After back-to-back filler episodes last week, Naruto Shippuden returned to the main story this Thursday with Naruto and Sasuke revived and already possessing the powers of Hagoromo - the Sage of the Six Paths. Still recovering from a brutal battle with Taijutsu master Might Guy, Madara found testy foes in his second confrontations with Naruto and Sasuke, but the legendary Uchiha always had something to pull off his sleeves under pressure.
Naruto Shippuden Episode 424 gave fans a first look at the abilities of Sasuke and Naruto after receiving the power of the Sage of the Six Paths and how strong they had become against Madara. Unless you already read it in the manga. Here's what I learned upon watching the episode.
Naruto & Sasuke Teamwork is Simply Unstoppable:
As the old saying goes, two heads is better than one, more so if they are two very powerful ninjas. Naruto and Sasuke once again teamed up to stop Madara, who had become more powerful after absorbing the Divine Tree at the behest of an unknown voice, whose identity will be later revealed in the succeeding episodes.
Both harnessing the power of the Six Sage Paths, Naruto (with Six Paths Senjutsu) and Sasuke (with Rinnegan) proved to be too powerful for Madara and his invincible shadow clones (also known as Limbo) to the point that Madara had to flee away in search of his other Rinnegan eye.
Naruto's Elemental Rasengan:
Naruto has been able to change the form of the Rasengan from time to time, transforming the wind-style jutsu from a tiny ball of packed winds to massive weapons of destruction: Rasen-shuriken and Massive Rasengan.
But by possessing all the powers of the tailed beast, Naruto could change the elemental nature of his Rasengan. He demonstrated this when he used Goku's (four-tails) power to create a lava-style rasen-shuriken and Shikaku's (one-tail) magnet release in order to harness a magnet-style rasengan.
Sasuke's Left Eye Power - the Tomoe Rinnegan:
In their confrontation with Madara, Sasuke showed the true power of his left eye. Aside from giving him the ability to see Madara's limbos, Sasuke could also enhance his chidori and create illusions with ease. Sasuke also exhibited astonishing speed when he caught up a fleeing Madara and sliced him in half.
Madara's On Verge of his Ultimate Trump Card:
Realizing that he couldn't take the two lightly, especially with his other eye still in possession of Obito, Madara decided to flee away from main battle field and snatch Kakashi's left eye.
Although his body was bisected by Sasuke, Madara was able to use the Kamui to transport himself into Obito's dimension. Wielding the power of two rinnegan eyes has become crucial for Madara, who had no choice but to cast the ultimate jutsu: The Infinite Tsukuyomi.
Naruto Shippuden Episode 424 premiered on Thursday on Crunchy Roll, with premium users having the luxury to watch it first hand on the site. You can also watch it for free on NarutoSpot.