The animation here is what peak Shippuden looks like when the studio actually commits, every fight lands harder than the show usually lets it. Shion's death prediction creates real tension because the movie refuses to let you know if Naruto actually escapes it, which means you're watching him try to outrun his own fate instead of just guarding another person. The plot is pure formula and you know exactly where this goes, but the craft is good enough that you stop caring about originality halfway through.

An ancient demon that once came close to destroying the world is being revived by a group of ninja. Only Shion, a shrine maiden with two gifts, can stop it: she seals demons and foresees the deaths of humans. Naruto is assigned to guard her, but Shion predicts his death. His only way to escape that fate is to stay away from her, which would leave her unprotected against a demon bent on killing her and ending the world. Naruto refuses to run and sets out to defy the prophecy. The movie mixes action, adventure, comedy and fantasy.