head. Looks like it was time to go back to her Hokage position…she hoped it wasn't permanent.

---

The conference room was filled with the noise of the shinobis inside; they were chatting about the "trouble."

Tsunade entered the room. The room silenced as she entered.

"Tsunade-sama, why are you here?" Sakura asked.

Tsunade sighed as Sakura asked where the hell Naruto is.

"The sixth Hokage is unfortunately unavailable…we have encountered a…ugh…problem just awhile ago." She announced.

"Perfect! We have trouble and the Rokudaime is unavailable!" A man shouted.

Tsunade glared at the man. It was enough to silence him. "What is this trouble anyway?" She asked.

---

Naruto woke in a messy corridor. Water touched his feet. He didn't feel weak. He looked up and saw that the ceiling had cracks in it. He walked around and found a seal ripped and a cage that was empty.

It was the cage where Kyuubi was in.

Naruto clenched his fist. He was alone in his mind and he didn't even have a clue of what the seal was doing to him.

He sat at a dry part in the ground. He started to think about the seal. He stumbled upon an old book containing information about seals in the archives once. Realizing that the seal had vital and top secret information about seals he stored it in a secret room (which he also found) as a precaution in case someone gets access to the archives illegally. Because of his discovery, he explored the archives more and found more books that contained vital information. Some were from the secret room.

Naruto pulled his hair in irritation. He couldn't even remember a single line from the "seven day seal" page of the books and scrolls. At that time, he paid too much attention to the Hyuuga clan's cursed seal.

"Damn it!" He shouted and his voice echoed. After the sound of his echoes, there was merely silence. During that period of time, he questioned himself about why he was back in this part of him. Kyuubi was gone and he had no reason to sink back here.

The silence was almost deafening until a ghostly whisper said, "Naruto…"

He looked around and found nothing. He felt suddenly cold.

"W-what the…?" He asked. "Who are you?" He asked.

"Do you not remember my voice?" The voice asked.

Naruto's eyes widened. "Ky-Kyuubi…?" He asked.

He heard a laugh. "You are right, it is me!"

"Where are you? Show yourself!" Naruto demanded and stood up to search for Kyuubi.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk…" Kyuubi said. "You'll never find me here…" He said.

Naruto was more irritated. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"I am spirit Naruto. I am dead." The voice became firm.

Naruto was shocked. "You're dead…? How? When? Why? Where did you die?" He asked.

"Hold your horses! Ask one question at a time…" Kyuubi said.

"Sorry, I was just…shocked…" Naruto said.

"Well, I shouldn't be here; at least I thought I can't go here. "Kyuubi said.

Naruto sighed.

"Ok, spit it out. Why are you here?" Naruto asked.

"I'm here to tell you what you got yourself into." Kyuubi said.

"Thank god!" Naruto exclaimed. "I almost killed myself trying to find out answers to my questions alone!" He added and laughed.

"Ah, you need not to kill yourself…" What Kyuubi said stopped Naruto's laughter.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"You're already dying, Naruto…" Kyuubi said.

There was silence yet again.

---

Naruto's hand twitched in Hinata's hand. Hinata shifted her eyes to his face; he looked discomforted. She again caressed his hair. She placed a soft kiss on his cheek and stared at him. She placed her other hand on top of his forehead; his temperature was very high.

"Naruto-kun…" She whispered.

---

"But…but…" Naruto whispered.

Don't leave me...don't leave us...again...

He heard his wife's gentle voice. He clenched his fist. "I can't die!" He exclaimed. "I-I….I promised Hinata and Reiji that I would never leave them anymore!!!" He added.

"But you know that the time for you to leave will eventually come…" Kyuubi said.

Naruto lowered his head. "I know…" He whispered with a low grim tone.

"Then let nature take its flow…" Kyuubi suggested.

Naruto gritted his teeth and grunted. "This is not nature's doing at all!" He exclaimed. "Some…some weird, old man carved this seal on me!!!" Naruto shouted.

Kyuubi laughed.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"Exactly…" Kyuubi said.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked.

"It's an unnatural thing Naruto." Kyuubi stated. "You still have hope of stopping its flow...."

Naruto grunted again. "You're really making me angry!" He said. "One minuet, you're telling me to let it take its flow and another minute, you're telling me I can stop it!!!"

"I was only testing you Naruto. You haven't changed. I knew you wouldn't go down without a fight. If you said "I would let it take its flow" I wouldn't have helped you. "

"So, now what do I do?" Naruto asked.

"Listen well."

"I am all ears." Naruto said and sat down on the ground.

"You already know that the seal that is carved on you is the 'seven day seal', right?" Naruto nodded. "What you don't know is what it does, right?" Naruto nodded once again. Kyuubi filled him in on the details of the seals effect.

"On...the seventh day…I would die…" Naruto repeated. He looked down on the ground. "What could I do to stop my death?" He asked.

"Nothing; there is nothing you could do." Kyuubi said.

"What are you saying? You got me really confused now!" Naruto exclaimed. "I thought I still have hope?"

"You do have hope; that is if anyone from Konoha finds out how to stop the seal. Let's hope that someone finds out…" Kyuubi said.

"I trust that they will help me find a way out of here."