Naruto was silent for a long moment. Then he laughed—not bitterly, but with that old, stubborn fire.
Shikamaru tapped the screen. An image appeared—a masked figure, lean and fast, with a tattered cloak and a single crimson eye glowing through a cracked ANBU mask. The symbol on their back wasn't a village insignia. It was a zero. Uzumaki Naruto -V.2- NZC
V-2 stared. "You admit weakness."
V-2's eyes widened. "Brother...?"
Naruto pressed his palm to V-2's chest. A glowing spiral spread across their skin. Naruto was silent for a long moment
"Yeah. You're my V-2. My version two. And versions don't get erased. They get updates ." Six months later, V-2—now simply calling themselves Zero —stood beside Naruto at the new Memorial Stone. Their arm was repaired. Their chakra had stabilized, mingled with Kurama's fox-red energy. An image appeared—a masked figure, lean and fast,
Sasuke grunted. "The village won't survive."