Chapter 177 How could the vast Land of Water not accommodate two Mizukage?
"I... really can?" Although Takagi Seiwan said this, Uchiha Touko saw a look of excitement in his eyes. Uchiha Touko wasn't surprised by this. Every ninja from a major ninja village grew up listening to the legends of their own Kage.
Although they might face reality due to their own talent and background when they grow up, the opportunity was now in front of them, and Takagi Seiwan's ambition was also 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 become the Fifth Mizukage, or perhaps Mr. Takagi lacks the confidence to be a good Fifth Mizukage?"
"Hokage! I really want to improve!" Upon hearing Uchiha Touko's words, Takagi Seiwan immediately lost his composure and slid down to his knees before him.
"Hehe, it's good that Mr. Takagi has this confidence," Uchiha Touko said with a smile.
"As the leader of the five great nations' ninja villages, the Mizukage is one of the few in this ninja world worthy of the title," Uchiha Touko said, patting Takagi on the shoulder. "Mr. Takagi, once you become Mizukage, you must shoulder the responsibilities of the Mizukage."
"I will," Takagi replied, delighted by Uchiha Touko's words, already imagining his wonderful life as Mizukage.
"However..." Uchiha Touko's tone shifted, "There's an old saying, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch.' Do you agree, Mr. Takagi?"
Hearing Uchiha Touko's words, Takagi's face showed a troubled expression. He knew that now it was time to negotiate. If he wanted Konoha's support to become Mizukage, he would have to pay a heavy price.
However, the thought of sitting on the supremely glorious position of Mizukage quickly extinguished any remaining rationality Takagi possessed.
"Hokage! I'm willing to do anything to become Mizukage!" Takagi said excitedly.
"Hey, that's a nice way of putting it." Uchiha Touko waved his hand. "Although we, Konoha and your Kirigakure, have had some friction in the past wars, I think we can still be friendly neighbors. Our sending troops to help Kirigakure quell the rebellion this time is a good start, isn't it?"
"Absolutely, absolutely." Takagi Seiwan said. "Kirigakure will forever remember your and Konoha's kindness."
"Kindness is too much to ask." Uchiha Touko said. "After all, our Konoha troops were hired at great expense by your Fourth Mizukage, and now that your Fourth Mizukage hasn't woken up, I'm also worried about who to ask for this debt."
"Don't worry, Hokage. Kirigakure is certainly not the kind of ninja village that doesn't pay its debts. Kirigakure will take full responsibility for all debts." Takagi Seiwan said after gritting his 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.
Takagi Seiwan was shocked when he saw the list. The various military expenditures were all in the billions, and the Six-Tails from the rebel army was even included.
"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 repay.
"That's why I told you to see the conditions offered by your Fourth Hokage before making a decision," Uchiha Touko said. "It's clear that these rebels are putting a lot of pressure on your Mizukage; they're even using the Tailed Beasts as leverage for reinforcements."
Takagi Seiwan looked at the list, hesitant, glancing at it every now and then, then looking up at Uchiha Touko.
Takagi Seiwan knew very well that this was probably the condition Konoha and Uchiha Touko were using to push him to become the Fifth Mizukage.
Uchiha Touko noticed Takagi Seiman's gaze, but said nothing. He simply smiled warmly, took out a spare tea set from the sealing scroll, and began brewing tea on the Mizukage's desk.
Uchiha Touko wasn't worried that Takagi Seiman would refuse the list. Based on the intelligence reports, this guy was a complete and utterly 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 entire Kirigakure's shoulders, it wouldn't affect him as the Mizukage at all.
Sure enough, not long after, Takagi Seiman nodded in agreement.
"Kirigakure will repay Konoha's assistance on time and as promised," Takagi Seiman said.
"I knew I wouldn't misjudge you. 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 Seiman towards the Mizukage's office chair.
"Mr. Takagi is about to become the Fifth Mizukage, why not experience what it's like to sit in this position beforehand?" Uchiha Touko said with a smile.
"No, no, no, I can't, I can't!" Takagi Seiwan waved his hands repeatedly, but he couldn't resist Uchiha Touko. It could be said that he was almost forcibly dragged to the Mizukage's office chair.
"Eh, what's wrong with that? 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 is it? Mr. Takagi, how does it feel?" Uchiha Touko asked with a smile.
Takagi Seiwan didn't reply, his face flushed with an unusual blush, savoring the feel of the Mizukage's office chair.
"Mr. Takagi will be my peer as Kage from now on. I hope you will take good care of me in the future." Uchiha Touko said slowly after Takagi Seiwan had finished enjoying himself.
"What are you saying, Hokage? You are my senior in how to be a good Kage of a village. I still have a lot to learn from you." After recovering, Takagi Seiwan looked at Uchiha Touko with some 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 didn't want to give up the chair he was sitting on now.
"Eh, that's true. Let's progress together." Uchiha Touko said, "However, Mr. Takagi, have you thought about how to deal with the rebels who have now spread to the northern part of the Land of Water?"
Takagi Seiwan was stunned when he heard this. That's right, even if he really became the Mizukage, with the current strength of Kirigakure, he would not be able to stop those rebels. Any one of the rebel leaders was stronger than him.
"What advice does Your Hokage have for me?" Takagi Seiwan knew he couldn't deal with the rebels, so he placed his hopes on Uchiha Touko.
"The rebels are indeed a force to be reckoned with," Uchiha Touko said. "Otherwise, your Fourth Mizukage wouldn't have lowered himself to ask Konoha for help. And now, Kirigakure has suffered heavy losses in this battle, making it even more difficult for you to withstand the rebels' advance."
"However," Uchiha Touko changed the subject, "I wonder if Mr. Takagi has heard of the Konoha Pact plan that we previously implemented?"
"What...what is this?" Kirigakure had been in a state of isolation for many years, so Takagi Seiman was unaware of this treaty that indirectly led to the war between the Land of Waterfall and the Land of Earth.
Seeing this, Uchiha Touko removed the kettle from the stove, brewed a cup of tea, and handed it to Takagi Seiman before explaining the contents of the treaty in detail.
"You mean Konoha will station troops to help us resist those rebels?" Takagi Seiman asked, delighted.
"Of course." Uchiha Touko nodded with a smile. He could tell that Takagi Seiman's already limited rationality had been completely exhausted since sitting down. All he had said was that Konoha would station troops to help them resist the rebels; the conditions for their help were completely ignored.
However, this was exactly what Uchiha Touko wanted to hear.
"Hokage, when will Kirigakure be able to join this treaty?" Takagi Seiman asked.
"Well, let's talk about that after Mr. Takagi becomes Mizukage," Uchiha Touko said, waving his hand.
"I understand, I understand, I was too presumptuous," Takagi Seiwan chuckled.
...
The next day, the Mizukage selection vote in Kirigakure was officially held. Because Kirigakure currently had too few Jonin with voting rights, this vote was changed to allow all Kirigakure ninja to participate.
The voting was conducted anonymously, and Takagi Seiwan was successfully elected as the Fifth Mizukage of Kirigakure with 51% of the votes.
Upon hearing this result, all the Kirigakure ninja who participated in the vote looked at each other with expressions of disbelief. You see
, among the three elite Jonin candidates, Takagi Seiwan had the worst interpersonal relationships and reputation, yet he was elected 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 fled during the war, be the Mizukage?!"
Hearing this, Uchiha Touko, standing on the platform, stepped forward and said coldly, "This vote was conducted fairly by me personally. 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.
"N-no...no." The man who had spoken earlier looked extremely ugly, but seeing Uchiha Touko's hand already on his waist, he could only suppress his temper and speak obediently. "
Then please, Lord Takagi, come up to the stage to give your inaugural speech."
The Kirigakure ninja below the stage had some doubts about the election results, but with the Konoha ninja all around them watching them intently, they could only watch helplessly as Takagi Seiman swaggered onto the stage to deliver his inaugural address.
In his inaugural address, Takagi Seiwan devoted considerable time to thanking Konoha and Uchiha Touko, then declared that upon becoming the Fifth Mizukage, he would lead Kirigakure to overcome its past woes and usher in a new era of glory. After Takagi Seiwan finished
speaking, Uchiha Touko led a round of enthusiastic applause. Then, Uchiha Touko walked onto the stage and placed the Mizukage's hat on Takagi Seiwan's head.
This scene enraged some Kirigakure ninja in the audience. When had their Kirigakure Mizukage ever needed a Konoha Hokage to bestow his title? Wasn't Uchiha Touko's action a blatant admission that Kirigakure was completely subjugated?
But Takagi Seiwan, on the other hand, seemed completely unfazed by this humiliation. He shamelessly accepted the hat from Uchiha Touko, cheerfully put it on, and waved to the audience.
Most of the Kirigakure ninja watched this scene with cold eyes, but at this moment, Takagi Seiwan's appointment as the Fifth Mizukage was a foregone conclusion.
Takagi Seiman's first act upon assuming office was to sign a contract with Uchiha Touko, agreeing to join the Konoha Pact.
The following day, Uchiha Fugaku, temporarily appointed commander of the Water and Fire Armies, was teleported over by Shiranui Genma and the other two and took up his post.
News of Takagi Seiman becoming the Fifth Mizukage spread throughout the Land of Water.
At this moment, Mei Terumi and Zabuza, who were recovering from their injuries, were utterly astonished upon hearing this news. They had heard of Takagi Seiman's name back in Kirigakure, and his appointment as the Fifth Mizukage was completely unexpected.
However, after hearing that Takagi Seiman had signed an unequal contract with Uchiha Touko, they realized that this was likely all a conspiracy by Uchiha Touko.
"That Takagi Seiman! He's selling out the country!" 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, teeming with insects, one falling only to be replaced by another.
"No, we absolutely cannot acknowledge this guy's position as Mizukage!" Mei Terumi said after a moment of contemplation.
"Then what should we do?" Kisame sighed.
"We'll stay here and establish Kirigakure independently! We absolutely cannot acknowledge their traitorous regime as the legitimate successor to our Land of Water," Mei Terumi said through gritted teeth. "I hope everyone will support me in becoming the Fifth Mizukage."
"Alright!" Kisame Hoshigaki nodded.
"That's the only way for now," Zabuza nodded.
The next day, news of Kirigakure's rebellion establishing itself in the northern part of the Land of Water spread throughout the entire country.
Suddenly, the Land of Water found itself in an unprecedented situation with two Mizukage.
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