Naruto: A Century as an Arrancar, Starting Off by Killing the Demi-God

The moment those words were spoken,

An awkward silence fell across the room.

Except for Sasori, the other three Konan, Obito, and Lucas Moore were all staring at Kakuzu with expressions that could only be described as… strange.

This old man… was he really this reckless?

Without a second thought, he actually wanted to take out Lucas just to claim the highest bounty in the ninja world?

Did you even read the bounty poster properly?!

Right there in the description "Instantly killed Hanzo." How do you miss that?

With your level of strength, you'd just be handing over your head on a silver platter!

Most importantly...

Only Konan and Obito knew the truth: Lucas Moore was Kurosu.

And now, a member of their own organization wanted to assassinate their acting leader for money?

Had Kakuzu lost his mind?

Lucas wasn't angry. He was just… surprised by Kakuzu's choice.

He'd thought that someone like the Immortal Ninja, who had survived for so long, would be more careful less impulsive.

"Well? Say something!" Kakuzu was starting to get anxious.

Lucas turned to him with a curious look. "That man supposedly took out Hanzo in an instant. Are you sure you can handle him alone?"

"Of course not. I'm not stupid."

Kakuzu's eyes gleamed with excitement. "But you, Leader, are ridiculously strong! Even if you're not a perfect match for him, you could hold your own. If you team up with me, Konan, Sasori, and this Uchiha guy here, taking down Kurosu should be a piece of cake, right?"

Lucas: "…"

You've gotta be kidding me.

A group ambush? Seriously?

This guy was unreal.

Lucas sighed and said sternly, "I'm not the one responsible for funding the organization. You'll have to figure that out on your own. No one is obligated to help you not unless they're officially assigned as your teammate."

"Huh? That cold-blooded?"

"That cold-blooded," Lucas replied evenly. "You like money. Doesn't mean we all do."

"If you want him dead, go ahead and try. Just don't blame me when you die."

"…Alright, I guess I'll have to let it go."

Kakuzu wasn't completely irrational. He sighed in resignation. "What a shame. A bounty of 150 million ryo… Just thinking about how long it would take to count that is painful."

Lucas ignored his grumbling and turned to Sasori. "Sasori, you'll be working with Kakuzu for now. Help him gather funding for the organization. He's strong, but operating alone is still risky."

"No problem."

Sasori nodded with a low voice. "Though money is a vulgar thing, far less meaningful than eternal puppet art, I'll follow your orders, Leader."

"Good."

Lucas nodded in approval.

Half an hour later, the meeting ended.

Sasori and Kakuzu were in charge of the funds. Konan continued her mission to recruit more members.

Right now, the Akatsuki simply didn't have the manpower to take on bigger plans.

Once everyone had left, Lucas tapped his foot on the ground.

Thump, thump!

A white Zetsu emerged from the earth, his expression full of flattery. "Esteemed Lord Moore, what are your orders?"

Lucas looked at him and asked, "How are those two Uchiha boys doing? Any trouble?"

"No, nothing's happened to them," Zetsu replied honestly. "But the one you asked me to monitor Danzo has made a move. Not long ago, Obito took Kakashi's Sharingan. Namikaze Minato tried confronting the Root division, but returned empty-handed."

Lucas's eyes lit up. "Oh? Then what?"

"Minato later went to visit Kakashi. The kid's mental state was a wreck, just staring at the ceiling all day. Seeing his student like that, Minato lost his temper. He met with the Third Hokage, who finally allowed him to enter Root."

Zetsu paused for a beat, then continued, "Root is heavily guarded. We couldn't infiltrate the base, so we don't know what happened inside. But judging from the outcome, Danzo doesn't seem to have faced any punishment. I suspect… he dug out his own right eye."

"Afterward, Minato stood on top of a utility pole, staring at the Hokage Monument for a long time. He looked… off. What do you think, Lord Moore?"

"What do I think?"

Lucas snorted. "I could guess with my toes. Minato finally realized that the so-called 'respected' Third Hokage and that treacherous scum Danzo were always two sides of the same coin."

"He probably uncovered some of Hiruzen's dirty secrets too. That'd shake up anyone's worldview. No wonder he had to stand on that pole to cool his head."

Obito chimed in, "So what happens now? Will the Fourth Hokage change?"

"He'll keep acting the same," Lucas replied plainly. "Still loyal to the Third, pretending nothing happened."

"Why?"

Obito frowned. "He already knows the truth. Why not take control as Hokage?"

"And take control with what? His charm?" Lucas scoffed. "Hiruzen's control over Minato isn't just emotional. The old man commands a vast personal force through the ANBU. Minato hasn't even been in office a year how many people does he have?"

"Besides Uzumaki Kushina, who he can trust unconditionally, the only one left is probably that loyal friend of yours… Kakashi. But after everything he's been through, that kid's basically broken."

"With barely anyone to rely on, it'd be hard enough for him to break free from Hiruzen's grip, let alone take control of the whole village."

Obito's eyes widened in realization. "So you're saying he'll bide his time keep his head down and slowly gather his own strength until he can finally overpower Hiruzen?"

"Exactly. You're not as dumb as you look."

Lucas gave him a rare nod of approval, then smirked. "But here's the problem. Danzo won't just sit around and let Minato gain power. He'll definitely make a preemptive move. If Hiruzen turns a blind eye, Danzo might even go as far as to assassinate the Fourth."

"What?! Then what do we do?!" Obito's voice tightened with worry.

"Oh? Concerned about your old teacher?" Lucas teased.

"I I'm not…"

Obito fumbled, then grew serious. "Just tell me how do we help the Fourth Hokage?"

"There's only one way."

"What is it?"

Lucas's eyes sharpened, a cold glint flashing in his gaze.

"We go to the Leaf and kill Danzo. End this once and for all."

A month ago…

Lucas had already ordered Zetsu to investigate whether Danzo was holed up in the Root base.

If he'd been there, Lucas would've ended him on the spot.

But Danzo had been out of sight.

Now, though…

The rat had finally shown his face again.

And this time, he wasn't getting away.

Because as the saying goes 

You can lose the teamfight, but Danzo must die!

If they let him survive any longer, the ninja world would descend even further into chaos.

At that moment, Obito asked, "What if the Third Hokage tries to stop us?"

Lucas's killing intent exploded in his eyes. "Then we kill him too. That old crow isn't innocent either."

"Then… shall we move?"

Lucas's gaze burned bright.

"Move out. We're going to the Leaf."