634Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.
A Shinobi of Middle-Earth
Chapter 2: To have a common past
"Talking"
"Thinking"
"Spirits/Ents talking"
"Spirits/Ents thinking"
(Location: Rivendell)
When Frodo had been brought to Elrond, he began to heal the hobbit immediately. The process took more than a few days and even when it was done and Frodo had been saved, he was left in a deep sleep. It was only then that the Lord of Rivendell had learned that Glorfindel and his sons had brought who they believed to be Crabandir to Rivendell. During the time of healing, they had placed him in a spare room and allowed him to wander the halls, but always kept a close watch on him.
It was past time for him to introduce himself to his guest, as was his duty as a host. When Glorfindel told him that he was in one of the halls, he went to meet this Crabandir. He found the man standing before a painting and took the time to observe him. He was young, probably only twenty-seven or so. His hair was black and fell to the back of his shoulder blades in messy spikes while two locks fell down the sides of his face, resting on the chest of the coat he wore. The coat itself was black with red clouds outlined in white, but had cuts and tears on it. What skin he showed was fair, but his black eyes were focused on the painting, or rather, on one thing in the painting.
"You seemed to see one thing rather the whole," the Lord of Rivendell said as he walked forward, getting the attention of Crabandir. "What is it that you see?"
The young man turned his gaze to him, eyes instantly looking to see if he was a threat or not. "Who are you?" he asked, his tone guarded.
While the question might've sounded rude, Elrond took no offense at it. "I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, of which you've been staying in for the past few days," he introduced himself.
Those black eyes looked at him for a moment longer. Then they flicked back to the painting. "It is interesting to see a person stand before me and also see him in a painting that looks to be ancient," Crabandir remarked. "Either you are immortal, or you have an ancestor with whom you share the same face with."
"I have never shared a face with an ancestor of mine, and I was there in what the painting portrays." It portrayed the evening was after the Black Gate of Mordor fell and it shows all the leaders of the Last Alliance sitting around a fire. In the painting, he sat next to Gil-galad, the last High King of the Ñoldor, whose great glaive, Aeglos, rested by his side. Elendil, the High King of both Arnor and Gondor and his sons, Isildur and Anarion, sat opposite of them. His sword, Narsil, rested in his lap while he held a whetstone in his hand. At their side was Durin IV, King of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, his hand resting on his war axe.
Isildur and Anarion sat staunchly by their father's side while the Elrond in the painting did the same with Gil-galad. While Durin sat by the sides of Men, he did not look like he was speaking with them. The way the painting was created, they all looked to be deep in conference with one another. If not for the seriousness of the rest of the painting (which even showed the ruins of the Black Gate in the far background), it would've looked like they were having a conversation to pass the night.
But they were not who Crabandir was looking at. Instead, his eyes were focused on the Man who sat next to Elrond. He wore clothes that were not same to what the others wore. Save for a pair of pauldrons on his shoulders and a breastplate, he wore no armor. He was staring into the fire and the fire was painted in such a way, it blocked the view of his eyes, leaving only his eyebrows (which were cut short) to be seen.
"What is he doing in this painting?" Crabandir asked Elrond, pointing at the man.
"He was there, fighting in that war. It was because of him the Black Gate fell." He paused for a moment. "And he saved my life from ending at the hands of a Troll." Had it not been for that Man, his skull would've been crushed from a hammer.
"How much do you know of him?"
That was a strange question, to be sure. But one that had followed him ever since that man, who he had called mellon, had left Middle-Earth. "I'm afraid not much. Even the name he gave us was not his actual one. He had only asked that we called him Kage. He was a mystery to all of us, but he was invulnerable to the Alliance." Were it not for his eyes (for the Lord of Rivendell remembered the power those eyes had held), the Last Alliance would've lost more soldiers then they had.
Crabandir stood silent for a minute or so before he spoke again. "His actual name was Indra. He was the firstborn son of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Rikudō Sennin," he told the elf. "To have found that he had been in this land is surprising."
Elrond was surprised to hear this come from a stranger in these lands. But the name he had been given had sounded just foreign as the name he had been given all those years ago. "And how is it that you know more about this Man then I do, even when you haven't met him?"
"Because I am his last descendent," he answered, finally turning to look at his host. "My name is not Crabandir; it is Uchiha Sasuke, last of the Uchiha clan."
It was a formal introduction and the Lord of Rivendell accepted it as such. "Welcome to Rivendell, Uchiha Sasuke," he said in greeting. "I apologize for not greeting you earlier."
"There's no need to apologize," the man told him. "You were busy saving that child's life. I was of secondary importance to that." There was also the fact that he had fallen asleep when shown his room and slept for a day, but there was no need to mention that to his host.
But now his host was confused. "What child do you speak of?"
He frowned. "The child that was being carried by the elf woman on the horse," he explained.
"That was no child, that was Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit," Elrond explained, realizing what he meant.
Now he was the one who confused. "What's a Hobbit?" He had been wandering these lands for the past ten years. He had met different kingdoms of humans and had heard of the Elves and Dwarves, but he had never heard of a Hobbit before.
"That, I'm afraid, is a question you shall have to ask a hobbit." It would be rather rude to speak of them when they are not there to explain it themselves ('though Men had often done that about the Elves and Dwarves). "Why did you fight the Nazgûl and allowed my daughter, Arwen, to ride for Rivendell?"
"She needed help. She would not have lasted against them."
A smile graced his lips when he heard that. "You do not know the Elves, my young friend. When she crossed the Ford, she was in my realm. All she had to do was speak the words and help would've come to her."
"I did not know that. All I know is that I saw someone standing against nine creatures while also carrying someone. If it had come to a fight, her attention would've been divided and she would not have lasted then. So I slew their mounts and fought them so she could flee to safety."
"There are very few who are bold enough to fight the Nazgûl, but never have they've done so against all nine. To do so would've been suicidal at best."
"You say that like I had intended to kill all of them at that moment," Sasuke remarked. "I had not. It was only after they had fled that I had planned to track them down and kill them off, one by one."
"You would not have succeeded. The Ringwraiths are not like Men, Elves, or Dwarves. They can sense each other and will hasten to another's aid if one of them is attacked." There were many records of how attempted ambushes of the Nazgûl always ended horribly.
"Then perhaps it's for the better that your man convinced me to come here." He paused for a moment, and then started talking again. "I'll only stay for a few more days and then I will be on my way." He had already been longer then he usually stayed at a place. It was time that he left.
"Actually, I hope that you will stay longer, young Sasuke," Elrond told him. "Events are taking shape that could change the world. For the better or for the worse has yet to be decided. Since Frodo has brought the One Ring to Rivendell, I have called for a council so that the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth may decide what to do."
"And why do you want me? I am not from Middle-Earth."
"That is true. But I believe that, like your ancestor, you will help decide the outcome. All that I ask is that you stay until all the delegates have arrived and that join the council when it is convened." It was a feeling that fueled his belief, for it seemed to him that the descendent was like the ancestor, only he did not know it himself.
But the young Crabandir only shook his head. "I can't. It's not my place. I am a stranger in these lands and I am content to stay a stranger."
"You have been a stranger for years now, Crabandir. I think it is time that you stepped out of the shadows."
Those words seemed to ring in his ears and his mind. How long had he been in the shadows and in the darkness? Even when he had come to these lands, he had stayed where it was most familiar and for good reason. But now, he was being asked to step out of what he knew and back into the light that he had abandoned when he was only twelve. He didn't know what it was exactly that made him think about it when before, his answer would've been no straight away. Maybe it was how the Elven Lord spoke to him or maybe it was how he sounded like he had faith in him.
An image of a moronic grin on a familiar blonde filled his head as he thought about that choice. "Kami take you, Naruto," he thought not unkindly. "Why does your faith in me always seem to follow me around?" When they had clashed for the last time and Naruto was the one who stood over him in victory, he would've thought that faith would be shattered. But it remained firm when the blonde pulled him up by his marked hand and told him that he was being given one last chance to leave (it was only on the ship that Sasuke realized that was when the power in his marked hand had been sealed).
And now, someone else was showing him that same kind of faith. If the truth of the moment was being told, he found himself to be a little…scared by it, even hesitant. "Let's just see where this goes," he thought to himself, willing himself to step forward. "Very well, I accept your offer, Lord Elrond," He told the elf. "But if I'm going to join this council of yours, I will need to know what exactly is happening. Therefore, I need information."
"The libraries here in Rivendell are at your disposal," Elrond told him, glad to have him stay. "Is there anything else you will need?"
"…Needle and thread," he said after a moment of silence, lifting an arm to show the damage his coat had.
As the days went on and Rivendell waited for all the delegates of the Free Peoples to arrive, Sasuke busied himself with learning what he needed to know, repairing his coat, or just training. During this time, he had also given himself a bit of a haircut and rid himself of those two locks (they had been bugging him for the past month or so).
It was while he was training himself that he finally met hobbits. Or rather, they saw him before he saw them. "What do you think he's doing?" Pippin asked Merry as the two of them, as well Sam and Frodo (who had woken up only two days past) watched as the man moved around an empty courtyard. They were not the only ones to be watching, as Strider and the sons of Lord Elrond were watching too.
"Probably exercise," Merry answered him.
"But what kind of exercise?" he try to clarify. "Do you think it's some sort of dancing?"
"It certainly looks like it. But I think if we ask him that, it would be rather rude," Sam told them, As the hobbits spoke, the subject of their discussion spun in a half-circle and brought his hands out into a gesture that almost looked like they were pushing something away.
"Frodo, how do you fare?" Strider asked the fourth hobbit once he had realized that they were there.
"I'm well, Strider. Thank you," Frodo told him, walking over to him with the other three hobbits following him. He had been feeling much better since Lord Elrond had saved his life. "But my friends and I were wondering what exactly is he doing down there?" He gestured down to where the raven-haired man was still moving.
"No, I do not," he admitted.
"Perhaps Crabandir is just dancing?" Elrohir suggested with a small smile on his lips.
"See? I told you," Pippin told Merry.
"I think that Crabandir would take it as an insult if you called whatever it is he's doing a dance." Strider told the elf pointedly, turning to face him.
"A jest, Estel," he replied easily enough. "It was only a jest."
"But still, perhaps one of us should spar against him, to see how good he actually is," his twin brother suggested.
Elrohir smiled at that. "Perhaps two of us should do it," he suggested in returned, making his twin smile as well. They knew their strengths and they knew that there were a very few who could manage against both of them.
"Mister Elrohir and Mister Elladan, I think he is done," Sam told the two of them, looking down at the man, who had stopped moving.
The two brothers shared one more look with one another before descending down to the courtyard. "Well met, Crabandir," Elladan called out to the man.
He turned to see who it was that called for his given name, seeing that it was the twin sons of Lord Elrond. They had been his guides through Rivendell but in a sense, they were also his watchers. Whenever he delved into the library to find what he needed to know, they would stay in sight of him. "Which one are you?" he asked the twin who had spoken.
"I'm Elladan," he admitted. They had tried switching identities the first few days they had known him, just to see if they could fool him. But he always called them out on it and was proven right most of the time, so they just stopped.
"What do you need?"
"We were wondering if you cared to spare with both of us." A couple moments of silence followed that question and in those seconds, the twins took the chance to study their would-be opponent. His clothes showed how he had traveled all over Middle-Earth. His boots were from Rohan while his leggings looked like they had been made in Gondor. The stitching on his shirt showed that came from the North, but the design was not. If anything, the design of the short-sleeved shirt was so one end was pulled over the other and tied off (probably something from where he came).
But what caught the eye was the fact that his left arm, from the shoulder to fingertips, was covered in bandages. They did not know why that was the case, but they did know he could move it with perfect functionality. They could also tell that despite the different places he got the clothes, they had all been designed so that he could fade away from sight.
After those moments of silence were done, Crabandir finally spoke. "Fine," he told the two of them. His hand reached back and grabbed hold of what looked like some sort of iron bar to the hobbits.
But the twins knew that was only his sword and promptly drew their own. "We're ready to begin when you are." Elrohir told him.
"Then wait," he replied. His free hand reached for a pocket and pulled a strip of black cloth out from it.
"What is that for?" Elladan asked him, confused and curious about it.
"It's a handicap," he answered, more focused on tying the cloth around his eyes and making sure it was secure.
"Why is he doing that?" Pippin asked, very confused by what he saw.
"Does it look like I know, Pippin?" Merry asked back, sounding a little annoyed with the pointless question.
"Well, there has to be a reason," he protested.
"He did say it was a handicap," Frodo told the rest of his fellow hobbits. "But I do not know why he would want to do that to himself. Strider, can you guess?" he asked the man, who now stood closer to them.
"I am not sure myself, for I have never seen something like this before," Strider admitted. "Perhaps he means to practice using his other senses by forbidding himself from using one." It would certainly seem like. The few times he had practiced without the use of his eyes in swordplay, he had thought his sense of hearing and feeling had sharpened somewhat. But those feelings did not last long and he did not think much of it.
Once he was sure it was secure around his eyes, Sasuke looked in the direction of the elf twins. "Attack," he ordered them, keeping his sword sheathed but ready to use.
Elladan and Elrohir shared a look again. They had never really seen anyone do this and it made them uneasy. "Are you sure?" Elrohir asked him. "You do not need to fight blinded."
"Attack," he ordered them again, this time sounding a bit impatient.
They did as ordered, stepping forward as one and then breaking off so that they could attack from the sides. It was a tactic that they knew by heart, as was the sword-strike from above that followed. But what not the norm was the fact that Sasuke lifted his sword up to block the strikes, unsheathing it just a little so that the length would be long enough to block both. He sheathed the sword and dropped low.
He tried to knock them off of their feet with a kick, but they stepped back away from the foot. When the blindfolded man stood back up, they attacked again, trying to work as a coordinated team. It was an impressive display of swordsmanship and teamwork those who saw the spar would later admit (and the number of people watching was growing).
But despite their teamwork, Sasuke always parried or blocked their strikes with his sword still in its sheath. Whenever he moved, it seemed like he was acting just before they did, stopping their attacks just before they could actually do anything. And he never really moved. He might take a step forward or a step back, but it was only to block or parry. If not for those steps, he would've been like a statue.
"My old Gaffer would not believe this if he saw it," Sam declared as he watched the spar go on.
"I don't believe this and I'm seeing this," Merry told him, his eyes riveted on the spar. He didn't know one could use the sheath of a sword as a method to block things.
"Neither have Elladan or Elrohir," Strider remarked, watching the twins as they kept acting as a team. Whatever thoughts they had of this being an easy spar had long since vanished. The expressions on their faces had hardened.
Again and again, they kept attacking on the man they called Crabandir. And Again and again, he only blocked and parried (with the occasional kick or punch thrown in to keep them off balance). The sound of steel striking steel filled the courtyard as the three fought. More people were being attracted by the sounds of a fight. Even the delegates that had come for the council were looking in.
"What goes on here, Estel?" a long-haired, blonde elf asked Strider, walking up to beside him. He was dressed in clothes of green that would allow him to stay hidden from the eye in a forest and carried a bow on his back along with a quiver of arrows.
"Greetings, Legolas," he said to the elf in reply, knowing him to be the son of King Thranduil and a Prince of Mirkwood. "Lord Elrond's sons are sparring against Crabandir and are losing the spar."
"They fight against Crabandir? Truly?" the Prince of Mirkwood asked. The Woodland Elves had heard of this stranger who wandered the lands. They had even seen him pass through the forest sometimes, but he was always passing through. Whenever there had been an orc band going through the woods and there had been reports of the man, the orcs were killed long before the elves found them.
"An elf impressed by a man? This must truly be an interesting sight," A gruff voice remarked as two dwarves approached. Both were red of hair and had great beards on their faces, showing that they were related. In their hands, they carried axes in such a way that showed they knew how to use them. The elder of the two dwarves had been the one to speak.
It was Frodo who was the first to recognize the elder dwarf, even though they had never met. "You are Glóin, part of the Company that retook the Lonely Mountain," he said.
"Aye, that would be me," Glóin answered, looking at him. "And how would a hobbit such as yourself know about that?"
"My name is Frodo Baggins. My uncle traveled with your Company. He was supposed to be the burglar."
A grin broke out from the beard of the elder dwarf. "Ha! You're Bilbo's nephew! How has he been doing all these years?"
"He has been well. He's here in Rivendell, actually."
The grin grew even wider. "Then perhaps I should go and find him before I leave this place. It'll be good to speak with him again." His grin faded when he looked at Legolas. "I wonder if he remembers our entire journey fondly. I, for one, do not."
"Well met, Lord Glóin," the elf prince told the dwarf, looking over at him. "It has been some time since we met."
"Aye, it has been some time. And yet, now it doesn't feel like any time has passed." It would not have been polite to say there was a growl in his voice when he spoke those words, but it was there all the same. "Have you met my lad, Gimli," he asked, gesturing to the younger dwarf beside him. "I believe that you once called him a goblin mutant?"
Gimli looked like he had something to say about that, but Strider intervened before the conversation could to a direction they might regret later. "Peace, Lord Glóin," he told the elder dwarf. "Lord Elrond would not let the peace of Rivendell be disturbed before the council has even convened."
Glóin scowled for a moment, but then nodded curtly. "Aye, I suppose that would be true," he conceded. He turned his attention back to the spar. "So, who's the lad fighting the two elves?"
"The one called Crabandir, the stranger who does not give his name and hunts down orcs," Legolas told him. "Surely you've heard of him."
"The King under the Mountain has been getting reports from the King of Dale about someone bringing children thought lost in raids to the city and leaving before anyone could actually thank him. The children have apparently been calling him the Bell Man, for they always hear the chime of bells when he walks," Gimli said, admitting that they have heard of him, just not by the same name.
As he watched the spar, Glóin's eyes remained focused on the man. "Hmm, why does it feel like I should know him?" he silently asked himself. There was something vaguely familiar about the lad but he could not figure out what it was.
The spar had now attracted a great deal of people. It was rare to see a non-elf be able to match speeds with an elf, it was rarer still to see a non-elf hold his own against two elves. And yet, Crabandir was doing just that. Never once in the entire spar had he fully drawn his sword from its sheath, only enough to get the length he needed to block the strikes from Elrohir and Elladan. His blindfolded face showed nothing that could reveal what he was thinking or planning. In fact, it showed nothing at all. It was blank.
Elrond's sons felt their strength start leaving them as they continued to fight. Their opponent somehow must've sensed this in them, for that was the moment when he finally acted. He shot out his foot at Elladan, hooking it behind his leg and pulling, causing the elf to fall to the ground. When he tried to stand back up, he found Crabandir's foot pressed lightly against his throat, in such a way that all he would have to end the elf's life was push down. His sword was now fully out of its sheath and pointed directly at Elrohir, who tried to attack from behind, its tip lightly touching his neck. "Yield," Crabandir ordered the two of them.
They had lost, that much was obvious and they both knew it. "We yield," they said in unison. It was enough as their victorious opponent removed both his foot and his sword from their throats and stepped back from them. The people surrounding the courtyard began to applaud the spar (the dwarves a bit more loudly then the others).
As he sheathed his sword and placed back behind him in between the two belts buckled around his waist, Elrohir went over and helped his brother stand back up. "That was well fought, Crabandir," Elladan said once he was back on his feet. "You are quite the fighter."
"I was holding back," he said in reply. "If I had been serious, you would not have lasted five seconds."
"Then it was good that we did not commit our entire strength to this spar," Elrohir remarked. What he didn't say was that was only at the beginning of the spar. As it went on, they used more and more movements that were designed for actual combat use. By the time it had ended, they were coming at him with the intent to kill.
"…If you say so," he replied after a moment of silence. He had noticed that their attacks had come faster and harder as the spar went on, but it didn't mean anything to him. He reached up and pulled the blindfold from his eyes, allowing him to see once more.
"Durin's Beard!" swore Glóin once he saw the eyes of the man, making everyone near to him look at him with surprise in their eyes. That surprise was doubled when he began to laugh and make his way down to the courtyard, getting the attention of the elves and man there. "Madara, lad!" he said to the Bell Man. "It's been sixty years and you still look the same as you did when you left. Don't tell me you've found out how to live forever from those elves! The rest of the lads won't let you off lightly for that!"
Sasuke could only stare at the dwarf in shock. "You…think I am Madara?" he finally asked. Most of the people he had met who knew Madara (few they be, and dead) had said that he looked more like Izuna. Had he changed so much in the past ten years?
The grin that had appeared on the dwarf's face faded a little. "So…you aren't Uchiha Madara?"
"I am Uchiha Sasuke," he clarified. "Uchiha Madara is my ancestor. How do you know him?"
The grin had turned to a smile. "The people of the Lonely Mountain and Dale are not likely to forget Madara the Dragon-dueler, who forced Smaug to the ground and tore off his wings, giving Bard time to shoot the Black Arrow," Glóin told him.
"What's all this noise going on here? I had never thought Rivendell would be so noisy." Bilbo remarked from behind everyone. Frodo turned to his uncle walk slowly towards the courtyard and a smile appeared on his face. He was glad to see the old hobbit, even when he looked much older than he did in the Shire.
Glóin looked up when he heard the voice of his old friend. "Bilbo, you old burglar, you look ancient!" he called up to the hobbit.
"You don't look any younger, Glóin!" he called down, a smile on his lips when he saw his old friend. "I'm surprised that hair of yours hasn't turned white already! It's no use trying to stay young; you're older than I am!"
"Don't worry, Gimli has been trying his best to turn my hair white, but he hasn't succeeded yet!" He looked back at the man beside him. "Take a look at this lad here, Bilbo. Does he remind you of anyone in particular?"
The elder Baggins peered down at Sasuke, narrowing his eyes a little as he looked. Then his eyes widened in surprise. "My goodness," he said. "If I did not know any better, I would say I was seeing a ghost. Madara, my dear friend, is that you?"
"Madara was a dear friend to him?" Sasuke thought to himself, surprised by that. But while he tried to figure all that out, he noticed that there were too many people watching him at that moment. "Can we have this conversation privately?" he asked both Glóin and Bilbo. They had seen the same thing he had and nodded in agreement.
Once they had taken themselves away from the eyes of others, the dwarf and the hobbit told him about Madara and how he was a part of retaking the Lonely Mountain. It was a tale filled with richness of adventures and locations. If Sasuke was to close his eyes, he could all but see what they were talking of.
But what kept his attention was how they spoke of Madara. He remembered the Uchiha ancestor as an arrogant man who could back his arrogance with a lot of confidence, skill, and power who was also hell-bent on subjecting the entire world into a false reality. They remembered Madara as a man who was quiet but also had a sarcastic sense of humor. Out of all of the Company, he got along most well with Thorin and his nephews, Fili and Kili, and was devastated when they had been slain in battle. Once the Lonely Mountain was secured and the adventure over, he left the Company, disappearing forever. "We never knew what became of him," Bilbo finished.
"I do," Sasuke told him. "If I understand the time he was here in Middle-Earth correctly, it would've been after he left Konohagakure, the hidden village that he helped found. He came back and tried to destroy the village, only to be stopped by Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime Hokage."
From there, he told them all what had happened. He told them of how he had faked his death and weaved a great and terrible plan to pull the entire world into a dream-like state. He told them of how he lived to an old age and passed his plan to another Uchiha, who he had corrupted and manipulated into believing the same thing, before dying. He told them of when his soul was brought back to the living world to fight in a war and when he managed to bring himself back to life. And he told them he was defeated and killed. The only thing he didn't tell them was how he was killed and what happened afterwards (because that was something else entirely).
Both Bilbo and Glóin had saddened expressions upon their faces once he had finished telling his tale. "Did all that truly happen?" Glóin asked him.
"Aye, it did. I was there in the battle where he was killed," he answered with a nod.
"What exactly was this plan of his?" Bilbo asked.
"He would've cast a powerful jutsu on the moon, making it reflect down on the earth. Once people were in its light, they were trapped in the jutsu. He meant to strip the world of its free will, so that there would be no more struggles or conflicts."
The dwarf amongst them turned grim when he heard those words. "So that's what he meant that day."
"I suppose it does," Bilbo agreed solemnly. "What do you think would happen if we hadn't been grieving for Thorin, Fili, and Kili that day? Do you think we would've heard more then what he was just saying, Glóin?"
"Even if we did and even if we had asked him what he meant, would we have been able to stop him?" Glóin asked back. "You and I both heard of the power he used to help Beorn rescue them from the battle. Bard told us that it was the same power that allowed him to tear off Smaug's wings. I don't think we would've lived long if we turned against him."
"Did he say something particular?" Sasuke asked him.
"It was the night of Thorin's funeral. At the feast, we all shared a table. He had started wondering aloud about what there was a world that had no good or evil, no right or wrong, no winners and no losers. We had assumed that he was speaking from grief of being unable to save them, so we did not pay much heed to it. But within the next few days, he disappeared." He stood up from where he had sat. "Forgive me, Bilbo. But I should go make sure dwarves that came with me are settled in and not causing a mess that we're going to regret later."
"There's no need to apologize, Glóin. We'll talk later," the hobbit told him with a smile.
The dwarf left, leaving the old Baggins and the Uchiha alone. "…So, you are a hobbit," Sasuke finally said to break the silence.
It might've sounded rude, but Bilbo only smiled. "And you are one of the Big Folk. A rather strange one I might add," he said in reply.
"True."
"Have you ever been to the Shire in your travels?" The old hobbit had heard about the man sitting before him from Elrond at one time during a dinner they had together, so he knew of how long he had been here in Middle-Earth.
He shook his head. "No, I haven't. The Rangers kept its borders protected and I had no wish to test their anger in trying to get passed them. So I avoided those borders wherever they were. That and any oni that I was tracking never came near there."
"Oni?" Bilbo asked, a confused frown appearing on his face as he spoke. The word sounded strange to him, both to the ear and to the tongue.
"Those orc creatures," he clarified, having found their proper name only a week ago in a tome that told of how they were created. "In my language, oni means devil or demon."
"Hmm, an accurate description of them," the hobbit admitted. "There are some here who also wondered why you were tracking these orcs down in the first place."
"Are you one of those people?"
"Nothing of the sort," he answered easily. "But I can admit that I am curious about why a stranger in these lands would risk his life in tracking down and killing orcs."
"It hadn't been like that at the beginning," Sasuke admitted. "I had thought that they were one of the many natives to the land and stayed out of their way, lest I insult one of them or something like that. It was like that for about two years or so. Then I saw a band of them attack a small village, taking children hostage. I did nothing when it happened and then, I saw the looks of sadness and horror on the faces of the parents whose children were taken. I don't why, but I tracked the band down, killed them, and brought the children back to the village. I watched in silence as the children ran back to their parents, becoming engulfed in hugs by them, who openly wept in joy. After that, I kept finding more and more bands of orcs who had taken children and I went after them."
"And you rescued the children because it was the right thing to do?"
He paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Perhaps," he finally conceded. "But I did it more because so those parents would never have to fear for their children."
"Ah, now that is a good reason," the hobbit praised him.
"Yeah, it is." He stood up, feeling an uncomfortable feel. "Forgive me, I should go." He left the elder hobbit, only to run into the younger four nearby.
"Hello there, I'm Pippin and this is Merry!" the aforementioned hobbit introduced himself and the hobbit standing beside him. "That was something down in the courtyard."
"Pippin, I can introduce myself," the other hobbit said with a scowl on his face.
Sasuke didn't pay attention to them. Instead, he turned his attention to the dark-haired hobbit. "How are you?" he asked him.
Frodo was surprised to hear such a question from the man the elves called Crabandir. "I am better," he answered. "They say that you were the one who let Lady Arwen time to get to Rivendell."
"Aye, that was me." He kept looking at him until the hobbit who hadn't spoken stepped in between them. "And who are you? His yojimbo?" he asked. When he saw the odd look, he clarified. "It means bodyguard in my language."
"I'm his gardener," Sam told him.
He didn't say anything for a long moment. He just stared at the two of them, regarding them silently. "A very loyal gardener, I see," he finally spoke.
"Where are you from?" Pippin asked him, curiosity coloring his voice. "Not from Middle-Earth, I think."
"You would be right. I'm from Southern-Earth." It wasn't the actual name of his former home, but it was enough to satisfy them. "If you wish to speak to your uncle, he's back there," he told Frodo, gesturing behind him. He walked past and away from the four hobbits, keeping his pace quick.
It took all of his willpower to not break out into a run or to flee Rivendell right then and there. But when he finally stopped walking, someone else found him. "Are you always in a hurry to go nowhere, Crabandir?" asked an old man he remembered the other elves calling Gandalf.
"What's it to you, old man?" he asked rather rudely.
The Wizard just smiled kindly at him. "I am just curious, that's all. You've been a stranger to us for the past ten years and yet, you are here and invited by Lord Elrond to attend his council. Some might wonder what you said to have been given that honor."
"I said nothing. He was surprised to hear of my ancestry and believes that I'll help somehow." He looked at the grey robed man. "You knew my more recent ancestor." It wasn't a question nor was it an accusation. It was a statement of fact.
Gandalf didn't deny it. In fact, he nodded his head. "Yes. Actually, I was among the first of the people in Middle-Earth to meet Madara and had introduced him to Thorin while the Company was being formed. He was the only one who acted polite when they all met at Bag End, although he kept looking for a place to put his sandals. We never did find out why he kept doing that whenever we had found a house that had people living in it." He was reminiscing by the time he got to that last part. But he also sounded curious.
Thankfully for him, Sasuke had the answer to that. "In our land, it is considering rude to walk around a house with ones sandals or boots on, especially if you are a guest in the house." He actually had that problem when he was first wandering around Middle-Earth. But he figured out quick enough that people didn't find it so.
"Really?" asked the Grey Wizard. "How is it rude?"
He gave him a leveled look. "Would you want to clean up the mud tracks left by a guest who had just come in from the rain?" It was an answer every child knew, just not here.
"…Hmm, I see. But returning to your ancestor, I had thought he was a fine man, if not a little troubled." He gazed at Sasuke. "You seem to disagree and yet, you seem to be similar to him."
The last Uchiha winced slightly when he heard those words. "Uchiha Madara is not positively known where I'm from, not even by his own clan." Now that he thought about it, that was probably the same for him now too. "I wonder if they are afraid of me as they were of Madara."
"Nevertheless, he was a good friend who proved to be a valuable ally, just as his ancestor was with the Last Alliance."
He narrowed his eyes. "So you knew him too."
"Nothing of the sort," Gandalf replied. "My order came to Middle-Earth during the Third Age. The War of the Last Alliance ended the Second Age. It was Lord Elrond who told me of him later on. Both he and Madara helped the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth in their most perilous of times and now, you are here."
"I am here," he repeated. "Although the wrong line has been here, if truth be told," he muttered to himself. If anything, it should've been Asura, Hashirama, and Naruto here to do these things. The fact that it was his ancestors was truly confusing. Why were they here? "Why are you here?" a small part of himself asked back.
While he was musing, Gandalf had heard his mutter. "You may think that your ancestors did not need to be here, but they were here and they have done good things. And I believe that you will be the same," he told Crabandir.
"You have faith…in me?" the raven-haired man asked before barking out a laugh. "No one is their right mind should have faith in me. You and Lord Elrond are fools to think otherwise."
The Wizard smiled gently, somehow reminding him of the Sandaime Hokage. "Perhaps," he said. "Or perhaps it is you who has lost faith in yourself. Perhaps what is to come will restore your faith."
Now those words had really confused Sasuke. So much that he stood silently while Gandalf had left. Had he lost faith in himself? When Elrond showed his faith in him and Bilbo praised him, he did not feel right. He felt hesitant and nervous, even wanting to flee, all because they had felt that he was a good man. "You're not a good man, you should know that by now," that same part of him who had spoken before reminded him.
It was true, despite what people in these lands might think. He was not a good man. He hadn't been a good man since he left Konoha for Orochimaru. He wasn't even sure if he knew if he could be a good man again. "Then again, Indra and Madara were not good men, yet they have done good deeds." That was most certainly true (more for Madara then Indra). But was that the reason they came here? So they could do one good deed in their lives? He started walking again, thinking that question over.
In the days that followed, that question fell to the back of his mind while he focused on reading up on the information and keeping his body trained. But he now also spent time with the four young hobbits, whether willingly or not (the not part usually came when Pippin came barging into the library to find him). Surprisingly, he found himself enjoying their company. They reminded him of days when he was younger and things were a lot less complicated, when he had a home and family. But with that, there also came moments of exasperation at Pippin and Merry and wondering if Itachi felt the same about him.
Yet, not even Pippin and Merry were invited to join the council once the last delegate had arrived at Rivendell. It was only two days after that the council had convened. They all sat in a courtyard, overlooking a small hill with foliage on it. The chairs they sat in were arranged in a half-circle, so they could all look at one another evenly. In front of them sat a stone pedestal with nothing on it.
Standing opposite of the half-circle was Lord Elrond and his attendants. As it was his council, he was the one to begin it. "Strangers of distant lands, friends of old, you've been summoned to answer the threat of Mordor," he began (Sasuke had a feeling that first bit was directed him). "Middle-Earth stands on the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall." He looked at all who were there. "Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He turned his attention to the only hobbit who sat amongst them. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo," he told the hobbit, gesturing to the pedestal.
Frodo stood up from his seat and walked to the pedestal, knowing full well that all the eyes there were on him. His right hand felt heavy as he walked, but he didn't stop. And when he placed the Ring on the pedestal, everyone began to whisper amongst themselves. "So, it is true," Boromir, a man from Gondor, whispered to himself.
Sasuke was quiet as he examined the Ring. It was a rather common looking ring, he had seen rings that had been more elegant or gaudy (depending on the design, how it was worn, and who was wearing). He had to admit that it did look perfect in its circular design and he was fairly certain that he had never seen a gold ring shine like that in the sun before. "Wait, are those my thought?" he asked himself.
A noise to his side led him to see Boromir stand up from his seat. He had seen the Captain-General of Minas Tirith a few times during his years in Middle-Earth, but he had never met the man. It was always from afar and usually not that long. But now, he was here and he was speaking. "In a dream," he began. "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered." As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the pedestal. "A voice was crying, 'Your doom is at hand. Isildur's Bane is found.'" He reached the pedestal with a hand reaching out. "Isildur's Bane…" His voice was full of fear, but also longing.
"Boromir!" shouted out Lord Elrond as he stood up from his chair, trying to stop him.
But Gandalf beat him to it. "Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul!" the Wizard began chanting as he stood up from his chair, his voice becoming deeper and angrier. As he chanted, the sky darkened and the earth rumbled. Another voice spoke as he did, one that held much evil and sounded pleased that it could speak. The elves looked like they were in pain because of the second voice; closing their eyes and seeming willing it to stop speak. The dwarves had grabbed their axes and looked around for someone to fight while the men looked on worryingly (as did Frodo). "Ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul!" finished Gandalf, having drove Boromir back into his seat.
As the sky lightened and the earth went still, Elrond turned to look at the Grey Wizard. "Never before had anyone uttered words of that tongue here in Imladris!" he said angrily and sharply.
Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. He had assumed that was spoken was the language of Mordor, having read about it. But what caught him by surprise that when Gandalf had begun chanting and the second voice had joined, his left hand began to burn, like it had been set ablaze. It was all he could do not to grab hold of it or cry out in pain.
"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond," Gandalf told him. "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West!" he said to all those who were there. "The Ring is altogether evil!" He turned to go back to his seat, sitting down in it just as Elrond did in his own.
But Boromir was not done. "It is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor," he declared as he stood up once again from his chair. "Why not use this Ring?" He looked at everyone there. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against him!" he urged them all.
"You cannot wield it. None of us can," the man the hobbits knew as Strider told him, getting his attention. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."
"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" he challenged.
To Sasuke's surprise, it was one of the elves who came to the Ranger's defense. "This is no mere Ranger," he told Boromir, standing up from his chair. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."
The Captain-General of Gondor looked at the Ranger with surprise in his eyes and on his face. "Aragorn?" he repeated. "This is Isildur's heir?"
"And heir to the Throne of Gondor," the elf proclaimed.
When he heard that news, Sasuke observed the now named Aragorn. He had read of Isildur and had studied the paintings Rivendell had of him. He knew full well that his ancestor and Isildur were supposedly good friends, just as good as Indra and Elrond were, and he knew that Isildur was the one who kept the One Ring after defeating Sauron. Now, his descendent sat in the council of Elrond and all eyes were on him.
He looked more than a little uncomfortable with the fact his heritage was revealed. "Havo dad, Legolas," he told the elf. While Sasuke did not understand what he had said, he could understand the meaning, especially when the elf sat down.
"Gondor has no King," Boromir declared to the elf. He turned his gaze upon Aragorn. "Gondor needs no King." He went back to his chair and sat down.
"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it," Gandalf said.
"You have only one choice," Elrond said as he stood up from his chair. "The Ring must be destroyed."
That caused a bit of stir among those who were attending. "Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli demanded. He stood up from his chair, grabbed his axe, and before anyone could stop him, swung it down at the Ring.
But the axe shattered upon impact and the dwarf was sent flying back to the ground. In the second of the axe actually hitting the Ring, Sasuke felt another lance of fire in his left arm again and he also noticed that Frodo had visibly flinched. Glóin and another dwarf went to Gimli's side to see that he was alright, but his eyes were focused on the smoking pedestal, where the Ring still sat amongst the remains of his axe.
"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft we here possess," Elrond told the dwarf as he got back up and sat in his chair. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." He looked at all of them there. "One of you…must do this."
The entire council was silent as they went over this prospect. It was a dangerous thing, to be sure. "One does not simply walk into Mordor," Boromir said aloud. "Its Black Gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Great Eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this." He shook his head as he spoke those last words. "It is folly."
"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said!?" Legolas demanded as he stood up from his chair. "The Ring must be destroyed!"
"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli challenged the elf from where he sat.
"And if we fail what then?" Boromir demanded, standing up from his chair. "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"
The dwarf didn't seem to hear his question, as he leapt from his chair and stared defiantly at Legolas. "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" he declared.
That got everyone to leap up from their chairs and begin shouting at one another. Even Gandalf joined in after a second of hesitation. "Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it! You'll be destroyed!" the Wizard shouted as he stood up from his seat and joined the argument.
The only people who still sat in their chairs were Elrond, Sasuke, and Frodo. And while the first two could only watch the shouting go on, the third's gaze was fixed on the Ring. As he saw all those who were arguing in the metal of the Ring, he saw a fire consume them all. To his ears only, he heard it whisper those words again and again.
"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul. Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul. Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul! Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul! ASH NAZG DURBATULÛK, ASH NAZG GIMBATUL, ASH NAZG THRAKATULÛK, ASH BURZUM-ISHI KRIMPATUL!"
Over and over again, he heard those words whisper growing louder and louder. He felt like there was nothing he could do. That he should give up and run. But when he saw those flames seemingly engulf the people there, all the Elves, Dwarves, and Men who stood there fighting amongst themselves, the single Hobbit there cast one defiant thought at the Ring. "No."
And it was enough for him to find his courage and strength. "I will take it," he declared, standing up from his seat. But none of them heard him. "I will take it!" he said again, louder this time. "I will take the Ring to Mordor." The shouting and arguing dead as they all stared at him with surprise in their eyes. "Though, I do not the way," he admitted.
It was Gandalf who spoke first. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long it is yours to bear," he said, walking forward and placing a gentle hand on the hobbit's shoulder.
Aragorn, who had stayed out of the arguing, stood up from his seat. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," he declared. He walked toward Frodo and took a knee. "You have my sword."
"And you have my bow," Legolas declared, walking forward as well.
"And my axe!" Gimli declared, joining them. The elf of the two didn't exactly look happy about that.
For a moment, it would look like no one else would join them. Then Boromir spoke as he came forward. "You carry the fate of us all, little one." He stopped and looked at Elrond. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."
A shout came from behind a couple of bushes and Sam appeared from behind those bushes, running up to Frodo's side. "Mister Frodo not going anywhere without me," he declared.
"A loyal gardener indeed," Sasuke thought to himself.
"No, indeed it is hardly possible to separate you," Lord Elrond remarked. "Even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not!"
"Wait! We're coming too!" Merry shouted from behind him. When he turned around with a look of surprise on his face, he saw the two other hobbits running in and joining the group. "You'd have to send us home tied in a sack to stop us."
"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest…thing," Pippin told the Lord of Rivendell. The way he said it made Gandalf shake his head in exasperation.
"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry told him.
For the longest moment, no one said or did anything. That moment was gone when Sasuke finally stood from his seat, bringing all eyes onto him as he walked forward to Frodo. "I've heard Bilbo speak of how Madara protected each and every one of the Company and how they did the same for him," he spoke to the hobbit. "If you will have me, I will do the same as my ancestor did for your uncle." Frodo gave him a small nod, which he took as acceptance.
"Ten companions…" Elrond said as he looked at them all. "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"
"Right!" said Pippin. "Where are we going?"
While everyone stared at him, Sasuke stared up at the sky. "Kami, you've given me Naruto in Hobbit form," he silently accused the deity. "Do you hate me that much?"
End
Author's note: Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.
So there's a bit more history of Sasuke's clan involved with Middle-Earth then just him. For the record (and to get it out of the way), yes, there will be a prequel to this story concerning The Hobbit. That was one of the reasons why I started this one. As for Indra, he'll be covered in later chapters.
If you think that the spar was a little one-sided, you'd probably be right. After all Sasuke's been through, I think that sparring against two elves while also doing it blindfolded would be a bit of a walk in the park for him. But that doesn't mean he's the strongest in Middle-Earth, remember that.
If you think about it, Pippin is a little like Naruto. They think before they act, drive older people nuts, and yet they still have a good heart. Perhaps being around him will be good for Sasuke.
I'll see you all next chapter!