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

Inside the belly of the Baku beast, Lucas Moore's five hundred million blades churned violently, slicing and tearing without pause.

It didn't take long before the creature was shredded from the inside out and killed on the spot.

With a single thought, Lucas summoned his blades back, erupting them outward from the corpse of the beast.

Danzo, meanwhile, reappeared once more after his second death.

Lucas scowled as he laid eyes on him again. "Izanagi really is disgusting. I could've ended this in a single strike, but thanks to that broken dōjutsu, I've already wasted several times more effort than necessary. I can't keep dragging this out."

If this went on much longer...

The commotion would eventually draw in Hiruzen and Jiraiya.

Although Lucas had no fear of a group battle, he couldn't afford to reveal the power of the "Hollow." He couldn't fight at full strength.

And as for the Shinigami transformation, he'd only just begun to master it.

Compared to the Hollow powers, it was still slightly inferior in raw might.

If too many enemies showed up, there was a real chance things could spiral out of control.

His eyes sharpened.

Raising both hands, Lucas directed countless cherry blossom blades to form into ten massive arms.

Whooosh!

The gigantic hands, brimming with murderous force, surged toward Danzo.

Previously, the blades moved on their own. Now, with Lucas controlling them directly, their speed quadrupled.

The ten giant hands blanketed the sky as they descended.

Danzo's eyes widened. "So fast!"

He tried to form hand seals but quickly realized it was too late.

Crack! Crunch!

Two of the hands snatched him up, and the dense blades began grinding and tearing through his body.

"Aaaaargh!"

Agonized screams echoed as Danzo was mercilessly crushed and killed once again.

Shff!

He respawned a few meters away, another Sharingan on his right arm snapping shut.

Only one remained.

Lucas pointed forward again, and the ten massive arms launched once more.

Swish! Swish!

Danzo was already struggling to dodge.

Unable to form any hand seals in time, he cursed in frustration.

"These damn blades are flying several times faster than before! I can't even weave a single jutsu! Who is this guy? Could he be the bastard who ambushed me earlier?"

As the hands closed in again, Danzo found no room to escape.

Grinding his teeth, he slapped his right arm.

"Wood Style-"

"Exploding Piercing Trees!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, his right arm began to squirm and swell.

In the blink of an eye, a massive tree erupted from his arm, shielding him from the ten giant hands.

Slash! Slash!

The towering tree didn't just defend it retaliated.

Thick vines shot out like spears, lunging toward Lucas.

Lucas's expression finally shifted. "No way... this old bastard can use Wood Style?!"

With a quick step 

Swish! Swish!

He used Shunpo to narrowly avoid the grasping vines.

Only by recalling his Senbonzakura blades and slicing through the tendrils did he manage to slip free.

The great tree then retracted, returning to Danzo's right arm.

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "I underestimated you. Looks like you're not quite the clown the original story made you out to be."

Thinking about it more carefully, it wasn't all that surprising.

This version of Danzo was still in his prime.

Using Wood Style once or twice was well within his capability.

Back in the original timeline, he was old and losing control over the Hashirama cells in his arm.

Even if he managed to use Wood Style, there was no guarantee he could suppress the side effects.

Taking this into account, Lucas decided to keep two hundred million blades on defense.

The rest were unleashed in various formations to continue hunting Danzo down.

Not long after, Danzo fell once again.

When he reappeared, the final Sharingan on his right arm had closed.

"One life left."

Lucas finally let out a breath. "Let's just hope no one else shows up to cause trouble, or I might lose my temper."

Danzo, on the other hand, was beginning to panic.

He turned and bolted toward a hidden escape route.

"Trying to run now? Isn't it a little late for that?"

Swish!

With one flash step, Lucas appeared before him.

Raising his hand into the void, he summoned a single Senbonzakura Zanpakuto.

Lifting it high, he prepared to bring it down on Danzo's head.

"You want to kill me? Dream on!"

Danzo's face twisted into a mad snarl. "Then let's die together! Remember this you were defeated by your own arrogance!"

Lucas's brow arched. "What's he planning? Trying to use the Reverse Four Symbols Sealing technique? That jutsu is powerful, but it's slow as hell. I don't have to worry abou-"

Before he could finish, his expression changed.

Danzo wasn't using that technique at all.

Instead, he pressed his left hand onto his right arm and formed a one-handed seal.

"Wood Style-"

"Binding Roots Burial!"

In that instant 

Danzo's right arm convulsed violently.

Thick, gnarled vines erupted outward, engulfing Lucas in seconds.

Lucas's pupils shrank. "What?! More Wood Style?! And this one is..."

He recognized the jutsu.

In the original story, when Danzo's chakra had nearly run dry, the Hashirama cells in his arm began to go berserk, almost turning him into a towering tree.

But this time was different.

Danzo could control it.

This technique wasn't an accident it was a deliberate assault.

The massive tree he created could completely trap his opponent and then consume both the target and himself.

"I really got careless."

Lucas reflected grimly. "Just because he was a clown in the original doesn't mean I should've let my guard down."

Not far off, his cherry blossom blades rushed to his aid.

But without direct control, they weren't fast enough.

Still, Lucas didn't panic.

He muttered under his breath.

"Hadō Number 92-"

"Thunder Dragon's Descent!"

BOOM!

A massive spiritual pressure exploded from him.

High above, a colossal thunder dragon took shape, crackling with overwhelming energy.

Its presence alone was suffocating.

"ROAAAAAR!!"

The thunder dragon let out an earth-shattering roar and dove straight toward the towering tree below.

BOOM! BOOM BOOOOM!

Lightning detonated in all directions, and thunder serpents wriggled through the ruins.

The very foundations of the Root base were obliterated.

Smoke billowed.

When it cleared, Lucas stood in tattered clothing but alive.

On the ground, all that remained of Danzo were unrecognizable chunks of flesh, blown apart beyond recovery.

Ding! Congratulations, host. Side quest complete!

[Side Quest]: Defeat Konohagakure's "Shadow of the Shinobi World," Shimura Danzo!

[Unclaimed Rewards]: Spiritual Pressure EXP +1300, Surveillance Bacteria x3

"Huh? What's this item…?"

Lucas raised an eyebrow at the second reward.

"Surveillance Bacteria? They're even giving me this? Nice. If I attach one to Orochimaru, Obito won't have to waste energy spying on him anymore."

Surveillance Bacteria.

A microscopic tracking organism developed by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, the twelfth division captain of the Gotei 13, known for his obsession with science.

These tiny bacteria could attach to a person's body externally or internally and transmit real-time monitoring data.

Because of their nanoscopic size, they were nearly impossible to detect.

With this tool...

Lucas could finally keep a proper eye on the unpredictable Orochimaru.

"The cancer of the Shinobi World has been eliminated."

He exhaled and murmured to himself.

"Now, the Akatsuki and Amegakure can finally develop in peace for a while."

After all, following his previous staged explosion as the leader of Amegakure, the infiltration forces of the Five Great Nations had weakened substantially.

Capturing the Tailed Beasts was no longer an urgent concern.

He decided to focus on gathering the full strength of the Akatsuki before resuming that plan.

But just as this thought passed through his mind...

A pitch-black figure crept toward the remains of Danzo's corpse.

It reached out, trying to snatch a piece and make a run for it.

"Black Zetsu! What do you want with Danzo's meat chunks?!"

"You planning to use the Impure World Reincarnation on him?! Dream on! You're not getting away this time!"

Lucas shouted, pointing fiercely at the figure.

"Bakudō Number 99-"

"Seal of the Absolute!"

BOOM!

Spiritual pressure surged as four white flames erupted around Black Zetsu.

The space around him began to warp, forming a dimensional seal.

Just as the binding was about to complete...

A cold, arrogant voice suddenly roared from behind.

"Fire Style-"

"Majestic Destroyer Flame!"