A group of waist height white clad youkai ambush Natsume to ask for his help in the Moon-Splitting Festival since the kami they follow, Houzuki, is missing and must participate in a completion for dominance over a mountain and its surrounding area. Natori is called to a meeting with his exorcist superior and asked to find Houzuki who is said to have been sealed by exorcists before the festival ends since if Fuzuki wins the contest at the festival instead of Houzuki the region will become barren for the next ten years and is discreetly asked to seal Fuzuki if he has trouble finding Houzuki. Natsume disguises himself as Houzuki for the festival at his followers request and the competition is revealed to be a hunt, whichever of the two brings back a giant beast which is released at the shrine where the festival starts to that shrine will be the winner.
Tropes associated with the episode:
- Amazing Technicolor Population: The youkai attending the Moon-Splitting Festival are a wide array of colors.
- Cliffhanger: The episode ends with Natsume and Hiiragi unconscious and being approached by Fuzuki's black cloaks who say they think they smell as human.
- Cool Mask: Fuzuki and Houzuki have beautiful horned flower adorned masks and Hiiragi appears wearing her horned one-eyed mask.
- Eye-Obscuring Hat: Houzuki's followers wear white wide-brimmed domed hats that cover their faces.
- Festival Episode: While humans have stopped celebrating the Moon-Splitting Festival the youkai have not and the importance of having Houzuki win the competition at the festival is central to the episode’s plot.
- Life/Death Juxtaposition: Fuzuki is god of the Absent Moon and will make Misumigahara barren for the next ten years should he win the competition in the Moon-Splitting Festival, Houzuki is the god of the Harvest Moon and should he win the competition Misumigahara will have another ten years as bountiful and healthy.
- Running Gag: Hiiragi identifies Nyanko as Natsume’s “pig-cat”.
- Sinister Scythe: Fuzuki’s followers carry scythes which they brandish at Houzuki’s followers.
- Zigzag Paper Tassel: There are several shimenawa at the place where Natori meets his superior and is given the task of finding Houzuki or sealing Fuzuki before the festival ends.
