A Growing Affection

Chapter 57: The Birds and the Beans

"Welcome," Toki smiled formally at her guests, "I trust your journey went well?"

"As  well as can be expected," Haruna answered, her inflection indicating  she would have more to say in private. Her traveling cloths were gone,  replaced by a formal yukata in three different hues of green; very  similar to the white and yellow garment her counterpart wore. The three  shinobi were clad in their usual uniforms, but had changed into fresh  outfits.

The hosting ruler nodded, her smile slipping, "Then perhaps we should resume our talks without delay."

"That would be the wisest course," Haruna inclined her head.

"Then,  if you will come with me?" Toki stood carefully. The Daimyo shared a  worried glance with her husband, before stepping down to their level.  She indicated the left hand side of the audience chamber, where a  hallway led to more private rooms. Toki began to walk towards the  corridor, and Haruna and the Leaf Ninjas moved to follow. But before  they could approach the Bird Daimyo, a pair of kunai embedded themselves  in the floor in front of Haruna.

"I wouldn't do that, Toki!" a familiar voice exclaimed loudly.

At  the back of the throne room, another Naruto Uzumaki landed, having just  leapt over the heads of the guards at the entrance. He set down a  second Haruna, and an additional Sakura and Neji dropped down next to  him.

"Don't go anywhere with those imposters," the second Naruto  commanded. The new arrivals were slightly dirty and disheveled, and the  new Daimyo Haruna was panting. They stared at the earlier arrivals  indignantly.

"Don't listen to them, Toki," the first Naruto countered, "They're the imposters."

"Is this why you delayed us?" the dust covered Neji asked evenly, "So you could insert yourselves into Lady Toki's court?"

"Is  this a desperate ploy, because we escaped your trap too quickly?" the  first Neji redirected. Sagi's sister, meanwhile, had withdrawn to the  dais where her husband still sat, and her soldiers surrounded the  platform.

"Which ones are the real ones?" Toki asked Chishima.

"I'm the real deal," the grimy Uzumaki said, "See?"

He held up his right hand, and formed a Rasengan above it.

"So what?" the polished version shot back, "I can do that too."

He lifted his own palm, and identical sphere hovered over it.

"No  way," the late arrival gaped. Then he recovered, and challenged,  "That's not real. It's gotta be a Genjutsu or something. So why don't we  see which one is stronger?"

He took a step forward, pointing the attack at his duplicate.

"No  way," the clean Chunin parroted, "You've probably got some lighting or  fire jutsu hidden under that illusion. So when they hit, you'll burn me  and make it look like you won. I'm not falling for that trick."

"Why  you!" the soiled Uzumaki growled, starting to charge. Then he pulled up  short. He grinned mischievously, and his Rasengan vanished.

"OK,"  he presented, wiping a smudge off his face, "If you're really me, then  how did I meet Lady Toki for the first time? The real Toki, not her  pretending to be Sagi."

"Umm..." the first Naruto stammered, "That's  a trick question. You want me to say it was when everyone else found  out. But, I knew she was really a woman right away. The pervert hermit  taught me how to read women, and..."

"Wrong!" the genuine article smirked triumphantly, "First, Pervy Sage  didn't teach me that until later. But either way, you're wrong on both  counts. Though I didn't realize it at the time, the first time I saw  Toki was when I was sneaking around the palace, and I ran into her out  back. She was..."