Ye Zi understood Kushina better than he understood himself. Feeling the heartbeat coming from behind him, he let out a silent sigh.
If he pried Kushina's hands apart, he would hurt her again, so Ye Zi chose to respond with silence.
The howling wind swept up dead leaves and dust, slapping them both without mercy. Neither was affected, however, as they listened to each other's heartbeats, as if tapping a gentle melody against the other with an index finger.
The scattered leaves swirled up into the sky before slowly falling back down.
Kushina lowered her head and silently released her hands, taking several steps back.
Ye Zi slowly turned around and calmly looked at Kushina's lowered head. A trace of bewilderment flashed through his eyes.
"During this period after the war ended, whenever the night grew quiet, I often wondered... If I had left with you that night when you pursued Orochimaru..." Kushina lowered her head and gently bit her lip.
A circle of ripples suddenly spread across the dust on the ground.
Ye Zi glanced at the tiny patch of dampness on the ground, then suddenly reached out and pressed down hard on Kushina's head. "There are no ifs..."
Kushina's moist eyes trembled slightly, but she remained silent.
"It's time to go, crybaby."
Ye Zi withdrew his hand, passed Kushina, and walked toward the buildings.
"You're the crybaby!"
Kushina raised her head like a bolt of lightning, quickly wiped the corners of her eyes, and hurried after him.
"Oh, you've cried seventeen times." Ye Zi tilted his head slightly and looked at the leaves being swept through the sky by the wind over the wilderness, the corners of his mouth curling up faintly.
"..." Fire flashed in Kushina's eyes, but she had no way to refute him. Even though