The Hoshigakure Arc is the tenth filler arc in the original Naruto anime and the ninth of the Post-Sasuke Retrieval filler arcs.
Short Summary
Team Guy, plus Naruto, is sent to the Land of Bears to help its village, Hoshigakure, reclaim a powerful meteorite (what they call a star) that was stolen. The village is the only one outside of the Five Great Nations to use the title of Kage to describe their head ninja, even if the government doesn't officially recognize it. As the mission continues, sinister motives by the current leader, Akahoshi, come to light that also casts doubts on the motives of the star thief.
Tropes:
- The Ace: Natsuhi in a nutshell, aside from being the most skilled with the Mysterious Peacock Method in the entire Star village showing more diverse techniques and stronger versions of them than others, she’s also a great chef, Action Mom and Big Good for this arc. Akahoshi estimates that another ten like her and the Five great nations would be forced to acknowledge the Star village as their equal.
- Ambition Is Evil: Akahoshi, the arcs big bad, only wants his village to be powerful enough to compete with the Five great shinobi nations and be seen as their equal. Too bad he’s willing to poison children, murder his own comrades and the Third Hoshikage to do it.
- Boisterous Weakling: The entire Star village has this paired with Small Name, Big Ego. Their great goal is to grow in power until they gain recognition on par with the Five Great nations and have their Kage viewed as their equal. Their trademark technique grants powerful abilities, but it’s not enough to be recognized. Tsunade herself notes that the village is small, but their pride isn’t and so can cause trouble is they act out, which is the reason she sends help to them in the first place.
- Crush Blush: Naruto manages to get this reaction from Hokuto, one of the Star village genin partaking in the Star training.
- Deadly Gas: The Star village is surrounded by a chasm filled with poisonous gas: Devils’ Ravine.
- Honor Before Reason: The entire Star village is guilty of this, in their attempt at gaining more recognition, they willingly poison themselves and their children. Thankfully, both Natsuhi, Hotarubi and the Third Hoshikage averts this, and the rest of the village changes their minds after they realise how dangerous it is to continue the Star Training.
- In Name Only: This is the case In-universe with the Hoshikage title, the village is neither strong or large enough to be equals with the five official Kage, nor is there actually a ninja in the village that is powerful enough to hold it.
- Jack of All Trades: The Mysterious Peacock Method is basically a fighting style, whose individual techniques run the gamut of abilities, chakra absorption, check, joined attacks, check, Flight, check, general energy attack in the shape of animals, check, tie-and-bind opponents, check, or putting a tracker on something. It can even seemingly revive a user for a short time.
- Magic Meteor: The Star Village’s most prized possession is a meteor (which they call a Star) that radiates Chakra enhancing energy, making it a powerful object which the Star Shinobi guard zealously. Too bad it’s also lethal with overexposure that destroys the shinobi’s body. The possibility for the Star to get stolen is what prompts the Star Village to seek help from Konoha to protect it.
- Meaningful Name: The Mysterious Peacock Method is named so due to the way the Star chakra manifests in the used: right behind them and spreading out like a peacock’s feathers.
- Stellar Name: Most of the Star Shinobi are named after stars, constellations, or planets.
- Training from Hell: Subverted, the shinobi of the Star Village train and sleep near the Star to enhance their chakra and empowers them to use the Mysterious Peacock Method, but it gradually kills them.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Akahoshi implanted the Star into his chest to defeat his enemies in the finale of this arc, and the experience wasn’t too kind on his psyche.
