I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 363 Chapter 364 Great Disaster

A masked man wearing the Akatsuki's signature black trench coat with red clouds swaggered toward the entrance of Shinsenso-ji Temple, instantly becoming like a street-sweeping tiger, causing pedestrians to retreat several steps as if avoiding a snake or scorpion.

Under the demonization propaganda of the Japanese government, the Akatsuki organization has become a notorious supernatural terrorist organization, the culprit of many upheavals, and the source of all evil that attempts to destroy the world.

The masked man seemed to enjoy the attention he was receiving, and even ostentatiously placed his hand on the mask to draw passersby's attention to the swirl in the mask.

His pupils were blood-red.

Naruto Uchiha's lips twitched, and his eyelids twitched.

"A fool who tries to attract attention."

Matsudaira Chiyo's gaze swept over the masked man, her eyes turning cold before she smiled with a look of anticipation.

Sure enough, less than half a minute later, three or five uniformed police officers rushed out of the gate of Shinsensoji Temple.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Don't move! Keep your hands above your head!"

Seeing several police officers cautiously approaching, the masked man clearly panicked and then turned and ran.

It would have been better if he hadn't run away. His attempt to run away immediately revealed his cowardice, and the police officers, who were already on high alert, became even bolder. They swarmed forward like wolves and tigers, pinning the masked man to the ground.

"Protest! This is an abuse of violence..."

Ignoring the masked man's protests, a police officer ripped off the man's swirling mask, revealing the face of a young man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like cheeks.

Then they forcibly pried open his right eye and removed a blood-red contact lens.

"Damn it! It's you bastards again!"

The police officer smashed the contact lenses on the ground, cursing and raising his fist to strike the young man's face.

He was immediately stopped by his colleague, who gestured for him to look at the passersby around them.

Someone had already taken out their phone to film, so the police officer could only reluctantly withdraw his fist and, along with several other officers, escort the disheveled young man away.

One police officer remained at the scene to educate the public about the law.

"According to the current Minor Offenses Law of Japan, wearing Akatsuki clothing in public places can result in a fine of up to 100 million yen, or even imprisonment for up to one year, depending on the severity of the offense! Please do not imitate this illegal and criminal behavior."

Among the crowd, people whispered and murmured among themselves.

"Is that an Akatsuki cosplay? It scared me half to death."

"Before the minor offenses law was amended, half of the people at Comiket were dressed in red with auspicious clouds and black clothes. But this is the first time I've ever seen someone with such a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) attitude who dares to come to Senso-ji Temple and cause a scene."

"What's so surprising? Just last week, I saw an old lady preaching at the entrance of Senso-ji Temple! She ended up being taken away by the police too."

"Hiss, is this because Yamashita Toru's sword isn't fast enough?"

"Isn't Yamashita Tetsuya currently inside the secret realm? Otherwise, how would these demons and monsters dare to show their faces?"

Following the press conference held at the Prime Minister's official residence, some overseas businesses had already sensed the business opportunities.

In less than a week, crudely made Akatsuki black robes with red cloud patterns, Tobi's vortex eye mask, and Uchiha's blood-red contact lenses had already crossed the ocean and were being sold online, and demand far exceeded supply.

Seeing the Akatsuki members spreading all over the country, the Japanese government almost had a heart attack, thinking that the country was about to be destroyed.

When the police, fully armed and armed, arrived and arrested a few people, they discovered it was just a group of teenagers doing cosplay. They were so angry they were practically ready to kill.

Japan may be a major country in cosplay culture, but can't you bunch of chuunibyou have a little sense of propriety? Is it really fun to cosplay as Akatsuki members to scare people?!

However, cosplay is not illegal at all, so in the end they had no choice but to release the person.

The situation escalated further, with some even forming a support group for the Akatsuki organization.

In this world, even death row inmates who are handsome have female fans writing letters to propose to them, so it's not surprising that they admire the Akatsuki organization. For many people, good and evil are irrelevant, as long as they are handsome and strong enough.

Especially for teenagers who are hopelessly delusional, the idea of ​​the Akatsuki destroying the world is incredibly cool. Just thinking about it makes their right hand almost burn, ready to unleash a Black Dragon Flame Wave.

Left with no other choice, the Japanese government had to take drastic measures, arresting the organizers of several support groups and sentencing them to several years in prison on some pretext, as a warning to others.

Subsequently, a special countermeasures law was promulgated, the Minor Offenses Law was amended, and a group of people were summoned for questioning, which finally stopped this improper trend.

"Ming, let's go inside."

After the commotion subsided, Matsudaira Chiyo, arm in arm with Uchiha Naruto, walked towards the main gate of Shinsenso-ji Temple.

A slight unease flickered in Naruto Uchiha's eyes.

He had known Matsudaira since high school and knew that this Matsudaira-senpai was a fun-loving person with sadistic tendencies.

Although three years later, Matsudaira Chiyo maintained the perfect young lady demeanor in front of Uchiha Naruto, she would occasionally reveal her true nature.

"I didn't expect the Wind and Thunder God Sect to have survived."

Naruto Uchiha looked up at the red-lacquered gate with its huge lanterns and the majestic statues of the wind and thunder gods, lost in thought.

The original Wind and Thunder God Gate has naturally been destroyed, but the newly built Senso-ji Temple has preserved it.

"After all, Senso-ji Temple is the most popular temple in Japan, and it holds memories for generations of Tokyo residents. This was taken into account when the new Senso-ji Temple was built, and some of the original elements were preserved."

As the mastermind behind wiping Senso-ji off the map, Naruto Uchiha was no stranger to Senso-ji. After passing through the Wind and Thunder God Gate, he looked around at the newly built main hall, pagoda, and other buildings and could indeed see the shadow of the original Senso-ji.

When Senso-ji Temple was newly built, it was modeled after the Chishan Zen Temple of the Tendai sect, which enshrines the Lord of Mount Tai.

The current style of Senso-ji Temple combines the strengths of both Akayama Zen-in and Senso-ji Temple.

Perhaps feeling that the original Nakamise shopping street was too commercialized and blasphemous, the number of shops was greatly reduced, and the shops that used to sell snacks, toys and other tourist souvenirs disappeared.

Therefore, with more worshippers than before, the interior of the new Senso-ji Temple actually appears more spacious.

"Please worship in an orderly manner. If you want incense, please come here..."

Amidst the bustling crowds of tourists, police officers in uniform and monks from Shinsenso-ji Temple could be seen everywhere maintaining order.

No wonder they responded to the call so quickly before.

The main hall of the new Senso-ji Temple is so magnificent and spectacular that it can only be described as a wonder.

Even Uchiha Naruto couldn't help but marvel.

Fortunately, it wasn't taxpayers' hard-earned money that was spent, but rather the funds from the Taishan Fujun Civil Committee, which was funded by various financial groups and powerful figures. Otherwise, Uchiha Naruto might have felt a little guilty.

In front of the main hall, there is a huge iron incense burner. A group of tourists are taking an incense stick from a shop next door, lighting it, and inserting it into the incense burner. They then circle around the incense burner, and some people are fanning their faces with the incense smoke, looking very pleased.

There is a custom in Japanese temples where it is said that if you smoke your head with incense smoke from a censer, you will become smarter.

After the enshrinement of Taisan Fujun at Shinsenso-ji Temple, the incense mist was further enhanced to promote health and longevity.

Uchiha Naruto didn't seem to care, but he and Matsudaira Chiyo were still somewhat surprised when they received a stick of incense from the monks in the shop without paying.

"Don't you have to pay? I remember at the old Senso-ji Temple, you had to pay 100 yen to get a stick of incense."

"Yes, the new Senso-ji Temple has waived not only the 100 yen fee for incense but also the 100 yen fee for fortune-telling. All expenses are covered by the community committee; all you need to do is bring your sincere devotion to Taisan Fukun," Matsudaira Chiyo replied with a smile.

Senso-ji Temple used to receive more than 3000 million visitors a year.

After the advent of the extraordinary era, the number of visitors to the new Senso-ji Temple has surged to over 5000 million.

The 200 yen fee for incense and fortune-telling is negligible, but it adds up to at least tens of billions of yen a year.

There are also two hundred shops in Nakamise Shopping Street, each of which makes a fortune every day, but they were all abandoned.

Tsk, they're willing to give up such a huge sum of money. The high-ranking officials and dignitaries in Japan's political and business circles are quite "devout" to the Lord of Mount Tai.

But trying to flatter the Lord of Mount Tai (me) is not so easy.

Uchiha Naruto chuckled.

However, seeing the Japanese government and dignitaries serving Lord Taisan with such utmost care, as if they were afraid of not being able to serve Him well, still gave Uchiha Naruto a secret sense of satisfaction.

The process of visiting the new Senso-ji Temple is largely the same as before.

After offering incense, Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo went to the water pavilion to wash their hands and rinse their mouths.

After washing your hands, you can go inside the temple to worship. Before worshiping, you should throw in coins, which is meant to awaken the gods and Buddhas.

Matsudaira Chiyo took out several 500-yen coins from her wallet and handed them to Uchiha Naruto.

In Japanese customs, the number five is considered auspicious. "Five yen" is a good number and has a lucky meaning, so people often throw in coins such as five yen, fifty yen, or five hundred yen when visiting temples.

Even if the civilian committee were willing to pay, the worshippers would be more willing to pay out of their own pockets for good luck.

Matsudaira Chiyo clasped her hands together twice, closed her eyes, and slightly moved her red lips as she silently made her wish.

Uchiha Naruto, however, showed no reverence whatsoever, nor could he possibly feel any respect, and instead looked with great interest at the statue of Lord Taisan in the main hall.

The inner hall is covered with tatami mats, the floor is painted, and the walls and doors are covered with gold leaf. The Lord of Mount Tai is placed in the central shrine of the inner hall, with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Yama King enshrined on the left and right sides of the shrine, respectively.

It symbolizes the trinity of the Lord of Mount Tai, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, and Yama.

The statue of the Lord of Mount Tai, enshrined in the inner hall, has a compassionate yet majestic expression, clearly the work of a master craftsman, perhaps even the hand of a sculptor.

The furnishings and decorations inside the hall are all exquisitely crafted, carrying various religious spiritual allusions, which naturally make the worshippers feel their own insignificance and their worship of gods and Buddhas.

"When it comes to playing tricks, the professionals are definitely better than me, a self-taught amateur."

Naruto Uchiha nodded slightly as he looked at the statue of Lord Taisan.

"Naruto, did you pray?" Matsudaira Chiyo asked, looking at Uchiha Naruto after finishing her prayer.

Isn't this just worshipping oneself?

Naruto Uchiha twitched the corner of his mouth and gave a perfunctory bow to the statue of Lord Taishan.

As Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo prepared to leave the main hall to draw lots, they suddenly heard a gasp from the crowd of worshippers behind them:

"The statue of the Lord of Mount Tai has cracked!"

Uchiha Naruto and Matsudaira Chiyo turned around simultaneously and looked closely. They saw that a crack had suddenly appeared on the face of the statue of the Lord of Mount Tai.

"The Lord of Mount Tai is enraged; this is a very bad omen!"

Some devout believers' expressions changed drastically, and they couldn't help but prostrate themselves on the ground.

"Quickly, go and invite Abbot Kanbara here!"

"Master Kambara? Is he the most mysterious of the Twelve Divine Generals, Master Kambara? Is he also at Senso-ji Temple now?!"

Whether it was the worshippers at the scene or the monks inside the Shinsenso-ji Temple, everyone was filled with anxiety and panic, like ants on a hot pan, and everything was in chaos.

Uchiha Naruto's expression was subtle.

He really didn't do anything wrong.

Who knew that the new Senso-ji Temple would be so easily disappointed? Uchiha Naruto only praised it a few times in his heart before he immediately started to mess things up.

Taking advantage of the chaos in the crowd, Uchiha Naruto grabbed Matsudaira Chiyo's hand and ran out, just in time to reach a place around the main hall where divination could be performed.

"Since we're already here, let's try drawing a lot," said Uchiha Naruto.

Naruto Uchiha shook the fortune box and pulled out a fortune stick marked "thirteen".

He opened the drawer corresponding to the number on the slip.

Naruto Uchiha considered himself to be quite lucky.

When they took out the divination slip, they were shocked to find it was a very bad omen!

Naruto Uchiha's face darkened; he was losing face.

Fortune slips from Japanese shrines and temples are usually categorized into major fortune, fortune, half fortune, minor fortune, minor fortune, minor bad fortune, and bad fortune. The vast majority are fortune slips of various types, and there are not even any major bad fortune slips.

The new Senso-ji Temple is really honest; it even has a very unlucky fortune slip, and coincidentally, Naruto Uchiha drew it.

"It's alright. Just fold the divination slip and hang it on the nearby wooden shelf, and the Lord of Mount Tai will ward off disaster and bring good fortune."

Matsudaira Chiyo offered a few words of comfort, then frowned again and said:

"However, today was indeed a bad day. When I get back, I will anonymously donate some money to rebuild the golden statue of the Lord of Mount Tai."

"There's no need. These things only work if you have the will; if you don't believe, they don't exist..."

Halfway through his sentence, Uchiha Naruto's phone suddenly rang. After listening to it for a while, Uchiha Naruto's expression became somewhat strange.

"The last distant relative of the Uchiha clan passed away this morning. Senmon asked me to return to my hometown in Shizuoka Prefecture to pay my respects, and he will arrive shortly there."

After hearing what Uchiha Naruto said, Matsudaira Chiyo's expression became increasingly uneasy.

Naruto Uchiha completely dismissed the so-called ominous sign. Taishan Fujun was just one of his aliases; how could he possibly curse himself? It was just a coincidence.

However, Naruto Uchiha could understand Chiyo Matsudaira's unease, after all, this was an era where gods were watching from above.

"It's time to take this opportunity to fill in the hole at Nanga Shrine."

Naruto Uchiha stroked his chin, pondering:

"The Sharingan of the Immortal Sect has evolved to the three-tomoe stage, so we can unlock the secret ninjutsu of the Uchiha clan and the secrets on the stone tablet for him."

(End of this chapter)