Scene: The Dimensional Relay – 24 Hours Until Reboot
Ben, Amara, and Naruto stand before a swirling portal of pure chronological ink—the Dimensional Relay. It leads to the Original Timeline, the canon version of Naruto's world before fanfic, deviations, or alternate arcs touched it.
It's pristine.
Untouched.
But not unguarded.
"Chief Editor placed a Lock-In Protocol," Amara says, flipping a glyph. "If we enter, we might not be able to come back."
Ben nods, stepping forward.
"Then we don't come back until we win."
Arrival – Konohagakure, Year 0
The trio materializes in a familiar place—but it's different.
No multiversal shimmer.
No fragmented arcs.
Just Naruto, a young boy in goggles, being chased by villagers for painting the Hokage faces.
Ben freezes.
"He's… just a kid."
Real Naruto, untouched by edits or battles. Just a lonely, loud, ramen-loving orphan.
Amara taps her scroll.
"This timeline's barely developed. It's fragile. We alter too much—we risk triggering the reboot ourselves."
Naruto (the one from the Resistance) nods grimly.
"We're ghosts here."
The First Disruption
As they blend into the timeline, they see signs.
Missing villagers.
Jiraiya's journals rewritten.
Kakashi's backstory flickering.
Amara gasps.
"They've already started soft-resetting character arcs."
From behind a shrine, a cloaked figure emerges.
Face hidden.
Voice filtered.
"Too late. This world is scheduled for purification. You can delay—but not prevent."
Ben draws the Meta-Quill.
"Try me."
Fight in the Shadows – Timeline Assassin
The cloaked figure summons Chronoshuriken—weapons forged from deleted filler arcs.
Ben and Naruto fight back, but attacks phase through the enemy.
Amara flips a Time-Reversal Seal.
"They're tethered to the Editor's Sync-Clock—we need to sever the link!"
Ben throws the Meta-Quill like a lance. It pins the enemy to a memory-stone: Iruka saving Naruto from Mizuki.
The enemy screams—and splits into thousands of paper shards.
One fragment flutters into Ben's hand.
"Editor ID: Alpha Draft 1.0. Status: Removed."
Ben frowns.
"They're cleansing the world from the roots up."
Discovery – The First Ben
In the ruins of a time-locked scroll library, Ben finds something impossible:
A boy.
Alone. Reading. Familiar.
He looks up.
It's Ben.
Not Voidborn. Not the Void Prince.
Just… Ben.
The one from before reincarnation.
Before the fanfic.
Before everything.
He hasn't died yet. He hasn't reincarnated. He's still in the real world, looking at Naruto manga for the first time.
Ben's Existential Crisis
"This is me… before everything. Before I was dragged into the Rift. Before I got powers."
Amara looks on quietly.
"The Chief Editor is targeting him. If they erase your source—your origin—you'll vanish."
Naruto steps forward.
"So what are we gonna do? Protect the kid?"
Ben shakes his head.
"No. We make sure he writes his own beginning."
He takes a page from the Meta-Quill and slips it into the boy's manga volume. A message only he can read:
"Keep imagining. Someday, you'll change everything."
Cliffhanger – The Reboot Countdown Begins
Back in the sky, text carves across the clouds:
"24 Hours Remain. All Alternate Timelines Will Be Reset."
But underneath, something new appears—written in glowing resistance script:
"UNAUTHORIZED NARRATIVE BACKUP DETECTED. LOCATION: UZUMAKI SHRINE."
Ben looks to Amara.
"We might have a backup copy of this world's soul."
She nods.
"But we'll have to get through the Canon Guard to reach it."
[CHAPTER END | NEXT: Chapter 48 – The Uzumaki Shrine – Heart of the Hidden Canon]