A True Ending

Even after Shukaku halts one of Madara's Susanoo blades, the Uchiha hurls another that strikes Gaara down. The One-Tail warns its former host to ease up, but the Kazekage fights on undaunted, declaring himself the tanuki's equal. Moments later the tailed beasts are hauled into the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, wrenching Naruto out of Tailed Beast Mode. As Kurama is torn away, an unconscious Naruto begins to plummet, and Gaara's sand rises to soften his fall.

With the beasts sealed back inside the statue, Madara silences his talkative White Zetsu minion. Tobirama slips in behind Madara and engages him in combat, granting Gaara the moment he needs to flee with Naruto. Sasuke rejoins the fray, but only after Hashirama channels his own chakra into him and grants a means to counter Madara's senjutsu. Reaching Madara, Sasuke finds himself frozen in midair before he can strike and is run through without mercy.

Elsewhere Tobi unleashes his Kanzeon Lotus King against the Shinobi Alliance, only for Hiruzen to drive him back, while Orochimaru's group hunkers down to plot a surprise strike and Karin bursts into tears upon sensing Sasuke's peril.

Madara completes the resealing of the tailed beasts, extracting Kurama and leaving Naruto's life in the balance, while his midair ambush leaves Sasuke gravely wounded. Sensing Naruto's fading heartbeat through her Byakugan, Hinata rushes toward him but collapses from depleted chakra, leaving Sakura, the last medic with reserves to spare, to begin healing him. As grief overtakes both Sakura and Karin, the two kunoichi grasp the terrible truth that if nothing changes, both Naruto and Sasuke will die.

The episode is part of the Birth of the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki arc and adapts manga chapters 660, 661, and 662. It aired in Japan on 25 December 2014 and in English on 27 June 2017. The opening theme is Silhouette and the ending theme is It's Absolutely No Good. Its title deliberately echoes, while differing from, the chapter The True End.