I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 316 & 317: The Art of Soil for the Dead

"Does Jiraiya-sama's practice of offering demons as sacrifices to the Buddha statue truly connect him with that deity?"

The Governor of Tokyo was filled with anxiety and trepidation.

An unnamed deity appeared in a dream to Yuji Kanbara, who was practicing Buddhism at Senso-ji Temple, claiming that if a monster was offered as a sacrifice to Him, the shed stone statue could protect the peace of the region.

The Japanese government is naturally wary of nameless deities and Buddhas of unknown origin.

Two days ago, Mount Fuji erupted in flames, and the Japanese government, in a desperate attempt to find a solution, considered offering sacrifices to an unknown deity. However, before this could be implemented, Princess Kaguya was sealed away.

"The stone Buddha beneath Senso-ji Temple is placed at a very crucial juncture. If it weren't for the stone Buddha suppressing the rifts, the spatial rifts would have already connected to form a fixed passage."

Jiraiya clasped his hands together, looking at the nameless stone Buddha at the bottom of the pit, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"According to the Great Toad Immortal, this was done intentionally by a powerful being who has ascended to the other shore. He sank his shed body from his previous life from the inner world to this place to suppress the present world."

It's like sinking a truck full of earthbags into a river to plug the breach before it bursts.

"The severing of the connection between heaven and earth is somewhat beyond my ability to handle alone. However, if I could obtain the assistance of this powerful being, the task would be much easier."

Jiraiya held out one hand, the flickering flames in his hand being the incense offered before the Buddha. With a gentle breath, the tiny specks disappeared into the broken stone Buddha's body.

The Buddha statue, originally made of simple and unadorned blue stone, suddenly became as lustrous as jade.

The Buddha's face, now incomplete with only one eye remaining, faintly radiates a Buddha's light, making it appear all the more compassionate and merciful.

"Gurgle."

Officials and self-defense personnel at the scene couldn't help but swallow hard after witnessing the miraculous power displayed by the Buddha statue.

Some devout Buddhists have already begun to silently recite Amitabha Buddha's name.

Multiple cameras set up on site were working methodically, recording everything from various angles; every frame was valuable data.

"what?"

Just then, Jiraiya frowned, his expression showing some surprise and uncertainty.

"What happened? Lord Jiraiya, is something wrong?"

The Governor of Tokyo quickly and cautiously asked.

"Unlike the Buddha statues that you mortals can see, this Dharma body actually exists between the inner world and the present world, which is why it appears incomplete. However, the spatial rift that it suppresses is connected to hell."

Jiraiya stroked his chin, a look of great interest on his face.

The Governor of Tokyo and the Superintendent General of Police, after a moment's thought, also showed some surprise.

According to the information provided by Jiraiya-sama, the Otherworld is a collective term for all alternate dimensions that are independent of the present world.

Just like religious worldviews such as the eighteen levels of hell and the nine heavens, the inner world is not unobstructed, but rather layered like the structure of a planet, with the crust, mantle, and core.

Hell is one of the deepest, most submerged places in the inner world, farthest from the present world.

"I need to use my magic to retrieve this body from the crevice. There might be some wandering ghosts taking this opportunity to escape through the gap. I'm currently too busy to deal with this, so I'll trouble you all to protect me," Jiraiya said casually.

The crowd exchanged bewildered glances, and after a long pause, the Governor of Tokyo finally mustered the courage to reply:

"Lord Jiraiya, what if we just say it...?"

"Don't worry, the current gap won't allow powerful ghosts to come out of the underworld. Your firearms should be able to handle it."

Jiraiya's eyes fell on Uchiha Senmon, who remained silent in the crowd.

"You, who inherited the divine power of Konohana Sakuya-hime, couldn't possibly be unable to do something so simple."

"Yes, Lord Jiraiya."

Even the Uchiha Sage Sect, which had always maintained a low profile, had no choice but to step forward and give a resounding reply.

"All of you, step back. This immortal will now begin the ritual!"

Jiraiya tossed his long silver hair, hopped around in his wooden clogs, and sang as he went. Then he stretched out a hand toward the giant stone Buddha lying at the bottom of the pit:

"The Toad Spirit Immortal of Mount Myōboku, the Toad Immortal himself has arrived! Respectfully requesting that you, my lord, assume your position! So be it!"

"disease!"

Jiraiya shouted loudly, pointing his right index and middle fingers together like a sword downwards.

The surging, powerful aura swept outwards like a fierce wind, making it almost impossible for everyone to open their eyes.

The next second, the ground trembled slightly, and the huge Buddha statue, which was more than 20 meters long and was lying at the bottom of the pit, sat up shakily.

"hiss!"

Some people couldn't help but gasp.

Jiraiya formed a hand seal, then closed his eyes and began chanting incantations.

Apart from the Uchiha Sage, everyone watched intently, as if some great change was about to occur at any moment.

The Uchiha Sage Sect members vigilantly surveyed their surroundings, wary of any potential dangers.

However, after the giant stone Buddha sat upright, a full minute passed, and no further signs appeared.

While Uchiha Senmon was still hesitating, he suddenly felt an inexplicable chill envelop his entire body.

"Achoo! It's so cold, why has the temperature dropped?"

"It's so cold! My breath turns to frost!"

June is approaching, and the hottest season of the year is just around the corner, but the temperature has mysteriously dropped by an unknown number of degrees.

The people at the scene were not dressed very warmly, and some of them had already turned pale and were shivering.

"Why do I feel all creepy? It's like something passed right through my body!?"

"I feel the same way, so scared my hands and feet go weak... What's going on?"

It's like being in a morgue with the air conditioning on full blast; it makes you feel cold and gives you a creepy, heart-pounding feeling.

"alert!"

Uchiha Senmon and the Superintendent General of Police exchanged a glance, and the latter immediately shouted loudly.

The piercing alarm immediately rang out in the positions and defenses surrounding Senso-ji Temple.

The armed forces deployed nearby sprang into action, like turning gears.

"Was it an attack? Was it an attack by the Akatsuki, or some other monster?"

The Tokyo governor's lips were pale, and his face was deathly pale, devoid of any color.

From the very beginning, Senso-ji Temple was an abyss of uncertainty.

In order to retrieve the amber bottle that sealed Kaguya and to thwart Jiraiya's plan of the Sekiji Tenshou, Tobi of the Akatsuki organization could launch a surprise attack at any time.

Normally, a person of his stature would not dare to venture into dangerous places.

However, because the Tokyo governor had made inappropriate remarks earlier, and a person of considerable influence was needed to take charge of the situation, he was sent here by his superiors to redeem himself.

"Don't be afraid. The troops and fortifications we've deployed around Senso-ji Temple won't be easy to break through."

The Superintendent General of Police glanced at the Governor of Tokyo and said calmly.

Unlike the cowardly Governor of Tokyo, the Superintendent General of Police volunteered to take on the task of commanding the scene.

The Superintendent General of Police felt it was his responsibility to witness the end of the extraordinary era.

Where exactly will the surprise attack begin?

Which uninvited guest has arrived this time?

"Bang bang bang!"

Just then, a burst of intense gunfire was heard from the northwest not far away.

"It wasn't a surprise attack from the outside, but rather it blossomed right in the heart of Senso-ji Temple?!"

The battle-hardened Uchiha Senmon looked up. To the northwest stood an ancient five-story pagoda, while the gunshots came from further behind.

The Superintendent General of Police suddenly grabbed the communicator that had just rang at his waist and roared:

"What exactly happened? Report it immediately!"

"Director! The dead have come back to life!"

The voice on the communicator trembled, clearly indicating that the person was quite frightened.

"The dead in the Senso-ji Temple cemetery have all crawled out of their graves and come back to life!"

"What?! You wait here, I'm on my way."

The Superintendent of Police's expression changed immediately, and he turned to run towards the scene.

However, he was held down by the Uchiha Sagemon.

"Director, the situation is unclear, and it would be too dangerous for you to go. We need you to stay here and oversee things. Let me take some men to check it out."

"Alright. I'm assigning you command of the emergency armed squad. Quickly lead your men to reinforce them and see what's going on!"

The Superintendent General glanced at Jiraiya, who was still casting spells, and then nodded emphatically to Senmon Uchiha.

Upon receiving the order, the Uchiha Senmon immediately led his men, rushing swiftly from the Wind and Thunder God Gate through the Nakamise shopping district, heading towards the back of Senso-ji Temple.

The Uchiha Senmon naturally knew the topography of Senso-ji Temple like the back of their hand.

Only one-fifth of Senso-ji Temple is open to worshippers; the vast majority of the area is closed to the public.

After passing the main hall, we arrived at the Jizo Hall, where the Senso-ji Temple cemetery is located.

In Japan, temples commonly operate underground real estate. Regardless of their beliefs during their lifetime, people are expected to be given a Buddhist name by a monk and buried in the temple's cemetery after death.

The temples thus made a fortune, which could even be considered their primary source of income.

As night deepened, the shadowy tombstones stood like human figures on the ground in the darkness, which was already eerie enough.

Now, however, an even more chilling and terrifying scene is unfolding at the Senso-ji Cemetery.

Arms, like a forest, emerged from the cemetery, then the soil cracked, and countless dead, covered in dust, returned to the world of the living.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Bang!"

Gunfire erupted as the self-defense forces stationed there engaged in a firefight with the zombies.

Even though they fought bravely and relentlessly, they couldn't withstand the terror of the steel bullets and were shot into pieces of dirt one after another.

Although its near-dead appearance is terrifying, it is actually weak inside and moves slower than a normal person, and has no other means of attack.

Even rifle bullets can easily create a hole the size of a large bowl; a single hit will completely render the victim unable to move.

Although the zombies surged in like a tide, they were successfully repelled and unable to advance.

"Da da da da da!"

Several heavy machine guns that had been set up began to fire wildly, the metal storm capable of tearing everything to shreds.

Dozens of walking corpses were swept away and torn to pieces, the fragments crashing heavily to the ground and turning into sand.

"We've won! Our attack was successful!"

"Quick! Kill these zombies!"

The morale of the Self-Defense Force members was immediately boosted.

For the Self-Defense Forces, such an opportunity to bully the weak and the extraordinary is practically unheard of.

A glorious victory, an unprecedented triumph!

"Not real corpses, but clay figurines resembling terracotta warriors? No, their faces are exactly like the dead!"

Uchiha Senmon frowned.

Although he hadn't activated his Sharingan, he could clearly see that the middle-aged male corpse puppet that had just crawled out of the grave had the same face as the black and white photo on the tombstone.

Of course, there are no flesh and blood corpses in the Senso-ji Cemetery; the burials are all cremated ashes.

This scene involuntarily reminded the Uchiha Immortal Sect of the Demon Doctor incident in the case file.

In pursuit of the ghost of Professor Kurokawa, who escaped from hell, the pursuers from hell possess corpses in the morgue, staging a terrifying corpse party in the hospital.

"Could it be that the inexplicable chill just now was a wandering ghost that escaped from hell? Did they fuse with the ashes to create the corpse puppet in front of us?" Uchiha Senmon's eyes flashed as he calmly analyzed the situation.

Earth Release: Ultimate Creation Technique - Soil of the Dead.

This technique is known as the ultimate resurrection technique of Earth Release. First, soil filled with the aura of corpses is prepared, and then the corpses in the soil are resurrected to become the puppets of the caster.

Japan practices cremation, and the ashes buried in the Senso-ji Temple cemetery are mainly cremated remains, which can naturally be used as materials for rituals.

The art of using soil to kill the dead, though similar to the Reincarnation technique, is actually worlds apart.

The resurrected corpses, besides having a very monotonous and easily predictable movement pattern, are also easily destroyed with a single blow because their bodies are made of earth.

The second drawback is that the number of corpses that have been in the soil is the same as the number of corpses that can be resurrected, and each resurrected corpse can only be resurrected once.

Although they don't have much combat power, as atmosphere-building characters, they are competent at creating tension and suspense before a crisis.

"Could the true name of the nameless deity really be Yama...?"

While pondering, Uchiha Senmon took out his communicator and reported the situation at the scene to the Superintendent General of Police.

If that's all there is to it, then there's absolutely no need for me to take action; the self-defense team members on site are more than enough to deal with these wandering ghosts.

Just then, a dozen or so clay figurines suddenly wriggled and gathered together.

"Moo—!!"

The severed limbs and fragments on the ground, shattered by gunfire, were absorbed into it, forming a gigantic ghost over three zhang tall.

The giant demon had a horse-like face with a pair of curved black horns on its head, a mouthful of fangs, and an incredibly robust body. Its body was covered with distorted clay sculptures of human faces and limbs, as if they had been haphazardly glued on with clay.

At first glance, it looks just like the legendary soul-reaping messengers of the underworld, Ox-Head and Horse-Face.

Uchiha Senmon's expression hardened, and he pointed with two fingers:

"Wood Release: Wood Splintering Technique!"

(End of this chapter)