Hōichi

is a shinobi from Sunagakure.

Background
When he was a child, Hōichi studied Bunpuku's power to mould currents. Some time before the Chūnin Exams, he had a meeting with Fugi, discussing their plan to seal Shukaku in a tea kettle, with Gaara being the necessary sacrifice for the cause.

Appearance
Hōichi is a bald young man with brown eyes and a long, horizontal scar on his face. He wears what appears to be a dark blue monk attire, albeit without sleeves, with a white collar and garb at the end. He also dons a dark blue sash and carries a biwa around with him, tied to a white cloth. Hōichi wears a pair of red rosary beads on his wrist.

Abilities
When he was a child, Hōichi noted to have studied Bunpuku's power to mould currents. He is also capable of using sand, hardening it to either provide an additional form of defence or to conceal his presence in a similar terrain. Hōichi is shown to be proficient in playing a biwa.

In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths
In the Demon Desert, as Team Matsuri heads out to the direction of the tower, Hōichi notices Matsuri, a student of Gaara, and recalls his meeting with Fugi before the Chūnin Exams and their plan to seal Shukaku in a tea kettle, with the Kazekage's life being the necessary cost. He later observes Fugi's attempt to overwrite the Sensing Barrier in the desert, creating a gigantic sandstorm in the process. After Fū saves Team Matsuri and Gaara thanks the kunoichi for the help, Fū leaves and Hōichi comes out from the sand, in which he was hiding to observe the events that were happening, and prepares to attack the Kazekage.