having been somewhere peaceful, somewhere she could watch over her son with a smile, kushina never imagined she would be so roughly pulled from such a tranquil setting and brought into a much more maleficent one such as war. she had been revived early on during the war, helping out different divisions to the best of her ability. due to her disorientation she wasn’t as helpful as she would have liked, but when the word came that the war had ended the redheaded uzumaki assumed she’d go back to that peacefulness, however something went wrong with the jutsu and everyone who was brought back remained.
wanting desperately to reach the battlefield, the exhausted woman took off, using the strength she had remaining to pour the chakra into her feet, igniting her speed. the aftermath appeared to be horrible. tired, dull, blue hues scanned the area as she reached the top of the rocky hill, panting heavily as she made her way down, fighting through the bodies of people before accidentally bumping into one, stumbling back to see the first hokage - and the second standing beside him. kushina felt her chest constrict, quickly looking around to see if she could find her son. spotting the familar blond hair, she did not move; she could not move. because it was not naruto, it was the chaotically spikey blond hair she saw, very much different from the shorter style she knew as her sons. frozen still, thin lips parted to speak, but no words came out - she was unable to think or speak, having felt as though her heart had taken control of her body and ceased all actions. that was until the lightheadedness caused her to stumble forward, leading her into a tired jog.
Though never inclined to agree with them, Minato was sure that there were those who murmured how he must have been close to reaching his skill cap as a shinobi. Not out of disrespect, rather a compliment in that he’d reached a point where it wasn’t clear how much further he could go, beyond perhaps refining a few of his original techniques.
Funny how death removed one potential limiter. Sage mode’s inherent risks mattered less in this form, on top of taking far less time to initiate. Even so, that didn’t mean he felt secure in his technique. He had sensed a rather familiar chakra a while back despite the distance, but his concentration on the war and rarely used sage mode convinced him that he had to be imagining it. Merely a similar chakra signature, playing tricks on his mind as he was distracted.
But now, with adrenaline dying down and a voice so dear to him calling out, he could begin to accept what was going on.
Naruto’s beaming and the knowledge that he had met his mother already was enough confirmation that the 4th could trust his own senses, but to see her once more still risked being overwhelmed. Eyes sparking with excitement at their upcoming reunion; the gentle curve her face and that crimson hair he adored from the moment they met. Kushina Uzumaki, the woman he loved above all else.
“How... Kushina, why are you here of all places?”
By no means was he ungrateful. In fact, Minato would have loved nothing more but to run into his wife’s arms... Given he couldn’t offer the reverse given the lack of his own. Yet he knew better than to trust anything without a clear explanation. Why was she brought back? She was a powerful shinobi in her own right, yet he and the other kage had only been reincarnated due to the insight on the Leaf’s history that they could provide.
Was she being controlled? Was this an attempt to manipulate him? Unlikely, given he had sensed her long before an enemy could work out that he was back, and formulate a plan. There were also very few who would realise that Naruto even knew what his mother looked like, from what Minato could tell.
Despite his suspicions still being high, tears still threatened to spill. 17 long years apart, his heart couldn’t help but tighten at seeing Kushina once again, whatever the circumstances. Hesitantly, he stepped forward.
