Breaking the Crystal Release

A rift splits Tobi and Deidara, who go their separate ways after Deidara loses patience with his partner. On the battlefield, Kakashi and Naruto trade blows with Guren while Sai keeps Gozu occupied. Stung by Naruto's remarks about how she has treated Yukimaru, Guren abandons restraint, knocking Naruto aside and driving her crystal thorns into Kakashi even as he readies his Lightning Cutter.

Reinforcements reshape the fight. Yamato splits duties, tasking Lee and Tenten with guarding the sealing team while he, Kiba, and Akamaru back up Kakashi. Sai binds Gozu inside a nest of ink snakes. Shino arrives just as Guren moves to finish Kakashi, and his insects, now resistant to her crystal, refuse to stay imprisoned when she encases them. Naruto answers with a barrage of clones each holding a Rasengan, launching his Ultra-Many Spiralling Serial Spheres, and Guren throws up a self-healing crystal wall to survive it.

Stumbling onto the lake, Tobi realizes he has located the Three-Tails and spots Rinji spying on Shizune's team as they attempt the Four-Corner Sealing Barrier. Rinji charges the defenseless sealers but is beaten back by Lee's Leaf Whirlwind and retreats rather than face two opponents. Watching from concealment, Kabuto resolves that Konoha cannot be allowed to claim the beast, deciding to turn Yukimaru into his instrument once more.

Gozu breaks free using his mud body, shoving Guren clear of Kakashi's Lightning Cutter and shattering Shino's swarm before Kakashi seemingly strikes him down. A flashback to killing Yukimaru's mother finally surfaces in Guren's mind, and Kabuto exploits it, threatening to shatter the boy with the truth unless she helps control the Three-Tails. She reluctantly yields, and Kabuto recalls that Orochimaru foresaw exactly this bond and betrayal, telling him to intervene when the moment came.

Part of the anime's Three-Tails' Appearance storyline, this entry advances Guren's arc as her guilt over Yukimaru's mother is confirmed. Trivia from the source notes that Tobi's eye is briefly visible during his split from Deidara.