Chapter 356 – Suho
Yusuke relaxed his stance.
As the Shinigami made his move, his two subordinates immediately moved to flank Yusuke, the darkness around them intensifying as they prepared to strike.
"Stand down," the Shinigami ordered.
Yusuke slowly began to unwind the bandages from his body. At the same moment, a staggering surge of killing intent manifested behind him—an aura identical to the Shinigami's. It coalesced into a giant hand that snatched the two subordinates into its grasp, while another hand reached out toward the Shinigami himself.
The Death God gathered power in his palms to block the strike, shattering the spectral hand that held his subordinates in a single, fluid motion.
"No matter how many times I see it, you're still terrifyingly strong. You've always been quite unreasonable," the Shinigami said softly.
"Just who are you?" Hearing that tone of voice, Yusuke was now certain that this so-called God of Death knew him personally.
"Have you really forgotten me? Hahaha, well, it makes sense. Back then, your name was Suho," the Shinigami continued. This time, his voice lost its eerie distortion, revealing its true, natural sound.
"Suho?"
Yusuke's pupils contracted violently.
That name... it had been a lifetime since he last heard it. It was a name that didn't belong to this world. A name that no one here should have known.
Why? Because that was his name in his previous life—Suho. How could the Shinigami possibly know it? Was he a transmigrator as well?
"What do you know?" Yusuke's eyes flashed with a cold, murderous intent.
This was his greatest secret. Even to Tsunade, the person closest to him, he had never breathed a word of it.
"Ah, Suho, it's been a long time," the Shinigami said, waving a hand to dispel the red mist.
A man with a face that looked almost comical appeared before Yusuke. No one would have guessed that the dreaded God of Death was actually a small, portly man. He stood about 170 centimeters tall, was quite round, and honestly looked... cute. Yes, almost like a mascot.
"You... Fatty? You ended up in this world too?" Yusuke was stunned for a moment. He walked up to the throne and stared at the man in front of him.
The Shinigami opened his pudgy arms, and the two brothers-in-arms shared a brief embrace. For Yusuke, it felt like meeting an old friend in a foreign land.
A moment later, Yusuke pushed him away with a look of mock disgust and kicked the Shinigami, sending him rolling.
"Hey, hey, hey! Suo, you're still as heartless as ever!" the chubby Shinigami grumbled, patting his robes.
"Beat it. I like women," Yusuke said dismissively, before casually taking a seat on the throne that belonged exclusively to the God of Death.
The moment Yusuke sat down, the Shinigami's subordinates lunged at him in a frenzy.
Voom!
Yusuke's Conqueror's Haki erupted from his body like a tidal wave, instantly knocking every subordinate unconscious. Even the "Fatty" Shinigami felt a cold sweat break out across his back.
"Take it easy, Suo," the Shinigami pleaded.
Yusuke pulled back his aura, while the Shinigami looked at him with an expression full of grievances.
"Anyway, Fatty, you're supposed to be a God of Death. You're way too weak. I came here looking for a fight, but seeing you like this, I don't even have the heart to move a finger," Yusuke said, shaking his head.
"Who in their right mind would want to fight a freak like you?" Fatty replied helplessly.
"But seriously, how did you even end up here?" Yusuke asked, his confusion returning.
"Hah, you think I chose this? This is all your fault!" Fatty barked.
"Mine?"
"Yeah. After you died, Teacher Lia went looking for you," Fatty explained.
He went on to describe how, after Yusuke vanished, his girlfriend had found him, but because Yusuke had crossed into another world, the laws of the heavens in their original world had cracked.
Consequently, Fatty was pulled through as well, carrying a "blessing" from that world to become the Shinigami here. Only by bringing Yusuke back could their original world truly be restored.
"I see. So, how is that world now?" Yusuke asked softly.
"She's not doing well. After you guys were separated, she shut herself away and hasn't come out since," Fatty said.
He knew exactly what Yusuke was asking. Hatake Yusuke—no, Suho—had no other lingering attachments to that world. Except for one woman he could never quite erase from his mind.
"Ah, forget it. That's all in the past," Yusuke sighed. He had been in this world for many years now. Everything must have changed.
"You bastard! Do you have any idea how long Teacher Lia has been waiting for you? When she found out you were dead, she tried to end it multiple times. If it wasn't for her parents, she'd be gone by now," Fatty said, his face reddening with anger.
"Maybe I really did fail her. But after all this time, she might not even be around anymore," Yusuke said in a low voice. No matter how powerful he became, he couldn't just tear through the walls of the universe to return to the past.
"Wait, speaking of which... the chance to cross worlds," Yusuke suddenly remembered a reward from his system.
But then he thought about that world and how much time had passed. Even he couldn't just turn back time and save her, because that was the "Source World." He wasn't sure if his powers would work there.
"Fatty, do you have a way to go back?" Yusuke asked.
"Hah, what can I do? Don't let the title of 'Death God' fool you. This underworld I'm in is basically just a prison. What surprised me most was finding out this is the Naruto world. If I hadn't seen those familiar eyes of yours, I wouldn't have even realized where I was," Fatty said. "But Suo, do you have a way?"
"I do," Yusuke replied.
"Really?" Fatty stared at him, wide-eyed.
"Yeah. But even if we go back, everything might have changed," Yusuke said.
Even with the fragment of heavenly law Fatty possessed, he had only become the Shinigami of this world. In their original world, even Yusuke wasn't sure if he could resurrect the one person he could never forget.
"You don't have to worry about that. When the laws of the heavens froze our original world, it was because of the two of us. As long as we return, that world will resume its flow," Fatty explained.
Yusuke's face brightened for a split second before turning somber again. He was a father and a husband in this world. He had a family and people he couldn't simply abandon.
"Don't sweat it. I know you can't leave your family behind. Trust me, there's an easy fix for that," Fatty said with a smirk.
"Oh? Spit it out then," Yusuke said, eyeing Fatty's annoying face.
"Hehe. When the heavenly laws gave me my power, they also gave me some memories. Specifically, if you obtain the Power of the Laws of this world, you can return to our world without affecting this one at all. You could even go back and forth as you please."
Fatty paused, then added, "And honestly, the power the laws gave me... it was probably meant for you in the first place."
"So how do I get the Power of the Laws of this world? The Rinnegan clearly isn't it. What do I need to do?" Yusuke asked. He clearly wasn't interested in taking Fatty's power.
"It means you have to defeat the strongest being in this world," Fatty said.
"The strongest? That's you, isn't it? But you're so weak, so it can't be. You're basically on par with 'him', and it seems you still can't beat him," Yusuke said, looking at Fatty with disdain.
"You bastard, can't you at least let me keep some of my dignity? I am a God of Death!"
"Tch, you're just weak. Believe it or not, I could pin you to the ground with a tenth of my strength," Yusuke said, rolling his eyes.
Hearing that, Fatty went quiet. He knew Yusuke was telling the truth. He had initially thought he was the "Child of Destiny" after transmigrating, but it turned out he was just a side character.
"Just tell me who it is," Yusuke pressed.
"Fine. That person is actually a god of the Ōtsutsuki clan, named Ōtsutsuki Tenshiki. After I realized this was the Naruto world, the laws provided me with that information," Fatty said.
"How strong is he?" Yusuke asked indifferently.
"Eh, no idea. All I know is... he's stronger than me," Fatty shrugged.
"Fine. I'll go ask Kaguya about it, then I'll go deal with this Tenshiki guy," Yusuke said casually, as if killing an Ōtsutsuki god was as simple as running an errand.
"Kaguya? You say her name so familiarly. Don't tell me you've made Kaguya-hime yours too? You really are something else, Suo. She's an incredible woman. I never thought you'd actually end up with a harem," Fatty said, a lecherous grin spreading across his face.
They were old friends, after all. Fatty knew exactly what kind of man Yusuke used to be—a straight-laced, serious guy. Seeing him like this was a total shock.
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