User:Joeblanc98/Sandbox6-7

two other criminals working for a mysterious organization go to Konohagakure to kindap the ninja Naruto Uzumaki.

The season aired in Japan between June 2003 and May 2004 on TV Tokyo. In North America, these episodes aired between June 2006 and April 2007 in both Cartoon Network's Toonami and YTV's Bionix programming blocks. Sony Pictures Entertainment collected the episodes in a total of twelve DVD volumes under the name of "2nd Stage", between January 1, 2004 and December 1, 2004. Episodes from this season were released on by Viz Media between the ninth and twenty-first DVD volumes from the series, while several uncut DVD boxes have also been released.

Nine pieces of theme music are used for the episodes; three opening themes and three closing themes in the Japanese episodes and two opening themes and an ending theme in the English ones. The first opening theme is "Haruka Kanata" (遥か彼方) by Asian Kung-Fu Generation, which is used until episode 52 where it is replaced by Little By Little's "Kanashimi o Yasashisa ni" (悲しみをやさしさに), used for the first twenty-four episodes, and "Go!!!" by Flow for the remaining episodes. The three closing themes are "Harmonia" by Rythem, which is used until episode 51, "Viva Rock" by Orange Range, used for the first thirteen episodes, Raico's "Alive" for the next thirteen episodes, "Ima Made Nando mo" (今まで何度も) by The Mass Missile in the for the rest of the episodes. The opening and ending theme for the English airing is "Rise" by Jeremy Sweet and Ian Nickus, with an instrumental version played as the closing theme. "Haruka Kanata" replaces "Rise" in episode 52, and is then replaced by "Go" in the same way as the Japanese version.