Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 177 How come the vast Water Kingdom can't accommodate two Water Shadows?

"Can... I really do it?" Although Takagi Seiwan said this, Uchiha Touko saw a look of excitement in his eyes. Uchiha Touko was not surprised by this. As long as you are a ninja from a major ninja village, who didn't grow up listening to the legends of their own Kage?

Although he might come to terms with reality as he grows up due to his talent and background, the opportunity is now in front of him, and Takagi Seiman's ambition has been ignited.

“Why not?” Uchiha Touko said, “Your Hidden Mist Village only has three elite Jonin left, and you are the strongest among them. Furthermore, as a responsible major power in the ninja world, Konoha will naturally help your Land of Water restore order. Therefore, Mr. Takagi only needs to consider whether he is willing to be the Fifth Mizukage, or whether Mr. Takagi lacks the confidence to be the Fifth Mizukage well?”

"Hokage! I really want to improve!" Upon hearing what Uchiha Touko said, Takagi Seiwan immediately lost his composure and slid down to his knees in front of Uchiha Touko.

"Hehe, it's good that Mr. Takagi has this confidence," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

"As the leader of the ninja village of the five great nations, the Mizukage is one of the few people in this ninja world who can be called a Kage." Uchiha Touko stepped forward, patted the other man on the shoulder, and then said, "Mr. Takagi, after you become the Mizukage, you must take on the responsibilities of the Mizukage."

"I will." Takagi Seiwan was overjoyed by Uchiha Touko's words and had already begun to imagine his wonderful life after becoming the Mizukage.

"However..." Uchiha Touko changed the subject, "There's an old saying that goes, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.' I wonder if Mr. Takagi agrees with that?"

Upon hearing Uchiha Touko's words, Takagi Seiman's face also showed a troubled expression. He knew that the time to negotiate terms was coming up. If he wanted Konoha to support him in becoming the Mizukage, he would have to pay a huge price.

However, the thought of being able to sit in the supremely glorious position of the Water Shadow quickly caused Takagi Seiwan's rare rationality to vanish completely.

"Hokage! I'm willing to do anything to become the Mizukage!" Takagi Seiwan said excitedly.

"Hey, what you're saying." Uchiha Touko waved his hand. "Although we, Konoha, and you, Kirigakure, have had friction in the past wars, I don't think we can't be friendly neighbors. This time, our sending troops to help Kirigakure quell the rebellion is a good start, isn't it?"

“Yes, yes,” Takagi Seiwan said. “Kigakure will forever remember your kindness and the kindness of Konoha.”

"I wouldn't call it a favor," Uchiha Touko said. "After all, our Konoha's troops were hired by your Fourth Mizukage at a high price, and now that your Fourth Mizukage hasn't woken up, I'm worried about who to ask for this debt."

"Don't worry, Hokage. Kirigakure is not the kind of village that doesn't pay its debts. We will take full responsibility for all of our debts," Takagi Seiwan said through gritted teeth.

"Let's talk about that after you've seen the conditions offered by your Fourth Mizukage, Mr. Takagi," Uchiha Tokō said, taking out a list bearing the seal of the Mizukage, Yagura Karatachi, from his sealed scroll and handing it to Takagi Seiman.

When Takagi Seiwan took the list, he was shocked. The various military expenditures on it were all in the billions, and the list also included the Rokuo, a member of the rebel army.

"This...this is too much." Although Takagi Seiwan had never been involved in the high-level affairs of Kirigakure, he knew that this amount of debt was definitely not something Kirigakure could easily pay off at present.

“That’s why I told you to make a decision after you’ve seen the conditions offered by your Fourth Hokage,” Uchiha Touko said. “It’s clear that these rebels are putting a lot of pressure on your Mizukage, and they’re even using the Tailed Beasts as leverage to ask for help.”

Looking at the list, Takagi Seiwan hesitated, glancing at it every now and then, and then looking up at Uchiha Touko.

Takagi Seiwan was well aware that this was probably the condition Konoha and Uchiha Tokō would use to push him to become the Fifth Mizukage.

Uchiha Touko noticed Takagi Seiwan's gaze, but didn't say anything. He simply smiled warmly, took out a spare tea set from the sealing scroll, and brewed tea on the Mizukage's desk.

Uchiha Touko wasn't worried that Takagi Seiwan would refuse the list. After all, based on his personality as described in the intelligence, this guy was an absolute sophisticated egoist. If he were to repay the debt himself, he probably wouldn't agree to the terms. But since the debt was now on the shoulders of the entire Kirigakure, it wouldn't have any impact on him as the Mizukage.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before Takagi Seiwan nodded in agreement to the list.

"The Hidden Mist Village will repay Konoha for their assistance on time and as promised," Takagi Seiwan said.

"I knew I wouldn't misjudge people. Mr. Takagi is indeed a man of his word," Uchiha Touko laughed. "Come, come."

Uchiha Touko smiled and sat up from the Mizukage's desk, pulling Takagi Seiwan towards the Mizukage's office chair.

“Mr. Takagi is about to take office as the Fifth Mizukage. Why don’t you get a feel for what it’s like to sit in this position beforehand?” Uchiha Touko said with a smile.

"No, no, no, you mustn't, you mustn't." Takagi Seiwan waved his hands repeatedly, but he was no match for Uchiha Touko. It could be said that he was almost forcibly dragged to the Mizukage's office chair.

"Hey, what's wrong with it? It's just a matter of sooner or later." After saying that, Uchiha Touko pressed Takagi Seiwan down into the Mizukage's office chair.

Ah~~~
The moment Takagi Seiwan's buttocks touched the office chair, he let out a long, comfortable moan.

"How are you feeling, Mr. Takagi?" Uchiha Touko asked with a smile.

Takagi Seiwan didn't reply, her face flushed with an unusual blush as she savored the feel of the Water Shadow office chair.

"Mr. Takagi will be my class Kage from now on. I hope you will take good care of me in the future." Uchiha Touka said slowly after watching Takagi Seiwan finish enjoying himself.

"What are you saying, Hokage? You are my senior when it comes to being a good village kage. I still have a lot to learn from you." After recovering, Takagi Seiwan looked at Uchiha Touko with a hint of flattery. He knew very well that once he accepted this list, Kirigakure would probably have to live in the shadow of the Land of Fire for a long time. However, he really couldn't bear to give up the chair he was currently sitting on.

“Hey, what are you saying, ‘Let’s progress together, let’s progress together,’” Uchiha Touko said. “But, Mr. Takagi, have you figured out how to deal with the rebels who have now spread to the northern part of the Land of Water?”

Takagi Seiwan was taken aback upon hearing this. That's right. Even if he really became the Mizukage, with the current strength of Kirigakure, he wouldn't be able to stop those rebels at all. Any one of the rebel leaders would be stronger than him.

"What advice does the Hokage have for me?" Takagi Seiwan knew he couldn't deal with the rebels, so he placed his hopes on Uchiha Touko.

“The strength of those rebels is indeed not to be underestimated,” Uchiha Touko said. “Otherwise, your Fourth Mizukage would not have swallowed his pride and asked our Konoha for help. Now that your Kirigakure has suffered heavy losses in this battle, it is even more difficult for you to withstand the advance of those rebels.”

“However,” Uchiha Touko changed the subject, “I wonder if Mr. Takagi has heard of the Konoha Pact plan that our Konoha previously implemented?” “This… what is this?” Kirigakure has been in a state of isolation for many years, so Takagi Seiwan was not aware of this pact that indirectly led to the war between the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Earth.

Seeing this, Uchiha Touko lifted the kettle that had just boiled away from the stove, then brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Takagi Seiwan before explaining the contents of the agreement to him in detail.

"You mean Konoha will station troops to help us resist those rebels?" Takagi Seiwan asked with delight upon hearing this.

“Of course.” Uchiha Touko nodded with a smile. He could tell that after Takagi Seiwan sat down in this chair, his already limited rationality had been completely exhausted. All that he had said was that Konoha would station troops to help them resist the rebels. As for the conditions for their help, the other party hadn’t listened to a word of it.

However, his appearance perfectly reflects his intention to fight against Uchiha Touko.

"Lord Hokage, when will Kirigakure be able to join this covenant?" Takagi Seiwan asked.

"Well, let's wait until Mr. Takagi becomes the Mizukage before we talk about that," Uchiha Touko said, waving his hand.

"I understand, I understand. I was too abrupt," Takagi Seiwan said with a sneer.

……

The following day, the Mizukage selection vote in Kirigakure was officially held. Because Kirigakure currently has too few Jonin who are eligible to vote, this vote was changed to allow all Kirigakure ninja to participate.

The vote was conducted anonymously, and Takagi Seiwan was successfully elected as the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure with 51% of the vote.

Upon hearing the result, all the Hidden Mist ninja who had participated in the vote looked at each other with expressions of disbelief.

It should be noted that among the three elite Jonin candidates, Takagi Seiman had the worst interpersonal relationships and reputation, yet he was chosen as the Fifth Mizukage.

"I refuse to accept this!" At this moment, another elite Jonin from Kirigakure, a candidate for Mizukage, stepped forward and said, "How can he, a deserter who abandoned his comrades and ran away alone during the war, be the Mizukage!"

Upon hearing this, Uchiha Touko stepped forward from the platform and said coldly, "This vote was conducted by me personally to ensure its fairness. Are you questioning my character?"

As soon as Uchiha Touko finished speaking, the eyes of the Konoha ninja present turned hostile as they stared at the elite Jonin who had just spoken.

"No...no." The person who had spoken earlier looked extremely pale, but seeing Uchiha Touko's hand already resting on the Thunderclap Blade at his waist, he could only suppress his temper and honestly reply.

"Then please, Mr. Takagi, come to the stage."

The Hidden Mist ninjas below the stage had some doubts about the election results, but with the Hidden Leaf ninjas all around them eyeing them covetously, they could only watch helplessly as Takagi Seiman swaggered onto the stage to deliver his inaugural address.

In his inaugural address, Takagi Seiwan devoted a great deal of time to thanking Konoha and Uchiha Touko, and then stated that after becoming the Fifth Mizukage, he would lead Kirigakure to sweep away its previous ailments and move towards a new era of glory.

After Takagi Seiwan finished speaking, Uchiha Touko led the applause. Then, Uchiha Touko went up on the stage and placed the Mizukage's hat on Takagi Seiwan's head.

This scene enraged some of the Kirigakure ninja in the audience. When did their Kirigakure Mizukage need the Konoha Hokage to bestow honors upon him? Wasn't Uchiha Touko's action a clear indication that Kirigakure was completely overwhelmed?

But Takagi Seiwan, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to the humiliation. He shamelessly accepted the straw hat handed to him by Uchiha Touko, put it on his head with a smile, and then waved to the audience.

Most of the Hidden Mist ninja below the stage watched this scene with cold eyes, but at this moment, it was a foregone conclusion that Takagi Shōyō would become the Fifth Mizukage.

The first thing Takagi Seiman did after taking office was to sign a contract with Uchiha Touko to join the Konoha Pact.

The following day, Uchiha Fugaku, who had been temporarily appointed as the commander of the Water and Fire Army, was teleported over by Genma Shiranui and the other two and took up his post.

The news that Takagi Seiwan had become the Fifth Mizukage spread throughout the Land of Water.

At this moment, when Mei Terumi and Zabuza, who were recuperating from their injuries, heard this news, they were extremely incredulous. They had heard of Takagi Seiwan's name when they were in Kirigakure, and it was completely unexpected that he could become the Fifth Mizukage.

However, after hearing that Takagi Seiman had signed an unequal contract with Uchiha Touko, they realized that it was probably all a conspiracy by Uchiha Touko.

"That Takagi Seiwan! He's a traitor!" Zabuza, who had just regained his mobility, gritted his teeth upon hearing the news. He couldn't understand why their country had become like this, with insects appearing one after another, falling one after another.

"No, we absolutely cannot acknowledge this guy's status as Mizukage!" Mei Terumi said after a moment of contemplation.

"Then what should we do?" Kisame sighed.

"We are here, establishing Kirigakure as our own! We absolutely cannot recognize their traitorous regime as the legitimate successor to our Land of Water," Mei Terumi said through gritted teeth. "I hope you will all support me in becoming the Fifth Mizukage."

“Okay!” Kisame Hoshigaki nodded.

"That's all we can do now," Zabuza nodded.

The following day, news of the Kirigakure rebels establishing themselves in the northern part of the Land of Water spread throughout the entire Land of Water.

For the first time in history, the Land of Water found itself in a situation with two Mizukage.

(End of this chapter)