Since the beginning of the Fourth Great Shinobi War, the Naruto experience has, time and time again, emerged as a magnificent portrayal of life, in all its successes, failures, and even negligible fillers. However, nothing has quite captured my attention as the recent developments of this possibly final arc. We were left at the end of episode 363 wondering how the Allied forces would fare against the incomprehensible might of Obito, Madara and their ever-immense pet, the Ten Tails. Then, I had predicted that what would follow would be a haunting climax of death and despair, and episode 364 rarely disappoints. With a continuous refining and enhancement of plot developments through to the final, cliffhanging moment, the rollercoaster ride that is Naruto Shippuden takes viewers on an intense ride of grief, anger and hope in the process of bringing light back to the Shinobi world.
As is typical of the Naruto formula, the valiant effort of the combined Allied Shinobi jutsu completely and utterly fails, due to the surprising transformation of the Ten Tails into an even more monstrous beast. It is at this point that the Ten Tails begins to channel its chakra into a massive Tailed Beast Bomb, the likes of which could nullify the entire Shinobi offensive front, but it doesn’t. No, it doesn’t at all, because that would be too easy. Instead, the Ten Tails begins firing its bombs into the abyss of the night sky, one by one, projecting through the very fabric of existence until reaching and eradicating life in distant Shinobi cities. The skyline shows nought but cities burning to the ground, at the mercy (or lack thereof in this case) of the incredible power of Ten Tails. Yet it is the final bomb that leaves a resounding ache in your heart as seconds pass in complete silence; a haunting silence foreshadowing the truth we refuse to believe. The Ten Tails’ final bomb heads towards the city hidden away in its splendid cloak of leaves. Shikaku shares a brief dialogue with Inoichi, keeping their dark vigil as they approach their demise, carrying through their devotion to the Shinobi cause. “Just keep doing what we must do,” Shikaku says solemnly, going on to transmit the final battle-plan, and then they vanish. Just like that… they cease to exist.
In times like these, I stop to think and admire the emotional depth of the Naruto storyline, for each villain brings to the table a complicated array of psychological dismay, and a jarring psyche that challenges the core of human ideology. In this particular case, it wouldn’t be enough to decimate the Allied front, and going on to dominate the postwar world. To Obito (and Madara to a lesser extent), the very hope of the shinobi and their reason to keep up the fight must be crushed. They must be left with nothing but a decaying isolation that eats away all they held dear until they are left with nothing but a broken shell to contain the darkness that becomes their being. Obito wishes to make the shinobi suffer as he suffered, feel the same crushing pain (both physical and emotional) that consumed him. But does he succeed?
Still awestruck, every shinobi continues the fight, dedicated to their unifying cause. Yet with the extension of the fight, comes an extension of death. While it is disheartening to witness countless shinobi fall to the Ten Tails’ attacks, it is evermore depressing to witness the death of another central character. It is strange to think that the deaths of thousands upon thousands (to which our attention is not drawn) fail to attract a viewer’s empathy so much as a familiar loss. It is here that we witness the death of Neji, at the receiving end of a precise jutsu intended for Naruto. With his dying breath, Neji recounts the central importance of Naruto to the integrity of the entire operation, holding ‘more than one life in his hands.’ The touching memory of Naruto and Neji’s spar, in all their youthful splendor, highlights the ironic cynicism of death; the unifying matter, the common tie, that holds us all together and that we often forget we share in the shadow of our most superficial differences. It all comes together with a fantastic choice of music that never fails to send chills down my spine and shake me into oblivion alongside Shikaku and the rest. It is here, moreover, that the episode strays from the traditional storyline build, as for a few fleeting moments, we begin to question Naruto’s ability to carry on.
Looking back, Naruto’s blank expression comes to mind most vividly, as if his very core was torn out of him and ripped apart before his very eyes. In every prior encounter, it had always been Naruto serving as the consistent backbone, be it in a moral, emotional or other manner. The most interesting part about Naruto is his one track mind, where his future is considered, and there is a true comfort in knowing that Naruto will always be a symbol of hope and progress, but not now. For a very brief moment in time, you begin to wonder if Naruto is finally going to snap. The one person you’d least expect to, bursting out in a vibrant flurry of hopeless rage. Yet he finally finds solace in the words of Neji and Hinata, embracing the deaths of his comrades to make him stronger, sharpen his blade and lead him to battle, showing Obito and Madara what it means to be a shinobi; and it is Hinata that will accompany him.
Earlier on in the show, especially where the first Naruto series was concerned, the love ‘square’ involving Hinata, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke held a mere secondary role that sought to entertain the viewer with the bickering and troubles of innocent childish romance. But in Shippuden, as the characters grow, so do their interactions, and with the final scene of episode 364 showing Naruto and Hinata hand in hand, in the face of Obito, Madara and Ten Tails, we have a very deep insight into these relationships and their importance to the overarching storyline. As previously stated, Naruto originally served as the central pillar, yet has slowly become woven into a co-existing fabric involving all the characters, forcing him to adapt to and co-operate with all those around him. Finally, Naruto learns that he truly does hold more than one life in his hand, and his maturity in this understanding leads him to finally embrace the support of those he’s tried so hard to keep away. While it is incredibly ‘kawaii’ to see Naruto and Hinata together, it’s exciting to see where the series is headed and to know that the ending of Naruto will be handled very delicately and intimately.
To speak on the episode’s finale, however, from this point on, we don’t really know much of what’s about to happen. While indeed it was a cliffhanger, it was one that leaves the viewer content and hopeful, while still wanting more. Unlike the biting sensation of something terrible about to happen, instead you’re left with an anticipation of an intense climax to the Fourth Great Shinobi War that brings light to a stage that only recently has been splattered and spotted with darkness. I predict that the future holds a few more heart-wrenching losses, but an equally great bang that concludes the arc with a finale worthy of the Naruto title, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.
Great episode!