I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 309 and 310: If I call your name, will you dare to answer?

Like a woman who has cried her heart out and then fallen into a deep sleep on her bed, Mount Fuji, which had been erupting violently, finally calmed down, and the volcanic ash that had enveloped the surrounding airspace gradually dissipated.

Several rows of small black dots appeared on the horizon, and the roar of engines echoed through the sky.

"boom--!"

The Japan Air Self-Defense Force's air combat formation, consisting of dozens of fighter jets and bombers carrying air-to-ground missiles and aerial bombs, finally arrived late, circling around Mount Fuji.

Behind the formation of aircraft, several US military fighter jets painted with the American flag flew alongside.

After the weather improved slightly, under pressure from higher authorities, the Air Self-Defense Force, no matter how unwilling, could no longer cower and had to bite the bullet and go into battle.

Fortunately, the invincible U.S. military aircraft were there to keep them in check, acting like a morale booster and maintaining the already low morale of the Air Self-Defense Force.

Although Mount Fuji has stopped its massive eruption, the entire mountain still shakes and trembles from time to time, as if thunder is rising from the ground and the sky is collapsing.

A group of enormous creatures—a wooden dragon, a giant rabbit, a tengu, and a toad—are ravaging Mount Fuji.

"Lead aircraft calling control tower: Should we launch an attack?"

"Please remain calm and await further instructions."

"clear!"

The lead pilot glanced down at the view of Mount Fuji below, shattered and unrecognizable by the aftershocks of the battle, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

He naturally knew that those above wanted to sit back and watch the tigers fight.

Wait until the monsters fighting each other are exhausted, then reap the benefits.

but……

"Boom!"

Amidst a terrifying, earth-shattering roar, the nearly 100-meter-tall Tengu giant swung down the hammer of the god of destruction!

The snow-white giant rabbit, directly hit by this attack, had most of its body torn to pieces.

This terrifying blow caused the land within a radius of hundreds of meters to collapse several meters in an instant. Not only were the mountains groaning in agony, but even the atmosphere was trembling with fear!

"Is there really any room for us humans to intervene in the war between these monsters?"

Kaguya's beast body, which had been shattered by Susanoo, reassembled like clay, but the recovery speed was now twice as slow as it had been initially.

The once arrogant and powerful Kaguya-hime, after being repeatedly beaten and left looking disheveled, now appeared somewhat weak inside despite her strong exterior.

Princess Kaguya bared her fangs and claws, her four legs stomping on the ground as she lunged at Susanoo.

Just then, the wooden dragon wrapped itself around the white giant rabbit's hind legs and dragged it backward.

Gamabunta seized the opportunity, drew his forty-meter-long sword, and slashed at Kaguya's rabbit head.

He was just a hair's breadth away from becoming Kaguya-hime's second.

Konohana Sakuya uses her Wood Dragon Technique for control, Tobi uses his Susanoo for main damage output, and Jiraiya and Gamabunta provide support. The three of them team up to fight Kaguya.

Although it was their first collaboration, they worked together surprisingly well, causing Kaguya a great deal of trouble.

Despite her desperate attempts to break through the encirclement, Princess Kaguya, who was at a disadvantage, was unable to escape.

If it weren't for her immortality and ability to regenerate her body, Princess Kaguya would have perished long ago.

"Gods, immortals, kaleidoscopes, you are all supposed to be respectable figures. Three against one, this is utterly despicable! Don't you have any self-respect as strong people?" Seeing the situation turning against her, Princess Kaguya began to fly into a rage of impotence.

"Tch, Princess Kaguya, are you begging for mercy? It's not too late to beg for mercy now."

Jiraiya casually picked at his ear and chuckled.

"After all, she is the legendary Princess Kaguya, whose beauty can light up the night sky. If you revert to human form and kneel down to beg for mercy from this immortal, I may take pity on you and let you go."

The oblivious Jiraiya started flirting with Kaguya.

"By the way, kneeling must be sincere. In the human realm now, you should expose your chest when kneeling. You can try it."

"Shameless scoundrel!"

Upon being teased in this way, Princess Kaguya's expression changed drastically, and she flew into a rage.

Standing atop Gamabunta's head, with Konohana Sakuyahime as the dominant body, and wielding the Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique, Senmon Uchiha was both amused and exasperated.

Even as the battle raged on, the Toad Sage couldn't stop teasing Princess Kaguya; he truly was a man of passion.

"Aaaaaah! Damn it! Since that's how it is, then you can all die!"

Gamabunta's greatsword and Susanoo's arm pierced into Kaguya's body, severely injuring her once again.

The snow-white giant rabbit's body swelled up rapidly, like a pufferfish that had sucked in water and become inflated. Its fluffy fur entangled Gamabunta and Susanoo, preventing them from escaping.

In an instant, Princess Kaguya swelled into a white sphere over a hundred meters tall, engulfing most of Gamabunta and Susanoo's bodies.

At her wit's end, Princess Kaguya finally used her last trump card.

"Oh no, it's a self-destruction!"

Jiraiya, who had been calm and composed, suddenly changed his expression, grabbed Uchiha Senmon, and leaped up, landing on the ground a hundred meters away.

"Escape is useless! In less than ten breaths, my self-destruction will have a radius of over three thousand feet, enough to wipe the entire Mount Fuji off the face of the earth."

Princess Kaguya's voice was like a shattered prophecy, heralding a melody of destruction.

"None of you will live! Hahahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Senmon's face turned pale.

Even if the extent and power of Princess Kaguya's self-destruction were exaggerated, even if it was only half of what she said, it would still be at least equivalent to tens of millions of tons of TNT. Under such terrifying power, there was absolutely no way to escape unscathed.

Is Princess Kaguya, driven to desperation, going to fight to the death and take everyone down with her?

No, Princess Kaguya possesses powerful immortality; even if she were blown to smithereens, she might be able to revive.

For monsters that are immortal, this self-destruct tactic is absolutely perfect.

Now it's them who are being driven to the brink by Princess Kaguya!

What should I do?

Uchiha Senmon was so anxious that his internal organs were burning and he was covered in sweat.

Just then, Uchiha Senmon noticed a confident, wicked smile suddenly appear on Jiraiya's face, and he felt a sense of relief.

With lightning speed, Jiraiya opened the lid of the large, earthen-yellow jar he had been carrying on his back.

"Princess Kaguya, you wicked old hag! If I call your name, would you dare answer?!"

Jiraiya shouted at Kaguya-hime.

"What? An old woman?!"

No matter what kind of woman she is, even a celestial maiden like Princess Kaguya who is immortal, she is extremely sensitive about her age.

"Even on your deathbed, you still dare to speak so arrogantly! I'd like to see if your toad ashes are as skeletal as your mouth..."

Princess Kaguya, enraged, immediately retorted, but before she could finish speaking, her words turned into a sharp scream.

"Oh oh ...

The giant sphere that Kaguya had transformed into was immediately sucked into the jar, and Jiraiya, quick as a flash, grabbed the lid and pressed it up.

"What kind of magical artifact is this?! It can actually seal my power! This is absolutely impossible!"

Princess Kaguya was still struggling desperately, resisting the terrifying suction of the jar.

"Princess Kaguya, your era is over! Go back inside!"

Jiraiya suddenly exerted his strength and forcefully pressed the lid down.

The tan-colored jar trembled a few times, then fell silent and remained still.

Seeing this, Jiraiya couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

This is!?

The Uchiha Immortal was greatly shocked, and a strong sense of déjà vu immediately arose in their minds.

If I call your name, will you dare to answer?

After responding to Jiraiya's provocation, Princess Kaguya was sucked into the jar.

Isn't this the power of the Purple Gold Red Gourd and Jade Bottle that were stolen by the Golden Horn and Silver Horn in Journey to the West, causing great suffering to the four pilgrims?

Unlike the Purple-Gold Red Gourd, which shone brightly in the original work, the Jade Purification Bottle is not described in much detail, but its abilities are exactly the same as those of the Purple-Gold Red Gourd.

Once a name is called, the response will be captured.

Uchiha Senmon couldn't help but take a few more glances.

Jiraiya carried a jar that was more than half his height, with an earthy yellow exterior and a thick, white rope tied around his neck.

It doesn't look like a purple-gold gourd at all.

Is that a jade bottle?

But the appearance is quite different; it looks more like a jar than a bottle.

"What kind of divine artifact is this? I've never heard of it before. It's incredible that it can seal Princess Kaguya."

Konohana Sakuya, who had been residing within the body of Uchiha Senmon, emerged and carefully examined the clean bottle, her emerald green eyes filled with curiosity and amazement.

"Lady Konohana Sakura, this is an amber vase."

Jiraiya chuckled, patting the amber bottle with a smug look on his face, and said...

"Fortunately, Princess Kaguya had not read 'Journey to the West.' With just a little provocation from this immortal, she fell for it easily. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to seal Princess Kaguya so smoothly."

"Journey to the West? Is it a book from China?"

Kikuhana Kaiya tilted her head, her pretty face full of confusion, as if she had never heard of it before.

Jiraiya's smug expression froze instantly.

Does Princess Konohana Kaiya not know "Journey to the West"?

Uchiha Senmon's eyes flashed, and after a moment of thought, he immediately understood the cause and effect.

The novel *Journey to the West* is a household name in modern Japan, but it was introduced to Japan in the early Edo period.

During the Edo period, the great scholar Hayashi Razan obtained the first edition of Journey to the West, the Momijiyama Bunko edition. However, this edition did not circulate in Japan, but instead became a special edition reserved for the Shogun.

Moreover, because "Journey to the West" is written in a semi-vernacular style rather than classical Chinese, Japanese scholars who used traditional methods of reading Chinese could only understand it superficially. As a result, "Journey to the West" became a textbook for a small group of Chinese language enthusiasts learning Chinese, and the circle was very small.

Many sinologists attempted to translate "Journey to the West" along the way, but most of them gave up halfway.

Until the late Edo period, in 1837, the "Illustrated Complete Journey to the West" was published, which roughly translated a total of 100 chapters, covering most of the stories in Journey to the West.

Only then did the influence of "Journey to the West" gradually spread in Japan.

The novel "Journey to the West" was officially introduced to Japan only five or six hundred years ago, and its popularity lasted for only two hundred years.

Princess Kaguya, who was sealed on Mount Fuji during the Heian period, and Princess Konohanasakuya, who was devoured by her, could not possibly have read "Journey to the West".

They also couldn't possibly know the abilities of the amber bottle, this celestial artifact.

That's why Jiraiya was able to exploit the situation, catch him off guard, and suck him into the amber bottle.

But how did this legendary magical artifact from the mainland end up in Jiraiya's hands?

Uchiha Senmon couldn't help but have several questions, but he knew that now was not the time to ask them.

"Ahem, Lady Konohana Sakuya, it's like this..."

Jiraiya coughed lightly, about to explain, when he heard a voice from the side.

"I can finally speak! I've been so pent up!"

A vortex appeared in the void, and A-Fei, wearing a black robe with red clouds and a mask, appeared before them.

"Jiraiya, you are truly despicable and shameless, taking advantage of the information gap to bully Kaguya, an ancient relic from a thousand years ago."

Tobi said to Jiraiya with a hint of amusement.

"If Princess Kaguya herself hasn't read Journey to the West, can she blame this immortal?" Jiraiya said dismissively.

"Jiraiya, don't get me wrong. I didn't mean to look down on you. After all, all's fair in war. Even though Kaguya's self-destruction won't kill me, it would be troublesome if she managed to escape while things were in disarray."

Having noticed the amber bottle Jiraiya was carrying, Tobi, who had been on guard, kept quiet for a while, but then started rambling on and on.

"Our brief cooperation is over, Jiraiya. Hand over the amber bottle that sealed Kaguya-hime, and I may spare your lives."

Tobi's voice was filled with an aggressive and oppressive tone as he reached out his hand to Jiraiya.

"What if this immortal says no?"

Jiraiya scratched his long, silver-gray hair and replied dismissively.

"Just because of the fragile, flickering beauty of Princess Konohana, and you, you lecherous sage? The Amber Vase is unusable now, or is the Purple-Gold Gourd also in the hands of Mount Myōboku?"

Afei said coldly, his body radiating an air of absolute confidence.

"I just hate trouble."

The air suddenly filled with a tense and solemn atmosphere, and as the two confronted each other, Uchiha Senmon's face turned pale.

"Kid, come with me!"

Suddenly, a gray toad appeared at Uchiha Senmon's feet, stuck out its tongue, wrapped it around his waist, and swallowed him whole as if by magic.

Then it hopped and skipped onto Jiraiya's hand.

"Jiraiya, are you trying to escape using a reverse summoning technique?"

Abi's Mangekyou Sharingan emitted a scarlet and dangerous aura as he sneered.

"Before my most powerful eye, which pierces through the three realms, the space-time Mangekyou Sharingan 'Kamui,' do you think you can escape with such trivial tricks?"

"It's not about running away. This immortal would never choose such a pathetic way to escape."

The toad swallowed Jiraiya and the amber bottle whole, then turned into smoke and disappeared.

"This immortal will await your arrival at Senso-ji Temple!"

(End of this chapter)