I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 35 and 036: The Dispute Continues

"Could that red-eyed man, whose eyes turn red, be a monster in disguise?"

"To date, no monster has been found that can transform into a human. Monsters are mostly bizarre in shape, and even humanoid ones are rare. Humans cannot become monsters, and monsters cannot become humans. Current evidence is insufficient to overturn these two ironclad rules."

"Could their extraordinary abilities be like those of monsters, suddenly awakened?"

The officers of the Fourth and Fifth Investigation Divisions had their own wild ideas and speculations about the origins of the superhumans.

Regarding the origin of supernatural beings, there are three hypotheses within the Metropolitan Police Department. The ancient theory is that supernatural beings have existed since ancient times, hiding in the shadows for thousands of years, and were only discovered by humans after 2007. Of course, this hypothesis was quickly refuted.

Another theory is that it comes from another world or a parallel world, but this hypothesis has also faded in popularity.

The prevailing theory now is the awakening theory, because various pieces of evidence indicate that monsters and evil spirits were born in this country after 1990 (Heisei 19) for some unknown reason, and awakened supernatural abilities, which is a great change that has not been seen in two thousand years.

However, these two extraordinary humans were clearly born 19 years ago. The red-eyed man looked to be around 20, not to mention the monk named Jiriku, who, even though he looked a bit older and more mature, was at least 30 years old.

Even if these two people were ordinary humans who suddenly awakened superpowers, it's impossible for the Metropolitan Police Department's search to leave no trace of where they lived or what their names were.

Humans cannot appear out of thin air in this world. Every place leaves a trace. How could the monk and the red-eyed man appear out of thin air in modern society without leaving a trace?

"Quiet, quiet!"

The Superintendent of Police slammed his hand on the table to silence the clamor. He placed his hands firmly on the table and said sternly:

"You are all the elites of this country in dealing with paranormal events. You also know that paranormal existence has not existed since ancient times, but only appeared in Japan fifteen years ago. Two human supernatural beings, who had never been discovered before, suddenly appeared last week. The message behind this is more serious than ever before."

The Superintendent of Police's gaze was like that of a teacher looking for someone to answer a question; the officers whose eyes were swept over by him couldn't help but lower their heads slightly, not daring to look him in the eye.

"The expert team is creating two human superhuman models based on the existing data to assess their origins, purposes, abilities, and dangerous psychological states. But right now, the most important thing is to find them. What progress has been made by the Fourth Investigation Division and the Fifth Public Security Division after so many days?"

This is too difficult.

Both Chief Akagi and Chief Mori of the Fifth Section of the Public Security Bureau looked troubled. After obtaining the portraits of the first monk, Jiroku, and the second red-eyed man, they had been comparing them to the database, but so far there were no results.

They even issued an arrest warrant for the monk and solicited clues from the public, but they did not obtain any valuable leads.

These two extraordinary humans seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

With the increasing number of cameras and the nationwide coverage of big data, a citizen's birth, aging, illness, and death are all under the control of the state. Even illegal immigrants cannot leave no trace after setting foot on this island nation's land.

"Section Chief Mori, your Fifth Section of the Public Security Bureau was among the first to arrive at the scene, didn't you find any clues?"

Section Chief Mori, under the death stare of the Superintendent General, stood up with a stiff upper lip.

"The two survivors, a man and a woman, are currently under the protection of Section 5. Through questioning them and reviewing their interpersonal relationships, we have found no connection between them and the red-eyed man."

"We can only turn to the public and gather more clues. I suggest including this red-eyed man in the wanted list, along with that local man, and issue a nationwide warrant. Maybe we can find some clues," said Section Chief Mori, whose face was dark.

"Section Chief Mori, isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Uchiha Naruto suddenly asked.

"Uchiha, what do you mean by this? Do you even have the right to speak here?"

Section Chief Mori glared at him with hostility.

"Superintendent General, please allow me to speak."

Uchiha Senmon stood up and bowed to the Superintendent General of Police.

The head of the criminal investigation department whispered a few words to the superintendent general, who nodded slightly and said:

"So it's Inspector Uchiha. I've heard of you before. Please speak."

"The existence of supernatural beings is still strictly confidential and has not been made public. This red-eyed man has already appeared on a live stream before. Based on the popularity of the live stream at that time, more than 300,000 viewers watched him. If we add him to the wanted list now, what will those viewers who remember him think? It may not be conducive to the Metropolitan Police Department's confidentiality efforts."

Uchiha Senmon said loudly.

"Furthermore, I believe that gathering clues through bounties will likely be ineffective! Whether it's Jiraiya in his monk's robes or the red-eyed man in his red-cloud-patterned black robe, their physical characteristics are very conspicuous. If they intended to conceal their identities, they wouldn't dress like that. Clearly, they don't think our Metropolitan Police Department can catch them. Considering the two superhumans' bizarre disappearance from the scene at the end—a kind of instantaneous vanishing ability—will our wanted posters really be effective?"

Section Chief Mori said with displeasure:

"Uchiha, that's just your own opinion; it's not convincing at all!"

Uchiha Senmon looked directly at Section Chief Mori without fear, then bowed slightly and said:

"This is indeed an immature idea of ​​mine. I opposed putting monks on the wanted list before. The monks did not break the law and even helped us eliminate evil spirits, which shows that they have goodwill towards humanity. This tough stance may send the wrong message that we are hostile to superhumans, which is not conducive to our cooperation with them."

"That monk may have helped us this time, but who can guarantee he'll do good deeds next time? Everyone has witnessed his power—he can easily burn down a house. If someone with superhuman abilities like that were to cause trouble in a major city, how much damage would that cause to the country? We need to find these superhumans and bring them under control as soon as possible. That's the only way to be responsible for national security and the lives of our citizens!"

Section Chief Mori sneered, pointed at the Uchiha Sage Gate, and said without any politeness:

"The second human superhuman with red eyes brazenly attacked police officers and assaulted the Metropolitan Police Department's helicopter. There is ample reason to believe that superhumans are antisocial elements who are not in line with the rule of the authorities! We should take a tougher stance against such thugs so that they will cooperate obediently and turn themselves in. Even if they are to cooperate, it should be our public security department that takes the lead in commanding them."

Chief Mori, using harsh terms like "antisocial" and "thug," displayed an uncompromising and tough attitude, which is typical of the Fifth Division.

In his view, superhumans who break free from state control are destabilizing factors in society.

The blond foreign man sitting on the podium listening to the speeches looked at Section Chief Mori with a satisfied and appreciative expression.

Uchiha Senmon frowned, and addressed the Superintendent General in a calm voice:

"Director, judging from the data in recent years, the frequency of supernatural events is increasing every year. Although our Metropolitan Police Department still has the capacity to protect the safety of citizens, at this rate of increase, police resources will eventually be stretched thin. I believe we can unite all forces that can be united. We should try our best to convey goodwill and sincerity to newly emerging human supernatural beings and strive to cooperate with them."

"This is appeasement! Inspector Uchiha's thinking is far too naive! Are these superhumans really on our side? We can't even be completely sure if they're human at all."

Section Chief Mori retorted dismissively.

The superintendent of police, his temples streaked with gray, watched the two arguing fiercely, his brow furrowed. He coughed lightly.

"Enough, stop arguing. What kind of behavior is this? Inspector Uchiha and Section Chief Mori, you both have your own unique perspectives. You should each submit a report later."

The Superintendent General turned to look at Superintendent Akagi and said:

"Superintendent Akagi, and Officer Kanbara, the first person to come into contact with a superhuman, is in your Fourth Investigation Division. Let him stand up and speak."

"Officer Kanbara, you're the first person to come into contact with a human superhuman. What's your general impression of that monk named Jiraiya?"

Yuji Kambara stood up, sweating profusely. He swallowed hard and then stammered:

"Reporting to the Superintendent General, Master Di Lu is indeed a good person. After exorcising the evil spirits, he was afraid that the flames would harm the innocent, so he took the initiative to withdraw the flames."

"So, do you think our Metropolitan Police Department and this monk have reached a cooperative relationship?"

"I think... he should be able to. Master Dilu seems quite easy to talk to..."

There was a certain confidence in his words, even Yuji Kanbara himself didn't know.

The Superintendent General of Police closed his eyes, pondered for several seconds, and finally made his decision:

"Anyway, we haven't found any leads in the few days since the arrest warrant was issued, so let's withdraw it for now. Don't issue an arrest warrant for that red-eyed man either. Of course, the search for superhumans cannot be relaxed and must continue. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are closely monitoring this matter, and you must produce results as soon as possible."

"Director..."

Section Chief Mori looked somewhat displeased and turned to the blond, blue-eyed foreign man for help.

The blond foreign man who had been listening in shook his head at him, remaining silent.

Section Chief Mori gritted his teeth and said nothing more.

"The search of temples and shrines in Tokyo was temporarily suspended three years ago, but now it seems necessary to conduct a thorough review again. This task will be assigned to the Fourth Investigation Division..."

The meeting is still ongoing.

(End of this chapter)