Chakra Thirst

Kushina opened her eyes, blinking in confusion as she looked at her strange hands and the place around her. Shouldn't she be dead?

"Kushina Uzumaki, former Nine-Tails jinchuriki and mother of Naruto Uzumaki," remarked Takara, easily concealing his amazement.

Not because of the woman's beauty, but because even without Kurama inside her and using a cheap sacrifice to bring her back, the necessary control was greater than he initially expected.

Was it because she was a master in sealing arts?

Secretly, he was glad he didn't use a chunin or jounin; he would have wasted much more chakra to do the same in comparison.

"Sunagakure?" Since Takara didn't remove the headband, Kushina could discern which village he came from. "Who are you, and what's going on?"

"In simple terms, I brought you back from the Pure Land to carry out a task for me. You can accept it, and after successfully completing it, I'll give you something you desire," Takara told her without revealing his identity. "Or you can refuse, but then I'll force you to do it, and you won't get anything."

"What task?" Kushina frowned, displeased with Takara's attitude, but she didn't know how long she had been dead and if she was going to be forced to do a task, it was always better to at least get something in return.

Ninja mindset.

"I want you to bring me the Shinigami Mask located in the Uzumaki Clan Mask Temple," Takara stated without missing a beat. "The real one."

"The mask?" Kushina knew which mask that was and its function. She had learned many things from her clan that she never even revealed to her husband in case an unexpected situation arose. "Why do you want it?"

Kushina saw Takara didn't speak and suddenly blushed, realizing she had just asked something stupid.

The mask only had one function!

"I'm going to retrieve the Fourth Hokage from the Shinigami's stomach. I have questions for him," Takara replied unfazed by Kushina's discomfort.

"You're going to save Minato?!" Kushina suddenly became excited because she still retained slightly the ability to sense malevolence and was sure the person in front of her didn't lie to her.

Knowing her husband would have to suffer for eternity in the Shinigami's stomach without ever meeting in the Pure Land, she wasn't happy.

Sure, she didn't like that Minato turned Naruto into the next jinchuriki, but an eternity of suffering was excessive, wasn't it?

"So, my proposal is this: Bring me the mask, and in exchange, I'll retrieve the Fourth Hokage and give you a scroll with information and photos of your son, Naruto," Takara said as if he were the tempting voice of the devil. "He's twelve now, and not long ago, the chunin exams were held in Konoha. Don't you feel curious as his mother?"

"Naruto..." Kushina whispered her son's name, remembering the little bundle she held in her arms for less time than she would have liked.

How could she refuse to save her husband from eternal suffering and find out how her baby grew up?

"Well?" Takara pressed, not wanting her to overthink it too much. He wanted to take advantage of the impulsiveness that Uzumaki's tend to have. "Do we have a deal or not?"

"Even though I don't know what you want to discuss with Minato, I'll reluctantly accept your offer!"

Does Kushina have tsundere tendencies? What a novelty...

Takara tossed her a cloak and a map.

"You have two weeks to travel to the temple, take the mask, and then go to the marked point to deliver it. I don't want delays or anyone to recognize you. Think of it as an exclusive S-rank mission."

"Two weeks is too tight," complained Kushina as she opened the map and mentally calculated the distance she would have to travel.

"In your current state, you have unlimited endurance, plus you don't need to sleep or eat," Takara reminded her as he extended his hand, and a noxina approached her, holding a bowl of ramen between its paws. "Take this little one with you at all times; it will help you in case of an unforeseen event and as motivation, I'll give you this... delicacy."

Takara tasted Konoha's ramen, and well, he had eaten better instant noodles in his previous life.

He wasn't a big fan of ramen either; isn't it just soup with stuff in it?

"Is it from Ichiraku Ramen?" Kushina would recognize the smell from miles away as she took the bowl carefully. "And it's still hot!"

"I'm sorry I can't serve you more than that; enjoy it, and a door will open for you in half an hour," Takara continued with his act, leaving Kushina delighted with her new task as he left.

Her image of Takara improved a lot compared to her first impression, although she still had reservations about what he was going to discuss with her husband. Thinking carefully, it seemed like she was the one who benefited more from this task.

Minato was already dead and suffering for eternity; she couldn't lose even if she wanted to.

The other party even bothered to bring her favorite ramen, freshly made!

How could someone like that be a bad person?