I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 317 and 318: The Siege of Senso-ji Temple

The resurrection of the dead has been regarded as one of the most incredible miracles throughout history and across cultures.

The resurrection of the Messiah on the third day after his crucifixion in monotheistic religions is often regarded as a miracle and is thus celebrated.

The fear of the unknown afterlife and the desire to escape death have fueled legends and anecdotes about the resurrection of the dead or the return of ghosts to the world.

The reappearance of the dead in the Senso-ji cemetery initially threw the Self-Defense Force members who rushed to their aid from all directions into disarray, causing their morale to waver.

The art of the dead soil, which uses ashes to create a clay-like puppet of the deceased, only resembles the deceased in appearance but retains none of their original memories or language abilities.

They're not even as good as the undead in zombie movies.

Those zombies, when hit by bullets, would burst out of juice and fluid, with organs and limbs flying everywhere, which would demoralize them.

The clay idol created by the deceased's soil magic was shattered, but it only turned into clods of earth scattered on the ground, and there was not much of a sense of unease about killing.

Neither flesh and blood nor clay figurines can withstand a spiked club with their skull.

It is utterly insignificant in the face of modern weaponry armed to the teeth.

No matter how hordes of corpses surged, they could not shake the defensive line set up by the Self-Defense Forces behind the church.

"Moo—!"

However, as the corpse puppets began to perform their magical combination and transformation tricks, a three-zhang-tall bull-headed and horse-faced demon appeared, and the situation instantly took a sharp turn for the worse.

"Concentrate fire! Quick, fire!"

"Machine gunner, give them a good beating!"

"Da da da da da!"

The armor-piercing bullets from the heavy machine gun could penetrate even thinner steel plates, but when they hit the bodies of the Ox-Head and Horse-Face demons, they were like mud oxen sinking into the sea. Although they left countless bullet holes, they could not stop the giant demons from advancing.

Rifle and submachine gun bullets with even less power couldn't even penetrate armor.

Like a high wall standing before everyone, the Ox-Head and Horse-Face warriors stubbornly advanced towards the defensive line amidst a hail of bullets.

"Die, you monster!"

A self-defense member, carrying a single-soldier rocket launcher, screamed at the top of his lungs.

The Panzerfaust-3 rocket launcher is a 110mm single-person anti-tank rocket imported from Germany, primarily used as an anti-tank support weapon for small gun squads in the ground forces.

Since armored vehicles and tanks cannot enter the area, they can only be stationed around Senso-ji Temple, which is currently the largest firepower available to the area.

"Boom!"

The rocket struck the bull-headed and horse-faced demons directly, and the huge fireball exploded in mid-air.

Iron Fist can blast even a fragile armored vehicle to pieces in one go, so even a monster from hell wouldn't be spared.

"Moo!"

As the smoke cleared, the heads of the ox-headed and horse-faced demons were blown to pieces, and stones and dust splattered all over the ground.

"Banzai! It's done!"

The self-defense team members on the scene couldn't help but raise their arms and shout, creating a thunderous cheer.

But their joy was short-lived. The headless, gigantic demon staggered forward, approaching the defensive line.

"No way, this is a real monster!"

"Even a rocket launcher couldn't kill us, we're doomed!"

Many people were so frightened that their livers and gallbladders trembled, and their faces turned ashen.

If it were in the impregnable fortifications outside Senso-ji Temple, tanks and heavy artillery might have been able to put up a fight, but no one could have predicted that the dead in the Senso-ji cemetery would launch such a devastating attack.

The hastily arranged defenses of the Asakusa Temple main hall were not very strong to begin with, and now they are even more precarious.

"Wood Release: Wood Splintering Technique!"

The situation was extremely urgent. Although they were not yet familiar with the divine power residing within Konohana Sakura, the Uchiha Senmon had no choice but to take action!

He stretched out his right hand toward the headless, gigantic demon, his index and middle fingers joined together, the wooden tip protruding from his fingertips.

Uchiha Senmon's gaze sharpened as he locked onto his target.

Then, launch!

The wooden spur, over three meters long, shot out and, in the blink of an eye, pierced straight through the giant demon's chest, stopping it in its tracks.

The Self-Defense Force members and the SAT tactical squad that came to reinforce them were stunned and all looked towards Uchiha Senmon.

The Metropolitan Police Department had such a trump card up its sleeve?!

"Inspector Uchiha, you—no, when did you acquire this power?"

The SAT squad, which belongs to the Metropolitan Police Department, had worked with Uchiha Senmon on several missions before, but they didn't know when their commander had suddenly become a superhuman.

The fact that the Uchiha Sage Sect received the favor of Konohana Sakuya is still a secret, known only to a small group of people in the upper echelons of Japan.

"It's nothing."

Uchiha Senmon narrowed his eyes, savoring the feeling of using the Wood Release: Wood Splinter Technique.

This technique can reach within fifty meters in an instant, faster than a pistol bullet.

"If I could use my Sharingan to capture it, I could guarantee a perfect shot even at a distance of 300 meters. It's just a pity that these eyes can't be exposed yet."

Uchiha Senmon stretched out his left hand and pressed it against his face, the depths of his dark eyes faintly reflecting a bloody light.

The Sharingan combined with Wood Release can unleash a power greater than the sum of its parts.

However, Uchiha Itachi and Tobi, who also possess the Sharingan, are considered the number one enemy by the Japanese government. If he were to reveal his connection to the two of them, the consequences would be unpredictable.

And it will inevitably involve his and Mikoto's child.

You must never open these Sharingan eyes in front of others.

The feeling of being restricted is unpleasant, but in order to realize one's tragic ambition, one can only endure it and climb up the ranks within the system.

"Moo..."

The enormous demon, pierced by the cutting technique, was still struggling in its death throes.

The body, sculpted from ashes and clay, is devoid of blood and flesh, and naturally has no fatal wounds; it was able to move freely even after being blown in the head by a rocket launcher.

Uchiha Senmon remained unfazed, and clasped his hands together to form a hand seal.

"Click click click—"

Sharp wooden thorns branched out from the inside, cruelly piercing the giant demon into eight pieces, with stones and sand rolling down.

The disturbance at the Senso-ji Temple cemetery has finally subsided.

Uchiha Senmon breathed a slight sigh of relief and nodded to his subordinates and self-defense team members who were filled with admiration and respect.

"There might be some other threat. Don't get too close. Stay behind the main building and wait for orders. I'll contact the director and see what to do next..."

Before the words were even finished, everyone present felt a chilling sensation.

It was as if the gates of hell had been opened, and in an instant the wind and clouds changed color, a cold wind howled, and a ghostly aura filled the air.

"This is!"

Uchiha Senmon immediately raised his head and looked towards the Wind and Thunder God Gate directly behind him.

From this angle, the Wind and Thunder God Gate is naturally invisible, but one can see countless eerie blue ghost flames suddenly shooting into the sky from that direction, drifting and shifting erratically.

"Uchiha! I know what's going on with you. Now listen to me."

Just then, the Superintendent General of Police's urgent voice came through the communicator on Uchiha Senmon's body.

"Lord Jiraiya's spell has reached a crucial stage. It has now connected with the underworld, and countless ghosts are taking this opportunity to return to the human world."

The thousands of shimmering will-o'-the-wisps of the Uchiha Sage Sect couldn't help but send chills down their spines.

"Lord Jiraiya said that these are incomplete souls that are not reincarnated and have no ability to possess living people. They will soon vanish in the human world."

The Superintendent of Police's voice sounded extremely solemn.

"However! These remnant souls can attach themselves to corpses or things with heavy yin energy, accumulating little by little to transform into ghosts in hell!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Senmon involuntarily looked towards the mess of dirt and debris scattered across the cemetery.

As he deduced, were these clay figures that crawled out of the graves indeed the product of vengeful spirits?

However, the number of clay figures they had destroyed earlier was only a few hundred, while there were still countless untouched graves in the cemetery.

So, the return of the mummy isn't over yet?!

Just then, like a swarm of migrating locusts blotting out the sky, hundreds upon hundreds of will-o'-the-wisps rushed from the main gate of Senso-ji Temple toward the cemetery behind it.

Some of the will-o'-the-wisps, in their panic, passed right through the self-defense team members who were stationed behind the main hall. They felt a bone-chilling cold, and goosebumps rose all over their bodies.

Countless will-o'-the-wisps hovered above the Senso-ji Temple cemetery.

One after another, the will-o'-the-wisps fell like raindrops, disappearing into the grave soil.

Immediately afterwards, the tombstone shook, and one after another, gnarled arms emerged from the ground, as the dead underground once again rallied into an army.

Looking around, the standing corpses were like a forest, a chilling sight.

Just how many are there?!

"Hey, little monk, how many dead people are buried at Senso-ji Temple?"

The high-ranking monks and abbots of Senso-ji Temple had long since scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only a few clueless young novices in the main hall for consultation.

"Amitabha, the number of worshippers at our temple has always been the highest in Japan, and the number of patrons is naturally countless."

Although the young novice was also quite frightened, he still spoke of the matter with a hint of pride.

"The temple's cemetery has always been in high demand. The abbot even expanded it before the Lunar New Year, and the number of tombstones is at least a thousand!"

Upon hearing this, the Self-Defense Force members present felt an urge to strangle the abbot of Senso-ji Temple.

How could these monks, who indulge in wine and meat, be so blinded by greed? Now look what's happened; the ashes placed in the expanded cemetery have all become a reserve force for the ghosts.

"Alright! Everyone, follow my orders and kill all these monstrosities now!"

Uchiha Senmon shouted, taking command of the defense line without hesitation and issuing orders.

A map of Senso-ji Temple flashed through his mind.

If the clay idols break through the defenses behind the main hall, they can proceed unimpeded along the streets leading to the main gate of Senso-ji Temple.

"The reinforcements sent by the Director will arrive soon. Until then, we must defend this place!"

"yes!"

"clear!"

Although this wave of zombies was several times more turbulent than before, the presence of the Uchiha Sage, who had previously displayed extraordinary abilities, greatly boosted their morale.

"Bang bang bang!"

"Da da da!"

In an instant, gunfire erupted from the temporary defensive line behind the church, and countless bullets rained down, shattering the clay idols possessed by ghosts into pieces.

But the clay figures immediately resorted to their old tricks, coalescing into enormous demons.

"Yaksha?"

The demon, over five meters tall, had a blue face and fangs, and its head resembled a camel's hump. It brandished its sharp claws and moved with extreme agility as it pounced forward to kill.

Even if a grenade explodes next to it, it cannot stop the monster's movements!

"Wood Release: Wood Splintering Technique!"

The long wooden stinger shot out, piercing through the Yaksha demon, and dozens of wooden stakes exploded from its body, obliterating it.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

Suddenly, the sound of wheels rolling over came from the sky.

A gigantic wheel, as large as a house, was wreathed in eerie flames, and in the center of it was a hideous ghost face, about to fly over the defensive line.

"Is this the Wheel of Fortune?"

Uchiha Senmon raised his hand, and many tree branches and wooden strips extended out, wrapping around and binding the Wheel of ...

With a heavy slam, the wheel shattered into pieces.

"Yaksha, Wheel Monk, and the previous Ox-Head and Horse-Face, are all legendary demons and monsters from hell. Is that nameless god or Buddha really the ruler of the underworld?" Uchiha Senmon pondered to himself.

"That's it, Commander Uchiha, wipe out all these monsters!"

"Invincible! The strongest!"

Upon witnessing the Uchiha Sage's display of power, the Self-Defense Force members present erupted in cheers.

But the cheers soon came to an abrupt end.

Among the army of clay figures that crawled out of the graves, another twenty or thirty enormous demons materialized and pressed menacingly towards the defensive line.

Everyone was horrified.

Even the Uchiha Immortal Sect members' expressions turned grim.

Ordinary clay idols are just cannon fodder that drain their bullets and energy, while these ghosts and gods are the real killing moves!

"Awoooooo!"

"Bang bang bang—!"

Under the fierce attack of the demons and gods, the Uchiha Sage Sect inevitably found itself overwhelmed.

The defensive line set up in this hall was suddenly exhausted and on the verge of collapse.

"Damn it!"

Uchiha Senmon believed that his Wood Release technique was no match for Konohana Sakuya-hime. Even if he exhausted all his spiritual power, he could not unleash powerful moves like Advent of the World of Trees and Wood Dragon Technique to wipe out the monsters.

If it were only a dozen or so, perhaps they could manage to hold on.

However, this number is already beyond the capabilities of the Uchiha Sage Sect.

The defense line could be breached in an instant!

"What's that noise underground? Could it be some kind of monster burrowing underground again?"

Uchiha Senmon's expression changed.

Just then, a burly minotaur, enduring a hail of bullets and artillery fire, charged to the front of the defensive line. Amid the soldiers' despairing gazes, he grabbed his fist, the size of a sandbag, and prepared to smash it down.

"Woof woof woof!"

Just at the critical moment, a small white beast burst out of the ground and bit the minotaur's throat.

After being choked by a small beast of completely disproportionate size, the Minotaur was as if it had encountered its natural enemy, instantly losing all power to fight back. The ghostly fire in its eye sockets went out, and it returned to dust.

The little animal proudly pricked up its airplane ears and curled its tail upwards.

It has a tiger's head, a single horn, dog's ears, a dragon's body, a lion's tail, and qilin's feet.

Upon closer inspection, this strange beast, resembling a white dog, embodies the characteristics of many beasts and combines the best features of various creatures into one, exuding a majestic aura.

"Woof, woof!"

(End of this chapter)