Red Camellia

Synopsis
Yūkimaru manages to hold off the Three-Tails long enough for Guren to stand up, who moves out of the way just as the Three-Tails regains its self-control. Rinji stealthily stabs Guren with his kunai and moves Yūkimaru and himself out of the way as the Three-Tails' Water Release: Great Water Mass Bullet strikes the cliff. Seeing the wounded Guren, Yūkimaru is told that she will die unless he takes control of the Three-Tails. Yūkimaru complies, but is unable to continue after running out of chakra. Rinji flees as Yūkimaru decides to protect Guren with his life. As the Three-Tails launches another attack, Guren moves him out of the way and keeps him safely encased with her Crystal Release: Crimson Fruit while she deals with the tailed beast.

Team Guren nurse themselves from their injuries, unaware that they are being watched by Tobi. Tobi then decides that he needes Deidara's assistance and runs off to retrieve him. Lee, Shizune, Sakura, Tenten and Ino are all safely on shore as Kakashi, Yamato, Kiba and Akamaru catch up with Naruto and Shino. Naruto rushes off to save Yūkimaru while the others follow behind him. Naruto manages to reach Yūkimaru first, seeing him trapped in Guren's crystal, but finds himself face-to-face with the Three-Tailed Turtle. He attempts to strike it with his Rasengan but fails, and Guren attempts the same with her Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon. As a wounded Guren begins to drown, she converts her life force into chakra, allowing her to use powerful techniques such as Crystal Release: String of Glory to withstand the brunt of the Three-Tails' Water Mass Bullet technique and fire a prism at the beast's eyes; Naruto follows up with a Big Ball Rasengan at its eyes as well, having determined it to be its weak spot. Enraged, the beast whips up a tidal wave that engulfs the duo.

Kakashi and his team arrive as Yūkimaru's crystal shield breaks. As they take him away, they are unaware that they are being watched by a vexed Kabuto, who claims that they are foiling Orochimaru's plan.

Trivia

 * In the English dub, the scene where Tobi sees the Three-Tails, Michael Yurchak, the voice actor for Tobi, and Obito following his unmasking, uses the character's real voice rather than the fake voice he'd been using for the Tobi persona. Interestingly, in the original dub, Tobi speaks in his fake voice instead of his real one.

Credits
Camellias Rojas