The moon hung low in the sky, a silent sentinel over the village of Konoha. Its pale light bathed the streets in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch like fingers across the ground. To the average citizen, it was just another peaceful night. But to the nameless teen, the air was thick with tension.
He had barely slept since the Code Phantom protocol had activated, its cryptic words echoing in his mind like an unfinished symphony. "Shadow Trigger initialized. Target acquired: Danzo Shimura." The command, spoken by the system that had been dormant for so long, left him on edge, his every sense heightened, as if waiting for something to break the silence.
And then, there was the question of his identity—the nameless teen's true past. What had the system meant by Code Phantom? Why had he been sent on a mission to kill Naruto? And why, of all people, had Danzo been singled out by the system as a target? None of these questions had answers, and yet, all of them burned in his mind, relentless and unforgiving.
But tonight, something else began to stir within him. Something old. Something deep.
He walked through the empty streets of Konoha, the shadows following his every movement. His thoughts were consumed with fragments of his training—his former life as an ANBU, his cold and precise missions, the bond he once shared with his comrades, and the nagging feeling that his memory was far more than just a jumble of broken pieces. The protocols were waking up, and they weren't done with him yet.
His hand clenched into a fist, the nails digging into his palm. The Code Phantom had been silent for hours, but that didn't mean it was gone. No, the system was always there, lurking just beneath the surface, waiting for the next command. Every time he closed his eyes, he felt it—like a presence, invisible and insidious, pressing against his consciousness.
But as the shadows wrapped around him, he realized something more: this wasn't just the system. This was his own will—his own strength, slowly coming back to life.
He could feel it now. The reawakening of something primal, something that had been buried deep within him for a long time. The forgotten protocols were stirring, and the memories they unlocked were changing him.
A soft rustling sound broke his focus, and he immediately dropped to a crouch, his body blending into the shadows. His heightened senses caught a glimpse of a figure in the distance—someone moving silently through the streets. The nameless teen's pulse quickened. He didn't need to see their face to know who it was. The way they moved, the tension in their body—it was unmistakable.
It was Sasuke Uchiha.
Sasuke had been watching him for days, ever since their brief confrontation during the Academy sparring session. There was no mistaking the suspicion in his eyes, the way he seemed to follow the nameless teen's every move. Sasuke didn't trust him—and he didn't need to.
But the nameless teen wasn't concerned with Sasuke. Not right now.
He had far bigger things to deal with.
The Code Phantom had only just begun to unlock the remnants of his past. The protocols—the techniques that had been stripped away—were starting to surface. But the deeper they dug, the more dangerous it became. The Shadow Triggerwas one piece of a much larger puzzle, a puzzle that was far from finished. His past was interwoven with a web of secrets and lies, and it was only a matter of time before they all came crashing down.
He pushed the thought aside as Sasuke continued on his way, unaware of the shadow that watched him. There was no time to waste. The system had already started moving him toward a new goal—toward Danzo.
The nameless teen's footsteps were silent as he followed the Uchiha from a distance. He didn't need to rush. Sasuke would lead him straight to the answers he sought, even if he didn't know it.
And then, just as he passed through a narrow alleyway, the system activated once again.
"Reawakening Complete."
The words rang out in his mind, cold and final. For a moment, everything stood still. The world around him seemed to fade, leaving him alone with the command. He could feel it now—the power that had been dormant inside of him, the force of the forgotten protocols that were reemerging.
It was like opening a floodgate. His mind was flooded with memories—some clear, some fractured, but all of them undeniable. Faces from the past. People he had once known. The thrill of battle, the coldness of betrayal. And then, the mission. The final mission. To kill Naruto Uzumaki.
A sharp pain seared through his head as the memory played out in vivid detail. He saw it again—the moment when he had stood over Naruto, the blade of his kunai poised to strike, his mission clear. But then, the timeline shifted, and everything had changed.
But why?
The question echoed in his mind. Why had the timeline rebooted? Why was he here, in this new world, with no memory of the mission and no knowledge of what had happened to him? It was as if someone—something—had erased his existence from history itself.
Code Phantom. The words echoed in his mind, a command, a key to unlocking the truth.
He stumbled, a wave of dizziness washing over him. His breath came in ragged gasps as the flood of memories began to settle. His body felt heavier, as if it were awakening from a long slumber. And yet, despite the overwhelming sensations, there was a clarity now—a sense of purpose that he hadn't had before.
The forgotten protocols were waking up, and with them, the full extent of his mission. The nameless teen had been sent here for a reason—his existence, his mission, had been erased for a purpose. But the question still lingered: who had erased him? And why?
The sound of footsteps snapped him out of his thoughts. He glanced up, instinctively drawing himself into the shadows.
Sasuke was standing just a few feet away, his eyes narrowed as if sensing something in the air. The tension between them was palpable, and for a moment, the nameless teen thought Sasuke might notice him. But Sasuke didn't move. He simply stood there, as if waiting for something.
The nameless teen felt the pull of the system again, and this time, it wasn't just a surge. It was a command.
"Eliminate all threats."
The words were clear, final. And though the nameless teen knew the command was meant for him, the hesitation gnawed at him. He didn't want to hurt Sasuke. Not yet. But there was something deeper than instinct urging him forward.
He took a deep breath, steadying himself. There were bigger things at stake than a single confrontation. His mission, whatever it was, had yet to be fully revealed. And right now, he needed to focus on the target ahead: Danzo.
With one last glance at Sasuke, the nameless teen turned and disappeared into the night.