For a time, the White Snake Sage's attacks grew increasingly feeble, her will to fight slowly swallowed by an endless sense of helplessness.
She gazed at the girl before her, calm and composed, never having shown the slightest fatigue from beginning to end, and the greed in her heart turned entirely into bone-deep dread.
The outcome was clear...
She had staked everything, only for it all to prove nothing more than a hopeless fantasy.
Just then, Uchiha Gen, who had been silently watching from the side, slowly raised his eyes and spoke indifferently.
"Your time is up."
Those few simple words were like a final verdict.
The White Snake Sage trembled violently, and her last remaining shred of fighting spirit collapsed completely.
"Wait!!! Wait!!! This isn't right!! This isn't right!!!! I was wrong! Ninja of Konoha-no, my lords, please spare me! I am willing to become your summoned beast!!"
Watching Uchiha Gen slowly raise his hand, the White Snake Sage finally understood just how vast the gap in their strength was.
Her enormous serpentine pupils contracted violently, filled with panic and regret, without a trace of her earlier madness and greed.
She had lived for thousands of years and had never imagined that one day she would experience such a desperate plight.
The two Uchiha before her completely exceeded her understanding of the ninja profession in the Shinobi World.
"Sorry, but I still trust those under my direct control more than those who submit willingly. After all... it's best to be a little careful with snakes."
As Uchiha Gen watched the fear-stricken White Snake Sage, silver light flashed in his eyes, points of starlight gleaming along stellar orbits. The same pattern instantly appeared in her eyes.
Looking at the White Snake Sage, whom he had brought under his control in