No one knew that the Kushina accompanying Jiraiya earlier was merely a bunshin.
While Jiraiya laughed bitterly in the forest, his head full of dust and old regrets, the real Kushina darted swiftly between the trees, slicing through the night air in complete silence. Each step was firm—like a predator closing in on its prey.
Her pupils narrowed when, finally, beneath the moonlight peeking through the dense canopy, she spotted a man still clad in his Jounin uniform. Orochimaru.
He was hunched over, one hand resting on his knee, breathing heavily. His body hadn't fully recovered after the clash with Jiraiya. Yet despite his fatigue, his presence remained terrifying—cold, like poisonous vapor oozing out from behind a fake smile.
But Kushina wasn't intimidated. Not at all. Her eyes sharpened, and her lips curved into a calculating grin. "Finally found you, Orochimaru-senpai."
Orochimaru slowly looked up, meeting the gaze of the red-haired woman standing before him, her hair fluttering in the night breeze. His eyes narrowed—this wasn't just some intel scout or random nuisance.
"Kushina… Uzumaki," he rasped in his usual cold tone. "What do you want?"
Instead of replying, Kushina dashed forward, throwing a punch aimed straight at Orochimaru's face. He flinched, but narrowly dodged with a short leap.
The attack didn't stop.
No words. No flashy jutsu. Kushina summoned three Shadow Clones—then six—then twelve. In seconds, over twenty Kushinas surrounded Orochimaru from all sides.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Orochimaru growled, finally pressured.
Kushina didn't answer. She simply raised her hand—and in the palm of each clone, a swirling sphere of bright blue chakra formed.
Rasengan.
BOOM!
One by one, the Rasengans slammed into the ground, trees, and rocks around Orochimaru. He twisted, dodged, spun—but the pressure never ceased. The clones were a storm. Tireless. Merciless.
"If one's not enough… I've got two."
"If two's too little… take ten!"
"And if you're still standing… how about FIFTY, huh?!"
Kushina's voice echoed like thunder through the ravaged forest.
Inside her mind, a proud smile formed. 'Naruto, you truly are my son. You inherited the Uzumaki way—endless chakra and a hard head that doesn't know when to quit.'
Eventually, Orochimaru was cornered between jagged rocks, his body covered in scratches, his breath ragged like a hunted animal.
And when he looked up, his eyes widened.
More than a hundred Kushinas stood surrounding him, each holding a basketball-sized Rasengan. Their blue glow illuminated the night, casting Kushina's silhouette like a vengeful goddess risen from hell.
Orochimaru gulped. "...Fine," he panted. "I surrender… I, Orochimaru, surrender."
Kushina narrowed her eyes, reading every microexpression on his face. After several seconds of quiet tension, she dispelled all the clones at once—leaving only her real self standing.
She sat casually on a nearby rock, relaxed as if she'd just finished dinner.
"I actually came to negotiate," she said, as if she hadn't just demolished one of Konoha's most dangerous shinobi.
Orochimaru stared at her in confusion. In his mind, Kushina was always an emotional, brute-force kunoichi. But the woman before him now… felt dangerous in a very different way.
Still, Orochimaru wasn't foolish. As long as there was a chance to escape, he would listen.
He leaned against a large stone, still panting, his body trembling slightly.
"…Negotiate?" he muttered. "What's there to talk about after that show?"
Kushina smiled faintly. "Senjutsu."
Orochimaru raised a brow, slightly intrigued. "Hah. You're interested in that too?"
"You were close to Jiraiya. You must know something about Mount Myoboku's Senjutsu. At least… a little," she said, folding her arms.
"A little," Orochimaru admitted, rubbing his chin. "But not enough to teach you. Besides, Senjutsu is dangerous if the body isn't compatible."
Kushina nodded. "That's why I'm interested in the Curse Mark, Orochimaru-senpai."
Orochimaru's eyes narrowed sharply. The atmosphere shifted. He now looked at Kushina with deeper focus.
"The Curse Seal? Why are you interested in that failed experiment?" he asked, suspicious.
Kushina shrugged casually. "I know you used it on your student, Anko. But my hypothesis is… if tuned to a body with natural affinity to nature chakra, it could absorb and stabilize nature energy. Not just seal it—but merge it."
Orochimaru was silent. He stared at her, pupils narrowing with surprise. And then slowly… he chuckled.
"Hahaha… interesting… very interesting…"
Suddenly, the two elite shinobi looked like kids sharing dark science secrets. They talked passionately, interrupted each other, refined each other's theories.
"You know, if the body adapts well, it might even surpass human limits for nature chakra," Orochimaru said excitedly.
"And if the seal is modified—not to suppress—but to channel chakra like a conduit," Kushina added, scratching a rough diagram into the dirt.
Two dangerous minds, casually brainstorming in a forest. The scene was almost absurd.
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After news of Orochimaru's betrayal spread like wildfire, Jiraiya left the village. He said he needed answers… chasing the trail of his old friend… and perhaps, escaping a silent heartbreak.
No one ever knew about Kushina's secret meeting with Orochimaru.
To the rest of Konoha, the red-haired woman had simply been late due to admin work—speaking with the Third Hokage, checking on the injured Kakashi and Yugao, and later, rejoining Jiraiya. Alone. Nothing suspicious. Everything looked normal.
Time passed. The crying infant who once could barely open his eyes had grown. Naruto, child of two of the most remarkable ninja in the village, was now six months old. And today… a moment Kushina would never forget finally arrived.
"Ma…ma…" The soft murmur slipped from Naruto's tiny lips. His round eyes looked up at his mother, as if he knew exactly who mattered most.
Kushina froze. Her eyes widened, then shimmered. For a moment, the world stopped turning.
"Did he… did he just call me Mama?!"
Her voice pitched high with glee like a child getting their dream toy. Overflowing with emotion, she smothered Naruto's cheeks with kisses, making the baby giggle uncontrollably.
Unable to contain her joy, she instinctively hugged the nearest person—Kakashi.
"KYAA! KAKASHI!! HE TALKED!! HE CALLED ME MAMA!!!"
Kakashi, who was just pouring tea, froze. His eyes widened behind the mask, body stiff as a statue. Hot tea almost spilled from his trembling cup. He was now locked in Kushina's embrace—and the sweet scent of her hair tickled his face.
W-what just happened?!
Kakashi's face turned bright red. Time slowed. His body temperature skyrocketed. He didn't know whether to breathe or stop breathing.
Realizing after a few seconds, Kushina quickly pulled back with an awkward smile.
"Ah… sorry, Kakashi. I got too excited…"
She turned back to Naruto, who was now playing with his fingers and babbling nonsense.
Kakashi was still frozen. His mind, normally razor-sharp, felt like mush.
'I'm not thinking anything weird… I'm NOT thinking anything weird… she's Minato-sensei's wife! I mustn't—ARGH!'
He screamed internally, apologizing to his deceased teacher over and over. But the image of Kushina's joyful face, her sweet scent, and that warm hug wouldn't leave his memory.
"I-I need to go!" Kakashi blurted, and vanished with a Shunshin before Kushina could say a word.
"Huh… weird. Why'd he run?" Kushina muttered, raising an eyebrow. Then she looked at Naruto, who cooed again, "Ma…ma…"
Her expression softened. "Mama's here, Naruto~ Let's play again, okay?"
She kissed his cheek, laughing. For Kushina, that day felt like the most perfect day in the world.