The Whirlpool Yangmei

"Grandma Shanping, I leave little Zeyu in your care. If we don't return... I'll have to trouble you from here on out. I am truly sorry." After Yangmei left, Meiling approached Grandma Shanping and placed Zeyu, who she had been holding, into the old woman's arms.

Grandma Shanping looked down at the child in her embrace, her heart filled with complex emotions.

"Meiling, are you going too? Are you going to bring Yangmei back?" Shanping asked with concern.

"Yes, Grandma. I'm going to bring Yangmei back. I've trained too, so I can protect her along the way." Meiling forced a smile and flexed her arm to show off a hint of muscle.

But honest, kind-hearted people are poor liars; Meiling's acting was seen through in an instant.

"Grandma knows what you're planning, and I don't intend to stop you. This is your choice. If I were to interfere, I suspect you would hate this old woman for the rest of your lives."

Realizing she had been exposed, Meiling could only lower her head, her left hand resting on her right arm, and remain silent.

"Leave Zeyu to me. Rest assured, if it is at all possible, I hope all three of you return safely. You are all such good children."

Shanping stepped in front of Meiling, used her hands to tidy Meiling's hair, and then placed a hand on her face.

"Go. Bring them both back, and stay safe."

Meiling lifted her head, her eyes shimmering with light. She gripped Shanping's hand and said, "Thank you, Grandma. I leave little Zeyu to you. I'm going."

With that, she turned and ran off to catch up with Yangmei.

She understood why Yangmei had made this decision. Her love for her husband was one reason, but Grandma Shanping's presence was another. When she had been at a loss because of Zeyu, Grandma Shanping's appearance had solidified her resolve to find Aihua.

She did not want to live with regrets.

She did not want to end up like Grandma Shanping, who never got to see her husband one last time.

If she were to just go to the shelter and hide away now, she wouldn't be able to forgive herself. Even if it meant finding a corpse, she had to go.

As long as she found him, there would be no regrets, because she would have tried.

If, by some miracle, he was still alive, and she missed her chance because she hadn't gone, she would hate herself for the rest of her life.

Though Yangmei was usually gentle, considerate, and virtuous, she was also quite stubborn; once she set her mind on something, she wouldn't easily change it.

As for Zeyu, with Grandma Shanping—who treated Yangmei like her own daughter and was just as kind to Zeyu—she had no worries about the boy being mistreated, especially with Meiling there as well.

Shanping watched Meiling leave, shaking her head with a sigh. She looked down at Zeyu in her arms and, not daring to delay any longer, ran in the opposite direction.

On the other side, Yangmei was sprinting toward her family's shop located on Central Street. Because it was Central Street, near the center of the village, the rent was exorbitant; the further in you went, the more expensive it became. At the time they rented the shop, the couple had emptied almost all their savings to secure a spot further inside to better their business and earn more money.

Now, that area had been almost razed to the ground; even the Nine-Tails found it uninteresting and had moved toward the outskirts.

Groups of ninjas were fighting in the vicinity, attempting to drive the beast out of Konoha.

When Yangmei arrived, she saw that the buildings had mostly collapsed, leaving only rows of high, charred timber piles that crackled in the flames. As she walked, she passed several corpses, and occasionally, a burnt beam would crash to the ground, kicking up clouds of dust.

Yangmei felt as if the sky had collapsed. Her eyes turned hollow, and she kept chanting her husband's name.

After standing dazed for a moment, she sprinted to the site of their shop.

She began to shout her husband's name at the top of her lungs, moving the mountain of wooden planks as she called out.

Meiling, who had arrived at Central Street, heard Yangmei's cries. She locked onto Yangmei's position and quickly reached her side.

"Yangmei, I'm here to help!" Meiling didn't waste words; she immediately started moving the large pieces of timber.

"Meiling! ...Thank you." Yangmei was startled, but she knew her sister well and didn't ask questions. Her heart was filled with gratitude.

"Don't mention it. Let's hurry; it's still very dangerous here."

"Yes." Yangmei felt a little more at ease. With someone helping, they would find Aihua much faster.

Her longing to find her husband intensified, for she knew that with two people working together, they would find him soon.

The extreme desire in her heart triggered a dormant power.

Yangmei suddenly felt a throb in her chest; she clutched her heart and closed her eyes.

"Yangmei, what's wrong?" Meiling, noticing the change, asked immediately.

With the activation of the Kagura Mind's Eye, Yangmei locked onto Aihua's location and sensed his condition.

Tears streamed down her face. After rushing forward a short distance, she began to move the debris with even greater desperation.

"Aihua! Aihua, he's dying!" Yangmei screamed as she tore through the ruins.

Meiling reacted instantly and stepped in to help. Though she didn't know how Yangmei had pinpointed Aihua's location, seeing Yangmei's state made her heart tighten, and she began digging instinctively.

After the two worked together for a short while, they saw Aihua buried beneath the rubble. With one final effort, they finally dug him out.

Aihua's face was deathly pale, his hair covered in white ash, and his body stained with blood. Being pressed under the hot embers had caused his blood to congeal with the ash. His right shoulder was pierced by a wooden beam, a gruesome wound. Aihua had lost consciousness, and only a faint heartbeat proved he was still alive.

"Aihua, Aihua, wake up! Don't die!" Yangmei had already pulled Aihua onto her lap, calling out to him incessantly, desperate for a response. Her tears fell in large drops, landing on Aihua's head.

Meiling, watching from the side, furrowed her brows. Having graduated from the Ninja Academy, she could see that Aihua was critically wounded and on the verge of death—he was hanging on by a single thread. Since Yangmei had been able to sense him earlier, she likely understood this too.

Unable to bear interrupting them, she simply watched quietly as the young couple reunited, her own heart aching as she turned away to wipe her tears.

"Aihua, Aihua, wake up! Open your eyes and look at me, I've come to find you."

"Don't you dare leave me behind! Get up, stop sleeping!"

Yangmei sobbed as she tried to rouse Aihua. She knew he was truly on the brink of death; if he didn't wake up now, he might just pass away like this, without saying a single word.

After slapping his cheeks, shaking him, and pinching him, Aihua finally stirred.

"Yangmei, that pinch really hurt," Aihua said weakly, a faint smile appearing on his face.

Hearing him finally wake up, Yangmei was overcome with emotion; she threw her arms around him and wept even louder.

"Alright, alright, it's okay, I'm here," Aihua said, weakly raising his left hand to pat her back.

Yangmei didn't say a word. She pulled back, looked at Aihua's face, and kissed him without hesitation, tears still streaming down her cheeks.

Meiling, watching from the side, was stunned, a blush creeping onto her face. Just as she was about to remind them to head somewhere safe, a roar from the Nine-Tails in the distance interrupted the three of them.

"Scatter! Get away from the Nine-Tails!"

The ninjas near the Nine-Tails sensed something was wrong and immediately began to retreat, gathering to one side.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Third Hokage, arrived and issued his orders.

"Do not panic! Withdraw to the side, gather your strength, and wait for my command to counterattack!"

Damn that Nine-Tails, Sarutobi Hiruzen thought.

He then looked toward the blond-haired young man standing atop the Hokage Rock—the Fourth Hokage, Namikaze Minato.

At that moment, the Nine-Tails widened its eyes, revealing pupils covered by the Sharingan, its face twisted in rage.

It stood up, its mouth pointed toward the sky, and its nine tails gathered above its maw. A massive sphere of chakra formed rapidly, ready to be unleashed.

Meanwhile, the three of them in the ruins realized that something catastrophic was about to happen; if they didn't leave now, they might never get the chance.

Ninjas had been passing by the street one after another, fleeing in a panic.

They were clearly trying to escape the Nine-Tails.

Meiling urged them, "Yangmei, Aihua, we have to go now, or we'll be in danger. Hurry!"

"Quick, Aihua, let's go," Yangmei realized the urgency and immediately reached under Aihua to lift him up.

Aihua pressed his hand down on hers, looked at her, and shook his head slightly.

Yangmei understood what he meant. Her eyes welled up again, but she gritted her teeth, made a decision, and spoke to Meiling.

"Sister Meiling, you should go on your own."

"Yangmei, you..." Aihua started to say, but Yangmei pressed a finger to his lips.

"Shut up, you idiot. You think you can leave me behind? Not a chance. If you really do that, I'll never talk to you again." As she spoke, she pouted, feigning a look of anger.

Then, she looked up at Meiling and smiled. "I'm sorry, Sister Meiling, but I'm leaving Zeyu to you."

Meiling sighed helplessly. "You really are a stubborn fool, Yangmei. Don't worry about Zeyu."

"Goodbye, Yangmei, Aihua." She forced a smile, waved at them, and turned to run.

She knew the danger was imminent. At a time like this, useless persuasion wouldn't change anything; it was better to do what she had to do and leave the little time they had left to them, so they wouldn't have any regrets.

Meiling ran, tears streaming down her face, gritting her teeth as she picked up speed.

"You two idiots."