I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 270 and 271: The Twelve Hours of Penglai

"Let me go!"

Yu Huo, whose waist was bound by octopus tentacles, struggled desperately. The bandages on his body began to loosen and slip off, revealing the scales hidden beneath them.

"Although it's probably close to the truth, let's test it with the Penglai Jade Branch first."

Yakushi Kabuto pushed up his round glasses on the bridge of his nose with his index finger, then with his left hand, his fingers together like a knife, he lightly sliced ​​across Yuuko's cheek, the tip of his finger slicing half an inch away.

"Ouch!" Yu Huo winced in pain, squinting one eye as a line of blood appeared on her cheek.

With his other hand, Kabuto reached behind him and pulled out a jade tree branch that looked like it was carved from rubies and agate. Then, he opened his left hand, and a few drops of bright red blood rolled down and dripped onto it.

The next moment, the jade branch of Penglai shone brightly, and the branches swayed rustlingly, looking very mystical.

"It really is mermaid blood! We've finally found it! This is Penglai Island, where mermaids live. It wasn't for nothing that I spent so many days at sea with the Penglai Jade Branch."

Yakushi Kabuto perked up and burst into laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Hirota Tulio looked at his companions, most of whom were stunned by the sudden scene and were lying on the ground trembling.

The octopus tentacles that writhed in the sea like the legendary Kraken were even thicker than the anaconda Hirota had ever seen. With just a gentle twist, they could probably crush a person's bones into pieces.

Fishfire, entangled by the octopus's tentacles, couldn't help but show a pained expression on its little face.

"Let go, girl, let go!"

The foreign white woman, emboldened by some unknown source, stepped forward and rattled off a string of gibberish in English to Yakushi Kabuto.

"Mr. Hirota, what is this foreign lady saying?"

Hirota Tulio had no choice but to translate, "I'll just have to bite the bullet and say this."

"She wants you to release Miss Yuhime, Dr. Kabuto. Miss Yuhime saved our lives... Doctor, why are you arresting her? Isn't there some misunderstanding?"

"I'm so sorry, I accidentally dragged you all into this. If I hadn't been on the passenger ship with the Penglai Jade Branch in my hand, you wouldn't have had the chance to see Penglai Island."

Kabuto glanced at Hirota Turi and the foreign woman, and said indifferently.

"I won't make things too difficult for this half-demon, oh, I mean Miss Yuhuo. I need her as a guide to lead me to find the elixir of immortality on Penglai Island."

After saying these words, the octopus tentacles wrapped around the fishing light and retreated into the sea, while Kabuto Yakushi also made a move to leave.

"This is illegal detention, kidnapping..."

Before the foreign woman could say more than a few words, Hirota Tulio covered her mouth and frantically winked at her.

As expected of an American woman, she has an excessive amount of saintly compassion and still can't grasp the situation.

Miss Yuhuo is their savior. If it is within his power, Hirota Tuio would not mind helping Miss Yuhuo. However, it is clear that Dr. Yakushi Kabuto had planned this all along, so it is best not to disobey him.

Furthermore, Hirota Turi also needs someone with inside knowledge like Kabuto Yakushi to help them leave the island.

"Dr. Kabuto, please wait a moment..."

Hirota Turi shouted anxiously, fearing that Yakushi Kabuto would leave like this.

Just then, a dazzling and sacred white light, like a shooting star, appeared in an instant from the center of Penglai Island.

It is a demon-slaying arrow that shimmers with a halo.

"boom--!"

The arrow pierced the sea without missing its mark, and a burst of spiritual light suddenly erupted in the water within a radius of tens of meters, almost blinding people.

When the light faded, the sea had returned to calm.

The giant octopus tentacles that had been dancing wildly, as well as Kabuto Yakushi, had all disappeared, leaving only the waves lapping against the beach.

"Is he dead?" Hirota Tulio couldn't help but widen his eyes.

Suddenly, a hand covered in blue scales emerged from the sea and grabbed a rock on the shore, followed by a purple-haired girl climbing out of the water.

"Miss Yuhuo, I'm so glad you're alright, uh?"

Under the moonlight, Yu Huo's face, arms, feet, and other areas that had previously been wrapped in bandages were covered with bluish-white fish scales!

It's not a skin disease or a wound, but fish scales.

Hirota Tulio and the others were taken aback, some even showing fear on their faces and taking a few steps back.

Is Miss Fisherman a human, or a monster or some kind of yokai?!

Seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, Yu Huo's expression darkened, and he subconsciously hid his fish-scaled arms behind his back, but the fish scales on his face and legs could not be concealed no matter what.

"Thank God! I'm so glad you're okay!"

The foreign woman hugged Yu Huo tightly, her face filled with tears.

Yu Huo's face was full of surprise and a little embarrassed, and he didn't break free from the foreign woman's embrace.

Good job!

Hirota Tulio couldn't help but give the foreign woman a thumbs up. The Virgin Mary was still somewhat useful at this moment. Completely disregarding the inhuman features of the fisherwoman, she stepped forward and gave her a big hug, breaking the awkward atmosphere of suspicion that had been there before.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Miss Fisherman, your appearance may be a little unusual, but it's nothing to worry about. Besides, you saved us; aren't you a kind and good person?"

After a brief moment of shock, Hirota Turi regained his composure and spoke sincerely.

He wasn't just putting on an act or deliberately trying to curry favor; it was quite genuine.

Although Miss Fisherman has fish scales on her body, she is not ugly; on the contrary, she has a somewhat eerie beauty.

For modern people with diverse sexual preferences, there must be someone who likes a nice woman.

Besides, modern people are very knowledgeable. Even the African catfish version of the Black Mermaid is very popular in Europe and America. To be honest, Miss Fisherman's Fire is nothing special.

"You are somewhat different from the people in the village," Yu Huo said with a complicated expression.

Hirota Tulio immediately understood the reason why the fishermen lived in seclusion.

In that village, even Black and White people were treated as monsters and were threatened with death. Naturally, a girl like Miss Fisher Fire, who had obvious inhuman characteristics, was also ostracized.

"Miss Fisherman, is this really Penglai Island?"

"Um."

Hirota Tulio and the others exchanged glances, their faces grim.

They had been trying to deny everything they saw on the island with various reasons, but the facts spoke for themselves. Whether it was the giant octopus tentacles that resembled those of the Kraken, the arrows that fell from the sky, or the fish-scaled Miss Yuhuo in front of them, all of these proved that they had set foot on a mysterious and unpredictable land.

"Miss Yuhuo, how can I...?"

"not good."

Yu Huo glanced at the thatched hut destroyed by the octopus's tentacles, then looked up at the night sky, his expression somewhat tense.

"It's getting late, you can't stay here. I'll take you to the village to spend the night."

"Miss Yuhuo, although the house is gone, the weather isn't too cold. We can just make do for one night. There's no need to go to all this trouble." Hirota Tulio felt a bit resistant when he thought of that somewhat strange village.

"That's not how it is. It's dangerous to be out in the wild on Penglai Island at night. Only the village is safe. I can't protect all of you," Yu Huo said earnestly.

"What danger? Is it a wild animal?" the long-haired woman asked blankly.

"They are demons. Many demons inhabit Penglai Island. You have already seen them."

Everyone was taken aback by his words. Hirota Turior frowned before tentatively asking:

"Miss Fisherman, are you talking about that giant octopus?"

"That wasn't a monster from the island; it must have been a monster controlled by that outsider."

Fishfire shook his head: "I'm talking about the 'sea monster' that capsized your ship."

"Well?"

Hirota Tulio looked at the young man.

The young man's expression changed. When the boat capsized, he had indeed vaguely seen a huge object made of seawater. He thought it was a wave, but he never expected it to be a monster called "Sea Demon".

Several people looked terrified.

To avoid any unforeseen complications, the group, guided by the fishing lights, hurried along the beach towards the village.

On the other side of the beach was a primeval forest. Under the cover of night, shadows flickered, as if something was hiding there, and rustling noises could be heard from time to time, with occasional howls like those of wild beasts coming from the forest.

Thinking of what Miss Fisherman had said about monsters inhabiting the island, they couldn't help but feel a chill run down their spines.

To bolster his courage, Hirota Turi laughed, easing the tense atmosphere.

"Haha! Miss Yuhuo, what was that arrow that fell from the sky earlier? It wiped out the octopus monster and... in one go. That was really amazing!"

The others perked up and started listening intently.

Indeed, that meteor-like arrow of light, which shone as brightly as day after it burst forth, and instantly calmed the sea, left an unforgettable impression on everyone.

"It is the priestess's exorcising arrow."

The fisherman's eyes shone with undisguised admiration as he exclaimed in an admiring tone:

"That octopus is a monster from the outside world. When it landed on the island, the priestess must have sensed it, which is why she shot the demon-slaying arrow from the sacred peak in the very center of Penglai Island."

"Miko-sama..."

Hirota Turio unconsciously chewed on the word. Although his ancestors had immigrated to Brazil more than a hundred years ago, there were shrines built in the Japanese settlements in Brazil, so he was no stranger to these priests with a strong Japanese style.

When she was in the village, the villagers and the old village chief spoke of the priestess with piety, which shows that her status on Penglai Island was obviously extraordinary.

"Is that priestess—no, that respected and sacred priestess—the most prominent figure on this Penglai Island?"

Unbeknownst to him, Hirota Turio also accepted Yu Huo's explanation and believed that this was Penglai Island.

"Isn't it said that immortals exist on Penglai Island?"

Hirota Tulio glanced at the young couple, who nodded repeatedly, indicating that they were not wrong.

"I don't know. I've been on the island for three hundred years and have never seen an immortal. It's always been the priestess who has been protecting us," Yu Huo replied.

"Three hundred years!?"

Hirota Tulio and the young couple were stunned, while the foreign woman who only had a rudimentary understanding of Japanese and the black Antonio were somewhat puzzled as to why they were reacting so strongly.

Unable to contain her curiosity, the foreign woman asked Hirota Tulio and the others what they were talking about.

Hirota Tulio gave a few perfunctory replies, then eagerly pressed on with his question:

"Miss Yuhuo, you said you're three hundred years old?"

Isn't that an old woman who has lived from the Edo period to the modern era?

Hirota Tulio stared at Yuhuo in disbelief. Looking at her slightly immature face and snow-white, smooth skin, she looked more like a high school student than someone so old.

"You humans can live to be two hundred years old, what's so surprising about that?"

Yu Huo asked in return, his expression showing a strange look.

Miss Yu Huo is indeed no ordinary person.

Hirota Tulio couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. He recalled the old village chief claiming to be over 230 years old, which he had initially thought was just the old village chief talking nonsense due to senile dementia.

It now seems that this was not a delusion.

In Miss Fisherman's understanding, the idea that humans can live past two hundred years old likely refers to the general situation of the island's villagers.

The villagers on the island can live to be two hundred years old. No wonder it is the legendary fairyland of Penglai.

The young couple secretly watched the fishing lights, their eyes burning with desire yet concealing their true feelings. They whispered among themselves, occasionally uttering words like "mermaid" and "Yabikuni".

"Miss Yuhuo, you may not know this, but for us modern people, or rather, people from outside the island, living to be a hundred years old is already considered extremely lucky," Hirota Tulio explained helplessly, spreading his palms.

"Why don't you consider staying on Penglai Island? If you live on the island, you might even live to be two hundred years old."

Yu Huo turned her head, tilted her head, and looked at him with a hint of expectation in her tone.

For a moment, Hirota Tulio was actually a little tempted.

But he quickly recovered. Although Penglai Island was picturesque and beautiful like a fairyland, it was, frankly, a desolate place without electricity, running water, or internet. It was fine for sightseeing, but how could he possibly accept living in such a place for the rest of his life?

Hirota Tulio was just a young man in his twenties, not an old man on his deathbed, and longevity was not something he craved.

Furthermore, there may be monsters or other dangers lurking on Penglai Island.

Hirota Tulio looked troubled, racking his brains to find a suitable reason to decline.

Seeing his expression, Yu Huo immediately understood. A trace of sadness flashed in her eyes as she said self-pityingly:

"That's true. You have family and friends outside; how can you stay on this island?"

"ha--"

Hirota Turiel scratched his head somewhat awkwardly.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way, and as they talked, they finally arrived at the entrance to the village.

There was a bonfire on each side of the village gate, and several militiamen were guarding it.

"Let's stop here. It wouldn't be good if the villagers saw me. This area is also within the barrier; monsters absolutely cannot get in."

Yu Huo glanced at them one last time before disappearing into the darkness.

"And if you're going to leave, you must go find the priestess as soon as possible. If you stay on Hourai Island for more than twelve hours, you can no longer leave."

(End of this chapter)