Naruto: Uchiha Youngjo's Konoha Spring

Chapter 178 Breaking the Backbone of the Hidden Mist

The news that two Mizukage had appeared in the Land of Water quickly spread throughout the entire ninja world.

The daimyo of the Land of Water did not react to this matter. After all, the Land of Water's favorable geographical conditions and the status of a great power guaranteed by the two tailed beasts meant that they were unlikely to face external threats. Under such conditions, the Land of Water became the most notorious cradle of incompetent rulers and treacherous ministers.

Since the generation of daimyo who founded Kirigakure, the Land of Water has had several generations of incompetent rulers.

Otherwise, any monarch with even a modicum of sense would probably not allow their own armed forces to engage in such a corrupting policy as the Blood Mist Village. Therefore, the process of the Mizukage taking office is somewhat different from that of the other major powers. The ninja villages of the other major powers conduct internal elections and then submit the documents to the daimyo for review, while Kirigakure simply gives the documents to the Mizukage for signature and stamping after the Mizukage is elected.

But the irony is that both Takagi Seiman and Terumi Mei sent official documents to the daimyo of the Land of Water immediately after taking office as Mizukage.

The current daimyo of the Land of Water, having been indulging in women for many years and whose mind had been ruined by potent drugs, was too lazy to deal with the matter after receiving the documents from both sides. He simply handed the two documents over to his ministers for processing.

This highlights Mei Terumi's lack of experience.

After learning about the moral standards of the civil officials in the Land of Water from intelligence reports, Uchiha Tokō directly instructed Takagi Shōman to bribe them before returning to the village.

The civil officials who received the benefits naturally signed Takagi Seiman's documents, directly solidifying his legitimacy. At this moment, the new Kirigakure village founded by Terumi Mei and her group was officially designated as a rebel army.

Enraged, Mei Terumi launched another attack on Kirigakure after Zabuza and Kisame had recovered somewhat.

However, these wounded soldiers who had just suffered a defeat paled in comparison to the ninjas of Konoha. Moreover, Mei Terumi, along with Zabuza and Kisame Hoshigaki who were still recovering, did not gain any advantage when facing Fugaku Uchiha.

Despite Fugaku not having made a move for many years and his Mangekyou Sharingan being a non-combat type, his Mangekyou Sharingan foundation is undeniable. Even among Kage-level ninjas, Fugaku is not considered weak. Of the three, only Mei Terumi's Lava Release ninjutsu has the ability to break through Susanoo's defenses.

Ironically, perhaps because they've been using Uchiha Touko as their hypothetical enemy for so long, they've probably forgotten how traditional Uchiha fight. Mei Terumi made the basic mistake of staring directly into Fugaku Uchiha's eyes during the battle.

If it weren't for Zabuza and Kisame risking their lives to save Mei Terumi from her illusion, the new Kirigakure of their resistance would probably have chosen the Sixth Mizukage on the spot.

After this battle, the rebels posed no threat for a short time and could only barely hold onto their territory. With the arrival of Konoha's supplies and merchants from the Land of Fire led by Gato, Kirigakure gradually began its reconstruction.

However, even so, the situation inside Kirigakure did not improve much.

Although the villagers of Kirigakure have resumed production and their living standards have greatly improved compared to the Blood Mist period in the past two or three months thanks to Konoha's aid and investment, the Konoha ninjas who occasionally roam the village are making everyone in Kirigakure, whether civilians or ninjas, very unhappy.

Unlike the Konoha garrison led by Inuzuka Jacques and Aburame Shiki, the Land of Rice Fields and the Land of Hot Springs had no conflicts with Konoha. After Konoha's ninjas were stationed there, they had a very good relationship with their people. Both the local nobles and commoners praised the high quality of Konoha's ninjas.

But the situation is different on the Kirigakure side. It's been less than ten years since the two sides last fought so fiercely that their brains were spilled. Less than ten years is not nearly enough time to erase the hatred between them.

In less than three months, the Konoha garrison and the local Kirigakure villagers clashed several times.

One of the most representative incidents was when a small squad of Konoha garrison went out for drinks during their rest period and encountered some Kirigakure villagers who spoke rudely to them.

The squad leader was also short-tempered. As one of the earliest civilian ninjas to join the guard, he hadn't suffered such humiliation in a long time since Uchiha Touko became the Fifth Hokage. Even the troublemakers of Konoha didn't dare to talk to him like that. How dare you, the people we protect, act so arrogantly in front of our Konoha ninjas?
Already under the influence of alcohol, he was not as calm as usual. In addition, the villagers from Kirigakure were hurling extremely offensive insults at him. In a fit of rage, he led his men to beat up the villagers.

Subsequently, as the Hidden Mist ninjas from the surrounding area arrived, and the Konoha ninjas from the base also arrived, the conflict escalated again.

If Fugaku Uchiha and Seiwan Takagi hadn't arrived in time, the two sides would probably have started fighting right there in the village.

When Fugaku Uchiha arrived at the scene, his face was extremely grim. In his view, these Konoha ninjas represented the face of Konoha when they went out, and attacking civilians over a few words was a complete violation of ninja code. If word got out, it would be a huge blow to the image of Konoha ninjas.

Therefore, Fugaku Uchiha intends to deal with these people seriously.

However, to his surprise, Takagi Seiman took the initiative to attack first. However, his targets were the civilians who had spoken rudely to the Konoha ninjas and the few Kirigakure ninjas who had stood up first in this conflict.

"What are you doing? How dare you speak so disrespectfully to our respected guests?" Takagi Seiwan angrily rebuked. "Don't forget, it was we, your esteemed guests, who helped us drive away the rebels from Kirigakure and helped us rebuild the village! Do you want to go back to the days when the village was shrouded in blood mist? Guards, take them away! These people must be severely punished!"

Soon, several trusted ANBU members cultivated by Takagi Seiwan after taking office stepped forward and took away the civilians and ninjas involved in the conflict, imprisoning them in the ANBU's dungeon. "Hehe, Lord Fugaku, they are, after all, people who have just come from the harsh policies of the Blood Mist, and they are not very familiar with the rules. Please forgive them, Your Excellency and your country's ninjas." After dealing with these people, Takagi Seiwan immediately put on a fawning smile and said to Uchiha Fugaku.

During these three months, although Takagi Seiman, who had taken the position of Mizukage, was often cursed as a traitor by the civilians and ninjas of Kirigakure behind his back, he also truly experienced the benefits of being the Mizukage. Putting aside everything else, in these three months alone, he accumulated wealth that he never dared to dream of before. After Fugaku repelled the attack of Mei Terumi and her two companions, Fugaku Uchiha's position in Takagi Seiman's heart was no different from that of his own father. As long as the heavenly soldiers of Konoha were still there and Fugaku Uchiha was still there, his position as Mizukage would be as secure as Mount Tai.

And now these unruly people dare to disrespect his own father? They must be dealt with seriously! What if Konoha and Fugaku Uchiha are displeased by these unruly people and withdraw their troops? Would he still be alive?
As for their discontent within Kirigakure? Do they really think he's the Mizukage for nothing? In the past three months, he's already dealt with the two elite Jonin from Kirigakure who were competing with him for the position. To be honest, none of the people who became elite Jonin under Karatachi Sanekura's rule had clean hands. Takagi Seiwan had ready-made reasons to punish those two—harming fellow village ninja.

After eliminating his competitors, Takagi Seiman quickly won over a group of loyal followers with benefits. He might not be capable of dealing with Terumi Mei and her group, but he was more than capable of launching a powerful attack on his own people.

Hearing about the outcome and seeing their Mizukage fawning over the Konoha garrison commander, some Kirigakure ninja were practically grinding their teeth in anger, but that was all they could do in their fury.

Fugaku Uchiha was also baffled by Takagi Seiwan's actions. After returning with his men, he first detained the entire squad and then sent a special message to Tokio Uchiha, asking how to handle the matter.

If it were anyone else, they certainly wouldn't bother Uchiha Toko in this situation. Otherwise, even if Uchiha Toko helped come up with a solution, it would make the person seeking help seem very incompetent.

However, Fugaku did not have this concern. Ever since Uchiha Touko took over his position as clan leader, he had become acutely aware of his incompetence in certain areas. In addition, his eldest son, on whom he had placed high hopes, had gone astray. Therefore, Fugaku Uchiha then entered a state of inaction. After Uchiha Touko took over, he was appointed as the class leader of the Jonin team. However, in this position, he simply followed Uchiha Touko's will and did his own job.

As for this appointment as commander of the Water and Fire Army, if it weren't for the fact that no one else in Konoha had the ability and qualifications to take on this position, Fugaku wouldn't have wanted to come here. Spending time with his son in Konoha every day is much more comfortable than coming to Kirigakure, a place where he can't see the sun all year round.

Therefore, Fugaku had no reservations about consulting Uchiha Tokō on such an important matter.

Uchiha Touko's reply to him was very simple, only eight words: simple punishment, let nature take its course.

If such an incident were to occur at the garrison of the Land of Hot Springs and the Land of Rice Fields, Uchiha Touko's opinion would only be to deal with it seriously. This is because the ninjas of these two countries are very weak. In addition to guarding against the Land of Lightning, the ninjas stationed there serve more as a stage for Konoha to showcase its great power status. If such an incident were to occur, it would greatly affect Konoha's image in the eyes of its allies, and the Land of Lightning would also use it to make a big fuss.

But Kirigakure is different. Although Kirigakure has been ravaged by Obito Uchiha's efforts, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and Kirigakure's heritage is still intact. Given time, it wouldn't be difficult for Kirigakure to recover its strength in a decade or so. So, if we want to truly transform Kirigakure into Konoha's aquaculture base, there is only one thing we need to do: break their backbone.

This is why he was willing to risk criticism to personally push Takagi Shōyō to the position of Prime Minister.

To be honest, after three months, Uchiha Touko couldn't help but marvel at how high the quality of Konoha's ninjas had been under the influence of the Will of Fire.

Besides allowing his own ninjas to run rampant in Kirigakure, Uchiha Tokkō also had some White Zetsu disguise themselves as civilians and spread rumors within Kirigakure that the air in Konoha smelled sweet. Furthermore, when merchants from the Land of Fire, such as Gato, invested in Kirigakure, they subtly instilled certain ideas into the minds of the Kirigakure people.

Although these things may take a long time to really take effect, the results are undeniable. Uchiha Touko had already witnessed the terrifying power of such strategies in his previous life.

Just as Uchiha Tokō's transnational breeding business was in full swing, Kumogakure also approached the new Kirigakure established by the resistance forces led by Terumi Mei.

“Miss Mei Terumi, the terms offered by Kumogakure are already quite generous. Compared to the contract that Takagi Seiman signed with Konoha, our terms aren’t too unreasonable, are they?” The Fourth Raikage sat imposingly at his desk, speaking to Mei Terumi through the screen.

"Lord Raikage, would you please allow us some more time to consider?" Mei Terumi said somewhat hesitantly.

“Of course, no problem.” The Fourth Raikage said calmly, “However, is the Mizukage sure that Kirigakure has that much time? Konoha is currently busy supporting Takigakure, which is why it can’t spare any resources. Once the war in Takigakure ends and Konoha is free to act, will you be able to hold off Konoha’s army?”

Mei Terumi fell silent upon hearing this. The Fourth Raikage was telling the truth. After the Konoha garrison helped Takagi Seiman repel their attack that day, they did not expand their gains. This was probably because Konoha still needed to support the Land of Waterfall and did not want to start a full-scale war. However, Mei Terumi also understood that if the situation in the Land of Waterfall changed and Konoha was able to devote all its resources to helping Takagi Seiman, then with their current strength, they would definitely not be able to withstand Konoha's military might.

By then, their Land of Water would truly become a vassal of the Land of Fire, with no future to speak of.

Now, the conditions offered by Kumogakure for their aid are also excessive. If they accept Kumogakure's aid, even if they ultimately win, the debts they need to repay will be astronomical. Kumogakure may have to rely on Kumogakure for survival for many years to come.

However, paying off the debt slowly is better than losing the country. At least the conditions offered by Kumogakure leave room for future negotiation.

After a long sigh, Mei Terumi finally nodded and said, "We agree to cooperate, but we still need to discuss the specific details further."

(End of this chapter)