"Everyone's Struggle to the Death" (それぞれの死闘, Sorezore no Shitō) is episode 67 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime.
Synopsis[]
The Konoha shinobi continue to defend the main border against the reanimated corpse army besieged upon them. Although the corpses are not too difficult to defeat, the sheer number of their forces makes the shinobi's tasks more arduous. Meanwhile, Naruto is still engaged in combat with Fūka, who offers to spare his life if he gives her his body. Naruto, hanging off a roof, refuses, and thus she uses her Lightning Release: Lightning Rod technique to shock Naruto and cause him to fall to his presumed death. Naruto manages to save himself using his Shadow Clone Technique and tells her that he does not have time for her at the moment. She responds by using her Earth Release: Mud Spore combined with her Water Release: Snake's Mouth to create a mudslide that crashes into Naruto and wipes him off the roof.
Down below, Sakura is trapped in a cave by Fuen. After touching the walls, she comes into contact with poison moths that surround her body. She wakes up on the ground with Naruto leaning over her; however, "Naruto" tries to stab her with a kunai. As she runs away, the Naruto's split into three and one of them seemingly stabs her. Fuen then releases her genjutsu and prepares to finish off the unconscious Sakura, only for Sakura to use a Body Replacement Technique. Using her Chakra Enhanced Strength, she punches Fuen and sends her flying through a tree. She explains how she remember Fuen's use of poison before finishing off an enemy, as opposed to facing them head on, and thus prepared herself by using an antidote. Standing above the fallen Fuen, Sakura builds up chakra into her fist and strikes her in the abdomen, killing her. As Fuen cast the Barrier Gate Five Seals Technique: Castle Closing Eight Gates, her death causes the barriers around Konoha to recede.
In Tsunade's office, Shikamaru tells her that he cannot come up with a countermeasure without being on the front lines. Coming across Ino, the pair head to the main gates, where they overhear Chōji telling the others that whoever defeated the barrier caster had done their job, and now it was time to do theirs. After asking everyone if they had enough chakra, Shikamaru formulates a strategy to defeat the reanimated corpses quickly.
Back at the power station, Kitane traps Asuma with his Lightning Release: Thunder Binding in order to prevent Asuma's interference without killing him. Asuma is unable to get out of the lightning trap due to the electricity that flows through the walls. In another part of the village, Yamato is avoiding being struck by Fudō. Using his Rock Armour, Fudō tries to strike Yamato, only for Yamato to keep evading. Yamato uses his Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears to create spikes to skewer Fudō, but the latter merely punches them away. Using Fudō to soften the terrain, Yamato then uses his Water Release: Tearing Torrent to create a powerful current of water that causes the soft ground beneath Fudō to swallow him up. As he struggles to get free, Yamato uses his Wood Release: Tree Bind Flourishing Burial to constrict and squeeze Fudō to death.
At the main gate, Shikamaru has Chōji use his Multi-Size Technique followed by his Human Bullet Tank technique to roll over and destroy some of the reanimated corpses. He then has Lee use his taijutsu to create a powerful whirlwind that sucks in the corpses, and prepares to have Kiba and Akamaru use their Fang Passing Fang to take out the rest. However, to their surprise, the corpses all turn into dust, as Fudō, their caster, had just been killed.
On the outskirts of the village, Furido tells Sora that everyone in Konoha must die as they are all loyal to their king, the Hokage. Sora puts his Chakra Enhanced Triple-Bladed Claw against Furido's throat in an attempt to protect the village, but Furido dodges the move and uses his cane to pull Sora down to ground level. Berating Sora for showing weakness towards Konoha for showing him compassion, he proceeds to beat Sora with his cane.
Trivia[]
- After Yamato kills Fudō, a poster for the second Naruto: Shippūden movie is seen on one of the buildings in Konoha.