Kushina Uzumaki

was the mother of Naruto Uzumaki and the lover of Minato Namikaze. She was a kunoichi of Konohagakure who originated from the former Land of Whirlpools and the previous jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.

Background
Hailing from the former Land of Whirlpools and its famed Uzumaki clan (who are related to the ruling Senju clan of Konohagakure), it was said that Kushina lived most of her youth being caught-up in war, making her seek for a daily "peace." Possessing an especially strong chakra, the elders of the Land of Whirlpools thought it fit that she be sent to Konohagakure to serve as the new jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, as the first jinchūriki, Mito Uzumaki, is about to die. Before the transfer took place, the elderly Mito reminded her that even if a jinchūriki's life is difficult, remaining in a disposition of love would let her live a happy life.

She eventually joined the Ninja Academy, where she first met a young Minato Namikaze and initially thought of him as a wimp. Wanting to make a strong first impression, she proclaimed she will be the first female Hokage. The other kids laughed at her statement, and began calling her, because of her then-round face and fiery red hair. This prompted her to lash out and pummel kids who teased her. This, in addition to her red hair flowing wildly around, quickly earned her the nickname, the. Nonetheless, she grew closer to Minato, the only other child to treat her with kindness.

One day, she was kidnapped by Kumogakure ninja to make use of her special chakra. She cleverly plucked and left behind single strands of her red hair in the hope someone would find her. Only Minato proved clever enough to pick on her clue and was able to rescue her. Afterwards, he complimented Kushina on her hair, calling it beautiful, and that was reason he noticed them. Taken aback by someone actually complimenting her unusual hair, which Kushina had always hated, Kushina immediately loved Minato and came to love her hair as it was what led Minato to notice her.

She eventually became renowned for her beauty and unique ninjutsu style in later years (including the fūinjutsu of her clan which she eventually taught to Minato). She at some point became romantically involved with Minato and they had a son. During her pregnancy, they decided to name him Naruto after the main character of Jiraiya's first book. When Jiraiya asked if they were sure, stating that it was a name he came up with while eating a bowl of ramen, Kushina says that it was a beautiful name.

Her giving birth to Naruto was carried out in secret, with Biwako Sarutobi, the Third Hokage's wife, as her midwife, a few ANBU as security, and with Minato keeping the Four Symbols Seal holding the Nine-Tails secure. Her location was eventually tracked by Madara Uchiha, killing the ANBU and Biwako, as well as kidnapping the newborn Naruto. It was presumed he released the Nine-Tails to wreak havoc in Konoha, leading inadvertently to her death (but not before giving her chakra and part of her soul, together with Minato's, in the process of re-sealing the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within their son). Her family name was then given to Naruto by the Third Hokage, in hopes that nobody else would discover the connection between Naruto and Minato.

Appearance
Tsunade pointed out that Kushina was a woman well-known for her beauty. She had a slender but highly feminine build, which Naruto visibly admired. She had long, red hair (portrayed as reddish-violet in the anime) that reached down to her calves with strands that framed both sides of her face that parted to the left of her head with a hair clip, and as an adult she usually wore a loose-fitting dress with an apron. Her skin was fair and her eyes were violet. In her childhood, she had a round face which with her red hair made her look like a tomato. She would pass on this facial make-up to Naruto.

Personality
According to Jiraiya, Kushina was talkative and a tomboyish girl. Tsunade noted that much of Naruto's personality, as well as his style of ninjutsu, was inherited from her. Kushina also had a verbal tic: when flustered or excited, she would end her sentences with, a trait she hoped (unsuccessfully) she wouldn't pass down to Naruto (who ends his with "(da)ttebayo"). As an adult, Kushina was shown to be very level-headed and cheerful. Despite her calm and kind demeanor, she still has a slight temper and can lash out from it.

Abilities
Kushina's abilities are mostly unknown. She was however famous for a unique style of ninjutsu. In her childhood, she showed herself to be deceptively strong, fierce, and frightening barehanded fighter, able to pummel several kids 'half to death' for teasing her, which earned her the nickname, the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero". Kushina also possesses an unusual form of chakra, which is great enough to restrain the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox. She was also apparently clever, even in life-threatening danger, as she quickly thought of secretly leaving a trail of her hair for someone to be able to follow her (though only Minato was able to pick up on it). As a member of the Uzumaki Clan she had knowledge of fuinjutsu and taught the Fourth Hokage some of them.

Fourth Shinobi World War arc
It was only during Naruto's fight with the Nine-Tails that she made an actual appearance in the story. As Naruto was slowly succumbing to the Nine-Tails' mass of hatred and it told him to disappear forever, Kushina appeared to tell him that it is alright if he stayed.

Naruto foolishly believed Kushina to be the Nine-Tails' true form, which caused her to angrily clobber him on the head. After calming down and apologizing, she clued Naruto until he finally realized the truth. Upon this revelation, Naruto quickly embraced his mother with tears of joy in his eyes, to which Kushina happily returned the gesture. This halted Naruto's transformation. Kushina then used her chakra (in the form of chains) to restrain the Nine-Tails, who was greatly startled by her appearance.

Kushina then decided to talk with Naruto, wanting to learn how her son turned out. Naruto quickly asked how Kushina fell in love with Minato, to which she bashfully told the story. After telling of her's and Minato's childhood together, Kushina, upon being complemented on her hair by Naruto, tells her son that she loves him, much to his surprise then happiness. Playfully asking what is the product of "Konoha's Yellow Flash" and the "Red Hot-Blooded Habanero" Naruto proudly said he will be "Konoha's Orange Hokage". With her words, Naruto finds the strength to fight the Nine-Tails again, this time being victorious along with her help. After congratulating him, she tells Naruto that she can finally follow Minato, saddening Naruto. Before that, however, she wishes to tell Naruto the full truth of the incident of the Nine-Tails' attack. She then tells Naruto that she was the previous jinchūriki for the Nine-Tails.

Trivia

 * Kushina was a good cook, as Minato preferred her cooking the most.
 * Both Kushina and Naruto were jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox.
 * A habanero is an extremely spicy chili pepper.
 * As Kushina is nicknamed for a red pepper and Minato was famed as the "Yellow Flash", Naruto's appropriated epithet "Orange Hokage" refers to the fact that the color orange is a mixture of red and yellow.
 * Kushina also shares the past of being kidnapped by Kumogakure ninja for her special ability with Hinata Hyūga.
 * According to the third Naruto databook:
 * Kushina's hobbies were pulling pranks and chattering.
 * Kushina's favorite food was salt ramen, while her least favorites were coffee and anything bitter.
 * Kushina's favorite phrase was "Don't give up until the end".
 * She apparently became famous because of her strong-willed spirit and for her skill in ninjutsu.

Quotes

 * (As a child, when asked what her dream for the future was) "I'm gonna be the first female Hokage!"
 * (To Jiraiya)
 * (To Naruto)
 * (To Naruto) "Suddenly, Minato looked like the most magnificent shinobi ever, like a man who would make all my dreams come true. And most importantly he changed me... My bright red hair had led me to my soulmate... It became my own personal "red thread of fate"... From that day, I liked my hair and, more importantly, I loved Minato."
 * (To Naruto) "There's a special little something I like to tell the men who compliment me on my hair, yourself included, Naruto... I love you!"