Kushina Uzumaki

was the mother of Naruto Uzumaki and the lover of Minato Namikaze. She was a kunoichi from the former Land of Whirlpools.

Background
Hailing from what Jiraiya called the former Land of Whirlpools, it was said that Kushina lived most of her youth being caught-up in war, making her seek for a daily "peace." She eventually came to Konohagakure and 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 Tomato, because of her then-round face and fiery red hair. This prompted her to lash out and pummel each of the kids. This, in addition to her red hair flowing wildly around, quickly earned her the nickname The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero. 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 hair in the hope someone would find her. Only Minato proved clever enough to pick on on her clue and was able to rescue her. Afterwards, he complimented Kushina on her hair, calling it beautiful. 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. 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. She is assumed to have died sometime after giving birth to Naruto, but not before giving her chakra, together with Minato's, in the process of sealing the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox within their son.

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 pale 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 her son.

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 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, very similar to Sakura.

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 and a fierce barehanded fighter, able to pummel several kids 'half to death' for teasing her. Kushina also possesses an unusual form of chakra, which is great enough to restrain the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and startle the demon from her very presence. 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).

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, Kushina appeared to tell him he belonged "here" while placing her left hand on her chest, parallel to her heart.

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 called himself Konoha's Orange Hokage.

Trivia

 * Kushina was a good cook, as Minato preferred her cooking the most.
 * Both Kushina and Kurenai Yūhi are the only characters to be shown pregnant.
 * An habanero is an extremely spicy chili pepper.
 * 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!"