Naruto: Copy System

"You two put on a hell of an act," Shin said, a slow, dangerous smile spreading across his face. "If I hadn't noticed a few cracks in your story, I might have been played for a fool."

He turned his gaze to Lucy, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"And you, Lucy… you're a real piece of work. Did you honestly think I was completely in the dark?"

Lucy finally realized that Shin knew more than he was letting on. She forced herself to remain calm and said slowly, "What are you talking about? I have no idea what you mean."

"Shin, please, can we not do this? Just help me save my father."

"You'll have anything you want if you do. Besides, there are some things you're better off not knowing, no matter how powerful you think you are."

"There are people in this world far stronger than you, and I know a few of them. How about I make an introduction?"

A sinister smile touched Shin's lips. What was this all about? He glanced over at the butler, who was staring at Lucy with an expression of deep affection.

A sense of foreboding washed over him. It was then that Shin realized he had gotten something terribly wrong. This wasn't at all what he had thought.

He looked back at Lucy. "Fine. Since you're forcing my hand, I have no choice. I get the feeling there are four or five people caught in a web of misunderstandings here."

"You two… what is all this?"

"AH, MY TAVERN!"

Shin was about to say more when a loud shout interrupted him. The voice belonged to the golden-haired woman who owned the inn.

Seeing the utter wreckage of her establishment, she looked ready to explode.

Shin had tried to end the fight quickly, knowing this wasn't the place for a brawl, but he hadn't realized the extent of the damage.

He hadn't paid attention before, but now he saw it—the place was a complete disaster.

Just as the owner was about to erupt, Lucy approached her with a calm smile.

"Ma'am, please don't be angry. We know we were wrong. Here are ten gold coins. Will this be enough? And if you don't mind, please close up for the day. We have some private matters to discuss."

"We'd rather not be disturbed."

The owner had never seen so much gold in her life. It was enough to buy her entire inn.

Her anger vanished. "Of course, of course. I'll prepare some food for you. Take all the time you need."

She left, practically skipping, humming a little tune to herself.

With that, the butler, Lucy, and Shin sat down together.

"Quite the practiced performance," Shin began, his voice laced with irony. "Let me lay out what I think happened. You tell me if I'm right."

"I have to admit, I'm impressed. You two are incredible actors. You've fooled so many people."

"Lucy, you're not the daughter of some rich merchant, are you? You're the princess of this country."

"Don't even try to deny it. When those Shadow Guards attacked, they never laid a finger on you. There's only one explanation for that."

"They were under orders not to harm you. But if the king wanted you captured, why would you be walking around freely? That leaves only one possibility. You're the king's daughter. Am I wrong?"

Lucy's composure finally shattered. She was indeed the king's daughter. She had been so careful, yet he had seen right through her.

The entire kingdom was after her, and she carried a secret that could not be revealed.

If anyone found out, she was finished. There would be no escape.

But now, even with Shin having figured it out, she refused to admit it. "What princess? Shin, you must be joking."

"You saved me, remember? Those men were sent by the king to capture me. If it wasn't for you, they would have taken me. If I were a princess, would they dare treat me like that?"

Shin's eyes narrowed. This Lucy was a stubborn one. If she was going to play that game, he had no choice but to lay it all out.

"Fine," he said slowly. "Since you want to stick to that story, I'll just tell you everything I know."

"You're the princess, no doubt about it. But why would a princess run away? It took me a while, but I think I've figured it out."

"You were in such a panic… but what really made me suspicious was your relationship with your 'butler.' It's… perplexing."

"Did you think I couldn't see it? I saw it long ago. You're not a young lady and her butler."

"And you," he said, turning to the butler, "you can drop the act. I knew when I revived you. You were using transformation magic, weren't you?"

"And I'm guessing it wasn't your own spell. It must have been some kind of magical item."

At that, Lucy shrieked.

"How did you know?! We were so careful! Does that mean you really revived Jack?"

"I can't believe it's true! Jack, tell me, is it real? Did he revive you? Then that means… he's one of those people."

Seeing that the jig was up, the butler's body shimmered with a flash of light, and he transformed back into a handsome young man.

Shin sized him up. A magic user, but not a very powerful one.

He looked decent enough, but the feeling of being played for a fool left a bitter taste in Shin's mouth.

"So," Shin said, a cold smile touching his lips, "you're Lucy's sweetheart, aren't you? How wonderful. This whole thing is getting more and more interesting."

"Hahaha."

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