I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 297 & 298: The Dreamlike Moon City

At the foot of Mount Fuji, under the glow of the supermoon, the shores of Lake Motosu become even more serene.

The area around Lake Motosu has been sealed off and martial law has been imposed. Under the protection of armed Self-Defense Force members and U.S. troops, several divers are adjusting their equipment in preparation for diving to retrieve the Penglai Jade Branch that has sunk into the lake.

Someone glanced up unintentionally and saw a stunningly beautiful woman exuding charm, floating in mid-air, descending on the moon like a fairy from the moon.

"Who is that? A celestial maiden? She's so beautiful..."

"OMG, I can't breathe!"

A black soldier was choking himself, his face contorted with lust, while the group of self-defense soldiers around him were also completely mesmerized and infatuated.

Although people of different races, nationalities, and cultures may differ, Princess Kaguya's beauty, which could illuminate the night, still captivated everyone.

Upon receiving Grace's report that the Akatsuki had sunk five treasures into the Fuji Five Lakes and that strange signs had appeared on Mount Fuji, the operations room had a sudden inspiration: to retrieve the five treasures from the Fuji Five Lakes in order to break the barrier around Mount Fuji.

Even though the barrier around Mount Fuji had collapsed, the plan to salvage the five treasures did not stop.

After all, these are five rare treasures from "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter." Even without considering their role in the barrier of Mount Fuji, their extraordinary abilities alone are enough to make people flock to them.

The hundreds of people on the shores of Lake Motosu were instantly captivated by Princess Kaguya's beauty.

Having abandoned the Hyuga priestess, Uchiha Senmon, and their entourage from Mount Fuji, Princess Kaguya, who was speeding through the air like a shooting star over Lake Motosu, suddenly showed a look of pain on her face.

Princess Kaguya stretched out her palm and touched her forehead.

On her forehead, the pentagram-shaped Kikyo mark became clearer and reappeared once more.

"Aaaaah! Unforgivable! That despicable Abe no Seimei! If his seal hadn't lingered within me like a leech, how could I have been defeated by such a mere girl!"

With an extremely cold gaze, Princess Kaguya's sleeves fluttered, and her long, silvery-white hair danced in the air without wind. She clasped her hands together, and mysterious incantations emanated from her crimson lips.

"Huff, huff—"

Strange winds began to blow across the once calm surface of Lake Motosu, and waves began to surge.

Lake Motosu is the deepest of the Fuji Five Lakes. It never freezes and its water is crystal clear. However, the deeper you go, the deeper the water becomes, turning a dark blue-black color, giving it an air of mystery.

In the turbulent, stormy Lake Motosu, at its bottomless depths and in the pitch-black water, it seemed as if some enormous creature was lurking within.

"boom!"

A colossal shadowy silhouette emerged beneath Lake Motosu, and grew ever larger.

Immediately afterwards, the lake surface rose high like a wave crest, with turbid waves surging into the sky, and a magnificent palace emerged from the water!

"Waaaaah—!"

"What is this? A city!?"

Such a grand and awe-inspiring scene could not escape the notice of the operations room located in Hekouhu Town.

A near-Earth satellite positioned atop Mount Fuji captured a remarkably clear image of a magnificent palace, resembling a giant whale leaping from Lake Motosu.

This is a castle with a Japanese style, much like a castle tower, with winding corridors, high-reaching eaves, wooden corridors with red pillars, vermilion roofs and green tiles, making it exceptionally magnificent.

The palace is magnificent and imposing, yet it carries a mysterious and dreamlike atmosphere and a profound sense of history, like a moon castle sleeping in ancient times.

"Get the helicopter closer, point the camera, and take more pictures! This is valuable data!"

"Who is that woman on Lake Motosu? What are the soldiers doing, standing there like idiots? Get moving!"

"Where are the nearby troops? Hurry over there!"

Chaos erupted in the operations room as all sorts of orders were issued haphazardly.

"That's right, I haven't lost yet! I still have the Hyuga clan's territory, Moon Castle!"

Princess Kaguya's eyes flashed with a cold light as she turned to look at the summit of Mount Fuji, gritting her teeth as she said:

"As long as one is a descendant of the Hyuga clan, there is no way to resist this technique. Once you can activate 'Caged Bird', those Tenseigan will be mine!"

Just then, the soldiers on the lakeside, who had been captivated by Princess Kaguya's beauty, gradually came to their senses and were thrown into an uproar.

After receiving orders from the operations room, several officers stepped forward and shouted something at Princess Kaguya.

Princess Kaguya frowned, glanced down as if she were looking at a swarm of ants, and a cruel sneer appeared on her beautiful face as she reached out to press down.

But then a look of disgust appeared on his face, as if he was afraid of getting his hands dirty.

"Appear, my puppet soldiers! Unleash the divine punishment upon these ignorant mortals!"

From the vermilion pillars of the Moon City's long corridor, more than a dozen black figures flashed out, leaped down, and landed on the shore of Lake Motosu.

"Who are you?! Be on guard!"

These dozen or so soldiers in black were all dressed in the same style of black hooded coats and trench coats. Their faces and exposed skin were all tightly wrapped in white bandages, and their exposed eyes showed no trace of human emotion.

"Damn it! Fire! Fire now!"

"Stop! If you come any closer, we'll open fire!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Gunfire erupted on the shore of Lake Motosu. The Self-Defense Force members and U.S. troops on the shore did not hesitate to return fire at these clearly hostile soldiers in black.

Although the soldiers in black were unarmed, they charged forward fearlessly into the dark muzzles of guns.

"Crackling and popping!"

"Jingle bells!"

The bullets struck the black-clad soldiers as if they were hitting metal, producing a series of crisp sounds and sparks.

"What the hell are these things?! They're not living people!"

A black-clad soldier, subjected to concentrated fire, was hit by hundreds of bullets in a few seconds, his body exploding open. But what splattered was not blood and flesh, but unidentified parts and ceramic-like fragments.

"Is it a robot?!"

The U.S. military officer on the scene was shocked, his face filled with horror.

The bullet triggered the black-clad puppet's counterattack mechanism. The puppet opened its mouth, and a fist-sized green light bullet shot out, blasting the enemies in front of it into a chaotic mess.

"Support! We need support!"

"We can't hold on any longer, the enemy is too strong!"

The hundreds of armed troops deployed at Lake Motosu were quickly routed and forced into a rout.

"Hehehe, a bunch of ants."

Princess Kaguya's face revealed a sadistic sneer. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed, and she turned her head to look to the side, a look of surprise on her face.

"Humans a thousand years later have created quite a few interesting toys."

In mid-air, several armed helicopters whirred their rotors as they headed toward Lake Motosu, while nearby camps blared sirens and were brightly lit as off-road vehicles sped out.

"But ants are ants. How could these metal toys possibly harm a single hair on my head? They're not even worth my personal attention."

Princess Kaguya pointed her finger downwards, and hundreds of black puppets filed out from the gates of the Moon Castle, floating densely in the sky.

"Go forth, my puppet army, and slaughter all humanity on Mount Fuji!"

Just then, a blazing bolt of lightning shot down from the summit of Mount Fuji, and a brass bullet magnified in Princess Kaguya's pupils.

A torrent of white light instantly engulfed Princess Kaguya above Lake Motosu and the hundreds of puppets around her.

It was as if countless flares had risen into the sky, making the night as bright as day.

Within the area illuminated by the white light, the puppet army was completely annihilated and reduced to ashes, leaving not even a trace behind.

The Self-Defense Force members who were still fleeing in panic and the people who came to help were all dumbfounded and speechless with shock.

Suddenly, tiny white fragments floated in from all directions, gradually coalescing and eventually solidifying into a human shape.

Princess Kaguya's figure reappeared, but her face was even more pale and her aura was much weaker.

"The power to ward off evil! The power of the Tenseigan has actually reached this level! If I hadn't consumed the elixir of immortality, I would have already..."

Before Princess Kaguya could finish speaking, another white meteor, like divine punishment, struck, completely engulfing her once again.

"boom!"

Even though Princess Kaguya was immortal, she was still seriously injured after taking two attacks from the Tenseigan.

This time, Princess Kaguya's recovery was much slower, with only her head remaining and the body fragments below her neck still writhing.

"Once I release Abe no Seimei from his final Five Elements Seal, his Tenseigan will become mine!"

Princess Kaguya said angrily.

"Once we enter my Moon City, I'll give you all a good beating!"

But she dared not linger in the air any longer, so she flew downwards and entered the City of the Moon.

Then, the magnificent Moon City slowly sank into Lake Motosu and eventually disappeared.

Meanwhile, outside the 10th Göme-no-Kusushishi Shrine atop Mount Fuji, the Hyuga Shrine Maiden, dressed in a scarlet hakama and white robes, exuding a classical charm, put down the Browning M1911, which seemed completely out of place with her.

"How is it, Lady Shrine Maiden?"

Uchiha Senmon's eyes were filled with worry as he asked in a deep voice.

"I'm not used to this weapon, and it took me a while to get used to it. It wasn't until Princess Kaguya flew to Lake Motosu that I managed to hit her twice."

The Hyuga Shrine Maiden closed her strange purple eyes, raised the black pistol in her hand, and said calmly.

Although Uchiha Senmon remained outwardly calm, he was inwardly somewhat surprised.

This is the 10th station of Mount Fuji, which is over 3500 meters above sea level. Even if we only consider the straight-line distance, it is more than five kilometers away from Lake Motosu.

The Browning M1911's range couldn't possibly be that far; it must have been imbued with some magical, supernatural power by the priestess to possess such might. But then again, it's not that remarkable. The priestess can fire incredibly powerful anti-magic arrows with an ordinary bow and arrow; if she were to equip a pistol, its power wouldn't be much less.

"My lady, has Princess Kaguya run away?"

"Although she was severely injured by me, she still managed to summon the Moon City and hide inside it."

Hinata Shrine Maiden nodded slightly and said.

Uchiha Senmon's expression turned slightly grim.

"Moon City? The Hyuga clan's territory?"

Upon hearing this, Kabuto pushed up his glasses, a thoughtful expression appearing on his face.

Uchiha Senmon then remembered that Tobi and Kabuto from Akatsuki were still there, and their faces unconsciously revealed a look of vigilance as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Officer, don't make that face. Times have changed. From now on, we might be partners fighting side by side," Kabuto Yakushi said with a smile.

What does this mean?

Uchiha Senmon and Tori Hideo exchanged a glance, their faces showing simultaneous confusion.

"Haven't you noticed? The priestess, Tobi-sama, me, and the two of you have all been branded with Princess Kaguya's mark."

Kabuto raised his right hand, and a mark resembling a full moon appeared on the back of his right hand, shimmering with a faint purple light.

Uchiha Senmon quickly raised his right hand and saw that a mark with the same shape and pattern as Yakushi Kabuto had appeared on it, but the color was blue.

The back of the hero's hand is blue.

"Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth—I don't know if it's a coincidence or destiny, but the five of us happen to correspond to the five elements, just enough to unlock the last shackle of the five-element seal!"

Kabuto Yakushi sighed in a tone full of complex emotions:

"Abe no Seimei was truly meticulous, leaving no room for error. He could even innovate upon a simple Five Elements Seal, leaving behind so many hidden tricks. It would be very difficult to break through."

Looking at the blue mark on the back of his hand, Uchiha Senmon felt as if he had gotten himself into a terrible mess.

"Having been chosen by Princess Kaguya as the sacrifice to break the seal of the five elements, there's no escaping it even if we want to. We'll soon be summoned to her home turf, the Moon Castle."

The Hyuga priestess did not refute Kabuto's words, clearly indicating that what he said was true.

"Even if Princess Kaguya has consumed the elixir of immortality and gained an immortal body, the injuries inflicted on her by my demon-slaying power will not be healed in a year or two. Now is the perfect opportunity to seal her away." The Hyuga Shrine Maiden's voice was cold, yet it revealed a chilling intent.

However, the Uchiha Sage had no desire to be drawn into this chaos. He had finally managed to rescue Prince Akishino, and his purpose in coming to Mount Fuji had been achieved. There was absolutely no need to take such a great risk to seal Kaguya-hime.

"They're really asking for trouble, choosing me as the human pillar corresponding to the fire element, but I won't let Lady Kaguya lead me by the nose."

Afei raised his hand, and the red mark on the back of his hand looked like a blazing flame.

Immediately, space twisted and deformed like a vortex, and Afei vanished without a trace.

Less than a minute later, Ah Fei reappeared and threw a seemingly timid policewoman to the ground.

"Yuki?"

"It's Uchiha-senpai!"

(End of this chapter)