Recaps

Hoshino, Maki, and Hizuki interrogated Satō, a black-market lookout, and used his radio call to track the people he served. They followed the trail through the desert and confronted three masked Konoha Anbu.

• Hoshino forced Satō out of his hiding hole, and Maki and Hizuki questioned him about why he was watching the area.
• Satō revealed that he had been paid through the black market to report anyone who came by, and Maki identified his communication device as a radio.
• Hoshino forced Satō to radio his handlers, then smashed the device and used Magnet Release to pursue their approximate location.
• Hoshino led Maki and Hizuki deeper into the desert, while Hizuki killed Satō before following them.
• Hoshino, Maki, and Hizuki encountered three masked Konoha Anbu, and both teams prepared for a confrontation.

Hoshino and Sunagakure's Anbu fought three Konoha Anbu who refused to leave a mission site in the Land of Wind. Hoshino's puppets struck down the fox-masked Konoha ninja, while the other battle remained unresolved.

• The fox-masked Konoha Anbu refused Hoshino's demand to leave, so Hoshino ordered Hizuki and Maki to attack.
• Hoshino blocked the Konoha Anbu's Fire Release with sand and wounded the fox-masked ninja with sand blades.
• Hoshino protected Maki from a lightning attack and sent her to a safe area while Hizuki fought the other two Konoha Anbu.
• Hoshino used an Iron Sand Shower to draw the fox-masked ninja behind an Earth-Style Wall, then sent three concealed puppets to unleash multiple Wind Release attacks.
• The Wind Release attacks struck the fox-masked ninja's head, heart, and limbs, leaving him bleeding heavily.

Hoshino and his team discovered that the Konoha Anbu pursuing them were Root operatives and confronted another Root group at a mine. After the Root ninjas escaped with most of their supplies, Hoshino’s team found corpses and evidence of forbidden experiments.

• Hoshino killed a fox ninja, then joined Hizuki and Maki to defeat two Konoha Anbu ninjas, whose tongues bore the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal.
• Hoshino recognized the dead ninjas as Root operatives and led Hizuki and Maki to a mine, where another group of Konoha Anbu was preparing to leave.
• Hoshino attacked the group, but Aburame Ryoma blocked him with insects and escaped with the others; Maki recovered a dropped sealing scroll.
• Hoshino sent Hizuki and Maki to search the mine, where they found recently killed bodies inside an iron cage and gathered tools and corpses.
• Hoshino unsealed the scroll and found experimental files and two corpses bearing runes and mechanical organ replacements.

Hoshino uncovered evidence that the Red Sand Clan and other powers had conducted forbidden experiments to create Kekkei Tōta puppets, then brought the evidence to Rasa. Rasa decided to punish the Black Scorpion Clan and the Night Sand Clan but spare the Red Sand Clan, leaving Hoshino’s promise to Hizuki in doubt.

• Hoshino examined the mine’s files and learned that the Red Sand Clan had led a project with Root and other factions to fuse Kekkei Genkai into Kekkei Tōta puppets.
• Maki and Hizuki brought corpses and equipment from the mine, and Hoshino told Hizuki the evidence implicated the Red Sand Clan.
• Hoshino calmed Hizuki and promised to help bring the clan down as they headed back to Sunagakure with the evidence.
• Hoshino reported the experiments and related crimes to Rasa, who resolved to punish the Black Scorpion Clan and the Night Sand Clan.
• Hoshino asked Rasa to deal with the Red Sand Clan, but Rasa cited its importance to Sunagakure and chose to spare it.

Hoshino told Team Eleven that the Kazekage would attack the Black Scorpion and Night Sand Clans that night but leave the Red Sand Clan untouched. He then planned with Temari and Kankuro to seize businesses and technology after the operation, warning them that their new faction would face pressure from every side.

• Hoshino told Team Eleven that the Kazekage would strike the Black Scorpion Clan and the Night Sand Clan that night but would not move against the Red Sand Clan.
• Hoshino dismissed the team until nine that evening and took Temari to the puppet factory.
• Hoshino told Kankuro that they could use the puppet factory to acquire the clans' puppet technology, equipment, craftsmen, and mineral-development rights.
• Kankuro and Temari agreed to prepare for the takeover, and Hoshino urged them to act quickly after the operation.
• Hoshino warned Temari and Kankuro that their faction would face opposition, including from the Kazekage's faction, and said they could still back out.

Hoshino secured Temari and Kankuro’s support for a political operation that would put them against Rasa’s faction, then gained Gaara’s backing and Shukaku’s chakra. He left with the Spirit Control Beads replenished and promised Shukaku custom magical artifacts.

• Hoshino warned Temari and Kankuro that their operation would draw them fully into Sunagakure’s power struggle and make Rasa their enemy, and both pledged to stand with him.
• Hoshino went to Gaara’s home and asked for his opinion; Gaara promised to support and protect him.
• Hoshino asked Shukaku to replenish his chakra for the night’s operation, and Shukaku agreed after Gaara’s request.
• Shukaku poured chakra into Hoshino’s Spirit Control Beads, then Hoshino promised to make him magical artifacts that would make him stronger than the other Tailed Beasts.

Hoshino joined Rasa and the Anbu in a nighttime assault on the Night Sand Clan after Rasa accused the clan of betrayal and forbidden human experiments. Rasa overwhelmed the compound’s defenders, then confronted the patriarch and declared that the Kazekage’s will was the village’s will.

• Shukaku agreed to let Hoshino use him as a suitable weapon and settled down to rest on Gaara’s shoulder.
• Rasa assembled the Anbu, killed Dark Mist and Nine Nights, and ordered the Black Scorpion and Night Sand Clans eliminated for betraying the village and conducting human experiments.
• Rasa led Hoshino’s group to the Night Sand Clan compound and blasted open its gates with gold dust spears.
• Rasa used Gold Dust: Sand Shower to kill many Night Sand ninjas as Hoshino, Maki, and Temari watched his power.
• The Night Sand patriarch denied Rasa’s accusations and demanded to know why the clan had been attacked, but Rasa gathered gold dust and said the Kazekage’s will was the village’s will.

Rasa ordered the destruction of the Night Sand Clan and the Black Scorpion Clan, while Hoshino helped search the ruins and carry out the killings. After the mission, Hoshino stayed with Hizuki, who had removed her mask to reveal a badly damaged face.

• The Night Sand Clan leader rallied his ninja against Rasa, but Rasa bound them with Gold Dust and killed them.
• Rasa crushed the Night Sand Clan leader and elders, then ordered Hoshino to retrieve the clan’s experimental records and puppet techniques and leave no survivors.
• Hoshino and the Anbu searched the Night Sand Clan compound, recovered scrolls and damaged puppets, and began clearing the ruins.
• Anbu squads attacked the Black Scorpion Clan compound, killed its leader, and wiped out its resistance under orders to spare no one.
• After the mission, Hoshino stayed behind with Hizuki, who removed her half mask and told him he did not have to come with her.

Hoshino and Hizuki attacked the Red Sand Clan to punish it and announce Hoshino as Sunagakure’s third Kage Level fighter. Hoshino overwhelmed the clan’s defenses with Iron Sand, while Hizuki began her attempt to kill its patriarch, Akasuna Retsu.

• Hoshino revealed his face and explained that the assault would establish his faction and display his strength to Sunagakure.
• Hoshino and Hizuki rode a wave of sand toward the Red Sand Clan, drawing the attention of villagers and Rasa.
• Rasa decided to go to the clan himself, while Akasuna Retsu ordered his clan to prepare for battle.
• Hoshino gave Hizuki one minute to kill Akasuna Retsu and unleashed Iron Sand across the clan compound.
• Akasuna Retsu attacked Hoshino with Wind Release, but Hoshino blocked it with an Iron Sand wall.
• Akasuna Retsu ordered the clan members to attack Hoshino with all their strength.

Hoshino and Hizuki attacked the Red Sand Clan, with Hoshino slaughtering its ninja while Hizuki fought Akasuna Retsu inside a sandstorm. As the storm cleared, Akasuna Retsu’s taunting stopped when he saw what had changed around him.

• Hoshino’s Iron Sand attack killed numerous Red Sand Clan ninja and separated Akasuna Retsu from the others.
• Hizuki fought Akasuna Retsu with Blaze Release, destroying his first five puppets as he countered with Wind Release and more puppets.
• Hoshino charged into the clan’s attackers and killed several Jonin and Special Jōnin, while Iron Sand shattered the puppets sent against him.
• Akasuna Retsu recognized Hizuki as Hotaru and offered her a place in the clan, but she rejected his offer and vowed to make him pay.
• Hizuki unleashed Flame Dragon Explosion, and the clash with Akasuna Retsu’s Wind Wall shook the compound before puppets closed in on her.
• The sandstorm dissipated, and Akasuna Retsu stopped speaking as the obscured surroundings came into view.

Hoshino and Hizuki killed Akasuna Retsu and the Red Sand Clan ninja at the compound, prompting Rasa to confront them. Rasa warned Hoshino that the Red Sand Clan’s influence ran throughout the village, while Hoshino waited for him to explain what came next.

• Hoshino took over the fight from the injured Hizuki and overwhelmed Akasuna Retsu, while Iron Sand spears killed the ninja who rushed to help their clan leader.
• Hoshino severed Akasuna Retsu’s left arm, then let Hizuki finish him with her violet-red flames despite Rasa’s call to stop.
• Hoshino supported the exhausted Hizuki as Rasa arrived and questioned the destruction at the compound.
• Hoshino dismissed his Tailed Beast Chakra Cloak, and Rasa explained that the Red Sand Clan held deep influence throughout the village because of its history and ties to its founding.

Hoshino argued that the Red Sand Clan’s power threatened Sunagakure and pressed Rasa to join him in dismantling its influence. Rasa warned that the clan could mobilize enough forces to start a civil war, but Hoshino remained convinced they could overcome it.

• Rasa warned Hoshino that destroying a Red Sand Clan faction could trigger unrest across Sunagakure, while Hoshino argued the clan’s influence already endangered the village.
• Hoshino proposed working with Rasa and keeping Grandma Chiyo neutral to eliminate the Red Sand Clan’s influence and reorganize the village.
• Rasa revealed that the clan and its allies controlled nearly thirty Jonin and more than a thousand ninja out of the village’s seven thousand.
• Hoshino acknowledged the clan’s strength but argued that most of its forces were civilian ninja and its Jonin were not united.
• Rasa considered Hoshino’s argument but warned that the clan’s members were spread across the village and would retaliate if alerted.

Hoshino persuaded Rasa to publicly declare the Red Sand Clan missing-nin and authorize him to deal with them, while Rasa maintained room to intervene. Hoshino admitted he wanted the clan’s resources and influence to lead reforms in Sunagakure, and Rasa granted him everything in the clan’s compound.

• Hoshino argued that Sunagakure could act against the Red Sand Clan while Konoha and Iwagakure were distracted.
• Hoshino proposed that Rasa publicly expose the clan, declare them missing-nin, and give him full authority to handle the matter.
• Rasa asked what Hoshino wanted, and Hoshino said he hoped to gain resources and power to lead reforms in Sunagakure.
• Rasa agreed to issue the order, warned Hoshino not to threaten the village’s stability, and gave him everything in the Red Sand Clan’s compound.
• After Rasa left, Hoshino and Hizuki went deeper into the compound to claim its scrolls, techniques, and resources.

Hoshino recovered the Red Sand Clan’s complete Human Puppet Technique records and resources, while Rasa publicly branded the clan traitors and ordered a purge. Hoshino then led four Anbu teams toward the Land of Rivers border to confront Akasuna Arashi and the clan’s forces.

• Hoshino found the hidden chamber in the Red Sand Clan warehouse and recovered the complete records of the Human Puppet Technique.
• Team Eleven arrived and began sealing the clan’s resources for transport.
• Rasa posted a notice accusing the Red Sand, Night Sand, and Black Scorpion clans of crimes, declaring the Night Sand and Black Scorpion clans wiped out and the Red Sand Clan missing-nin.
• Hoshino replenished his Tailed Beast Chakra from Gaara and received orders to lead Anbu Teams Eleven, Six, Three, and One in purging the Red Sand Clan.
• Hoshino assigned Team Six to seal off the western swamp, Team Three to reconnaissance, Team One to a frontal feint, and Team Eleven to attack Akasuna Arashi and his clan’s ninja.

Akasuna Arashi decided to lead the Red Sand Clan’s forces into the Land of Rivers after the village declared them missing-nin. With the other commanders willing to look the other way, he led the assembled group out of the camp before the Anbu arrived.

• Akasuna Arashi told his Jonin that the clan had to flee to the Land of Rivers to survive and seek help from clan members and nobles in the oasis city.
• The Jonin asked the civilian ninjas who would follow, and fewer than two hundred of Akasuna Arashi’s nearly three hundred direct subordinates agreed to go.
• Akasuna Arashi met the three other Elite Jonin commanders, who agreed to let his group leave and stage a token pursuit before noon.
• Akasuna Arashi concluded that the Anbu would be unable to stop the group once it crossed the border and that the commanders would not pursue them into the Land of Rivers.
• Akasuna Arashi took one final look at the camp and quietly led the assembled Red Sand Clan ninjas out.

Hoshino discovered that Akasuna Arashi and his troops had withdrawn from the camp, so he sent three teams into the Land of Rivers to track them while he went to confront the Red Sand Clan’s commanders. When the commanders blamed the Anbu and stirred resentment among the border garrison, Hoshino signaled his team not to act rashly.

• Qingya reported that Akasuna Arashi and his troops had left the camp without a fight, and Hoshino ordered Team Three, Team Six, and Team One to search for them in the Land of Rivers.
• Hoshino led Team Eleven to the camp, where the three commanders discussed the Anbu’s arrival and regretted allowing Akasuna Arashi to leave.
• Hoshino presented the Kazekage’s order and said the Anbu would investigate the commanders’ handling of the defection, while Temari accused them of being in league with Akasuna Arashi.
• The commanders denied disloyalty and argued that stopping Akasuna Arashi would have risked their troops’ lives, prompting resentment among the border garrison ninja toward the Anbu.
• Hoshino recognized that the commanders were trying to shift blame and inflame tensions, so he raised his hand to stop the Anbu from acting rashly.

Hoshino persuaded the border garrison to cooperate in tracking Akasuna Arashi, then led Team Eleven toward the traces found by Team One. Meanwhile, Akasuna Arashi learned that his clan had been devastated and rejected the plan to flee to the Land of Snow, leaving him to consider his next move.

• Hoshino warned the border garrison that Akasuna Arashi's defection could provoke war and made the three commanders answer for letting him escape.
• The border garrison agreed to provide information on Akasuna Arashi's route and possible hiding places, while Hoshino ordered the camp searched and sealed.
• Temari reported that Team One had found traces of Akasuna Arashi, and Hoshino sent intelligence to the pursuit teams before moving out with Team Eleven.
• Akasuna Arashi's followers reported that the clan's businesses had been seized, many clansmen had died, and survivors in the Land of Bears planned to seek refuge in the Land of Snow.
• Akasuna Arashi refused to let the third elder take control of his branch in the Land of Snow and recalled a map of the area around the Land of Wind.

Hoshino's Anbu tracked Akasuna Arashi's forces to the coast and attacked as they fled by boat toward the Land of Tea. The ambush destroyed eight boats, but the battle continued as Qingya and Shaji's teams struck the scattered survivors.

• Akasuna Arashi ordered Rei and his trusted ninja to cross the Land of Rivers and establish a base in the Land of Tea.
• Hoshino determined that Akasuna Arashi's forces planned to leave by sea and ordered the Anbu to wait until the boats were underway before attacking.
• Hoshino split the Anbu into three groups, sending Qingya and Shaji to flank the fleet while Tieyan led the frontal assault.
• Akasuna Arashi sent Rei with two boats and forty ninja to hold off Tieyan's team while the clan's boats escaped.
• Tieyan's Wind Release techniques clashed with Rei's, rocking the boats as Qingya and Shaji detonated underwater Explosive Tags and destroyed eight boats.
• Qingya and Shaji's teams emerged from the water and charged the scattered enemy ninja.

Anbu attacked the Red Sand Clan fleet, and Hoshino used Magnet Release to fight Akasuna Arashi’s gold dust puppet. As Hizuki unleashed a devastating Blaze Release technique, Akasuna Arashi realized the power he had helped create now belonged to his enemies.

• Hoshino and the Anbu ambushed the Red Sand Clan fleet, surrounding its ships and cutting off the ninjas’ escape.
• Hoshino sank a ship with iron sand and destroyed Akasuna Arashi’s puppets, but Akasuna Arashi summoned a gold dust puppet with a secret scroll.
• Hoshino’s Iron Sand Storm battered the gold dust puppet and swept into the Red Sand Clan forces, while Akasuna Arashi tried to rally his ninjas.
• Hizuki unleashed Blaze Release: Thunder and Fire Descend from the Heavens, devastating the fleet and leaving many Red Sand Clan ninjas dead or paralyzed.
• Akasuna Arashi recognized Hizuki’s attack as the fruit of his clan’s work, and Hizuki declared that the power now belonged to her.

Hoshino and the Anbu annihilated Akasuna Arashi and the Red Sand Clan’s forces, then spent half a month destroying the clan’s bases across the Land of Wind. After returning to Sunagakure, Hoshino presented Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara with custom-made magic artifacts.

• Hoshino destroyed Akasuna Arashi’s Gold Dust puppet and killed him with Iron Sand spears.
• Hoshino ordered the Anbu to kill every Red Sand ninja, and they wiped out the force despite its members attempting to flee or surrender.
• Hoshino and the Anbu collected letters and supplies from the battlefield before he and Hizuki returned to their operations.
• Over the next half month, Hoshino led four Anbu squads in clearing Red Sand Clan bases and seizing their records, scrolls, and supplies.
• The clan’s destruction unsettled factions in the Land of Wind, while Hoshino’s ruthless reputation spread through the village and Hizuki showed no joy at the outcome.
• Hoshino met with Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara in Sunagakure and showed them three custom-made magic artifacts.

Hoshino gave Kankuro, Temari, and Gaara specialized artifacts, then assigned them roles in consolidating the resources of the three destroyed clans and building the Sunagakure Reform Society. The group prepared to put its plans into action, with Gaara overseeing security and assisting with research.

• Hoshino gave Kankuro the Three Treasure Orbs, Temari the upgraded Three-Star Fan, and Gaara the Sand Core, explaining their abilities.
• Hoshino proposed consolidating the clans’ resources into a unified power and assigned Temari the plantations, caravans, and shops.
• Hoshino assigned Kankuro the puppet factories and mineral veins, with Arashi providing the prepared manpower.
• Hoshino said he would establish a research department to develop new technologies and Ninjutsu.
• Hoshino put Gaara in charge of the Sunagakure Reform Society’s security and asked him to help research sand-based techniques.

Hoshino expanded the Sunagakure Reform Society by bringing ninja and ordinary villagers into its enterprises, while struggling to recruit talent for a research institute. Rasa visited the Society’s new headquarters and remarked on its wealth, leaving Hoshino to respond to the Kazekage’s pointed teasing.

• Temari organized the Society’s caravans, plantations, and shops and issued well-paying missions that drew many Chunin and Genin.
• Hoshino hired ordinary villagers for Society jobs and entrusted the puppet factory and mines to Arashi’s trusted people from the forgotten place.
• The Society’s growing influence alarmed powerful families and elders, while neighboring villages sent spies, especially Iwagakure.
• Hoshino reviewed the research institute’s preparations and worried that Sunagakure lacked skilled researchers despite its funding and equipment.
• Hoshino posted black-market missions seeking Shinnō, Hiruko, and mechanics experts, but had received no leads about them or the source of modern equipment.
• Rasa visited the Society headquarters, surveyed Hoshino’s office, and teased him that the Society’s building surpassed the Kazekage’s Office.

Hoshino explained to Rasa how the Reform Society funded its reforms and used shared economic interests to build loyalty across Sunagakure. Rasa questioned the Society’s growing influence and warned that concentrating control over the village could make its people vulnerable to failures among its leaders.

• Rasa asked Hoshino how the Reform Society could afford its costly reforms, and Hoshino described improving the returns from caravans, plantations, and mines while transferring non-core industries to villagers.
• Hoshino said highly paid missions and support for ordinary villagers would build long-term loyalty and create shared interests across the village.
• Rasa warned that the Society’s influence could shift power away from him, but Hoshino insisted Rasa would remain the village’s supreme leader and proposed working together.
• Hoshino pointed to the village’s activity outside and argued that the Society’s model could make traditional ninja clan factions unnecessary.
• Rasa rejected the idea as difficult and warned that concentrating resources and control in the Society could leave villagers worse off if its leaders made mistakes.

Hoshino persuaded Rasa to join the Reform Society by offering him an equal share of its leadership and control of the resources department. Rasa agreed, while Hoshino prepared to move against Sunagakure’s clans and warned that the village might face civil war.

• Rasa questioned whether the Reform Society’s concentrated power could avoid corruption, and Hoshino admitted he could not guarantee it alone.
• Hoshino invited Rasa to become the Reform Society’s fifth leader and outlined nine areas of power, with military force, ideology, laws, and information requiring joint decisions.
• Hoshino assigned research to himself, oversight to Gaara, economy to Kankuro, and public welfare to Temari, while Rasa chose resources.
• Hoshino told Rasa to prepare for a possible civil war as he moved to consolidate the clans’ resources.
• Rasa agreed to let Hoshino proceed and considered stepping down as Kazekage if Hoshino succeeded.

Hoshino reflected on the temporary arrangement between Rasa and the Reform Society before going to his private laboratory to develop a Human Puppet capable of using multiple Kekkei. He successfully completed the first stage of transforming an Ice Release shinobi’s corpse and prepared to enhance it further.

• Hoshino considered the uncertain consequences of Rasa using his Kazekage authority to help the Reform Society.
• Hoshino inspected the Reform Society’s laboratories and thought about the difficulty of finding talented researchers and persuading Orochimaru to work with him.
• Hoshino examined the preserved corpses of three Kekkei shinobi and chose to begin with the Ice Release user.
• Hoshino preserved the woman’s Chakra system and used the Human Puppet Technique to complete the first stage of her transformation.
• Hoshino opened a cabinet of puppet parts to continue modifying and enhancing the Ice Release puppet.