After a long, heavy silence, Kushina finally looked up at Son Goku, her fiery eyes filled with doubt and a desperate spark of hope. "You can truly bring me back? This isn't some forbidden jutsu that manipulates souls?"
Goku didn't bother with a lengthy explanation. He simply activated his doujutsu. His eyes shifted, revealing the majestic, concentric pattern. "You recognize these, I trust?"
"Th-this… this is… the legendary Rinnegan?!" Kushina stared, her shock palpable.
In the room, Saeko and the others also gasped at the sudden change in Goku's eyes. "Goku, what happened to your eyes?" Yuriko asked, concerned.
Alice shrieked and buried her face in his shoulder. "Goku-nii! Your eyes! Are you blind?!"
Goku felt a vein throb in his temple. He gave Alice's bottom a light, playful pinch. Kids really do say whatever comes to mind. Meanwhile, Kushina, still stunned, found her voice to explain to the others. "The Rinnegan… the supreme ocular power said to have been wielded by the Sage of Six Paths. It's said to govern life and death, and legend claims it can even revive the deceased… I never imagined I'd see it with my own eyes."
"Huh? Eyes that can bring people back? That's almost like the Dragon Balls!" Saya exclaimed, clearly impressed.
Bulma, however, just sniffed dismissively. "So what if it can revive someone? The Dragon Balls can grant any wish. This 'Rinne-whatever' isn't even in the same category."
"Good point," the other women murmured in agreement.
"Dragon Balls? What are those?" Kushina asked Bulma, her curiosity piqued.
Bulma waved a hand airily. "You're not cleared for that info yet. Maybe when you officially become one of the sisters."
"Sisters? I can do that right now!" Kushina replied earnestly, completely missing the implication.
"Can we stay on topic, please?" Goku shot the chattering women a fondly exasperated look. They giggled and fell quiet, turning their attention back to Kushina.
Kushina's expression grew serious again. "State your terms."
"My terms are simple: from now on, you follow me. You work with me. But I won't restrict your personal freedom." Gotta phrase these things diplomatically, he thought. Saeko and the others exchanged a knowing glance and rolled their eyes in perfect, synchronized unison.
Kushina frowned, clearly wrestling with the decision. "What's there to hesitate about?" Goku pressed, his voice softening into a persuasive tone. "Don't you want to watch Naruto grow up? Do you want him to remain alone forever? To keep being bullied, to keep being called 'the Nine-Tails' brat' by everyone?" He was playing the role of the tempting devil, stoking the flames of her maternal love.
"Naruto… my Naruto… Enough! Stop!" Kushina's resolve crumbled. Her longing for her son won out. "I accept your terms! But my condition stands—I retain my freedom. If I'm unwilling to do something, I have the right to refuse!"
"Of course," Goku agreed, a brilliant, triumphant smile spreading across his face. The women sighed internally. Another one falls into the wolf's den.
Goku's hands flew through a series of hand seals. "Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"
A divine, gentle light descended from nowhere, bathing Kushina's spectral form. Her previously translucent body began to solidify; the pallor of death receded, replaced by the healthy flush of living skin. In moments, she was fully flesh and blood, whole and alive once more, as the radiant light slowly faded.
Kushina stared at her own hands, clenching and unclenching them in disbelief. A profound sigh of relief escaped her. "It's true… being alive is the best." She rushed over and swept the sleeping Naruto into her arms, holding him close. Tears of joy streamed down her face. "Naruto… my baby… Mama's back… You won't be alone anymore… I'll give you all the love I missed…"
Watching Kushina cling to Naruto, Goku felt a twinge of irrational annoyance but quickly suppressed it. It's a mother-son reunion. The kid's just a child. Let it go.
Still, he had to interject. "Sorry to interrupt the moment, but I need to be clear: for now, you cannot reveal yourself to Naruto. You can't live openly with him yet."
"What?!" Kushina's head snapped up, her fiery temper reigniting as she glared at Goku. "You want to separate me from my son? Absolutely not!"
"We had a deal…"
"What deal? I'm not breaking it! I also said I have the right to refuse things I'm unwilling to do!" A sly, triumphant grin spread across Kushina's face, delighted to have outmaneuvered him.
The other women watched the exchange with amused interest, enjoying the rare sight of Goku being verbally cornered.
"Are you sure about that?" Goku asked, his expression remaining calm, a faint, knowing smile on his lips.
Kushina's eyebrow twitched. That look spelled trouble. "Wh-what do you mean? Don't you dare try to intimidate me!"
"I'm stating a fact," Goku said flatly. "You were dead. Naruto has a destined path to walk. Your sudden appearance would alter his fate in unpredictable ways. It might even… indirectly lead to his death."
"Cause Naruto's death? How? Stop trying to scare me!" Kushina frowned, though a seed of doubt had been planted.
"I'm not trying to scare you. Naruto is this world's Child of Prophecy. The slightest deviation in destiny can be fatal—just look at Minato. Naruto himself wasn't 'meant' to be born, yet he was. And the previous Child of Prophecy, Minato, died as a result…" Goku's face was a mask of solemn gravity, though internally he was quite pleased with his argument. Try to loophole me with words? I'll logic you into submission.
"Minato… Child of Prophecy… Naruto…" Kushina fell into a deep silence, holding her son tighter, her eyes clouded with sorrow and confusion. Their own tragic history lent a chilling credibility to his words. "Maybe… maybe you're right. But then… what can I do to help him?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Yuriko spoke up at the perfect moment, a playful smile on her lips. "There's someone right here who can reshape Naruto's fate. Even if the worst happens, he can bring him back." She shot Goku a meaningful look. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod of approval. Good girl.
Kushina's eyes lit up with renewed hope as she turned back to Goku. "Then… can you… can you revive Minato?"
"That, I cannot do," Goku stated, shaking his head. "His soul was sealed away by the Shinigami itself. Without a soul to call back, even the Rinnegan is powerless." A convenient half-truth, he thought.
Could I do it? Possibly. But I have no intention of reviving my predecessor's love interest.
"I see…" A flash of profound disappointment crossed Kushina's face, but she quickly schooled her features.
She looked down at Naruto, stroking his hair with infinite tenderness. "If I can't acknowledge you openly… then Mama will protect you from the shadows."