This chapter really brought back the nostalgia. I got into Naruto as the first manga I ever read, with a friend lending me some volumes in middle school. Then I watched the anime(what the hell, soundtrack really made everything more amazing), up until the First Naruto v Sasuke fight. And took a break for years, and got up to date after Kage summit, and from there it was week to week(manga).
When Naruto got to actually meet Kushina I straight up cried, was bawling. Both because of how incredibly sad and tragic his parents died to protect him, and his tough journey from there, as well with tears of joy, that even for a few moments he got to know his mothers love for him(I have read thousands of series now, and that is still one of my absolute favorite moments in any series ever).
She was such a strong, fierce, but amazingly kind person.
This one shot reminded me once again, just what a fantastic story Naruto was/is. Not everything was handled perfectly (cough Ninjas shooting nukes at each other, cough cough Kaguya switcheroo without any foreshadowing or build up). (I think a lot of issues people have with war arc come from anime parts(cough cough constant obito flashbacks a filler))
But it was a series that really hit hard(emotionally), and payed off very well(Naruto wasn't the underdog people saw him as(he always had powerful special powers). He was a underdog because of the obstacles in his way, and he overcame them by never giving up and pressing on with grit)). A series that time and again created some of the coolest scenes in all manga, and found ways to keep topping itself. And even with crazy power scaling, it never forgot its roots and how to make the fights interesting.
I have never been as hyped to read a series week to week as Naruto managed to keep me. And can I take a moment to just say how amazing Kishi did with Madara and Night Gai. Holy crap, have I never seen a character who was hyped to the moon and back, and when he entered the story he didn't just meet the hype, he exceeded it completely. Likewise with Night Gai.
One Piece is more of a "masterpiece", and does a lot more in its story, and handles a larger amount of characters better. And just consistently tells a great story with extremely few flaws(having characters live is fine, but toying with the audience with fake out deaths is not good)
Boruto has kinda grown into its own, not unlike Legend of Korra did for Avatar. But like Korra, it also lost some of the charm of the original in the process.(I am still disappointed Naruto didn't continue his training over the years, or at least pull a Gohan and go through rigorous training to regain his edge after the events of the movie. Not a fan of nerfed Naruto.)
(Spin off/novel mangas are great! More please)
But Naruto just hits different. It hits some high points that just are not matched the same, by almost anything else.
I am so happy to have this one shot, and that this was the winner.
Edit: Wow, I can't believe I forgot how funny/entertaining it is for Kushinas hair to actually move according to her emotions. Such a small but hilarious touch.