Naruto Shippuden · Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax

Madara, armed with the Rinnegan and Hashirama's cells, crushes the Fourth Division, and the five Kage take him on together. Naruto and Killer Bee fight the jinchūriki Tobi brought back from the dead; Naruto makes peace with Kurama, gains Tailed Beast Mode and frees the tailed beasts. Sasuke and Itachi team up against Kabuto, and Itachi traps him in Izanami, undoes the Reanimation and says goodbye to his brother, but Madara stays free. Sasuke revives Orochimaru looking for answers. Tobi's mask breaks: he's Obito Uchiha, Kakashi's teammate thought dead. Flashbacks show Madara saving Obito, Rin's death and how Obito manipulated Nagato. The arc ends in Nagato's past, with Yahiko's body becoming the Deva Path.

1. ReferenceTwo broken masks

   The masked man's mask cracks and falls in ep. 343 in a shot that closely mirrors Haku's mask, broken by Naruto in the Land of Waves.

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2. ReferenceIzanami, the goddess who closes the loop

   Itachi traps Kabuto in Izanami, a loop that only ends when the victim accepts who they are. In myth, Izanami is the goddess who created the world alongside Izanagi.

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3. ReferenceForehead to forehead

   Before he goes in ep. 339, Itachi rests his forehead against Sasuke's and says he'll always love him. It's the final version of the forehead poke he used when his brother was a kid.

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