I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 284 and 285: Flowery words, almost indistinguishable from the truth, yet Yuzhi is no ordinary person.

Kai and Suruga, with Mount Fuji standing between them. The mountains are so high that clouds cannot pass over them, and even birds struggle to cross their peaks. Fire is extinguished by falling snow, and snow is melted by fire.

Located in southeastern Honshu, 80 kilometers from Tokyo, Mount Fuji straddles Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures. At its foot lies the Aokigahara Forest, while its summit soars into the clouds and is perpetually covered in snow.

Overlooking the Japanese archipelago, mountains and forests cover more than 70% of the land. The natural environment of layered mountains and winding rivers gave rise to mountain worship.

In ancient times, the Japanese believed that the souls of their ancestors would drift to the mountains after their death and become the guardian deities of their people—the clan gods.

When Buddhism spread eastward to Japan, it brought with it the concept of the six realms of reincarnation. The fusion of Buddhism and Shintoism with the local Shintoism led people to believe that the souls of the deceased had to overcome obstacles such as cliffs, bushes, and streams to reach the mountaintop, which was similar to the six realms of reincarnation that one encounters after death. Ultimately, the soul would attain Buddhahood at the mountaintop.

The mountaintop is considered the "other world," a sacred place where gods and Buddhas reside together.

As one of the three sacred mountains and the highest peak in Japan, Mount Fuji is naturally a symbol of Japan's "mountain worship".

Asama shrines are found all over the Mt. Fuji area, and Mt. Fuji itself is worshipped as a deity.

Amid the chain reaction triggered by the battle of superhumans in Sapporo, and as the whole of Japan was in turmoil and filled with anxiety, the number of visitors to Mount Fuji actually increased rather than decreased, with a large number of tourists climbing the mountain in search of psychological comfort.

Today, May 15th, is also a slightly special day.

It's not just a full moon, it's a supermoon.

The term "supermoon" was coined in 1979 by American astrologer Richard Noelle.

A supermoon is a phenomenon where the moon is near its perigee during a full moon. The moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical path, and the distance between the moon and the Earth is constantly changing. Therefore, the closer the moon is to the Earth during a full moon, the larger the full moon appears to people.

Although it's called a supermoon, that's a bit of an exaggeration. Unlike a lunar eclipse, which is a rare astronomical phenomenon that may not happen even once a year, a supermoon occurs 4 to 6 times a year.

For hikers preparing to climb Mount Fuji to enjoy the sunrise and sea of ​​clouds, being able to see the supermoon along the way is a nice bonus.

Fujiyoshida City is the central city of the Fuji Five Lakes region. With convenient transportation and well-developed tourist facilities, it is one of the main starting points for tourists visiting Mount Fuji.

As evening approached, Mount Fuji was gradually shrouded in darkness, yet tourists continued to flock to the area near Kawaguchiko Station.

But at this moment, the tourists' eyes were intentionally or unintentionally focused on a corner of the street, and their eyes unconsciously revealed a look of amazement.

She was a young priestess dressed in scarlet hakama and white robes, with cascading black hair and a delicate, flawless face. Although she wasn't the kind of breathtakingly beautiful woman, her ethereal and holy aura made her unforgettable at first sight.

Not only men, but women as well are drawn to the shrine maiden's aura.

In this country with hundreds of thousands of shrines of all sizes, shrine maidens are not a rare breed. Modern shrine maidens are no longer mediums for communicating with the gods; they can even be part-time jobs that are recruited from outside the community.

These tourists often visit the shrine during festivals and have seen many part-time shrine maidens, but none of them can wear the shrine maiden's clothes as appropriately as the shrine maiden in front of them.

Is she a shrine maiden from Asama Shrine?

Several people walked by seemingly nonchalantly, but couldn't help turning back to look.

Behind the shrine maiden, there was also a bow and a quiver with several arrows, which aroused even more curiosity.

The mysterious shrine maiden stood facing the direction of Mount Fuji for a while before slowly walking out of the city.

Not long after leaving Fujiyoshida City, a black sedan traveling on the asphalt road stopped abruptly after passing the shrine maiden.

"Miss Shrine Maiden, it's so late, where are you going? Would you like a ride?"

The car window was rolled down, revealing the face of a woman with short, tomboyish hair and a refreshing appearance.

"Need not."

The shrine maiden shook her head and spoke softly, her voice as clear and melodious as a mountain stream.

But the short-haired woman on the bus persisted, saying enthusiastically:

"Miss Shrine Maiden, judging from the direction you're heading, are you going to Lake Kawaguchi?"

The Fuji Five Lakes are five barrier lakes formed by volcanic eruptions around Mount Fuji. From west to east, they are Lake Motosu, Lake Shoji, Lake Saiko, Lake Kawaguchi, and Lake Yamanaka.

"Lake Kawaguchi is too late. Lake Motosu is the last one left."

"The shrine maiden said softly."

The short-haired woman was completely confused by what she heard. They were currently located west of Fujiyoshida City, with Lake Kawaguchi being the closest and Lake Motosu being the furthest.

Why are you saying that it's too late for Lake Kawaguchi recently?

"Miss Shrine Maiden, are you going to Lake Motosu? Why don't you get in my car? Otherwise, you won't make it by dark if you try to walk." The short-haired woman didn't seem to care too much and still spoke with concern.

"Miss Shrine Maiden, I'm not a bad person. I'm a teacher, though just a physical education student teacher."

Whether moved by the short-haired woman's words or simply impatient with her persistent questioning, the shrine maiden finally nodded slightly.

"Miss Shrine Maiden, are you a full-time or part-time shrine maiden? Judging from your age, you probably haven't gone to university yet."

After the shrine maiden sat in the passenger seat, the short-haired woman chattered incessantly, seemingly very familiar with the mysterious shrine maiden, appearing quite interested in her exceptional demeanor.

But the shrine maiden remained silent, only nodding occasionally, her expression calm and indifferent with a hint of aloofness.

"I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Namiraku Sakaki, and I'm a physical education teacher at a high school in Tokyo. May I ask how I should address you, Miss Shrine Maiden?"

The shrine maiden kept her eyes closed, tucked a stray strand of hair that had accidentally fallen from her hair behind her ear with her little finger, which was carved like alabaster jade, and parted her lips slightly:

"You may call me Hyuga."

"It's Hinata-san."

Sakaki Nami glanced at the Hyuga Shrine Maiden's snow-white skin and couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Although she was quite satisfied with her healthy wheat-colored skin, it must be said that Ms. Hinata's snow-white skin and her jet-black, flowing Hime-style hair were the epitome of the romance of the Yamato Nadeshiko.

However, Hinata-san's verbal tic is really strange. Things like "you" and "I" sound like old titles from a Taiga drama.

Also, I didn't notice when I drove by earlier, but the shrine maiden's eyes were closed the whole time after she got in the car.

She wasn't sleeping, and judging from how easily she walked before, it didn't seem like she had an eye problem.

Could it be...?

Is it chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?

Considering her age, it's not impossible.

She couldn't possibly be a real shrine maiden with spiritual powers.

Sakaki Nami thought to herself, almost as if possessed.

After experiencing the bizarre and supernatural phenomena of the Hama City Mermaid Festival, Nami Sakaki finally realized that the world was not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

My brother-in-law's job appears to be just that of an ordinary policeman, but he is actually a hero who silently protects the country behind the scenes.

Sakaki Nami's admiration for her brother-in-law grew even stronger.

For ordinary citizens who are unintentionally involved in supernatural events, the Metropolitan Police Department naturally has a set of procedures for handling them. In addition, since Sakaki Namiru's brother-in-law, Uchiha Senmon, is a key member of the Fourth Investigation Division, the Metropolitan Police Department did not make things too difficult for Sakaki Namiru in the end. She was able to get through smoothly after signing a strict confidentiality agreement.

"But Maika, she..."

Thinking of her best friend, Suzuki Maika, Sakaki Namiru's expression became complicated and worried.

Since that day, the two have had no contact. Sakaki Nami tried to find out from her brother-in-law, Uchiha Senmon, who told her not to worry and that Suzuki Maika's life was not in danger.

Namikazu Sakaki believed in the Uchiha Senmon.

Today, Nami Sakaki drove to the Mt. Fuji area because she couldn't suppress her feelings for her brother-in-law.

For some reason, she hadn't received a reply to her brother-in-law's calls for several days. Now that she knew her brother-in-law had a great responsibility, Sakaki Nami couldn't be petty anymore.

My brother-in-law is probably on some secret mission again.

Now that Sakaki Namiru knew the inside story, Uchiha Senmon no longer kept quiet as before, revealing in previous conversations that he was currently near Mount Fuji.

Sakaki Namiru drove around Mount Fuji on the weekend, just in case, hoping that she might run into her brother-in-law if fate allowed.

However, after a whole day, they didn't even see a trace of their brother-in-law, but instead encountered a beautiful and mysterious witch.

Although Sakaki Namiru was full of curiosity and interest in Hinata-san, Hinata-san remained silent, like a bottomless, icy pool, no matter how much she tried to engage her in conversation.

This made Sakaki Namiru somewhat lose interest.

Before she knew it, Namikazu Sakaki had already driven to Lake Motosu.

Lake Motosu is one of the Fuji Five Lakes that has not yet undergone large-scale tourism development, so its natural scenery is better preserved, serene and beautiful. However, at this time, the sun was setting and the woods were shrouded in shadow, which made it seem somewhat eerie.

"Miss Hinata, are you really going to get off here? It's almost evening, not the time to tour Lake Motosu."

Sakaki Nami looked up at the surrounding forest shrouded in night and said with concern.

I thought that Hinata's family or friends, or her shrine, might be near Lake Motosu, but I never expected that Hinata would ask me to stop in such a remote place.

"It's alright. Tonight, Mount Fuji is not a place to linger. You should leave quickly."

The Hyuga shrine maiden calmly gave Sakaki Namikaze some instructions before drifting away.

As Sakaki Nami watched the Hyuga shrine maiden's figure disappear into the night, she couldn't help but feel surprised and uncertain.

What could a girl be doing alone at Lake Motosu so late at night?

Is he planning to commit suicide?

Upon thinking of this, Nami Sakaki panicked a little.

She quickly turned off the engine and stopped the car. Sakaki Nami took an emergency flashlight from the glove compartment and hesitated whether to give chase.

Just then, several burly men in camouflage emerged from the woods and followed the beam of their flashlights.

Upon seeing Namikami, they immediately drew their pistols without a word, barking menacingly at her:

"What are you doing here! Hands up!"

Looking at the dark muzzle of the gun, Nami Sakaki felt a chill run down her spine.

It was a gun!

Could it be that she stumbled upon some shady crime scene and is about to be murdered to silence her?

"What happened? Why all the commotion?"

Suddenly, a somewhat familiar female voice reached Sakaki Namiru's ears, and she immediately showed an expression of disbelief.

"Investigator Grace, we've apprehended a suspicious woman."

Upon closer inspection, a blonde woman, also dressed in camouflage, emerged from behind the burly men in camouflage.

"Who do we have here? It's just Inspector Uchiha's country relative!"

After Grace saw Sakaki Nami's face clearly, a hint of surprise flashed in her blue eyes, and then she gave Sakaki Nami a wicked smile.

"It's you!"

Sakaki Namiru, who was still a bit timid, suddenly widened her eyes and stared at Grace through gritted teeth.

Sakaki Namiru still vividly remembers the foreigner who had mocked her in Obama City.

Not only that, this blonde, blue-eyed foreign woman actually dared to harbor lustful thoughts towards her brother-in-law. This is intolerable!

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I'm not called 'Hey,' nor am I called 'country relative'!"

Namikazu Sakaki retorted irritably, "Lake Motosu isn't some private property, so why can't I be here! And what are you doing here?"

Grace was there on a mission, of course, but there was absolutely no need for her to be honest with Nami Sakaki.

"Use your brain, which hasn't been used since it left the factory, and think about this properly. Is this something you can ask? My presence here is a state secret, of course. What is your identity? You're just an ordinary citizen!" Grace retorted sharply.

Grace waved her hand impatiently, as if shooing away a fly, trying to get rid of Namikazu Sakaki.

"I'll let you off this time for the sake of Inspector Uchiha! Now get lost!"

This infuriated Namikaze.

"call--"

Just then, a dazzling white streak of light shot diagonally from the ground into the sky.

"It's Lake Motosu! Let's go!"

Grace's pupils contracted, and she no longer cared about arguing with Namikazu Sakaki. She immediately led her men and rushed into the forest.

Without a second thought, Namikazu Sakaki followed.

On the shore of Lake Motosu, the Hyuga shrine maiden, dressed in a white top and red bottom, is drawing her bow and aiming at a small boat in the center of the lake.

On the ship was none other than Kabuto Yakushi, whom both Sakaki Namiru and Grace knew.

In the hands of Yakushi Kabuto, who was wearing a hooded robe, the Hourai Jade Branch shimmered with the crystalline brilliance of five-colored glass.

With a loosening of his grip, the Penglai Jade Branch sank into Lake Motosu.

「花な词にせのいくつは本物と见分けがつかないことがで"

The words are eloquent, almost indistinguishable from the truth, but alas, Yuzhi is no ordinary person.

"This is the last one. With this, the seal on Mount Fuji will be broken."

(End of this chapter)