Chapter 357 – Best Friends
"Go on, get out of here. There's nothing going on between her and me," Yusuke said, a look of utter helplessness washing over his face.
Even though Kaguya's feelings for Yusuke were so obvious that practically everyone could see them, Yusuke himself remained blissfully unaware. The women of the Hatake household weren't about to spell it out for him either, while Temari and Mei Terumi had already moved into the Hatake estate. Strangely enough, it was actually Tsunade who had given them permission to stay.
(In truth, Tsunade hadn't exactly wanted to, but Hatake Yusuke had brought up the topic of 'physical condition'—and well, those who know, know.)
"Anyway, Suo... your name is Hatake Yusuke now, right?"
"Yeah. In this life, I am Hatake Yusuke," Yusuke replied with a lazy shrug.
"Damn. With those looks and that face of yours, I honestly thought your name was Gojo Satoru. You gave me a real heart attack back there," the fat man remarked.
He knew all too well that Gojo Satoru's abilities were beyond broken. Even as a God of Death, even if he was technically stronger than Gojo, if he ever got caught in Unlimited Void, it would likely be game over for him too.
"Tch, Gojo Satoru? Is he even half as handsome as I am?" Yusuke countered, his tone laced with mock frustration. Besides, in his eyes, Gojo Satoru's power level wasn't actually that big of a deal.
"Tch, look at that ikemen face. Just like your old self. Truly annoying," the fat man muttered, his voice dripping with envy.
"Forget it, I'm not in the mood to argue with you. I need to go finish off that Tenshiki guy soon," Yusuke said.
"Wait. Can you take me to the human world? I've been stuck in this place for years. I'm bored to death. Bro, you're my brother. I know you've got a way. Take me out to see the sights," the fat man pleaded.
He had made it all the way to the world of Naruto; it would be a total waste if he didn't at least get to see the main characters, wouldn't it?
"Fine, fine. Seriously. I only intended to move around for a bit; I didn't expect to run into you," Yusuke said, sighing.
Meanwhile, the fat man felt equally helpless. He never would have imagined that he, a God of Death, didn't even possess a tenth of his old friend's power.
But what else could he do? Moments later, Hatake Yusuke utilized the power of the Ope Ope no Mi to isolate the space around the fat man's body.
Then, invoking the power of the Hell Path, he vanished from the spot. His two subordinates eventually woke up. The fat man sent an explanation directly into their minds before departing with Yusuke toward the outside world.
"By the way, fatty, there's one thing I don't get. Why can't I revive my mother?" Yusuke asked, his face clouded with confusion.
"About that... honestly, it's not that she can't be revived. To put it bluntly, your mother was too weak. Her soul isn't strong enough to pay the price of coming back to life. There's even a chance she'd suffer a soul-shattering backlash and be completely erased," the fat man explained.
"Besides, in the Pure Land, some weak souls eventually fade away and return to the human world. That's what's known as reincarnation. However, for the powerful ones, their souls never truly vanish," the fat man continued.
"I see. If that's the case, then this becomes easy," Yusuke said, a faint smile playing on his lips.
The two of them exited the world of the dead and returned to Konoha.
"Hold on a second. This is my first time visiting; it wouldn't be right to show up empty-handed," the fat man said.
With that, he vanished from Yusuke's sight. Yusuke let out a soft chuckle. For those who came from the same homeland, the etiquette bred into their very bones was something they could never forget.
Being able to meet his best friend from his previous life here made Yusuke incredibly happy. It wasn't long before the fat man returned, lugging a mountain of goods.
Then, the two of them headed toward the Hatake residence.
As soon as they stepped inside, they found Tsunade and the others gathered for dinner.
"You're back," Sakumo noted, his gaze shifting from Yusuke to the fat man carrying a hoard of items with a look of pure curiosity.
"Yeah. Since everyone's here, let me introduce you. This is my best friend. You can just call him Fatty," Yusuke said.
"And as for who they are—" Yusuke started to introduce his family, but the fat man cut him off.
"It's fine, it's fine. I already know who everyone is."
"Hello, Uncle. Hello, sisters-in-law. My name is Okawa, but you can just call me Fatty," the fat man said with a friendly, beaming smile.
"Tsunade, sister-in-law, this is a gift for you. Don't be shy," the stout man added.
Tsunade and the other women were taken aback. This man was just like Yusuke—incredibly easy to get along with.
"Kurenai, sister-in-law, this one's for you."
"Temari, sister-in-law, for you."
…
…
…
Yusuke could only watch on helplessly. He had no idea just how many things the fat man had actually bought. Meanwhile, Temari, Mei Terumi, and Kaguya all blushed slightly at being addressed as 'sister-in-law.'
"If I'm not mistaken, you're Hatake Gojo—ah, no, I mean, Hatake Kakashi! Kakashi-senpai, right? I'm a huge fan! Can I get an autograph?" the fat man asked, his face radiating excitement. Kakashi, for his part, looked completely bewildered, having no clue what was happening.
Yusuke slapped a hand over his forehead, nursing a growing headache.
"Enough, stop embarrassing yourself, Fatty," Yusuke muttered.
"Right, right," the fat man said, quickly taking a seat.
In truth, everyone was quite curious about him. To be called Yusuke's 'best friend' when even Tsunade and Yuhi Kurenai had never heard of him only piqued their interest further.
Dinner was finished in short order.
"Uncle Fatty, you're really strong, aren't you?" Ryoha asked, staring intently at the man.
"Huh? Me? I'm super weak," the fat man replied, looking at his nephew who had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Don't lie. Even with my Six Eyes, it's a bit hard to see the depth of your power. Your strength should be enormous," Ryoha insisted.
"No, what you said is actually right. You are weak, but the power inside your body is of an extremely high level," Ryoha murmured to himself. Hearing that, the fat man's face slumped. He grumbled internally, Uncle Fatty needs some dignity too, you know.
On the other side of the room, Tsunade was frowning as she stared at Yusuke.
"Who exactly is that man?" she asked.
"Well... back when I was traveling, he once saved my life," Yusuke said.
He honestly didn't know how else to explain it. Besides, he had a nagging feeling that telling the full truth wouldn't lead to anything good.
Tsunade remained a bit skeptical, but since she couldn't find any holes in his story, she decided to let it go.
A few days passed. Yusuke stayed home, spending his time accompanying the women. He even found himself solidifying his relationships with Temari and the others, which left him feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"Kaguya, do you know the way to the Otsutsuki clan?" Hatake Yusuke asked.
"You want to go to the Otsutsuki clan?" Kaguya asked, her voice tinged with confusion. (Note: At this time, Kaguya was pregnant, carrying a blessing from a human.)
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