I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 368 and 369: Surrounded by Stars

"It's a helicopter from the Supernatural Police Department! Has Chief Uchiha arrived yet?!"

The wealthy and famous people of Shizuoka Prefecture poured out of their courtyards, craning their necks to look up at the sky like chickens and ducks waiting to be fed.

Under their eager gaze, the black helicopter circled once in the air.

Because the yard was surrounded by luxury cars, the helicopter could only fly to the outer perimeter to land, and three or five people got off.

Department Head Uchiha, dressed in a black suit with his black hair slicked back, walked steadily toward the courtyard gate with a calm expression, followed closely by several stern-looking members of the Super Police Department in black uniforms.

Seeing so many strangers who seemed out of place in the village gathered at the entrance, Uchiha Senmon frowned and glanced around.

Uchiha Senmon exuded an air of authority, especially his pair of black eyes, which were particularly peculiar, seemingly piercing straight into the heart, making people afraid to meet his gaze.

Although these high-ranking officials and nobles all wanted to curry favor with the Uchiha clan leader, who was hailed as the number one extraordinary being, they were uneasy in front of him, looking at each other without daring to utter a word.

"Alas, Minister Uchiha, please accept my condolences."

Among the crowd, the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture, who held the highest position, stepped forward first, accompanied by the chief of police of Shizuoka Prefecture, and said in a mournful voice.

"I hope Minister Uchiha won't blame us for coming uninvited, after all, we're all from the same village."

"Governor, you're too kind. Everyone is so considerate."

Uchiha Senmon and the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture had met several times at the National Diet Building.

Uchiha Senmon recognized him at first glance and politely shook hands with the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture.

"You must be the police chief of Shizuoka Prefecture. Thank you for your help."

Uchiha Senmon extended his hand to the police chief, who quickly bowed and grasped Uchiha's hands with both of his.

"I never expected that Captain Uchiha would still remember me. It's truly an honor!"

Although he had previously been secretly criticizing the Uchiha chief's son for being impolite, the police chief now had a big smile on his face, looking flattered.

In terms of position, the police chief of a prefecture is only half a rank lower than the Uchiha chief, but there are so many police chiefs in the 47 prefectures across the country, none of them have the same high position and power as the Uchiha chief.

Not to mention the Supernatural Police Department, which may be upgraded to the Supernatural Agency, at which point Minister Uchiha will be even more valuable.

The Supernatural Police Department has offices in all prefectures of Japan, and its personnel are mainly drawn from the corresponding local police headquarters. When supernatural events occur, local police forces are often called in to provide support. Therefore, the cooperation between the Supernatural Police Department and the local police headquarters is quite close.

Uchiha Senmon had also met the Shizuoka Prefecture Police Chief.

As for the other prominent figures and gentry of Shizuoka Prefecture, they were not so fortunate to be remembered by the Uchiha Sage.

Given their status, how could they possibly meet such an important figure as Minister Uchiha? The only opportunity they could have a few words with him was when Minister Uchiha returned to his hometown to attend his funeral.

Starting with the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture and the police chief, other wealthy and prominent figures from Shizuoka Prefecture eagerly began to introduce themselves.

"Ahem, thank you all for coming from afar, but it's getting late, so don't keep the bereaved family waiting." Uchiha Senmon said indifferently.

The Uchiha clan knew exactly what these people were up to.

Since his meteoric rise three years ago, he has seen far too many fawning smiles like this.

The Uchiha Sage had been chatting and laughing with heads of state in New York just the day before, so how could he possibly look at a bunch of sycophantic nouveau riche from Shizuoka Prefecture differently?

Considering they were there to attend their uncle's all-night celebration, the Uchiha Sage Clan had already given them a friendly welcome.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Minister Uchiha is absolutely right."

Many wealthy and powerful people didn't care about the Uchiha Sage's indifference; instead, they bowed and scraped and scurried to the side.

"Village chief, it's been a year! How are you doing?"

Uchiha Senmon took the spirit-inspired item from Ichimaru's assistant, presented it with both hands, and greeted the old village chief warmly as a junior.

The courtesy was even more thorough than when he treated the governor of Shizuoka Prefecture.

"Okay, okay!"

The old village chief was beaming, his wrinkles smoothing out, and he was filled with great satisfaction.

Amidst the envious gazes of other prominent figures in Shizuoka Prefecture, the old village chief seemed to be walking on cotton, or perhaps he was so drunk that he could barely walk steadily, and was being helped by Uchiha Senmon to the mourning hall.

The others were extremely envious.

He was just a village chief from a remote, impoverished area. In the eyes of these self-proclaimed big shots, celebrities and tycoons, he was not even worth a speck of dust. Yet, he was treated with such courtesy by Minister Uchiha.

Some quick-thinking individuals began to make plans.

It seems that Minister Uchiha is quite sentimental; perhaps we could try to win him over in this way.

"Brother-in-law!"

As soon as Uchiha Senmon entered the courtyard, Sakaki Nami greeted him with a smile.

She barely managed to suppress the flutter in her heart, maintaining her feminine composure, while a hint of eagerness lingered deep in her eyes.

"Nami Ryu, A-Ming. Hmm..."

Uchiha Senmon nodded slightly, his gaze lingering on Uchiha Naruto for a moment before landing on Matsudaira Chiyo. He scrutinized her from head to toe with a critical look, his expression calm and expressionless.

Matsudaira Chiyo, who had previously been so at ease among the dignitaries, was now so nervous that her breathing was becoming rapid, despite her still dignified and elegant demeanor.

"This is the woman I told you about, my girlfriend Chiyo. I brought her here so you could meet her," Uchiha Naruto introduced.

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Uchiha. I apologize for the intrusion and for causing you trouble."

Matsudaira Chiyo bowed ninety degrees, her posture very humble, and said repeatedly.

"Since she's Ah Ming's girlfriend, you can just call me Uncle."

Uchiha Senmon turned his head, gave Uchiha Naruto a deep look, and then nodded to Matsudaira Chiyo:

"Thank you for taking care of A-Ming. Let's continue to get along well in the future."

After saying that, Uchiha Senmon walked towards the bereaved family members below the mourning hall.

Naruto Uchiha was about to follow, but found Chiyo Matsudaira frozen in place.

He walked over, and Matsudaira Chiyo leaned limply against Uchiha Naruto's chest.

"I was so scared my legs went weak. My uncle's extraordinary aura was more intimidating than any other important person I've ever met."

Matsudaira Chiyo pursed her lips, looking somewhat anxious and uncertain.

"My uncle didn't seem very satisfied with me; he didn't say much..."

"The Immortal Clan has always had this kind of personality: cold on the outside but warm on the inside. They may seem unapproachable at first glance, but they are very thoughtful and passionate," Uchiha Naruto said dismissively.

Aren't you the same?

He acts like an ice-cold god in public, showing no interest in girls who throw themselves at him, but at night, once the door is closed, he becomes completely different.

Like father, like son!

"How can you call your uncle by his first name? It would be embarrassing if outsiders heard."

Matsudaira Chiyo's face flushed slightly, so she quickly changed the subject and said coquettishly.

"whispering sound."

Naruto Uchiha's expression was subtle; he didn't want to continue the topic.

In front of the mourning hall, after comforting the bereaved family, Uchiha Senmon walked to the coffin to pay his respects to his great-uncle's remains, his expression somewhat complicated.

Three years ago, after Itachi Uchiha told him about the Uchiha clan's secret history and the location of the Naka Shrine, the Uchiha Sage Sect secretly returned to the village several times in disguise to investigate, but unfortunately, they found nothing.

In such a small village, there isn't even a shrine; instead, there are villages that share a small shrine more than ten miles away.

As for his great-uncle, the only surviving elder of the Uchiha clan, the Uchiha Sage Sect subtly inquired about the history and origins of the Uchiha clan.

However, his uncle knew nothing about it, saying that the Uchiha family were farmers who made a living by farming and weaving fans, and that this had been the case for generations.

This stubborn old man is so sarcastic. Did the Uchiha clan try to claim a prestigious ancestor after achieving great success?

Even the oldest and most senior uncle has forgotten the glory of the Uchiha clan.

It seems that the secret of the Uchiha clan has been completely buried in the dust of history. The Uchiha Sage Sect has searched everywhere but to no avail, and can only bring this matter to a temporary halt.

However, upon his return this time, Uchiha Senmon had already awakened the three-tomoe Sharingan. Perhaps his eyes can now see through the fog that he couldn't see through before.

"It's getting late, let's start the all-night session now."

Once the Uchiha Sage Sect spoke, no one dared to object, and the scene fell silent.

The monks, who had been waiting for a long time, sat in front of the coffin and began chanting sutras.

"Om! Shuri Shuri, Maha Shuri, Shuri Shuri, Svaha..."

Accompanied by chanting, the dignitaries who came to participate in the all-night ceremony stepped forward in groups of six, bowed to the bereaved family members, burned incense, and bowed again.

Then put the incense ash into the small jar in front of the mourning hall.

The adopted daughter and son-in-law of the great-uncle were from a humble family and had never seen such a grand occasion before. Therefore, the Uchiha clan naturally took the lead as the representatives of the deceased's family and accepted the bows of these people.

"We humbly beseech the Lord of Mount Tai to revive Bo Ya and guide him to the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss..."

After the monk finished reciting the scriptures of his sect, he began chanting the sacrificial text for the Lord of Mount Tai.

The society underwent subtle changes after the advent of the extraordinary era.

During the Asakusa Incident, Taisan Fujun displayed unparalleled divine power and was revered by the Japanese government as the national deity. They even went so far as to disobey the order to remove Kannon from Senso-ji Temple and replace her with Taisan Fujun.

Temples and shrines dedicated to Taizan Fujun (the Lord of Mount Tai) sprang up all over Japan, and the worship of Taizan Fujun became popular.

Japanese people's beliefs are not strictly exclusive, and many people can even be called abelievers.

Japanese people can pray for blessings at a shrine, then immediately go to a temple to draw a fortune slip, attend a friend's wedding at a church, and then light incense at the shrine of their deceased relatives after returning home.

Strictly speaking, practices such as chanting sutras for the deceased and setting up Buddhist shrines are not religious rituals, but rather customs that have gradually become traditional and secularized over a long historical evolution.

After all, even Japanese people of other religious beliefs are given a Buddhist name by a monk after death and buried in the temple cemetery.

The belief in the Lord of Mount Tai cannot eradicate other Buddhist and Shinto beliefs.

Other Buddhist and Shinto religions also followed suit. Although they couldn't be as shameless as the Japanese government in removing their own gods and replacing them with the Taishan Fujun, it was still a piece of cake for them to establish connections.

Lord Taishan is both a guardian deity of the Tiantai school and an ancestral deity of the Yin-Yang school, and is worshipped by both Buddhism and Taoism.

Therefore, nowadays, in mainstream Buddhist funeral rites, it is essential to chant the eulogy of the Lord of Mount Tai, praying that the Lord of Mount Tai will bless the deceased so that they may be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss as soon as possible.

After all the guests had finished their prayers, it was already 10 p.m., and the all-night service officially ended.

According to Japanese funeral customs, gifts must also be prepared for the guests.

In the countryside, things aren't so complicated. The gift for guests is a small bag of salt. Sprinkling salt is believed to ward off evil spirits, and guests are encouraged to sprinkle the salt on themselves before leaving home.

However, the uninvited dignitaries from Shizuoka Prefecture showed no intention of leaving, instead lingering in the courtyard.

Next comes the vigil, but with so many strangers here, it's no longer a vigil but a nightmare.

Besides, they weren't even close relatives. What kind of behavior is it for them to keep vigil for the Uchiha clan leader's uncle?

To offer sacrifices to a spirit that is not one's own is flattery.

These prominent figures from Shizuoka Prefecture had already traveled day and night to the village for the sake of Uchiha's uncle, and now they were going to wear mourning clothes for him.

Uchiha Senmon frowned, not wanting to directly ask them to leave.

"Ah Ming, you can go back now. We don't need you to keep vigil here."

After all, the deceased was only Uchiha Naruto's great-uncle, not his great-grandfather. They were almost beyond the fifth degree of mourning, so participating in the vigil was optional.

Without saying a word, Uchiha Naruto took Matsudaira Chiyo and left.

Seeing that even the Uchiha Minister wouldn't allow his son to participate in the vigil, the powerful and influential figures understood the Uchiha Minister's meaning. If they continued to stay, they would be ungrateful.

I could only politely say goodbye and leave.

Watching these powerful and wealthy figures in Shizuoka Prefecture bow and scrape before the Uchiha Senmon.

The old village chief was proud of this.

"The Uchiha elder brother really left in glory!"

The old village chief was quite old, and his health had been declining in recent years. He did not participate in the vigil. When he walked out of the courtyard, he saw that there were still some people who had not left.

To my utter surprise, they walked towards me.

"This place is truly blessed with outstanding people and a superior natural environment. I'd like to invest here. I wonder if the village chief is interested?"

The president of Marushichi Tea Co., Ltd., with a broad smile, handed over a gilded business card.

Then several other village leaders, citing tourism development and grain production as reasons, insisted on handing their business cards to the old village chief, shamelessly wanting to stay in the village for a few days to "inspect" the area.

Looking at the pile of various business cards in his hands, the old village chief burst into tears:

"Immortal Sect, you've chosen a great name!"

This leap over the Dragon Gate is more than just leaping over the Dragon Gate; it's leaping over the mortal realm to become a celestial being!

(End of this chapter)