I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 279 and 280: Buddha's Feet, They're Really Buddha's Feet!

Why was I chosen?

"You bear the mark of the Temple of Fire, which means we are destined to meet."

Yuji Kambara suddenly woke up, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He opened his eyes and looked around the meditation room with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.

Buddha statues, wooden fish drums, and prayer cushions are all familiar decorations.

Was that just a fleeting dream, a case of what you think about during the day manifesting in your dreams at night, or was it an out-of-body experience?

However, the words of the unknown deity who gave Yuuji Kanbara as a final instruction still echoed in his ears.

The Temple of Fire is a sacred temple where the holy monks of the land and earth practice. The existence of that god or Buddha pointed this out, which made Yuuji Kanbara dare not be careless.

Moreover, He said that He left something at Senso-ji Temple that could protect all living beings.

Is it true?!

Recalling the direction pointed out by the unknown deity, Yuuji Kanbara's heart pounded. He forgot about his morning prayers and got up to leave the meditation room.

"Kamihara Koji, you haven't finished your morning homework yet."

The novice monk waiting at the door of the meditation room saw Yuji Kanbara hurriedly push the door open and politely reminded him.

The Metropolitan Police Department thoughtfully arranged for a novice monk to be stationed at Senso-ji Temple to take care of Yuji Kanbara's daily needs during his training there.

"Wait a minute, I need to confirm something."

"But the abbot gave the order..."

Before the novice could finish speaking, Yuji Kanbara impatiently interrupted, "I understand, I will not leave Senso-ji Temple."

The novice monk's expression changed slightly, and he quickly followed closely behind.

Perhaps because Yuji Kambara was a veteran who had worked in the Metropolitan Police Department for twenty years and had elderly parents and young children, the Metropolitan Police Department trusted him and did not restrict his personal freedom.

Yuji Kambara emerged from the Denbō-en, the courtyard where the monks lived, located to the west of the Treasure Gate.

Legend has it that in the 36th year of Empress Suiko's reign, which is 628 AD, two fishermen dredged up a golden Buddha statue in the Miyato River. As a result, the surrounding people raised funds to build a temple to enshrine it, which is the predecessor of Senso-ji Temple.

Today, Senso-ji Temple is one of the most famous ancient temples in Japan.

The main gate of Senso-ji Temple is called the Furajinmon Gate. On the approach to the main gate leading to the Hozomon Gate and the main hall, there is a shopping street called Nakamise.

From this angle, Yuji Kambara saw that Nakamise Shopping Street was packed with people, with worshippers shoulder to shoulder, so crowded that there was no place to stand.

"Are there really that many worshippers at Senso-ji Temple?" Yuji Kanbara exclaimed in surprise.

"Our temple has consistently had the highest number of worshippers in Japan!"

The novice monk, with a hint of arrogance on his face, hesitated for a moment before speaking:

"However, the number of worshippers these days is indeed comparable to that of New Year's Day and Obon. Perhaps it is because of the great disaster in Sapporo that people are coming to pray for personal safety and world peace."

"Amitabha."

Yuji Kambara lowered his head and silently recited a Buddhist chant.

During the days he was sent to Senso-ji Temple for training, except for one day when he was mysteriously taken away by a helicopter, he never stepped out of the temple gates again.

On that day, Yuji Kanbara himself didn't know where he was, and under layers of security, he touched an ancient stone bowl.

Yuji Kambara still remembers the expectant expressions on the faces of the other researchers in the lab at the time, as if they wanted to see if he and Ishihachi would have any strange reaction, but in the end nothing happened.

Although Yuji Kanbara's level of secrecy within the Metropolitan Police Department was insufficient for him to know the inside story, how could he possibly be completely unaware of such a major event as the Sapporo Superhuman Battle, which ignited global public opinion?

In times of social unrest and widespread anxiety, the number of people seeking solace in praying to gods and Buddhas naturally increases.

The thought of that unknown god or Buddha invigorated Yuji Kanbara.

If what He said is true, it would be a great thing for the country and its people in the chaotic world to come.

"Excuse me, could you move aside?"

There were simply too many worshippers. Yuji Kanbara and the novice monk struggled to go against the flow in the shopping street of Nakami City. If it weren't for the fact that they were wearing monks' robes and were treated with respect, they probably wouldn't have been able to move an inch.

Having finally arrived at the foot of the Wind and Thunder God Gate, Yuuji Kambara looked up and stared at the conspicuous 'Thunder Gate Lantern' directly below, his pupils dilating in surprise.

An unknown deity exists, and the direction pointed out in the dream is this place!

Just then, beneath the Wind and Thunder God Gate, the enormous Thunder Gate lantern, like a ripe fruit, began to tremble and sway from side to side.

"Watch out, everyone! It's going to fall!"

"Oh no, I'm going to die!"

Immediately, some pilgrims noticed the unusual change in the Thunder Gate lanterns and shouted out, causing an uproar.

If a heavy object weighing over a thousand pounds were to fall, it would definitely kill someone!

The crowd below the Wind and Thunder God Gate scattered in an instant. Some people accidentally fell to the ground, suffering head injuries and bleeding. The overcrowding almost caused a stampede.

After the crowd dispersed, a large group of people remained outside the danger zone, staring wide-eyed at the increasingly violently swaying Kaminarimon lantern.

Finally, under everyone's watchful eyes, the Thunder Gate lantern fell from the gate and landed lightly on the ground.

It made a barely audible "poof" sound.

"this!"

Looking at the perfectly intact Wind and Thunder Lantern, the novice monk touched his bald head and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The Wind and Thunder Lantern is a large lantern that Konosuke Matsushita, the founder of Panasonic, donated to Senso-ji Temple as a token of gratitude after recovering from his illness following a prayer. Weighing 670 kilograms, it's not made of paper; how could it make such a small sound if dropped on the ground?

Suddenly, from where the wind and thunder lantern fell, golden Buddhist light swept and spread like ripples.

One after another, golden lotus flowers bloomed from the floor.

Golden lotus springs from the ground!

Each lotus petal still held a few dewdrops, full of vitality, swaying in the breeze, and a delicate fragrance seemed to waft over.

The beautiful scenery, like a Buddhist paradise on earth, is fleeting and disappears in an instant.

Upon closer inspection, Yuji Kambara realized there was no golden lotus sea to be seen, only a large group of dumbfounded worshippers.

Is it a hallucination?

No, absolutely not!

"How did my scrape get better?"

A man who had fallen to the ground earlier, with a cut on his forehead bleeding profusely, released the wound he was covering and said in disbelief.

"Cough, my throat doesn't hurt anymore."

A sophisticated urban woman wearing a mask uttered a melodious, warbling voice, her eyes behind the mask brimming with surprise.

Her throat, which had been swollen and sore from a cold, miraculously healed without medication.

Most incredibly, an elderly man with a cast on his leg, sitting in a wheelchair and being pushed by his family to Senso-ji Temple to pray for his health, stood up shakily!

He knelt on the ground, tears streaming down his face, repeatedly kowtowing in the direction of the main hall.

"The Buddha has appeared!"

"Greatly compassionate and merciful, Holy Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva!"

"Amitabha!"

As if a chain reaction had been triggered, the pilgrims and believers who had witnessed the golden lotus emerging from the ground near the Fenglei God Gate all knelt down devoutly, chanting various Buddhist mantras.

A few hours later, Senso-ji Temple, which was originally bustling with tourists, was completely sealed off by the Metropolitan Police Department.

The once bustling Nakamise shopping street was now completely closed, and shop owners were asked to leave.

At the main gate of Senso-ji Temple, the fallen wind and thunder lanterns have been moved, and the surrounding area is riddled with holes, resembling a construction site.

"We found it!"

Five or six meters underground, a huge bluish-gray boulder was unearthed.

No, digging away the surrounding soil, the rock gradually revealed its true form: a foot.

The feet of the stone Buddha.

(End of this chapter)