I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 420 and 421: The White Fox Seimei

"Abe Seimei!!!"

Under the cover of night, Kyoto was ablaze with flames as a volcanic bomb, as large as a millstone, hurtled down on Kuro Seimei with the speed of a shooting star.

Kuro Seimei remained unfazed, not even blinking.

"Bang!"

The Vermilion Bird shikigami among the Nine-Faced Beasts swooped down and stood in front of Kuro Seimei. With a flap of its wings, the volcanic bomb was blown away and blasted into a crater with a diameter of five meters.

"Yuki, calm down."

Uchiha Senmon moved swiftly and appeared in front of Yuuki Mineko in the next moment, blocking the furious Yuuki Mineko from rushing forward.

"But, Mr. Jiraiya..." Mineko Yuuki glared at Seimei Kuroki with eyes blazing with fury, gritting her teeth as she spoke.

"I'm angry too, but now's not the time. Please, Fengzi, calm down."

Uchiha Senmon stared coldly ahead, but his voice was surprisingly gentle.

Upon seeing the Toad Sage in the coffin, even the Uchiha Sage, who had a mentor-student relationship with Jiraiya, almost lost his temper. It was understandable that Mineko Yuuki, who had received even more favors and teachings from Jiraiya, would lose his composure in such a fit of rage.

Even though the ritual of the Taishan Fujun (Lord of Mount Tai) can bring the dead back to life and fulfill the wishes of both the living and the dead, conversely, if one harbors ill intentions, it not only desecrates the dead but also brings endless harm.

"Senior, it is...?"

The reassurance from the Uchiha Sage Sect calmed down the furious Mineko Yuuki. She glared at Kuro Seimei with hatred, but at least she stopped shouting for violence.

With a sigh of relief, the Uchiha Sage inspected each of the five coffins one by one, finally settling on Jiraiya.

Although they had already heard about the Toad Sage's death from Abe no Seimei and Sugawara no Michizane, witnessing him being summoned by the Taizan Fukun Festival still left the Uchiha Sage with mixed feelings.

"Why is Jiraiya in your hands?"

"Jiraiya's death has nothing to do with me; he died at the hands of Pain."

Kuro Seimei spread his hands innocently and said carelessly:

"However, there are often unexpected surprises in the aftermath of a great battle."

As she spoke, she looked around at the other coffins, a smug look on her face.

Uchiha Senmon frowned, his eyes glancing at the two Akatsuki corpses on his left.

According to Sugawara no Michizane's previous remarks, a war between the Heavenly Realm and Akatsuki is breaking out, and even Jiraiya has died in the battle. There are probably many other powerful figures who have fallen, which is why Abe no Seimei had the opportunity to fish in troubled waters.

These are likely the remains of powerful figures collected by Abe no Seimei.

Suddenly, Uchiha Senmon felt a jolt in his mind, as if struck by lightning, and a few drops of cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead.

Jiraiya and the other four extraordinary beings all perished in recent years, while Abe no Seimei was an Onmyoji from the Heian period a thousand years ago. Did she really have no preparations at all during those thousand years?

"Because they are dead, they are immortal and indestructible, their physical strength can be maintained at its peak, and even their spiritual power is inexhaustible."

Kuro Seimei took a few steps, stroking the edge of the coffin with his hand as if admiring some work of art, and said:

"As long as the quality of the offerings is good enough, the powerful beings resurrected by the Taishan Fujun sacrifice can be even stronger than they were in life."

Kuro Seimei rested his chin on his right hand, revealing a bewitching smile as beautiful as the red spider lily.

"It seems you've figured it out too. I'll just tell you frankly, these five corpses are just the tip of the iceberg in my collection."

But no one had time to appreciate the beautiful scenery. As she revealed the information, everyone's hearts sank, and cold sweat poured down their backs.

Kuro Seimei greatly admired their fear and despair, a satisfied smile playing on his lips as he spoke, word by word:

"Over the past thousand years, the number of extraordinary beings I have collected—the remains and flesh of warriors, onmyoji, great demons, and even powerful immortals—as well as the souls of extraordinary beings imprisoned by my onmyoji techniques, is a hundred times greater than this!"

One hundred times!

Even the twelve generals of the Supernatural Police Department couldn't help but feel their hands and feet go cold and their faces turn pale.

High-ranking Japanese officials at the Prime Minister's official residence in Tokyo were seeing stars. Several of them couldn't catch their breath and collapsed to the ground clutching their chests, with attendants quickly offering them nitroglycerin pills.

"Hehehe, I have to admit that the Taizan Fukun Festival developed by Abe no Seimei can be said to be the most perfect technique!"

Intimidation with force!

Abe no Seimei openly displayed the corpses of five Kage-level powerhouses and explained the secrets of the Taishan Fujun Festival in great detail. This was a way of intimidating all of humanity in order to advance her insane plan to supposedly save humanity, which was actually aimed at annihilating it.

Even if only the five resurrected Kage-level powerhouses are resurrected, it would be enough to wipe out all of Japan's military forces.

If what Abe no Seimei said is true, then not only Japan, but even the entire world could be overthrown with ease.

"Click."

His jaw clenched so tightly it made a grinding sound, Uchiha Senmon's face was ashen, and his hand on the Raiden-ga was trembling uncontrollably.

This was the first time the Uchiha Senmon had experienced such a sense of powerlessness after becoming a transcendent being.

They were even more helpless than when they were devoured by Princess Kaguya.

The extraordinary beings that Abe no Seimei would have chosen could not possibly be those lowly monsters from the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, and the possibility that they were all Kage-level powerhouses is extremely slim.

However, if even one-tenth of them are Kage-level powerhouses, they are already a force that can make the whole world despair.

Moreover, the dead resurrected through the Taishan Fujun ritual possess the characteristic of immortality, something that even the ultimate weapon of humanity, the nuclear warhead, cannot achieve by mutual destruction.

What should we do?

Uchiha Senmon's eyes flickered, his mind a jumble of thoughts, yet he had no way to break the deadlock.

Abe no Seimei was a completely insane, delusional, and incomprehensible woman.

A desperate battle is like throwing an egg against a rock. The twelve generals of the Supernatural Police Department are already terrified. Even if you include Uchiha Sasuke, who has not yet joined the fight, as an additional fighting force, they are no match for the ghost army summoned by the Mount Tai Lord Festival.

They were truly at their wits' end.

After a while, Uchiha Senmon calmed his mind, his eyes regained their clarity, and he hissed:

"Abe no Seimei, your power and obsession have been revealed. But how will you achieve immortality for half of humanity?"

Indeed, if Abe no Seimei truly possessed a ghost army of this scale, it wouldn't be impossible for him to destroy the world and exterminate half of humanity.

But how do we convert half of humanity into the dead for the Taishan Fujun Festival?

This cannot be resolved by simply carrying out a massacre.

Even if Abe no Seimei could launch the Taishan Fujun Festival every second and continue it for a year without rest, he could only convert 30 million people.

In Japan, a country with 120 million people, it would take a full two years to achieve the immortality conversion of half the population.

"Of course I can't perform the Taishan Fujun sacrifice one by one; that would be too inefficient."

The maniacal laughter that had lingered on Kuro Seimei's face transformed, like a face change, into a pitiful yet tearful expression of lonely sorrow.

"There is no time left; the crimson moon will descend once more."

She raised her head, gazing at the bright moon in the night sky, and murmured:

"Even if it means sacrificing half of humanity, I will save the world. The first barrier is already set up. If the rehearsal goes smoothly, I will be able to ferry the Japanese to the other side all at once, and then the whole world."

"What exactly do you want to do!?"

Uchiha Senmon shouted sternly.

"Didn't that drifting object among your twelve divine generals come tonight?"

Kuro Seimei turned around and gave an irrelevant answer.

Drifting debris?

Uchiha Senmon frowned.

It refers to the roosting of birds.

"He hasn't woken up yet. What did you do to him?"

Uchiha Senmon had a flash of inspiration and remembered the red curse mark on the back of Tori no Hideo's right hand.

After the battle at Hachiman Palace, Senmon Uchiha glimpsed the evil god in the abyss within Tosu Hideo's body. He thought Tosu Hideo would wake up soon, but he remained asleep and unconscious.

Even the Uchiha Sage Sect was powerless this time, which is why Tosu Hideo did not participate in tonight's operation.

"Then he'll wake up soon, after all, he's the one I chose."

Kuro Seimei nodded.

"He will relay the time, place, and rules of the first ceremony."

After speaking, Kuro Seimei turned his face toward the drones hovering in the sky and warned Japanese and American dignitaries in Tokyo and even overseas:

"The ceremony must not be stopped, or I will launch a parade of a hundred ghosts in New York and Washington! In Western lands where there is no protection from gods or Buddhas, there is no need to go through the trouble of choosing a time and place; it will be a feast ten times grander than tonight."

With a clap of his hands, a pentagram of bellflower formation appeared beneath Kuro Seimei's feet.

"Wait a moment!"

Uchiha Senmon rushed forward.

There are still several mysteries to be solved, so how can we let Abe no Seimei leave like this?

"We'll meet again soon."

The nine-faced beast in the sky and the five coffins protruding from the ground exploded into smoke with several loud bangs, obscuring the clouds and mist. Hei Qingming's figure also disappeared with the wind.

"I look forward to your performance, Uchiha."

"hateful……"

Uchiha Senmon stood amidst the ruins, uttering a few words through gritted teeth, but a hint of relief flashed in his eyes.

The other twelve generals were even worse off, staggering and falling to the ground, some lying down, some sitting, their faces filled with the relief and joy of surviving a calamity.

Abe no Seimei's oppressive aura was simply too strong.

If Abe no Seimei were to actually kill them all, even if there were only five Kage-level dead, they would still face total annihilation.

No matter what happens next, at least we've survived tonight's ordeal.

The Ghost Festival's parade of a hundred demons has ended.

But once the winds rise, only one person knows where Japan, this island nation in the Pacific, will sail in its small boat.

-

Tokyo, Taito Ward, Shinsenso-ji Temple.

The Obon festival is a grand festival in Japan, especially after the Age of the Immortals, when the Taizan Fukun Festival is also held on this day.

However, due to the Kyoto Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, the Japanese government, fearing that similar incidents might occur in other cities, postponed the festival and encouraged citizens to stay home as much as possible.

Even so, as a sacred site where the Lord of Mount Tai manifests his power, the new Senso-ji Temple is still brightly lit and bustling with incense offerings, with citizens coming to pray and worship crowding together.

Outside a meditation room at Shinsenso-ji Temple, two novice monks standing guard at the door were whispering to each other.

"The live stream of the Kyoto Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) went wrong at a crucial moment. I really want to know what happens next."

"If Lord Kanbara were also in Kyoto, he might be able to find out some inside information."

"What are you talking about! As the second strongest among the Twelve Divine Generals, second only to the Uchiha clan leader, the presiding officer must personally oversee Tokyo to prevent any troublemakers."

The two who had been slacking off and secretly watching the Kyoto Hyakki Yagyō (Night Parade of One Hundred Demons) were unable to hide their excitement.

"The Taishan Fujun Festival can really bring the dead back to life. Do you think Lord Shenyuan might have learned this technique too...?" A young novice monk whispered mysteriously in another person's ear.

"That's hard to say."

Another novice monk spoke in a pretentious manner.

"Lord Kanbara has been in seclusion in his meditation room since evening. I wonder what he's doing?"

"The abbot is definitely studying Buddhism, diligently practicing in order to get closer to the Lord of Mount Tai!"

The two young monks looked on with adoration, their minds wandering and their imaginations running wild.

Inside the meditation room, Yuji Kanbara, the abbot of the new Senso-ji Temple, sat on a futon, but instead of chanting sutras, he held his phone and repeatedly watched a recording of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, his brow beaded with sweat.

"Oh no! Something's not right..."

Yuji Kanbara had no idea how he, an ordinary mortal, had become the abbot of Senso-ji Temple and even one of the twelve divine generals nominally affiliated with the Supernatural Police Department.

Japanese netizens, with their wild imaginations, speculated that Yuji Kanbara was another trump card hidden by the Japanese government, seriously analyzing his true combat strength. Some even believed that he could rival the Uchiha clan leader, leading to heated arguments.

Several polls on the Supernatural Forum propelled Yuji Kanbara to second place on the human rankings, and he's now in third.

This left Yuji Kanbara both amused and exasperated.

However, thanks to his status as one of the Twelve Divine Generals, Yuuji Kanbara can be considered a member of the superhuman circle and is able to obtain information unknown to the outside world.

Based on my recent observations at the Supernatural Police Department and the situation surrounding the Kyoto Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, I can infer from these subtle signs that a massive storm is brewing and could sweep across Japan at any moment.

"Or you should quit your hosting job and go to the US as soon as possible."

After pondering for a long time with a pained expression, Yuji Kambara decided that the best course of action was to slip away from Japan, this troublesome place, before the storm arrived.

Looking up at the majestic statue of Lord Taishan in the shrine, Yuji Kanbara felt a chill run down his spine.

"Please forgive me, Lord Taishan! I also have to think about my daughter."

Yuji Kambara gritted his teeth and kowtowed heavily to the Lord of Mount Tai. Just as he stood up, the shrine began to glow!

A luminous white fox, with graceful bearing, landed on the ground.

Yuji Kambara was immediately dumbfounded.

Has the Lord of Mount Tai manifested his power?!

But why is it a white fox?

"You... have heard the divine pronouncements of the Lord of Mount Tai, little priest..."

The white fox's body is only the length of an arm, its form is ethereal, and its shimmering white light is like a candle flickering in the wind. It is so weak that a single breath could cause its soul to dissipate.

"May I ask who you are?"

It wasn't until the white fox's long tail brushed past Yuji Kambara that he snapped out of his daze and hurriedly said...

"I am Seimei... the real Abe no Seimei."

(End of this chapter)