Partner (Boruto episode)

Isshiki passes through Kawaki's Fire Release unharmed, seizes him, and scolds him for playing at being a shinobi. Kawaki says Naruto took him on as a student and gave him a reason to live, which Isshiki belittles, noting the prosthetic arm let him drag Kawaki here and that his bond with Naruto is what handed him over. Kawaki insists a world without Naruto holds nothing for him. Isshiki brands him with a fresh Kama and celebrates even as his own body starts to fail, then the mark dissolves in confusion. The real Kawaki steps out, revealing the branded target was a shadow clone, and pounces on the crumbling Isshiki, whose body collapses into dust under his weight. Naruto is stunned by the clone trick as Sasuke asks about his new power.

Boruto abruptly stabs Sasuke's Rinnegan, and Momoshiki speaks through him, approving of Isshiki's defeat. He confirms Isshiki's soul is gone and wounds Kawaki, judging his Kama extraction far enough along; the process, he explains, has left both boys roughly 80 percent Otsutsuki, viable as sacrifices even without the marks. Sasuke duels Momoshiki, deducing that since he surfaced from Boruto overspending chakra, restoring that chakra should push him back. Kawaki starts to self-immolate to stop a teleport, forcing Momoshiki to absorb it, and Boruto regains himself long enough to snap off Momoshiki's horn before collapsing. Naruto also passes out, and in his mind Kurama reveals the price of Baryon Mode was its own death rather than Naruto's, a truth it hid knowing he would have refused. The fox bids him farewell and fades as the other tailed beasts sense its passing; Naruto wakes to a weeping Boruto at his side.

Episode 218 of the Boruto anime is part of the Kawaki Arc and adapts chapters 53 through 55. Rather than the usual outro, the credits run over a montage of Naruto and Kurama, and the title card appears only after them. The airing fell on the 19th anniversary of the Naruto anime's debut, marking both Kurama's first and final appearance. It aired in Japan on 3 October 2021 and in English on 13 June 2023, with opening Reckless and ending Who are you?