"Where are Kushina and the others...?"
After gathering the souls of the three former Hokage and Madara Uchiha, Wuye continued searching for the fragments of their souls.
They were not in this area at all.
"Were they... searching for something...?"
Wuye's soul flew through the vast white space for a very, very long time before finally encountering another glimmer of soul light.
"Buzz."
The scene before him shifted.
"Wuye, I... I like you!"
A girl's clear voice rang out. Before the scene before Wuye had even come into focus, his eyes suddenly reddened.
When he opened his eyes, he found that he had become seven years old.
And seven-year-old Kushina stood prettily before him.
The two of them stood atop Hokage Rock, beneath the Third Hokage's stone head.
"Mmph..."
Before she could even react, Wuye suddenly yanked her fiercely into his arms and held her tight.
"I found you..." Wuye said deeply.
Kushina's eyes were slightly blank at first, then gradually became clear.
"Wuye... is it really... you?"
She wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, yet asked uncertainly.
"It's me! I came for you!" Wuye said quickly.
Tears suddenly welled up in Kushina's bright eyes, rolling down her cheeks in streams.
"Wuye, I've been standing here for so, so long..."
"I confessed over and over again, just like back then, but you never came..."
"Wuye..."
Pressed tightly against Wuye, her entire body trembled without stop.
Wuye held her tightly, unwilling to let go even for a moment.
But soon, the surrounding scene vanished, leaving a wisp of remnant soul in his hand.
"Only... a wisp..."
Wuye wiped away the moisture at the corners of his eyes. A point of Thousand-Pulling Stone light lit up between his brows.
He could now naturally ignore the restriction that required Susanoo to use