I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 215 and 216: The Akatsuki organization promotes the digitalization and technological advancement of the Metropolitan Police Department's offices.

"How is Mineko Yuuki doing now?"

In a conference room of the Metropolitan Police Department headquarters building in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, with his temples streaked with gray and his silver hair meticulously styled, sat in the head seat and asked his secretary a question.

"Beep beep beep—"

A few soft sounds rang out at an inopportune moment, causing the Superintendent General of Police to frown and look over.

In addition to the police officers present, there were several high-tech-looking security robots in a corner of the conference room.

These police robots are black and white, and at first glance they look like large vacuum cleaners. They are over 1.5 meters tall and equipped with 3D cameras and software recognition systems, which can identify whether the faces within their field of vision belong to registered police officers.

Once an unfamiliar face is detected, it can be quickly identified within one second, and an alarm will be triggered.

After being invaded by Itachi, a superhuman member of the Akatsuki organization, who looted all the paper documents in the Public Security Section 5 archives, the Metropolitan Police Department, having learned its lesson, decided to strengthen its defenses.

Following the advice of the expert panel, the Metropolitan Police Department began using electronic and technological methods to defend against the infiltration of supernatural beings.

Because Itachi possesses the extraordinary ability to manipulate the minds of ordinary people, there is no immediate countermeasure, and the only option is to strengthen the Metropolitan Police Department's electronic surveillance equipment.

With guards every three steps and sentries every five steps, the number of visible cameras in key departments such as the Fifth Division of Public Security and the Fourth Investigation Division is several times greater than before, not to mention the hidden cameras that are unknown to the public.

In addition, these police robots, which cost a huge sum of money to import from Silicon Valley in the United States, are also one of the achievements of the reform.

The police robot is also equipped with cameras, sensors, thermal imaging, and odor detectors. It is designed for full automation, patrols and guards 24 hours a day, and transmits the monitored data to the monitoring center in real time.

Although the mechanism of mind manipulation by superhumans is not yet fully understood, even if it can affect humans, superhumans cannot control electronic cameras and robots.

Superhumans aren't hackers.

If another superhuman infiltrates the Metropolitan Police Department, even if the officers are subdued, the police robots will immediately sound an alarm.

This is why the digitalization and electronic office processes of the Fourth Investigation Division and the Fifth Public Security Division were accelerated by twenty years.

For example, this meeting convened by the Superintendent General of Police implemented paperless office practices, with all officers using tablets instead of paper documents.

For a long time, the Japanese government's slow response and slow pace of modernization and digitalization have been disproportionate to its size as the world's third-largest economy.

Many government agencies are still using 3.5-inch floppy disks and fax machines, which has led to many embarrassing situations.

Two years ago, the Metropolitan Police Department lost two floppy disks containing the personal information of 38 people who applied for public housing in Meguro Ward, which immediately became a hot topic on Japanese social media.

Netizens found it hard to believe that floppy disks were still being used to store information in the Reiwa era!

Netizens initially thought this was already far-fetched enough, but unexpectedly, another huge bombshell broke the following year.

The government of Abu Town, Yamaguchi Prefecture, planned to provide a subsidy of 10 yen to each of 463 households facing financial difficulties. However, the money was directly given to an unemployed man named Sho Taguchi, who immediately squandered it all through online gambling.

The reason was that the office used floppy disks to exchange information with the bank, and made a mistake in compiling the forms, causing the bank to mistakenly believe that the first account was a collection account and transfer all the money there.

This floppy disk, so favored by the Japanese government, has a capacity of only 1.4MB and was developed by Sony CE.

It was popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but it was gradually phased out after entering the 21st century, and Sony stopped selling it in 2011.

But even Sony itself couldn't have imagined that ten years later, the Japanese government would still be so attached to it.

In fact, the Japanese government once promoted electronic and information-based office work, but it had to be abandoned halfway because the members of parliament were generally old, stubborn and conservative and unwilling to cooperate.

However, because the top-secret files of Public Security Division 5 were looted, the Metropolitan Police Department has begun to digitize all files and input them into computers in order to avoid leaks, and is also trying to make its offices paperless and electronic as much as possible.

The expert panel believes that although superhumans possess incredible magical abilities such as mind manipulation (Sharingan), instantaneous teleportation (Transparent Release, Shadow Clone Technique), and spatial manipulation (Summoning Scroll), it does not mean that they are superior to modern human society in every aspect.

The mystical side has an advantage over humans in some areas, but in terms of understanding modern technology, it certainly cannot compare to humans.

Do superhumans know how to use computers or mobile phones?

Do you know what digitization and electronicization mean?

The extraordinary are mysterious and ancient, but to some extent they are also rigid and ignorant, at the scientific level.

In stories, extraordinary individuals are often depicted as reclusive and withdrawn, such as magicians in dark castles, ascetics in deep forests, and solitary ascetics.

It's no wonder the expert panel had this stereotype.

The Metropolitan Police Department also found this quite reasonable. Sasori of the Red Sand claimed to be an old monster from the Heian period, isolated from the world for a thousand years. Under such circumstances, how much understanding of modern technology could he possibly have?

Like the wizards in Harry Potter.

To prevent paper documents from being leaked to superhumans, the Metropolitan Police Department has made a determined effort to implement electronic reforms, which are now showing initial results and putting it ahead of other government agencies.

"Mineko Yuki only suffered minor burns to her mouth and is unable to speak yet, but she is fine now," the secretary replied respectfully, looking at the tablet in her hand.

"That's good."

After Chief Yoyogi reported the matter, it was confirmed that Mineko Yuuki possessed extraordinary powers. This matter had reached the highest levels of government, and countless important figures were concerned about it.

In the modern era of the internet and household registration management, ordinary people have no privacy whatsoever. Mineko Yuuki's entire resume and information from childhood to adulthood were thoroughly investigated.

For the Metropolitan Police Department, the appearance of Mineko Yuki was an unexpected surprise.

Mineko Yuki is an intern at the Metropolitan Police Department's Police Academy. She's practically one of their own, with impeccable credentials and a clean record.

The Metropolitan Police Department has also sent specialists to inquire with Yuki Mineko's teachers and classmates, and their opinions of her are quite positive, and her performance during her police academy internship is also quite outstanding.

Compared to doctors and office workers, trainee police officers possess extraordinary abilities, making them more stable and controllable.

The data analysis team is creating a personalized psychological model for Mineko Yuki based on all the information available, in order to assess her risks and mental state.

If everything goes smoothly, Mineko Yuki will definitely be highly valued by the Metropolitan Police Department.

Not only Mineko Yuki, but also those extraordinary individuals from the mysterious world, and ordinary people like Dr. Satomi and Hideo Tosu who later gained extraordinary powers, were created as psychological models.

"I never imagined that Mineko Yuki and Inspector Uchiha had such a connection."

The obese Section Chief Akagi swiped the tablet with some difficulty; having used paper documents for so long, he was still getting used to it.

"When Mineko Yuuki was in elementary school, a random knife attack occurred on the street, resulting in the deaths of Mineko Yuuki's parents. She was rescued by Inspector Uchiha."

Section Chief Akagi looked at the information on the tablet computer, a smile of approval spreading across his fat face.

"During her interview, Mineko Yuki said that the reason she applied for a police position was because she wanted to help others, just like the police officer who saved her. She's a very good girl."

"Inspector Uchiha, is he currently handling the Tosu Hideo case in Shizuoka Prefecture?"

Uchiha Senmon advised General William to leave the Buddha's stone bowl and Dr. Satomi in Japan, which impressed the Superintendent General of Police, who nodded slightly in approval.

"Haven't we found the hero of the roost yet?"

"Chief, please give Inspector Uchiha some time. Inspector Uchiha will definitely give us a satisfactory answer." Section Chief Akagi stood up and bowed.

"Then I'll wait and see."

The Superintendent of Police then instructed his secretary to use a tablet computer to send the documents to the tablet computers of the officers on site.

"You can take a look at these documents, which contain all the details of the Myobokusan incident, as well as the analysis given by Professor Nagayama, an authority in the field of folklore."

The Superintendent General of Police, who was over sixty years old, only had a superficial understanding of how to operate a tablet computer. However, he had a secretary who acted as his assistant, so he only needed to give orders.

But the officers present had to rely on themselves. Several older Metropolitan Police Department officials looked troubled, not quite understanding how to operate the tablet. They poked around with their fingers randomly, and even licked their fingers and slid them across the screen like turning pages in a book.

Either the page is lost or the reading speed is too slow, so I simply pretend to make a few gestures on the screen, pretending to be reading.

"Orochimaru, Jiraiya the Toad Sage—it's truly unbelievable!"

"Are the characters in 'The Tale of Heroes and Heroes' really the prototypes for characters in a novel from two centuries ago?"

"Does Mount Myōboku contain a mysterious world that exists independently of reality...?"

…………

The police officers present scrolled through their screens, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"There were six other people who traveled to Mount Myōboku. Why didn't they gain supernatural powers?" someone wondered.

"In the file, Yuki Mineko said that the Toad Sage told her, 'You are the best among this group.' Others can also corroborate that Jiraiya had a high opinion of her, saying that she was a talent that was one in a hundred, perhaps due to her extraordinary talent."

The interrogation experts and psychologists at the Metropolitan Police Department are highly professional individuals with unique questioning techniques.

The problem is often hit the nail on the head and gets to the heart of the matter.

The Metropolitan Police Department's experts patiently guided the questioners, often unintentionally repeating previously asked questions during the interrogation process, and repeatedly comparing the answers of these individuals.

This not only allows us to test whether they are lying, but also to delve into the details and reconnect the things that these people had unintentionally forgotten or ignored.

Even if Mineko Yuki did not demonstrate any extraordinary abilities, the consistent and flawless testimonies of the six individuals largely ruled out the possibility of collusion and lying.

The Metropolitan Police Department obtained a large amount of information about the mysterious world in one go.

The mysterious world hidden behind historical myths has revealed just the tip of the iceberg!

"Orochimaru, with his signature black robes and red cloud pattern, is he also a member of the Akatsuki? What exactly is the purpose of this organization?"

The conversation then shifted to Orochimaru.

Orochimaru's appearance and demeanor, as well as his demand for several people as sacrifices upon his first appearance, demonstrate his wickedness and sinister nature.

Even in the work "Jirai-ya Gouketsu-tan", Orochimaru appears as the main villain.

Although it's unclear why the Akatsuki organization keeps appearing in reality, based on the Metropolitan Police Department's previous contacts with this organization, they must have grand ambitions and harbor malicious intentions.

Sasori of the Red Sand, Tobi, Itachi, and now Orochimaru has joined the fray.

This is just adding insult to injury!

They were all restless and plotting something sinister. Most importantly, they didn't know what kind of conspiracy the Akatsuki was plotting. This information asymmetry made even the Superintendent General of Police very anxious.

The upper limit of the Akatsuki's military strength has not yet made the Self-Defense Forces feel invincible, but what the government fears most is the superhuman's unpredictable teleportation ability.

With their current destructive power, they could easily decapitate the cabinet in a surprise attack.

For this reason, the Japanese Prime Minister's cabinet has now entered a state of war, rarely appearing in public, and the media no longer reports on the whereabouts of the Prime Minister and cabinet ministers in advance.

Even when the cabinet holds meetings, they are held via computer conference in various wards of Tokyo.

The fear was that the Akatsuki's superhumans would teleport to the scene and wipe out the entire cabinet.

However, there is no such thing as a thousand days of guarding against thieves, and this has already greatly delayed the normal operation of the cabinet, and even the parliament is hesitant about whether to postpone the start of the meeting.

"The situation is quite unfavorable for us. Even if we don't attack government organizations, the consequences would be unimaginable if the Akatsuki were to launch an attack in a major city. The Akatsuki, which is hostile to humanity, already has four superhumans, while we only have Master Jiraiya on our side."

"Jiraiya, the Toad Sage, fought Orochimaru for the sake of a few ordinary people and even escorted them back. He shouldn't be the type to treat mortals like dirt," an officer said, looking at the information in the electronic file word by word.

"In 'The Tale of Jiraiya the Hero,' he is a chivalrous protagonist and a positive character, and an enemy of Orochimaru. Although the report from Mount Myōboku indicates that the two seem to have come from the same school and are not as irreconcilable as depicted in the novel, Jiraiya is quite disdainful of the Akatsuki organization, so we should be able to win him over to our side."

"If we could secure it, there would indeed be great potential. It's just a pity that we can't find a passage to Mount Myōboku, so the Metropolitan Police Department has no chance to meet this toad sage..."

The Superintendent General of Police looked somewhat disappointed.

"Knock knock—"

The door was knocked open, and a police officer walked in carrying a large cardboard box.

"I sent someone to the nearby Kinokuniya Bookstore to buy some copies of 'Children of Raiyo's Tale of Heroes.' Every officer present should take a copy! Tomorrow, I want to see your reading notes!" the Superintendent General of Police said sternly.

"Huh—?"

The officers wore grim expressions, recalling the terror of being dominated by their Chinese language teacher.

(End of this chapter)