Comrade

Lee keeps watch on Pain from a distance while Sakura mends Hinata's wounds and Shikamaru stares up at the massive True: Chibaku Tensei. Inside his own mind, Naruto rages and begs the fox for more power, only to be warned he still cannot master it. Kushina senses trouble because the Nine-Tails' chakra sealed within her stirs uneasily. Minato has Ino relay word to the fighters outside, and Shikamaru updates the group on how the battle is unfolding.

Alarmed for her son, Kushina resolves on a bold step and manages to reach Naruto within his mind. She means to transfer her entire share of the Nine-Tails to him, but the fox already inside him assures her that will not be needed, so she hands over only a portion of the chakra. Empowered, Naruto shatters the Chibaku Tensei and brings Pain down, then tracks Nagato to his hiding place. His words stir Nagato's memories of Yahiko, moving him to lift the assault and free Konoha.

Elsewhere in memory, Minato and Fugaku speak of Sasuke and Itachi. Sasuke strikes at Orochimaru but buckles under poison; when he wakes, Sasori appears and offers Akatsuki's aid toward his goals, and Sasuke declares his intent to destroy Konoha. The episode airs as part of the Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero arc.