Target: Shichibukai

The meeting ended, and a smaller one began right away.

There were eleven people in total.

Three elders.

Four Mangekyo users.

The rest were squad leaders.

"What I told you just now was general information and common knowledge. What comes next is the more specific stuff."

"Don't resist. I'll use a genjutsu to show you."

Uchiha Tamaharu spoke to the others inside the newly built house.

They nodded and let down their guard against the genjutsu.

Though genjutsu couldn't be used on people in the pirate world, it was an incredibly fast and clear way to convey information.

"The gap at the top... Is the difference in strength really that huge?"

After coming out of the genjutsu, Fugaku Uchiha's expression was grave.

Earlier, when Uchiha Tamaharu had said that the Navy had five people with Hokage-level strength, he'd thought the Uchiha Clan could afford to be a little assertive, given that they already had four Mangekyo users.

But those five were on the level of the Second Hokage, who was Beyond Kage-level—not an old Hokage like the Third.

The strongest of them could even fight the First Hokage.

They were opponents the Uchiha Clan had no chance of defeating right now.

"The captains of the Four Emperors' pirate crews are just as strong!"

"This world really is no simple place!"

"From the start, the Uchiha should be cautious and first learn how people in this world grow stronger. One day, we'll be able to reach that level too."

The others joined in, voicing their thoughts.

Though they felt tremendous pressure, these people were also the most confident members of the Uchiha Clan.

They were all fired up to face the challenge, convinced that the Uchiha Clan had the opportunity to surpass their rivals.

"The Uchiha Clan didn't come to this world to live in seclusion, so sooner or later, these powers will notice us."

"To avoid repeating what happened in Konoha, the Uchiha need a suitable identity now. I've decided to become a Shichibukai and use that position to protect the Uchiha Clan."

Uchiha Tamaharu nodded and continued, laying out his plan.

Setting aside the system, the Shichibukai position really was a good fit.

Otherwise, the Uchiha would be an outlaw group and end up fighting the Navy, which would be a hassle. Uchiha Tamaharu didn't want the clan wasting time on that.

Becoming a Shichibukai would solve a lot of problems, including their identity, authority, and even their origins.

"The Shichibukai position is a good choice."

Fugaku nodded, agreeing with the plan.

The others had no objections either. The Shichibukai were fairly independent. Though they were under the World Government, they didn't usually have to obey the Navy's orders.

Joining the World Government directly and becoming one of its subordinates would have felt very uncomfortable.

After what they'd experienced in Konoha, the Uchiha no longer wanted to put their fate in someone else's hands!

"For this first trip out, I'll need to take most of our fighting force with me. The nearest country is St. Poplar, a small nation. Once we've gathered some information, I'll arrange for a group to bring back supplies."

"This world has a communication device called a Den Den Mushi. Have someone bring one back. I may not be able to return for a while, so I'll leave this place in your hands, Captain Fugaku."

"Also, this scroll contains the training methods for the Eight Inner Gates Formation and the Rasengan. Everyone should learn these two techniques as soon as possible. One can improve your physical abilities, while the other gives you a powerful single-target attack."

Uchiha Tamaharu gave his instructions and handed a scroll to Fugaku Uchiha.

When he'd first arrived, he'd taken some time to confirm their exact location before choosing this spot.

The island was near the Calm Belt and had few freshwater resources, which was why nobody lived there.

But that wasn't a problem for the Uchiha Clan. Ninjas could travel across the water, and the Sharingan thoroughly countered the Sea Kings that occasionally appeared.

Even a Three-Tomoe Sharingan was enough to intimidate the Sea Kings and make them flee in terror.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of things here."

Fugaku nodded. Right now, he was determined to restore the Uchiha's glory.

He was also surprised that Uchiha Tamaharu had managed to obtain the training methods for these two techniques. One was a forbidden technique created by the Second Hokage; Might Duy had later made a name for himself by kicking four of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist to death with it.

The other was a Ninjutsu created by the Fourth Hokage himself!

But both techniques would be very useful to the Uchiha right now.

"For this trip, Itachi, Yashiro, Inabi, Tekka, and Izumi, you're all coming with me."

Uchiha Tamaharu continued assigning people.

"I can go too. My injuries are only superficial. I'm fine to fight."

Hearing that his name hadn't been called, Shisui hurriedly spoke up.

But his injuries were actually severe. He wouldn't be able to fight properly for at least a month.

"Shisui, stay here and recover."

"We also need someone to protect everyone here. I've awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan now, so I can keep them safe!"

Itachi hurriedly spoke up.

He cared deeply about his best friend. Otherwise, he wouldn't have awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan immediately after hearing that Shisui had died.

Beside him, Uchiha Izumi stared at Shisui with a distant look.

She felt like this man really was a little more handsome than she was. Could that be why Itachi treated Shisui so well?

Izumi was a genius of the same generation as Itachi, second only to him. At thirteen, she'd awakened the Three-Tomoe Sharingan and reached Jonin strength.

"I betrayed the clan before. Now, all I want is to repay it as much as I can."

Shisui shook his head, then spoke with quiet determination.

Itachi noticed that all the optimism had vanished from Shisui's eyes. Put simply, he'd lost his light.

"If you think you're up to it, then come along."

"Our main goals this time are gathering information and obtaining supplies. It shouldn't be too dangerous."

"Yashiro, go arrange the teams. We'll leave tomorrow."

Uchiha Tamaharu nodded, then gave instructions to the Military Police Force squad leaders.

"Yes!"

Yashiro and the others immediately left the house to find the clan members outside, who were already eagerly waiting to sign up.

The entire island was bustling with activity all night.

They'd brought back quite a lot of supplies from Konoha. This time, they'd take their ninja tools with them, but leave all the food and other supplies behind.

As for water, they could use Water Release to condense moisture from the air, so they didn't need to bring any.

They'd have to make do with seafood for food.

A ninja's skills were very handy for surviving in the wilderness.

Early the next morning, the five ships were almost full of people.

Their shipbuilding skills weren't great. The boats were practically just planks of wood pieced together, but that didn't matter much. The ships were only meant to give them somewhere to rest.

Once they reached a town, they'd get new ships.

"Boom."

"The magnetic field in this world is strange, so compasses don't work. But the magnetic fields animals use to find their way are still reliable."

"For now, we'll use these Summoning Crows to mark locations. Later, we'll find a way to make a compass that works in this world."

Uchiha Tamaharu summoned a few crows and handed them to Shisui, Itachi, Yashiro, and the others.

Then, as the clan members on the island watched, the five ships pulled away from shore and sailed out to sea.