AN:

Thank you to Metoochocolate, DreamingIn2Eternity, Deadzepplin, Anonymous Reviewer, and GlidingOne for the reviews! Also thank you Captian-Winter for putting this in your Story alerts!

Sorry for the Late update. My mother confiscated my electronic device, so I couldn't write this chapter earlier. Thanks for sticking around.

Thought-speech.

Sam would readily agree that he wasn't thinking when he threw the knife Hoshi gave him. While Rin had taught all four hobbits how to throw knives, Sam was the best at it. So when he heard the blood-curdling screech of the Black Rider or, as Faramir had called it, Nazgul, the gardener hurled the strange weapon with all his skill toward the foul thing. The last thing he expected was for Mr. Minato to appear midair as the knife struck the Rider's steed.

"Minato!" cried Frodo, shocked. The Ring's hold on the dark-haired hobbit had released, much to Sam's delight. The yellow-haired man had grabbed onto the bird-like legs of the beast, and was looking rather terrified. Neither steed nor Rider paid attention to the new passenger.

"Who is that?" asked Faramir, brother of Boromir. The man looked anxious and awed at the same time.

Frodo gave Faramir a large smile. "It is our friend, Minato. He is like a sort of wizard,"

The tense captian gave sigh of relief. "So he is not against us,"

Sam nodded, his eyes glued to the scene playing above him. The shinobi had climbed up the creature's side and grabbed the Nazgul by the neck. The Black Rider gave the loudest screech the gardener had heard so far, and drew it's sword. The moments after that became hazy and clouded. The movements sped by or slowed down, as if time was being played with. But something happened that caused many people to laugh, despite the danger they were in. Minato, who had been battling the foul thing, had done something to cause the Nazgul to go flying off it's steed, cluching it's black behind.

Konoha's Yellow Flash liked Sam and Frodo. They were kind, polite, and had the perfect amount of wariness of strangers. But Minato swore to strangle the two hobbits when he teleported to their position. The kunai was in mid-air and it was hurling toward the living embodiment of fear and evil. The killer intent rolling off of the thing nearly paralyzed him. But the creature it was riding on wasn't half bad. It's bat-like wings had carried it over to him, so the thankful jonin could grab onto it's birdy legs.

"Nothing looks tasty,"

Minato almost let go of it's legs in shock. He had heard of summons only being able to communicate with humans through a mental link, but this was the first time he had encountered something quite like this.

"Strange meat holding onto my legs, will you get rid of the shadow on my back?" hissed a raspy voice in a curious tone.

The shinobi was not sure how to respond, when it spoke in it's head again.

"I won't hurt the little tenderlings carrying the Master's precious," the creature pleaded."I will even help you, strange meat,"

Minato considered his options. Despite the distrust he felt toward all things reptilian, the Yellow Flash decided that he could use the flying creature's help. Sam and Frodo needed to get to Mordor, which was a long way from here. That is if the firey place in the east was Mordor. So it boiled down to dispatching an enemy and gaining an ally, or falling on the rocky ruins of a city below him.

Minato concentrated, reaching out to the beast. "You promise to help me, and I will rid you of the shadow," he promised it.

The animal gave a growl of delight. "I accept, strange meat!"

It flew close to the wall of an old building, which was the foothold the shinobi needed. Pushing off of the crumbling stone, Minato managed to grab ahold of it's dark flanks, climbing up the creatures back. Channeling chakra through his feet, the jonin stood up and grabbed the evil, shadowy rider by it's neck.

The screech it emmited almost ruptured both eardrums. It's armor-clad hands released leather reins to draw a sword. The blade issued chakra so dark and foul that it was poisonous.

"Note to self, do not get hit by the sword," Minato thought while tightening his grip on the thing's neck. He pulled out one of his regular kunai, and stabbed the thing in the throat.

A burst of energy poured out of the 'wound', rapidly corrodeing the metal. Any damage that occured was immediately healed, much to Minato shock. Then the shadow swung it's sword.

Only his naturally fast reflexes saved him, allowing him to grab another standard issue kunai to block the poison blade. The shock numbed his hand and arm, but didn't stop him. He quickly powered up a Rasengan and shoved it into the black hood of the shadow.

The thing screeched again, lifting it's armored hand. Time seemed to slow down, and voices chanted in his head. The air became thick and heavy with dormant chakra, causing the hairs to stand up on the back of his neck. Minato closed his eyes and formed a hand seal.

"KAI!" he yelled, breaking the shadow's techinque with an audible crack.

The black robed thing swung his sword at him again, causing him to duck. The jonin fired up another seal, concentrating on where most of the thing's chakra was.

"Gogyō Fūin!" he cried, slamming his hand onto the shadow's. The screech was now one of fury as well as pain. The five-pronged seal should've worked, but it didn't. Minato was beginning to get worried.

"Seals don't work, physical harm doesn't work," he thought as time slowed down again. "Genjutsu wouldn't work either," Once again, the shadow swung his vile blade. Again, Minato blocked it. The shinobi was beginning to panic. "Ninjutsu will only cause too much collateral damage. Nothing seems to work!" But an idea came to him. A disgusting, perfect idea.

*"One Thousand Years Of Death!"*

Frodo was quite unsure how to react to Minato's...unusual...tactic. But the Nazgul had disappeared as quickly as it had come, so the hobbit decided not to dislike it.

"Frodo! Sam!" cried Minato as he landed the beast atop a rampart, sitting astride it. "I have gotten you a ride!"

If Minato had offered the two hobbits and their guide the steed before they had traveled to Ithilan, all three would have refused. But Smeagol all about ran over Sam to reach the animal.

"Ours feets hurts so much, Master!" he cried to Frodo as Minato gingerly untied the gangly creature's hands. "Wes never fly before, Master,"

Faramir ran after the trio. "Just what do you think you are doing!" he asked Minato, looking slightly indignant.

The shinobi gave him a smile. "You are Boromir's brother! Beware of the Ring, it does nothing but make you invisible. It does not give you any power,"

Faramir gave Minato a cagey look. "How can I trust that you mean the halflings no harm?" he said, suspicious.

The yellow-haired shinobi put his two hands together in the shape of a cross. Frodo was shocked to see another Minato appear out of a cloud of smoke.

"I will look after them, Faramir-san," said the cloud-made one. "This beast promised to help me, and help me it shall. We will fly to Mordor, or as far as the beast is willing to take us,"

Faramir frown, but he bowed his head slightly. "Very well. I am not one to question a wizard,"

Minato raised an eyebrow at the remark, but was silent. "I would just like to ask you how you know my name," Faramir said quietly.

Frodo had mounted the lizard-like beast, sitting in front of Sam and behind Smeagol. The real Minato had dismounted while his copy sat in the creature's saddle. The shinobi gave the man a gentle smile.

"Boromir spoke of you often. While I would very much like to stay, I must go. Saruman is planning on wipeing Rohan off the map, which I cannot allow,"

Faramir gave Minato a bitter smile. "Would you return to aid us?" he asked.

The shinobi blinked. He had no idea that a battle was occuring around them. But now he saw the ruined city, cut in two by the river, was teeming with soldiers. On the eastern side of the river, he could make out the outlines of catapults and onis.

Minato closed his eyes. "I will send aid. I know a few others more capable than I. I wish you luck, Captain Faramir,"

In a flash of yellow, the real shinobi disappeared. The copy smiled softly.

"Lets go," he murmered, as the Nazgul's former steed spred it's leathery wings and took off toward Mordor.