10 Second Anime - Naruto Shippuuden - Episode 364

Naruto Shippuuden - Episode 364

The 10-Tail transforms again, making the Allied Shinobi Jutsu moot. Obito attempts to break Naruto's will. Hinata reassures Naruto.

Hmm.

With the death of the forces at strategic command and Neji, Obito has a great opening to taunt Naruto into despair. Hinata's compassionate slap to get Naruto's attention, and let him know that his promise to not let comrades die is not a lie because the conviction holds true. Obito's gambit almost worked because it hit Naruto where he was scared the most, that he was alone and he will be alone again if he keeps opposing him and Madara. Naruto himself may be hard to kill, but his comrades are not, so he's responsible for their future deaths. Always the sentiment of a terrorist. Not complying with a terrorist means those deaths are your responsibility, when you have to look at it more objectively than that narrow perspective. The terrorist is the one who kills. You did not "let" your comrade die. That's a false choice fallacy, and Hinata got Naruto out of that trap.

The image of Neji as a firebird when he sacrificed his life to save Naruto and Hinata was a great reference to Konoha's Will of Fire, which is always boiled down to protecting the future.

Better yet, with the 8-tails coming back to power just in time to prevent a beast bomb from exploding the battlefield, this means Kurama the 9-tails is just about replenished. And Naruto has come up with an even better way of not letting his comrades die. His own Will of Fire.

Turning the beast cloak into a protective healing barrier from it's old poisonous fire is only something that Naruto could come up with. And then to extend it to thousands of people, that is something only the true heir to the Sage of the Six Paths could do. Besides, when Naruto defeated Nagato as he controlled Pain, he told him to "Give up on me giving up!" I guess Obito hasn't heard that speech yet.