I do not own Naruto or Steven Universe.
"Believe in Steven!" normal speech
"Believe in Steven!" thought/mind speak
"Believe in Steven!" demon speech
Chapter 7: Meeting the Lions
*Konohagakure*
Tsunade and Jiraiya were looking over Sasuke's scratched hitai-ate as one of the ANBU assigned in watching the Uchiha had reported that the hitai-ate was humming while the scratch marks glowed a light red for some reason. "Do you think it was reacting to the Kyuubi's chakra?" Tsunade asked her old teammate. "It might be," said Jiraiya as he examined the scratch on the metal plate, "Naruto must have scratched Sasuke's hitai-ate while using the fox's chakra, somehow infusing a non-lethal amount into the mark. Naruto must have used the Kyuubi's chakra somewhere out there when the ANBU reported it a few days ago."
"Is it possible to use Sasuke's hitai-ate to find Naruto?" Tsunade then asked as she eyed the scratch with ironic hope. The Toad Sage sighed as he then said, "Unless you create a tracking jutsu powerful enough to go beyond the Elemental Countries or a nose that is far sharper than an Inuzuka's, then no…I'm sorry Hime." The woman sighed as she scrapped that idea before another appeared in her mind as she asked, "What about dowsing?" Jiraiya let out another sigh as he said, "I have thought of that old technique but I really don't know how it works and even if we knew how to apply this, we really can't risk giving ourselves false hope. I'm even wishing that the Bloodline War in Kiri had never happened as there might have been a clan who specialized in this type of tracking to even use it as a jutsu."
"Do the Toads have any idea?" Tsunade asked before Jiraiya brought his hand in a thinking pose. "The Toads have told me that they are investigating that huge wave of warmth that was felt the evening before Sasuke's hitai-ate was brought to our attention," Jiraiya said as he remembered talking to Gamakitchi about it, "All they know is that the wave originated from somewhere outside the Elemental Countries. They're investigating it even as we speak." Not a lot of progress, Tsunade mentally scowled as her little gaki was getting farther and farther away from her, Naruto…where are you?
Little did either Sannin realized, Sakura had overheard their conversation before quickly bolting out of the tower. Naruto's alive?! I can't believe it! Sakura thought as she nearly bowled over a genin team while dashing out of the door, But why would Lady Hokage and Master Jiraiya keep this from everyone? Do the others even know? As she thought about it, the rosette realized that the others did know something as they would act all weird when Naruto would be mentioned in the conversations Sakura would hear. Why would they keep this from me and Sasuke-kun? Sakura thought as she continued to run, I understand why Sasuke, he wants to kill Naruto, but why me? All I want to do is apologize to Naruto for what I've done to him for just keeping to his promise.
Dowsing, Sakura then thought as she remembered what Jiraiya and Tsunade were talking about, maybe I can find something in the library to help me. Sakura then ran towards one of the libraries in hopes of finding something that will get her closer to Naruto. I know I do not deserve it, not after what I did to you, Sakura thought as she found the library and entered, but I want to at least be able to apologize to you for what I have done…
*Beach City; Crystal Temple*
Naruto was sweeping around in the temple as a part of his punishment from Garnet. The others are training on their ninja skills with Kurama and I'm stuck in here cleaning the temple for the next two weeks, Naruto thought as he swept by the portal, I'd rather be spanked than doing this menial crap…I can't even go on missions with them. The blonde sighed as he dumped contents of the dust pan into the garbage as he still had more to do apart from sweeping.
I still can't believe how well Sour Cream and the others took learning the truth about me, Naruto thought as he remembered when he told the whole truth about him to the three teens, including Lars. The blonde was honestly expecting them to reject him for not only lying to them like that but holding an actual demon inside of him, but to Naruto's surprise they accepted him and said that the people who had banished him were idiots for not seeing the person that Naruto is. It's really nice to see that there are people who can see me instead of Kurama, Naruto thought happily as he continued working on the chores around the temple.
Outside, the other Gems were working on chakra control while Amethyst continued with her own training. "Say Kurama," Steven asked the possessed clone as he worked on the leaf exercise, "why are we learning chakra control? Can't we just use the jutsus without it." Kurama sighed and said, "You are learning chakra control so that the jutsus you learn will be more effective as you gain a better control of how much chakra to use and how to properly manipulate chakra. Such jutsus that require acute chakra control would range from genjutsu to medical jutsus, and even the Summoning Jutsu."
"Summoning?" Steven then asked as Lion was watching from nearby. Kurama nodded as he continued, "Yes, with the Summoning Jutsu, one can summon animals and creatures to help them in either combat or even tracking. The amount of chakra you use can determine what you can summon, but that requires a lot of chakra control." Pearl looked over and asked, "Can Naruto summon?" The possessed clone nodded and said, "Yes, he has signed the Summoning Contract with the Toads and the largest the kit has summoned was the Boss Summon, Gamabunta, but that was with only my help." Amethyst stopped her training and asked, "Are there other animals that could be summoned?"
Kurama nodded again before he saw something in the distance as the others turned to see a large lion with silver fur wearing armor similar to a samurai's. The lion looked up and its eyes widened before rushing towards the group. "Get ready," said Garnet but was surprised when Lion appeared in front of them, causing the armored lion to stop before him. "My Prince…is that really you?" asked the lion, shocking everyone with its voice, "It is! It really is you! The Pride King will be filled with such joy!"
"Okay," said Amethyst as she watched the armored lion jump around happily, "what's going on and why are you talking?" The armored lion looked at the group with a small embarrassed blush and said, "Ah, forgive me as it has been years since anyone has seen the Pride King's son. I am Yukan, one of the many Lion Summons and I was sent out here to investigate a strange wave of loving warmth that originated from here some days ago." Everyone was surprised to see a Lion Summon right before them as Steven then asked, "You called Lion a prince, right? What happened?" Yukan looked at Steven before he said, "Well I think that it would be best if the Pride King himself told you of how he was separated from his son years ago as I understand that you were the ones to have found him, right?" Lion moved his muzzle against Steven's face as the other lion saw the answer with a small smirk.
"Oh and do not forget the young jinchuriki either," said Yukan, getting a surprised look from Kurama. "How did you know about the kit?" the possessed clone asked with caution. "It's actually quite obvious to know that there is a jinchuriki nearby," said the lion as if it was everyday trivia, "No demon would ever leave a mortal to handle such violent chakra on their own without being nearby. But do not worry as we Lions greatly respect the jichuriki for being able to hold in such great beasts such as yourself, Kyuubi." Kurama disappeared in a cloud of smoke before Naruto ran out to meet the lion. "Everyone here?" asked Yukan, getting a nod from everyone, "Alright here we go. Reverse Summoning Jutsu!" The group soon vanished in a large cloud of smoke as their guide was now taking them to the Lion Summons' homeland.
*Idai Taiyo Castle*
The group soon arrived in a wooded area where a large castle made of solid stone stood erect in the middle. "Welcome to our home, Idai Taiyo Castle," said Yukan as the group stared in awe of the beauty, "The Great Sun Castle." The silver lion led the group towards the castle gates where two golden lions that were twice as large as Yukan stood on either side of the gate. The gate itself had two lion designs standing on their hind legs and were roaring towards a sun with a lion's face inside, making the flames of the sun look like the lion's mane.
"Halt!" roared the lion on the left as the lion on the right then said, "State your business for entering our beloved Castle of the Sun." Yukan stood before the two and said, "Azuma no Shishi, Nishi no Shishi, I, Yukan, have returned from my mission from the Pride King, Okina Yama, to investigate the origin of the wave of energy with great news! I have found his son!" The two giant lions looked at each other before leaning towards Lion and sniffed him. "By the Sun Gods he's right!" said the lion on the left before he and the lion on the right turned towards the gate and let out a mighty roar that echoed through the forest.
The gates slowly opened to reveal a large group of lions, ranging from small cubs to battle scarred adult lions, at two different sides and watched with surprise as Yukan led the group towards the castle. The Gems looked around in awe at the sheer number of lions surrounding them as their voices were heard.
"No way," one lion said with surprise, "it's the lost prince!"
"The Pride King will surely be proud to finally reunite with his son!"
"Are those the Crystal Gems?"
"And a jinchuriki too!"
"The little cub next to the prince is kind of cute too."
The group reached inside the castle as the door closed behind them when a lion with mud brown fur and mane wearing spiked shields and a kilt approached them. "I heard ye found the prince, Yukan," said the lion with a Scottish accent as the group saw the multiple scars on its body. "Indeed, Chimamire," said Yukan, "I shall ask you of your latest scars on a later day." The lion bowed as he said, "May the Sun Gods be with ye." The grouped journeyed down the halls when Steven asked, "Who was that?" Yukan gave the boy a glance as he said, "That was Chimamire, one of the most strongest Lions here, save for the Pride King of course, and is the instructor for the cubs who are to aide our summoners. You will never find a more ferocious warrior like Chimamire as he has fought many battles, but due to the lack of summoners since the Senju cub, Chimamire has been looking for a good fight as the cubs are still too naïve and without a summoner, they will never taste the thrill of a real battle."
"Senju," Naruto asked as he remembered Tsunade's grandfather, "as in, the Shodaime?" Yukan looked at the blonde and said, "Indeed, Hashirama was actually our previous summoner before his death. We had even helped the cub with his Mokuton abilities by providing him the knowledge of Nature Chakra." Pearl walked up towards Yukan and asked, "What happened after Hashirama had died?" Yukan grew silent before he said, "The Pride King and his family visited the village to collect the Summoning Contract as well as find one who would be worthy of signing the contract, but we had met a vile man by the name of Danzo who attacked him in hopes of discovering some the secrets our people possessed. It was then that Pride King was separated from his son when the cub tried to perform the Reverse Summoning Jutsu on his own. In revenge of the attack, the Pride King had torn out the man's right eye and arm, severely injured him while declaring that the Lions shall never have such vile creatures as their summoners. We had eventual lost interest in Konoha after witnessing the aftermath of the Kyuubi Incident as those fool could not see the hero that they were harming. They do not respect jinchuriki like we do and many of them are so vile as to use their own children to harm the very hero against the wishes of his father."
"You're talking about me, aren't you?" Naruto said with realization, "Do you know who my parents are?" Yukan nodded and said, "Indeed and for those fools to not see the obvious before them as your father was the very man who sealed the Kyuubi inside of you." Naruto froze at that realization as he connected the dots at one of the greatest mysteries of his life. The Yondaime…is my father, Naruto thought before feeling his legs give way as Pearl and Garnet caught him. "I take it you were never told," said Yukan before shaking his head, "While I do understand because of the numerous enemies your father has, I cannot believe that you were not under better protection in the care of those who knew your father."
The group soon entered a giant room where other lions and lionesses were walking around. "Please wait here while I speak with the Pride King," said Yukan as he motioned to one of the nearby tables that had food stacked on it, "You are welcome to enjoy our food and drink; the servants will bring you appropriate drinks for the jinchuriki and the prince's friend." At that moment, Yukan headed towards a giant door that opened before him and then closed as the silver lion entered. As Amethyst and Steven dug into the steaks and hams on the table, Pearl and Garnet looked to see Naruto lightly stabbing the small steak with his fork as a distant look of melancholy was visible on his face. "Are you alright, Naruto?" Pearl asked with concern in her voice as she gently placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder.
"In all honesty," said Naruto as he then let the pronged tips of the fork slide on the surface of the steak, "…no, I'm not alright." The blonde then gripped the utensil tightly as he continued, "First it was kept secret about me being a jinchuriki and now I'm JUST learning that my dad is not only the Yondaime Hokage, but the one responsible for all the crap that I've been through! This is complete BULL!" Naruto harshly stabbed the fork into the steak, causing a loud clang to echo in the room. "Now that I know who my father was," said Naruto as he held his hands against his covered forehead, "I'm questioning why now. Didn't he love me? Was my birth just convenient enough to allow him to seal Kurama inside me? Now I'm starting to wish I hadn't learned who my father was."
"Sounds like the laddie needs a good ol' fashion thrashin'," said a familiar voice as everyone turned to see the lion from earlier. "Chimamire," said Pearl in shock at what the lion proposed, "you can't be serious about having Naruto fight you?!" Chimamire nodded and said, "That's one of our many traditions, lassie: if we have a problem on our mind that be bugging us, we fight it out. Now we are not without diplomacy or civil attitude, it's just our way to literally beat some of our major problems with ourselves both socially and mentally." The lion then faced Naruto and said, "So what do ya say, laddie: up for a little match against the feared Bloody Mess?" Everyone looked at Naruto as the blonde was silent for a moment before he said, "Sure."
Yukan soon returned and said, "The Pride King wishes to speak with the boy who has found his son as well as a guardian of his choice." Steven, Pearl, and Lion walked towards the silver lion before Steven turned to face Naruto and said, "I hope you'll be alright Naruto after the fight." The blonde gave Steven a thumbs up and said, "I've face impossible odds before, so this will be a cake walk." The large doors closed after Steven and Lion entered the room while Chimamire led Naruto and the Gems through the halls.
The group walked until they reached a small training hall where lion cubs and adolescent lions were striking wooden dummies or each other with their paws. "CLEAR THE PIT!" roared Chimamire as the lions quickly cleared the area as Chimamire led Naruto to the center after motioning the Gems to stay on the sidelines. "The rules are simple, laddie," said Chimamire as he took a stance, "Use whatever ye like, weapons, jutsus, even yer jinchuriki powers as the only thing not allowed is killing." Naruto nodded as he summoned his claws, getting a lot of whispers from the crowd.
"He's a jinchuriki AND a Crystal Gem?!"
"Those claws look sharp enough to rip flesh into shreds!"
"20 hams say that the jinchuriki gets whipped by Chimamire."
"I'll bet 35 hams that Chimamire barely gets a scratch."
"This is quite interesting," said a voice as the Gems turned to see a lioness with Egyptian blue fur and wearing a mask of a soft faced woman, "it has been years since we have seen a Crystal Gem fight Chimamire…let alone a human." The lioness sat next to Garnet as she then said, "I am Kagayaku Hana, one of the Sphinxes of our tribe. I assure you that Chimamire won't kill the cub, he's too special and I am surprised that the Toads are still with him even after he was banished." Surprised, Amethyst asked, "How do you know about Naruto and his banishment?" Kagayaku Hana chuckled as she said, "While we are not aligned with any village at the moment, we are still friends with other summons such as the Toads and Slugs. We share what we know of about our summoners and of their village, but we still keep a few things discreet from our own allies. It's just a policy, child. Plus, we have our own ways as well."
"So, Kagayaku," Garnet asked, "I know about the mythical sphinx, but could you tell me what a Sphinx is to the Lion Summons?" Kagayaku was silent for a second before she said, "The Sphinxes are what humans would call, High Priestesses or Bishops, and while our power is great, our wisdom is far greater than any mere mortal. We prefer to use our talents in jutsus and magic than brute force…but we are also not afraid to get our paws dirty should the time arise." Amethyst raised an eyebrow and asked, "So you guys are like sages or something?" Kagayaku chuckled as she then said, "Yes child, and should the boy sign the contract, he will be given a familiar and once the boy is ready, he will learn about our tribe's Sage Mode. But for now, let us watch the fight against Chimamire and the jinchuriki."
Naruto and Chimamire were staring each other down until the lion charged towards Naruto with a might swipe. Naruto dove to the side to avoid the attack before going in for a punch until Chimamire pushed himself onto his hind legs. Naruto only had enough time to cross his arms as the lion them slammed his front paws onto the blonde with enough force to cause Naruto to buckle down onto one knee. Thinking quickly, Naruto leaned back as he planted his feet onto Chimamire's belly before tossing the lion behind him. The lion crashed onto the floor and shook the dust off his fur as he got to his paws. "Hope ya got better moves than that, laddie," said Chimamire as he slowly circled the blonde before him. Naruto brought his hands to a hand seal as he said, "I've got more where that came from! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"
Shadow Clones, Chimamire thought as many Narutos soon appeared in the arena, far more advanced than any mere genin would know, but then again the amount of chakra the lad's got is even beyond than that of a jonin's, mabey even close to a Kage's. The duplicates rushed towards Chimamire as the lion smirked. "I don't know whether 'r not to call ya brave 'r foolish to blindly charge a lion armed with an ax," said the lion as a large battle ax soon appeared on the lion's back before Chimamire's tail grabbed it and swing the weapon, slicing a few clones in twain, "but I'll just let the ax do the talkin'." The rest of the Narutos had jumped back and tried to find an opening until one said, "Let see you try this! Gem Style: Crystal Needles!" That Naruto launched some of the spikes from his claws towards Chimamire, but they were deflected by the lion's ax and shield. A few of the clones then rushed in by either jumping or sliding as Chimamire said, "Making yer opponent choose which way to attack…clever, but not clever enough. Wind Style: Sonic Roar Jutsu!" The lion puffed out his chest before letting out a loud roar that was powerful enough to stop the Narutos in their tracks and dispelled them at once, revealing the real Naruto getting launched backwards from the attack. My head feels like it's being split open! Naruto thought as he held his head from not only all of his clones dispelling at once, but the ringing in his ears was deafening.
"How did you like that, laddie?" asked Chimamire as he slowly approached the downed Naruto, "We Lions aren't limited to just brutal combat; we know a few fancy jutsus such as the Fire 'n Earth styles." Chimamire was now standing over the blonde and held his large paw against the blonde's throat, putting slight pressure on it, and said, "I believe that I am the victor here, laddie." Naruto looked at the lion and gave him a smirk, confusing Chimamire before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Bloody Hell!" said Chimamire as he heard the sound of chakra forming behind him as he turned to see two Naruto holding a sphere made of chakra rushing towards him. "You should never underestimate your opponent, even after you win!" said Naruto as his clone vanished while the original slammed the sphere into one of the spiked shields on Chimamire's side, "Rasengan!" Chimamire couldn't move in time as the sphere had somehow tore through the shield and was now tearing into him before launching him violently into a stone wall.
Everyone present was completely dumbfounded as Chimamire was tossed violently by a human after years of no contact with one. The dust cleared to show the lion on his stomach as a fresh wound on his side was bleeding. "Damn," said Chimamire as he slowly got to his paws, "that felt like getting thrashed by the Pride King in a twister! You've got quite the fight on ya, laddie. I can see why the Pride King had once wanted you as our summoner as you've got a Lion's Heart. I guess I'll let you have this one, but next time won't be so easy laddie." Naruto watched in anticipation as Chimamire slowly limped towards him. "You should probably wait to be treated," said Naruto before getting a hearty laugh from the lion. "It's alright, laddie," said Chimamire with slight laboring in his breath, "we Lions take great pride in our battle scars as each one of 'em tells a story behind each one. Besides, it'll have to take more than that fancy sphere jutsu to kill me." The injured lion gave Naruto a confident smirk before he roared, "HAMS AN' DRINKS 'R ON ME!" The blonde relaxed as his claws vanished, but he couldn't help but still think about what his father had done to him. It did actually feel nice to let out some steam before he might have done something stupid.
Steven, Pearl, and Lion appeared inside of a large room that could hold almost all of Beach City! "Whoa," said Steven as he looked around in awe until he saw a lion that was larger even than the two lions at the front gates combined; this lion was HUGE! The lion's fur was a bright red while it's mane was a combination of red, orange, and yellow, giving it the appearance of a walking sun. "So you are the one who have found my son," said the lion with a deep voice, "I would like to know your name, Gem Child." Steven lightly bowed and said, "I'm Steven Universe and how did you know that I'm a Gem?" The lion maneuvered the tip of its tail and pointed to the rose quartz in the boy's naval and said, "Aside from the obvious, you bare the scent of a Crystal Gem…more likely her scent."
"Are you," Steven asked in wonder, "talking about my mom?" The lion nodded before he said, "Indeed, I am talking about Rose Quartz as I have known her back when I was at the age my son is right now." This surprised Pearl a bit as Rose had never mentioned meeting a lion of great stature. The lion then sat down, creating a low echoing thud in the room before he said, "I have not seen my son since the day of our previous summoner's death when we searched for one who could take his place as our new summoner…when that dishonorable…thing attacked my son and I. I, Okina Yama, thank you, Child of Rose, for returning Taiyo-Oji, my son to me."
Okina then stuck his tail inside his mane and pulled out a large scroll as he said, "Normally I would have those who wish to be our summoner battle our most feared warrior, Chimamire, but I am proud to say that I am allowing you to sign our contract as a sign that you have won my favor as I can see great courage inside of you that even I can respect. At times, this courage is naivety, but I can still see the true courage that is inside of you child." Okina unrolled the scroll to reveal Japanese writings with finger prints underneath before he said, "You must sign your name with your blood and place a small hand print underneath." Pearl spoke up as she said, "Does Steven really have to sign the contract with his own blood?" Okina nodded as he said, "That is tradition with all of the Summons, Gem Child, as the blood signifies that we, the Lions, have agreed to come forth should he be in need of aide."
Steeling his nerves, Steven had Lion bite the end his thumb to draw blood, causing Pearl to wince at the idea and the act before her, before writing his name in a blank space. It was awkward to write his name sideways as Steven felt a slight burn as he wrote his name before placing a small hand print underneath. "And there," said Steven as his thumb was slowly beginning to heal due to his Gem's power.
"Congratulations, Steven Universe," said Okina as the blood immediately dried while the lion rolled the scroll back up, "You can now call on us when you are in need of assistance. All we have to do is find you a familiar." The was when Lion approached Okina and said, "Father, I wish to be Steven's familiar as he and I share a bond. At first, I was wary of him as I thought he and the women he was with were treasure hunters who sought after an odd artifact that controlled sand. Now I recognize him as a friend, even though some might consider me a pet, I gladly accepted the boy as he had shown no fear towards me. Even though he has yet to fully awaken his power, I, Taiyo-Oji, will be honored to be the boy's familiar." Okina was a bit conflicted as this would mean that he would be away from his son and he wasn't sure of what his long lost son may have learned, but Okina saw the look on his son's eyes as the spoke the truth. "I shall allow this, son," said Okina, "but I would like you to visit every now and then as it has been so long." Steven cheered in victory that he would get to stay with Lion as his familiar.
"Young Steven," said Okina as said boy stopped jumping around for a moment, "I am going to be holding a small meeting with my allies and I am going to request that they bring their summoners to teach you how to summon. Even though the jinchuriki has signed the Toad's contract and summoned before, I believe that their eldest summoner along with the Slug's and Turtle's summoners would be better in teaching you. I shall summon you when the time arrives as in the meantime, you and your friends should be heading back to your home as a Crystal Gem's work is never done." Steven nodded as he, Pearl, and Lion left the chambers while Okina thought, That boy has great potential hidden inside of him and I can imagine that Rose must be very proud of her son with him bringing back the Lions. May the Sun Gods be with you, Rose Quarts, and May the Sun Gods be with you, Steven Universe.
*Beach City; City Hall*
Mayor Bill Dewey sat in his office when one of his many workers arrived and placed a camera on the desk. "I've followed your son and his friends," said the agent as he adjusted his glasses, "The young blonde child along with the Universe boy were with them. The evidence is on the video, Sir." Bill looked through the video and sped through until the lagoon incident and his eyes widened. This child has such power, but even just viewing the evidence gave him a slight chill down his spine. Once the video ended after revealing the origin of those petals, the mayor turned to face his agent and said, "I would like to talk to the boy and tell him to bring his mother; I'd like to have a word with them."
How will things go now that Steven has sign the contract with the Lions and what are Sakura and Mayor Dewey up to? Don't forget to rate and review!
Ja ne!
