"The Remembered Lullaby"
Team Guy are running to catch up to Naruto. The training room gave a distress call. Naruto explains how the ninja flew off. Twenty has never heard of a flying Ninja but Neji sees it clear as day with his Byakugan. He's too far away but Naruto wasn't fooling. Lee is impressed as is Tenten, who didn't believe Naruto. Naruto reacts poorly to this news. Shizune is talking with the fourth in her office. The star is a meteorite. It fell 200 years ago back in the day of the first Hoshikage. Training near the star strengthens chakra. Since then they've had a unique position in the ranks of Shinobi. Shizune mentions that they abandoned this training ten years ago and Tsunade comments that was when the third Hoshikage came to power, but the ban was lifted right after he mysteriously passed away. I think you all know where this is going. Shizune plays dumb and says she wonders why they did it. Tsunade says no one knows for sure but since most ninja who trained under this method died from it and Shizune gets a clue. Tsunade says that while the meteor training improves chakra it probably comes with adverse effects.
They all report back to the deputy. Sumaru explains that the trainees were knocked out by some chakra attack and the person ran off with the stone. The deputy calls this unacceptable. Naruto comes up and explains the wings and beasts of chakra. The deputy asks if this is true. Ninja Art:Kujaku, no doubt about it. Tenten asks if this is only a technique available to this village and Sumaru starts explaining before he is stopped by the Deputy. Neji also scolds her saying she should be more sensitive about ninja villages and their secret techniques and such. She apologizes. Sumaru wants the responsibility alone but Neji says they share responsibility. The deputy leaves it up to Neji and puts the care of his fellow students in the hands of Sumaru. Sumaru is pissed off and doesn't want to leave it to outsiders. They leave the building. Naruto asks if Sumaru's friends will be okay but he brushes them off calling them outsiders again. Twenty begins nagging Neji telling him that he shouldn't be so by the book and even Lee pipes in that they have no leads. Actually, we do claims detective Neji. Everyone is surprised. Neji who was on the ball in our last detective case knows a villain when he sees on and that Akahoshi guy is clearly hiding something. Naruto has no clue but Twenty did think the deputy got "pretty uppity" when Sumaru mentioned Kujaku and Lee adds the proverb where there is smoke there is fire. They are moving too fast for Naruto. Neji ignores this and gives orders. He's going to look for chakra trails, Lee and Twenty are assigned to watch Akahoshi. Naruto chimes in asking for his role and Neji comes up with tailing Sumaru on the fly. Naruto is pleased by the chance to bug any potential Kage and runs right off while Lee and Twenty make fun of his lack of patience.
Sumaru is looking at the stars in the twilight sky, pulls out a pendent and starts singing. It's a song his mom sung to him when he was just a wee baby! We get a montage, his parents died! Naruto interrupts the feels and Sumaru puts the pendant away and is back to being chummy. He's killing time waiting for the stars to come out. Naruto comments on how easy it is to see the stars here and wonders about that red one. Natsuhiboshi, the star that is always watching over him. It's a line from the song. He starts to wander off and Naruto tells him he wants to see his friends as he has some world famous chestnut bean jelly from the Leaf. They're at the training hall as he runs off. Naruto says he is as warm as an iceberg. Night has fallen as he reaches the place. He knocks twice and no one is there. He lets himself in seeing only one person sleeping...
As he gets strangled by some purple Jutsu. The boy tells Hokuto to knock it off, he senses Naruto is one of the good guys. Hokuto isn't sure and says Mizura's name before Naruto fights her chakra off, pulling her down and landing her on her butt. Yes Naruto, that's a girl. She asks who is he. Naruto Uzumaki, Village Hidden in the Leaves, etc, etc. She's embarrassed and bows in apology! Don't sweat it, he's here with a gift...where did it go?
Ten points to Hufflepuff if you saw this one coming. She's embarrassed again. The deputy is meeting with two adult ninja. They know who took the star. If it is them though they don't stand a chance as they were the last ones to ever complete the training. They wouldn't stand a chance. The deputy isn't worried though, if it was them they already have their Achilles heel. Hold on a moment though, they need to shoot down some bothersome flies. A Hind D? Back to Hokuto who formally introduces herself. She didn't recognize his chakra so she attacked. Naruto doesn't mind and eats some butt jelly. It's good! She likes it too. Naruto wonders where the rest are. She says don't worry, the thief just put them to sleep. Mizura starts coughing but tells him not to worry. Hokuto says that his health hasn't been good since he started training but Mizura tells ixnay on the tarsay. Naruto already knows all that shit and tells them they are pretty cold to outsiders as she gives Mizura a drink. Especially that Sumaru asshole. Hokuto apologizes but explains why Sumaru is an asshole. Ten years ago Sumaru's parents were killed guarding the star, presumably by outsiders. That's why he doesn't like them. Naruto gets it. Another orphan. Where is Sumaru and the others? Gone. They went after the star. Naruto Batman's out of there and she says bye to no one.
Twenty and Lee are staking out the deputy's place and see the two flunkies leaving. Lee wants to go after them head on but Tenten jumps on him calling him a "Ding Dong" and saying that a direct confrontation is counter to a surveillance. Lee doesn't like skulking in the shadows. Twenty puts a hand over his mouth and tells him to shut his trap. Leave the shadowy ninjutsu to her and you stay quiet. That's their mission. Lee finally gives in and starts saying creeping, creeping while following behind her. Yes, you're damn right the comedy music is playing here. Twenty is a Dalek! Lee asks her if this violates the way of the ninja and starts with the creeping, creeping again. She tells him to knock it off. This isn't like any Ninjutsu he's ever seen. Have they spotted them? She's not sure. Nope. They are idiots and have escaped detection. They turned right...and shadow clone popped. They gave them the slip. Shurikens come out of nowhere and Twenty summons a pole to deflect them. Lee picks up the barrel and blocks a bunch of them. Tenten tells them they are not their enemies and Lee explains they are on a mission. They wonder why Leaf ninja are following them and not going after the thief. That maybe so says Lee but he thinks these two are possible culprits. Twenty says they had no leads and wanted to see the star back safely so she followed them. The bald one says they were following them and the haired one says it sounds like a waste of time. The bald one says thanks for nothing they'll find the star. They leave. Lee thinks Neji is right and that they are definitely hiding something.
The trainees are all gathered in a circle with connected arms. Look for the star chakra that they all carry. It's going off in that direction and so do the kids. It's near the border of the land of bears. They find the culprit in the mask and grab him with chakra strands. Naruto finds Neji and asks if he's seen Sumaru. Neji told you to tail him. Naruto explains the whole thing about the kids leaving with Sumaru to chase after the thief. Is that so. Are you listening to Naruto? Nope, He's found the kids and the star thief at the Valley of Death. Looks like he is back as they leave. The thief breaks free and knocks them all out! Sumaru is still awake though and the thief walks over. Sumaru wants the star back, it's ours. He has no right to it. The man laughs and doses him with some pink Chakra. Naruto throws Shurikens at him and he laughs, Ninja Art: Kujaku. It blocks the shurikens and flies off with Sumaru in hand. Naruto wants to jump after but Neji grabs him by the scruff of the neck, pointing out that the valley is full of deadly miasma. They whip out their hankerchiefs and start talking. Naruto says that is definitely the thief (I'm not so sure about that) and Neji agrees but wonders why he took Sumaru as he already had the star. Naruto brings up the case ten years ago with Sumaru's parents dying ten years ago during the attack and how this might be related. Neji says what as the camera pans dramatically and the episode ends.
NEXT EPISODE: "Hidden Jutsu: The Price of The Ninja Art: Kujaku"