A/N: What to expect in this chapter: The Fellowship begin their treacherous journey; a 'getting-to-know-you' conversation between the free-peoples of Middle Earth and the Shinobi; and the hasty detour into Moria.
As always, I don't own Naruto or Lord of the Rings.
Please review thoughtfully and responsibly xx
THE QUEST BEGINS
"It matters not how we complete our task … only that it gets done."
¬Kakashi Hatake
"Look not too far ahead! But go now with good hearts! Farewell, and may the blessing of the Elves and Men and all Free Folk go with you. May the stars shine upon your faces!"
That was the blessing Elrond bestowed upon the Fellowship before they bowed. It was a pretty sombre affair, not something that was taken lightly. And the one who was feeling it the most was poor Frodo. Naruto wasn't completely sure that Frodo knew exactly the task he had just volunteered himself for. The little hobbit was now carrying the weight of the world upon his slender shoulders and even he shuddered at the thought of the monumental pressure he must be experiencing.
It was just fortunate that he had 'scaffolding' in the form of his kin, a powerful wizard, an Elf Prince, a dwarf, a self-exiled Prince, a proud Steward's son and three battle-weary but dedicated shinobi to back him up.
"The Fellowship awaits the ring bearer…" Gandalf heralded the crowd, and Frodo flinched very slightly before drawing in a deep breath and turning to see that the rest of the Fellowship had parted to the sides to allow him to walk towards the stone gate of Rivendell. Head held high, Frodo took his first step on his journey to destroy the One Ring.
As he made it passed Gandalf, something very important occurred to the hobbit.
"Gandalf?"
"Hmmm?" answered the Wizard as he walked silently behind Frodo and flanked at both sides by Sasuke and Naruto, with Sakura carrying up at the rear.
"Which way is Mordor? Right or Left?" asked Frodo, sheepishly.
Gandalf smiled.
"Left."
(***)
The Fellowship trekked through a land of Deep Valleys and turbulent waters. The misty mountains rose sharply to their left.
"We must hold to this course west of the Misty Mountains for forty days. If our luck holds, the Gap of Rohan will still be open to us. From there, our road turns east, to Mordor." Gandalf explained their itinerary to the group.
The three shinobi were the topic of conversation among the travellers, in particular Legolas, Gimli and a strangely quiet Boromir whose gaze never faltered from Sakura or from Frodo (but for different reasons). Despite being put firmly back into his box, the Gondorian soldier was intrigued that such a creature was allowed to participate in what was clearly considered a 'man's' profession.
"Can you tell us more about your lifestyle?" Boromir bravely enquired. Naruto and Sakura exchanged looks as though questioning if it was a good idea to divulge too much information about themselves.
"What do you want to know?" asked Sakura. Merry and Pippin barrelled forward before anybody could open their mouths and excitedly blurted out the first thing they could think of.
"Are there different types of…um?"
"Shinobi." Gandalf supplied, earning surprised looks from those who were unaware of the Grey wizard's knowledge of their world. Sakura giggled, while Naruto grinned and Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"In our world we have different ninja for specific tasks," said Sakura.
"But it depends on your level, on what task you complete." Naruto added. Legolas raised an eyebrow.
"Why is that?"
"Because some of the missions can be life-threatening." Answered Sasuke, succinctly.
It was clear that he was reluctant to join in this conversation, because of his status as 'missing-nin'. He had an uneasy feeling that his too-trusting former teammates were about to divulge this particular fact to their extremely interested audience. All the hobbits paled.
"Could you elaborate?" asked Aragorn. There was a pause, before Sakura sighed and resigned herself to – as usual – explain. But she was unexpectedly beaten to the punch.
"In order to understand what the hell we are talking about, we're gonna have to tell you about our ranking system." Naruto explained seriously. Sasuke immediately seized him by the arm and jerked him around to face him.
"Dobe! What the hell do you think you are doing?" He hissed. Naruto blinked quizzically at his lover.
"What's it look like I'm doing? I'm describing the ranking system. Keep up, teme." He replied, nudging him in the ribs affectionately.
"Well don't. You and Sakura are giving away far too much information already." Naruto frowned, while Sakura bit her bottom lip worriedly. Gandalf stepped behind the boys.
"Is there a problem?" He inquired politely. When he received no reply, Gandalf scratched his beard. He suspected there was something amiss between the three of them, particularly with the young Uchiha boy whom was scowling suspiciously at him and the rest of the Fellowship who were looking at them curiously.
"You need not worry yourself, my lad. The 'information' you're likely reveal to us is not going to do us any good. So feel free to enlighten us. It is all very fascinating." He reassured Sasuke, who mellowed but still remained stubbornly standoffish. Naruto, satisfied that he wasn't going to be stopped again, resumed his 'lecture' with a little bit of input from Sakura.
"In our world, there are 13 shinobi ranks: 'Academy student', 'Genin', 'Chunnin', 'Jounin', 'Special Jounin', 'Kage', 'ANBU', 'S-class', 'Medical-nin', 'Hunter-nin', 'Courier-nin' and 'Cooking-nin'." Naruto listed enthusiastically.
"That's only 12" pointed out Sam.
Another pause as Naruto and Sakura looked uncomfortable and Sasuke, resentful.
"Oh yeah, I forgot." Replied Naruto, uneasily and unconvincingly.
"What's the 13th rank?" asked Frodo, not buying it for a second.
"Missing-nin" answered Sakura, reluctantly.
It became quite obvious after a few moments that this was a very touchy subject, and Frodo instantly felt ashamed that he had made them reveal that particular part of their business. The hobbit was about to offer an apology to them when Naruto clapped a hand on his shoulder. The blonde was wearing a very watery smile instead of his usual carefree expression that he usually wore. That was when Frodo knew that something didn't add up.
"Hey, don't sweat it. It's not really a topic that we like discussing, but we're not gonna condemn you for being curious." That cheered the hobbit up a little, but he could help the feelings of curiosity stirring up. But having embarrassed himself and his new friends already, he decided to keep his interest to himself.
(***)
The group eventually found themselves enjoying a leisurely breakfast amongst the Eregion Hills at dawn's early light. It was ultimately decided that the hobbits were in serious need of some sword training, so the task of getting them up to speed with some basic moves was designated to Aragorn and Boromir; the two who own broadswords as their preferred weapon of choice. While Sam took it upon himself to serve up a quick breakfast for everyone, with some assistance from Sakura; who wasn't a bad cook, but was interested in picking up a few tips for when she was required to cook for her teammates – who both burnt water.
"What about Sasuke?" asked Naruto, who gestured casually at a retreating Sasuke who paused and turned to look at Naruto and the two soldiers who were already shepherding a nervous, but still eager Merry and Pippin. Boromir cocked an eyebrow.
"Does he require some training as well?" He asked arrogantly. This remark earned himself a glare from the Avenger who wordlessly unsheathed his beloved Kusanagi and ritualistically transferred his chokutō from his left hand to his right.
"Actually, I was thinkin' that he could help train them." Naruto explained and sweat dropped as everyone watched Sasuke turn towards a nearby boulder and pause momentarily.
Naruto and Sakura were the only ones not to flinch when he executed some impressive cutting techniques, before re-sheathing his sword. Boromir looked unimpressed until Sasuke smirked and walked away. The boulder Sasuke had just attacked immediately split in half, and Naruto had to stuff his fist into his mouth to stop himself from succumbing to uncontrollable fits of laughter at the expression on the proud man's face.
"Hope that teaches you not to underestimate other people's abilities, Boromir." Aragorn remarked casually from where he had perched himself on a nearby rock and was preoccupying himself with loading his pipe. Boromir cleared his throat uncomfortably before turning to Merry and Pippin who were excited chatting about Sasuke's 'impressive swordsmanship'. Pretty soon, the two younger hobbits were getting the hang of it.
"Get away from the blade, Pippin … on your toes … good, very good…" Boromir praised. "I want you to react, not think."
Sam paused in the process of tending to the breakfast to watch the techniques he'd be learning, when it was his shot.
"Should not be too hard…" He mumbled to himself as he took another pull on his pipe.
"Move your feet." Aragorn chimed in. Merry took over from Pippin, mimicking the moves his friend just executed.
"That was quite good, Pippin." He said, as he parried Boromir's attacks.
"Thanks" Pippin replied cheerfully.
Not too far away, Gimli had managed to successfully corner Gandalf, who was smoking and deep in thought. He looked mildly irritated, as he knew what Gimli was about to say.
"If anyone were to ask for my opinion – which I note that they have not – I would say we are taking the long way 'round." Gandalf rolled his eyes. "Gandalf, we can pass through the mines of Moria." Gandalf flinched, something that didn't escape the notice of Frodo who was standing not too far away from where the wizard and dwarf were having their argument. "My cousin, Balin, would give us a royal welcome." Gimli was practically beaming with pride of his cousin. Gandalf sighed. He did not appear to agree with Gimli's idea.
"No, Gimli. I would not take the road through Moria unless I had no other choice." He explained in a firm, not-for-discussion voice. Gimli scowled.
Back with the hobbits' sword training, Boromir sees an opening and thrusts, but accidentally catches Pippin on the hand causing the hobbit to hiss sharply in pain.
"Oh, sorry!" Boromir panicked, before both the mischievous hobbits grinned devilishly and tackled Boromir who retaliates, easily gaining the upper hand. Aragorn chuckled light-heartedly before deciding to intervene.
"Alright, boys. That's enough." He cajoled, but found himself flat on his back when both hobbits playfully took out his feet from underneath him, causing him to sprawl heavily on the ground with an undignified 'oof'. Naruto was just about to join in the 'fun' when Sam suddenly spoke out.
"What is that?"
Naruto looked over at Sam, then at where he was pointing. Legolas was already alert and scanning what appeared to be a distant dark patch darting about the sky, like flying smoke in the wind … and heading straight for them.
"Nothing … it's just a wisp of a cloud." Gimli reassured Sam, but even he sounded nervous. Sakura rushed over to Naruto's side, and clutched at his arm. Beating Sasuke by seconds when both rushed to their blonde teammate's side.
"I've never seen a cloud do that before." She stated. Boromir appeared to agree.
"It's moving fast … against the wind." Nobody liked how worried he sounded. Suddenly, Legolas recognised what was coming at them.
"Crebain from Dunland!" He announced frantically. Aragorn immediately sprang into action.
"Hide!"
Moving in sync, the Fellowship moved like their pants had been set on fire: collecting their belongings and weapons and retreating underneath the nearest hiding place. Sam doused the campfire with water, grabbed his knapsack and darted underneath a nearby bush followed swiftly by Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke. Within minutes a regiment of large crows fly low overhead at great speed, wheeling and circling around the makeshift 'campsite', appearing to be searching for something of significance. As they pass over the Fellowship, all twelve of them heard one loud harsh croak before the flock of crows abruptly fly away south.
Gandalf was the first to immerge from his hiding spot. He looked a combination of both worried and pissed off.
"Spies of Saruman!" He announced, "The passage south is being watched…" Aragorn approaches him looking concerned as Gandalf glances at him, then turns his attention towards the gathering Fellowship. "We must take the pass of Caradhras!" He said, gesturing towards a high mountain pass.
Naruto pulled a face.
"Aw, great! I hope I don't get frostbite again. Kyuubi isn't here to prevent that…" He mumbled before Sakura slapped him upside the head for complaining.
"Shut up, Naruto! Just deal with it." Naruto scowled at her.
"Oi! Ease up, will you. And quit smacking me on the head with your freaky strength, it still hurts!" He growled, checking that he had all his weapons and secured his knapsack on his back. Sakura smiled sweetly back at him, cracking her knuckles as a subtle warning to Naruto who paled slightly and gulped.
"Then stop giving me reasons to." She retorted, in a sing-song voice. Naruto quickly hurried away, causing Sasuke to roll his eyes.
They have not changed… He thought as he shifted his pack higher on his shoulder and followed after his bickering teammates. Those who were nearby during this rather brief and strange conversation were left wondering,
What on Earth is 'Kyuubi'?
(***)
The Fellowship trekked through rock and snow, with a brilliant sunshine glaring down upon them from above. The snow, this high on the mountain, was very powdery and anybody was prone to slipping or falling over. Which would be fairly funny, if it wasn't for the seriousness of their situation and why they were climbing through this treacherous pass. The hobbits were the ones who were finding this hike particularly difficult, which was why Gandalf instructed Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke – who apart from Legolas, were appearing to scale the snow rather expertly – to split up and assist the hobbits.
Naruto, who was paired up with Frodo, Aragorn not too far behind them, was trying to keep the Ringbearer occupied with some stories about his life back in Konoha to distract him from his burden. Quicker than the blonde was able to stop him, Frodo slipped and started tumbling back down the mountain.
"Woah, Frodo. Hold on!" He yelled, running after the hobbit. Naruto managed to stop Frodo from rolling too far away and helped him to his feet. "Are you okay? Sorry, I couldn't grab onto you in time." Naruto apologised to a visibly shaken Frodo. However, the hobbit merely gave Naruto a small smile.
"There's no harm done. I'm just not used to hiking in snow this deep—" He cut himself off as he pat himself down and realised he was missing something very important.
"The Ring!? Where's it gone?!" He panicked. Naruto cursed and immediately the two started frantically searching. Aragorn jogged up to them.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Frodo dropped the Ring when he slipped on some shale back there." Naruto replied.
Aragorn placed a calming hand on Naruto's shoulder, causing him to look up. The Ranger was looking stony-faced at something over the blonde's shoulder and he turned and saw Boromir stooping down to pick up something shining. The Ring! Aragorn warily approached Boromir who appeared to be motionless, transfixed by the Ring as though under a sort of trance. Naruto quietly unzipped his thigh pack and wrapped his hand around the hilt of a recently sharpened kunai.
"Boromir?" Aragorn called out. He was ignored.
"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing." Boromir muttered to himself, which Naruto was surprisingly able to hear from where he was, despite Kyuubi apparently being seemingly dormant. He decided to file that discovery away for now to focus on the situation at hand. Boromir moved his hand to touch the Ring. "Such a little thing…" He mumbled.
"Boromir," Aragorn said, sternly.
The soldier snapped out of his 'trance' and blinked quizzically at Aragorn who had his hand ready on his sword hilt.
"Give the Ring to Frodo." He gestured over his shoulder to the Ringbearer who was staring fearfully back, with a fierce looking Naruto glaring at Boromir from his position behind the hobbit. For a second, Boromir hesitated; a weird beatific smile lighting up his face before pulls himself out of the trance again and swaggers over to Frodo and Naruto.
"As you wish. I care not."
Boromir replies lightly, not even flinching or taking offence when Frodo quickly snatches the Ring from him and places it back around his neck, hidden underneath his shirt. Instead, he merely smiles at him and ruffles his hair before turning and continuing up the mountain towards where the other Fellowship were standing, observing the confrontation taking place. Naruto could see the suspicious look Gandalf was giving Boromir, as he let go of his kunai and quickly zipped up his pack. Likewise, Aragorn lets go of his sword. The fierce glare melting from his face, Naruto turns towards Frodo, all smiles and offers him his arm.
"It's your choice, but I think you'll find it easier if you hold on to my arm, until we get off this mountain." Naruto suggested to Frodo, who actually looked relieved.
"Thank you, Naruto. I would be glad of your assistance." He reaches out and seizes Naruto's elbow and both continue hiking up the path. Frodo frowned slightly.
"What's up?" asked Naruto.
"How is it that you and your friends can cross this snow and not stumble or fall?"
"Years of practice?" Naruto supplied, innocently. But offered no other explanation to the hobbit, which Frodo immediately picked up on.
Eventually, the wind picked up and turned into a blinding blizzard which appeared from out of nowhere, much to the Fellowship's chagrin; especially the hobbits who were clinging to both Aragorn and Boromir like toddlers on their mother's hip.
"This is insane! We gotta get to some sort of shelter and wait till this blizzard is over!" yelled Sakura over the howling wind. Sasuke gave her a 'get-serious' look, trying to blink snowflakes from his eyes.
"Yeah, and where do you suggest we start looking, Haruno?" He retorted gesturing as much as he could buried waist deep in the thickening snow. Naruto, surprisingly enough, didn't add his two cents into the conversation much to Sakura and Sasuke's surprise. The blonde was too busy observing Legolas who was moving lightly across the top of the snow.
"Nah, fuck this!" He snarled and channelled chakra into his feet, bringing himself to the top of the snow and walked across it like Legolas. Since their mini show down with Boromir only hours earlier, Naruto's acute hearing was slowly returning to him. He could've sworn he could hear voices in the wind, and was curious to see if anyone else could hear it too. He raced over to where Legolas was perched and looking at him in amazement.
"How are you—" Legolas started, but Naruto raised a hand to block the question.
"We can discuss how I can walk on snow like this when we're somewhere warm and my toes don't turn black and fall off." Legolas made a face at Naruto's crude words, as the other blonde squinted into the rapidly falling sheet of snow. "Do you hear that?" He questioned the Elf, who blinked in surprise.
"You can hear it too?" But before Naruto could reply he called out loud enough that Gandalf could hear him. "There is a fell voice in the air!" He announced urgently. Gandalf's eyes widened.
"It's Saruman!" Thunder began rumbling, and rocks and shale begin to rain down on them from above. Aragorn tried to fight his way forward so he could be heard over the storm.
"He's trying to bring down the mountain. Gandalf! We must turn back!" He pleaded urgently. Gandalf shook his head.
"No!"
Then he turned and face the sheeting snow, and raised his staff. He starts chanting into the wind.
"Losto Caradhras, sedho, hodo, nuitho I ruith! (Sleep Caradhras, be still, lie still, hold your wrath!)"
There was a responding echo hurtling back to them, which resulted in a single flash of lightning that connected with the side of the mountain, creating an avalanche which rained down upon them. Frodo looked up in horror before Aragorn who was holding both him and Sam suddenly threw himself against the cliff face, shielding them both from the snow that crashed onto their narrow ledge.
"Naruto!" yelled Sakura.
Frodo feared the worst as he didn't see the blonde shinobi seek shelter from the falling snow. It was dark and cold for several moments before the hobbit felt strong hands pulling him free from the snow. He immediately saw Sasuke frantically hugging a blushing Naruto, as he too thought that the avalanche had pushed him off the side of the mountain to his death.
"Clearly, somebody is trying to tell us something." Naruto quipped, as he hugged his lover back just as strongly before being tackled and squeezed by a tearful Sakura who embraced them both. Sighing with relief, Frodo focused on Boromir who was trying to reason with Gandalf.
"We must get off the mountain! Make for the gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!" He insisted, urgently. Aragorn shook his head.
"The Gap of Rohan take us too close to Isengard!" He argued. Gimli waded in.
"We cannot pass over the mountain. Let us go under it. Let us go through the mines of Moria!" A shadow crossed over Gandalf's face. There was obvious fear and hesitation.
"We cannot stay here! This will be the death of the hobbits!" shouted Boromir, who was clutching a shivering and scared Merry and Pippin to him. Gandalf finally settled his expression into resignation. Somebody had to decide fast, and there was only one person who could.
"Let the ringbearer decide." He announced, solemnly.
Frodo glanced up in astonishment, having heard the argument from both sides. Eventually, he made his decision and met Gandalf's eye.
"We will go through the mines." Gandalf nodded slowly.
"So be it."
A/N: Alright! We'll stop it there for now, I'll immediately begin on the next chapter promptly after uploading this one!
Now I have a little task for all my loyal readers out there. I'd be very much appreciative if you'd be willing to help me with it. I've had a brainstorm about where I would like to go with this story, but I'd like some feedback on whether or not it is a good idea.
What I would like to put forward to all of you, is this (AND SPOILERS TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THIS SCENE IN THE MOVIE!): should I split up Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke during that scene in the book/movie where Frodo and Sam venture off alone to complete the task while Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli go off to rescue Merry and Pippin?
If you think that it would be a great idea to introduce this idea to this crossover, please review and suggest who goes with whom. The opinions include:
a) Naruto goes off with Frodo and Sam, and Sakura and Sasuke help Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas.
b) Sasuke decides to travel with Frodo and Sam as a sort of redemption quest, and Naruto and Sakura go with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas.
c) Sakura convinces Frodo to let her go with him and Sam, while Naruto and Sasuke go with Aragorn, Gimli and Legolas.
It's up to you, but I would like some feedback soon so I can start planning the chapter.
Thanks guys! Hope to hear from you soon! TTFN xx