"Mom!"
Noticing Kushina's slightly open arms, Naruto didn't hesitate, rushing forward to give her a big hug.
This sudden embrace took Kushina by surprise for a moment, and then her heart was filled with overwhelming joy and love.
She hugged her son tightly, as if to make up for the twelve years they had missed.
"You recognized me, you know!"
Kushina's eyes curved into two happy crescents, her voice filled with irrepressible excitement. For all these years, she had fantasized countless times about meeting Naruto, with a mix of worry, anticipation, and anxiety. She never imagined that he would recognize her at first sight. This connection made her heart swell with happiness.
It's a good thing he wasn't dumb enough to mistake me for the Nine-Tails' avatar.
At that moment, Naruto only felt that his mother's embrace was incredibly warm.
"I've always wanted to meet you, you know!"
Kushina paused for a moment, and then her smile became even brighter. She gently patted Naruto's back. "'You know?' You really are my son!" The familiar speech tic made her feel an incredible sense of closeness.
A moment later, the two reluctantly pulled apart. Standing so close, Naruto could clearly feel that his mother's chakra presence was far more potent and lingering than his father's had been just now.
She must be here for a longer time.
Hehe, just as expected of an Uzumaki.
Naruto gazed at Kushina with a brilliant smile, unable to hide the joy in his eyes.
Kushina led Naruto to sit across from her and gently explained, "Minato put a piece of my chakra into the sealing jutsu so I could help you when you needed to control the Nine-Tails' power and assist you in completing this important mission."
She spoke patiently, but noticed that Naruto was just smiling brightly at her, his eyes sparkling as if he wasn't listening at all.
"Are you even listening to me?" Kushina asked, with a mix of helplessness and affection.
"Just as I thought, Mom is a real beauty!"
Although Naruto hadn't known who his parents were before, one thing was certain. He, Naruto Uzumaki, was a handsome guy, so his parents' looks couldn't be bad. Seeing her now, his belief was proven correct.
Being praised so directly by her own son, Kushina was delighted, and a gentle smile bloomed on her face.
"Thank you for the compliment."
Then, with a hint of apology, she added, "Your hair is like your father's, but your face is all me. I'm so sorry for that, Naruto!"
"Why are you apologizing?"
Naruto looked confused. He said honestly, with a touch of pride, "By inheriting the looks of a beautiful mom, my handsomeness is practically unrivaled, you know."
Thinking of this, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. With his recent rise in fame, more and more girls were secretly, and sometimes even openly, confessing their admiration for him. They would send him love letters or corner him, leaving him feeling exhausted.
He had even considered making a public announcement with Sasuke to scare off all his admirers. But then he decided against it. That strategy was too avant-garde for the ninja world. The version update wasn't that fast yet!
Seeing the apologetic look on his mom's face, Naruto decided to complain about it to make her feel better. "It's because I inherited your good looks, Mom. I'm just too handsome, and so many girls are chasing after me. I can't shake them off, it's a real pain, you know."
"Really?" Her beautiful blue eyes lit up instantly, sparkling with excitement. "Tell me, Mom! Are there any girls as amazing as your mom?"
Kushina's reaction was completely unexpected. Naruto thought she would at least offer some comfort or life advice. Instead, she was encouraging him to date so early? Or was she already trying to get him married off?
That's just scary!
Naruto protested, a little comically, "I'm only twelve!"
"Naruto, you're only twelve?"
Looking at Naruto, who was almost as tall as her, it was now Kushina's turn to be surprised. Twelve years old? The age when he just graduated from the academy, and he's already at the stage of needing to fully control the Nine-Tails' power? His talent was truly astonishing!
"Yes."
Naruto nodded gently and seriously. "I've been strictly following a healthy lifestyle: I go to bed at ten every night and wake up at eight every morning. I drink exactly 682ml of milk in the morning, and my three meals a day are always regular. I always eat until I'm full and never picky."
"That's probably why I'm so strong and healthy."
I'm only 158cm at twelve. In my previous life, that's not exactly top-tier for kids born in the 2000s.
"Do you take a hot bath every night?" Kushina suddenly asked, her voice full of concern.
"Of course!"
Naruto replied with a cheerful smile. Feeling his mother's concern warmed his heart. Was there anyone else in the village who cared about him this much? There were, but no one cared with such a fine-grained attention to detail. No one! They were all tough guys; none of them were as careful as his mother.
"That's wonderful!"
Kushina smiled contentedly. Although she wasn't sure if Naruto had heard her final words, seeing that her son was following even the "take a good bath" part and was so healthy and strong made her feel incredibly relieved and happy. She wasn't like Minato, who focused on things like being a savior or dominating the ninja world. For her, Naruto growing up healthy and happy was the greatest joy of all!
Noticing his mom's happy expression, Naruto's mind stirred. He remembered Kushina's apologetic words: "Your hair is like your father's, but your face is all me."
Wait, does Mom think that inheriting her looks is a burden? My mom seems a little insecure, apologizing for something like that?
Seeing this, Naruto decided to use his skills as the "king of compliments." He had already praised her looks; now it was time for her hair.
She seems to really care about her hair, you know?
Naruto suddenly returned to the previous topic. "Also, I think your vibrant red hair is so, so beautiful! If I had hair that red, I'd be even more handsome!"
"Thank you for the compliment!"
Kushina's eyes once again happily curved into crescents, her cheeks slightly flushed. It was clear this compliment about her hair made her especially happy. A gentle, nostalgic look appeared on her face. "You're the second man to ever compliment my red hair."
"Really?"
These people in the ninja world have no taste! She's the second person to ever compliment such beautiful red hair?
Wait, who was the first?
The words had barely left his mouth when Naruto instantly realized the answer. Who else could it be? It had to be his father, Minato Namikaze!
Kushina's reply confirmed his thought. She smiled blissfully, "The first one was, of course, your dad!"
Naruto recalled seeing his father just moments ago. With that gentle smile, he looked like a kind person who was probably good at giving compliments.
Seeing the sweet, nostalgic look on his mom's face, Naruto's gossiping heart flared up. "Mom, please tell me the story of how you and Dad met!"
"That's a little embarrassing, you know."
Kushina's face turned a cute shade of red as she awkwardly scratched her head.
"'You know?'" Naruto suddenly felt that this catchphrase sounded familiar.
"Haha, I guess I got a little excited." Kushina explained, "I'm naturally very impatient, so I talk fast, and my catchphrase just slips out. I've tried to get rid of it, but it always..."
"I see." Naruto nodded, but his persistence didn't waver. "Mom, please continue telling me the story of how you and Dad fell in love!" He knew so little about his parents and desperately wanted to learn more.
Naruto's relentless pleading finally moved Kushina.
"Okay, okay~"
She looked up, her eyes filled with memories. "It happened on my first day in the Hidden Leaf Village. That day was the first time I met your father..."
Then, Kushina began to tell her story with Minato Namikaze. She talked about introducing herself at her new school, being mocked for her red hair, and declaring her goal to become the first female Hokage. She also mentioned Minato's response that he would become a Hokage recognized by everyone in the village.
Listening to his mom's stories, a smile appeared on Naruto's face.
She wanted to be the first female Hokage? That's too bad. That lying old lady, Tsunade, is about to get there first.
The story continued. Because she had boasted about wanting to be Hokage on her first day, she was often bullied by the boys. Many of them would grab her noticeable red hair and mock her, calling her a "tomato."
At this point, Naruto's eyes lit up.
Is it coming? The part where Dad saves his lady, protecting her from the bullies, and they fall in love?
Wait a minute... this script... it sounds familiar?
Hmm...
Naruto remembered. Wasn't this just a different version of his and Hinata's story? Hinata was bullied for her Byakugan, and he stood up for her! His mom was mocked for her red hair, so his dad must have...
Naruto immediately chimed in, "I get it! The guy who stood up and protected you, Mom, had to be Dad!"
"No, not at all!"
Kushina suddenly clenched her fists, her knuckles turning white, and veins bulging on the back of her fair hands.
"They called me a 'tomato,' and I was so mortified because the description was just so accurate. It hit a sore spot!" Her voice took on a dangerous edge. "So, all the boys who called me a tomato and looked down on me got their butts kicked! They were the ones who ended up looking like smashed tomatoes."
Naruto listened with a completely baffled expression: "?".
This...
This...Naruto secretly glanced at Kushina, who now looked fierce, as if she were ready to beat someone up again. He felt as if he was meeting his mother for the first time. The beautiful and quiet image of a gentle mother was shattered in an instant.
Was Mom's personality really like this? I didn't see it at all a moment ago. I just thought she was a gentle, beautiful woman.
But it turns out...
Of course.
The prettier a woman is, the better she can pretend.
Still, having a mom with this kind of personality was actually quite nice. At least she wouldn't be like Hinata, who couldn't even fight back or talk back when she was bullied!
"Because I had long, flowing red hair and beat the boys half to death, I earned another nickname—The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero!" Kushina continued her story, but the gnashing of her teeth made Naruto's heart a little jumpy.
Is this what they call bloodline suppression? It's kind of terrifying.
So, it's true, just like Shikamaru and Choji said, moms are a terrifying species.
He had thought they were just overreacting. After all, moms in the ninja world couldn't be all that different from moms on Earth. But now it seemed they were very different. With chakra on their side, ninja moms were definitely even more terrifying!
The story continued. Because of her red hair and her status as a foreigner, Kushina had always felt a deep-seated inferiority. But her fiery and stubborn personality made her put on a tough shell and fight back with her fists!
One time, a classmate she had often taught a lesson to brought in some reinforcements—his older brother, a genin, who ambushed her one day! However, even though he was a genin, he only had the upper hand for a little while before Kushina, even more ferocious and tenacious, completely defeated him. She ended up sitting on top of the genin, beating him into a pulp.
But because her red hair always brought her trouble and ridicule, Kushina grew to hate it even more.
"And all through this, your father was watching from the side."
The sudden turn in the story shocked Naruto. "Just watching? He didn't step in?"
Dad seems a little unreliable! His beloved was being bullied by a ninja above her rank, and he just watched?
"Haha," Kushina laughed sweetly and continued her story. "I misunderstood him at the time. I thought he was just watching because he was prejudiced against me for being a foreigner with red hair. But then something happened that made me suddenly understand him—and even start to love this red hair."
"What was it? What was it?"
Naruto urged her on. The story had to be reaching its turning point now!
It was one evening, as the setting sun painted the sky a vibrant orange. Kushina, who had just returned home, found the house completely empty. As she wondered why, three ninjas from another village suddenly jumped out of the shadows and kidnapped her.
Hearing this, Naruto clenched his fists.
The Cloud Village! This feud isn't over yet.
The story continued. Kushina, who had been abducted, was filled with despair. Even though she left a trail of her red hair behind her, pulling strands out and dropping them on the ground as clues, she had already given up hope. As an outsider, she felt it was pathetic to assume anyone would come to her rescue.
"When we got close to the Land of Fire's border, I thought all hope was lost, and I was about to be taken away by the Cloud Village for good. That's when Minato arrived."
"Whoa!" Naruto exclaimed with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Dad's strength is unexpectedly great. At school age, he could defeat three enemy ninjas who were kidnapping a future Jinchuriki. He must have been at least an elite chunin.
But the most important part was the lines he said.
"Your red hair is beautiful. I noticed it right away."
"Because I knew you were strong, in both body and spirit."
And another one, "I don't want to lose you!"
Oh wow, a checkmate!
He could see the undeniable sweetness on his mom's face. As expected of the Fourth Hokage—no, as expected of his dad.
When it comes to dating, I proclaim you the strongest!
Naruto immediately pulled out a mental notebook and wrote it all down. He might need it someday.
"He changed me," Kushina's voice was gentle and filled with gratitude. "My red hair, which I had always hated, brought me my destined other half. It became our destined red thread."
She turned, her eyes as gentle as water, and looked at Naruto. "From that day on, I started to love my hair, and more importantly, I fell in love with Minato."
Naruto smiled soundlessly, a brilliant and happy grin, genuinely touched by his parents' love story. The story was so beautiful. He had known his mom was kidnapped by the Cloud Village, but he had never heard the full story before.
Suddenly, a strange feeling crossed his mind.
The two of them, who were in love, hadn't even graduated from the ninja academy yet, had they? They definitely hadn't!
Folks watching this, you can't learn from this!
"This is a precious message, only for the man who complimented my hair," Kushina said, her gaze intense and serious. "Naruto, do you accept?"
"Yes!"
Naruto nodded emphatically. Of course, he did!
A gentle smile bloomed on Kushina's face, and she softly said the words filled with love: "Aishiteru!"
"I love you too, Mom!"
"Haha."
Kushina laughed even more happily, her eyes sparkling with joy.
But then, as if she remembered something, the smile on Kushina's face quickly faded, replaced by a look of unprecedented seriousness.
"Next..."
She slowly turned her head and looked in the direction of the Nine-Tails, her meaning unspoken but clear.
Kurama?
Naruto's heart tightened. He instantly understood his mother's intentions.
Now, how do I explain this?
Maybe, just to put Mom's mind at ease, we should just have a friendly match.
Naruto mourned for Kurama for two minutes.
You have to be patient, big fella! I'll go easy on you!