Chapter 099: Aurora Execution

Bai stood up quickly, squinting at the three men before him, his gaze calm and unruffled.

Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Kakuzu surrounded Bai, leaving him no chance to escape.

"You're the traitor of Konoha, Uchiha Itachi? And who are you people?" Bai recognized Uchiha Itachi but did not know the other two.

Kakuzu chuckled but said nothing.

Hoshigaki Kisame carelessly hoisted Samehada onto his shoulder and said, "Your grandpa here is named Hoshigaki Kisame. Remember that name."

Bai said expressionlessly, "Why did you ambush me? To avenge Konoha?"

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily turned to Uchiha Itachi.

Uchiha Itachi remained silent.

Hoshigaki Kisame swung Samehada. "Enough with the nonsense. Take this!"

In an instant, he closed in on Bai, swinging Samehada at Bai's head, but mid-swing, Samehada seemed to come alive, opening its gaping maw to bite at Bai's head.

Chakra Absorption!

Samehada is one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist, a living blade that only recognizes those it likes.

The wielder of this sword can not only use Samehada to absorb an enemy's chakra for their own use but also utilize the vast chakra stored in Samehada to stimulate cell regeneration, or even merge with Samehada to become a fish-man.

Faced with such a bizarre ninja sword, Bai remained calm and composed, releasing terrifying freezing air with every gesture.

Ice Release: Freezing Air Wave!

In an instant, Samehada, which had opened its maw to bite Bai, had its mouth frozen solid by the dreadful freezing air.

Then, Bai raised his hand and blocked Samehada with his right arm.

He exhaled, and a pale blue freezing air surged out like a tide, rolling toward Hoshigaki Kisame, who hastily retreated, not daring to withstand that freezing air with his body.

Even his internal organs might freeze solid.

Fire Release: Head-Hardening!

While Bai dealt with Hoshigaki Kisame, Kakuzu calmly formed hand seals and unleashed a powerful jutsu. The mask on his body spat out a blazing sea of fire, colliding violently with the freezing air.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi manipulated Susanoo, swinging the Totsuka Blade to slash at Bai.

Bai had no choice but to dodge. His intuition told him that if struck by the Totsuka Blade, something bad would happen, so he had to avoid it.

The four fought fiercely in the forest, but neither side could gain the upper hand.

Bai's strength was formidable, but Uchiha Itachi was a genius of the Uchiha clan, Hoshigaki Kisame was known as the Tailless Tailed Beast, having once defeated the Four-Tails with Samehada.

Kakuzu was proficient in all five elemental ninjutsu, having lived from the era of Hashirama Senju to the present, with immense strength and seasoned experience.

Under the combined assault of the three, even Bai could not defeat them for the time being.

Moreover, Bai sensed that there seemed to be another enemy hidden in the shadows, who had not yet appeared. Once he showed an opening, this enemy would strike with overwhelming force, delivering a fatal blow.

In this state, Bai naturally could not go all out, keeping part of his attention on guarding against the hidden enemy.

As time passed, Bai had yet to defeat his enemies and had consumed a large amount of chakra. Although the enemies were also struggling, if this continued, the situation would turn against him.

So Bai clapped his hands together, and his aura underwent a dramatic transformation. It was as if he had merged with nature, and his chakra instantly evolved into senjutsu chakra.

Uchiha Itachi reacted first, warning his companions, "Careful, it's Sage Mode."

Many of Wang Bo's subordinates were proficient in Sage Mode, which was no longer a secret, as they had used it on the battlefield several times, and many knew of this intelligence.

However, those who understood Sage Mode were puzzled. In their impression, learning senjutsu was as difficult as reaching the heavens, with only a few exceptional individuals in each era able to master it.

But for those under Wang Bo, learning Sage Mode seemed effortless.

When had Sage Mode become so easy to learn?

Having entered Sage Mode, Bai's strength skyrocketed, completely different from before. He aimed at Uchiha Itachi and threw a punch, still the Ice Release: Diamond Dust Fist!

But the power was worlds apart.

In Sage Mode, every move Bai made was like a natural disaster. The freezing air from his punch surged like an avalanche and tsunami, its power earth-shattering, instantly freezing the ground for thousands of meters around.

It was as if an iceberg had appeared out of nowhere, suppressing all directions.

Uchiha Itachi, Hoshigaki Kisame, and Kakuzu, unable to dodge in time, were all frozen solid, along with the mysterious enemy hidden in the shadows.

The massive Susanoo bore the brunt, turning into an ice sculpture.

Standing at the foot of the iceberg, Bai looked up at the hundreds-of-meters-tall ice mountain, staring at the enemies frozen within. He was about to dig them out and bring them back to the Land of Fire.

Suddenly, a strange man appeared.

The man wore a red cloud robe, and his eyes were ringed with concentric circles. He hovered above the iceberg, looking down at Bai, and raised his hand, saying slowly, "Shinra Tensei!"

In an instant, a tremendous repulsive force centered on him, like an out-of-control train, rushed toward the iceberg at astonishing speed, shattering it with a boom and rescuing Uchiha Itachi and the others imprisoned within.

Bai flickered several times, retreating far away to avoid the falling ice blocks that cratered the ground. He stared solemnly at the man with ringed eyes.

He had heard from Wang Bo that these eyes were not ordinary but the super eye pupils possessed only by the Sage of Six Paths.

The Rinnegan!

But this mysterious man was clearly not the Sage of Six Paths.

Faced with such eyes, even in Sage Mode, Bai could not claim he could defeat the enemy. So, with a thought, he planned to retreat.

However, the man with the Rinnegan had no intention of letting Bai go. He beckoned lightly.

Bansho Ten'in!

In an instant, Bai felt a tremendous pulling force dragging him toward the Rinnegan user.

But mid-flight, Bai suddenly stomped on the air.

Void Step!

Bang! The air exploded directly. Bai's foot stirred up layers of white smoke, and using the recoil, he instantly broke free from the enemy's Bansho Ten'in.

Then, without delay, Bai raised his hand and unleashed a finishing move.

Ice Release: Aurora Execution!

Freezing air of terrifying extremity burst from Bai's fist. With this technique, he unleashed absolute zero, freezing all objects and energy, causing all matter to lose motion and all energy to dissipate. Everything in the world would cease and be destroyed—a kind of devastating 'time-space freeze.'