I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapters 466 and 467: Shukaku of the Sand

Mutsu City in Aomori Prefecture, the northernmost city on Honshu Island, is separated from Hokkaido by the shallow Tsugaru Strait.

Near the Sarugemori Sand Dunes on the northeastern coast of Mutsu City, at the Shimokita Test Range of the Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Agency of the Ministry of Defense, a young Self-Defense Force member sat in the duty room, holding his mobile phone and watching something he thoroughly enjoyed.

"The gorilla beast from Yellowstone Volcano is really powerful! With that shot, besides Lord Uchiha, what dog or donkey could withstand it!"

The young self-defense member, engrossed in his work, was completely oblivious to the long, drawn-out male face that appeared behind the window, frowning and giving him a death stare.

"cough."

"Rikuzo Ejima, when did you arrive!?"

The young self-defense member was so frightened that he hurriedly got up and tried to hide his phone. He accidentally slipped and fell, but was caught by a hand before it hit the ground.

The screen is showing footage even more exciting than Hollywood blockbusters with their lavish special effects.

The enormous, four-tailed monster, as massive as a moving volcano, is the embodiment of destruction and disaster. It unleashes a black Tailed Beast Ball, a fireball that engulfs everything like a nuclear explosion.

"As expected, they were watching videos of monsters that appeared in the United States."

The older man, wearing the rank of third-class lieutenant, withdrew his gaze and said sternly to the young man:

"This is an extraordinary time. The Self-Defense Forces at all bases across the country have entered a state of emergency. Do not slack off while on duty."

"Yes, yes, yes." The young Self-Defense Force members nodded repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice, not daring to say anything else.

"This will not be repeated."

Lu Zuo turned off his phone, placed it on the table, put his hands behind his back, and said expressionlessly.

The young man was taken aback, then breathed a sigh of relief.

They just let it go so easily? I thought I was going to get a severe punishment.

"If it weren't for the fact that so many people are resigning and we're really short-handed, I wouldn't have let this scoundrel off so easily," Lu Zuo thought to himself with dissatisfaction.

"Young people these days are so cowardly! Shameless! They have no backbone at all!"

Good iron isn't used to make nails, and good men don't become soldiers.

In postwar Japan, discrimination against the emasculated Self-Defense Forces was pervasive. The Self-Defense Force members had no intention of protecting the country; they were just trying to make a living and were no different from other wage slaves.

After the advent of the extraordinary era, some right-wing politicians wanted to use it to boost the status of the Self-Defense Forces, loosening their leashes.

However, the Supernatural Police Department, led by the Uchiha Sage Sect, acted swiftly and forcefully, suppressing the demons and monsters within the country, causing the plans of some ambitious individuals to fail in the womb.

During the three years of the "Severing the Gap," Japan's situation was smooth sailing, and the political arena and the Self-Defense Forces were in a state of complacency.

However, the Gengen Game launched by the fake Abe no Seimei last month, and the two major events that occurred in the past week—the Yokota Explosion and the Yellowstone Monster's destruction of Idaho—have made many people tremble with fear.

The two massive explosions shocked the world, with casualties exceeding the total number of deaths from all previous supernatural events. They continue to dominate trending topics around the world, fueling the spread of doomsday rumors.

Although the news of the Uchiha Sage's defection was temporarily suppressed, the Twelve Gods were isolated for investigation, and the leaderless Supernatural Agency came to a standstill.

The pressure then fell on the police department and the Self-Defense Forces.

Although the vast majority of Japan's hundreds of thousands of Self-Defense Force members only have a high school education from twelve years of compulsory education, they are not fools.

Being an office worker and getting a salary is fine, but being cannon fodder is out of the question.

At the very least, you'll have to pay more.

After all, he was a man who could say, "If a country is going to let its people die for it, then let it perish." Suddenly, resignation letters applying for retirement piled up like snowflakes on the desks of all levels of the Ministry of Defense.

The Self-Defense Forces lack military courts, making it difficult to take a strong stance against these Self-Defense Force members who desert their posts. The Ministry of Defense is almost powerless to do anything except keep quiet about it.

Inevitably, morale and low spirits have been low among the Self-Defense Forces throughout Japan.

"How's it going? Anything unusual around the Shimokita test site?"

"Everything is fine."

Lu Zuo nodded in satisfaction, then looked out the window at the vast expanse of sand dunes stretching to the horizon, thinking to himself:

"The sand dunes of the Sarutomo Forest are a desolate place that has been plowed up by countless artillery shells. Even if there were any monsters hiding there, they would have been shaken out long ago."

Compared to the famous Tottori Sand Dunes, the largest desert ape forest dunes in Japan are little known.

For many years, the Sarumori Sand Dunes have been closed by the Ministry of Defense as a ballistic missile testing range, and the general public is prohibited from entering.

For nearly 6000 years, the Jomon period has continuously piled up sand and gravel from the Pacific Ocean on the eastern coast of the Shimokita Peninsula, forming the Sarugomo Sand Dunes, which are about 2 kilometers long from east to west and 17 kilometers long in arc, and are five times the size of the Tottori Sand Dunes.

Of course, compared to the Sahara Desert, the dunes of the Monkey Forest are adorably tiny.

"Yes, today was very peaceful too."

Thinking this to himself, a relieved smile appeared on Rikuo Ejima's old face.

"boom!"

Just then, the sand dunes in front of him suddenly collapsed, and the sea of ​​sand flowed and rolled, converging towards the center of the Monkey Forest dunes.

If a satellite were over the Shimokita Test Site at this moment, it could capture images of the Sarumori Sand Dunes forming a counter-clockwise vortex with a diameter of one kilometer.

Lu Zuo and the young man were stunned and speechless.

"roar!"

Within the vortex, a colossal beast composed of yellow sand emerged, glaring with its coin-shaped eyes and unleashing a deafening roar.

The sound wave, carrying a cloud of sand, rolled in, and the two felt as if their souls were being torn to pieces, trembling so much they could barely breathe.

After a long while, Lu Zuo, his face deathly pale, finally snapped out of his daze and screamed:

"Quick! Sound the alarm!"

As dawn approached, the sky was still gloomy, neither fully dark nor fully light.

This was the most tiring moment of the day, but the earth-shattering roar of the giant sand monster jolted the entire Xiabei Test Site awake from its slumber.

Whether they were officers or low-ranking self-defense members, everyone was stunned into a blank mind when they saw the giant yellow sand monster, which was tens of meters tall and kept expanding by gathering sand.

"It really is a monster!"

Immediately, as if their backsides were on fire, they reported the unusual events that had occurred at the Sarunomori Sand Dunes to Tokyo, the Misawa base in Aomori Prefecture, and other locations.

Half an hour later, the Self-Defense Forces at the Shimokita Test Site had mobilized their entire force and set up a makeshift defensive line outside the Sarugori Sand Dunes.

The skyline was also filled with fighter jets from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force rushing to the aid from Chitose Air Base and Misawa Air Base in Hokkaido.

Before the trembling eyes of countless people, the colossal creature in the desert gradually coalesced into a complete form.

"After the giant monster appeared in the United States, is it our turn now?"

"A raccoon dog?"

"Idiot, that's a raccoon dog!"

A giant raccoon with a round body and tail covered in violet patterns may seem somewhat endearing at first glance, but its nearly 100-meter-long body still sends chills down the spine of anyone with megalophobia.

The Sand Guardian Crane stands here.

"Don't act rashly!"

The order from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's official residence left some officers at the Shimokita Test Site completely bewildered.

The giant sand monster had clearly been using sand to assemble its body, and some suggested that it was best to strike first.

This bloated, fat monster is a sitting duck.

The Shimokita test site was not short of ammunition. With a barrage of artillery fire, they blasted Shukaku to smithereens in one fell swoop.

However, Professor Nagayama had already identified it as Shukaku, one of the tailed beasts, through satellite images, so the Tokyo Metropolitan Government rejected the idea after careful consideration.

The US's complete annihilation of its forces during its attack on the Four-Tails Goku serves as a cautionary tale, and the heavy price they paid in testing the Tailed Beasts revealed their apparent immortality.

With the United States at a loss, the Prime Minister's Office dared not take any rash action.

The Four-Tails created a volcano to hide inside. If Shukaku could just stay quietly in the sand dunes of the Saru-no-Mori, Japan could at least play the ostrich.

Anyway, the Saru no Mori Sand Dunes in Aomori Prefecture, far away in the countryside, are just a barren land used as a shooting range.

"Awooo!"

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. After raising its head and letting out a few roars, Shukaku moved its body across the sand and headed inland.

The prime minister's plans were shattered, leaving him with no choice but to grit his teeth and issue the order:

"Attack! Destroy it before it leaves the Saru-no-Forest dunes and enters Mutsu City!"

Rikuo Ejima, who was acting as the temporary commander on site, held the microphone, looking completely bewildered.

Even the army of the world's strongest country was beaten bloody by the Yellowstone Monster. Are you really going to send us, these worthless cowards, to fight?

Please, do the cabinet gentlemen think this is an Ultraman tokusatsu show?

Our Self-Defense Forces don't have the combat capabilities of the Science Special Search and Rescue Team!

Let the professionals handle the professional matters!

"When will the reinforcements from the Occult Bureau arrive?"

Jiangdao Rikuzo anxiously pressed for answers:

"Chief Uchiha is already on his way, right?"

As a mere third-rank military officer, he was not qualified to know the inside story of the Uchiha Sage's defection.

"Attack! That's the order!"

Instead of giving a direct answer, the superior gave a harsh and cold rebuke.

At that moment, Rikuo Ejima really wanted to throw his resignation letter in his superior's face and yell, "I quit!"

"Hi!"

However, he still retained some rationality and could only reluctantly agree.

Rikusa Ejima hurriedly turned around, looked at Shukaku, who was moving its massive body in the sand dunes, and swallowed hard.

From a distance, Shukaku appears to move slowly, but it is actually moving very fast; its enormous size allows it to travel tens of meters with each step.

The Self-Defense Forces are currently at a safe distance of ten miles, yet they still have the courage to launch long-range strikes.

If such a behemoth were to approach them, its mountain-like size would crush their morale and cause them to collapse without a fight, even without lifting a finger.

"Fire! Fire!"

As Lieutenant Commander Ejima roared hoarsely, the first to launch the attack were the Air Self-Defense Force, which was 20 or 30 miles away and used long-range air-to-ground missiles.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Almost simultaneously, armored assault vehicles and artillery of the Self-Defense Forces at the Shimokita Test Site roared deafeningly, and in an instant, a full load of shells was fired.

"Boom boom boom!"

"Bang bang bang!"

Under the combined bombardment from the ground and air, Shukaku let out an angry roar. Its massive body was a sitting duck, and it had no way to dodge.

"Awooo!"

Shukaku's body was blasted into deep craters, and the yellow sand pouring out of the wounds was like a floodgate of water from a reservoir, raging endlessly.

"Attack successful! Attack successful!"

"Fire all the shells! Not just tear this monster to pieces, but pulverize it to dust!"

On-site, in space orbit, in Tokyo, and overseas, countless eyes fixed on the Sarumori Sand Dunes were overjoyed.

Monsters like the Tailed Beasts may not be invincible!

"Roar roar roar!"

Suddenly, Shukaku, with its tail almost as big as its body, slammed down heavily, causing the earth to collapse and mountains to crumble in an instant.

A massive sandstorm swept up, thick as a curtain, accompanied by howling winds that seemed to waile ghosts, surging in all directions with overwhelming force.

"It's a sandstorm!"

The sandstorm, which blotted out the sky, completely obscured the form of Shukaku, and it was extremely aggressive. Wherever it passed, it was as if an EMP bomb had been detonated, causing abnormal magnetic field disturbances and electronic devices to malfunction instantly.

Apart from a few fighter jets that fled the scene as quickly as possible, the rest of the fighter jets, like startled birds, plummeted and exploded.

"call!"

Shukaku puffed out its beak, slapped its swollen belly with one of its front paws, and spewed out air bullets as big as houses.

Wind Release: Sky-Piercing Jade!

"Bang bang bang!"

Several Sky-Piercing Jade exploded, unleashing a violent gust of wind and shockwave that tore the Self-Defense Forces' defenses to shreds!

As the sandstorm gradually dissipated, Shukaku's body, as large as a sand dune, was gradually revealed.

The sand in the desert flowed and swirled, clinging to Shukaku's body like a spring, and restored its mutilated form at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Awooohoo—!"

One of them raised its head and roared at the rising sun.

It's as if it's mocking humanity's overestimation of its own strength, like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

-

Tokyo, the Prime Minister's Official Residence.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Professor Nagayama, and other dignitaries from the Cabinet and the Imperial Palace, looking at the satellite image of Shukaku crying out to the sky, were all sweating profusely and trembling.

"Is this what a tailed beast is?"

"There are nine Shukaku like this!"

The absolute violence of the tailed beasts, which is beyond human comprehension, made these powerful and high-ranking people feel as insignificant and helpless as ordinary peasants.

"Now is not the time to marvel at the power of the Tailed Beasts. Shukaku is already close to breaking through the desert and reaching Mutsu City!"

The Deputy Prime Minister roared in exasperation:

"Think of something quickly, what methods do you have?"

The crowd looked at each other, at a loss for what to do.

"The United States is willing to provide us with a one-time solution of assistance..." the Foreign Minister said, forcing a smile.

"Ha, they want to use our country as a testing ground to see if nuclear weapons can eliminate the Tailed Beasts, these immortal monsters!" The Deputy Prime Minister laughed angrily, glaring fiercely at the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

After all, a four-tailed beast that rioted last night still lingers on US soil, and the US must have a contingency plan to use nuclear weapons to annihilate the tailed beast.

"If the Uchiha Sage Sect were here, things wouldn't have come to this!" The Deputy Prime Minister sighed in regret.

Just then, the desert in the satellite image was filled with countless wildly growing green plants, and towering trees rose from the ground, tightly binding and entangled Shukaku.

"Wood Release! That's Chief Uchiha's Wood Release!"

Professor Nagayama exclaimed in surprise and delight.

"Quickly! Adjust the camera angles for the satellite image!"

The camera zooms out, and a wooden dragon, its head shaking and tail wagging, soars into the sky a kilometer away in the direction Shukaku is heading.

Shukaku of the Sand, entangled by the Wood Release: Descent of the Tree World, struggled left and right, unable to break free from its grasp.

"Aww!"

Enraged, Shukaku suddenly opened its gaping maw, revealing a mouthful of fangs.

A black sphere of light instantly condensed and took shape!

(End of this chapter)