Stone Ninja

Biodata

Organization

Known Squads and Members

Ninjutsu Regulations

• Village regulations forbid privately sharing ninjutsu even among comrades, much less giving techniques to another village’s ninja 40.
• When Kazuhiko demanded techniques in exchange for their lives, Huirang’s squad chose ordinary ninjutsu available in nearly every major village to reduce the consequences of disclosure 40.

Abilities & Skills

Earth Release

Earth Release is used by multiple Stone Ninja squads for restraint, defense, and direct attacks 38 39 43 50.

• Terrain control: Baihui Hanasaki uses Swamp of the Underworld to restrict movement; Huirang uses Earth Dragon Bullet to launch mud projectiles 39.
• Pillar-and-spear attacks: An unidentified squad imprisons two fleeing Cloud Ninja with earthen pillars, then kills them with Earth Flow Spears 38.
• Transferred techniques: Huirang’s squad gives Kazuhiko a scroll containing Swamp of the Underworld, Earth Flow Spears, and Headhunter Jutsu 40.
• Defensive walls: All three members of the Kekkei Genkai Squad use Earth-Style Wall against the Cloud triplets’ Lightning-Winged Kirin 43.
• Barrier techniques: Shu traps his Sand Ninja opponent inside an Earth Release barrier to win their individual match 50.
• Limitations: Lightning Release counters their Earth Release, although one experienced Stone Ninja squad overcomes that disadvantage in the preliminaries 42.

Steel Release

Aono uses Steel Release as the Kekkei Genkai Squad’s primary defense against physical attacks 43.

• Combines his defensive bloodline ability with taijutsu to disrupt enemy formations and create openings 43.
• Withstands the Cloud Ninja Nintaijutsu Squad captain’s attacks so effectively that the captain can barely injure him 50.

Explosion Release

Shu supplies the Kekkei Genkai Squad’s explosive offense 43.

• Explosive Shuriken: Infuses shuriken with Explosion Release chakra; their detonations scatter metal fragments 43.
• Flame Explosion Fist: Coats his hand in Explosion Release chakra for close-range attacks 43.
• Explosive shadow clones: Detonates three clones against the Cloud triplets, forcing a Cloud jonin to intervene and securing his team’s victory 43.

Ninja Beasts and Summoning

• Little Gold: A monkey raised for years by Akiyama’s father and entrusted to Akiyama for protection during the exams 40.
  • Akiyama’s King Kong Transformation channels his chakra and strength into Little Gold, enlarging him from roughly half a meter to a golden ape nearly four meters tall 39.
  • The transformed beast possesses jonin-level strength but is killed by Kazuhiko after he opens the Gate of Pain 39 40.
• Natsumi’s leopard summon: An elite-chunin-level beast used alongside her genjutsu to pressure opponents 43 50.
  • Defeats the exhausted Karui after Natsumi is wounded and retreats underground 50.

Genjutsu and Evasion

• Natsumi disrupts opponents with genjutsu while her summoned leopard attacks; she also uses an unnamed defensive secret technique to retreat underground 43 50.
• The unnamed token carrier repeatedly sends clones along different routes to misdirect his pursuers, but Cloud sensor Kaiyi continues tracking his chakra 41.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Entry into the Chunin Ninja Exams

Before traveling to Kumogakure, Kazuhiko identifies Iwagakure’s Kekkei Genkai Squad as a significant threat. He judges its combination of Steel Release defense, Explosion Release offense, and supporting ninjutsu capable of making him exert considerable effort 29.

The Stone Ninja send nine teams, second only to Kumogakure’s contingent. Kazuhiko interprets their large turnout as a likely attempt to suppress their longtime Cloud Ninja rivals and embarrass the hosts 35.

Lota Mountains Token Hunt

An unidentified Stone Ninja squad intercepts and kills two Cloud Ninja fleeing Kazuhiko’s attack. After witnessing his strength, they leave without approaching him; he lets them go because they have not attacked him 38.

The Gray Soil Squad later approaches the eastern road to the Cloudrock Platform. Unable to find token clues after a day and a half and lacking tracking expertise, Huirang plans to ambush other token holders. This brings his team into conflict with Kazuhiko, who has already claimed the area. Their attack ends with Little Gold’s death, after which Kazuhiko demands three ninjutsu as the price of releasing them 39 40.

Elsewhere, Cloud Ninja ambush a Stone Ninja squad while it fights a fierce beast. The wounded token carrier refuses to surrender the token his captain and Ayue risked their lives to find. He detonates roughly a dozen Explosive Tags while gripping the Cloud captain’s arm, dying and severely injuring his attacker. Kazuhiko, disguised as Reina, kills the remaining pursuers and recovers the token 41.

Preliminary and Individual Match Results

Three Stone Ninja teams pass the second examination. Two subsequently advance through the preliminaries to the individual round 42 43.

All three Kekkei Genkai Squad members reach the final eight. The next scheduled matches pair Aono with Kazuhiko and Shu with Natsumi 50.

Relationships

• Cloud Ninja — Longtime rivals. Their exam encounters include lethal ambushes, pursuit of token holders, and victories for both sides in formal matches 35 38 41 42 43 50.
• Kazuhiko Uchiha — A Konoha competitor who spares one non-hostile squad, extorts techniques from the Gray Soil Squad, and defeats the advancing Ninjutsu Squad’s captain 38 40 50.
• Ye Ming — A Sand Ninja competitor who kills a Stone Ninja captain during the preliminaries, prompting the surviving teammates to surrender 42.