The appearance of Kushina Uzumaki was an accident.
Originally, the Nine-Tails wanted to shelve the plan to resurrect her, preferring to wait until Orochimaru had officially joined them. Unexpectedly, in his attempt to suppress the Nine-Tails' power, Orochimaru used the Impure World Reincarnation on Kushina right then and there.
You could almost call it the work of a master wish-granter.
The forbidden jutsu, Impure World Reincarnation, was meant to shift the balance of power in war. But in the hands of its current users, it had become the main cause of chaos in the ninja world. By some strange twist of fate, it also allowed many ninjas to resolve the regrets they had in life.
Although none of them particularly enjoyed being controlled, they probably should have wished both generations of these "wish-granters" a long and peaceful life.
"Naruto, don't get distracted!"
The Nine-Tails sat cross-legged, tapping its claws as it spoke in a deep voice. "Something's wrong with Kushina's state. She's been revived and is being controlled by Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation, to the point where her own will doesn't exist. Right now, she's a difficult opponent!"
The Nine-Tails knew this better than anyone. It was likely the only being who had been tormented by so many different kinds of sealing jutsus, and it understood Kushina Uzumaki's strength intimately. That woman was not someone who could be easily controlled.
Orochimaru's Impure World Reincarnation wasn't perfected yet. He could only control the deceased by completely erasing their will. If he hadn't, Kushina's temper would have surely led her to break free and turn on him by now.
"..."
Naruto Uzumaki just stared at the red-haired woman and shook his head. Kurama made it sound simple, but the person standing over there was his mother. If he hurt her… it would be a regret he'd carry for the rest of his life.
The Nine-Tails considered this and continued its explanation. "Naruto, don't worry! Unless they're attacked by a Truth-Seeking Orb, ninjas revived by this jutsu can't die. They can only be sealed!"
"Truth-Seeking Orb?"
"Yes, but we're a long way from obtaining that kind of power," the Nine-Tails nodded. "Don't worry about it for now."
The blond genin's eyes grew serious. "So if I want to free Mom from the enemy's control, I just need to seal her first, right?"
"That's right." Inside the seal, a smirk appeared on the giant fox's mouth. "But you have to defeat her before you can seal her! Be extra careful, because no one here can match her skill in sealing jutsu!"
Although Kurama acknowledged Naruto, it still didn't like Kushina Uzumaki. Today was turning out to be a good day for revenge. He could beat up the One-Tail Shukaku and watch Kushina Uzumaki get sealed. If he could just see a few of his other enemies...
"Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence!" a steady voice called out.
Dense trees erupted from the ground, instantly forming a forest. Tall trunks and thick vines covered the entire arena, surging toward Naruto Uzumaki. On top of a large tree stood Hashirama Senju, clad in red armor, manipulating the growth.
Inside the sealing space, the Nine-Tails was stunned for a moment, then gritted its teeth. "Of course, that man showed up too... He's so fast!"
That man, Hashirama, was the person the Nine-Tails hated most. Not even Madara Uchiha, who had controlled it, was as despicable as Hashirama. It was because of him that the Nine-Tails was sealed into a human body in the first place.
"Spiral Shockwave!"
A blast of azure chakra destroyed the surrounding vines. The dense forest didn't stop its attack, however, converging on Naruto's position again from all directions. The small wooden thorns covering the vines were enough to make one's skin crawl.
Naruto leaped aside to gather his chakra. A pitch-black Tailed Beast Ball slowly formed in his palm, and he threw it at the ground.
"Wood Style: Wood Shield Jutsu!"
A huge wooden shield rose up, blocking the Tailed Beast Ball's attack. But the moment the bomb hit the ground, it exploded, and a powerful shockwave swept across the entire arena. The first clash between them was already immense.
Naruto raised his hand, fanning away the dust and debris, his eyes fixed grimly on the man in red plate armor. "That person is..."
Naruto recognized him. As a child, he was always painting on the Hokage Rock. He still remembered what every Hokage looked like.
"That's right." Inside the sealing space, the Nine-Tails' voice grew gloomy. "That is Konoha's First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, the man known as the God of Shinobi."
The Nine-Tails didn't have many enemies, only four or five at most. And now, almost half of them were in this arena. Things were getting out of control. This Orochimaru fellow was more cunning than he'd thought. To counter the threat of Naruto Uzumaki, he had arranged for the First Hokage and Kushina Uzumaki to be his opponents.
One was his mother, the other a man tied to the very source of his power. It had to be said, Orochimaru was a good judge of character. These two were far more difficult to deal with than the last.
Kushina Uzumaki and Hashirama Senju didn't pause. With cold faces, they rushed toward Naruto from two different directions. The First Hokage was clearly faster, leaping up with a kick.
As for Kushina, she stopped after Hashirama charged forward. Eight golden chains shot out from her back, scattering and flying towards the Konoha ninjas fighting the Sound ninjas. Coincidentally, the one performing most impressively at that moment was Kakashi Hatake.
The white-haired jonin used the Body Flicker Technique to evade the Adamantine Sealing Chains. He looked at the wildly unrestrained red-haired woman on the ground, a look of horror on his face. "Is this... a dream?"
Kushina wasn't just attacking Kakashi. She would periodically launch a surprise attack on Naruto, assisting Hashirama's assault.
After seeing this, Kakashi turned to his friend. "Gai, you and the others hold the line here," he said in a deep voice. "I'm going to support Naruto!"
How strong was the Red-Hot Habanero? Kakashi had heard stories from his teacher.
The white-haired jonin grabbed a kunai and leaped down. Even if he couldn't make sense of the situation, the deceased who had suddenly appeared to attack Naruto were clearly enemies. Even if one was Konoha's First Hokage, and the other was Naruto's mother.
On the other side, the battle had already become fierce.
Naruto raised his arm to block Hashirama's attack, and the two ninjas with similar chakra instantly clashed.
Coincidentally, Naruto had lost his memories of being Hokage, so his taijutsu was pure instinct, subconscious movements like flashes of inspiration. Hashirama's consciousness was temporarily erased by Orochimaru, so he, too, was fighting based on muscle memory.
One had dominated the ninja world during the Warring States period. The other had turned the tide in its final era.
"The First Hokage's taijutsu is so strong..." As Naruto exchanged blows with Hashirama, he could feel the incredible power behind his strength. No other ninja he had fought had ever put this much pressure on him. Even after activating Kurama Mode, he was being somewhat suppressed by Hashirama.
Inside the sealing space, the giant nine-tailed fox's eyes were blood-red. "The title 'God of Shinobi' isn't just for show. Aside from not being very bright, he has almost no weaknesses..."
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Bonus:
Hashirama: You bad-mouth me when I'm not around?
Nine-Tails: As if I wouldn't curse you to your face if you were here.
Hashirama: Fine, just you wait, I'm going to get Madara...
Nine-Tails: Heh, besides relying on Madara, who else can you rely on?
Hashirama: I can also rely on Mito!
Nine-Tails: ...Have some shame.