'The next match will be Hyuga Hinata against Rock Lee!' Minato announced.

'Yosh! The flames of youth burn brightly! I hope that I will have a YOUTHful match!' Lee said enthusiastically (or youthfully in his opinion).

Hinata blushed, then prepared for battle.

'Begin!' Lee dashed around, launching hits on Hinata.

The Hyuga heiress attacked Lee with her Jyuken, but Lee dodged most of the attacks.

'This is not a very youthful fight. Let me make it youthful!' Lee exclaimed, as he started to attack harder.

'I.... wwwon't giiivee uppp!' Hinata said, as she attacked faster.

'Youthful!!!' Lee shouted, as he attacked again. 'Konoha Senpu! Leaf Whirlwind!'

Lee kicked Hinata up, then prepared another attack.

'Uuuugghh.' Hinata said, as she pushed on.

Lee brought his foot down onto Hinata, as Hinata fell to the floor.

Hinata tried to get up, muttering something like 'I won't give up', but Lee quickly karate chopped her, stunning the Hyuga.

'Yosha ~' Lee shouted.

'LEE!' Another green spandex wearing guy, a jonin said, rushing towards the genin.

'GAI-SENSEI!' Lee exclaimed, as they hugged each other.

'THE POWER OF YOUTTHHHHHHH!' Lee and Gai shouted together.

'The Third Stage will begin in a month. You will have the month to train. Draw a number, and it will decide your placing in the finals. Now, our extremely skillful and powerful ninja, Mito, Menma, and Mi, will be joining us for the Finals!' Minato said.

Everyone silently jeered as Menma, Mito, and Mi made a trashy entrance.

'One.' Naruto said.

'Three.' Kankuro said.

'Four.' Shino said.

'Seven.' Shikamaru said.

'Five.' Sasuke said.

'Ten.' Neji said.

'Eight.' Temari said.

'Nine! What a YOUTHful number!' Lee exclaimed.

'I'm Eleven, and I get a pass to the next round, haha! DIE, demon.' Mito screeched.

'I'm Six!' Menma said.

'I'm Two! Sasuke-kun, aren't I awesome?' Mi, an ugly girl said.

'You may leave.' Minato said.

Everyone left the tower.

'Wait. Gaara.' Naruto said, as Neji and Sasuke walked over. 'I need to talk to you.'

Naruto lay down on the grass next to Neji, Sasuke, and Gaara.

'I don't get it... I can't hear Mother anymore.' Gaara said.

'Mother is the bloodthirsty Ichibi, Shukaku.' Naruto said. 'He isn't your mother. Also, you can sleep now.'

'Thank you...' Gaara trailed off. 'I don't have to kill anymore...'

'The seal was faulty, or broken, but Neji fixed it.' Naruto said.

Gaara's blank expression remained on his face, but he had lost the will to kill. Thanks to Neji fixing the seal, and a discussion with Naruto, Gaara had become a more normal ninja and didn't have to listen to Shukaku anymore.

Shukaku boomed, ordering Gaara to kill.

'Shukaku. Please be silent.' Gaara said. 'Sand Coffin.'

Shukaku complained.

'' Kurama said, materialising in Gaara's mindscape.

'Who... Who are you?' Gaara asked, frozen in fear at the Kyuubi. 'How are you here?'

Kurama answered.

Shukaku shouted in anger.

'Naruto.... He's like me?' Gaara asked, shocked at the revelation that his first, and newest friend, Naruto, as a jinchuuriki like Naruto.

Kurama nodded.

'But why are you here, Kyuubi-san?' Gaara asked.

Kurama replied.

' Shukaku screamed.

Naruto giggled at the experience that Gaara was going through.

'Wait 'till he wakes up.' Naruto said.

Gaara was asleep, in his mindscape, and Shukaku hadn't taken over.

'Kurama's gonna give him a real shock.' Naruto continued.

Gaara jolted up, then shouted: 'NARUTOOOOOOOO!'

The Konoha ANBU known as Fox ran away from his friend Gaara across the streets of Konoha, laughing along the way.

Minato smiled.

'I know how I can get Mito and Menma their Sharingan. I can take the Byakugan this month. The Sharingan plan will be after the Chunin Exams though. And I know how to get the demon out of the way.

---

'The trash nin will serve their purpose. The good ones are back at Otogakure. I can't afford to waste them. Meanwhile... Our client wants some of our test subjects without Kekkei Genkai in exchange for routes into Konoha. I will accept. The invasion will go as planned.' Kabuto smiled. 'It seems that I have mastered these new powers. It'll be better now that I have control over these 2 new abilities. Hahahaha!' Kabuto cackled.

===