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

With this new ability,

Lucas Moore could now tear through space itself and travel anywhere in the ninja world at will.

At the very least,

he no longer needed to hitch rides with Obito.

Orochimaru, seeing that Lucas had no intention of explaining anything, chose not to press further.

"From here to the Hidden Rain Village is quite a distance. It'll take me several days to make the journey."

"No need," Lucas said calmly. "It'll only take a moment."

Before Orochimaru could react, Lucas gathered spiritual pressure into his left hand, channeled it into his right, and brought his fingers together like a blade.

With a swift slash 

Shrrk!

Space itself split open.

A massive black rift appeared, its depths as endless as a void.

Lucas grabbed Orochimaru by the collar and stepped straight into the crack.

...

...

At that very moment

Konoha Village, Medical Division.

A pale-faced white-haired teenager lay quietly on a hospital bed.

His left eye was wrapped in bandages, his gaze blank and unfocused, staring up at the ceiling.

He looked as though he had lost all direction in life.

Knock knock knock!

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

The silver-haired teen stirred from his thoughts and said softly,

"Come in. It's not locked."

The door creaked open.

A young man with blonde hair and blue eyes stepped into the room, his face clouded with concern.

It was the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze.

The boy on the bed tried to sit up, but Minato gently pushed him back down.

"Kakashi, your left eye hasn't healed yet. Just rest, alright?"

"Yes, sensei..." Kakashi replied, voice dull and full of gloom.

Seeing his student in this state, Minato tried to offer comfort.

"Kakashi, this isn't your fault. Losing the Sharingan... it wasn't something you could control."

"But..."

Kakashi suddenly looked up, eyes filled with pain.

"I promised Obito. I swore I'd carry the name of the Sharingan with pride. And now, before I even made a name for myself, they've taken my eye. Sensei... how am I supposed to face my fallen friend?"

One month ago, during an ANBU mission,

Kakashi had been ambushed.

More than ten attackers had swarmed him each one wearing ANBU-style masks.

Two of them were so powerful that he hadn't even had time to react before his Sharingan was forcefully removed.

The excruciating pain had knocked him unconscious on the spot.

When he woke up, they were gone.

The fight hadn't lasted more than a few seconds, but Kakashi was certain they were members of Danzo's secret organization: Root.

Five years ago...

He had witnessed his father, Sakumo Hatake, take his own life.

Then, during the Kanabi Bridge mission, both Obito and Rin had died.

And now, the last token of his friend Obito's eye had been taken by Root.

His world had never felt darker.

"Kakashi..."

Minato hesitated, but before he could speak, Kakashi cut him off coldly.

"I can let everything else go. But what about Elder Danzo, sensei? What do you plan to do about him?"

"At the very least, he should return my eye. That's not too much to ask, is it?"

"Are you sure it was Root?" Minato asked cautiously.

"Is that even a question?! They wore ANBU gear, yes, but their skills were far beyond normal ANBU!"

Kakashi's voice suddenly rose.

"And the most damning thing is I clearly heard Danzo's voice before I passed out!"

"What if someone was impersonating him?" Minato asked, trying to be rational.

"...Sensei, you don't believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe you," Minato replied gently. "But something like this needs thorough investigation. There are too many unknowns right now."

"It's been over a month!" Kakashi snapped.

"Have you found anything? Let me guess you went to Root and asked to question their members, and they didn't even bother acknowledging you, did they?"

"...Cough."

Minato looked a little embarrassed.

Kakashi was right.

Root had refused to cooperate.

The guard at the entrance said that without a personal decree from the Third Hokage, no one not even the Fourth Hokage was allowed inside.

Minato might have held the title of Hokage,

but it was Hiruzen Sarutobi who had placed him there.

Most of the village's authority still rested in the Third's hands.

That was why Minato was constantly restrained.

And though he instinctively knew something was off about the situation,

Kakashi, shattered and on the verge of emotional collapse, couldn't hear reason.

He only wanted one thing his Sharingan back.

If this ended with nothing but silence,

Kakashi might truly follow in his father's footsteps... and take his own life.

"Even if my power is limited as your teacher,

I swear I'll get justice for you."

Minato took a deep breath, his voice steady and resolved.

"If the Third Hokage also chooses to shield Danzo and deny me access to the Root base... then I'll handle things my own way."

With that, he turned to leave.

Kakashi blinked, his eyes slowly growing wet.

"Sorry, sensei... earlier I "

"It's fine, Kakashi. I understand how you feel. I'm behind you, no matter what. But promise me... don't do anything foolish."

Minato didn't turn around.

The moment he finished speaking, a flash of golden light enveloped him.

Shup!

The next instant 

He appeared in front of Hiruzen Sarutobi's home.

After adjusting his robes, Minato stepped up and knocked politely.

Knock knock knock!

A weak, raspy voice called out from inside.

"Who is it?"

Minato bowed slightly and replied,

"Third Lord, it's me Minato."

"Oh, oh. Come in then."

With permission, Minato pushed open the door.

Inside, he saw the aging Sarutobi lying on his bed, visibly weakened.

A candle flickered softly on the side table, casting long shadows.

"You're still sick, sir?" Minato asked, concerned.

Sarutobi coughed and shook his head.

"No... cough... I went to the bathhouse yesterday. Got chilled again. Sigh... I'm getting old. My body's not what it used to be."

"You went to the bathhouse again? But you just went the day before yesterday. You're not doing anything naughty over there, are you?" Minato teased with a puzzled expression.

Sarutobi scowled.

"Minato! That's slander! I absolutely did not peek into the women's side! I bathed and came straight back!"

"I never said you peeked," Minato said innocently. "You exposed yourself."

"Enough with the jokes."

Sarutobi waved his hand.

"Tell me what brings you here?"

Minato's expression turned serious.

"I need access to Root. I want to question Elder Danzo directly."

"This is about Kakashi, isn't it?" Sarutobi's eyes narrowed.

"Yes."

"You really believe Danzo was behind it?"

"I don't know. But we won't know anything until we see for ourselves. We owe that child an answer, no matter what."

Minato met the old man's gaze with unwavering resolve.

Sarutobi exhaled.

"I see... and how far are you willing to go?"

"At the very least, I need Elder Danzo to remove the bandage from his right eye. I want to verify if he has the Sharingan."

Sarutobi sighed again.

"Do we really have to go that far?"

"Yes."

"And if I say no?"

Minato didn't flinch.

"Then I'll find my own way to get justice for my student."

Sarutobi's eyes widened.

He stared at Minato, startled.

The look in his eyes shifted from shock to contemplation.

After a long silence, he finally gave in.

"...Understood. The decree is in the third drawer under my desk."

"Thank you, Lord Third."

Minato bowed deeply, took the letter, and left the room.

Sarutobi sat half-upright in bed, watching the door.

As the candlelight flickered beside him,

its unsteady glow cast a faint shadow across his aged face.