The Gorgon Sisters

"W-What kind of joke is this? Are they really human!?"

Watching the two humanoid creatures over four meters tall at the front slowly approach them with their forked tongues flicking, quite a few Uchiha clan members instinctively took several steps back, their faces filled with shock and uncertainty.

It was not as if they had never seen giant creatures like summoned beasts.

But it was their first time seeing such enormous beings so close to human in appearance, and the intense sense of strangeness shook their understanding.

"Do you know fear now, invaders? You should never have trespassed onto Kuja Island. Accept the wrath of the Kuja Tribe's warriors!"

The second of the Gorgon Sisters, Boa Sandersonia, flicked her tongue and threatened them in a low voice.

"She... she spoke! They're actually humans?!"

Hearing the clear threat, some of the ordinary Uchiha clansmen were even more astonished.

"What are you talking about?! Of course I'm human! Damned invaders, how dare you insult me? Die!"

Enraged by their words, Boa Sandersonia instantly transformed into her Half-Human Half-Snake form.

Her enormous snake tail swung violently, and her massive body crashed toward the Uchiha formation like a chariot, carrying a howling gale.

At the same time, her clenched fist became coated in jet-black Armament Haki as it smashed down viciously!

Seeing her sister attack first, the youngest, Boa Marigold, also transformed into her Half-Human Half-Snake form without hesitation.

Wielding a cleaver the size of a door, she swept it toward Fugaku and the others standing at the front, its sharp whistle tearing through the air!

"Careful! Don't take it head-on!"

Fugaku's pupils contracted. His Sharingan clearly saw the terrifying power contained in the attack, as well as that strange layer of black energy.

He immediately used the Body Flicker Technique to retreat, forming hand seals at the same time.

"Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Technique!"

A massive Fire Dragon roared as it charged toward Marigold, trying to halt her advance.

However, Marigold neither dodged nor retreated. After taking up a defensive stance, she charged straight into the Fire Dragon!

Boom!

Her fist struck the Fire Dragon, forcibly blasting it apart in a shower of sparks!

Her momentum only faltered slightly before she continued to crush forward.

Elsewhere, several Uchiha elites tried to restrain Sandersonia with ninja tools and ninjutsu.

Sandersonia's hair turned into several snake heads, which bared their fangs and lunged at the Uchiha elites.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Kunai and Shuriken struck the greenish-blue snake heads, only to be effortlessly deflected without leaving even a mark.

Yashiro's Wind Style: Vacuum Great Ball struck one of the snake heads, causing it to rear back and hiss before dispersing.

But before Yashiro could smile, the dispersed snake head re-formed under Sandersonia's control and darted toward him at incredible speed.

"Her strength is too great! And her defense..."

Yashiro barely dodged the snake head's attack. Flying stones scraped painfully across his cheek, and his expression turned grim.

From the very start of the battle, the Uchiha had been forced onto the defensive.

Relying on their huge size, immense strength, and proficient Armament Haki, the two sisters practically ignored most conventional ninjutsu and physical attacks.

Their attacks were powerful and wide-ranging, forcing Yashiro and the other Uchiha elites to rely on the Sharingan's perception and the Body Flicker Technique to continuously evade and maneuver around them.

They looked thoroughly bedraggled.

It was worth noting that after using the Great Dragon Fire Technique, Fugaku had withdrawn from the battle.

Meanwhile, Shisui had remained behind Yoru the entire time, watching the battle between the Uchiha elites and their opponents with a solemn expression.

"Illusion Technique: Restraining Chain!"

Yashiro used the technique once more, this time casting the genjutsu on Sandersonia.

However, at the critical moment, Sandersonia merely tilted her head, narrowly avoiding eye contact, while the several snake heads formed from her hair slammed violently into the ground!

Rumble!

The ground shook violently, and dust filled the air. The powerful shockwave interrupted Yashiro's technique and forced the Uchiha ninja trying to approach to retreat again and again.

"Useless! Your little tricks are no match for us!"

Sandersonia roared triumphantly.

Marigold also swung her great blade, deflecting every tricky, speed-based surprise attack launched by Tekka, Inabi, and the others.

Whenever she truly could not dodge, she simply chose not to, relying on her powerful body with the air of someone willing to trade life for life.

It left the Uchiha elites in a miserable state.

"How does it feel?"

Yoru tilted his head and asked Fugaku and Shisui, who had been watching from the sidelines.

"Is this Armament Haki? It's an incredibly powerful and practical ability."

Shisui nodded. Through his Sharingan, he could clearly sense a peculiar energy wrapped around the weapons of the two women opposite him, as well as the snake heads formed from their hair.

It was precisely this energy that granted them astonishing defense and attack power.

"Their fighting style relies more heavily on their bodies and this energy. Their taijutsu is formidable, but their techniques are relatively limited in variety.

"Also, that green-haired girl seems to possess a vague ability to predict what's coming. She can sense danger in advance. Yashiro's genjutsu may have failed because of that."

Fugaku added in a low voice:

"Mm. After observing them for so long, while their strength and defense are indeed remarkable, their massive bodies sacrifice some agility in exchange for that power.

"That predictive ability also seems quite limited. When faced with attacks that exceed normal speed or come simultaneously from multiple directions, their reactions lag behind."

Yoru nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad. Then it's time to end this warm-up. If this keeps going, they'll start looking down on the Uchiha Clan."

Yoru spoke softly. Over there, the Empress had already made her disdain plain on her face.

If this continued, it would be difficult to proceed with cooperation between the two clans afterward.

"Understood." x2

Fugaku and Shisui exchanged a glance, then instantly turned into two afterimages and joined the battle.

Shisui's target was clear: Sandersonia.

His speed suddenly erupted, several times faster than any Uchiha ninja from before.

His body left trails of afterimages in the air—it was the Body Flicker Technique that had made him famous throughout the Ninja World!

"Who is that? So fast!"

Sandersonia was startled. Her Observation Haki had indeed detected someone's path of movement.

But the opponent was simply too fast. Her body could not keep up with her prediction!

She hurriedly controlled several snake heads formed from her hair, smashing them toward Shisui's path like a raging storm, trying to restrict the enemy's movements with wide-range attacks.

However, Shisui moved like a phantom, darting at extreme speed through the gaps between the snake heads as his Sharingan spun rapidly.

He was in no hurry to attack her body. Instead, he used his extraordinary mobility to continuously circle Sandersonia.

Shuriken and kunai shot out from every tricky angle, forcing her to constantly adjust her defensive posture and draining her stamina and attention.

Methodically, he probed the physical toughness of this world's powerful warriors.