Is Mito Uzumaki Naruto's grandmother in Shippuden?

Naruto: Shippuden fans seem confused regarding the family tree of its main protagonist, and one can't blame them. The titular character's family tree is not laid out in a straightforward manner, which is partly due to the story-building and suspense-inducing tactics of its esteemed mangaka Masashi Kishimoto.

One of the key uncertainties fans seem to have is regarding Naruto's relationship with Mito Uzumaki. She is better known as the wife of Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage, and for her efforts to keep Kurama contained. Mito hails from the respected Uzumaki clan, and fans found an instant match with the main protagonist's clan name.

Hence, this article discusses the exact nature and relationship between Mito Uzumaki and Naruto.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Naruto: Shippuden anime series.

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Mito Uzumaki chose Kushina to become the vessel for the Nine-Tails in Naruto Shippuden.

Mito and Kushina Uzumaki

Mito Uzumaki comforting Kushina (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Senju and Uzumaki clans were on good terms since they were known to be distant blood relatives. The latter were originally the residents of Uzushiohakure, but the village was destroyed due to an impending civil war. However, Mito Uzumaki migrated to Konohagakure and married the first Hokage, Hashirama Senju.

After a battle at the Valley of the End, Hashirama overpowered Madara Uchiha and Mito chose to become Kurama's first jinchuriki. Mito's appearance would surely remind every fan of Kushina Uzumaki, the main protagonist's mother. However, she resembles Mito in many more ways than just her appearance.

Both of them were dominant kunoichi, masters of Fuinjutsu, and had a unique form of chakra that efficiently suppressed Kurama's seemingly near-infinite chakra pool. After Kushina's potential as a successive jinchuriki was revealed to her, Mito Uzumaki calmly comforted, guided, and motivated her to take on such a huge responsibility.

However, Kushina is not directly related to Mito Uzumaki as the only thing common in their lineage remains to be their clan. The former was selected from the Uzumaki clan as the future vessel for Kurama when Mito Uzumaki was approaching the final days of her life. While they might be related in other ways, Kushina is definitely not Mito Uzumaki's child.

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Naruto's known family tree

The Namikaze Family (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The Uzumaki clan descended from Hagoromo Otsutsuki's youngest son, Asura Otsutsuki. While most of them were wiped out due to the civil war in Uzushiohakure, some survived the onslaught by fleeing the village. A prime example of one such survivor would be Kushina Uzumaki, who fell in love with Minato Namikaze, the fourth Hokage.

Their child would revolutionize the Ninja world forever in the Fourth Great Ninja War by playing a key role in defeating Madara Uchiha and Kaguya Otsutsuki. Naruto's only surviving relative would be Karin, who also belongs to the Uzumaki clan.

However, he took his mother's clan name to conceal the fact that he was the child of the Yellow Flash. At the time of his birth, Minato feared that an increasing number of his enemies from all five major villages would target his only son to seek revenge.

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Final thoughts

Hashirama Senju and Mito Uzumaki have only one living grandchild, which is Tsunade. This eliminates the possibility of Naruto being Mito Uzumaki's grandchild altogether.

Furthermore, Masashi Kishimoto refrained from portraying Mito Uzumaki's child and thus not much is known about Tsunade and Nawaki's parents.