Recaps

Kyōai’s team captured the steel battleship and let Kamira and Ranke escape so Kashirō could follow them to their base and uncover their technology. As Shino’s healing kikaichū treated Kyōai, the Sand Ninja discussed strengthening their alliance with Nuclear Ninja Village to counter the Land of Bears.

• Rock Lee called for help when he spotted hostages aboard the sinking battleship, and Kashirō froze the sea and trapped the vessel in a massive ice prison.
• Kamira escaped with Ranke, but Kyōai revealed that he had secretly placed a sensory formula on Ranke so Kashirō could track them to their base.
• Kyōai explained that he wanted to obtain the battleship’s technology, and Kashirō followed Kamira and Ranke through the sea.
• Shino healed Kyōai with a mutated kikaichū, while Kyōai, Rock Lee, and Choji began pushing the battleship back to shore to save its occupants.
• Temari and Baki discussed deepening Sunagakure’s ties with Nuclear Ninja Village, while Gaara approached Hongshi as he treated the wounded.

Hongshi agreed to help Gaara suppress Shukaku so he could sleep, while Kyōai asked Sunagakure to give the Nuclear Ninja Village the captured steel battleship. The negotiations were interrupted when someone ambushed Gaara.

• Hongshi healed Sakyū’s severed hand, and Sakyū mistook Kazemaru’s sword attack for a new ability of the armored soldiers.
• Gaara asked Hongshi to help him sleep by suppressing Shukaku, and Hongshi agreed.
• Kyōai asked Baki for permission to take the frozen steel battleship to the Nuclear Ninja Village, and Baki went to consult Gaara.
• Kyōai told Temari, Kankuro, Choji, and Shino that he ranked in the middle among the Thirteen Nuclear Guardian Pillars, below Hōryūsai and Zenhō.
• Someone ambushed Gaara with the Eight Trigrams Seal.

Kashirō followed Kamira and Ranke to Haidō’s hidden fortress in the Land of Tea and learned that their fleet had been defeated by the Land of Wind with help from the Nuclear Ninja Village. Haidō ordered the fortress to move south toward the Land of Spring while Temujin went to investigate the Nuclear Ninja, unaware that Kashirō’s clone had infiltrated the fortress.

• Kashirō used Ice Release: Lens to conceal himself as he followed Kamira to a fortress suspended inside a rift.
• Kashirō sent a Shadow Clone into the fortress to gather intelligence while Kamira and Ranke reported their defeat to Haidō.
• Kamira explained that a powerful ninja from the Nuclear Ninja Village had cut a warship in half, and that two Konoha ninja had also appeared.
• Haidō ordered the warships and fortress to relocate, sent Temujin to investigate the Nuclear Ninja, and made finding the Gelel Stone vein his priority.
• Fugai suggested occupying the Land of Spring, and Haidō approved the plan as the fortress began moving south.

Hongshi sealed Shukaku inside Gaara with an Eight Trigrams Seal, allowing Gaara and Shukaku to communicate while protecting the Sand Ninja. Gaara returned to the beach and explained that Hongshi was an ally, while Kashirō followed Temujin toward Konoha and Zetsu watched the advancing fortress.

• Kashirō learned the fortress's layout from his Shadow Clone and followed Temujin and several armored soldiers toward Konoha, while Zetsu emerged from hiding to observe the fortress.
• Hongshi struck Gaara with an Eight Trigrams Seal, and Temari and Baki attacked him when they thought he had ambushed the Kazekage.
• Inside the sealed space, Gaara told Shukaku that he wanted its power to protect the Sand Ninja and had always considered it his companion.
• Hongshi entered the sealed space, explained that he had strengthened the seal and enabled Gaara and Shukaku to communicate, and assured Gaara he could sleep safely.
• Gaara stopped Temari and Baki, explained that Hongshi was their ally, and confirmed that Hongshi had sealed Shukaku.
• Hongshi grabbed Temari's summon Kamatari and broke its sickle, then Temari dismissed the summon and called the battle over.

Kyōai and Gaara negotiated Sunagakure’s transfer of a powerful chakra ore and a wrecked warship in exchange for the Nuclear Ninja Village prioritizing chakra vehicles. The Nuclear Ninja’s airship then crashed into the sea, and Captain Jack Sparrow’s absurd pirate crew emerged after Hongshi rescued them.

• Kyōai explained that the Nuclear Ninja Village wanted the warship’s power source to advance its technology and develop chakra vehicles.
• Gaara offered the warship and glowing ore in exchange for the Nuclear Ninja Village prioritizing chakra vehicles to help Sunagakure’s struggling economy, and Kyōai agreed.
• Kyōai sent a signal, and a flaming airship arrived, plunged into the sea, and disappeared beneath the water.
• Hongshi used Water Release to lift the sunken ship out of the sea and return it to the surface.
• Captain Jack Sparrow and the Titanic Pirates appeared, prompting Kyōai to leave in embarrassment while Gaara joked that the Nuclear Ninja Village should join Sunagakure.

Kyōai secured Gaara’s warship for Nuclear Ninja Village, and Captain Jack’s crew prepared to tow it back to the Land of Spring. The Titanic Pirates launched with a Coup de Burst and disappeared from the Sand Ninja’s sight.

• Rock Lee recognized Captain Jack and kicked him into the sand before learning he was now part of Nuclear Ninja Village.
• Gaara questioned Kyōai about arranging the transfer in advance, then agreed to give him the wrecked warship.
• Captain Jack identified himself as one of Nuclear Ninja Village’s Seven Ninja Warlords Under the Shadow and ordered his crew to tow the warship home.
• Zori corrected Captain Jack’s mistaken directions, while Waraji and the engine crew prepared the Titanic’s Chakra Furnace.
• Waraji activated the Coup de Burst, and the Titanic sped away while towing the larger warship.

Captain Jack and the Titanic fought three steel warships in the Land of Spring’s territorial waters, using the ship’s chakra-powered engines and weapons to evade and return fire. The Titanic suffered hull damage and ran low on energy as Jack prepared a Gatling gun to face the third warship.

• Captain Jack ordered the crew to battle after three steel warships opened fire, and cannon blasts killed several crew members.
• Jack stopped Zori from using ninjutsu aboard the ship and ordered the crew to cut loose the sinking wreck they had been towing.
• Zori directed the Titanic’s chakra-powered thrusters through sharp maneuvers, allowing it to dodge cannon fire and attack the first warship with armor-piercing shells.
• The Titanic exchanged fire with the second warship, taking hull damage as its Chakra Furnace energy fell to twenty-seven percent.
• Captain Jack drew a Gatling gun while armored soldiers advanced from the third warship, and Zori ordered every weapon to fire.

Captain Jack and the Titanic Pirates fought to capture three experimental steel warships without destroying them, using smoke and a high-heat chakra attack to board one. The combat team battled Kamira’s armored soldiers inside the ship while Jack sensed their progress.

• The Titanic’s Chakra Furnace neared its limit as Captain Jack fought off armored soldiers and refused to use the Kakuhei Cannon, which would destroy the warships.
• Jack ordered the crew to fire smoke shells, then had them melt a hole in the nearest steel warship with Chakra High-Heat Jet.
• The Titanic rammed the damaged warship, and Captain Jack sent ten combat team members through the opening.
• Kamira transformed into a half-bat form and sent more than fifty armored soldiers to stop the combat team from reaching the control console.
• The combat team fought the armored soldiers with chakra-enhanced weapons while Jack sensed their progress, and Zori told him that a cranky old man claiming to be the Third Raikage had trained them.

Kamira’s signal brought two more steel warships and Haidō’s Gelel Fortress to confront Captain Jack’s crew, who remained unnervingly relaxed. A violin song heralded the arrival of the Nuclear Ninja Village’s enormous Moby Dick, leaving the standoff poised to escalate.

• The combat team fought the armored soldiers aboard Kamira’s warship until Captain Jack used special chains to capture Kamira and knock her unconscious after she sent a signal.
• Captain Jack and Zori drank tea on the Titanic while Kamira’s signal summoned Fugai and Ranke with more armored soldiers.
• Fugai announced that Haidō’s Gelel Fortress had arrived, while Captain Jack and Zori casually discussed claiming rooms aboard it.
• Haidō emerged from the fortress and invited the samurai and ninja to join his Gelel Army, but a violin performance interrupted his speech.
• The World Kakuhei · Moby Dick arrived, carrying nine people and several children wearing Nuclear Ninja Village Forehead Protectors.

Shirofukuji Kakuhei and the Nuclear Ninja Village arrived aboard the Moby Dick to confront Haidō, but their chaotic infighting nearly turned into an accidental bombardment. Haidō secretly prepared the Gelel Fortress to attack, while the Titanic Pirates reached the scene after capturing Kamira’s warship.

• Shirofukuji Kakuhei arrived with the Nuclear Ninja Village’s fighters and taunted Haidō, while Yuhan introduced their force and demanded Haidō surrender or reincarnate.
• Kimimaro and Jūgo discussed the thermonuclear bomb life-forms sealed inside them and the changes the village had made to their bodies and minds.
• Haidō offered to cooperate, but Shirofukuji ordered the Gelel Fortress destroyed, and the crew nearly fired its nuclear cannons before Kimimaro knocked out Jōen Shindō.
• Sōsuke criticized Yuhan for bringing the elders, while Ranke and Fugai warned Haidō that the nuclear ninjas were dangerous.
• Haidō ordered his forces to maximize the Gelel Stone’s energy and prepare for battle, revealing that his negotiations were meant to buy time.
• The Titanic Pirates finished capturing Kamira’s warship and, seeing Shirofukuji and the elders on the Moby Dick, decided to retreat.

Yuhan and the Shirofukuji Pirates defeated Haidō’s forces, seized the Gelel Fortress and warships, and sailed back toward the Land of Spring. Haidō was left stranded at sea until Zetsu offered to help him get revenge and find a Gelel Ore Vein.

• Yuhan froze the three Nuclear Shadows elders, and Jūgo threw them into the sea after they argued about firing the cannons.
• Shirofukuji, Ainz, and Kikin lifted the Gelel Fortress and warships out of the water, while Haidō fell into the sea and lost control of his forces.
• Ranke and Fugai tried to seize the Titanic, but Sōsuke trapped Fugai in a multilayered Genjutsu and Chino defeated Ranke with her Ketsuryūgan.
• Shirofukuji’s crew sang Binks’ Sake as the pirates towed the Titanic and a damaged Gelel warship toward the Land of Spring.
• Zetsu approached Haidō and offered help reclaiming the Gelel Fortress and finding a Gelel Ore Vein.

Kyōai and Shino discussed Sunagakure’s weakened state with Gaara and offered chakra armor in exchange for permission to confront Hoshigakure. Gaara agreed to let one four-person squad led by Temari act alongside the Sand Ninja.

• Kyōai and Shino revealed that Sunagakure had only about a hundred ninja and that its defenses were severely weakened after the Konoha Crush Plan.
• Gaara said Sunagakure was secretly training new forces, while Kyōai offered a hundred sets of Ninjutsu Type Two Chakra Armor to help rebuild its strength.
• Kyōai and Shino warned Gaara that Hoshigakure was ambitious and that the Sand Ninja’s recent battles with the Star Ninja were straining its limited resources.
• Kyōai asked to handle Hoshigakure in return for access to its unusual ore and the Mysterious Peacock Method, proposing that Temari lead a team under the cover of an alliance.
• Gaara accepted the plan on the condition that the team consist of only four people.

After Hongshi and Rock Lee were charged exorbitant prices for water in Sunagakure, Kyōai assigned missions: Temari, Hongshi, and Shino would hunt Star Ninja, while Kyōai took Choji, Rock Lee, and Kankuro to a banquet. Hongshi created a sand boat to travel north, and Gaara recognized how powerful he was.

• Hongshi and Rock Lee spent heavily on water at Sunagakure’s dango shop, then learned from Kyōai that seawater could be purified for drinking.
• Gaara assigned Temari, Hongshi, and Shino to eliminate the Star Ninja, while Kyōai took Choji, Rock Lee, and Kankuro to a banquet in the Land of Rivers.
• Kyōai distributed Blue Bird Type Four flying ninja tools, and the two groups prepared to depart on separate missions.
• Shino tempted the reluctant Hongshi with news of Hoshigakure’s billion-ryo meteorite, and Hongshi eagerly agreed to go.
• Hongshi used Earth Release: Desert Boat to form a sand vessel and set off with Temari and Shino toward the Land of Bears.
• Baki suggested placing Hongshi under special watch, but Gaara said Sunagakure could not defeat someone capable of sealing Shukaku.

Shino, Temari, Hongshi, and Hōryūsai met near the Land of Bears and discussed signs of a plot involving Star Ninja and disguised outsiders. They headed toward a Star Ninja squad, while the Lord God revealed that Hōryūsai was a Jinchūriki.

• Hongshi taught Temari about Wind Release, and she developed a twin-tornado technique with her Great Sickle Weasel Fan.
• The desert ship reached a weathered-rock landscape near the Land of Bears, where Hōryūsai joined the group.
• Hōryūsai reported seeing Star Ninja and disguised ninja along the border, and said both Sand Ninja reconnaissance squads had been wiped out.
• Shino warned that the Star Ninja might be working with outsiders to test Sunagakure, and the group agreed to investigate before sending word to Gaara.
• Hōryūsai directed Hongshi toward a Star Ninja squad, and the Lord God confirmed that Hōryūsai was a Jinchūriki.

Yotaka’s Star Ninja squad patrolled the Land of Bears border while Hongshi and his companions crossed into it from the Land of Wind. Hōryūsai quickly incapacitated a mercenary squad, and the group prepared to deal with another one as Hongshi asked when they would eat.

• Yotaka explained that Hoshigakure had hired mercenaries to hunt Natsuhiboshi, while secretly probing Sunagakure, and said she could rival the Fourth Hoshikage.
• Hokuto Star spotted a strange yellow sailboat racing across the desert, and Yotaka’s squad watched it approach the border.
• Hongshi’s Desert Boat crumbled after five days of travel, and Hōryūsai carried the sleeping Hongshi off it as Temari and Shino followed.
• Temari chose to confront the approaching mercenaries, and Hōryūsai used his Flame Explosion Unrivaled technique to knock out their four-person squad in seconds.
• Shino revealed that his paralytic kikaichū had already incapacitated another squad, while Hongshi demanded to know when they would eat.

Temari, Shino, and Hōryūsai captured mercenary ninja who revealed a bounty targeting Sunagakure, then discovered that the Star Ninja were suffering from their chakra training. Hōryūsai absorbed Sanrensei’s harmful chakra and decided Hoshigakure was worth visiting, while the group paused to cook.

• Shino’s insects paralyzed four mercenary ninja, and Temari decided to question them after Hongshi treated their injuries.
• Shino poisoned the mercenaries when they resisted, and Temari learned their group had accepted a black-market bounty to kill Sand Ninja.
• Hatoyama Raifu offered to lead the group to his boss, who might know the bounty’s client, and Shino knocked the mercenaries unconscious.
• Hōryūsai noticed the Star Ninja were sick and absorbed the excessive chakra causing Sanrensei’s purple blotches.
• Hōryūsai became interested in the Mysterious Peacock Method and suggested visiting Hoshigakure, while Hongshi returned with a wild boar.

Shino, Temari, Hongshi, and Hōryūsai questioned the Star Ninja about the threat to Sunagakure and the dangers of their training. When Natsuhiboshi arrived to take the Star Ninja away, Hōryūsai challenged her and their fight began.

• Hōryūsai released the Star Ninja children from paralysis, while Shino questioned them about the hired ninja and Hoshigakure’s plans.
• Hōryūsai criticized the Star Ninja’s training, and Hongshi demonstrated how easily he could form chakra wings.
• Shino warned that the children were damaging their bodies, and Hōryūsai offered Hokuto Star and Sanrensei pills from the Xiong Family Old Formula.
• Natsuhiboshi arrived and demanded the Star Ninja; Temari refused to let anyone leave before their investigation was complete.
• Hōryūsai challenged Natsuhiboshi, who attacked with the Mysterious Peacock Method, and he blocked her chakra beast with Twin Bones and flames.

Hōryūsai overwhelmed Natsuhiboshi with his white Fire Style and invited her and the young Star Ninja to join his village. As Natsuhiboshi attacked again, he drew Beef Tendon Jaka and revealed the power of the Thirteen Nuclear Guardian Pillars.

• Natsuhiboshi attacked Hōryūsai with chakra senbon that pierced his body and dispelled his flaming wings, but he countered with Great Flame Breakthrough.
• Hōryūsai unleashed White Vermilion Bird, which destroyed Natsuhiboshi’s Mysterious Peacock Method dragon and left her kneeling, defeated.
• Temari and Shino questioned Hōryūsai about his white flames, while he invited Natsuhiboshi to talk and offered the young Star Ninja a chance to join him.
• Subaruboshi refused to believe Hōryūsai’s strength surpassed theirs, and Hōryūsai claimed he had shown only a tenth of his power before summoning his walking stick from the cave.
• Hōryūsai drew Beef Tendon Jaka and released its scorching white flames as Natsuhiboshi sent her beast to attack him from behind.

Temari and her allies learned that Akahoshi had killed the Third Hoshikage and that Star Training endangered its users. Natsuhiboshi revealed she was Subaruboshi’s mother and asked them to destroy the star, while Hōryūsai proposed taking it in exchange for a safer training method.

• Temari questioned Natsuhiboshi about her defection, and Natsuhiboshi explained that the Third Hoshikage had ordered her to leave the village and guard it from outside.
• Hōryūsai slapped Subaruboshi for interrupting, and Natsuhiboshi revealed that Akahoshi had assassinated the Third Hoshikage after he tried to stop Star Training.
• Natsuhiboshi told Temari and Shino that the Hatoyama Organization’s attack on the Sand Ninja squad involved unusually skilled and coordinated opponents.
• Natsuhiboshi revealed that Subaruboshi was her son, proving it with a matching purple cross pendant.
• Natsuhiboshi asked to destroy the star because Star Training had killed her comrades and would eventually kill Sanrensei.
• Hōryūsai offered to take the star to the Nuclear Ninja Village and leave Hoshigakure an improved Mysterious Peacock Method without side effects.

Hōryūsai demonstrated Chakra Wing Transformation as a safer alternative to Hoshigakure’s Mysterious Peacock Method, then offered Natsuhiboshi a place in the Nuclear Ninja Village. After she refused, questioning Yotaka revealed that Akahoshi had arranged the Third Hoshikage’s assassination and that the Stone Ninja had placed the bounty on the Sand Ninja.

• Hōryūsai explained the Mysterious Peacock Method’s risks and demonstrated how Chakra Wing Transformation could incorporate nature transformation.
• Natsuhiboshi refused Hōryūsai’s offer to join the Nuclear Ninja Village, choosing to protect Hoshigakure.
• Shino poisoned Yotaka when he resisted, then Natsuhiboshi questioned him about the bounty and the hired ninja.
• Yotaka admitted that Akahoshi had killed the Third Hoshikage, claiming he did it for the village’s future.
• Yotaka revealed that the Stone Ninja had placed the bounty targeting the Sand Ninja, alarming Temari, Shino, and Hōryūsai.

Hongshi and Natsuhiboshi set out to infiltrate Hoshigakure, but Hongshi openly announced their mission and defeated a group of Star Ninja with lightning. After Natsuhiboshi urged him to disguise himself, Hongshi mistook a tree branch for a disguise and neither he nor his clone knew who Yotaka was.

• Hongshi and Natsuhiboshi reached Poison Gas Canyon, and Hongshi jumped across despite Natsuhiboshi warning him that their mission was infiltration.
• A group of Star Ninja confronted Hongshi, who loudly declared that he was a Konoha ninja there to steal the star.
• Natsuhiboshi tried to flee, but Hongshi used Lightning Release: Lightning Binding to capture and incapacitate the Star Ninja.
• Natsuhiboshi told Hongshi to release the captives and disguise themselves before entering Hoshigakure, so Hongshi created a shadow clone.
• Hongshi held up a branch and claimed he was a tree, while his clone praised the disguise; neither knew who Yotaka was when Natsuhiboshi told them to transform into him.

Hongshi infiltrated Hoshigakure's office, defeated Akahoshi and Shizo, and used Mental World to make them his subordinates after learning Akahoshi knew something about the Rock Ninja affair. Natsuhiboshi returned with the stolen star and found Akahoshi and Shizo kneeling to her, while Hongshi's original body had fainted during a fight in the Land of Birds.

• Hongshi entered Akahoshi's office disguised as a leafy branch, but Shizo exposed him and attacked with the Mysterious Peacock Method.
• Hongshi shattered Shizo's chakra beast, burned away Akahoshi's chakra rope, and blocked Shizo's kunai before stopping Akahoshi from escaping.
• Hongshi used Amenominaka: Mental World to alter Akahoshi and Shizo's wills, and learned that Akahoshi knew something about the Rock Ninja affair.
• Hongshi's Shadow Clone vanished from exhaustion, and the same exhaustion made his original body faint while Sakura and Kiba Inuzuka fought a ghost warrior in the Land of Birds.
• Natsuhiboshi arrived with the stolen star, and Akahoshi and Shizo knelt before her and apologized.

Temari and Hōryūsai tracked Vulture Gangō to a cave, where they discovered that he and his coordinated fighters were Iwagakure ninja. After Kurotsuchi knocked Hōryūsai back, he drew his katana and unleashed his Bankai, leaving the fight poised to escalate.

• Temari, Hōryūsai, and Hatoyama Dayū entered the Vulture Organization’s cave, where Vulture Gangō exposed their disguises.
• Temari and Hōryūsai fought the four mercenaries, whose coordinated Earth Release revealed them as Rock Ninja.
• Temari and Hōryūsai combined Wind and Fire Release, but the four ninja blocked the attack and countered with an Earth and Stone Dragon.
• Kurotsuchi, disguised as Vulture Gangō, burst from the dragon’s remains and struck Hōryūsai with an Added-Weight Rock Fist, knocking him down.
• Hōryūsai drew the katana hidden in his cane and activated Bankai: Zanka no Tachi, East: Kyokujitsujin.

Hōryūsai overpowered Kurotsuchi and forced her to surrender, but Hongshi's Shadow Clone arrived and interrupted the fight. Kurotsuchi recognized Hongshi, insulted his appearance, and called for her grandfather.

• Kurotsuchi and the Seigan brothers attacked Hōryūsai, but he defended himself with Zanka no Tachi and trapped the brothers with White Flame Clones.
• Kurotsuchi used a Rock Clone to trick Hōryūsai and seal him in concrete, but he broke free with a violent explosion.
• Hōryūsai destroyed Kurotsuchi's Clay Giant and held his sword to her forehead, prompting her to surrender.
• Hōryūsai told Kurotsuchi to return to Sunagakure with them, but she began to object.
• Hongshi's Shadow Clone arrived, scolded Hōryūsai, and threw his katana away before Kurotsuchi called him ugly and shouted for her grandfather.

Hōryūsai and Temari survived a Dust Release attack that appeared to come from Ōnoki, then realized the scene was suspicious and returned toward the cave with Hongshi and the star. The attackers were revealed as Orochimaru, Kabuto Yakushi, and Mu in disguise, pursuing Orochimaru’s plans to destroy Konoha.

• Ōnoki struck Hongshi with Dust Release, but Hongshi survived by using the Preta Path’s Absorption Seal.
• Temari and Hōryūsai questioned why Ōnoki had attacked without killing them, then decided to return to Sunagakure after Hongshi confirmed he had obtained the star.
• Hōryūsai carried the sleeping Hongshi back toward the cave, while Hatoyama Tayu cried out after the recalled katana struck him.
• Kitsuchi revealed himself as Orochimaru, and Ōnoki and Kurotsuchi revealed themselves as Mu and Kabuto Yakushi.
• Orochimaru said he intended to destroy Konoha and planned to summon more Impure World Reincarnation ninja and cultivate Sasuke.
• Kabuto sealed Mu into a coffin and agreed to search for the tombs of other targets.