This is Ryu Kotei saying that I'm hoping that you give what two elements Steven will have some thought because he will be stuck with those two. So make sure you vote!
On a final note, I do not own Naruto, Steven Universe, or the songs Honeybee and Blue Bird. They belong to their respective artists.
"Believe in Steven!" normal speech
"Believe in Steven!" thought/mind speak
"Believe in Steven!" demon speech
Chapter 17: A Dance and a Choice
*Beach City; Crystal Temple*
The Lunar Gorilla was rampaging about as Garnet looked over towards Naruto and Amethyst and said, "Naruto! Amethyst!"
"No need to say it!" Naruto said as Amethyst was next to him, "Everyone, stall it while Ammy-nee and I work our magic!" The purple Gem let out a whoop as she changed her shape until she was Naruto's height and slimmer form, both of their gems glowing. The two stood back to back with both of them holding their hands together above their heads until Amethyst let her hands drop to the side, giving Naruto the appearance of having four arms.
"What are they doing?" Temari asked as she closed her fan to block and attack from the large ape, "This is no time to be doing a weird dance routine." Pearl stole a glance as Naruto and Amethyst were moving their arms in a wild and mystical fashion while mirroring each other's footsteps. "Actually," Pearl said as she jumped to the side to avoid a fist from the Lunar Gorilla, "that dance will give us the very Gem Fusion we need for a brute like this!" Naruto and Amethyst spun around away from each other before spinning back towards each other before finishing by clasping each other's hand with a loud slap. A blinding light then covered Naruto and Amethyst , turning them both into energy and merging them as they shot up into the air with their energy exploding into a star burst.
(Play Blue Bird from the 3rd Naruto Shippuden Opening)
A woman then dropped from the sky and stood on her feet as everyone studied her form. This new woman was actually slightly taller than Pearl, had four arms, dark azure-colored skin, and her hair was a navy blue color in a high ponytail with six white streaks staring from her scalp. The four-armed woman was wearing a baby blue vest with lavender trimmings that exposed a sapphire with a starburst embedded in upon her flat chest, silk pants of the same color with star cutouts that exposed her knees, a light blue silk cloth wrapped around her waist, sky blue anklets and bracelets with two of the arms having the same gemstone as the chest located just a few inches above the wrists.
"Star Sapphire!" Steven cheered as the woman walked next to the boy and ruffled the boy's hair as everyone saw the star-shaped cutout that exposed her back to the others, "Are we ever glad you made it!"
"Is…" Gai asked in disbelief of what he saw, "Is this a genjutsu?" Neji used his Byakugan to observe the woman before his eyes widened in shock as he said, "No Gai-sensei…she's REAL!"
"Of course I'm real," said Star Sapphire with a chuckle, "I'm a fusion between Naruto and Amethyst as all Crystal Gems are capable of fusing together to become an even stronger Gem. I'm Star Sapphire and while I'm not a giant like Opal or Sugilite nor as strong, I am however just as skilled." Seeing Star Sapphire, the Lunar Gorilla let out a roar before it began to charge towards her.
"Showtime!" said the four-armed Gem said she began to jump lightly around on her bare feet before jumping over the Lunar Gorilla before gaining some distance with a few backflips. She then started to dance around the large ape as she avoided its attacks before giving it a powerful stamp on its back before going back to her dancing.
"Why is she dancing around like that?" Tenten asked as she watched Star Sapphire dancing around the Lunar Gorilla while still landing a few blows to the beast, "She only hit it a few times."
"That because it's her style," Pearl answered as she watched the four-arm Gem twisting around the ape before using her momentum to toss it, "She may not be as strong as other Gem Fusions, but her speed and agility are unmatched. Star also uses the momentum of her movements to give her an advantage with larger opponents. Her swords are also quite dangerous too as they match her unpredictability."
As if on cue, Star Sapphire summoned Naruto's clawed gauntlets before summoning Amethyst's whip until the weapons soon transformed into two swords with navy blue blades with starburst-shaped cross guards. Tenten noticed the rings at the bottom of the hilts next to the gemstone pommels and before she could ask, Star Sapphire jumped into the air to avoid an attack from the Lunar Gorilla. The weapon specialist then saw the blades of the two swords break apart to reveal chains connecting them together as the four-armed Gem then connected both swords to the anklets before going into a wild series of twists using her upper back and shoulders to allow her to perform such twists.
"Such speed," Lee said as he was breathing heavily after opening the gates with Gai breathing just as hard, "I don't think even I could keep up without opening any of the Eight Gates." The two taijutsu experts were surprised at how fast Star Sapphire was and how easy it looked to her.
"That's just it," said Garnet as Star Sapphire was now spinning around on her hands with the blades slashing as the Lunar Gorilla, "Star Sapphire is speed and speed alone as her battle style is a combination of a Brazilian martial art called capoeira and the flashy movement of a luchador, a masked wrestler. Even I have had a little bit of difficulty keeping up with her." Star Sapphire then disconnected the swords from her anklets before jumping onto her feet with the swords in two of her hands.
"Time to finish this," said the four-armed Gem as she began to spin until both her and the Lunar Gorilla in a large tornado, "Gem Style: Swan Blades!" Neji used his Byakugan to look inside the tornado and saw the large ape getting slashed multiple times in such a blinding speed while Star Sapphire was still spinning around like a top. The tornado soon vanished as Star Sapphire was now slowly and gracefully spinning onto the ground before landing on the toes of her left foot in a ballerina pose while the Lunar Gorilla crashed onto the ground behind her. The large ape then vanished in a cloud of mist, leaving behind a pale gemstone as Star Sapphire picked the gemstone up and encased it in a bubble.
(End Song)
"Well that was fun," the four-armed Gem said as she teleported the gem away before beginning to stretch her legs, "Good to get some exercise." Steven tackled Star Sapphire into a hug before the Gem picked the boy up and placed him on her shoulder as Steven chuckled at the fusion's joyful attitude. "It's good to see you once more Steven," Star Sapphire said with a smile that made the others smile from the aura emitting from her, "but I need to separate now."
"Why separate?" Tenten asked as she watched the four-armed Gem's chain swords vanish, "We could use another sparring round since we could be having trouble with that Bloodstone character in the future."
"I'm deeply sorry, but I must," Star Sapphire sadly admitted, "As a fusion between two Gems I can only keep myself in my two half's control until I become too wild for them. Sadly there is such a thing as too much fun, but it was definitely nice to meet friends of one of my halves." The Gem Fusion then vanished in a burst of light before the light dimmed to reveal Naruto and Amethyst as the two gave each other a fist bump.
"Now that that's out of the way," Naruto said as he looked at the others, "shall we continue that spar?"
"That won't be necessary," said Gai as he was still amazed at just HOW strong a Crystal Gem can be, "I suppose you and your friends could give us a tour of Beach City as we are still on a mission." Naruto smirked as he and the others exited the temple to give the shinobi a tour.
*Unknown Cave*
Inside of a dark cave hidden within the Elemental Countries, seven holographic shadows were seen standing on the fingers of a demonic looking statue along with two other shadowed figures. All but one of the statue's fingers had a glowing green orb with a specific kanji with each one different than the other. "Are all members of the Akatsuki present?" asked a shadow with violet eyes that had ripple-like lines in the irises before receiving a nod from the other shadow, "Then let us begin this meeting with our observations."
"The Ichibi Jinchuriki had decided to take a small vacation outside of the Elemental Countries," said a holographic shadow that was hunched over, "Deidara was about to intercept him and his Konoha escort, but I talked him out of it as what better way to ambush the target is right at the moment when he returns from his vacation."
Another holographic shadow looked at the hunched over holographic shadow and said, "But this is the Ichibi Jinchuriki we're talking about, Sasori, and after what Zetsu had told us, he would still be expecting an attack thanks to Orochimaru's influence over the Yondaime Kazekage and Sunagakure. Un!"
"No matter," said the purple-eyed shadow, "You both are still responsible for the capture and sealing of the Ichibi, Sasori and Deidara. Next on the agenda, it has come to my attention that there is a possibility of a new threat and it may concern you…Itachi."
"What do you mean?" a holographic shadow with Sharingan eyes asked the purple-eyed shadow, "While I have practiced caution with whom Kisame and I meet, but I must asked as to why I, myself, would be affected by this new threat?"
The purple-eyed shadow looked at a holographic shadow that had what appears to be a Venus flytrap as part of its body and gave it a nod. "We have discovered that a few years ago, Danzo Shimura, after escaping his execution and Konohagakure for his actions against the Kyuubi Jinchuriki, had came into possession of a unique stone that is said to absorb not only chakra, but the very life energy of those around it," said the Venus flytrap holographic shadow with a soft, jovial voice.
"You mean the Leech Stone?" said another holographic shadow that had a large weapon on its back, "I've only heard legends about it, but I would have never thought it to be real. I've always thought that cave was just an old cave that people were just too scared to approach."
"However," said the Venus flytrap holographic shadow with a dark and serious voice, "it was soon discovered that the stone Danzo had recovered had its own form of sentience as it mentioned that it once was a powerful warrior called a Crystal Gem. We then followed Danzo and Kyuketsuki, as the stone had called itself, to one of Orochimaru's old hideouts where Sasuke Uchiha was waiting at."
"I thought the Kyuubi Jinchuriki had stopped the Uchiha from defecting," the purple-eyed shadow mentioned. I had thought so too, Itachi thought as he kept his stoic face.
"He did," said the Venus flytrap holographic shadow, "However, Danzo had sent his ROOT ANBU to bring Sasuke to the hideout where the boy had not only had his chakra unsealed but undergone a heart transplant to replace his own heart with Kyuketsuki. After the surgery, the boy had vanished in a brilliant light, leaving the stone behind. It wasn't until two weeks after that Sasuke had killed Danzo using that very power before retiring to his chambers to rest as this power seem to have drained him of his energy. We have kept a close eye on Sasuke Kyuketsuki, as he now calls himself, and he appears to becoming stronger through not just his own power, but that of the stone which has revealed its true name to be Bloodstone." The shadow then looked around and said with its jovial voice, "Sasuke is slowly becoming strong enough as the stone is teaching him all sorts of secrets and allowing the boy to absorb both chakra and life energy. However, just like with any kekkei genkai implanted onto a non-clan member that possesses that particular kekkei genkai, using Bloodstone's power appears to be using a lot of power. Even summoning that sword from the stone uses a lot of energy, but it shouldn't be too long until Sasuke is able to use the stone's power at the rate his training is going. His power could actually give any jonin a run for their money once it's at that level; We must not underestimate his power."
"What of Orochimaru?" Itachi asked as he knew that the former Akatsuki member was still after the Sharingan.
"Still cursing Danzo for betraying him on their little deal," the Venus flytrap shadow said with a dark chuckle, "He actually believes Sasuke to be dead after what had happened."
So Sasuke is still out of that snake's hands, Itachi thought as he unimpressively blinked to hide his thankfulness to such luck, however…
"What of the whereabouts of the Kyuubi Jinchuriki?" asked a holographic shadow with red and green eyes, "We know he has vanished a few years ago when the council of Konohagakure had sent him into exile. Obviously the boy is still alive as the Kyuubi would have reformed by now."
"It is hard to say at the moment," said the Venus flytrap shadow with its dark voice, "I have only heard of possible locations, but I have checked those areas to only find nothing. Yuki/Haru, Nami, wherever the Kyuubi Jinchuriki has been we have check to find not even a single piece of evidence that the boy was recently there. We have however heard from sailors that have come and gone about a place outside the Elemental Countries call Beach City as most of them either talk about how it is a lovely resort or about a wrestling duo by the names of Purple Puma and Tiger Millionaire. Sailors just at times just come and go in blinding seconds."
"Is there anything else that is to be brought to our attention?" the purple-eyed shadow asked before seeing that nothing else was being said, "Very well. Your orders are still as is: Deidara and Sasori are to capture and seal the Ichibi, Zetsu is to still gather any information that should be brought to our attention, especially now with Sasuke Kyuketsuki training on his power, Itachi and Kisame are to observe all port towns and villages to find any information about what lies outside the Elemental Countries, while the rest of you are to continue on with business. Meeting adjourned."
All but one of the holographic shadows had vanished with Itachi's holographic shadow remaining behind. Sasuke…Itachi thought as he lamented on what had happened to his younger brother, I may have to act sooner than I had planned. Itachi's shadow vanished as the cave grew cold from with soundless void.
*Beach City; Crystal Temple*
A day had passed since arriving at Beach City as Tenten and Temari were walking on the beach near the temple before seeing Naruto and Pearl sitting on a blanket. The two shinobi hid behind a huge rock and saw that Pearl was sitting gracefully while Naruto was sitting across from her with a leg stretched out and a guitar in his hands and strumming it. Since when did he play the guitar? both kunoichi thought as they listened closely as Naruto began to sing…
Girl I've been thinkin' 'bout us,
And you know I ain't good at this stuff.
These feelings pilin' up won't give me no rest.
This might come out a little crazy.
A little sideways, yeah maybe.
I don't know how long it'll take me,
But I'll do my best.
You'll be my soft and sweet.
I'll be your strong and steady.
You'll be my glass of wine.
I'll be your shot of whiskey.
You'll be my sunny day.
I'll be your shade tree.
You be my honeysuckle.
I'll be your honey bee.
Both Tenten and Temari were surprised at how good Naruto was singing as the blonde continued to serenade Pearl. The kunoichi had to admit that Naruto's smooth voice sent slight chills down there spines. Pearl is quite lucky with her find, Temari thought as she saw Tenten hanging her head is self-disappointment, I wonder how many girls would fall for that spell of his.
Yeah, that came out a little country,
But every word was on the money,
And I got you smilin' honey right back at me.
Now hold on 'cause I ain't done.
There's more where that came from.
Well know that I'm having fun,
But seriously…
You'll be my Louisiana.
I'll be your Mississippi.
You'll be my Little Loretta.
I'll be your Conway Twitty.
You'll be my sugar, baby.
I'll be your sweet iced tea.
You'll be my honeysuckle.
I'll be your honey bee.
Naruto kept playing as Pearl leaned towards him and gave him a kiss, neither one of them missing a beat. I'm not one for cheesy romantic serenading, Temari thought as she smirked to herself, but this is pretty damn good.
Tenten watched the two end the kiss with Naruto still playing the guitar as she thought, Why can't Neji or any of the other guys be as romantic as Naruto? That thought had also reminded her about Lee and his crush on Amethyst as Tenten made a mental note to try and help out her teammate.
Your kiss just said it all.
I'm glad we had this talk.
Nothing left to do but fall in each other's arms.
I coulda said, "I love you."
Coulda wrote you a line or two.
Baby, all I need to do is speak right from the heart.
You'll be my soft and sweet.
I'll be your strong and steady.
You'll be my glass of wine.
I'll be your shot of whiskey.
You'll be my sunny day.
I'll be your shade tree.
You'll be my honeysuckle.
I'll be your honey bee.
You'll be my Louisiana.
I'll be your Mississippi.
You'll be my Little Loretta.
I'll be your Conway Twitty.
You'll be my sugar, baby.
I'll be your sweet iced tea.
You'll be my honeysuckle.
I'll be you honey bee.
The song ended as Naruto was now laying on Pearl's lap and smiling towards the Gem as she returned the smile with a loving look in her eyes. "I'll be your honey bee," Naruto said as Pearl gently twirled a lock of the blonde's hair. Pearl couldn't help but giggle at the look Naruto was giving her as his ocean blue eyes shone like diamonds and the knowing smirk Naruto had on his face. It was quite the sight for the kunoichi and anyone else watching the couple until…
"INCOOOMIIIINNNG!"
Naruto and Pearl looked up before something smacked next to them, sending both sand and dust up into the air. Tenten and Temari rushed towards where the duo once was to find only a small crater as Lee got to his feet. "Lee!" said Tenten as she rushed towards her teammate, "What happened?"
"Gai-sensei and I were just training with Garnet-san before I got carried away," Lee answered as he saw Temari looking around the area, "What's going on?"
"Lee you idiot," Tenten said as she couldn't help but face palm at the taijutsu expert's antics, "You just crashed Naruto's date with Pearl. He serenaded her with a beautiful song and Naruto had this amazing voice."
"Thanks," said Naruto as everyone looked around to only find a golden fox with a small dove sitting on top of its head. The three shinobi looked at the two animals carefully to find a pearl in the dove's head and two amber gems near the fox's front paws. The fox bared its teeth in a smile as it chuckled at the shocked look on the trio's face.
"Naruto?" Temari asked as she held the guitar the blonde was using before receiving a nod from the fox. "Yep," said the fox with Naruto's voice as Temari got a slapped look on her face, "Thanks for keeping my guitar safe."
"Are you alright, Lee?" said Pearl as she flew towards Lee and looked over him for any serious injuries, "That was quite an impact you made."
"I am alright, Pearl-san," said the taijutsu expert as he gave nodded his thanks towards the dove, "This is actually nothing compared to my usual training." Naruto chuckled as he said, "If his match against Gaara back during the Chunin Exams were anything to go by, then this here was just a simple bump. He has probably done much more crazier stunts and accomplishments than Steven had done alone."
"So he's just like Amethyst?!" Pearl shockingly asked, ignoring the blush on Lee's face at the mentioning of Amethyst. Naruto chuckled as he shape shifted back to his normal form and said, "Probably. Knowing his sensei, Lee can easily shake this off and go right back to training." Pearl looked at Lee to see that the teen was alright before flying towards Naruto. "Let's just get back to our date," Pearl said as she nestled in Naruto's hair as said blonde got his guitar back from Temari.
"Say Naruto-san," Lee asked as he caught Naruto's attention, "after the Kazekage is finished with his vacation, why not come back to Konohagakure? We could use your help with Bloodstone." Naruto froze as the idea entered his mind abruptly in such a long time. "I…I don't know," Naruto said with uncertainty in his voice, "I'm…I…I'll get back to that." The shinobi watched as Naruto walked down the beach with guitar in hand while Pearl shape shifted back to her normal form and walked with Naruto.
"Lee," Tenten said in disappointment, "you just had to ask him about returning to Konoha while obviously this place had treated him better. Now his date will be ruined!"
"Is everything alright?" asked Gai as he and Garnet appeared next to the group before seeing Naruto and Pearl walking away. Temari looked at the taijutsu specialist and said, "Your student just crashed a simple date before asking Naruto about returning to Konoha so he could help you with Bloodstone and that rogue Uchiha."
Gai hummed as it appears that Bloodstone will become a bit of a problem after reading what kind of power that the ANBU had witnessed. What wasn't revealed to the public aside from the shinobi populace was that Sasuke was in possession of Bloodstone's power and no one knew just HOW powerful the now former Uchiha was as the ANBU had died during his escape. From his spars with the Crystal Gems, Gai could easily tell that this was the kind of power Sasuke was now in the possession of. I know that Naruto now possesses power similar to Sasuke's, Gai thought as he watched the blonde's retreating form, but it appears that this power is natural for Naruto while the ANBU was able to get away before he died.
Gai performed a summoning jutsu as a turtle with a green shell with Konoha's symbol upon the back of its shell. "Yo, what's up?" the turtle asked as it gave a small salute to its summoner, "Need a mail run?"
With Naruto and Pearl, it was dead quiet between the two during their walk after Lee had asked Naruto about returning to Konoha. "Naruto," Pearl asked with concern on her face, "Naruto, are you alright?" The blonde suddenly stopped and let go of Pearl's hand before running it through his hair.
"I…" Naruto began as he then stared out towards the ocean, "I honestly don't know Hime. It's just with Bloodstone out there, taking lives and running amok I have to stop him…but do I have to go back to Konoha? Go back to that life?"
"You don't have to go back to Konoha, Naruto," Pearl said as she placed a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder, "We could try and confront Bloodstone without having to go back there."
"How?" Naruto asked before he received silence, "If I stay here, people will die and even though Konoha was never my home, there are still a few people there that are precious to me and I couldn't stand losing them. And even if Bloodstone somehow finds me here, what about the people of Beach City? They would end up in the crossfires of the ensuing battle that would be unannounced."
Seeing the setting sun, Naruto then added, "And then there's the Akatsuki. If they're after Kurama, then they're after me and Beach City wouldn't even be able to BE ready for them. I've face only two of their members and they would be unstoppable as the only ones who could defend this place from them would be us and that's not even counting Steven!"
"You…" Pearl said with a saddened voice, "You want to go back…don't you?"
"It's not that I WANT to go," Naruto admitted with a sigh, "I want to stay here, in Beach City with Mom, Otouto, Connie-chan, Ammy-nee…you." The blonde then wrapped Pearl in a hug as he then said, "I'm happy here as I have people who hang out with me because I AM me and not because of having Kurama sealed inside of me or even being son of the Yondaime Hokage. Back in Konoha, people used to treat me like I was the plague with selling spoiled produces and overcharging for said produces, kick me out, or even just beat me and if I go back there now that they know I'm the Yondaime's son, they'll probably give me the same treatment as they would Sasuke. I don't want that!"
Pearl sadly patted Naruto's back as even though she wants Naruto to stay here where he is loved, she knew she really couldn't say it as both Bloodstone and the Akatsuki were serious threats. And knowing Naruto's luck, Pearl honestly thought as the hug ended with the duo looking at the melancholic sunset, it wouldn't be too long until they find him here and threaten everyone's lives.
Pearl then wrapped her fingers around Naruto's as she then thought, Even though I think you should stay here, I will support whatever decision you make…
What will Naruto decide no that he knows Bloodstone is on the loose and that said Gem AND the Akatsuki may come after him in the near future? This will be a difficult decision for our favorite blonde to make: Should he sacrifice his happiness to protect everyone in Beach City from the wrath of both adversaries, or risk their lives to stay away from a place that once treated him worse than garbage? Don't forget to rate and review and vote for Steven's elements!
Ja ne!
