"Encounter! The Boy with a Star's Name"
A purple meteorite is falling to the earth. It explodes, making a massive crater and throwing up light for miles! Day hits the meteorite and it is whole and undamaged and creepy looking. It's also morning in Tsunade's office, who gets a messenger pigeon with a Star emblem on the message holder. She calls for Shizune. Apparently the pidgeon loves picking through her hair. She holds up the message. Shizune can't hold in her laughter at the sight but she stifles it quickly and asks about the note. It's a security mission from the land Hidden in the Stars. Is there something wrong with that? She can barely contain herself. You don't know the Village Hidden in the Stars. It's a small but proud people that have caused a lot of headaches in the past. Shizune asks if she is going to ignore it but the fourth says the village has something special.
Naruto is eating with Sakura. Sakura is apparently telling him about the mission and how a three man squad with Neji as leader was dispatched. Naruto wonders why a ninja village would need an outside team for security. Sakura postulates that a smaller village sometimes contracts out these missions to the larger villages to foster cooperation with its allies. It's also a very small village. Naruto wants to know why a village so tiny is being attacked and Sakura explains that 200 years ago a shooting star hit the village, causing Naruto to start choking. Yes Naruto, she means a star in the sky and not a throwing star. According to legend the star has a power that affects chakra. Naruto laughs at this, who ever heard of a star falling anyways? Sakura gets mad and tells him it happened and that the village has been targetted by foreign shinobi many times. Naruto thinks that Orochimaru is somehow involved and stands up, volunteering to head out. Sakura is dumbfounded, the squad was already picked. This isn't going to stop the golden boy though; he's got an ace up his sleeve.
Neji, Lee, and our girl Twenty are flying through the trees as Ninja are apt to do. Neji is going to take the lead position. Twenty says that's ok when Naruto shows up and passes them by, telling them he'll meet them there. Skipping bugging Tsunade about it, smart move Naruto. All Neji can do is tell him to wait, which he doesn't hear and a defeated "No Way." Lee wants to know what Naruto is doing on this mission anyways.
Shizune has got her sources and learned of Naruto's unexpected trip. Tsunade is eating something and tells her she added him last minute. Why? They did well at the Katabami gold mine and besides he won't be bugging her until he comes back. Shizune, ever suspicious, asks her why she'd change an established squad like that and Tsunade begins choking as the pidgeon flies off from her struggling. Shizune comes to her side and sees the scene in full and asks if it is a rare roasted chestnut bean jelly with gold leaf candy? Yes Shizune, it was a bribe from Naruto. She needs tea now!
A yellow miasma fills a valley near the site where the star hit all those years ago. Nine ninja kids are doing something involving purple chakra and the stone in a nearby fort. One of them collapses. His name is Mizura and two other ninja rush over to catch him. He says he is fine and the boy who caught him tells him not to push himself. An older ninja walks in and scolds them for not training. They explain the situation and the man tells them to go get medical treatment so Hokuto, the girl holding him up, does so. The boy, Sumaru, is not happy. Naruto was the first one here. The yellow miasma valley is in the Land of Bears and is close to the Village hidden in the Stars.
He jumps down into the mist running down the cliff wall when suddenly a ton of arrows sink into the wall right below his feet! He springboards off of them doing a backflip back to the top of the canyon. A crossbowmen in a gas mask shoots a rope across, he's coming to get you. Naruto throws a pair of Kunai at the masked boy who responds with Ninja Art: Kujaku. A set of purple tails surrounds the boy and they knock away the kunai after he says Protection. Naruto hasn't seen anything like it and forms shadow clones, which the tails destroy after he gives that command. Naruto is amazed by that chakra as it forms a blossom above the young man. Team Guy tells Naruto to stop and Naruto wonders why as this boy attacks them. The masked fellow guesses that they are leaf ninja and he removes his mask. Yes Naruto he's from the star village and he introduces himself as Sumaru. Naruto wonders what the deal with the arrows was but then Neji points to a bird flying over the miasma. It stops flapping about halfway through, picks up a bit of altitude in its panic but then goes down for the count. It really is miasma! Bones litter the canyon that marks the border of the Land of Bears and it's eternally filled with gas says Neji. So this is the danger that he warned them about says Tenten while Lee says that Sumaru saved Naruto's life and that this event will bring Leaf and Star together. Naruto didn't need any help. Sumaru says he could have stood there and let him perish.
The team meet with the man from the training. He's deputy Hoshikage Akahoshi and he doesn't look like the villain of this filler arc at all. Twenty wants to know why he is deputy. The third Hoshikage passed away suddenly almost a year ago and the village is without a leader. Neji asks the impolite question about how only the five great villages get the shadow suffix. Sumaru responds with an aspirational promo saying that doesn't matter and that someday they'll be as great as those five lands and when that day comes he'll be Hoshikage. Naruto is impressed but the deputy tells him to shut it. Naruto wants to know more so he follows the young man out much to the chagrin of Team Guy. There he goes again. Neji makes apologies. Yes, the village isn't qualified for Kage status but they have the star that the other villages covet and one day will have enough power for a sixth Kage seat. Neji surmises that the other villages have been sending attacks to get the star and the deputy agrees. Naruto catches up to Sumaru climbing some steps and after calling him by the wrong name asks him about his actual name. It's derived from Subaru (Spring Star), another name for the Pleiades star cluster and shockingly everyone in this village is named after stars. He wonders why Naruto is so interested and Naruto claims it is because he never thanked the boy for saving his life. Subaru tells him not to act nice to him, he knows all foreigners are after the star so they can rise above the other villages. Naruto asks about the purple chakra and if it is fueled by the star. Would someone gain that power by stealing the star? Sumaru gets angry at this and says that hardwork and skill allow you to draw the power you need to control it and he's going to work harder than anyone. Naruto says great and he can't wait to work with him one day as he is going to be Hokage. Sumaru calls him weird and Naruto laughs it off.
Back to the training fort a shadowy person in a gas mask approaches. He doesn't want to be seen. Seven kids are left working with the stone. Intruder. Guard the star. It's not Sumaru as he is still walking with Naruto. Sumaru points out the shrine the star is held in and tells Naruto that foreingers can go no further. Naruto is shocked at this lack of trust afforded to someone hired to guard the thing but Sumaru is who he is and won't allow it. They hear a noise and the ninja who broke in is leaving. Sumaru immediately thinks of the star and Naruto claps him on shoulder and says he'll handle it while you go check on your friends who are all knocked out and yes, the star is gone. He uses magic star juice to wake up his girlfriend Hokuto. She apologizes saying they couldn't protect it. Meanwhile Naruto is chasing after the masked man and throws some kunai which he avoids by climbing a tree. Naruto wonders if the brazen individual thought he could get away with a daytime heist before initiating a multi shadow clone jutsu. He gives him no chance to get away. Ninja Art:Kujaku. Yes, the same Chakra. He forms a purple beast and sends it after the clones. The clones respond with the Everywhere Shuriken Jutsu. No effect. Four clones get close and grab him and Naruto figured out the weakness of this technique, the body can't move while doing it and he's using a human horse to perform the Clone Body Slam. The masked man claims he can use his chakra more than one way though and puts a giant cylinder of it in front of Naruto's flight path knocking him back and disrupting the clones. That guy can hit hard. Now he has two beasts and uses Synthesis to turn them into one big beast. Sumaru is coming up to help hil and when the person sees this they make wings instead to fly away. What, you can fly too! Sumaru thinks it is his fault...for ever letting an outsider try and catch them. Naruto wants to know what the deal is with another star chakra user stealing the thing and Sumaru is shook. Naruto wants to know what is really going on. Only a star trained user could pull that off. Sumaru can't be sure though. Naruto cuts a promo, he let him get away and he'll get that star back.
This is the last episode with opening seven and Chaba at ending. Farwell molestro leaf.
NEXT EPISODE: "The Remembered Lullaby"