-OneShot-

I wiped the sweat from my brow as I stared at the summoning circle, glowing ominously in the dim light of Chaldea's summoning chamber. The air was thick with anticipation. We were in desperate need of more allies, and the Servants we were about to summon could be the key to our upcoming battles.

Mash Kyrielight stood beside me, her calm expression tinged with excitement. "I wonder who we'll get this time, Senpai," she said, her voice filled with hope.

I smiled and nodded. "It's always a mystery, Mash. That's what makes it exciting."

Behind us, a few researchers and curious Servants watched. Some were there to protect me, just in case things went wrong with the summon, while others were merely observing. Sarah Harper, a researcher with long black hair, stood beside me. Dressed in her usual Chaldea uniform, she had been with Chaldea almost as long as Dr. Romani.

"I still have work to do, Ritsuka. I'll return later," Sarah said as she turned to leave. I noticed that she rarely stayed during summons—probably wary of the Servants.

"You excited?" Romani asked, standing at a distance, a smile tugging at his lips.

"Umu," I replied, keeping my eyes on the summoning circle as it began to glow even brighter. Suddenly, it shifted into a beautiful rainbow light. "Oooh," I breathed. This was the kind of overwhelming energy I only felt when summoning a powerful or rare Servant.

As the light started to dim, a silhouette began to form in the circle. The figure slowly took shape—it was a girl, standing confidently.

Her appearance was striking: long blonde hair tied into pigtails, and she wore a cloak that billowed slightly behind her. Her sharp blue eyes scanned the room with an intense, commanding gaze. Some of the Servants around us immediately recognized her.

"Servant, Caster. I am Narumi Uzumaki. Nice to meet you, Master of Chaldea," she said, her voice strong and steady.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed. "Narumi Uzumaki! Will you help us save humanity?"

"That's why I'm here, isn't it?" she replied with a smirk.

Romani stepped forward, intrigued. "So, you want to help Chaldea, huh?"

"Yup," Narumi said with a grin, before her eyes landed on someone in the crowd. "Oh, Enkidu! You're here!" She leapt off the summoning platform and rushed toward Enkidu, embracing them warmly.

"Narumi, it's been a while," Enkidu said, their voice calm and gentle, as if nature itself greeted her.

"Good to see you again!" Narumi beamed. "You've still got that soothing, earthy vibe."

Suddenly, a regal voice cut through the reunion. "Narumi," Gilgamesh said, his golden armor glinting as he approached, arms crossed.

Narumi turned and smirked. "Hey, bastard."

"You still haven't learned to speak properly to your king, I see," Gil said with a smirk of his own, but there was no malice behind it.

Da Vinci entered the scene, grinning widely. "Narumi Uzumaki, the immortal sage, the hero from the lost era. Appearing in different legends across time! What a pleasant surprise!"

Narumi rolled her eyes with a smile. "Flattery gets you nowhere"

Just then, Merlin's playful voice chimed in. "Ah, so the fox has graced us with her presence."

Narumi's eyes instantly narrowed as she glared at him. "Incubus."

"Now, now, no need for harsh words," Merlin teased, but Narumi's irritation only deepened.

Artoria stepped forward, her presence calming the atmosphere. "It's good to see you again, Narumi."

Narumi's expression softened as she greeted her friend. "Artoria! Always a sight for sore eyes." Then she turned back toward Merlin. "Mind removing that incubus from my sight before I do something we'll both regret?"

Merlin raised his hands in mock surrender, grinning. "Oooh, scary."

The air around Narumi grew dangerously thick as her aura flared with power.

"W-wait, please don't fight here!" I quickly interjected, but Narumi didn't seem to hear me.

Before things could escalate further, a voice called out, "Narumi."

Narumi turned to see Scathach walking over, her presence commanding but calm.

"Scathach!" Narumi's expression shifted to a warm smile. "It's been too long."

Scathach returned the smile, nodding. "Indeed, it has. You've been missed."

Narumi chuckled. "Seems like I know everyone here. Makes things a bit more comfortable."

Just as their conversation started, the door to the summoning chamber opened once more, and Sarah Harper re-entered, slightly out of breath. "Oh, looks like you've summoned someone, Ritsuka."

"Yeah, meet Narumi Uzumaki," I said, relieved that the tension had subsided.

"Alright, let's get her into the Servant database." Sarah moved toward Narumi, looking prepared to proceed with the usual registration process. "If you could just—"

"Hold it!" Narumi cut in, her eyes narrowing as she stepped in front of Sarah. "Why do you have a seal on your body?"

The room went silent. Everyone turned to stare at Sarah, tension immediately filling the air. What seal? Was she… a spy?

"What do you mean?" Romani asked, his voice suddenly serious.

Narumi's sharp blue eyes locked onto Sarah. "She's got a seal from my time. How did you get that? Who are you?"

Sarah froze for a moment before letting out a long, dramatic sigh. "Oh great… of course you'd be the one to notice."

Romani's eyes widened in shock. "Sarah…?"

"Ugh, fine," Sarah muttered, her usual calm demeanor slipping away as she sighed in resignation. "Guess I can't keep it hidden any longer."

I blinked in confusion, trying to understand what she meant. What could she possibly be hiding?

Sarah glanced down at her arm, where a faint, glowing seal had been etched into her skin. With a swift motion, she raised her hand and, with a surge of energy, the seal began to unravel, shimmering with a faint blue light before dissipating completely. As the seal vanished, the air around her seemed to shift. A heavy presence filled the room, and we all stared, watching in stunned silence as her appearance began to change.

Her long black hair lightened into a striking golden blonde, tied into familiar pigtails. Her simple researcher uniform dissolved, replaced by a red-and-black robe, embroidered with flames, resembling the Hokage cloak I'd only ever heard about in legend. Her aura grew more intense, more commanding, as though the weight of her power was finally being revealed.

I stood there, speechless, watching as the true Narumi Uzumaki—the legendary immortal sage—finally emerged from the disguise of a simple researcher.

"Surprise!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms up theatrically. "I'm the real Narumi Uzumaki. The one you summoned was just… let's say a 'display version.'" She winked mischievously. "I've been hanging out as a researcher for… well, reasons."

I could hardly process what I was hearing. Sarah—the quiet, unassuming researcher who had been working beside us this whole time—was actually Narumi Uzumaki, the immortal sage whose legend spanned millennia?

The Narumi we summoned, still standing near the summoning circle, stared at her counterpart, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Wait… you've been here this whole time? In disguise?"

"Yup!" Narumi—now the real Narumi—grinned, completely unfazed. "I thought it'd be fun. Plus, it's great to keep people guessing."

I turned to Dr. Romani, hoping he had some sort of explanation, but he just blinked, his expression a perfect mirror of my own confusion. "W-wait… what's going on?"

The real Narumi stretched lazily, as though shaking off the stiffness of her hidden identity. "I've been hiding in plain sight. Didn't think anyone would notice, honestly." She shot Romani a playful look. "At least not this soon."

The summoned Narumi—the one I thought was the real one—crossed her arms, shaking her head with a laugh. "You're unbelievable. Hiding as a researcher? Only you would think that's a good idea."

Romani, still trying to catch up to everything happening around us, stammered, "What… did I just witness?"

Narumi winked at him, clearly enjoying the chaos she had just unleashed. "Oh, by the way, Doctor Romani, you're not the only one hiding secrets, are you?"

Romani's face turned pale. "W-wait, what? What are you talking about?"

She leaned in slightly, her voice teasing. "Oh, you'll find out soon enough."

Mashu, who had been quiet up until now, gave me a sidelong glance, her voice laced with awe. "Senpai, to think we've been working with Narumi Uzumaki all this time…"

I nodded numbly, still unable to find my voice. The whole situation was beyond surreal. Narumi Uzumaki, the immortal sage, had been right here—disguised as a Chaldea researcher?

Then Servant Narumi—her summoned self—spoke up, her gaze flicking between me and her real counterpart. "I have to say, it's a bit strange seeing myself here. Though I suppose I should be grateful that you didn't do something… ridiculous while in hiding."

The real Narumi smirked. "You know me better than that."

Finally finding my voice, I blurted, "Hold on, hold on!" I waved my arms frantically, trying to make sense of it all. "Sarah—you're telling me you're actually the Narumi Uzumaki? The legendary sage?"

Narumi gave me a tired but amused smile. "Yeah, that's what I've been saying! I've been hiding in plain sight. You didn't need me as a Servant, so I figured I'd help out in other ways."

I stared at her in disbelief, my mind racing. "YOU COULD HAVE TOLD US!" I wailed, flailing my arms. "Do you know how many times we could've used your help? Like, real help?!"

The real Narumi simply shrugged, completely nonchalant. "You all seemed to be doing fine without me."

"Well," I finally said, rubbing my temples as I tried to regain control of the situation, "I guess we have two Narumis now. This is going to get confusing fast."

"You have no idea," the real Narumi muttered, casually walking over to grab a cup of tea, as if this entire reveal hadn't just thrown all of us into chaos.

I couldn't help but groan. "This is definitely going to get confusing."

Servant Narumi crossed her arms, glancing between the two of us. "Well, I'm not calling her 'Narumi.' That's my name."

Real Narumi raised an eyebrow. "I've been Narumi longer than you've been summoned, so if anything, you're the one borrowing my name."

"Oh great, they're already arguing," I muttered, rubbing my temples again.

"Call me 'Boss Narumi,' then," the real Narumi said with a cheeky grin, clearly enjoying the situation.

Servant Narumi sighed, her expression softening into an amused smile. "Fine, Boss it is… for now."

As the two of them shared a knowing glance, Mashu leaned toward me and whispered, "Senpai, this is going to get so confusing…"

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, we're in for one wild ride."

-end-