I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 12 Arsonist

While feeling sorry for Uchiha Naruto, Tanaka Hikaru lamented that his archery instructor was such a wretched old man. According to him, if a beautiful female archer had been his instructor, his archery skills would have been unmatched throughout the country long ago.

Uchiha Naruto, of course, didn't believe his nonsense. He visited a few more clubs, but showed little interest, so he said goodbye to Tanaka Hikaru and went home.

For the next few days, Naruto Uchiha would briefly visit other club activities after school before going home to read or train.

On Friday, Uchiha Naruto declined the tennis club president's enthusiastic invitation to join the club and left the tennis club.

After several days of experimentation, Uchiha Naruto became certain that he could easily replicate the techniques of various sports competitions using his two-tomoe Sharingan.

The skills that others acquire through years of arduous training, enduring the coldest winters and hottest summers, can be obtained with a single glance from the Sharingan.

Even a complete novice like him, who previously knew absolutely nothing about tennis, could effortlessly execute difficult sidespin serves and super topspin serves.

An ordinary high school boy would be completely powerless against a technique directly copied from a Grand Slam champion.

Halfway through the tennis game, Naruto Uchiha felt a little embarrassed; it was just too much of a bullying.

With the power of the Sharingan and superhuman physical abilities at the Genin level, if Naruto Uchiha were to pursue a career in sports, winning various accolades would be a piece of cake, and earning billions of yen a year through endorsements and sponsorships would be no problem. He could easily reach the pinnacle of life.

If Tokyo is just an ordinary urban world, then pursuing a career as a sports star wouldn't be a bad choice.

However, in the shadows of this bustling and noisy city of Tokyo, monsters and evil spirits lurk. In such a hidden worldview, it is not very meaningful for me, as a transmigrator, to pursue worldly status and money.

Although society remained peaceful and prosperous, with everyone regarding monsters and evil spirits as mere urban legends and unfounded rumors, Uchiha Naruto still felt somewhat uneasy. Perhaps it was because he had been attacked by monsters and evil spirits in one day, leaving him with a persistent sense of insecurity.

Now, only his Sharingan and the system can give him a sense of security.

At this stage, what I need to do is continue to maintain my identity as Uchiha Naruto, a high school student, and quietly develop until the day I awaken the Mangekyou Sharingan.

Back at the Uchiha residence, it was as deserted and quiet as ever.

Uchiha Senmon hasn't returned since he left that day, and according to past practice, he might not return for ten days or half a month.

However, this is also good. The less contact there is, the lower the possibility of exposure. Even if the Uchiha Sage discovers that his son has changed after a few months, they will assume it is due to the influence of going to high school and changing to a new environment.

"Are we going out to eat again tonight?"

Naruto Uchiha casually picked up a Fukuzawa Yukichi photo that had been pressed down on the coffee table in the living room and thought about it in a nonchalant manner.

After his home economics class, he watched many cooking videos and mastered superb knife skills, but that was all. He had no interest in actually cooking.

After changing out of his school uniform and into casual clothes, Uchiha Naruto wandered aimlessly around the neighborhood after leaving his house.

He was wearing sunglasses he'd bought from a dollar store, and behind those sunglasses, a pair of Sharingan eyes had already opened.

The neon lights were dazzling, and the streets were teeming with pedestrians, each with an indifferent expression and hurried steps, like parallel lines that would never intersect.

As Uchiha Naruto walked, his Sharingan, visible behind his sunglasses, scanned the crowd.

These past few days, before going out for dinner, Uchiha Naruto would always wear sunglasses and stroll around for half an hour, secretly using his Sharingan to scrutinize passersby.

Much better than he had expected, he found no one harboring a monster.

Because of two supernatural events in one day, Naruto Uchiha began to wonder if Tokyo was a modern metropolis by day and a demonic realm where monsters roamed at night. But now it seemed that the probability of an ordinary person encountering something supernatural was extremely low.

"Alright, that concludes our routine patrol. Now it's time for lunch."

After turning off his Sharingan, Naruto Uchiha wondered where he should eat today.

These past few days, he's been eating at the cafeteria for lunch and at cheap chain fast food restaurants like Yoshinoya for dinner. The taste isn't really to his liking, but the portions are large and the prices are cheap, which is still a good deal for a big eater like him.

There happened to be an izakaya (Japanese pub) in front of them, so Naruto Uchiha lifted the curtain and went inside.

Looking around, it was an ordinary izakaya, packed with customers, with only one female server serving them.

There was also a patrol officer talking to the owner in the semi-open kitchen.

"Yes, if I see any suspicious persons, I will call the police station immediately."

After respectfully seeing the patrol officer out of the izakaya, the owner wiped his sweat with a towel and muttered a complaint, "What's going on this week? This is the third time someone has come to patrol. Has a murderer fled into Nakano Ward?"

Upon seeing Uchiha Naruto, the boss immediately put on a smile and warmly welcomed him.

"What would you like to eat, sir? Hitotsubashi! Hitotsubashi, are you dressed yet? Hurry up and come down to serve our guests."

Naruto Uchiha glanced at the price list posted on the wall and casually ordered a large portion of fried dumplings.

The food at these izakayas is just so-so. While there might be some pleasant surprises, most of the time it's probably not as good as a standardized chain family restaurant.

The owner then asked him if he wanted to add another 50 yen to upgrade to a gyoza set meal, which would come with rice and miso soup.

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Naruto decisively refused, his face showing disgust.

Dumplings with rice is a unique way of eating rice in Japan. The history of eating dumplings in Japan is not long; it only became popular after the war. After being introduced to Japan, the Japanese, who are used to rice as their staple food, naturally regarded fried dumplings as a side dish.

The Japanese firmly believe that only rice, bread, and noodles can be considered staple foods. Even among noodles, slight differences in shape render them only suitable as side dishes.

This is why they prefer pan-fried dumplings with a crispy exterior, where the meat juices burst out from the thin skin with every bite, and they cannot accept boiled dumplings.

While waiting for the food to be served, the television in the izakaya broadcast a wanted poster.

"A fire broke out in a residential house in the Shimonakano Ward area, but fortunately there were no casualties. Police have confirmed that it was arson and have issued an arrest warrant for the suspect. Anyone who sees suspicious persons is asked to report to the nearest police station. A reward of 200 million yen will be given to anyone who provides significant clues."

A monk's face with deep wrinkles between his brows appeared on the television screen.

"The arson suspect identifies himself as Jiraiya. Here are his high-resolution headshot and full-body image..."

(End of this chapter)