AN:

Thank you WolfDemon1000, DreamingIn2Eternity, e7cg13, and Ice Vixen X for reviewing! Also thank you Thrae Elddim for putting this story on your alerts.

WolfDemon1000= I am happy that this story was a pickup for you. Finals for me are fast approaching, much to my dismay.

DreamingIn2Eternity = Thanks! Oops, but thank you for your advice and correction!

e7cg13=I am personally looking forward to said chapter myself. Gamabunta is one of my favorite summons. :)

Ice Vixen X= Thanks! I know fears cannot be inherited, but this is something I can see Minato being afriad of.

Thank you all for the support and on with the show!

•~•~•~•~•~•~•

The brilliant stars were covered that night by Mordor's shadow, making the sky seem closer to the earth. Eldarion looked out the top of the Tower of Ecthelion, feeling that he could grasp the sky if he simply had the will to reach out his hand. Instead, the elf-like boy cluched his mother's pendent, gifted to him by his father.

"Naneth is sick," he whispered. The future prince always had a close connection with his mother, which seemed to carry over to the current time, despite the fact he hadn't been conceived yet. Eldarion chuckled slightly.

"Arien, dear sister, will know you first," he thought, his good humor falling slightly. "And Ada will know her best,"

The adopted Uchiha shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "Faramir is not back yet," he pondered. "I know for a fact that he will live; definately if Susano'o is with him,"

The grey-eyed child winced as he recalled the bandaged shinobi's harsh words. His accusations cut deeply, mostly because they were sharpened with truth.

"Once a coward, always a coward," he muttered bitterly. "Nothing more than a terrified kitten,"

While he was wallowing in angst and self-pity, the usually sharp-eared genin missed the clicking footfalls on the tower's stone steps.

"What are you doing in an area reserved for the Stewards only?" snapped a commanding voice.

Eldarion jumped from his seated position, whirling around to see Denethor, who was hiding a surprised look in his cold, grey eyes.

"I beg your pardon, my Lord," he said hastily. "I did not realize that this area was off limits,"

Indeed, the pointy-eared boy was very confused. For the entirety of his existance, the top of the Tower of Ecthelion was accessible to him and had quickly became his place of refuge.

"I would forgive such a trespass if it were not for the fact that you knew the password to the tower," the Steward said sharply. "While I am inclined to believe that your "cousin" speaks the truth of the reason as to why you all are here, Faramir has informed me of some disturbing behaviour of yours,"

Minato's student blanched. "Just what did he say to you?" he asked cautiously as Denethor moved closer to him.

"Nothing of great importance," said the man airily. "Just that you told him that there is a King of Gondor and he is the Steward,"

Eldarion relaxed. "Truly nothing of great importance then," he thought, relieved.

"And," he continued. "I had burned to death while cluching this,"

The adopted Uchiha's eyes widened as Denethor uncovered a palantír; A working palantír.

"Sweet Eru," he murmured. "That's why the tower was heavily guarded,"

"You are not from this age," concluded the stony Steward. "You are the son of the King who is returning to claim his throne,"

The grey-eyed boy's eyes narrowed at the older lord as he spat out the last part. "Is that a problem?" he challenged.

To Eldarion's surprise, the man chuckled. "If it weren't for the fact that you knew the password and were ignorant of the working palantír, I would have figured that you are Aragorn, son of Arathorn's bastard,"

The future prince's fists clenched and his ears burned with surpressed anger. "A billygoat would be able to guess that password," he grumbled, seething over the implied insult to his mother.

Denethor looked quite disappointed. "Come now, Borormir thought it was quite brilliant in its simplicity,"

Eldarion raised a dark eyebrow. "Open walnut?" he said scathingly.

"It was Faramir who suggested it, not I," the Steward said quietly, caressing the seeing stone. "He could be so like his mother at times,"

His pointed ears pricked upon hearing the grief in the lord's voice. The grey-eyed boy moved closer to Denethor, keeping the palantír and its pedastel between them.

"She died when Faramir was but four years of age," he whispered hoarsely. "Boromir was my son, but Faramir was hers,"

The older man did not seem to look at the marbled sphere, but rather through it. Eldarion's eyes widened when he discerned the pictures within it. Susano'o was tending to the unconscience captain within a mound of corpses. One living horse lay down beside them, with Faramir's foot caught in its saddle's stirrup. A small pile of shattered black arrows sat off to Susano'o's side as he stitched the man's wounds shut. Faramir's face was deathly pale, and the bandaged shinobi's skin was drained of most of its color. The copper-skinned boy's lips moved soundlessly, most likely in complaint. But his eyes shone with fear, contidicting his assuredly arrogant grousing. Eldarion's brow furrowed with worry for his comrades and irritation that the palantír did not transmit sound. But before he could do anymore looking, Denethor covered the sphere.

"Go," he commanded, his broken voice still filled with steel. "Prepare for the coming battle. My end is nigh and I can do nothing more to protect this city,"

The elf-like boy looked up, and was stunned to find tears flowing down the Steward's face.

"Save Minas Tirith from my despair," he croaked. "Go, Son of Aragorn!"

Bowing slightly to Denethor, Eldarion left the grieving man behind and exited the tower through a hidden staircase. It was only when he reached the bottom of the stairs that he realized that he had been running. The wavy-haired child inhaled deeply, calming himself down. As he entered the courtyard of the dead White tree, the adopted Uchiha noticed a faint glow on the horizon. Eldarion's lips twiched with a sardonic smirk.

"It's a pity that I'll be going into battle sleep-deprived," he thought, disappearing into the dark morning.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Aragorn managed to stifle a yawn as they traveled along the Dimholt Road. He had not slept well that night, having been deprived of most of the time to sleep. The ranger briefly thought of Kakashi's conviction about Arwen's choice, and how the young foreigner who had never met his beloved had more faith in her loyalty than he did. The Dunedain sqeezed his eyes shut at the morning light. The sun was exceptionally bright on the sharp, pale grey rocks surrounding them and the little vegetation that grew in the gravelly soil was tough and spiny. The air around them was cold and still, and, besides the horses, the travelers had not encountered a single animal. Minato's eyes were constantly shifting, and he wore a tense look on his pale face as he walked between himself and Legolas.

"What kind of army would linger in such a place?" asked Gimli as he looked around at the jagged canyon walls.

"One that is cursed," answered the blonde archer. "Long ago the men of the mountains swore an oath to Isildur to come to his aid, to fight. But when the time came, when Gondor's need was dire, they fled, vanishing into the darkness of the mountain. And so he cursed them, never to rest until they had fulfilled their pledge," Aragorn swore he heard a fearful squeak come from behind him, but he did not bother to find out who it was.

"Who shall call them from the grey twilight, the forgotten people?" Legolas recited ominously. "The heir of him to whom the oath they swore. From the North shall he come, need shall drive him. He shall pass the door to the Paths of the Dead,"

Silence passed heavily as they continued onward until Minato abruptly broke it.

"So, uh, Aragorn-sama," the shinobi started hesitantly. "You wouldn't happen to be able to, well, er, curse people?"

The ranger gave the normally sunny man a look. "There is no need to refer to me as 'lord', and I could not curse you even if I wanted to," he said, his tone slightly sharp.

The tall man did not miss the look of relief that briefly crossed his face before understanding gleamed in his eyes.

"That's why they fear him!" he cried.

"Who fears whom, laddie?" asked Gimli, confused. Minato waved off the question.

"I am not sure if I have reached the correct conclusion, but even if I did, I do not think that you would understand,"

"What is there not to understand?" the dwarf grumbled, but he did not put up a fuss.

Aragorn sighed and shook his head slightly. "Gandalf's answers are clearer than theirs." he thought irritably. "At least he had a reason for keeping his responses vague,"

The ranger urged his horse up the path, dodging a tree branch as they climbed the path. Minato looked increasingly anxious, and was constantly rubbing a scroll between his palms. The bright light of the canyon gave way to the shade of needleless pines and narrower walls. Dismounting, Aragorn led his horse into the dim path, with Gimli and Legolas quickly following him. Noiselessly, they approached a rough-hewn door, whose threshold was decorated with pictoglyphs and its sides lines with skulls.

"The very warmth of my blood seems stolen away," whispered the red-haired dwarf. The yellow-haired shinobi nodded, gulping slightly when they reached the door. Peering above the door, Legolas read the warning aloud.

"The way is shut. It was made by those who are dead and the dead keep it. The way is shut,"

With the sound of a dull roar, a blast of cold air and dust issued from the entrance, spooking the horses. Yanking its reins from from the Dunedain's hand, the terrified animal fled from the spot.

"Brego!" he cried after his mount, briefly chasing after it, for was carrying all of his things, including the scabbard to Anduíl.

"Don't worry," said Minato in a falsely cheery voice. "I have everything in this scroll,"

The mountain seemed to inhale, pulling their bodies toward the entrance for a moment before more dust was belched into their faces. The smell of decay hung thickly in the air. Mustering his courage, Aragorn turned to face the blasted door.

"I do not fear death!" he declared, plunging into the paths of the dead.

•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Obito stood next to his eating warg as the Rohirrim proceeded to break camp. He kept readjusting his goggles as men and horses ran around him, putting out fires and carrying weapons. Kakashi leaned on Rocky next to him, sporting a new pair of arm guards and a tantō that he never used. Cookie was sniffing at the edge of the tent that they were guarding. The Hatake was impatiently tapping his toe, finally releasing an exasperated sigh.

"C'mon Anko! Ice princess should be ready by now!" he cried.

"We're out, god!" she snapped, stepping out of the tent with a completely armored Eowyn. The kunoichi wore a padded leather trenchcoat and a pair of shin guards in addition to her standard burgundy T-shirt, khaki shorts, knee-high fishnet mail, and black sandals. "I had to go over a few pointers, 'cause she has never been in battle before,"

The Uchiha raised an eyebrow. "You have never in a battle before, either," he pointed out.

Anko punched him in the arm. "I'm more experienced then she is. The Rohirrim must be getting pretty desperate if they are sending such greenhorns out,"

"I can take care of myself, thank you very much," snapped Eowyn icily from her horse. "Let's go get Merry,"

The shinobi nodded, mounting their packed wargs and following the princess. They quickly found the hobbit, who standing forlonely with his back toward them. The Ice princess skillfully pulled Merry onto her horse without slowing down, impressing Obito. As soon as the halfling was safely seated in front of Eowyn, Obito urged his mount to fall back behind the pricess' horse. Kakashi took his place in the front, while Anko rode alongside her.

"So just how long is the ride?" Obito wondered aloud.

"A day and a half," answered Eowyn cooly. All three shinobi made a sound of shock.

"Why the hell does everything take so long to get to around here?" moaned Anko.

Eowyn and Merry simply laughed.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Minato had been in many caves before, but this one had to be the worst. Aragorn had been fortunate enough to find a torch, because the yellow-haired shinobi's now beloved flashlight decided to die on him. But in spite of the warm firelight, the tunnel still glowed green. The ranger briefly looked into a side path, paved with skulls, before moving on, his sword aloft. Legolas, however, had lingered briefly, looking into the tunnel alongside the jōnin. Green forms danced in front of Minato's blue eyes, chilling his skin. Gimli appeared to be as nervous as he.

"What is it?" the dwarf asked the blonde archer. "What do you see?"

"I see shapes of men and of horses," he answered slowly.

The Yellow Flash whirled around, the greenish appirations maddingly elusive. "Where?" he demanded, his eyes darting around.

"Pale banners like shreds of cloud," the elf answered poetically, following Aragorn. "Spears rise like winter thickets through a shroud of mist. The dead are following. They have been summoned,"

"The dead?" whispered Gimli.

"Summoned?" squeaked Minato.

"I knew that," they finished in unison. The shinobi and dwarf made eye contact and nearly broke down laughing until they realized that they were left alone.

"Legolas!" cried Gimli, as the pair ran after the blonde elf. They found him and Aragorn wading through a field of grasping hands, which seemed to be growing from the skulls that carpeted the ground. Minato winced, squeezing his eyes shut when he unfortunately recalled a nasty ghost story Jiraiya-sensei once told him.

"Oh please don't take my manhood," he whispered, not intending for it to be spoken in Hoshi's language. The crunching noises created by his companion's movements abrutly stopped. The jōnin opened his eyes, concerned that there was something wrong with him. Instead, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli were giving him an utterly horrified look. The ranger's face was the same pale green color as the skulls beneith his feet. Minato noticed his mistake and started to snicker.

"It's rumored-hehe-that the severed hands-teeheehee-of our female warriors-snerk-become ghosts and attempt-haha-to-bwhahaha!"

The shinobi had disolved into laughter before he could finish his explanation, but from the looks on his companions faces, they didn't seem to need it.

"You have encountered this...thing before?" Aragorn asked, his face still bloodless.

The yellow-haired shinobi stopped laughing. "It's only a rumor and a legend," he answered flippanly.

"But rumors and legends can be true," the ranger pointed out, before violently waving away a hand which seemed to be reaching for an uncomfortable place. In fact, it seemed that each hand had ceased streaching for their upper bodies and had relocated their attention to a lower, more sensitive point. Never before had Minato seen the three friends run so fast. Despite his terror, the shinobi chuckled as he followed them into a large cavern. Inside one end the cavern was a building, which was carved into the wall. The other end was a deep, dark pit, which, like everything else, was clouded by a fine layer of bone dust. The jōnin sneezed, uneasy.

"Who enters my domain?"

The voice was cold and sounded like a snarling bijuu as it echoed throughout the cavern. Following Aragorn's eyes, Minato found the source of the voice, squeaking when he saw it. A gastly green appearition of a decayed king stood in front of the stairs, wearing a strange crown and armor. But above the king... The yellow-haired shinobi froze in horror, his surroundings forgotten, when he saw a Shinigami floating above the king's head. It's grey face was twisted into a fanged grin and a pair of long, red horns potuded from its sleek black hair that was tied up into a topknot. Blood bubbled from a slit at its throat and stained the elaborate armor it wore.

*"After all these years of being sent to babysit I finally meet someone who can release me from my task,"* it chuckled, a pair yellow eyes fixed on the Namikaze.

The jōnin blinked in surprise. *"What?"* he cried. *"You are mistaken. I cannot release you. Only Aragorn can,"*

He turned to the tall man, who was in the process of parrying a sword blow from the Ghost King, who had surrounded them with his army.

"That blade was broken!" cried the disbelieveing King.

"It has been remade," retaliated the ranger, who grabbed the ghost's throat and pushed him back. Aragorn turned to the army and began to walk among them. "Fight for us and regain your honour. What say you?"

Gimli snorted. "Ach! You waste your time Aragorn. They had no honour in life and they have none now in death,"

The ghosts' faces (or what was left of them) displayed offence at the dwarf's comment, but they did not make a move to harm anybody. Not dissuaded by Gimli's remark, the ranger continued to negotiate with the army.

"I am Isildur's heir. Fight for me and I will hold your oaths fulfilled. What say you?"

The Shinigami's barking laugh filled the cavern, causing both ghosts and living people to look around wildly for the source. Minato blinked, realizing that he might be the only person to see the Death god. The Ghost King sighed.

"Our guardian has decided to...grace us with her presence," he remarked sacastically.

"Her?" the yellow-haired shinobi cried in shock, looking up at the grinning ghoul. The Shinigami shot him an offended look, but continued to chuckle.

"Where is she?" Legolas asked quietly. "I do not see her,"

The lordly ghost frowned. "Heir of Isildur, place your hand on the shinobi's head,"

Aragorn walked over to Minato and uncertainly placed his hand upon the jōnin's spiky, yellow head.

"I feel like a little kid again," he thought, feeling the tall man jump in surprise when he saw the ghoul.

"What is she?" Aragorn whispered, his voice colored with disgust. "And what amuses her so?"

*"I would have never imagined that Isildur's heir would be so short,"* the Shinigami said with a grin. *"and so powerless,"*

Minato grit his teeth, while the ranger remained confused. "What is she saying?" he asked.

The jōnin sighed. "She is calling you short and weak, but I do not know where she might have gotten that notion," he answered.

The fanged yōkai frowned. "Ee cannot yoose chakra," she said haltingly. "Eis ancestor coold. 'Ow do yoo think I was summoned and theeze dimwhits cursed?"

Aragorn managed to hide his bemusement quite well. "Will not my word to release you from your task and the army from their curse suffice?" he asked cooly. "If it does, I do not see a reason for us to stand around and discuss it,"

The Shinigami began to laugh, but this laughter belonged to a woman, and not to this hideous ghoul's body. The Ghost King was cackling alongside her, and the army began to disappear. The ranger's grip on the jōnin's yellow head tightened, not allowing for the shinobi to see the grey-eyed man's expression.

"Does it not matter whether I have the same abilities as Isildur?" he cried, desperation leaking into his voice. "I, who am from his line, can release you from this living death. You have my word! Fight and I will hold your oath fulfilled. What say you?"

But the ranger's pleading was in vain, for the army and the Shinigami had vanished.

"Stand you, traitors!" snarled Gimli, the dwarf's gruff voice reminding Minato of his precense. But a cracking sound caught his attention.

"C'mon, Out!" cried the jōnin, removing Aragorn's rather large hand from his head and dragging him toward an exit. Legolas and Gimli quickly followed them as the building broke open, pouring out hundreds upon thousands of skulls. Luckily, they were out of the cavern before the skulls hit them and the path was closed by falling rubble. But a cloud of corpse dust followed them, causing the yellow-haired shinobi to cough as they exited the tunnels. Minato was glad to be outside, but as he looked down on the river below, any joy he felt vanished. He looked back at the tunnel to see Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli stumble out of the mountain, only to look at the sight before them. A town on the river was up in flames, and many black ships were ancored in the river. The look of pain and despair on Aragorn's face made the shinobi ache for him. The poor man seemed to be on the verge of tears and he sank to his knees, leaning on Legolas, who put a comforting hand on his shoulder. The elf, along with Gimli, wore an uncertain and sorrowful look on his face. Minato did not trust his voice, mostly because he felt that he might cry if he said anything.

"Rule 25: "A shinobi must never show emotion." he thought mornfully. But that cold air returned, accompanied by the sound of crunching gravel. The shinobi turned around, stunned to see the Ghost King. Aragorn who was standing, appeared to be equally floored.

"We fight," he hissed.

Even upon death, Namikaze Minato would still retain that it was perfectly proper to whoop for joy at that moment.