Tsunade had an opinion.
But her opinion wasn't important.
Ultimately, she was taken away by Alice Lizer, and Esdeath couldn't defy Baimu's wishes, so she also obediently followed.
Baimu, meanwhile, waited in the Land of Hot Water for the arrival of Sarutobi Mirei, Aburame Ryoma, and others.
It must be said that the pawns Baimu had planted were very useful.
He had a general understanding of the enemy's movements.
Knowing the general situation meant knowing how to deal with it.
He waited in a dense forest.
Waiting for the fish to bite!
At the same time, Sarutobi Mirei and Aburame Ryoma, who were on the move, gathered a large contingent of people outside the forest where Baimu was located.
"What's going on?" Sarutobi Mirei frowned slightly, looking at Aburame Ryoma with considerable confusion. Why had the other party suddenly stopped?
Aburame Ryoma said in a deep voice, "A chakra has stopped, but I'm not entirely sure who it is."
"Stopped?"
Sarutobi Mirei was stunned.
Aburame Ryoma seemed to have confirmed it, finally giving a clear answer: "It should be Uchiha Baimu. It doesn't feel like Tsunade's chakra."
Are you sure?
Sarutobi Mirei, hearing this, became somewhat suspicious, but he couldn't say anything at the moment. After some internal struggle, he finally decided to continue forward.
"Whatever it is, let's go and see. If it's Uchiha Baimu, then let's make our move!"
Aburame Ryoma had no objections. The target had to die, Lord Danzo had given the order, and the mission had to be completed. So, how or when they killed him wasn't important.
The person just needed to die.
As for whether killing Uchiha Baimu would entail any risks... one could only say that even if there were, it still had to be done. Moreover, what was this small risk? Lord Danzo's command was paramount. If he said to kill, then they must kill... Inside the forest.
Sarutobi Mirei and Aburame Ryoma, with their respective subordinates, began to surround the area where Baimu was. Upon discovering that Baimu was alone, they immediately decided to assassinate the target.
This was a rare opportunity. If they were on the battlefield, while an opportunity might still arise, and it would be easier to frame the Cloud Village, considering Tsunade and the Konoha ninja army would be present, killing him wouldn't be easy. For this reason, it was better to kill him here.
"You're really slow."
As figures appeared one after another on the surrounding tree trunks, Baimu, sitting in the clearing, slowly spoke.
Slow!
Truly slow. I thought you'd be faster. It seems your determination to kill me isn't quite enough, and that won't do!
Already discovered?
Sarutobi Mirei, standing on a branch in the shadows, his figure not exposed, had never expected Baimu to have discovered them so early.
So, this was intentional. Truly audacious and arrogant, he completely disregarded them.
Aburame Ryoma's Root elite, meanwhile, had successively jumped down and surrounded Baimu, ensuring the target could not escape.
Seeing Aburame Ryoma lead the Root members down, Sarutobi Mirei cursed inwardly, clearly dissatisfied with the other party's overly aggressive approach.
However, now that their presence was exposed, there was nothing more to say. So, he decided to descend and, with the Anbu members, eliminate Baimu and complete the mission.
Baimu's expression was calm. He slowly rose, his long sword already gripped tightly, and said unhurriedly, "Sarutobi Hiruzen actually dared to let you handle this matter. Does he look down on me, or does he overly value you? Danzo, that black glove, is one thing, but you are his biological son. He's letting you do this?"
Sarutobi Mirei said coldly, "Uchiha Baimu, you are a destabilizing factor for the village. For the stability of Konoha, you must die!"
Baimu couldn't be bothered with pleasantries. With a light flick of his long sword, nine scorching crimson fireballs instantly condensed, completely illuminating the night sky.
Immediately after, these fireballs instantly fell from high above, surging from all directions towards this group of Anbu and Root ninja.
"Quick, Water Style!" Sarutobi Mirei immediately shouted upon seeing this.
The Anbu ninja had already quickly formed hand signs: "Water Style: Water Wall!"
In an instant, a water wall appeared, attempting to block the fireballs, but reality was harsh; it couldn't block them at all and was instead engulfed by the flames.
"What?"
Sarutobi Mirei was incredulous.
He couldn't believe that their Water Style ninjutsu was ineffective.
Aburame Ryoma was equally astonished, and as the two were shocked by this, the fireballs had already engulfed three or four Anbu and Root ninja.
Just one engagement, and both Anbu and Root had almost lost a squad, each losing three members, meaning one out of four squads was incapacitated.
"Is that all?"
Baimu flicked the long sword in his hand, saying arrogantly, "If this is the extent of your power, then you can all die."
"Arrogant Uchiha!"
Sarutobi Mirei, seeing this, was enraged, roaring loudly.
He wouldn't tolerate Baimu's insolence. You're surrounded now, yet you still dare to be so arrogant. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're an Uchiha.
No matter how powerful a ninja, under our encirclement, there's no way out. You're too arrogant, kid!
Compared to the furious Sarutobi Mirei, Aburame Ryoma was very calm.
He knew that he couldn't rush now; he had to take it slow.
First, let the subordinates continue to wear him down.
He'd find another opportunity to kill them himself.
Hiruzen Sarutobi formed a hand seal and shouted, "Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!"
A fire dragon surged forward, attacking Bai Mu, but the latter merely waved his blade, and ice instantly erupted, freezing the so-called fire dragon.
That didn't work?
Hiruzen Sarutobi found it hard to believe, but the fact was before him, leaving him no choice but to accept it. Just now, his Water Style couldn't suppress the Fire Style, and now his own Fire Style couldn't contend with the other's Ice Style… Wait, how did this guy know such ninjutsu?
Fire Style, Ice Style—was that even logical?
It wasn't logical!
But even if it wasn't logical, it was useless. Whether Hiruzen Sarutobi accepted it or not, the fact was that Bai Mu was effortlessly thrashing them, and his proud Fire Style ninjutsu was completely outmatched.
One had to remember that the Fire Style power Bai Mu had just displayed seemed to require no hand seals, yet nine large fireballs appeared in an instant, which their combined Water Style ninjutsu from multiple users struggled to block.
Seriously, how could they possibly contend with that?
Hiruzen Sarutobi felt somewhat disheartened at this moment, but Aburame Ryoma seized the opportunity and whispered, "Secret Technique: Insect Sphere!"
In the blink of an eye, a massive swarm of insects emerged, spreading out like a black cloud. Under his control, they surged towards Bai Mu like a tide.
Anyone covered by these parasitic insects would inevitably suffer, their chakra being completely devoured.
"Mere parlor tricks!"
Bai Mu scoffed disdainfully.
Flames instantly burst forth.
As he swung the long blade in his hand, the scorching flames, reaching temperatures of two thousand degrees, directly melted the insects attacking from Aburame Ryoma.
What?
Aburame Ryoma's face fell. He found it truly unbelievable that his confident attack had no effect whatsoever. How could he accept this?
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw the situation and knew that they couldn't defeat Bai Mu with individual abilities; they still needed to rely on teamwork to kill him.
"Quick, surround and kill Uchiha Bai Mu! Don't give him a moment to breathe!"
Attack, keep attacking.
They had to continuously attack, forcing the opponent to have no time to breathe. They would rely on their numerical advantage to wear him down. His chakra couldn't last, absolutely not.
The Anbu ninjas quickly got into position. Some used Water Style, others Wind Style or Fire Style, and there were also many using Lightning Style and Earth Style.
In addition, several Anbu ninjas skilled in taijutsu and kenjutsu were standing by, ready to act at the first opportunity.
It could be said that the remaining dozen or so Anbu ninjas were fully committed, displaying their various ninjutsu.
Shuriken, kunai, explosive tags, and so on.
These items were all indispensable; they were using every trick in the book.
However, in front of Bai Mu, they still had no chance. All these so-called fierce attacks paled in comparison and were completely ineffective against Susanoo.
Once Susanoo appeared, even if it wasn't its complete form, it had already entered its third stage. Its defense was terrifyingly strong, and its offensive power went without saying. Moreover, with Bai Mu's strength, even the complete form would be effortless, let alone just the third stage.
Despair!
Those Anbu ninjas had already entered a state of despair. How could their hearts not be filled with despair upon seeing Bai Mu use such a ninjutsu?
Of course, the Root members were different. They had all been trained by Danzo to be emotionless, only obeying orders.
Therefore, while the Anbu ninjas fell into despair, these Root ninjas launched a fierce, suicidal attack.
Various ninjutsu emerged one after another.
However, their effect was negligible.
Under the protection of Susanoo, these attacks were nothing more than a tickle.
Hiruzen Sarutobi also quickly formed hand seals. As Hiruzen Sarutobi's eldest son, his strength certainly wasn't weak. Not only did he have profound mastery in Fire Style ninjutsu, but more importantly, in the application of composite ninjutsu, he truly inherited his father Hiruzen Sarutobi's skills and was no longer inferior to him.
"Composite Ninjutsu: Whirlwind Fire Dragon!"
The combination of Wind Style and Fire Style instantly fueled the flames, and a giant, violent fiery dragon emerged, sweeping with a storm as it attacked Bai Mu.
The raging flames, amplified by the hurricane, resembled a swirling tornado, carrying a crimson fiery dragon, determined to devour and destroy all enemies. Anyone standing in its path would be defeated by this powerful force.
For Hiruzen Sarutobi, he held such expectations, but the reality was that even with such power, it had no specific effect.
Susanoo remained completely unharmed!
Under Bai Mu's crimson Sharingan, an even more sinister power emanated. That terrifying ocular power directly eliminated more than half of the weaker, less skilled Anbu and Root ninjas.
Yes, with just a single glare, a dozen or so people fell, and now there were only about a dozen Anbu and Root ninjas left in total.
Consider this: when they arrived, there were four Anbu squads and four Root squads, plus Hiruzen Sarutobi and Aburame Ryoma leading them, totaling thirty-four elite ninjas.
But now?
Fewer than ten people remained.
Initially, Bai Mu casually dealt with a few, and now, while maintaining Susanoo, another seven or eight fell with a single glare from his Sharingan's genjutsu.
As a result, there were only about eleven or twelve Anbu and Root ninjas left. Among these remaining people, the five or six Anbu ninjas were facing a formidable enemy, but the Root members, unafraid of death, continued to charge at Bai Mu.
Even with Susanoo blocking them, these people still wanted to rush forward, all for the sake of killing their target.
If you don't go forward, how can you kill the target?
This is how Root operates.
The mission must be completed!
"Everyone, keep going!"
Hiruzen Sarutobi saw this and, although extremely surprised by the madness of the Root members, he gained a clear understanding of it. But since Root was going crazy, the Anbu couldn't just do nothing.
With Hiruzen Sarutobi's command, the Anbu 813 members definitely had to charge. The remaining few quickly dispersed, once again forming a encirclement, and continued to cast ninjutsu.
As for close-quarters combat?
One could only say it was unlikely; they still focused on ninjutsu.
However, Bai Mu merely waved his blade lightly. Under Susanoo, with a gentle swing of its two arms, the two giant longswords directly dealt with the remaining Anbu and Root members.
As the longswords descended, the charging Root ninjas were completely wiped out.
And the scattered Anbu ninjas, those few were also taken down, utterly defenseless, not even knowing how they died.
At this point, only Hiruzen Sarutobi and Aburame Ryoma remained on the battlefield. The elite Anbu and Root ninjas they had brought were completely eliminated by Bai Mu.
They were thoroughly dead, leaving only two alive: Hiruzen Sarutobi and Aburame Ryoma.
Facing such a situation, Hiruzen Sarutobi's face was grim. His outer jacket had already fallen off, leaving only his Anbu combat uniform, and his mask was long shattered, revealing his true face.
Aburame Ryoma, beside him, was in a similar state; his mask was long gone, and he now wore a gloomy expression, contemplating how to kill Bai Mu.
The problem was that there was no one left but him and Hiruzen Sarutobi. Could they possibly solve this alone?
"Uchiha Bai Mu, if you dare to kill Hiruzen Sarutobi, do you know what your fate will be?" Aburame Ryoma was not brainless; he quickly realized how to break the deadlock.
Although the assassination failed and they couldn't deal with Bai Mu, it didn't mean the opponent dared to cross the line.
At the very least, Hiruzen Sarutobi couldn't die.
He was also the same, so there was still a chance to talk.
Bai Mu didn't answer. Instead, he directly swung Susanoo's two arms, and with a sweep of the longsword, a massive sword energy surged forth.
Seeing this, both their faces changed drastically, and they quickly formed hand seals.
Hiruzen Sarutobi shouted, "Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire! Wind Style: Vacuum Wave! Composite Ninjutsu: Great Flame Vacuum Wave!"
His chakra consumption was immense. Composite ninjutsu wasn't easy to use; each use consumed a vast amount, but at this moment, he had no other option but to use composite ninjutsu to fight the enemy.
Aburame Ryoma naturally used the Aburame clan's secret technique, but this so-called secret technique might be useful to others, yet in Bai Mu's eyes, it posed no threat whatsoever.
Ice power erupted from his body, forming various ice pillars and ice cones, which directly impaled him, piercing him through. Aburame Ryoma had no reaction; one could say he didn't even know how he died until his last breath.
As for Hiruzen Sarutobi, the power of his composite ninjutsu truly looked impressive. The combination of Wind Style and Fire Style was quite spectacular, but Bai Mu's single sword swing, merely the sword energy, shattered it.
Then, a sword directly descended, and the latter had no time to dodge. He could only watch with horror in his eyes as he was engulfed by the golden longsword.
Hiruzen Sarutobi, dead!