Episode Summaries

After Hinata is seemingly killed by Pain, Naruto becomes enraged, causing Naruto to transform into his four-tailed form. The Nine-Tails then conjures a twister, which Pain is able to nullify with his Shinra Tensei. The Nine-Tails is able to break the very earth up and hurl it at Pain, who is able to evade most of it, although he suffers a punch from the four-tailed Naruto and is subsequently buried by the debris. Pain emerges, and Naruto's transformation escalates, causing him to grow two more tails and gain a skeletal appearance. Pain proceeds to destroy the ground beneath them, unleashing the water beneath.

In his six-tailed form, the Nine-Tails continues his assault on Pain, firing Continuous Tailed Beast Balls which Pain manages to deflect with Shinra Tensei. The tailed beast then decides to stop its attack; as Pain wonders if that is all the beast is capable of, the Nine-Tails takes advantage of Pain's five-second interval to fire more Continuous Tailed Beast Balls, striking Pain. The First Hokage's Necklace attempts to restrain the Nine-Tails' chakra and revert the transformation, only for the Nine-Tails to rip the necklace off and destroy it. The beast then lunges towards Pain, who attempts to repel him with his Shinra Tensei; however, the attack has no effect and the Nine-Tails is able to strike Pain once more. Hinata, who is revealed to be still alive, mutters Naruto's name as the battle ensues around her. The Nine-Tails fires a Tailed Beast Ball at Pain who attempts to counter it with Banshō Ten'in, causing an explosion.

Kō, using his Byakugan, alerts Sakura that Naruto has entered into his six-tailed form; Sakura and Katsuyu decide to have the other villagers evacuate Konoha since Naruto cannot control his transformation. Outside the village, Yamato, Sai and Anko are on a mission to find Kabuto when Yamato sees a kanji burn on his hand. Realising that Naruto has entered into his six-tailed form and that the necklace is destroyed, Yamato abandons the team, telling them that an emergency has sprung up and that he must return to Konoha immediately.

Meanwhile, Pain begins to flee from the battleground as the six-tailed beast chases him. The Nine-Tails fires its Nine-Tails Beam at Pain, who shields himself with Shinra Tensei. Back in his tower, Nagato muses that the Deva Path is finally close enough for him to use Chibaku Tensei. Using the very earth itself, the Deva Path creates a moon-like sphere, which draws in the six-tailed Naruto and traps him within; the technique, however, causes Nagato to begin bleeding from his nose. Konan asks Nagato why he would create such a large orb as Nagato reminds Konan that their opponent is the Nine-Tails, and that he had to use such measures in order to capture the beast. Enraged, the trapped beast grows an eighth tail and begins to break out of the sphere. Within his subconscious, a troubled Naruto muses how he did not have an answer to Pain's question on how to obtain peace, while the Nine-Tailed Fox convinces him to release the seal that binds him, claiming that once he is given total rein over Naruto's body, he would help him by killing those who have caused Naruto pain. Naruto, under the influence of the fox, is about to sprout his ninth and final tail as Yamato, who is alerted by the kanji on his palm, wonders how Naruto's transformation had progressed that far. Naruto succumbs to the Nine-Tails' will and attempts to rip off the seal and free the fox, only to be stopped by the Fourth Hokage, who dispels the fox's influence on Naruto and greets the boy by name.