"As expected of Fugaku clan leader, no wonder I could sense that his eye power was no less than mine. So he has also awakened these eyes? In my opinion, the Fugaku clan leader does indeed shoulder the dual positions of clan leader and Konoha Military Police Force chief. However, I think that with such important positions, the Fugaku clan leader must need someone to assist him."
A faint smile appeared on Meikyō's face as he spoke to Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku's expression immediately improved, and he then scanned every member of his clan with his Mangekyō Sharingan.
The natural suppression of his eye power meant that no Uchiha dared to meet his gaze.
Except for Uchiha Meikyō.
The two powerful pupils seemed to have collided with each other.
"Magic Demonic Illusion: Shackling Stakes Technique!"
This move is a low-powered version of Tsukuyomi, capable of pulling the enemy into Genjutsu space and trapping them.
However, Fugaku's move naturally had no restraining effect on Meikyō, who also possessed the Mangekyō Sharingan and had even greater Mental Energy.
Apart from Uchiha Yu, who was the only one besides Meikyō and Fugaku who knew the truth, all the Uchiha who sensed the clash of Genjutsu between the two couldn't help but feel a chill in their hearts.
If the two Mangekyō Sharingan from the Uchiha clan were to fight, wouldn't that represent a split within the Uchiha Clan?
So, do they support Uchiha Fugaku, who is the clan leader, or Uchiha Yu, who has Uchiha Meikyō as an ally?
While these Uchiha were feeling uneasy, the atmosphere between Meikyō and Fugaku within the Genjutsu space was quite harmonious.
"Although I had guessed beforehand that that Uchiha Setsuna would cause trouble, I didn't expect it to be so effective! The Third Hokage and those higher-ups will definitely never guess the truth now!"
Recalling what Uchiha Setsuna had just said, Meikyō couldn't help but admire him.
That old bastard Deng was a godsend.
If it weren't for the prior coordination between Meikyō and Fugaku, there would likely have been a significant chance of a conflict breaking out today.
"Alright, Meikyō, let's continue as we discussed with Elder Hane. However, we should get rid of Uchiha Setsuna as soon as possible. Otherwise, keeping such an unstable guy around will keep neither of us at peace."
Uchiha Fugaku said to Meikyō, "I really dislike Uchiha Setsuna."
"Get rid of Uchiha Setsuna? Sure, but I have a better idea that will make his death worthwhile."
Meikyō closed his eyes and pondered for a moment, then quickly came up with a plan and told it to Uchiha Fugaku.
Uchiha Fugaku paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement, thinking that Meikyō was indeed worthy of being the grand-disciple of the Third Hokage, his heart as black as his own.
"Then, please, Clan Chief Fugaku, dispel the Genjutsu. If I forcefully break free, it will likely deplete our combined eye power, which would be a loss."
Meikyō for Uchiha Fugaku to proceed.
Upon hearing this, Uchiha Fugaku promptly dispelled the Genjutsu.
Who won their contest of eye power?
Uchiha Setsuna looked at Meikyō and Fugaku with suspicion and uncertainty.
He really wanted to get involved and find out the specific details, but he could sense that if he rashly intervened in the fight between the two with the power of his Three-Tomoe Sharingan, he would probably not have a good ending.
"Uchiha Meikyō is powerful and has made numerous meritorious contributions to the revitalization of the Uchiha's reputation. The clan head agrees to let Uchiha Meikyō become a member of the clan elders, and at the same time serve as the vice minister of the Konoha Military Police Force. The tenth squad will be established and put in Meikyō's charge, while also supervising the resource management department of the Konoha Military Police Force."
Uchiha Fugaku sat upright in front of the Uchiha Stone Tablet and slowly read out the decision that had been agreed upon beforehand.
To everyone else, this was the result of a compromise between Uchiha Fugaku and Uchiha Meikyō.
This relieved them.
From the current perspective, it was Uchiha Meikyō who successfully established his own faction within the Uchiha.
With Meikyō's formidable personal strength and considerable prestige, as well as Uchiha Yu's extensive network and influence within the clan, this faction will soon grow and expand, but not to the point of causing internal division within the clan.
In reality, the so-called Konoha Military Police Force Resource Management Office was actually a cover for the laboratory that Meikyō and Fugaku planned to use.
A month has passed since Meikyō became the deputy minister of the Konoha Military Police Force, and life has returned to normal.
All three students are quite capable, so there's no need to worry about their training. The laboratory is also still under construction, Meikyō doesn't have anything else to do right now, so he naturally focuses his energy back on cultivation and exploring the Pirate World.
In the Pirate World, Meikyō continues to follow his past plans.
Using the abundant energy from the food here and his Inner Breathing Technique to strengthen his physical body, he sets off from the Sabaody Archipelago, constantly challenging sword masters from all over the world under the Tsugikuni Yoriichi Wano Country," absorbing the essence of swordsmanship in this world.
However, Meikyō miscalculated one thing.
In the Pirate World, without a skilled navigator to lead you, you can easily be swept away by the strange weather.
For example, Meikyō stole his own ship from some unlucky pirate, but unfortunately, it drifted into the Calm Belt during a storm.
Meikyō could only choose one direction, using Chakra attached to the soles of her feet to walk on the sea surface, trying to leave the Calm Belt.
Fortunately, whether encountering troublesome Sea King or running out of Chakra, Meikyō can teleport himself back to the Naruto World, recover, and then return to the Pirate World to continue his journey.
Until he left the Calm Belt and found the first town.
This is a rather bustling town. At the town's entrance, there is a sign that is suspended high in the air above the street, which reads "Loguetown".
"The town of beginning and end, Loguetown... No wonder it's so prosperous."
Meikyō curiously looked around at the scenery and then stepped inside.
Loguetown is located at the entrance to the East Blue and the Grand Line, with convenient transportation and thriving commerce, so it's no surprise that it's so bustling.
"Is that where Pirate King Roger, was executed...?"
In front of the city hall, Meikyō glanced at the platform in the square and said with a slight sigh.
If you come to Loguetown, you can't say you've been there without paying homage to this legendary "historical site".
After watching Roger's Execution Platform, Meikyō patted his stomach and prepared to find a place to eat.
But before that, Meikyō needs to earn some Beli to make ends meet.
"Hey! Dad! That knife on that kid's waist looks really valuable!"
"It seems so. Could it be some kind of Famous Sword? That's worth a lot of money! It would definitely give us a lot of money to buy a ship that can enter the Grand Line!"
At the street corner, Meikyō suddenly realized that someone was actually planning to give her money.
"Hey, you redhead! Stop right there!"
The green-haired thug named Aye picked his nose with one hand and pointed at Meikyō with the other, speaking arrogantly.
"You are..."
Meikyō sized up the two thugs in front of him and casually pulled out a stack of bounty posters from behind him.
"The Sano Pirates' executive, Kiye, has a bounty of two million; executive, Dnosk, has a bounty of one million six hundred thousand; and your captain, Sano, has a bounty of ten million three hundred thousand. It's a bit low, but it should be enough for me to use for a while."
Even when traveling through the Pirate World, Meikyō still has certain expenses.
Especially given that his appetite is increasing and he is becoming more picky about what he eats.
While it's good to rob the rich to help the poor, we can't always do it.
If he encounters a pirate with a bounty on his head, Meikyō will also step in to capture him when he is short of money and take him to a nearby Marine Branch to exchange for the bounty.
"Damn it, they actually think our bounty is too low! We're one of the few pirate crews in the East Blue with a bounty of tens of millions..."
Kiye pulled out the Fire Pistol from his waist, but in just a moment, the Fire Pistol was reduced to pieces scattered on the ground.
Dnosk frantically drew his scimitar from his waist, only to have it instantly severed by a red shadow, leaving only the hilt in Dnosk's hand.
"Is this the strength of the pirates in the East Blue...? How disappointing. With your strength, this bounty is already inflated..."
Meikyō shook his head and sighed.
"We're sorry, it was our fault. We'll try our best to live up to the bounty!"
The two pirates knelt on the ground, tears welling up in their eyes.
Meikyō silently covered her forehead.
Why are there so many people in the Pirate World with abnormal thought processes?
He's even more abnormal than some people in the Naruto World.
Moreover, many of the people here have strange or unusual appearances, like misshapen gourds or cracked dates.
"Forget it, you probably won't have a chance to raise the bounty again."
Meikyō shook his head, banishing those meaningless thoughts from his mind, then activated his Sharingan and looked at the two pirates.
"Raise your heads and look me in the eyes... Very well, I'm asking you, where is your captain? Fine, you stay here until I capture your captain and send him to the Marine Branch in Loguetown."
After obediently revealing the location of their captain, the two pirates, hypnotized by the Genjutsu, followed Meikyō's instructions and went to the corner to reflect on their actions.
Less than two minutes later, a deafening roar came from the port of Loguetown.
When Colonel Yuchimura, then commander of the Loguetown Marine Branch base, heard that one of the biggest pirates in the East Blue had been captured by a red-haired bounty hunter, he dropped his cigar onto the table.
He was tall and burly, with a dark complexion and a head of brown curly hair tied into two small braids that hung down in front of his chest.
When Yuchimura reached the branch gate, he saw a red-haired swordsman holding a rope in one hand, with a group of unconscious pirates tied to the end of the rope.
"Are you Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the Pirate Hunter?"
Yuchimura arranged for several marines to handcuff the pirates and then looked at Uchiha Meikyō.
"Yes, I wonder if I can get the bounty now?"
"The total bounty of the Sano Pirates, including the captain and all the officers, is 23 million Beli. We will do our best to raise the funds and give them to Mr. Tsugikuni."
Meikyō frowned slightly.
"How long will it take exactly?"
"There aren't many big pirates in the East Blue, so we don't have many Beli stored here in Loguetown. It will probably take a few days to transfer funds from the nearest branch."
Yuchimura kept staring at Uchiha Meikyō, then remembered some information he had received some time ago.
"If I remember correctly, you've already captured several notorious pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million on the Grand Line. The documents from headquarters instructed us that if we encounter you, we must invite you to join the Marines. There, you, Yuan Yi, can better realize your ambitions and eliminate even more evil pirates..."
"I'm not really interested in killing pirates. I only do it when I'm short of money, or if I happen to see a pirate I don't like. I'm just an ordinary swordsman who wants to challenge all the great swordsmen on the sea out of interest."
Meikyō waved her hand in refusal.
"Yuan Yi, there are many skilled swordsmen in the Navy. For example, our Vice Admiral Gion is a famous Great Swordsman on the high seas, and she is also very beautiful. She will surely be able to meet your needs!"
Meikyō twitched the corner of her mouth.
What does it mean to meet my needs?
Why does this sound so easy to misunderstand?
"No need. I still yearn for a free life on this vast ocean. There are too many rules in the navy, which is not suitable for me. If I have the opportunity, I will definitely ask Gion for advice on swordsmanship."
Meikyō refused once again.
To be honest, joining the Navy would definitely be a good thing, because then you'd have access to all sorts of training methods.
But the problem is, his true identity is that of an "extremely evil person" who assassinated Celestial Dragon and has a bounty of over a billion. How could he possibly obediently deliver himself to their doorstep?
"Oh well."
Yuchimura said with a hint of disappointment.
If we could actually recruit this Pirate Hunter into the Navy, maybe we could get myself transferred back to headquarters.
There aren't many pirates in the East Blue who can fight, and if he stays here any longer, he'll get rusty.
"However, the invitation I just gave you was merely a request from headquarters, and I was simply following it. Please forgive me. Now, I would like to exchange sword techniques with Yuan Yi in my personal capacity."
Yuchimura looked at Meikyō with a sincere yet fierce expression on his large face.
For him, the East Blue Sea was truly boring.
This is the hometown of the Hero of the Marines Garp, and also the hometown of the Pirate King Roger.
Because of Roger's incident, the Navy had already thoroughly ravaged the entire East Blue, and the East Blue has never recovered since.
Moreover, every now and then, the Hero of the Marines Garp would take his Dog-Head Warship back to the East Blue for a vacation, and when he felt like it, he liked to punch a pirate to stretch his muscles.