Chapter Summaries

Hoshino used Temari’s help to visit Gaara and gave him a handmade doll, while hoping to build a relationship with the future Kazekage and the One-Tail. Gaara examined the doll’s joyful expression, seeing a version of himself he had never known.

• Temari used Hoshino’s chakra-powered surveillance flies to check that Rasa and her younger brother were occupied, then led Hoshino to Gaara’s locked room.
• Hoshino recalled how his Divine Machine Hundred Refinements power had nearly destroyed his meridians before the Shinobi World’s planetary will balanced his Chakra and Innate Qi.
• Hoshino explained that he wanted to befriend Gaara partly because of the One-Tail’s vast Chakra and the future potential it could offer him.
• Gaara threatened Hoshino, but Hoshino approached the window without fear and tossed him a metal box containing a small doll resembling him.
• Gaara opened the box and saw the doll smile, revealing an expression of carefree happiness that he had never seen on his own face.

Hoshino comforted Gaara with a puppet that reminded him of his mother, helping him feel needed and no longer alone. After returning home, Hoshino impressed Grandma Chiyo with his puppet-design ideas, and she told him he could stop hiding his talent in Sunagakure.

• Hoshino used Chakra Threads to make the puppet dance and sing a nursery rhyme from Gaara’s childhood, and Gaara thanked him.
• Hoshino asked Gaara not to threaten to kill them again, and Gaara agreed with a faint smile.
• Temari hurried Hoshino away before the Kazekage returned, while Gaara held the puppet and said he was no longer alone.
• Hoshino returned home, ate dinner, and explained a flexible joint design to Grandma Chiyo.
• Grandma Chiyo asked whether Hoshino resented having to hide his talent, then told him he could reveal it freely starting the next day.

Hoshino demonstrated his newfound skill by swiftly repairing a puppet and then applied for early graduation, saying the academy lessons were too slow. His teacher submitted the application for approval, and Hoshino returned to class to tell his classmates.

• During a puppet-repair lesson, Hoshino used his knowledge and techniques to repair a Black Ant puppet in under ten minutes.
• The teacher praised Hoshino’s repair as perfect, surprising the class and frustrating Kankuro, who was still struggling with his puppet.
• Hoshino asked his teacher for an early-graduation application and said Elder Chiyo had already given her permission.
• The teacher gave Hoshino the form, which Hoshino completed and returned for submission to the higher-ups.
• Hoshino told his classmates he had applied for early graduation, and Temari supported his decision.

Hoshino’s early graduation exam was approved, and he prepared to demonstrate his invention to Rasa. As he spent time with Temari and Kankuro, he embraced Sunagakure as home and gave them gifts before his exam.

• Rasa approved Hoshino’s early graduation exam for ten the next morning and invited Chiyo and Ebizo to attend.
• Hoshino showed Chiyo his eyepiece and miniature flies and spiders, which delighted her.
• Temari and Kankuro visited Hoshino, learned when his exam would take place, and went with him to a cliff overlooking Sunagakure.
• Hoshino reflected on his attachment to Sunagakure and gave Temari and Kankuro dolls as early graduation gifts.
• Temari said she would apply for early graduation, and Kankuro agreed to join her so the four friends could form a squad with Gaara.

Hoshino faced an early graduation assessment in Sunagakure, passing the Three Basic Techniques test before using insects, traps, and explosions to fight an Anbu examiner. The examiner survived the blasts and charged at Hoshino, leaving the taijutsu test unresolved.

• Hoshino arrived at Training Ground Seven, where Rasa, Grandma Chiyo, Ebizo, and several Anbu gathered to assess him.
• Hoshino combined the Clone, Substitution, and Transformation Techniques to evade the examiner’s Shuriken and passed the first part of the assessment.
• The examiner attacked Hoshino with taijutsu, sending him flying and demonstrating a speed and strength Hoshino could not match.
• Hoshino used flies to track the examiner and explosive spiders to trap him in midair.
• The examiner escaped the explosions with injuries and charged at Hoshino, declaring that the test would end there.

Hoshino passed the Genin assessment by revealing a doll that could use Ninjutsu and was assigned to Anbu Team Six. He left for the Ninja Academy to tell his friends the news.

• Rasa and Grandma Chiyo watched as Hoshino continued fighting Fūga, with Chiyo insisting he still had a trump card.
• Hoshino's shoulder doll used Wind Release: Great Breakthrough to blast Fūga away, and a hidden spider on Fūga's neck secured Hoshino's victory.
• Rasa ended the assessment early, and Fūga gave Hoshino a Sunagakure Forehead Protector.
• Ebizo suspected Hoshino's doll might involve the forbidden Human Puppet technique, while Rasa asked Hoshino which department he wanted to join.
• Rasa assigned Hoshino directly to Anbu Team Six, and Hoshino headed to the Ninja Academy to share the news with his friends.

Hoshino joined Anbu Team Six as Spirit Puppet and endured three days of field assignments under Faceless. After returning to the team, he received a mission to kill a defecting Jonin and recover stolen puppet technology, with destroying the documents as the priority if Kumogakure obtained them.

• Hoshino reported to Anbu Team Six, chose the codename Spirit Puppet, and introduced himself as a puppet specialist.
• Fox Shadow tested Hoshino and discovered that one of his puppets could store and cast Ninjutsu without hand seals.
• Faceless took Hoshino through village disputes and missions, including killing desert bandits and a dangerous ninja beast that left him with minor injuries.
• Shaji briefed Team Six on a mission to kill a Jonin who stole Sunagakure's puppet technology and recover the documents before Kumogakure could acquire them.

Hoshino prepared for a dangerous mission and explained to Grandma Chiyo how his puppet used a Chakra Metal meridian system and a Chakra Crystal to cast Ninjutsu automatically. Grandma Chiyo gave him ten specialized puppets for the mission, and Hoshino finished packing to leave that night.

• Hoshino prepared puppets, ninja tools, and supplies for the mission, while Grandma Chiyo helped him pack and gave him a sealing scroll containing ten puppets.
• Hoshino explained that Chakra Metal pathways inside his puppet guided Chakra through fixed routes to release Ninjutsu without Hand Seals.
• Hoshino showed Grandma Chiyo the puppet’s Chakra Crystal energy core and said better Sealing Jutsu could make it store more Chakra.
• Grandma Chiyo summoned Black Ant, White Ant, Red Scorpion, and Blue Bee, explaining their distinctive functions and combat styles.
• Hoshino returned the puppets to the scroll, strapped it to his back, and agreed to get ready for the mission.

Anbu Squad Six ambushed the rogue Jonin Onimaru in a valley to recover stolen puppet technology documents, and Hoshino helped disable his sandworm puppet. As the battle intensified and Onimaru unleashed a sandstorm, an unknown attacker approached Hoshino from behind.

• Shaji briefed Squad Six on their mission to kill Onimaru, recover the stolen documents, and avoid a prolonged fight with Kumogakure ninja.
• Hoshino used fly puppets to scout the valley and spotted Onimaru waiting beside his giant sandworm puppet.
• Shaji split the squad into positions and led the attack while Hoshino planted spider puppets on the sandworm's joints.
• Hoshino detonated the spiders and disabled the sandworm puppet as Squad Six pressed its attack on Onimaru.
• Onimaru summoned a Giant Sandstorm Worm, and Scorpion Shadow slowed it with his scorpion puppet while the others continued fighting.
• Onimaru filled the valley with a sandstorm, and an unknown attacker crept up behind Hoshino and called him a little mouse.

Hoshino ambushed five Kumogakure ninja disguised as Iwagakure, defeating Yun with explosive spider puppets and Chiyo’s puppets. He then joined Fox Shadow and Faceless, whose battle against the remaining three ninja left them in danger.

• Hoshino reported the five disguised Kumogakure ninja, and Shaji sent Fox Shadow and Faceless to support him while they held off the attackers.
• Hoshino killed one approaching ninja with explosive spider puppets, then used sand clones, traps, and Chiyo’s puppets to poison and defeat Yun.
• Fox Shadow and Faceless struggled against the three remaining Kumogakure ninja as the burly leader destroyed their puppets with Lightning Release.
• The burly leader fired a Lightning Dragon Bullet at Fox Shadow and Faceless, but Hoshino arrived and countered part of it with Wind Blade, giving them time to dodge.

Hoshino defeated a lightning-specialist Kumogakure ninja using his puppets and a hidden wind blade, while Shaji’s team completed its mission and drove off the remaining enemies. The team discovered a detailed Sunagakure defense map among Onimaru’s belongings, raising questions about how he obtained it.

• Hoshino fought the tall, thin Special Jōnin, but lightning attacks destroyed or damaged most of his puppets and paralyzed his right arm.
• The tall, thin ninja grabbed Hoshino and nearly killed him, but a doll at Hoshino’s waist released a wind blade that pierced the ninja’s chest.
• Shaji returned carrying Onimaru’s head, and the remaining Kumogakure ninja retreated after seeing their situation.
• Shaji praised Hoshino’s performance, agreed to reimburse his damaged puppets, and counted the mission as S-rank for him.
• Scorpion Shadow showed Shaji a scroll from Onimaru bearing Sunagakure’s defensive layout, and Hoshino asked where Onimaru had gotten the map.

After returning from a dangerous mission to recover Sunagakure’s stolen defense map, Hoshino reported in and reassured Grandma Chiyo, then resumed work on developing new puppets. He met Temari on an errand and collected special metal for his research, learning that desert bandits had been causing trouble.

• Hoshino returned to Sunagakure with Team Six after their intense mission, having salvaged usable parts from his destroyed puppets.
• Shaji told Team Six that the mission had been classified as S-rank and assigned them to investigate the stolen defense map, then gave them a day off.
• Hoshino told Grandma Chiyo that six of her puppets had been destroyed, and she comforted him and offered to make replacements.
• Hoshino met Temari, who was delivering scrolls for Teacher Baki, and arranged to eat with her, Kankuro, and Gaara that evening.
• Hoshino bought dark red metal from a market stall on Grandma Chiyo’s account, and the boss warned him that desert bandits had been active.

Hoshino intervened in a market dispute and exposed a stall owner for selling defective puppets, then reflected on how Sunagakure’s poverty and corruption trapped its ninja. He headed to meet Temari and the others, while postponing plans to address the village’s deeper problems until he had more influence.

• Hoshino put on his Anbu mask and broke up a dispute between a middle-aged ninja and a puppet seller.
• Hoshino inspected the damaged puppet, found weak metal axles and faulty Chakra circuitry, and ruled that the seller had sold substandard goods.
• Hoshino ordered the seller’s goods confiscated, imposed a five-hundred-thousand-ryo fine, and permanently banned him from the market.
• Hoshino learned from the crowd that the seller had repeatedly escaped consequences through connections and small bribes.
• Hoshino considered how Sunagakure’s scarce resources, limited missions, and corrupt practices had contributed to its poverty and wars.
• Hoshino decided he would have to wait until he was stronger and more influential before trying to change the village, then headed to meet Temari and the others.

Hoshino shared a meal with Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara, answering their questions about Anbu life before their conversation turned to Sunagakure’s poverty and unequal distribution of resources. The four wanted to change the village, but Hoshino warned that they lacked the strength to act safely and would have to be patient.

• Hoshino joined Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara for a meal and told them about Anbu missions and training.
• Gaara asked Hoshino whether he ever felt lonely, and Hoshino said his teammates kept him company.
• Temari and Kankuro described the hardship they had seen among villagers, including poverty, damaged infrastructure, and underfunded puppet masters.
• Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara questioned why Sunagakure’s resources failed to benefit its villagers, and Kankuro said he wanted to change the situation.
• Hoshino explained that Sunagakure’s factions made reform difficult and urged the others not to act before they were strong enough.

Hoshino and his companions grew stronger over six months, though their investigation into the Sunagakure defense plan leak ended without answers. In an underground laboratory, Hoshino, Gaara, and Shukaku successfully forged twelve golden beads, which settled around Hoshino’s wrist.

• Hoshino, Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara vowed to grow stronger and change Sunagakure together.
• After six months, Hoshino’s investigation into the defense plan leak had stalled, while his Spirit Puppets and his companions’ abilities had advanced.
• Hoshino kept watch over Gaara and helped him reconcile with Shukaku, promising the tailed beast freedom and time with Gaara.
• Hoshino and Gaara began forging an artifact in an underground laboratory, with Shukaku lending his Chakra in exchange for takoyaki and time outside.
• Hoshino used Qi, Chakra Crystals, and Shukaku’s Chakra to forge twelve golden beads that formed a strand around his wrist.

Hoshino tested the Spirit Control Beads with Gaara and Grandma Chiyo in the desert, demonstrating their defensive, Magnet Release, and Tailed Beast Transformation abilities. After discovering the transformation lasted only five or six minutes, he asked Gaara to release Shukaku so he could test the beads against the tailed beast.

• Hoshino completed the twelve Spirit Control Beads and brought Gaara to meet Grandma Chiyo for a test.
• Grandma Chiyo attacked Hoshino with her puppets, and the beads' golden defensive barrier withstood most of the assault before cracking under Three Treasures Suction Crush.
• Hoshino used the beads to produce Iron Sand attacks, including a massive azure dragon that flattened a dune.
• Hoshino activated all twelve beads and used Tailed Beast Transformation to strike another dune, then estimated the stored Chakra could sustain the form for five or six minutes.
• Hoshino asked Gaara to release Shukaku, and Gaara used the Feigning Sleep Technique to bring the tailed beast forth.

Hoshino tested the Spirit Control Beads against Shukaku and discovered that fighting at full power drained their stored Tailed Beast Chakra in a little over three minutes. After returning to Sunagakure, he went to check on the puppet factory and learned that something had happened there.

• Hoshino fought Shukaku with the Spirit Control Beads, using Tailed Beast Chakra, Iron Sand, and a defensive light screen until the beads’ power ran low.
• Shukaku replenished the beads’ Chakra in exchange for more takoyaki and a promise to discuss spending two hours free with Gaara.
• Hoshino, Gaara, and Grandma Chiyo headed back to Sunagakure, where Hoshino promised to make artifacts suited to Gaara’s and Chiyo’s abilities.
• Hoshino learned that Temari was away on a mission, then went to inspect the puppet factory that Kankuro was managing.
• Hoshino discovered that something had happened at the puppet factory.

After rogue ninja attacked the puppet factory to seize Chakra Crystal technology, Hoshino concluded that powerful puppet-master families had backed the assault and warned Temari not to expect easy help from Rasa. He left to handle the threat as an Anbu, while Temari and Kankuro stayed to guard the factory.

• Hoshino inspected the factory battle report and learned that more than ten rogue ninja had attacked, but the Spirit Puppets had repelled them.
• Hoshino and Kankuro suspected the puppet-master families had orchestrated the attack because the Spirit Puppet Series threatened their interests.
• Temari arrived and planned to tell Rasa, but Hoshino stopped her and explained that the village's political factions made the matter difficult.
• Hoshino told Temari to stay with Kankuro and guard the factory while he handled things outside.
• Hoshino accepted a mission as an Anbu and ran toward Team Six at the Kazekage's building.

Hoshino led Fox Shadow and Faceless on an Anbu mission to investigate the Night Sand Clan for selling inferior puppets, using the investigation to retaliate against the clan. They sealed two shops and began inspecting a third, where they encountered an elderly man in a black robe.

• Hoshino recruited Fox Shadow and Faceless for a mission to investigate reports that the Night Sand Clan sold shoddy puppets.
• Captain Shaji approved the mission and warned the team to avoid causing too much trouble because of the clan's influence.
• At the first shop, Fox Shadow and Faceless demonstrated that its puppets were flimsy, and Hoshino ordered its stock confiscated and the shop closed.
• The team repeated the inspection and closure at a second shop.
• At the third, larger shop, Hoshino found an elderly man in a black robe.

Hoshino led Anbu Team Six in sealing several Night Sand Clan shops, provoking Elder Night Sand and drawing a complaint from multiple shinobi clans. The chapter ended with Rasa summoning Hoshino and telling him that more than five clans demanded his expulsion from the Anbu.

• Hoshino defied Elder Night Sand’s threats and sealed the clan’s shop, confiscating its puppets and parts.
• Hoshino led Fox Shadow and Faceless in sealing several more Night Sand Clan shops before Captain Shaji ordered them to stop.
• Team Six returned to the Kazekage Building and divided the confiscated goods among its members.
• The next day, Hoshino went to the Kazekage’s Office after Rasa summoned him.
• Rasa told Hoshino that more than five shinobi clans had jointly complained and demanded that he be expelled from the Anbu.