I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 373 and 374: Spies from the Akatsuki Organization

"Why is the secret passage beneath the shrine so long? We've been walking for so long, and we still haven't reached the end."

On the steep stone steps that seemed to have been carved directly from the rock strata, Sakaki Nami stopped, took out her phone with the flashlight on, and shone it into the depths of the secret passage.

The bottomless secret passage swallowed all light and continued to extend downwards without end, seemingly connecting to the underworld.

"These eerie murals do look a bit creepy."

Sakaki Namiru couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive, and her mind started to waver.

However, after my brother-in-law entered the shrine, he had been out of contact for two hours.

Although Sakaki Nami didn't like the squinty-eyed assistant, she had to admit that what he said made sense.

My brother-in-law may have encountered some danger.

Fortunately, we could see my brother-in-law's footprints along the way, but we didn't find any bloodstains or signs of a battle.

However, walking alone through this deep and dark secret passage is truly terrifying.

But now that things have come to this, she can no longer afford to give up halfway.

Sakaki Nami cheered herself up, picked up her phone, and cautiously began to explore the deeper, darker parts of the land.

Less than two minutes after Sakaki Nami disappeared, another figure appeared furtively at the spot.

"Ms. Sakaki is quite shrewd to manage the foundation so well. But women in love are usually not so quick-witted."

The scheming assistant, Ichimaru, glanced down and sneered.

In fact, it was he who instigated Nami Sakaki to sneak out of the Four Pillars' house to find the Uchiha Sage.

From the very beginning of Uchiha Senmon's tenure as head of the Supernatural Police Department, his assistant was an informant assigned from above and placed beside Uchiha Senmon.

Although Ichimaru is the assistant of the Uchiha Senmon, working hard and serving him diligently, he is responsible not only to the Uchiha Minister but also to the important figures above him.

Uchiha Senmon was well aware that Ichimaru's loyalty to him was not absolute, but even the number one transcendent could not do whatever he wanted within the system.

Aside from the overt agents like Assistant Ichimaru, even Senmon Uchiha himself didn't know how many undercover agents from different factions were in the Supernatural Police Department.

After all, the Uchiha Sage Sect doesn't have mind-reading abilities.

Politics requires compromise.

As the personal assistant to the Uchiha clan leader, Assistant Ichimaru was very familiar with the daily words and actions of the Uchiha clan leader.

Even when faced with adversity, soaring to great heights and transforming into a supernatural being, becoming a true dragon in the heavens, the Uchiha Sage Sect still remained true to its original aspirations, abstaining from extravagance and pleasure. Just as it had for the previous ten years on the front lines of the Fourth Investigation Division, it diligently handled supernatural-related work.

Apart from that, she devoted all her time and energy to cultivation, and even with her only son, she saw him only a handful of times a year.

If it were only a few months, it could be considered feigned humility, but if it continues for three years in a row, then it truly demonstrates noble character.

Although Assistant Ichimaru greatly admired the Uchiha clan leader's character, he still privately reported the Uchiha clan's every word and action to his superiors.

Besides the Uchiha minister, the assistants and subordinates of the other twelve generals must also have spies planted by high-ranking government officials, similar to Assistant Ichimaru.

Although extraordinary individuals enjoy immense prestige and endless wealth in public, they have very little freedom.

Every word and action is being watched by countless eyes, both openly and secretly.

Especially for the top transcendent being like Minister Uchiha, who is equivalent to a nuclear weapon in the new era, their location must be reported immediately, without any mistakes.

The fact that Minister Uchiha and his group are trapped in the secret realm must have caused quite a stir outside.

The Uchiha clan leader was gone from the shrine for several hours without a word. Assistant Ichimaru panicked and secretly encouraged Sakaki Nami to go out and search for the Uchiha clan.

That way, he could have an excuse to disobey the Uchiha clan leader's orders and follow them.

Even if the Uchiha Minister wants to punish himself afterward, he can blame it all on Sakaki Namiru.

"Another Sharingan mural, amazing! I was right to take the liberty of following Ms. Sakaki this time."

Assistant Ichimaru squinted, held a flashlight in his mouth, shone it on the mural, and took pictures from various angles while holding a camera in both hands.

When Assistant Ichimaru discovered a komainu (guardian dog) resembling a nine-tailed fox outside the shrine, he was secretly surprised.

Upon discovering the stone slab with the Sharingan pattern in black three-pointed star and the entrance to the secret passage inside the main hall of the shrine, Assistant Ichimaru knew that he had caught a big fish this time.

The Japanese government has always been deeply concerned and resentful about the Sharingan possessed by Itachi Uchiha and Tobi.

The mysterious clan possessing the Sharingan clearly has a powerful background and a significant origin in the extraordinary realm, making even Kage-level powerhouses wary of them and keeping them a closely guarded secret.

The absolute violence, capable of razing a city to the ground and bearing the name "Susanoo," deeply stung the nerves of the Japanese government.

For the past three years, the Japanese government has consulted numerous ancient texts and conducted extensive research, but unfortunately, it still knows nothing.

"Although the text on them is illegible, these murals are definitely the training methods and spells of Sharingan users."

The figures in the murals all have Sharingan eyes and are making hand seals. Even if one cannot understand the divine script that only Sharingan can decipher, it is not difficult to make such a deduction.

A great achievement!

Assistant Ichimaru's normally squinty eyes widened to their limit, unable to conceal his burning desire.

No, it's good things coming in pairs!

Both the clues about the Sharingan and these ancient scripts are priceless treasures.

Although there was no signal inside the secret realm, it did not prevent Assistant Ichimaru from photographing all the murals along the way and storing them in his device. Once they were out, he would hand them over to the experts and scholars of the Supernatural Police Department for interpretation and deciphering.

"Hopefully, the experts from the history and archaeology departments can step up their game this time and decipher useful clues."

Although the Japanese archaeological community has experienced the darkest moments, such as the "archaeological immortals," that was in the last century. After all, Japan has the foundation of a developed country, and archaeology is usually a game that only wealthy countries can afford to play.

For example, in Assyriology, which studies the society, writing system, and history of ancient Mesopotamia, the countries at the forefront of archaeological excavation and document collation are not the countries of Mesopotamia, but rather developed countries in Europe and America such as Britain, France, the United States, and Germany.

Even Japan's research on Assyriology is more in-depth than that of many Mesopotamian countries.

After the advent of the extraordinary era, archaeology is not only a means of demonstrating a country's cultural soft power, but also a means of excavating extraordinary objects and extraordinary heritages from ancient sites, which can be immediately transformed into a country's cultural heritage and national strength.

Archaeology, history, and related disciplines in Japan have suddenly become prominent fields of study, attracting continuous attention and ample funding from both domestic and international sources, ushering in an unprecedented golden age.

"This mysterious little shrine must have an inseparable connection with the clan behind the Sharingan."

After finishing the shoot, Assistant Ichimaru was organizing the pictures on the equipment when a sudden thought flashed through his mind, and he asked in bewilderment:

"But why did the spirit of our Uncle, the Uchiha Chief, seem to know the way well and lead us here?"

Ichimaru's assistant was completely baffled.

I have a feeling it's not a coincidence.

With this question in mind, Assistant Ichimaru walked down a few steps.

Suddenly, Ichimaru's assistant felt a chill run down his spine, his hair standing on end, as if something was secretly watching him.

"Who?!"

Could it be that someone else also ran away from the Four Pillars' house?

He had clearly instructed the remaining two members of the Supernatural Police Department to keep an eye on the other bereaved families and not to make any rash moves.

Assistant Ichimaru shone the flashlight haphazardly upwards a few times, but didn't find even a single mouse.

Just then, Ichimaru's assistant looked up as if by some strange impulse and saw the figures with Sharingan on the mural, their eyes, each with three tomoe, staring straight at him!

A cold sweat broke out on Ichimaru's back, filled with shock and uncertainty.

Were the Sharingan eyes of the people in these paintings viewed from this angle before?!

Perhaps I'm just being paranoid.

Suppressing his unease, Assistant Ichimaru turned around and slowly walked down the path for a short distance before suddenly turning back.

"Get out here right now, I've seen you!"

Assistant Ichimaru shouted loudly in a bluffing manner, and gripped the pistol at his waist with one hand.

The beam of the flashlight pierced the darkness, and on the steps at the end of Ichimaru's line of sight, stood a pair of feet shrouded in black mist.

Assistant Ichimaru stared wide-eyed, taking a deep breath.

Although they were not clearly visible due to the surrounding black mist, they were definitely human feet.

But how could such a strange and terrifying black mist emanate from a human body?

Sure enough, some terrifying monster was lurking in the darkness!

Seemingly because its movements had been discovered, the eerie shadow no longer concealed itself and sprinted toward Assistant Ichimaru. Moreover, behind the shadow, there seemed to be even more terrifying figures following closely behind.

"ah!!!"

A chill ran down Ichimaru's spine and up to the top of his head, nearly scaring his soul out of his body. He let out a heart-wrenching scream, and without even drawing his gun to fight back, he turned and ran.

There were no forks in the secret passage, only a downward-sloping stone staircase. The howl that Ichimaru's assistant let out immediately alerted Sakaki Nami, who was not far ahead.

"What was that screaming about?"

Namiraku Sakaki heard a mournful cry that sounded inhuman and felt a chill run down her spine.

However, the exit of the secret passage was already in sight, and besides, she didn't have the courage to go back the way she came to check.

"Thump!"

Just then, a dark shadow rolled down the stone steps like a gourd, crashing to the ground. Judging from the sound, it had fallen quite hard.

"It's you! The squinty-eyed guy..."

Ichimaru's assistant, bruised and battered from the fall, didn't care about anything else. He threw down a sentence and scrambled outside.

"Miss Sakaki, run!"

At that moment, Nami Sakaki also saw several ghostly shadows rushing towards her, and she was instantly terrified, instinctively turning and running away.

Assistant Ichimaru and Nami Sakaki rushed out of the secret passage one after the other. In the dark and vast space, there was only a firelight directly in front of them, and they instinctively ran in that direction.

"Smack."

At this critical moment, Nami Sakaki tripped on her right foot and fell to the ground.

Nami Sakaki watched in horror as a shadowy figure approached step by step.

The shadowy figure, resembling a vengeful ghost, was shrouded in black mist. Its face and body were blurred and indistinct, except for a pair of scarlet eyes with three tomoe spinning inside.

The shadowy figure clasped its hands together, and the next moment, it spat out a huge fireball.

Under the scorching heat, Nami Sakaki felt her hair burning and curling up. She couldn't help but close her eyes and scream:

"Brother-in-law!!!"

In the next instant, Sakaki Nami felt a tightness in her waist and abdomen as she was entangled by several vines and forced to retreat rapidly.

"boom!"

The fireball slammed into the ground, sending up a burst of flames.

Then, by the light of the fire, Nami Sakaki opened her eyes with great joy and saw a face with flickering light and shadow.

"Brother-in-law! Brother-in-law, your eyes?"

The once-familiar face of Uchiha Senmon now seemed somewhat unfamiliar, with three black tomoe slowly rotating in his eerie, scarlet eyes.

"Sharingan?!"

After being chased by the shadowy figure and fleeing in a disheveled state, Ichimaru's assistant, panting heavily, finally stopped after the Uchiha Sage's divine soldiers descended from the sky. He held his knees and stood there, desperately catching his breath.

When he caught his breath, he looked at the Uchiha Senmon and was immediately dumbfounded.

Crimson eyes, swirling magatama...

It's the Sharingan?!

How is this possible? Why would Uchiha Captain have Sharingan?

"What are these?"

From the darkness emerged another young man dressed in black.

Although he wasn't wearing the signature black robe with red clouds, the two tear troughs on the young man's cheeks and his striking crimson eyes in the darkness made Ichimaru's assistant recognize him at a glance.

In the extraordinary battle in Sapporo, a member of the Akatsuki organization who piloted Susanoo to slay the Yamata no Orochi!

"Outsiders who are not members of our Uchiha clan will trigger the defense mechanisms within the secret passage if they trespass," Itachi Uchiha said calmly.

What are the Akatsuki members saying?

Assistant Ichimaru could hardly believe his ears; his mind was like a rusty gear, almost unable to think.

His rigid mind managed to process what was happening, and an unprecedented terror and chill engulfed him like a tidal wave. His body trembled so much that he could barely stand and collapsed to his knees.

Even when he was being chased by the shadowy figure and his life was hanging by a thread, Assistant Ichimaru was not this shocked and panicked.

Sharingan, Uchiha clan...

And then there were the Uchiha clan leader and the Akatsuki members, speaking in a familiar tone as if they were old friends…

Ichimaru's assistant naturally filled in the blanks with the truth.

The leader of the Twelve Divine Generals, Earth's number one superhuman, and Japan's Supernatural Police Chief, Uchiha Senmon, has actually colluded with the Akatsuki organization!?

It's even quite possible that he was an Akatsuki spy planted in the government from the very beginning!

(End of this chapter)