Ch. 361Fugaku, eager to learn
Key plot points and events
- Asura calls Dave for help with his grandmother’s ambitious attempt to boil lumps of dough using a huge supply of flour. Dave evades the request by suggesting other people help instead.
- Kakuzu storms into Dave’s office, alarmed that Kumogakure has launched its own phone and that sales of Dave’s “Love Kidney Phone” have dipped slightly. Dave dismisses the rival device as obsolete, but learns that Kumogakure is enforcing local-product patriotism by punishing users of foreign phones. Other villages may follow.
- Dave devises a response and persuades Kakuzu to carry it out by promising him a larger share of company profits. Kakuzu departs in disguise on the Akatsuki’s motorcycle, eager to add schemes of his own until Dave tells him not to overcomplicate the plan.
- Dave receives a call that sounds like a kidnapping threat, but it is actually Mikoto’s after-school instructor: Dave has forgotten to pick her up. He rushes over and finds Fugaku with her.
- When Fugaku begins to speak, Dave sends him flying. Mikoto explains that Fugaku has joined her girls’ dance class, run by an instructor formerly in the Uchiha Girl Group. Fugaku begged to be admitted and, despite being a boy, wears a skirt and dances with the girls. He is apparently exceptionally good at it, though he has been limping lately.
- Dave suspects Fugaku has been beaten or otherwise hurt and decides to confront him later, but ultimately gives up for the moment.
Character developments and interactions
- Dave remains shrewd in business but easily irritated and impulsive in family matters. He avoids Asura’s messy request, dismisses the phone threat with confidence, then realizes he has neglected his parenting duties. His rough treatment of Fugaku contrasts with his affection and guilt toward Mikoto.
- Kakuzu is fiercely protective of the company’s market share, yet his outrage quickly gives way to self-interest when Dave offers him more profit. His eagerness to expand the plan shows his instinct for elaborate schemes.
- Fugaku is portrayed as unusually determined and open to embarrassing himself: he persistently persuades the dance instructor to let him join, and excels at the class. Dave’s hostility toward him, and Fugaku’s attempt to approach Dave, frame their relationship as tense and comically adversarial.
- Mikoto cheerfully reveals Fugaku’s secret and appears fond of teasingly recounting his dancing.
- Asura is anxious and flattering as he tries to recruit Dave to help with his grandmother’s cooking experiment.
Significant themes
- Satire of corporate competition and protectionism: Kumogakure’s outdated phone is less threatening than its nationalist policies, which could prompt other villages to imitate it.
- Scheming and self-interest: Dave and Kakuzu treat business maneuvering as routine, with profit serving as Kakuzu’s chief incentive.
- Comedic family neglect and affection: Dave can manage corporate crises but forgets to pick up his daughter, then overreacts to the boy accompanying her.
- Dedication and social expectations: Fugaku’s persistence in joining a girls’ dance class challenges assumptions about what boys should do, while his skill makes the situation even more amusing.