When Hotaru and her guardian, Tonbee, are being attacked at their mountaintop fort, she and Utakata escape with En no Gyōja's secret kinjutsu, while Tonbee tries to hold off the attackers, but was easily defeated, and the attackers, the Magaki Group, go after them. Team Yamato are assigned by Tsunade to go and protect Hotaru on her way to the Tsuchigumo village. When the team find the fort, they saw Tonbee, who has been viciously attacked by the four-man bandits. Sakura stays and heals Tonbee, while Naruto, Sai, and Yamato follow Utakata and Hotaru. Naruto catches up to Utakata and Hotaru, and Utakata attacks Naruto with some of his Soap Bubble Ninjutsu. After Utakata learned that they are not attackers, he entrusts the protection of Hotaru to them.