Chapter 321 – The Strange Man
Tsunade brought Mei Terumi to the Hatake residence and explained everything that had happened to Hatake Yusuke in full detail. After listening to it all, Yusuke could only fall into silence.
Was this what people meant when they said disaster fell straight from the sky?
Yusuke felt like this world was truly filled with nothing but malicious intent toward him.
"Mei Terumi… if I remember correctly, I've never offended you, have I?" Yusuke said helplessly.
"Lord Yusuke, your memory truly is remarkable. You really have never offended me," Mei Terumi replied with a teasing smile.
"Then please, just go back. Konoha doesn't welcome you. No—more accurately, I personally don't welcome you very much," Yusuke said calmly.
"Lord Yusuke, this time I came because—"
"A marriage alliance, right?" Yusuke cut in, his tone light and dismissive. "To be honest, no matter who the Hokage is—whether it's my little brother or my wife—there are things that even if I don't want them, no one can force me. Let alone make me compromise."
"Lord Yusuke, there may be a small misunderstanding," Mei Terumi said. "I did come here for a marriage alliance, but I am no longer the Fifth Mizukage. I believe I still have the personal right to pursue my own happiness, don't I? Even if that person happens to be you, you don't have the right to interfere, do you?"
Seeing the determination in Mei Terumi's eyes, no one else said anything more. Meanwhile, Yusuke didn't seem particularly bothered.
He really didn't have the right to stop someone else from chasing their happiness—even if that someone was himself.
That said, Yusuke still narcissistically reached up and touched his own handsome face.
"Ah… if being handsome is a sin, then I truly am unforgivable," Yusuke muttered dramatically.
Before he could finish, Tsunade's fist came crashing down, enhanced by her monstrous chakra control. Yusuke was sent flying across the yard like a stray leaf caught in a storm.
"You're really infuriating! I've never seen someone so shameless in my life!" Tsunade snapped, her face twisted with anger.
"Tsunade-hime, don't say that. Lord Yusuke's looks really are something rarely seen in this world," Mei Terumi added smoothly.
"Hmph. Mizukage, if you have no other business, then leave," Tsunade said coldly.
"Of course. But before I go, allow me to inform Princess Tsunade that I happen to be staying at a residence nearby. If you ever find yourself with free time, please feel free to visit," Mei Terumi said as she stood and gracefully took her leave.
On the other side of things, after being sent flying by Tsunade's punch, Yusuke immediately went looking for Minato and Kushina to ask for advice. But clearly, this wasn't a problem that could be solved so easily.
Feeling completely powerless, Yusuke eventually chose his final option—Jiraiya.
Who would've thought that old bastard would come up with a whole series of horrifying ideas?
Even someone as sane as Yusuke could only shake his head after hearing them. Without hesitation, he stepped on Jiraiya's back and cruelly pressed down on the pressure points near his eyes.
That incident quickly sent shockwaves throughout the entire shinobi world.
In a village surrounded by endless stretches of desert sand—
"Gaara, there's something I need to talk to you about," said a valiant-looking woman with a massive fan strapped to her back. Her voice carried a rare note of anxiety.
"Huh, Temari? What's wrong?" Gaara asked, looking at her in confusion. His usually calm older sister looked unusually restless today.
"I'm going to Konoha," Temari said.
"Konoha? But the time agreed upon in the summit hasn't arrived yet. Why go to Konoha now?" Gaara asked, his face full of confusion.
"Don't talk nonsense. I have to go to Konoha right now," Temari said as she turned around and started packing her things.
"Wait," Gaara called out. He truly couldn't understand what had happened to his normally composed sister, or why she was so easily fired up today.
"Come on, Gaara. You still haven't noticed?" Kankurō said. "This time, Temari might leave… and not come back."
"What do you mean?" Gaara asked, even more confused.
"Didn't you hear the news from Konoha?" Kankurō asked back.
"What news?" Gaara pressed.
"It's about the Fifth Mizukage, Mei Terumi," Kankurō said.
"You really don't care about news this big in the shinobi world?" Kankurō continued. "The Fifth Mizukage proposed a marriage alliance with Konoha. And the family she's targeting is the Hatake family."
"Yusuke-senpai's family, huh. But even so, what does that have to do with Temari going to Konoha?" Gaara asked, still not understanding.
Kankurō looked at Gaara like he was staring at a complete idiot. Then he explained about Mei Terumi's presence in Konoha, as well as the fact that the target of the marriage alliance was Hatake Yusuke himself.
"That actually sounds like a good idea. A marriage alliance really would help future development," Gaara said. "But why is Temari in such a rush to go to Konoha?"
"You're hopeless. Can't you see it?" Kankurō said, his face full of worry. "Temari likes Yusuke-senpai."
Right now, whenever Gaara thought about Konoha, the only person that came to mind was Naruto.
Even the slightest change in Naruto's emotions was something he could sense. Yet when it came to his own sister falling in love, he hadn't noticed a thing.
"What? But doesn't Yusuke-senpai already have a wife?" Gaara asked in shock.
"That's exactly why. Right now, Temari is basically jumping straight into a fire," Kankurō said, waving his hand.
Elsewhere, a large man with dark skin sat with his arms crossed.
"I didn't expect Mei Terumi to actually think of a move like this. That woman really isn't simple," said the Fourth Raikage.
"Hmph. She actually dares to set her sights on Lord Yusuke. Disgusting."
"Enough. For now, let's see how the Fifth Mizukage handles this. This time, Hatake Yusuke is really going to suffer," the Fourth Raikage said, a grin spreading across his face at someone else's misfortune.
Meanwhile, in the Land of Earth—
"In that case, our Iwagakure Village can do the same," the Tsuchikage said as he looked down at the report on his desk.
"Call Kurotsuchi here," Ōnoki ordered.
Back in Konoha, Yusuke lay lazily on a patch of grass, staring up at the sky. At that moment, a figure walked over with equally relaxed steps.
"What a coincidence, Yusuke," the man greeted.
"Oh, so it's you, Shikaku-nii. What a coincidence. I didn't expect you to come here too," Yusuke said, looking at him.
Shikaku lay down beside him without a second thought.
"I didn't really have a choice. Just wanted to find a place to relax for a bit," Shikaku said.
"Oh? Kicked out by your sister-in-law?" Yusuke teased with a grin.
"Aren't you in the same situation? Your business is already known all over Konoha," Shikaku replied, dark lines forming on his face.
"Ah, I never thought I, Hatake Yusuke, would live to see a day like this. Truly troublesome, being too handsome," Yusuke said indifferently.
Hearing that, Yusuke's shamelessness rose another level in Shikaku's eyes.
"By the way, aren't you afraid of Tsunade? You're still able to relax here so comfortably," Shikaku said.
"Ah, don't worry about it. Don't be fooled by that short-tempered little Tsunade. She's actually really easy to coax. Once her anger cools down, I'll just go back," Yusuke said.
"That's really something to envy. Being able to live so comfortably every day," Shikaku said with genuine jealousy.
"As humans, we should live according to what we like. Otherwise, wouldn't we miss out on a lot of fun?" Yusuke replied.
"Hehehe, you've got a point there," Shikaku agreed.
The two biggest "salted fish" in Konoha enjoyed this peaceful moment together, completely unaware that their tranquil days were about to come to an end.
Especially that white-haired man.
Of course, neither of them realized it in the slightest.
Elsewhere, inside a hidden base—
"Kaguya… I didn't expect you to not be sealed away after all. In that case, the grudge between us needs to be settled," said a man with a truly strange appearance.
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