"This is as far as I can go!"
"Given my physical condition, I might still be able to increase my Chakra in the future, perhaps getting infinitely close to Kage Level. But the gap between me and those geniuses is still far too great!"
A young man lay on the ground, gasping for breath. He wore a black T-shirt bearing the Uchiha Clan Crest, and sweat poured down his face.
A profound sense of disappointment welled up inside him.
Uchiha Tamaharu had come from Earth to this world twenty years ago.
Knowing how dangerous this world was, he had survived with extreme caution. He had never revealed that he was different, and the system he had hoped for had never appeared.
So he had trained relentlessly, hoping to gain the strength to protect himself.
But despite all his hard work over the years, he had realized that he was still far behind the true geniuses. Uchiha Shisui had now caught up with him.
The night of the clan's massacre was drawing near, though, and he had no more time to wait.
He wanted to save the Uchiha!
He had no interest in trying to persuade Konoha's brainless higher-ups. Only absolute strength could save them, but it seemed he simply didn't have the talent for that.
That left him with only one option: find a way to gather the strength of the entire Uchiha Clan and face the danger ahead.
"Ding!"
"Dungeon System activated!"
"[Chaotic World] In the world of One Piece, carve out a territory and become a great pirate [with a bounty of 500 million], or become a Shichibukai. Time limit: three months. Mission reward: Bloodline Awakening."
Uchiha Tamaharu had been about to get up and speak frankly with the current cowardly Clan Leader, Fugaku Uchiha. The voice in his head made his body freeze.
"Hahaha!"
Once he understood what had happened, Uchiha Tamaharu burst out laughing without a moment's hesitation.
His laughter startled the birds in the forest into flight. They chirped wildly overhead, wondering who was making such a racket at dusk and frightening them instead of resting.
"A real world!"
"One that won't disappear. It's different from those worlds of infinite cycles—it's stable!"
Uchiha Tamaharu used the system's power to enter the dungeon.
He could enter and leave whenever he wanted. He didn't have to complete the mission before leaving.
He also confirmed that he could bring an unlimited number of people with him. As long as they could pass through the two-meter-wide vortex portal, they could reach the Grand Line.
"There's no time. I'll lay my cards on the table."
"Better for the Uchiha to make a name for themselves in another world than to wither away in Konoha!"
Uchiha Tamaharu made up his mind.
That very night, he went to meet Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Shisui.
One was the man who could decide the Uchiha Clan's future. The other was a spy who could keep this from being exposed to Konoha!
They met at the Uchiha Ancestral Hall.
"What's so important, Tamaharu?"
"Things are complicated with Shisui. If it's really serious, it would be better to speak to me directly."
Fugaku Uchiha sat cross-legged on the tatami, his expression serious as he spoke to Uchiha Tamaharu.
Although Uchiha Tamaharu didn't think much of his own abilities, he was one of the strongest in the Uchiha Clan at present.
If Uchiha Shisui hadn't suddenly emerged, Uchiha Tamaharu would have held the title of the Uchiha Clan's greatest genius.
"This concerns the Uchiha Clan's future. Shisui has to be here."
Uchiha Tamaharu looked at Fugaku and spoke gravely.
He wanted to move the Uchiha Clan to the Grand Line.
Free from Konoha's tight grip, the Uchiha Clan could thrive on the open sea with their strength. They wouldn't have to keep putting up with this treatment.
There would still be risks, but it was better than staying in a place like Konoha and waiting for the clan to be wiped out.
To pull this off safely, he needed both Fugaku Uchiha and Uchiha Shisui.
"Since you put it that way, all right."
Seeing this, Fugaku Uchiha settled down and waited.
He wondered what the young man was planning.
The thought left him increasingly restless. Lately, it had been plain to see that the village was ostracizing the Uchiha.
The conflict had grown more and more intense since the Nine-Tails Incident.
Fugaku had backed down several times, but Konoha kept pushing. The rumors had multiplied, and Konoha did nothing to stop them. Military Police Force members could walk down the street and hear Konoha's villagers openly pointing at them and cursing.
Things had become impossible to endure!
Before Fugaku Uchiha could figure out what this was about, Shisui finally arrived.
"Clan Leader, Tamaharu!"
When Shisui entered and saw that there were only three of them, himself included, he couldn't help but feel surprised.
At every meeting, at least the Jonin members of the clan would usually attend. This time, it was just the three of them, and he couldn't help wondering what they were here to discuss.
He felt a little wary. After all, he knew what he was doing.
Itachi was a double agent, but he wasn't. He was wholly devoted to Konoha, though his ultimate goal was to make the Uchiha and Konoha coexist.
"Now that everyone's here, Tamaharu, you can tell us."
Fugaku spoke to Tamaharu, who was off to one side, scribbling away as if drawing a map.
He had taken a look earlier, but couldn't make out what it was. The place names were unfamiliar; they weren't locations anywhere in the Shinobi World.
So he hadn't asked about it and had waited for Shisui to arrive.
"The conflict between the Uchiha and the village can no longer be resolved."
"Unless this generation of Konoha's leaders is completely replaced, or an Uchiha becomes Hokage, Konoha and the Uchiha cannot coexist. One side is bound to disappear, just like the Senju Clan."
"And the side that will disappear is definitely the Uchiha Clan. So we've reached the point where we have to make a change!"
"I'm going to take the Uchiha and flee Konoha!"
Uchiha Tamaharu didn't hesitate or exaggerate.
He laid everything out before them, telling them exactly what their situation was.
They couldn't hold out any hope for Konoha's higher-ups. That would only mean a slow death!
Then he stated plainly what he intended to do.
Uchiha Tamaharu's words plunged the room into silence.
Shisui's pupils contracted sharply.
Had the Clan Leader and Tamaharu figured out that he was working for Konoha?
Fugaku, meanwhile, wondered if things had really reached such a desperate dead end that they had no choice but to find a way to flee Konoha?
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