Konoha – Abandoned Training Ground 3CThe sun filtered through the broken tiles of the long-forgotten training hall.
This place wasn't on any maps anymore.
The Phantom stood in the center of the scorched floor, still, as if rooted to the spot. Around him, memory echoes flickered in short bursts—old sparring matches, conversations he'd never had, faces both familiar and haunting.
[Bond Echo Detected: THREAD 0 – Unclassified]
Warning: Unknown thread encountered. Potential system instability.
His fingers twitched.
Thread 0.
The system had mentioned it before, once—buried under redacted logs and broken prompts. But now, it was surfacing. Why?
The battle with Sasuke had stirred something deeper than he anticipated. The Echo Replay skill hadn't just shown past memories—it had dug up files not meant to be accessed.
Files from before the timeline was wiped.
System Alert: Shadow Enlistment core function anomaly detected.
Do you wish to re-engage [Code Phantom: Reactivate Forgotten Protocols]?
The Phantom exhaled slowly.
This was the dilemma.
Every time he pushed further, the system gave him more—but it also took more. With every skill unlocked, every bond remembered, the lines between his former self and his present one blurred.
He didn't know who he was supposed to be anymore.
Flashback – Timeline UnknownA man in a high-collared flak jacket stared into a warped mirror. His face half-covered by a breathing mask, his eyes cold and haunted.
Danzo stood behind him.
"You understand the mission."
The man didn't reply.
Danzo continued, "This timeline must collapse. The Nine-Tails Jinchūriki poses a threat to the Continuum. You are the failsafe."
The man raised his hand. Embedded in his palm was a black seal, glowing faintly.
[Command Accepted – Subject Phantom Activated]
Then, he whispered something to himself.
"Even if I succeed, there won't be a me left to return."
Present – Outside the Training GroundsThe Phantom sat beneath a tree, mask off.
His face was young. Too young to have been through what he'd seen. But his eyes told a different story—of wars erased, of allies who no longer existed, of timelines burned for the sake of stability.
He remembered Kakashi teaching him how to counter Genjutsu.
He remembered training with Itachi, sparring in the shadows before Itachi vanished.
He remembered Naruto.
But they didn't remember him.
That was the price of being a shadow outside time.
Footsteps approached.
Iruka.
"Hey," the Academy instructor said, stepping into the clearing. "Didn't think anyone trained here anymore."
The Phantom said nothing.
Iruka narrowed his eyes, then recognized the faint Academy uniform under the Phantom's black cloak.
"You're the transfer, right? The one with no prior record?"
"I'm no one," the Phantom said flatly.
Iruka chuckled awkwardly. "We've all been that at some point. Just… don't push yourself too hard."
As he walked away, the Phantom looked down at his hand.
[Bond Echo Detected – THREAD 23: Iruka Umino]
Memory access: Partial
Status: Suppressed due to anchor mismatch.
"Even Iruka knew me… once."
Root Headquarters – Danzo's Private VaultSai stood alone, journal in hand.
He hadn't told Danzo what he'd found.
Not about the journal. Not about Thread 0. Not about the part that mentioned another directive—one that predated even the Phantom.
TERMINATION OVERRIDE: SUBJECT WILL ATTEMPT SELF-ERASURE
INITIATE ECHO LOCKDOWN IF THREADS 47, 90, OR 0 STABILIZE
Sai frowned.
Thread 90—Naruto.
Thread 47—Sasuke.
Thread 0?
Unlisted.
But if Danzo feared all three threads stabilizing, then that meant one thing: the Phantom wasn't meant to remember.
Because once he did… he might not just challenge the system—he might rewrite it.
Konoha – Rooftops Near the AcademyNight had fallen.
The Phantom moved swiftly, blending into the shadows, eyes scanning rooftops.
He wasn't on patrol.
He wasn't spying.
He was watching Naruto.
The boy trained alone, throwing punches into the dark, sweat glistening off his brow.
A memory flickered.
A younger Naruto—different clothing, same stubborn eyes—offering him half a ramen bowl. "Don't know who you are, but you look like you need this more than me."
The Phantom closed his eyes.
He could feel the system pulse.
[Code Phantom: Reactivate Forgotten Protocols – Tier 1 Reactivation Possible]
WARNING: Reactivating Tier 1 Protocols may trigger full identity restoration.
Proceed?
His hand hovered over the prompt.
But if he remembered everything… would he still be himself? Or just another soldier programmed to erase threats?
The dilemma was no longer just about mission vs memory.
It was about identity.
Was he the Phantom… or the weapon?
He took a shaky breath and made his choice.
[Command: Pause Protocol Reactivation]
[Echo Threads will remain in stasis]
Not yet.
He had to know more. Recover more.
Only then would he decide if he was meant to kill Naruto—or save him.