Hey there! I've been planning some Naruto fanfics: one is about Tenten (I know she's a pointless character, but the story might be kinda fun), and another was inspired by the second ending of Naruto: Shippuuden, where everyone was getting together at the school. It may take a while for me to actually get to them, but I'll try them nonetheless. For now, let's continue with the story!

Chapter 5

It's been a day since Isamu revealed his potential at the beach. The other boys gained a big boost of confidence.

'Hell…' Katashi thought. 'If Gogyou can do it, so can I.'

All four waited impatiently in the Ohgami Shrine, called by the priestesses and Souma. Their reasons and motives were unknown, but all was revealed once Souma opened the paper door.

"Hey, guys. Glad you could make it."

"Souma…" Hikaru began to pout. "Did we really only have one day to relax until this big task?"

"I agree," Raido replied. "Knowing something this big so suddenly, we gotta have some time beforehand."

Souma exhaled deeply. It was true that little time was given to the boys, but the Kyuubi was drawing closer to them every single day. They needed to become strong…fast.

"All right. Enough of that. Chikane and Himeko have something for you."

The two priestesses came in from behind, holding two boxes in each one's hands. The boxes had kanji symbols according to each element: "hi" for fire, "mizu" for water, "kaze" for wind, and "tsuchi" for earth.

"These are shinobi uniforms for you to wear," Chikane explained. "Make sure you're wearing the right one." The boys nodded. The priestesses distributed the boxes correctly before standing up.

Himeko sighed. "Well, let's go." As they all exited the room, Souma continually glanced at Himeko from the corner of his eye. A burst of fervor erupted inside him just by looking at her slender, delicate form, hearing her soft gentle voice, and examining the elegant violet eyes. A year after graduation, Souma is still drawn to her sensitive aura.

She noticed his drifting conscience and looked towards him. "Something wrong, Souma?"

Souma looked forward as his face turned red. His blood was boiling when Himeko was only looking at him.

"No…nothing."

The boys were led outside to the front, where Chikane suddenly stopped before them.

"What is it?" Katashi asked in a monotone, not that he cared. The only desire in his mind was to be stronger. But Chikane didn't take concern in his lazy personality. Instead, she looked deeply into the blank emptiness in front of her.

"Is something there?" She still ignored Isamu's question. Chikane walked a few paces forward and held out her palm, summoning a dark oval portal in front of their eyes.

"Beyond this is the Nexus," she explained. "Through there, you will train in your designated realms." Chikane stepped to the side to let the four shinobi enter. At first, they hesitated nervously before placing a foot through the portal, but after everything that's happened…there's no reason the boys couldn't trust them.

Katashi was the first to pass through the dark portal with fearlessness. In an instant, he disappeared onto the other side.

'If he can do it…' Isamu thought confidently. 'So can I!' He followed Katashi's footsteps and stepped into the Nexus. Raido and Hikaru looked at each other before rushing in behind the other boys.

Himeko and Souma returned to Chikane before finally going through together. After walking for a few seconds, everything flashed and they reappeared in the Nexus.

A grand hall was set at the heart of the dimension, balancing the power of the four realms. Gates were stationed in the north, east, south, and west points of the hall. Each door bore a specific kanji symbol, determining the different realms. In the middle of the hall, a pillar released equal amount of energy between the realms, harboring balance.

The boys stared in awe at the amazing features. Himeko walked up and gently placed a hand on Hikaru's shoulder. "How about changing into your shinobi uniforms?"

They took a moment before nodding.

A fiery volcano erupted far from the gate of Volca, the realm of fire, when Katashi emerged. He stood comfortably in his golden shinobi uniform. The heat from the volcano grew every second, but it didn't bother him. A great temple waited at the base of the volcano, staying as still as stone. As Katashi walked closer to it, jagged ice blocks shot out towards him with blinding speed from the temple. The shock overtook Katashi for a second until he remembered the most obvious thing.

'Duh! I'm the ninja of fire! Which means…'

He quickly clasped his hands together and made the sign of the tiger.

"FIRE STYLE: PHOENIX IMMORTAL FIRE!!"

Energy built up inside as Katashi expanded his mouth. He spat out multiple balls of fire with intense heat and directed them at the blocks of ice, melting them before the water splashed his face. The cool liquid refreshed Katashi, making him more active to train. 'All right!'

As anxiety began to lift his spirit higher, no attention was given to the young fox slowly creeping upon him. Its tail swayed with a sly movement; the fox licked its sharp fangs silently, waiting to thrash at the ninja. The claws felt the ground, desiring to pounce up and slash him.

But the hunger for Katashi came to a halt as an arrow stuck into the ground before the fox. Both heads jerked to the Volca gate…where the arrow fired from Chikane's bow. Katashi noticed the fox and instantly jumped away.

"Stay away from it!" Chikane ordered, but more foxes skulked out of crevices from behind Katashi. She jumped and landed next to him, both being cornered by canines.

"These kinds of foxes are too strong for my arrows alone." Chikane nudged him from behind. "We're gonna need to combine them with your power."

"And how do we do that?"

She looked above at the shaggy rocks towering over them. "Follow me."

Together, they leapt high and landed on a cliff ten meters above the foxes. Katashi made the sign of the tiger with his hands while Chikane took out a handful of arrowsat once. She readied them on her bow once Katashi's mouth expanded.

"FIRE STYLE: DRAGON FLAME BOMB!!"

He exhaled a long stream of instense fire that rammed straight into a section of the foxes. Their fur was scorched and life was burned out of the carcasses.

Chikane aimed arrows at the section next to Katashi's. They flew through the flame, which ignited them as they got closer to the foxes. She smirked as the arrows caught the animals in a brush fire, spreading through the entire group.

Katashi discontinued the stream and watched the critters burn to a crisp. Slowly, but surely, they disintegrated to ashes…and the ash itself evaporated into red smoke.

"Good job, Aisu." Chikane patted him on the back. He chuckled with victory, although deep down Katashi felt something else.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you, Miss Himemiya."

"Well, keep up your training," Chikane said sweetly. "Pretty soon, you'll be strong enough to handle it yourself." She jumped off the cliff and landed effortlessly on the ground. As she walked past the death site of the foxes, Chikane no longer paid attention to Katashi's actions.

As she smoothly walked away, he looked lower and chuckled. Katashi admired the way her body was shaped.

'Hot…like my fire.' His mind began to go into deep thought.

Okay…yeah. Chikane and Himeko are still lesbians, but damn males get in the way. Love becomes a main issue in about five more chapters. Keep reading!