#where every previous re;birth game was canon to her as character development

[minaa-munch]

Question for mun! What do you think of Minato imitating Hashirama and how he rescued Kushina only because she was Uzumaki?

Oh boy, why’d you have to ask? [I’m kidding, I love development questions. They give my neurons a reason to not implode]. Before I address your question though, please note that I have a different interpretation of Minato. Naturally, said interpretation pertains to how I write the character and is not up for wide-scale public acceptance. To each their own, ne?

Disclaimer: Canon = manga. I rarely consider the anime on its own, though I may refer to sourced articles from reddit/quora/narutopedia/databooks. I’m very picky about my sources, since unfounded bouts of OP makes my tea taste bitter and I like my chamomile nice and refreshing, despite the claims of a certain copy nin likening it to steeped weeds. >> You know who you are.

Lets start with the times: Konoha was an established hidden village with a fair number of geniuses to its leaf adorned headband; Hiruzen’s generation, the White Fang, Konoha’s Ghost, Legendary Sanin - and the list goes on. These shinobi were role models; icons for the younger generation to follow - and to become Hokage; the best of the best, was on everyone’s bucket list. As a refugee, Uzumaki Kushina said she wanted to be Hokage to prove a point and Minato chose that time to say it too because it was akin to acknowledging her as one of Konoha.

Just because no one else said it, doesn’t mean they didn’t aim for it either. Who hadn’t learned about the legendary Shodai and the formation of the village? Who didn’t know about the honoured Uzumaki Mito who was somehow still alive whereas everyone else from her time had died? These figures, legends were heroes and idols for a lifestyle where the main trade was murder and espionage. Undoubtedly, their names and lores were used to instil a certain patriotism within the budding leaves of the village; to ensure that the new generations learned to set aside their differences and work together in the service of the Daimyo.

I digress. It wasn’t just Minato who wanted to be like the Shodai or the Nindaime, or the Legendary Professor [Sandaime], everyone did. He simply happened to have the means to make it happen: Beat the Sandaime’s record at the academy [undisputed so far], stumbled across the Nindaime’s technique and adapted it to be faster [thus hijacking the title of the fastest shinobi] and fostered a reputation on the battlefield which, true to Konoha’s brand of genius, made enemy nin soil themselves.

To say he didn’t plan on said reputation would be somewhat incorrect. Minato was a reputed [ha] genius, ne? Not on the same level as Itachi but pretty…lethal, to put it lightly. The system fostered his persona, and he outstripped it by becoming the youngest Hokage in history. That’s a worthy legend in itself, but is it legend enough to overshadow all previous Hokage?

Which brings me back to your question: Did he rescue Kushina just because she was an Uzumaki? Also interpreted as: Did he plan on marrying Uzumaki Kushina from the get-go?

Maybe. There isn’t enough evidence in canon to completely refute it; but there isn’t nearly enough to support it either. I tend to lean towards the latter since such planning would involve him honing in on Kushina as a ‘target’ since learning her clan affiliation. He was what, nine years old? Maybe ten when they met? I don’t know about you, dear anon, but I prefer a dash of realism when it comes to character studies. At that time, Minato, being the clan-less thingus that he was, was probably more invested in proving himself to his beloved Jiraiya sensei [role model x] and the Sandaime and everyone else who saw him as a genius born once every decade.

Random fun fact: Minato “stalking” Kushina is a filler in the anime. It never happened in the manga. See why sources are so important?

But then how is it possible for the parallel to be so apparent? I’ll give you two reasons; the first is a boring one called literary trope. The second one is kinda…conspiratorial. You see, when a system is as prone to birthing geniuses as Konoha’s most certainly is, the fact that there is a potential genius candidate and a Jinchuriki in the same age group becomes an opportunity. The Jinchuriki is always close to the Hokage, and the Hokage is always one who is recognised by the people.

Additional side-note: Jinchuriki goes missing; everyone panics and no one bothers to notice the cherry red strands of hair left behind by one intelligent kunoichi. No Jonin/Chunin thinks to look underneath the freaking underneath and pick up on it? Come on; this is a generation that grew up around wars. They’re not idiots. [insert nudge no jutsu here]

Case and point. Minato was well aware of his reputation [he bloodied his hands and soul for it after all], and had probably realised the nuances of the system at some point, and had grown to be sceptical of it. Consequently, he had an ego massive enough to think that he could change it for the better. [Remember when he and Naruto talk about the cycle of hatred? He indicated that he was aware of the problem, but didn’t know how to fix it because his generation had failed on that note]

Hokage? Hokage. He was well aware of how his persona might appear to the general populace. His sunny disposition and charm was probably more likened with the Shodai than anyone else. If you don’t think he took advantage of it, then you don’t know just how sneaky Konoha’s Kiiroi Senkō can be. He didn’t hail from a special clan, neither did he possess any kekkei genkai so his reputation was honestly all he had.

But to strive especially hard to mirror Hashirama and Mito? Nah. Minato was a strategist; he would use his public image to ensure Konoha’s loyalty and his popularity - and also his fearsome reputation which crossed borders thanks to all those useful rumours. Kushina had an image of her own to maintain [she was a fearsome kunoichi in her own right] - the manga doesn’t expand on their time enough to disprove or approve, so I suppose it boils down to one’s interpretation, ne? I like to think that Kushina isn’t blind enough to be manipulated by the flake she has to teach the basics of fuuin to. You can’t expect a relationship between such bull headed characters to blossom without experiences and nuances tinged with enough blood, sweat and tears - they rely on each other, anon. Kushina is one of the few people that keeps Minato sane, and Minato is probably one of the very few people who gave Kushina a sense of purpose other than that of a mere vessel.

Hashirama and Mito weren’t a fairy tale romance - theirs was initially political which turned lofty, depending on who you ask. Minato’s and Kushina’s wasn’t a sparkly re-edit either, unless said re-edits are tinged with war and the knowledge that you might not return from your next high ranking mission.

Note on Minato as the Yondaime:

If there was any Hokage he would take administrative cues from, it would be the Nindaime’s lore/records because of all the decrees Tobirama introduced to streamline the system. Minato is a strategist, and had the luxury of one Nara Shikaku, a genius of a Jonin commander, who had been at the game longer than himself. He would introduce similar reforms. Any political nuance would be treated like an occurrence on the battlefield because that’s how Minato had programmed himself to work. 

He has his goofy moments too - but only with people he knows and can trust. Their generation was kinda...mucked up, as were the generations before theirs. If you think about it, Naruto’s generation is the..second gen that grew up soft and squishable in comparison.