Although the layers of Chakra cushioning had kept him from suffering any substantial injuries, it felt as though his internal organs had been shaken out of place. Blood and qi surged uncontrollably up his throat, only for him to force it back down.
In midair, Gion hovered silently with Kompira in hand. As she watched Fugaku steady himself atop the sea, the gravity in her eyes deepened.
That strike had condensed all of her Armament Haki. Even a veteran Vice Admiral from Headquarters would have been seriously injured taking it head-on, yet the other man had merely suffered churning blood and qi, without even a scratch on his skin.
This man's strength was far more terrifying than she had anticipated.
The surrounding battlefield fell into a brief lull after those few breaths of combat.
When the Uchiha clan members saw their clan head step in to protect them, their previously low morale surged at once. On the Navy's side, the direct clash between two top-tier powerhouses had shaken everyone to the core as well.
"Pah!"
Fugaku spat out a mouthful of blood-tinged saliva. His feet were firmly planted atop the sea, his scarlet Mangekyō Sharingan locked onto Gion in the air. The viciousness surging in his eyes was nearly overflowing.
Gion was breathing heavily as well, and her grip on her sword tightened unconsciously.
Though she had held the clear advantage in their direct clash, the purple half-bodied warrior behind him made her heart tense again and again. Its defense, which even her blade could not break, and its ability to casually cleave apart the sea were both deeply unnerving.
That thing did not need Armament Haki at all. A blade formed from Chakra alone was enough to cut through the layers of Armament Haki protecting her body.
But at