Chapter Summaries

After reuniting with Kagetsu, Hoshi learned about her achievements and discovered that her Mangekyō Sharingan use had seriously damaged her eyesight. He forbade her from using Higan until he could find a solution and planned to visit Orochimaru’s laboratory the next day.

• Kagetsu reunited with Hoshi and told him she had searched for him for three years after learning he disappeared near Rōran.
• Kagetsu described becoming a renowned Kage-level Anbu leader and introducing her new apprentice, Uzuki Yugao.
• Hoshi noticed Kagetsu trip over a threshold and realized her eyesight was failing from excessive use of Higan.
• Kagetsu explained that repeated Mangekyō Sharingan use during the Nine-Tails Attack and later missions had worsened her vision.
• Hoshi forbade Kagetsu from using Higan until he solved her vision problem, then escorted her home.
• Hoshi decided to visit Orochimaru’s laboratory the next day to check on Shin and consider experiments involving Hashirama Cells and Yin Release Chakra.

Hoshi visited the Konoha Research Institute after returning from Rōran and reunited with Orochimaru. After Anko mistook him for an intruder and Kabuto recognized him, Hoshi asked Orochimaru about his research on the Mangekyo Sharingan.

• Hoshi told Tsunade about Kagetsu's situation and went to the Konoha Research Institute.
• Anko caught Hoshi in her Hidden Shadow Snake Hands and threatened him, but she could not move him.
• Kabuto arrived, recognized Hoshi, and greeted him as Lord Hoshi.
• Anko realized who Hoshi was, withdrew her snakes, and led him to Orochimaru.
• Hoshi told Orochimaru that his trouble in Rōran had been resolved and asked how the Mangekyo Sharingan research was progressing.

Hoshi visited Orochimaru’s laboratory to review his Mangekyō Sharingan research and seek a way to save Kagetsu’s failing eyesight. After learning that Shin had accepted Hashirama Cells without rejection, Hoshi proposed transplanting a Three-Tomoe Sharingan into him to test whether Yin Release Chakra could help it evolve, leaving Orochimaru concerned about the risks to the seven-year-old.

• Orochimaru told Hoshi that Kagetsu’s eyes were nearing blindness and led him to the laboratory where the Sharingan were kept.
• Anko explained that Orochimaru had spent the past three years researching the ideas Hoshi left behind, and Orochimaru introduced her as his disciple alongside Kabuto and Shin.
• Orochimaru reported that Hashirama Cells and Yin Release Chakra had restored the Mangekyō Sharingan’s cellular activity and confirmed that both helped restore Dojutsu Power.
• Orochimaru revealed that seven-year-old Shin had received a Hashirama Cell transplant and shown no rejection, though he had not awakened Wood Release.
• Hoshi proposed giving Shin a Three-Tomoe Sharingan transplant while Kagetsu received Hashirama Cells, so they could study how the treatments affected the eyes.
• Orochimaru agreed to ask Shin’s opinion but warned that the Three-Tomoe Sharingan’s power might harm his mind or body.

Hoshi decided that Shin’s Sharingan procedure should wait until Shin was older, while Kagetsu’s Hashirama Cell transplant could proceed soon. At the Anbu training grounds, Hoshi watched Kagetsu defeat Kakashi and met the young Uzuki Yugao.

• Hoshi and Orochimaru agreed to postpone testing Sharingan transplantation on Shin until his body had matured, but to prepare Kagetsu for Hashirama Cell surgery.
• Hoshi went to the Anbu base to tell Kagetsu about the planned surgery and learned she was training with Kakashi.
• Hoshi found Uzuki Yugao watching the match and heard her predict that Kagetsu would defeat Kakashi within ten moves.
• Kagetsu ended the match by overcoming Kakashi’s defense with her longer sword and winning cleanly.
• Kagetsu spotted Hoshi among the spectators, hurried over, and addressed him as Teacher Starry Night, surprising Yugao.

Hoshi arranged a Hashirama Cell transplant to save Kagetsu’s failing eyesight, and the surgery triggered a mysterious transformation in her eyes. As the cells merged with her unusual Yin Release Chakra, Hoshi sensed the birth of the Power of All Creation.

• Yūgao discovered that the masked Hoshi was Lord Hoshi, Konoha Silver Moon, and fled in embarrassment.
• Hoshi told Kagetsu he had found a way to save her eyes, and she agreed to receive a Hashirama Cell transplant.
• Hoshi brought Kagetsu to Orochimaru's Laboratory, where Orochimaru and Kabuto began the surgery with Hoshi assisting.
• Kagetsu's body initially reacted with pain, but Hoshi's Sage Mode Chakra helped the Hashirama Cells settle and merge with her.
• A strange Yin Release Chakra surged from Kagetsu's eyes, absorbed the Hashirama Cells, and returned to her eyes carrying what Hoshi suspected was the Power of All Creation.

Hoshi reflected on the power he sensed in Kagetsu and left her in Orochimaru’s Laboratory for observation after her surgery. At home, Tsunade told him she was pregnant, and Hoshi was stunned to learn he would become a father.

• Hoshi sensed the Power of All Creation within Kagetsu and discussed with Orochimaru how it might help her Mangekyō Sharingan recover.
• Hoshi left Kagetsu in Orochimaru’s Laboratory so her body could be monitored as it fused with the Hashirama Cells.
• Hoshi woke to find Tsunade gone, then made breakfast and waited for her at home.
• Tsunade rushed into the kitchen, hugged Hoshi, and showed him a Konoha Hospital report confirming her pregnancy.
• Tsunade told Hoshi she was nearly half a month pregnant and had already informed their mothers.

After learning that Tsunade was pregnant, Hoshi panicked about becoming a father and gathered his friends for advice. Their reassurance calmed him, and he resolved to protect his unborn child and prepare for the dangers ahead.

• Hoshi left breakfast in a daze after realizing he was going to be a father and worried about how to raise and protect his child.
• Hoshi gathered Minato, Sakumo, Shinku, Orochimaru, and Nawaki to announce the news and ask for advice.
• The group teased Hoshi for becoming a father so late, then reassured him that his child would have a powerful family to support them.
• Hoshi imagined his child's promising future and resolved to stay strong through Pain's invasion and the Fourth Shinobi World War.

As Tsunade’s pregnancy progressed, Hoshi learned from Jiraiya and Nonō that Mist Village was descending into factional violence. Concerned for Kimimaro and Haku, Hoshi agreed to travel there with a squad and promised Tsunade he would return within seven days.

• Hoshi kept Tsunade company during her pregnancy and brought home an oversized Gashapon Machine to keep her entertained.
• Jiraiya and Nonō told Hoshi that Mist Village’s Militant and Conservative Factions were fighting, with many Bloodline Limit Clans nearing destruction.
• Hoshi went with Jiraiya and Nonō to the Hokage’s Office, where Minato agreed that Konoha should help Mist Village and arranged an elite squad and the Flying Thunder God Squad to accompany Hoshi.
• Hoshi decided to observe Mist Village from the shadows and said he would kill anyone who discovered him.
• Tsunade objected to Hoshi’s departure, but agreed after he explained that Kimimaro might be in danger; she insisted he return within seven days.

Minato sent Hoshi and a powerful team of reinforcements to Kirigakure, where they learned that the village's factions were fueling deadly clan conflicts. Hoshi discovered that the Hōzuki Clan had been declared exterminated the day before and hoped to find Haku within seven days.

• Minato finalized a ten-person reinforcement roster, and the group used the Flying Thunder God Technique to travel to Konoha's outpost outside Kirigakure.
• Sakumo took command and asked Byakuri to report on Kirigakure's situation.
• Byakuri explained that the Conservative and Militant Factions were drawing Bloodline Limit Clans into private battles, while Pakura described why the clans were caught in the conflict.
• Byakuri reported that several small Bloodline Limit Clans had been wiped out and that the Hōzuki Clan had been declared exterminated the previous day.
• Hoshi realized he had arrived in time to search for Haku and hoped to find him within seven days.

Hoshi wandered through the snowy Mist Village after avoiding White Zetsu and found the dying Haku on a stone bridge. He gave Haku warm clothes, bread, and water, leaving the child with a chance to survive.

• Hoshi separated from Sakumo's squad and used Sage Mode to sense White Zetsu near the Militant Faction's base.
• Hoshi avoided White Zetsu and wandered alone through the snowy streets until dawn.
• Haku recalled that his mother had died helping him escape after the Yuki Clan was targeted during the village conflict.
• Haku survived the freezing river but collapsed on a stone bridge, near death from exhaustion and cold.
• Hoshi wrapped Haku in a warm robe and gave him bread and hot water.
• Haku asked Hoshi what he could do for him.

Hoshi took in the exhausted Haku and brought him back to his lodgings to recover. When Sakumo and the others returned, Haku emerged from the bath in Hoshi’s robe, prompting them to mistake him for a girl and tease Hoshi.

• Hoshi offered to take Haku in, and Haku eagerly accepted before eating the bread Hoshi gave him.
• Hoshi led the exhausted Haku to the lodgings where he was staying with Sakumo, keeping watch over him as they traveled.
• Hoshi listened to Haku explain what had happened, then sent him to bathe while he waited for Sakumo and the others.
• Sakumo, Jiraiya, Kagetsu, Dan, Pakura, and Kakashi returned as Haku emerged from the bathroom wearing Hoshi’s robe.
• Kakashi called Hoshi a scumbag, and Hoshi insisted Haku was a boy, but Sakumo and Jiraiya continued teasing him about it.

Hoshi and his companions cleared up the misunderstanding, welcomed Haku, and learned that he was the surviving orphan of the Yuki Clan. After Haku recognized Hoshi as the legendary ninja, the group turned to discussing Mist Village’s tangled internal politics.

• Jiraiya teased Haku to draw him out, and Haku introduced himself as a child whose family had been attacked and whom Hoshi had saved.
• Kakashi connected Haku to the supposedly dead Yuki Clan orphan, making Haku fear that Hoshi and the others were involved in his family’s murder.
• Hoshi reassured Haku that they were Konoha ninja, and Haku recognized Sakumo as the White Fang and Hoshi as the legendary Hayate Hoshi.
• Haku promised to work hard for Hoshi, and the group accepted him without dwelling on his identity or Ice Release bloodline.
• Sakumo spread out Genji’s map of Mist Village’s factions and explained that its internal rebellion made intervention difficult.

Kakashi explained the factions and worsening clan warfare in Mist Village, while Sakumo worried that intervening could expose Konoha. Hoshi decided to get involved secretly and planned to observe the Militant Faction’s clans before choosing a course of action.

• Kakashi described how the Conservative Faction had fractured, leaving Genji with the Terumi Clan and civilian ninja led by Ao.
• Kakashi explained that the Militant Faction’s Kaguya and Hozuki Clans fought separately and distrusted each other, while Zabuza Momochi’s clan might be open to persuasion.
• Sakumo warned Hoshi that helping Mist Village could expose Konoha to political consequences and might be part of a trap.
• Hoshi suspected Black Zetsu was behind the conflict and decided to intervene without revealing their identities.
• Hoshi studied the Kaguya Clan’s territory and said he would observe several Militant Faction clans before deciding what to do.

Hoshi and Haku investigated the Militant Faction’s territory, where Hoshi suspected someone was secretly directing its disorder. Meanwhile, White Zetsu brought Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri to meet the figure posing as Shimura Danzō, who revealed himself as Uchiha Madara and explained the Eye of the Moon Plan.

• Sakumo proposed that the group rest and then investigate the major clans within the Militant Faction, and Hoshi agreed.
• Hoshi and Haku entered the Militant Faction’s territory and saw its ninja fighting among themselves, leading Hoshi to suspect a hidden leader was manipulating them.
• White Zetsu entered a secret chamber in the Hozuki Clan’s territory, where Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, and Kisame questioned him about Akatsuki’s plans.
• White Zetsu split open to reveal the figure controlling his body, and Hozuki Mangetsu tried but failed to restrain him.
• The figure revealed his Mangekyō Sharingan and identified himself as Uchiha Madara before presenting the Eye of the Moon Plan.

"Danzo" persuaded Hozuki Mangetsu and Ringo Ameyuri to join Akatsuki and capture the Three-Tails, while Hoshi and Haku secretly investigated the Kaguya Clan but found no useful intelligence. Mangetsu committed to contacting the Kaguya Clan Head, and Hoshi continued searching the clan territory before planning to leave.

• Ringo Ameyuri eagerly accepted the prospect of joining Akatsuki, and Hozuki Mangetsu asked whether he could rule the Mist Village after the Eye of the Moon Plan succeeded.
• "Danzo" told Mangetsu to exploit the Kaguya Clan’s ambition and capture the Three-Tails by attacking the Conservative Faction, and Mangetsu agreed to contact the Kaguya Clan Head.
• Hoshi and Haku watched the Kaguya Clan from the territory wall, and Hoshi concluded that the clan had few Jonin-level fighters.
• Hoshi led Haku deeper into the Kaguya Clan territory under Transparency Release, but they found no useful intelligence near the Clan Head’s residence.

Hoshi and Haku found Kimimaro imprisoned in a dungeon beneath the Kaguya Clan Territory and made contact with him. Kimimaro spoke with Haku but remained conflicted about whether to treat the visitors as enemies.

• Hoshi sensed an underground dungeon near the Clan Head's residence and entered it with Haku, finding Kimimaro chained in a cell.
• Kimimaro sensed Haku watching him and fired a finger-bone bullet, revealing Hoshi and Haku when Hoshi caught it.
• Hoshi praised Kimimaro, but Kimimaro recoiled from him, so Hoshi stopped approaching.
• Haku introduced himself, and Kimimaro gave his name as Kaguya Kimimaro.
• Kimimaro asked how Hoshi and Haku had reached the dungeon, then wondered whether he should attack them as intruders or spare them.

Haku urged Hoshi to rescue Kimimaro from the Kaguya Clan’s dungeon, helping Kimimaro question the belief that he was only a weapon. Hoshi freed Kimimaro and invited him to see the outside world, and Kimimaro agreed to leave with him.

• Haku learned that Kimimaro had been imprisoned for three years and sympathized with his loneliness.
• Haku asked Hoshi to save Kimimaro, and Hoshi said he would if Kimimaro wanted to leave.
• Kimimaro insisted that serving as the Kaguya Clan’s weapon was his honor, but Haku told him he was a person, not a weapon.
• Kimimaro questioned the meaning of his life, and Hoshi encouraged him to search for it by experiencing the outside world.
• Hoshi cut through Kimimaro’s cell bars and shackles, and Kimimaro stepped out and agreed to go with him.

Hoshi rescued Kimimaro from the Kaguya Clan and brought him back to the Konoha group after discovering that the Militant Faction planned to use the Kaguya Clan as bait in a rebellion. Sakumo questioned the report because he had heard nothing about the plan while observing the Momochi Clan.

• Hoshi used Transparency Release to sneak Haku and Kimimaro out of the Kaguya Clan’s dungeon and territory.
• Hoshi overheard two Hozuki Clan members say the Militant Faction would launch a decisive battle against the Conservative Faction and expected the Kaguya Clan to be wiped out by the following night.
• Hoshi returned to the base with Haku and Kimimaro, where Jiraiya teased him and Kimimaro dodged his attempted flick before drawing a Bone Blade.
• Hoshi told the group what he had overheard, and Sakumo questioned the report because he had heard no such plan while observing the Momochi Clan.

Hoshi and the Konoha group decided to use the Kaguya Clan’s planned attack as an opportunity to help the Conservative Faction crush the Militant Faction. Genji prepared a counterplan involving Zabuza Momochi, hoping to end the unrest in Mist Village quickly.

• Sakumo and the other groups reported that the clans they investigated had heard nothing about the Kaguya Clan’s planned attack, leaving Hoshi puzzled.
• Dan argued that the Konoha group should focus on the coming attack rather than the conspiracy behind it, and the others agreed to report it to Genji.
• Haku comforted Kimimaro, and Hoshi promised to ask Genji to let Kaguya Clan members surrender rather than face defeat.
• Hoshi and the others told Genji about the intelligence, and Genji ordered Ao to contact Zabuza Momochi with an offer to become an elder after the Fifth Hokage took office.
• Genji explained to Mei Terumi that he hoped Zabuza would draw Militant Faction clans into supporting the Kaguya Clan, then switch sides and help the Conservatives defeat them.

The Kaguya Clan launched its attack on the Conservative Faction, only to be caught in traps and ambushed by Mist Village forces. Hoshi discovered White Zetsu was involved and followed Hozuki Mangetsu and the others as they set out on a separate operation.

• The Kaguya Clan Head ordered his people to attack and learned that Kimimaro had escaped from the dungeon.
• The Kaguya Clan marched toward the Conservative Faction, ignoring his subordinate's warnings that the night felt suspiciously quiet.
• Explosive Tags and Mei Terumi's Boil Release ambushed the Kaguya Clan, while ninjutsu users attacked from the surrounding forest.
• Hoshi and the others watched the ambush, and Hoshi noticed White Zetsu before leaving to investigate and asking the others to watch Kimimaro and Haku.
• White Zetsu met Hozuki Mangetsu, Ringo Ameyuri, and their group outside the Hozuki Clan Territory, and they hurried off as Hoshi followed them.