"The Ties That Bind" (繋がれるもの, Tsunagareru Mono) is episode 364 of the Naruto: Shippūden anime.
Summary[]
Just as the Allied Shinobi Forces are about to strike the two Uchiha and the Ten-Tails, the pair use the beast's power to blast all the attackers away. Madara notes that their strategy to eliminate the brains of the enemy is a fundamental one, and uses the Ten-Tails to fire its Tailed Beast Balls at seemingly random targets. Shikaku attempts to convey to Kakashi his next plan to stop the Ten-Tails. However Ao detects a Tailed Beast Ball flying towards the HQ, leaving Shikaku and Inoichi to communicate their last act to the whole force as well as saying their final goodbyes to Shikamaru and Ino. With the Allied HQ destroyed, Madara states that the Ten-Tails is becoming difficult to control. Becoming a jinchūriki will allow greater control over the beast but needs a living body to succeed, not a reincarnated corpse. Only Obito can perform the technique to fully revive Madara, and so the latter allows Obito to make the next move. Wanting to demoralise Naruto, Obito fires numerous wooden spikes against the Allied Shinobi, inflicting many casualties. Neji, Hinata, and Hiashi attempt to protect Naruto from the Ten-Tails' attacks but a focused attack on Naruto forces Neji to act as a human shield to protect both Naruto and Hinata. Neji succumbs to his wounds finally understanding why his father died to protect his comrades. Obito attempts to convince Naruto that Neji's death as well as the deaths of many Allied Forces that his words and ideals were meaningless which prompted Kakashi's worries even more, but Hinata slaps Naruto back to reality. Kurama backs Hinata's speech, stating that Neji's sacrifice was exactly the same as Minato and Kushina's sacrifice to protect Naruto just after his birth. Meanwhile, a fully recharged B entered Tailed Beast Mode, charged towards the Ten-Tails, making it ingest its own Tailed Beast Ball. It successfully exploded and allowed the others to gain time. With levels recharged, Naruto enters back into his cloak as well as giving Hinata some of the fox's chakra.
