The flickering candlelight cast long shadows against the walls of the small, dimly lit room. The nameless teen sat motionless in the corner, his gaze fixed on the floor, his mind swimming with thoughts and uncertainties. The system had been quiet for the past few hours, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something—or someone—was watching him.
He wasn't alone.
There was always a presence in Konoha, a weight that pressed down on him from every angle. It had been subtle at first, but now it felt as though the air itself was thickening. His every move was being watched, scrutinized, and he could feel the eyes of an unseen observer on him.
And he knew exactly who that was.
Danzo Shimura.
The name itself sent a shiver down his spine. There was a reason why the system had flagged him as a target, why it had warned him to tread carefully. Danzo wasn't just any Shinobi—he was a shadow within the shadow of Konoha, the eyes and ears of the village's underworld, and most dangerous of all, he had the ability to manipulate people like pawns on a chessboard.
And now, those eyes were trained on him.
The nameless teen couldn't explain it, but deep in his gut, he knew Danzo had been watching him since the moment he arrived in Konoha. Every step, every glance, every moment of hesitation had been cataloged, analyzed. But how?
Was it his connection to the ANBU? The knowledge buried deep within him that could be of use to Danzo? Or perhaps, it was something else—something darker, something tied to the very timeline he was trying to erase.
Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the silence, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Are you just going to sit there all day?"
He turned slowly, locking eyes with the person who had spoken. It was Sasuke, standing at the entrance of the room, his face still flushed from their earlier sparring session. Despite the lingering tension between them, Sasuke's expression was unreadable, as if the fight had only fueled his curiosity.
"I could ask you the same thing," the nameless teen replied flatly, not bothering to move from his seat.
Sasuke's lip curled into a slight smirk. "Maybe. But I'm not the one hiding my true strength." His eyes flicked briefly to the shadows around them, the corners of the room where the nameless teen's aura still lingered like a restless storm.
A cold silence stretched between them. The nameless teen didn't respond. He couldn't. Sasuke had seen through his abilities, if only a fraction of them. The question now was how much he truly understood.
He had already activated his Shadow Manipulation during their fight. The shadows, while powerful, were a double-edged sword. They were tied to his ANBU training, yes, but they also held dark secrets, secrets that even he hadn't fully unraveled. He had no idea what Danzo would make of such a power—or worse, what Danzo might want from him.
Sasuke sighed and stepped closer, his tone hardening. "You're not like the others. You don't belong here."
The nameless teen met Sasuke's gaze, the weight of his words settling heavily in the air. "Neither do you."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed, his stance becoming more guarded. "I don't care about your opinions. Just stay out of my way."
But before the nameless teen could retort, the door creaked open with a soft, almost imperceptible sound. Both boys turned, their attention snapping to the figure now standing in the doorway.
It was none other than Danzo himself.
"Interesting," Danzo's voice rumbled, low and calculating, as he stepped into the room, his one good eye glinting with a quiet malice. "You two are growing quite… familiar with each other. But I wonder, how much do you truly know about the other?"
The nameless teen's heart skipped a beat. He had expected this confrontation to come sooner or later, but it didn't make the reality of it any easier to bear. Danzo's presence was suffocating, like a dark cloud hovering just out of reach, ready to strike.
"Danzo," the nameless teen said, his voice flat, betraying none of the unease he felt. "What do you want?"
Danzo tilted his head slightly, studying him with that calculating gaze. His remaining hand rested against the wooden cane he carried, his posture relaxed—too relaxed, considering the circumstances.
"You're a strange one," Danzo continued, stepping further into the room, his footsteps soft and measured. "You should be dead by now. And yet, here you are, alive and well in my village." His smile was thin, cold. "I wonder how long that will last."
The nameless teen clenched his jaw, trying to suppress the flood of anger that threatened to bubble up. But Danzo's words—those sharp, cutting words—touched a nerve. He didn't understand how or why he was here, but he knew one thing for certain: Danzo wouldn't stop until he had whatever it was the nameless teen was hiding.
"You're meddling with forces you don't understand," the nameless teen said, the words coming out harder than he had intended. "And you're in no position to threaten me."
Danzo's eye gleamed, the faintest trace of amusement flickering across his face. "You mistake me for an enemy. I'm not your enemy, boy. But your powers—those shadows of yours—could be quite useful to me." His gaze shifted briefly to Sasuke, who stood rigidly, watching the exchange with growing suspicion. "Perhaps you're not as insignificant as you seem. But let's not pretend you're beyond my reach."
Sasuke's eyes narrowed as he shot a glance between Danzo and the nameless teen. "What are you talking about?"
Danzo ignored Sasuke's question, his attention fixed solely on the nameless teen. "I know about your Code Phantomprotocol. Your forgotten mission. And your history with the ANBU. I've had my eye on you for quite some time."
The words hit like a physical blow. The nameless teen's blood went cold as the memories—flickering, incomplete—rushed back. The mission to assassinate Naruto. His failure. His death. The timeline that had been wiped away.
The glitch in the system.
"You think you can control me?" the nameless teen managed to say, his voice steady despite the rising tide of panic inside him. "I'm not a tool for your games."
Danzo's smile widened, his tone patronizing. "No, you're not a tool. But you are a key—a key to something far more significant than you realize."
The nameless teen stood up, his heart pounding. He had to get away from Danzo. He had to escape, to disappear, before Danzo could get his hands on whatever it was the man wanted.
But Danzo's next words froze him in place.
"Whether you like it or not, you're already part of the game. And you'll find, boy, that there's no escaping your role."
The door closed behind Danzo with a quiet click, leaving the nameless teen standing in the now-empty room with Sasuke, both of them feeling the weight of the situation.
The nameless teen's mind raced, the pieces falling into place. Danzo knew more than he was letting on. And if he was right about the Code Phantom protocol, then everything was about to change.