Hoshigakure (星隠れの里, Hoshigakure no Sato; Literally meaning "Village Hidden Among Stars") was introduced during the Star Village filler arc. It is located in the Land of Bears and one of the lesser-known Shinobi Villages in the Naruto Universe. Hoshigakure was formed sometime after a strange meteorite, which they call the "star", struck its location 200 years earlier. No trees or plants could grow around the vicinity after it landed. Dialog from its inhabitants suggests that the village can't have been founded much sooner than Konoha was. Its leader is the Hoshikage (星影, Star Shadow), though the leader is a Kage in name only. The other villages do not recognize Hoshigakure as an equal, nor is there any ninja truly worthy of the title.
The meteorite itself is not that large, but it emits a chakra-enhancing radiation. The First Hoshikage was able to devise a training method to allow the ninja in the village to harness the power of the star, allowing the ninja to gain supernatural chakra levels. The technique used to harness this power is the Mysterious Peacock Method. When this technique is fully mastered, it gives the user almost unrivaled chakra control, to the point where they can solidify it as a shield or create wings for flight. The training was eventually forbidden by the Third Hoshikage, after he realized the deadly toll the training took on those doing it; the Star's intense radiation of chakra was too much for some shinobi to handle, and thus their insides began to corrupt and their organs to weaken, eventually leading to internal bleeding or organ failure. Even if a ninja survived the training, the side effects would eventually kill them. Only Natsuhi and Hotorubi, the parents of Sumaru, managed to survive the training, and both died eventually. The Third was assassinated by Akahoshi, who became the substitute Hoshikage and reinstated the training. Knowing what the star did, he decided to ignore the effects in the hope of forcing the other villages to accept Hoshigakure.
Being allied with the Hidden Leaf Village Team Guy was sent to Hoshigakure as bodyguards for a mission in episodes 178 to 183, and Naruto joins them by bribing Tsunade with high quality chocolates. There they meet Sumaru, who hopes to become a worthy Hoshikage. Naruto empathizes with Sumaru, since their goals, and general situations, are the same. Team Guy and Naruto eventually learn of the secret of the star, and two children who had undergone star training reveal the truth to the Star ninjas, who then denounce Akahoshi as unscrupulous and mad with power, rejecting the practice of star training. The star is destroyed by Naruto after Akahoshi implants it in his own chest.
