Night without Day

by depressedchildren

Sasuke never expected to have the children he dreamed of as a genin, nor would he have expected the peace he felt. Yet all good things must come to an end. Hardship after hardship and the family he built in Middle Earth is quickly sucked into the struggles between the free peoples and the Eye in the East. It will be a long Night without Day. Sequel to "The Tale of Day and Night"

2. Chapter 2: Journey to Weathertop

Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or Naruto; both works belong to their respective creators and publishers. I gain nothing but writing and editing experiences from this fanfic.

Full Summary: Sasuke never expected to have the children he had dreamed of as a genin, nor would he have expected the peace he felt, with her of all people. But there they were; the happy, "perfect" family. Yet all good things must come to an end. Hardship after hardship befell them, and the family he built in Middle Earth was breaking apart. At his wit's end, Sasuke has no choice but to be sucked into the struggles of the free peoples against the Power in the East. The sun has set, and night has taken over indefinitely. Warnings: OC's, character death (not a likable character), gender-bending.

Warnings for this chapter: Angry Aragorn, mentally unstable Sasuke, lots of F-bombs courtesy of Sasuke.

A/N: I've finally updated. I wrote an outline for this at the beginning of summer and have only recently gotten to write it. Again there is dialogue and even description from the Fellowship so I do not own that, though they are pretty short parts. Also, I have taken creative liberty of what Gandalf does, though I am using the timeline found in the appendices to figure out where he was when. Also, if you're reading both versions of the sequel you will notice more and more overlap especially as the story progresses—don't think I'm copping out, just some scenes need to be a specific way for plot and the story. Anyways, thank you to those that have reviewed, and put this on favorite or alert. Please enjoy ~ with love, depressedchildren

Key:

"Text" westron language

"Text" either japanese or sindarin (both in the case of the girls)

Kusanagi a name/title (i.e. Prancing Pony)

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Chapitre 2

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3017 October 1

Aragorn looked around him, the Nazgûl had appeared out of nowhere and-and… He had tried, he had tried so hard, but-but he had failed. He did his best to drive them away with fire, but… He clutched at his head. They were all dead. The girls, his nieces, had been torn limb from limb. He could still hear their screams, and then the hobbits. Oh the hobbits! Their innards were rotting about him, pulled out of them. The ring was lost, the Witch King took it. The Eye in the East would spread its power all over Middle Earth.

He heard the crunching of grass behind him and the unsheathing of a sword. Had the Nazgûl decided to be merciful after killing everyone he had pledged to protect? He turned his head—he was not one to shy away from his death; he would look his murderer in the face with no fear. Black eyes with a red design spun in a hypnotizing fashion as blood ran down a familiar blacksmith's face

"My friend," Aragorn began but his words caught in his throat.

"My daughters are dead," Sasuke stated lowly, his anger was so clear and terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, Aragorn fell to the ground screaming, clutching at the stump that was now his right arm. Somehow he was aware a leg had been severed… then, then lightning raced through his body. He couldn't keep from screaming. His friend was saying something but he wasn't sure what it was; only that he had betrayed the blacksmith. Aragorn could not stop screaming.

"Strider!" Aragorn snapped awake, panting heavily where he now sat with a dagger drawn, his throat felt hoarse. It was a dream…the hobbits were alive, and the twins had paused in sharpening their weapons. Dawn was likely still on watch or scouting. She offered to take the last watch, despite his protests. Last watch was always the worst for one could not go straight back to sleep, but had to be stay awake from the start of his shift and on through the day.

"Strider?" Frodo asked him softly, he looked concerned. Aragorn looked away from the hobbit. The horrors of his nightmare plagued him even as he stood there awake.

"Did you have a bad dream Ojisan?" Tinnu asked innocently enough. He was not happy with any of them, they all deliberately disobeyed him.

"Yes," Aragorn got up and began to pack up his things, it was dawn, and if they waited much longer they would lose valuable sunlight to get away from their pursuers. "You all died and your father began to torture me to death," his tone was cold and short. He didn't want to look at any of them.

"I-I'll wake the others," Frodo mumbled as he scrambled to get to his feet. Perhaps the hobbit was alarmed by what Aragorn said, it was expected of Bilbo Baggins's heir to know sindarin. Aragorn smirked slightly as he pulled the string tight on his pack. Frodo's clear discomfort served him right for endangering his nieces.

Aragorn sighed and straightened up. Sasuke was his friend, almost like a brother…it was hard to think of him like the man he had seen in his dream; however, he knew his friend could be vicious in the name of his family. He nearly strangled his wife after waking from a dream where his daughters were harmed by her. Aragorn had no delusions that he wouldn't be targeted if the blacksmith's children were hurt. But what could he do in this scenario? The girls were determined to disobey him and follow them no matter what.

He shook his head and frowned slightly. He couldn't keep up his anger, it wasn't in him. Yes he was infuriated by the lack of regard for his nieces' safety, which was shown by both the hobbits and the girls in question, but what use was it to stay mad? He had to focus on keeping them all safe, and that was just what he would do.

He could stay angry with them for another day, he decided and felt a little vindicated. Aragorn looked behind him at the sound of banging pots. "What are you doing?" he asked the hobbits. Pippin and Sam looked up at him like he was crazy.

"We're having breakfast, Strider!" Pippin chirped.

Merry had the right idea to look uncertain and Frodo was smart enough to quickly begin backing away from the little fire Sam was trying to start.

"If you want a big, hearty breakfast, then you will wake up before dawn and make it so we may leave by dawn," Aragorn stated in a clipped tone. When Pippin was about to protest, Aragorn cut him off, "We are being pursued by deadly creatures, we do not have time to dally like this," Aragorn spun on his heel and began to march on.

Dawn touched down beside him. She looked a little tired but the energy in her eyes suggested she was ready to run leagues if need be. "All clear, and there were no disturbances," she stated quickly.

Aragorn hummed but otherwise did not acknowledge what his niece said. She looked down, blushing.

"We just want to help…" she fell back a pace while one hand fingered her bow anxiously.

Aragorn flinched at his niece's tone. She sounded like a little girl, not the confident young woman he knew her to be. He sighed; "I know my niece, I know…"she looked up at him, a little hopeful but his grim face made her look back down in shame. Good, she understood she was not forgiven quite yet. None of them would be. "Give me a few more days, Dawn"

The young woman nodded and fell back to her sisters who were trying to get the hobbits to hurry up. Aragorn knew they were in just as somber a mood as Dawn, for they were not joking or smiling. He could hold onto his anger and disappointment for just one more day, just one more day; otherwise, they would not understand the depth to which they disappointed him. He genuinely worried for them, and he had expected them to respect his demands.

He felt too old for this. With a grim smile he trudged on, going at a sedate pace for when the ponies caught up, then he would increase his speed little by little. They would be approaching a bog soon, which might be dangerous for the ponies. They could easily sprain their ankles on unseen roots or holes. Or perhaps an adder might get them.

He shook his head. Their pursuers could not know they were traveling this way, and they could not know that the ring was already this far from the Shire. Those were small reliefs, but they made Aragorn hopeful for a safe passage.

…

Sasuke couldn't stop pacing. He tried to go to sleep, though it was futile. He perhaps got an hour's worth of sleep spread out over the course of the night. No matter, "Madara" and Orochimaru had trained him to need little sleep. Sleeping a full eight hours had been a common occurrence these past seventeen years, when before it had been a luxury he could not afford. He could do without it again; he wouldn't be a good ninja if he couldn't.

He briefly wondered how the dobe was. Had she made it to Konoha safely, as much as he hated the place, he at least knew she would be safe. However, he couldn't stop from feeling anxious about her. Was she already healing, had she died? If his girls died too…

He shook his head vehemently, he couldn't think like that. His girls would be fine, they were strong fighters and their uncle was there. The ranger likely knew whatever was hunting the hobbits and so also knew how to combat them.

If he was anyone else, he could have been anxiously biting at his lip or nails; instead he paced. Was the sun up yet? He wondered idly as he peeked through the shuttered windows. No…. It was close to sunrise at least, perhaps he could tell Butterbur he was leaving his shop in his care until he brought his daughters home. Yes…surely the man was up.

Sasuke was already dressed in leather traveling breeches and tunic with a traveling vest overtop. A makeshift kunai holster was tied to his belt along with the sheath for Kusanagi. He pulled on his pack before he threw on his traveling cloak. The girls took all their seals, all their storage scrolls, so he had to carry a burdensome pack. Damn it! All he could really pack was a spare blanket and a water skin along with some poison and a rudimentary med-kit—just bandages, alcohol, a vial saline solution to reduce shock, and some needle and thread; what he wouldn't give for solider pills or even some adrenaline! He didn't have any rations, just some fruit that would go bad soon. At least the girls were wise enough to bring food that would last a little while. If the dobe was here she could have made more sealing paper, perhaps even made seals that would store food in the condition it was sealed…but she wasn't here.

Sasuke shook his head as he rubbed at his face. The girls were giving him premature wrinkles. Sure, in the last few years he developed some lines around his mouth and on his forehead, but with all the stress they were giving him, Sasuke was sure to end up looking like a shriveled old man soon.

He sighed again and decided to focus on what mattered, getting his girls back and what he needed to do that. Perhaps while he spoke with Butterbur he could get some rations from him. Yes, that was the plan. Sasuke nodded to himself and left his shop via the upstairs window after locking the shop up.

He had to do something, anything. If he didn't…the ground would open up under him and he would start screaming, or crying, or-or something. He had to keep moving, he had to get his girls back.

As he made his trek to the Prancing Pony, he remembered he had…intimidated—to say the least—the man he was hoping to get rations from. Shit. This was why he needed the dobe, she kept him from being too irrational, ironically.

Sasuke closed his eyes heavily. They grounded each other—he and the dobe—even when they didn't have their memories, they grounded one another. But now, now the dobe was quite possibly gone forever. Optimism was not his strong suit and he never claimed it would be—that was the dobe's specialty, to see the silver lining in everything—so he could only imagine that it had failed...that the dobe was dead.

Sasuke shook away those thoughts. Even if he might be pessimistic, Naruto was always one to persevere. She'd be back soon, teasing, and chiding, and pranking. She'd be back soon…she'd be back soon. She wouldn't die, and she had to have made it back to Konoha.

Fuck!

The part of him that lost his whole clan, the part of him that had been lied to and manipulated by everyone, whispered that she had died en route. It whispered that she was lost in some side dimension because that was what happened when Obito—Tobi-Madara-that bastard— used kamui and she had the Kyuubi cloak on.

Then there was the little voice—the voice that had been betrayed so many fucking times—that whispered the dobe wouldn't come back because she would move on. The dobe would rekindle her-his romance with Hinata and discard the family she built in Middle Earth.

No! She was alive, she was alive, she had to be for the girls…and also for his own sanity. And the Cyclops! He was alive, he'd bring her back here when she was healthy, and she'd want to come back. She promised… The dobe never went back on her promises. She promised to return, to be there for their daughters! The Gods knew how many times he wished the dobe would have given up on that stupid promise to bring him back to Konoha but she never did! So she wouldn't break the promise she made to her family. She wouldn't…she couldn't…

What if they don't let her leave?

Sasuke was standing outside of the Pony, and at that twisted voice—one that sounded like Kabuto—he slammed his fist against the wall of the inn. The limestone cracked slightly and crumbled under his shaking fist. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

He needed the girls, he needed them. He needed to know they were safe; he needed them back so he had something to focus on besides the dobe's absence. He needed them so he didn't feel like his whole clan had been murdered again, that he had been abandoned…because that's what they did when they died, isn't it? They had abandoned him…he was just a little kid and they were all gone…

Sasuke leaned his back against the inn wall and began to breathe heavily as he shut his eyes tightly. He felt like a little kid again, everyone was gone again. Everyone had abandoned him. When he would wake up from the reoccurring nightmares of them dying, he would call for his mother and father but they would never come, no one would ever come because they had abandoned him…no! He shook his head violently. That was irrational thinking, they had died. Death didn't mean they abandoned him. But a voice that sounded like his younger self whispered back yes it does.

Why was he thinking about this now? Now of all times!? He hadn't thought about his clan's destruction in what felt like years, decades even! Perhaps in passing, but never like this. He would always use his clan's destruction as a fuel, even when he discovered the real truth; it was just fuel for him. Why now was it debilitating? He had stopped thinking like this a year after the massacre. Why had it returned?

Because his children abandoned him the moment he and their mother left.

He felt numb all of a sudden. He slid down the cracked wall and stared across the dirt road at the tailor's shop.

Why would they do that? Had they been waiting for their parents to leave them on their own so they could run away? Had they always hoped for such an opportunity? Were they such terrible parents that they would want to run away from them? Sure he and the dobe didn't seem to love each other and had never been terribly affectionate with each other, but they loved them, they loved their children. They expressed it, they made it clear—a hell of a lot clearer than Fugaku ever did.

Or…or was it just Sasuke? Was he the terrible parent and it wasn't some joint failure at parenting? The dobe had left him—to get better and they forced her to go, but she still left—and the girls followed right after her. They had always wanted their mother, they always wanted the dobe, like during those hellish years after she regained her memories. Had they just put up with him because they were young and needed someone to look after them? If they had been older when the dobe left to sort out her memories, would they have abandoned him too? Was he such a terrible father?

His family had left him again…he was all alone like after the massacre. Would the girls even want to come back if he caught up with them? Should he force them if they truly were so miserable with him? If they hated living with him?

"Ah, already here!" Sasuke shot up from the ground with a kunai in hand and pressed it against the speaker's neck. After his reflexive response for whenever he was "snuck" up on, Sasuke got a good look at his "captive." It wasn't Orochimaru, or that bastard, it wasn't even Kabuto; though he did have white-gray hair.

Sasuke retracted himself from the much taller man's presence and bowed his head slightly, "I was in thought," Sasuke stated calmly, as he stowed the kunai into a pouch on his hip.

The old man hummed and shifted his knobby staff as he felt his snarled beard; somehow none of the coarse hairs had been cut from the almost assault. "I apologize for startling you Dû." Sasuke just made a noncommittal sound and folded his arms over his chest. "I assume that was an ingrained reaction, most shocking but useful," the man nodded his head and began walking toward the stable.

"I need rations," Sasuke stated, he'd have to convince Butterbur somehow. If he was the dobe he'd just have to smile and apologize.

"I received enough rations for the both of us," the old man replied. Gandalf was his name; it took a moment for Sasuke to recall that since he had been in such a rage the night before. "We have no time to waste!" Sasuke nodded numbly and stood at the entrance to the stable. He wondered if he should ask Butterbur to watch over the shop now…though he did want to get on the road as quickly as possible…perhaps he could send a clone once they left the village?

"Haven't you a horse?" Gandalf called from within. The former nuke-nin couldn't resist scoffing. He was faster than any horse, why the hell would he need one? Gandalf returned then, frowning as he led a white and gray horse out.

"Our travel will be slower with Shadowfax carrying the both of us," the old man's tone was grave.

Sasuke just scoffed again and looked away. "Worry about yourself old man." Gandalf frowned but mounted the horse and made for the eastern exit. Sasuke followed their slow pace.

"Dû I must insist you have some horse or—"

"You tell your little animal to go as fast as it can, and I'll be sure to match it." The old man huffed and glared down at him while the horse mimicked him. Was this animal actually intelligent? Was it like a summon? No, that was impossible.

"This is Shadowfax, Lord of the Mearas! He is not some animal."

Sasuke refrained from rolling his eyes. "Does it look like I care or even know what you're talking about?" the old man and horse bristled again. Thankfully they were approaching the gate. "I meant what I said, you make that thing go as fast as he can."

"Shadowfax is not a thing! How can you be friends with Aragorn and have such a complete lack of respect for—"

"Oh look," Sasuke interrupted the old man again, "We're outside of the village." Gandalf was glaring at him venomously. "Now why don't you make your little horse go at a canter?" Sasuke sneered. This was almost as fun as pushing the dobe's buttons.

Gandalf huffed again and leaned down over the horse's neck to whisper in its ear, "Let us show this insolent man the meaning of haste, Friend."

Oh! So now the horse was a friend to the old man. He must be senile. Perhaps a summon could be a friend, but a normal animal…how lonely this Gandalf man must be. However, Sasuke did smirk at the remarkable speed "Shadowfax" took off at. He felt a chuckle bubble up, perhaps his speed would be tested. Giving the horse a few seconds head start, Sasuke began following after them. He hardly had to put any chakra into his legs.

It was immensely satisfying to see the old man turn his head to gawk at him. Sasuke just smirked at the old man before turning his head forwards again. He made sure to match their speed and keep them in the corner of his eye at all times while he scanned the area.

If the dobe was here…she'd likely make a comment about him transferring his anger onto the old man. He frankly didn't give a fuck. He'd do what he needed to keep those terrible thoughts from earlier at bay. For now he soaked up the scenery while the old man ignored him due to wounded pride.

He quickly made a shadow clone to deliver a message to Butterbur, and thankfully the old man didn't notice the puff of smoke. The gray cloaked man was too focused on his riding to pay attention to the infuriating blacksmith traveling apace with him. Sasuke smirked as the clone used the shunshin technique to travel back to Bree.

Sasuke tried to look around him for any signs of his daughters or Strider, even the black horsemen, but he saw nothing. He wouldn't bring out the sharingan until he needed to, so any little tells would have slipped his notice. However, Sasuke had to conserve as much chakra as he could, and though he had ridiculous reserves—not jinchuuriki sized but far larger than any normal shinobi should have—days of chakra-enhanced running could wear it down. And he knew there would be days of running.

Middle Earth, from the maps Aragorn showed him, was vast. It was much larger and more spread out than the Elemental Lands. The Shire alone was approximately the size of Kaze no Kuni, perhaps even Tsuchi no Kuni. Some forest, Fangorn he believed was the name, spanned about the same amount of land as Kaminari no Kuni down the boarder of Hi no Kuni and Tsuchi no Kuni. Vast. Middle Earth was vast! At least three Elemental Lands fit into it.

Sasuke continued to focus on pointless things as they ran because otherwise…otherwise he wasn't sure he would be able to keep running, to keep chasing after his daughters. He waited for the clone to dispel itself so he could gain that boost of chakra, but in the mean-time he just had to focus on as many trivial things as possible…or who knew what would happen.

...

Minuial sighed as she surveyed the dull landscape. By mid-morning they had fully entered the Midgewater Marshes, according to Dawn who was the designated map holder, and it was slow going. Since the majority of the party couldn't walk on water, they had to pick their way carefully across the marshes. Even Ojisan had a hard time figuring out how to cross the boggy area. Apparently the marsh was constantly changing, so even though Ojisan was super awesome and knew everything like the back of his hand, he still had trouble picking a safe path.

Things only got slower when the hobbits had to get off their ponies to guide them through the marsh. They complained far too much. Sure it was smelly and humid and the bugs were everywhere, but they could at least shut up and bear with it. How could Ojisan deal with their incessant complaining?

She grimaced at the thought of her Ojisan. He was still angry with them, but they wanted to help him! Yeah, they disobeyed him, but-but wasn't it better that they were trying to help him? She chewed her lip, she'd prove her usefulness, she would—then…then Ojisan couldn't complain or blame them. Besides, she needed to get out of Bree. There was this whole big world outside of the walls, and until now they had only been allowed to go hunting in the surrounding forests.

Minuial was practically a woman, in fact she should be considered a woman since the Red Sister visited her all those years ago! She would be getting married someday, and it would kill her to have to stay locked up in Bree. She was meant for more, she deserved to live more than some sheltered, simple life.

She was a kunoichi, and she knew from overheard conversations that her Ojisan was fighting against something evil. She knew he would never ask her family to help him, even though it was clear their special skills could be tide-turners. So she knew she had to help, she had to help no matter what. What Ojisan was fighting affected all of Middle Earth, which meant it affected Bree and their family. She had to help, especially if their abilities would be such an advantage.

Minuial knew her sisters felt the same, which was why they had all agreed in the end. They were going to do something big, something good, and-and frankly, she didn't care if she died in the process. Ninja protected their precious people, they protected their village, and that was exactly what she would do. She couldn't bear the thought of being stuck in some cage like a bird, to be something pretty to look at but utterly useless in the end.

Her parents had taught her skills; they had taught her how to fight, how to kill, how to deceive, how to defend. She would not have these skills be wasted in some small cage where they would eventually rust and be forgotten. She would not be some simple wife, she would be a warrior, she would be a kunoichi. When Dawn gets married to Haldarad she will at least have some excitement in her life. She'll get to travel with the Grey Company, she'll get to hunt and fight alongside her beloved, but what about Minuial, what about Tinnu?

No…they'd be wed off to some simple minded Bree boy who would treat them like some baby machine. She glared out at the marshes at that thought. Minuial and Tinnu wouldn't be allowed to hunt anymore or practice kenjutsu. They'd be stuck knitting clothes and cooking meals. They'd be trapped in their homes to care for some sniveling man with bad hygiene.

So they needed this. They needed this chance at freedom, this chance to be do something meaningful in their lives before they were caged up.

Ojisan couldn't understand, and she didn't expect him too. She didn't expect her Tousan to understand either, even though he'd do all he could to keep his daughters from such a dismal life of subservience to a useless simpleton. Eventually, Miniual and Tinnu would be ostracized, called spinster, and to escape the social humiliation they would marry, likely to man twice their age. They'd likely die in labor too, and what should have been a long full life would have been empty and short.

She shook her head scanned the area once more. There were clouds of "midges" and the insects were indeed infuriating, but she saw no point in yelling like the youngest hobbits of the group. Sure they got into her hair and up her sleeves and dress, but, she sighed and shook her head. Perhaps her uncle's foul mood was wearing off on her.

"I'm being eaten alive!" cried Pippin, "Midgewater! There are more midges than water!" she agreed but she noticed her uncle's tense shoulders. Usually he'd find a comment like that endearing, but…he was still so angry with them. She bit her lip and looked down at the murky water she was traveling across.

"What do they live on when they can't get hobbit?" asked Sam as he scratched at his neck. Frodo smiled weakly but he kept on walking somberly just like Merry.

They were the oldest hobbits in the company and they seemed to understand that they had gotten on Ojisan's bad side, or at least, they had deeply disappointed him.

It was quiet after that outburst and Minuial tentatively flicked her gaze toward her uncle who continued to march forward with a grim look on his face. She sighed and just wished he would understand why they were doing this, why they must do this! Sure the timing couldn't have been worse, but…but they wouldn't have gotten another opportunity like this.

She was relieved when Dawn signed that it was her turn to scout around. At least now she could escape the suffocating atmosphere of disappointment.

…

Sasuke stood by the old man and his "friend" impatiently. His eye was beginning to twitch a little too. He already drank a little from his water skin and had refilled it at the stream they were currently pausing at.

The old man was stroking the horse's mane as it drank from the stream. Its slivery-white coat was shimmering with sweat and Sasuke could clearly see the horse's pulse. He scoffed and looked away from the pair. They had only traveled from sunrise to sunset without any breaks; they could have gone further before taking a break.

"Dû, I understand that you are anxious to find your daughters, I too am anxious to find the hobbits they travel with, but we must remember to take care of our bodies and Shadowfax. If we exert ourselves too much now, it will only come as a hindrance later."

Sasuke looked at the man impassively before scanning the area again. The silence was heavy and uncomfortable.

"I must say," Gandalf spoke up to break the silence, "that I am impressed with your running, how are you able to do that?"

He looked at the old man again with a blank look and waited for him to shift in discomfort, but the old man proved resilient to his stare and merely met his gaze with a challenge. The tension between them was almost palpable.

At last Gandalf sighed and shook his head, "I have tried to reach out, to be genial, but you are making it very difficult."

Sasuke felt the corner of his mouth quirk upward, as he hummed, "Good." The old man glared at him.

"I could very well dismiss you from my presence," the old man challenged as he stood up straighter to tower over Sasuke. Sasuke just scoffed, "You do not know what I am capable of, Blacksmith."

Sasuke felt something tug at the edge of his mind, almost like a genjutsu. He glared at the man whose voice seemed wash over him in a dominating sort of way, "I am more than I appear and I do not need your aid or presence to find the company of hobbits and protect them from their pursuers. You can leave."

Sasuke felt himself take a step toward Bree without his mind's consent. He could feel it now; it was like a genjutsu but more powerful. He glared at the man even as his body took another step toward Bree. Finally, his eyes shifted red with three tomoe markings. He broke the genjutsu and glared defiantly up at the old and now shocked man.

"I dare you to try that again," he walked up to the stunned man and relished in his surprise. The horse snorted beside them, clearly annoyed and angry. Sasuke flickered his gaze towards it before looking back at Gandalf, "And I promise, as soon as I find my girls, you will be of no more use to me and I will…enjoy…putting you through hell," Sasuke smirked as his eyes shifted into the eternal sharingan.

Gandalf remained where he stood and he remained standing tall. He would not be intimidated it seemed. Sasuke smirked to himself; it would be fun using tsukiyomi on him.

"What are you?" Gandalf asked at last.

"Someone you better not cross or involve in your fucking war," the man seemed to bristle at the vulgarity but Sasuke didn't give a flying fuck.

"The war will come to Bree if those hobbits do not make it safely to Rivendell, and even then, there is no guarantee."

Saskue scoffed and folded his arms over his chest, "I don't care if a fucking battalion comes to Bree's gates, I will destroy them to protect my family," he felt like the dobe who always spouted off about protecting her precious ones, but it was true now. Sasuke would do everything in his power to protect his family.

"And how do you intend to do that?"

Sasuke smirked again, "With the flames of the Sun Goddess and the wraith of the wind."

Gandalf looked at him in confusion, his large eyebrows furrowed deeply, "You say such strange things, and these attacks you anticipate using sound like the abilities of an Istar, but you are not one of us."

"I don't know what you said, and I don't care to know." Sasuke turned around and let the charka leave his eyes. "We've wasted enough time, if your "faithful friend" is done resting, we should continue on."

Gandalf sighed but complied none the less, "We will ride for a few more hours before we rest. I intend to make for Weathertop, there we may seize a wide view of the surrounding area, and perhaps even catch sight of the company.

Sasuke hummed but they soon began traveling again.

---

3017 October 2

Minuial frowned, the night before had been cold and damp and loud. She couldn't agree more with the hobbits about those insidious Neekerbreekers—name courtesy of Sam—that hid in the tussocks and kept them all up with their neek-breeking. She pinched the bridge of her nose and as one of the hobbits complained about the bugs again and then complained about getting swap water on his clothes.

She tentatively looked over at her uncle to gauge his reaction to the Hobbits' complaints. He still looked grim and disappointed, but there was a slight quirk to his lips—and not in a sadistic way, more of an endearing way.

"Fear not Hobbits," he began, his tone was much more pleasant than it had been for the past two days—it was almost comical how Sam and Pippin sagged in relief. "Tonight will likely be our last night in the marshes. Tomorrow we will begin heading North-East and make for Weathertop from the North."

"Are we making good-time then, Strider?" Pippin asked eagerly, happy that the ranger was no longer giving them the cold shoulder.

"Yes and no," Ojisan replied, "If we had been on foot I suppose this would be our fourth day out from Bree, but it is only our third…the marshes have slowed down our pace considerably and none of are you nimble enough to weave through the quagmires, but we are sure to have lost what little trial our pursuers had on us."

The hobbits seemed relieved and Minuial smiled a little. She could tell he was still disappointed with them, still angry at their disobedience, but Ojisan was willing to focus on their mission more than on his disappointment. It was a relief actually. She knew they weren't off the hook yet, not by any means, but…but at least was he was being warmer.

She grinned over at her twin who signed exactly what Minuial had been thinking. Today's travel was looking up, especially since they seemed to be coming closer to the end of the marshes.

…

Sasuke stared out around him, but despite the wide stretch of land and endless sky, he felt like it was all pressing in on him. They had been traveling in a tense silence and though Sasuke was relieved to not have to communicate with the old man, he needed something to break his thoughts. Every second he thought back to the dobe and the girls abandoning him, not even mindless geographic facts were helping him.

Gandalf had tried to offer Sasuke some of the rations but he had shaken his head, he had some fruit left to eat before he lowered himself to asking for rations…besides, the apple he had eaten that morning had tasted of ash. He needed to find the girls, he needed them damn it!

"You seem disturbed, distracted," Gandalf commented and Sasuke glared at the old man as they continued the road. Occasionally they broke off onto the smaller paths to see if the company was there, but they had had no luck.

"Mind your own business."

The old man made a huffing noise before he spurred the horse more, "And what if your thoughts become a hindrance when we fight our enemies?"

"They won't."

The old man sighed, "I'm sure you're worried about your daughters but Aragorn is a very capable—"

"I know that, and my daughters are also quite capable; however, this enemy is what concerns me more." If the man was demanding to talk, fine, so be it, Sasuke would let the man assume he was worried about their safety—which he was, he was just more preoccupied by the possibility that they had abandoned him for being terrible father.

"Ah, yes, it would be good to tell you what we will be facing," Gandalf nodded sagely as he continued to spur Shadowfax onwards. The man seemed to have finally resigned himself to the fact that Sasuke could keep up with him and his horse.

Sasuke made a noncommittal noise in response to the old man's statement. He wanted to roll his eyes. No shit that might be good.

"They are Ring Wraiths, Nazgûl," Gandalf began as he glanced over at the former nuke-nin. Sasuke knew his expression showed no signs of recognition for the terms used. The old man sighed and shook his head. "You know nothing about the Ring of Power?"

Sasuke snorted slightly at the name of this supposedly fearsome article. "Ring of power?" he asked incredulously which only made the man bristle further and look furious.

"This is no laughing matter! Should the enemy take hold of it all hope will be lost!" Sasuke looked unimpressed which made the old man shake his head gravely.

"Well excuse me," Sasuke replied sarcastically as he rolled his eyes again, "but when you've fought demons, a ring does not seem that intimidating."

The man looked nonplussed and blinked several times, "Demons?"

"Yes, constructs of pure, destructive energy that can't actually die, just dissipate before reforming." He had no loyalty to the Elemental Lands, thus he saw no harm in telling the man what he had faced before. Though if he thought he could drag his family into their ring affairs, he was dead wrong.

Gandalf looked slightly disturbed but then his eyes lit up as a thought came to him, "Then think of this…one of those energy constructs, say the strongest, has been weakened but a large part of that construct resides within a ring, should the ring be returned to the damaged construct, it would regain all its former power."

Sasuke supposed he could see the gravity of the situation, but it was still nothing compared to resurrecting the Juubi. Also the strongest individual biju was the Kyuubi and like hell the dobe would let that loose; besides, half of the Kyuubi already did reside in a shinigami's stomach. So it was comical to image whatever enemy Gandalf was speaking of to be like the Kyuubi. The man shook his head at Sasuke's unimpressed expression.

"On top of that, think of this construct being in control of a vast army of enhanced warriors, as well as being able to twist one's mind to do its bidding."

"Sounds like my former handler," Sasuke replied casually, he relished in the shock on the old man's face. "But he could still die like any man…him and his army of corpses," Sasuke gritted his teeth at the reminder, at the betrayal. Over and over again, he had been betrayed time and again, manipulated and used like some kind of puppet.

He glared at the expanse before him, and could almost feel the pitying look he was receiving from Gandalf. He growled under his breath, "Well get on with your story," he snapped and the old man bristled again.

"This construct is called Sauron. He created rings of power which he gave to the various races:

Three for the Eleven-kings under the sky,

Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone,

Nine for the Mortal Men doomed to die,

One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne,

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie.

One ring to rule them all, one ring to find them,

One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them,

In the land of Mordor where the shadows lie."

"Pretty," Sasuke sneered which caused his traveling companion to glare at him. Sasuke met the glare and just raised an eyebrow, "So?" he asked indifferently when in truth he had felt a chill crawl up his spine as the other recited the poem.

He knew people here talked a lot, but he was beginning to wonder if perhaps…if perhaps there was power in their words. Like when the old man tried to use an equivalent of a genjutsu on him. All he had done was speak, yet it felt like another chakra, another will, was pressing in on him. He regarded the man in a calculative fashion. Perhaps there was power in speech, especially in men like Gandalf, who implied he was an Istar? Whatever that was…

"These rings Sauron made gave him power over the other races, especially over men. He knows always where the other rings are, but not his own, only when it is worn does he know where it is. The ring bearers are tied to him, especially the longer they have been with their rings."

"And you know this how?" Sasuke asked dryly as they continued on.

"Because I bear one of the three," Gandalf replied almost hesitantly.

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow and looked slightly nonplussed. "Aren't elves supposed to be eternally youthful," he shuddered slightly at how similarly structured that sentence was to something two horrible, green-clad men would shout.

Instead of being offended, Gandalf looked slightly amused, "I was gifted my ring from one of the elven kings," he then sobered and stared forward again, "the nine men were corrupted by the rings and quickly fell under Sauron's control. Now they live to serve him as wraiths, ever in search of the One Ring their master desires."

"Why do the other races continue to use their rings?" If this Sauron was so evil and corrupting, why keep the rings, why not destroy them all so there would be no chance for him to influence them?

"For the men…well all men desire power, but what they fear even more is weakness," Sasuke stumbled slightly, but caught but up with Gandalf and the horse. He shut his eyes at the truth of that statement. He had been driven for power, but he was even more afraid of weakness, of being too weak to avenging his clan, but now he feared being too weak to protect his family.

"Even after Sauron's betrayal was learned of, the men continued to use his gift. They were afraid to become weak, for their rings gave them strength, or rather, what they perceived as strength. As for the Dwarves, most of their rings have been lost, and as I'm sure you can imagine, the Elves are…more resilient to Sauron's evil."

"And what of you?" he eyed the old man warily. He did not want him near his daughters if he could become one of those wraiths.

His eyes crinkled up, "Nothing to worry of. I am not a normal man who is easily corrupted, though the One Ring would corrupt all who tried to wield it," Gandalf's expression darkened as he stated the last part about the One Ring. "Even if for good," he murmured before shaking his head again.

Sasuke glared slightly at the horizon as he pieced together the information, "So…these Ring Wraiths, were they the nine men?" Gandalf nodded and Sasuke hummed, "What abilities do they have?"

"Their blades are poisoned and could turn any victim that lived into one of them, a wraith at the service of the Dark Lord. They have some wariness to light and fire, and so usually travel by night. It is also said that no man can kill them, or rather, kill their leader. In the hundreds of years they have existed, and all the battles they have fought in, none of them have been defeated. Driven away, yes, but defeated…" Gandalf shook his head gravely.

So they were immortal… well…Hidan was supposedly immortal but that lazy Nara had defeated him. Damn it! He wished the dobe was here with her fuin knowledge, perhaps she could find a way to seal theses wraiths like she had the Edo Tensei corpses.

"Will Strider be able to drive them away?" he hoped his girls would be clever, that they would be prepared to fight with all they had should Sasuke not make it to them in time.

"Yes, he knows fire will drive them off and he is resourceful."

Sasuke nodded slightly as he continued to glare at the horizon and the slowly setting sun.

"We should rest for a few hours before we continue on," Gandalf suggested, before pointing off to the right, "there is a stream over there."

"Tired?" Sasuke challenged and the man shot him another glare, almost in disbelief, but then something flashed in his eyes and he began to chuckle. What the hell? Had he finally gone completely senile?

He was now giving Sasuke a fond smile and the Uchiha could not stop the tick that had now formed under his eye. Seriously, what the hell? The man could barely tolerate him before their conversation!

"For Shadowfax's sake, I think we should rest," the man responded with that damn smile on his face. Sasuke just glared at the man but followed him and as he veered Shadowfax off the road and toward the stream he had mentioned.

…

Dawn watched as her sisters set up their bedding. They were near the end of the marshes; there were just a few straggling pools left, though the bugs were still following them in a thick cloud. She watched the twins, and they seemed happier than they had been yesterday, but then again, their uncle had been warmer towards the company today. That must be the reason why. She bit her lip as she looked toward her uncle.

Dawn had first watch and Ojisan had the last watch. The hobbits were also given watches but they were always paired up with one of them—them meaning Ojisan, Dawn and her sisters.

She moved toward her uncle hesitantly but then crouched beside him as he began to find a comfortable place on the ground, "Neh, Ojisan…"she began hesitantly. He looked at her with one eye open. It was filled with fatigue, anxiety, and stress.

She had a feeling being here with her siblings had only added to his stress. She knew they were dear to him and that he was also worried about how their father would react, but Tousan couldn't fault Ojisan! No matter how many times Ojisan might try to push them away from his mission, they would come right back, and maybe even hide their presence from him.

"Yes Dawn?"

"I know you are still angry at us…" she began and gauged his reaction. His expression became hard and shut off. He even closed his eyes as if to ignore her, "Ojisan!" she called in a mixture of exasperation and desperateness, "Ojisan, please…we just want to help you and…" she looked over at her sisters who were watching them discreetly.

"Ojisan…with Haldarad I can be myself. I can be a strong warrior and hunter, but the twins…what fate will they have when they are forced to marry? This is their chance for adventure and something meaningful before they are wed. They are already getting too old by Bree standards to be single and childless."

She noted that her uncle flinched slightly before he sat up and motioned the twins over. The twins were crouched beside him in the blink of an eye, which startled the hobbits.

"So this is all for a chance at adventure?" he asked in disappointment, "You three are women!" he whispered at them, clearly not wanting to draw Frodo's attention, he seemed to be the only one in the company that knew sindarin. "Your duty is to your parents or husband, yet here you three are! You are willing to risk your lives for adventure when it is completely unbecoming of you," he sighed heavily and pinched at the bridge of his nose, "Not to mention the pain you are putting your father through. What is he supposed to think? All of you run off leaving him entirely alone after having to send his wife away and losing a child?

"You have disobeyed me and have set me up to betray your father. I have the hobbits to protect as well as you three. Our pursuers are no normal creatures, they are…they are immortal, do you understand me? They cannot be defeated, only driven away. I do not wish to risk you three, yet you have given me no choice."

Dawn felt her heart sink into her stomach, she wanted to say they could fight, that they were meant for more than just being good daughters and wives, but the words caught in her throat.

She nodded her head and tried to remain strong, "Hai, Ojisan….I will begin my watch," she coughed slightly against the tightness in her throat and, to all but her siblings, she flickered out of existence. She was then followed by the twins.

The twins had already set up seals to warn if there were intruders, as well as seals that would hide them from outside presences. They had scouted ahead for a good camp and had got to work immediately so that little time was wasted before the hobbits could begin making a dinner.

When her younger sisters came up to her, she couldn't hold her tears back anymore and she began to cry. Why couldn't Ojisan understand!? Minuial and Tinnu latched onto her as they all cried. They were just trying to help, they were just trying to be meaningful. Of course their uncle would never understand. He was from here where women were weak and just child bearers. He didn't understand that they could be warriors too. His disappointment was crushing, and it was killing them with its weight.

No! They had to be strong, they had to show Ojisan and the hobbits and all of them that they were stronger, better, and that they were needed! She straightened and pulled away from her sisters.

"Let's prove Ojisan wrong," she whispered in their mélange of languages. The twins nodded, determination shimmered in their eyes alongside tears.

"Let's!"

---

3017 October 3

They had fully left the Midgewater Marshes on the fourth day. Aragorn had hopped the girls would not have brought up their disobedience again but they had and it had set him in a bad mood. He glared across at what remained of the marshes. He had hardly been able to sleep as he replayed the brief conversation he had with them.

Part of him felt remorse for being too hard on him, and another part of him reminded him they were not normal Middle Earth girls; however he did not retract what he said. They had a duty to their father that they were completely neglecting. He wished he knew more of his friend's past so that he might guess just how he was reacting, but Aragorn did not and therefore could not fathom what his friend was thinking.

They had camped just at the boarder of the marshes where the land began to rise, so an hour after sunrise they had fully left the marshes and were once more on solid ground. Away in the East was a line of hills that they previously could not be seen. The highest of them was at the right of the line and a little separated from the others. It had a conical top, and was slightly flattened at the summit. He smiled slightly, there was their goal.

"That is Weathertop," he announced to the hobbits, "The Old Road, which we have left far away on our right, runs to the south of it and passes not far from its foot. We might reach it by tomorrow morning, if we go straight towards it," he paused for a moment almost uncertain. It might be advantageous to head straight towards it, for there was a good chance that Gandalf would make for there if he had been behind them. "I suppose we had better do so."

"What do you mean?" asked Fordo, his eyes briefly flickered to the girls who had been quiet since last night. Perhaps he wondered if they could help them travel discreetly…that was a possibility.

"I mean: when we do get there, it is not certain what we shall find. It is close to the Road," Aragorn replied, as he too glanced to his nieces, he worried they might be spotted and his nightmare from the other day would become true.

"But surely we were hoping to find Gandalf there?" Fordo sounded so hopeful, almost painfully so.

"Yes; but the hope is faint. If he comes this way at all, he may not pass through Bree, and so he may not know what we were doing. And anyway, unless by luck we arrive almost together, we shall miss one another; it will not be safe for him or for us to wait there long. If the Riders fail to find us in the wilderness, they are likely to make for Weathertop themselves. It commands a wide view all round. Indeed, there are many birds and beasts in this country that could see us, as we stand here, from that hill-top. Not all the birds are to be trusted and there are other spies more evil than they are."

These were his fears and anxieties since setting out in the hope that they might come across Gandalf along their travels. It was truly a faint and foolish hope. He wondered if he should warn the girls of possible spies, such as crows.

The hobbits looked anxiously at the distant hills, and Sam in particular looked up fearfully at the sky, as if some great bird might swoop down upon him. But the girls, they seemed…they seemed determined and unfazed.

"You do make me feel uncomfortable and lonesome, Strider!" Sam said as he continued to look up at the sky warily.

"What do you advise us to do?" asked Frodo, though the hobbit had acted as leader before in their company, he now looked to the Ranger for advice, and rightly so when it came to traveling.

"I think," he began slowly as he tried to decide what best to do. Though he was the expert in this scenario, he was still uncomfortable with the leadership role he was being pushed into, this was another reason he was almost fearful to take up the mantel of the king.

"I think the best thing is to go as straight eastward from here as we can, to make for the line of hills, not for Weathertop. There we can strike a path I know runs at their feet; it will bring us to Weathertop from the north and less openly. Then we shall see what we shall see."

Sam still looked up at the sky fearfully and the other hobbits looked wary of the openness around them.

"Kaasan taught us a seal that hides one from unfriendly eyes. It takes a lot of chakra to activate, and it has to be modified for the person who wears it, but we can start work on them as we travel," Tinnu stated confidently while Dawn shot her look.

Aragorn frowned as well. He knew little about the seals the girls made with their mother, but he did recall them blowing up many a time with a wrong brush stroke. "Though those seals would be benefit, I do not think it is wise to experiment now. Besides, do not the ones these seals are applied to need…chakra, as well?"

Minuial had her mouth open to retort before she closed it. "We could modify it…" she began lamely before looking away.

Dawn shifted for a moment, "I could put an illusion on us," she stated as her eyes bleed from black to red. Aragorn thought for a moment before nodding hesitantly. Dawn just nodded before she ran through hand signs.

The twins shuddered, as if something had settled onto their shoulders. Their sister continued to hold her hands in a strange formation but then Minuial slipped in front of her sister so that Dawn's arms were held in front of her sister's face. Minuila then grabbed her sister by the back of her legs to carry her on her back. The hobbits looked at them startled, and were even more startled that Minuial was still able to keep up with their ponies when she had the older girl on her back. From what Aragorn could understand, Dawn had to hold her hands in that position and focus entirely on her genjutsu, otherwise it would fail.

It was a cold and dreary day, and the hobbits shivered atop their faithful ponies. Before dusk they had arrived at a stream that ran from the hills down into the stagnant marshes they had left behind. They climbed the banks of the stream and followed it until they came upon a cluster of stunted alder-trees. It was little protection from prying eyes, but it was better than nothing.

When they had come to the camp the sun was nearly set but they dared not light a fire. Minuial set her sister down who collapsed to the side panting heavily. Sweat matted her hair and she looked as if she had run for leagues. Within seconds of being set on the ground she drifted off to sleep.

Aragorn felt anxious and far more exposed than he had felt earlier. "We will draw watches," he announced in a voice barely above a whisper. The hobbits all nodded, "Dawn may be excluded from it." The twins were mumbling something along the lines of chakra exhaustion and Aragorn felt fear for his niece. Chakra was their life force from what he remembered of his friend's explanation, a life force his children had been born with.

"Do either of you know illusions?" Pippin asked in a small voice as he looked around the darkening area. The girls shook their heads, but Tinnu opened a scroll that carried a number seals within it. They were the usual seals they set up around their camps.

The girls then began to set up a perimeter with those seals and once done they sat back down in the center next to their sister. They then drew out blank paper, and in the waxing light of the moon they began to recreate the seals they had just set. Aragorn felt slightly better now that there was something protecting him, though he did have his doubts about their usefulness. Did these seals truly protect them?

…

It was their third day out of Bree and they still had seen no sight of the hobbits or Sasuke's daughters. Mid-day they stopped once more for water before continuing on. Around dusk they arrived at a dell just below Weathertop. It almost looked like it had been a camp for others, and recently. There was a fresh stack of cut wood for a fire, perhaps this was frequented by rangers? Gandalf guessed the same it seemed.

"Well, let us climb to the top and see what we shall see," the man stated tiredly as he let Shadowfax graze. Sasuke agreed with the elderly man and matched his long strides toward the base of the structure. "This was one a watch-tower—"

"Don't care," Sasuke cut the man off before he began to wall walk up the rock surface.

Gandalf had been chuckling at his behavior but quickly ended up gawking at him. "How are you doing that!?" he asked incredulously.

Sasuke just hummed before stating "Hurry up, Old man." Gandalf bristled slightly at his attitude but then shook his head and directed a slight smile at him. Sasuke glared in return and continued his walk vertically up the hill.

He really did not want to know what that crazy old man was thinking. They had barely talked that day, yet when they did the man would always end up smiling instead of being pissed off. It was almost like he was indulging Sasuke…and it sort of reminded him of the dobe…like the old man had figure him out in a way Sasuke wasn't aware of and now found his prickly attitude endearing.

He closed his eyes tightly in annoyance. The dobe was like that, she figured him out and…and before the cursed seal, Sasuke had seen the dobe as a brother of sorts…a rival and friend. Now she was his wife and…and best friend. She was an annoyance—that would never change—but she knew him so well and…and that tender part he had for her because of the children she gave him…

He shook away those sentimental feelings and closed his eyes tighter. Because it was possible she might never return.

He took a deep breath once he reached the top. He looked around and saw Shadofax below at the foot of the hill. Then he looked northeast and paused. He narrowed his gaze and glared a stream that wound its way off toward some sort of lowland, perhaps a marsh? However, that was not what caught his attention…no…

Sasuke pushed some chakra into his eyes and gazed that way again. Then he saw it! In a cluster of stunted trees was a shimmer. It was so slight yet it was there. He was ready to jump off of the hill and race toward the shimmer. It was not an illusion exactly, but it acted like one; or rather, this shimmer was caused by one of the dobe's seals. He felt relief; however, it was destroyed when his gaze flickered to the west. There was a black shape darting for Weathertop, and then there was another, and another. Those Ring Wraiths—Nazgûl, or whatever else they were called—were converging on their position.

Gandalf had arrived at this point, he was panting and huffing slightly, but his gaze quickly caught riders approaching them. "They've spotted us now," he stated with a drawn expression.

"And I found the company," Sasuke stated, his voice was tight with fear for his children.

"What!? Where?" the old man was just as panicked.

"They've set up seals my do-wife made," Sasuke corrected himself. "They won't be seen unless these Nazgûl can see through illusions."

"If I am able to see them, there is a good chance the enemy will be able to too, though there is no guarantee."

"Then we'll have to distract them either way and scatter them away from my family." Sasuke then pointed toward the cluster of trees and Gandalf shook his head.

"I cannot see anything."

Sasuke nodded his head but he felt no relief. "Should we set up a trap?"

"No trap can hold a Ring Wraith," the old man stated gravely, and Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"I meant a lethal trap."

The elderly man still shook his head, "They will be upon us soon."

Sasuke glared at the old man. That was no reason for why they couldn't prepare a trap. Sasuke mentally thought about what weapons he had on him. He had no explosive tags, no ninja-wire, but he did have ten kunai, three shuriken, Kusanagi, and he had some alcohol he supposed he could make an explosive out of, though he was reserving that for any wounds he might have to disinfect. He gritted his teeth; he wouldn't even be able to make a proper trap anyway.

And so he and Gandalf moved to the center of Weathertop where there was a ring of stones that must be the remains of the watchtower Gandalf had mentioned.

Instead of coming up the main path where they might have ended up in a bottleneck, the Nazgûl came up from all sides. Sasuke glared at the hooded and cloaked creatures. His sharingan began to spin with the eternal sharingan and he set the first one he saw ablaze with Amaterasu, however it just gave an inhuman shriek of pain. The black flames consumed the creature's robes and did burn the creature yet it was still alive! He could see it as some shimmering ethereal being, an aged human with a long beard and sunken dead eyes. If Naruto was here, she'd call it a ghost and try to hide—well, that was assuming the dobe was still terrified of ghosts.

He glared at it all the more for reminding him of the dobe's stupidity, even if he now found it endearing.

"You killed one of them!?" Gandalf asked in surprise from where he had his staff raised and a bright fire leapt from the end of it. He also had a sword drawn and it shone in the fire's light.

"No," he gritted out before launching a kunai at the uncloaked wraith. It shrieked as the kunai embedded where its heart ought to be, but what horrified Sasuke was that the kunai burst into a million pieces on impact and the thing still wasn't dead. However, he noticed the uncloaked one was no longer moving toward him and was taking agonizingly slow steps backwards. In fact, the uncloaked Nazgûl seemed to have a hard time moving and staying in one piece, like it might disperse into the wind without its cloak.

He saw two more wraiths coming closer but he dared not draw Kusanagi lest it shatter like his kunai. His chikotō was just a normal sword with no special properties. He could add charka to it to make it cut through anything, but it was not like his original. If his kunai could be destroyed so easily, his precious sword could be too.

He watched as half of the cloaked things were focused on Gandalf who dual wielded his sword and staff. Fire burst in an inferno from the end of the staff while the old man blocked their poisonous blades with his sword. He was deceptively agile and skilled, not as skilled as Sasuke or Aragorn, but he was certainly better than the dobe could ever hope to be at kenjutsu.

Sasuke glared at his portion of the Nazgûl and began to run through the familiar hand signs for the katon: gōkakyū technique. It felt so good to have his fire aligned chakra build in his throat and then to expel the chakra out through his mouth and focused through his hand. This must be what an addict feels when taking a hit after a very long time of sobriety. His throat even tingled a little after he expelled the chakra.

The two Nazgûl it hit shrieked and stepped backwards.

"Truly Dû, what are you?" Gandalf asked, "You are and cannot be an Istar."

"Do you really think now is the best time for this?" Sasuke glared at his opponents, who were now on fire but still advancing. What the hell!? Already, after the two fire techniques he used the atmosphere was clouding up. One more fire aligned technique should be enough to create a natural storm cloud. He doubted it would help him but he may as well try.

As he ran through the hand signs and drew on his fire aligned chakra, he could hear a rumbling begin in the clouds above them and he could smell ozone in the air. He finished the signs for the katon: hōsenka technique and watched as the Nazgûl tried to bat away the flying balls of fire racing toward them. They failed and their screeches rose high into the air. These creatures were not quick and agile like a ninja, therefore there had been absolutely no hope for them to dodge his attack.

"Old man, you stay close beside me for my next attack," he hissed out as he began to prepare for one of his strongest lightning attacks; however the storm above them was fairly weak, he just hopped it might scare away these things or at least stun them. He couldn't have them see his children or go after them; he had to do something to drive them away.

The dark sky began to light up with the occasional lightning flash. He grinned and ran through the appropriate signs for the kirin. It would be the weakest kirin he had ever made, but at least it should stun them if not scorch the area they were around. Gandalf gasped as he looked up, but he quickly focused back on his enemies who had paused at the change in weather.

"Are you the one doing this?" the old man asked in a whispering voice before he began muttering a long string of words under his breath. Sasuke hadn't heard him earlier but now he deduced that the man had to say some sort of incantation to make his attacks work.

"Yes and no. We've both released enough fire techniques into the atmosphere to generate these conditions; I'm just taking advantage of it." He snagged onto the natural lightning in the air and channeled a scant amount of chakra through it to form his technique. "Let's see if they can fear?" he smirked as the giant creature of electricity appeared from the sky and charged down at a cluster of the creatures.

Gandalf gasped again but this time at the sight of the lightning creature as it raced to the ground. He pressed closer to Sasuke and the former nuke-nin smirked to himself; however, it faltered when one of the Nazgûl got back up and gave a screech to the now cowering creatures. It was as if this Nazgûl was their leader and it was ordering the rest them to keep fighting.

How?

In his anger he began to form a chidori in his hand and raced toward the closet Nazgûl. He was satisfied when his fist sunk through where its heart should be, but then as his lightning aligned chakra dissipated throughout the creature he felt a stabbing cold.

He dropped to the ground even as his opponent fled from him. The cold radiated up through his arm and through his chest in sharp waves of pain. He couldn't breathe for a moment and could only gasp. After the initial flare of pain he could breathe slightly better but when Sasuke tried to move his fingers, he couldn't. It was as if his hand had been frozen. He clutched at the area above where his arm had gone through the creature and stared at the pale, almost translucent color it was turning. He staggered to his feet and raced back to Gandalf's position.

"I've tried my strongest techniques and they haven't backed off."

He supposed he could use his modified forms of Susanoo but he was already feeling a strain on his chakra after the days of running, the wall walk, and the chakra intensive techniques he had used. He also knew there was no guarantee that if they survived this skirmish, he would have time to recuperate and raise his chakra reserves. He had been careless and was already injured. He looked for the uncloaked Nazgûl but he no longer saw it on the plateau.

"They see us as a threat, one they must eliminate for their master."

"How the hell do you know that?" Sasuke hissed as he glared at the advancing creatures. Damn it! He couldn't even use his hand now. He glared down at his twitching hand, which he now couldn't feel at all. "Cover me, I need to heal my hand,"

With one hand Sasuke began to channel healing chakra into his usable hand and placed it against his damaged arm. He tried a simple jutsu for frostbite but it did nothing, so then he tried to look at the tenketsu in his arm.

He gasped and cursed. They were all closed and it looked like there had been minor damage to the nerves, if his scan was correct. Fuck! He didn't have the medical knowledge to fix this.

He tried his best to channel the right kind of chakra to open the tenketsu points again, but he didn't think he would have enough time with their enemies encroaching on them. He closed his eyes and continued to focus on his tenketsu points. He had to survive this…for his girls.

…

Tinnu stared up at the sky in shock. She couldn't quite make out what was happening on Weathertop but she had a damn good idea what it was. The giant electrical construct was also a dead giveaway.

"Strider, what is that light?" Frodo asked in a gasp of fear and amazement. Tinnu watched her awed uncle as he stared up at the towering hill.

"It is like lightning that leaps up from the hill…"

"It's Tousan," Tinnu stated her eyes hard with fear. What could make her father use such jutsu? She felt silence fall around them, and she wondered if the hobbits were scared of her father's power. They then heard a loud shriek carry across the wind and it chilled them to the bone.

"The riders are up there!" Pippin cried in fear, shaking in his bedroll.

Ojisan looked ahead, his jaw was tight and his arms were crossed over his chest. Dawn was still fast asleep and it made Tinnu worry more. What if they were suddenly attacked? What should they do? It was clear things were not safe for them.

"What do we do now Strider?" Frodo asked, his voice tight with fear. "The riders are up there!"

"Yes they are, as is Gandalf, I recognize his mastery of fire….though I wonder how he and Dû met up?" Ojisan added softly with a frown marring his face. Tinnu still wasn't sure who this Gandalf person was, but from what she gleaned from the murmured conversations, he was an old and powerful man.

"We cannot move, we will easily be spotted by the enemy if we leave now, we have no way of knowing when they might leave the battle and they have quite the vantage point from up there."

"Tousan will have noticed the seals we put up…" Minuial whispered as she watched flames flicker across the night sky, leaping upwards in great flames. Aragorn stiffened at this and turned to look at Tinnu and her sister.

"Does this mean the enemy could too?"

Tinnu looked down and bit her lip, "I-I don't know…"

"Tousan can only see it because of our eyes…" Minuial stated at the same time and Aragorn sighed.

"We will rest here until mid-morning and then bypass Weathertop completely. I want you all to be ready to leave and I want you to travel as quickly as you can. Once we are out of the open we will have a better chance at survival."

They all nodded and Tinnu wrapped her arms around her knees as she stared up at the monolithic hill. Please be alright, Tousan, she prayed to whatever deity might listen. She knew Minuial was wishing for the same thing as she clasped Tinnu's hand tightly.

"Tousan," they whispered together.

…

Sasuke moved his hand slightly; he had succeeded in opening some of the tenketsu points. He would have to be on the defensive and with his non-dominant hand. He had been trained to use both hands ambidextrously but his main hand had a certain finesse he had yet to acquire with the non-dominant one.

Unsheathing Kusanagi, Sasuke moved from his temporary shelter and put his back against the old man who was holding his own quite well. The Nazgûl came at them with a desperateness which made their careless swipes at them easy to defend and knock away. Perhaps they were afraid; perhaps they did feel the need to take Sasuke and the old man out before they caused trouble for their master. But they were almost too desperate.

Sasuke resisted the urge to cut into these creatures lest they destroy his only other weapon. "They have to have a weakness," he hissed in frustration.

"Half of Middle Earth would love to know it," Gandalf replied gruffly before he began speaking aloud in a commanding tone but also in a very strange language. The Nazgûl reared back slightly, almost as if they were afraid. The apparent leader of the Nazgûl, however, stepped forward, unafraid it seemed. It shrieked at them even as Gandalf continued to speak in his commanding voice.

Sasuke could feel the power in the man's words, almost like the man could radiate out chakra via his speech. Sasuke shuddered slightly, but snapped his attention back to the creatures. He regarded them closely and tried to see if there was anything, even just a pinprick of chakra or energy. Anything that might imply where their power came from…anything he might cut out from them.

And then they were fleeing. Sasuke stared at them in disbelief but Gandalf sagged down upon his staff and breathed heavily. "What the hell did you do?"

"I am afraid I did not drive them away, their master called them I imagine… Perhaps Sauron heard the incantation I was beginning; perhaps he knows the ring is not with us. I do not know."

The old man breathed heavily before he rose to his feet tiredly and turned to face Sasuke. "Let me see your hand," he ordered with worry etched on his face.

Sasuke presented his damaged arm. He really wished the dobe would return with medical scrolls for advance procedures such as the one's he needed at the moment. Sasuke supposed he could wait for the tenketsu points to open gradually, but with the extensive damage dealt to the points it would take months.

"I am not much of a healer but I know a little of the healing arts."

"We don't have time, we need to scatter them, we have to keep them from my family," Sasuke pulled his numb arm out of the elderly man's grasp and glared at him. Why the hell offer to heal his arm if the man knew so little about healing?

The old man sighed, "And how do you propose we do that?"

Sasuke glared down at his useless hand. He couldn't even form a clone now. Gritting his teeth he offered up his hand to the man once more, "When I put my arm through it, the tenketsu points were shut."

"Tenketsu?" the old man stumbled over the term.

"The points through which energy flows, if they are closed I cannot manipulate energy in that area and it paralyzes the area as well…" Sasuke shut his eyes and deactivated his sharingan. "The nerves have also been damaged slightly."

"Nerves?"

Sasuke felt his eye twitch slightly, "Yes, the things that tell your brain you're in pain and aid in sending signals from it to your body and muscles." Damn their rudimentary medical knowledge. What Sasuke wouldn't give to be Kabuto or a jinchuuriki who had enhanced healing—hell, he could deal with having Karin around again, if just for her healing abilities!

"Hm…I will do my best, though I am no Elf," Sasuke rolled his eyes and glared out at the still retreating black figures, at this rate they would all be scattered and long gone before they had a chance to catch them.

Sasuke looked over towards the shimmering area his daughters were at. He wanted to go over there but he would be endangering them even more. The Nazgûl were watching them even now as they fled.

"Before we leave," Sasuke began. "I'm leaving a message for my girls."

"That is not wise, the enemy—"

"Knows Japanese? I think not," Sasuke replied shortly and glared at the old man again. He looked bewildered at the "strange" name for a language and Sasuke shook his head.

"What will you tell them?"

"Why don't you just heal my arm already?"

---

A Suivre

---

Something Extra:

There was a mechanical beeping sound, as well as a dripping sound. The beeping was almost foreign, but slowly Naruto remembered what hospitals in the Elemental Lands sounded like. That almost seemed like another life to her. She smiled faintly and slowly opened her eyes, however she hissed in pain and closed her eyes. The light was blinding!

Grimacing in pain, Naruto tried once more to open them. Blinking away tears, Naruto looked up at the white ceiling made of what looked like drywall. Drywall, not wood planks and rafters, but drywall! She really did it, she really came back to Konoha, and there, in the middle of the ceiling was light fixture, not a lantern hanging off a hook, but a real electrical light!

Its light was much harsher than she was used to. Fire light flickered and was softer, warmer; not hard and cold like this electrical light. Naruto blinked away tears from the brightness; hell, the electrical light was even causing a slight headache.

Naruto turned her head to the side, consequently looking out a window—a window with clear glass panes, not warped and bubbled glass that was crudely made, no, this was manufactured glass, crystalline clear. And there it was, Konoha! Her breath caught in her throat and she felt tears build up at the corners of her eyes. She was home and yet she wasn't. The girls should be with her, the teme should be with her!

But it was so beautiful! The sun was almost finished setting and a purple like hue was cast over the village. The girls should see this, see where they came from, but they couldn't, they should never see this place. They were Uchiha, they had those terrible eyes and they could very well have the Rennigan as well—after all, the Senju and the Uchiha clan had merged once more. Naruto shut her eyes heavily. She wanted them here, she wanted her baby too – but no…no it was dead, had been dead.

She choked on a sob. Gods it was dead, for two whole weeks! Where was the teme, where were her girls!? She needed them. She needed her baby, but it was dead! Gods damn it all, it was dead!

Naruto kept sobbing; her whole frame shook with each ragged gasp of air between pitiful cries. She brought one skeletal hand to her mouth—absently; she thought it was too big and broad to be her hand.

It wasn't fair, it wasn't fair damn it! She lost the last two, she lost both of them! Gods she wanted the teme, she wanted her girls, why had she left them!

She was so lost in her own thoughts, in her losses, that she did not notice the blonde woman sleeping in a guest chair snap awake at the first sob. "Naruto!" the woman called and watched in horror as the savior of their world cried hysterically, completely oblivious to the world.

The woman grabbed hold of Naruto's shoulders and forced the younger blonde back onto the bed. "Naruto! Naruto!"

Naruto looked up through her tears at a very familiar face. "Ts-Tsunade-baachan?" the blonde woman nodded and Naruto broke down again, "Baachan, it was dead! Dead! For two weeks! It was mocking me!" Naruto managed to scream out as she cried harder and cradled her stomach, "Baachan, it was so still, so still!"

If Naruto had been focusing on anything but the loss of her baby, she would have noticed Tsunade's expression become stony, if not a little confused. She would have noticed someone else had entered the room wearing the hat of the Hokage and the white and red robes. She would have seen the confusion in the newcomer's lone grey eye while the other eye spun lazily in a hypnotic fashion. But she didn't, she only cried at losing the baby, and finally having someone who might understand her pain.

Naruto felt Tsunade pull her into a hug. She wrapped her boney arms around her surrogate grandmother's neck and held on tightly as she cried. Tsunade just held onto her and rocked back and forth with her until Naruto exhausted herself, as she faded away from consciousness, Tsunade set her back down onto the bed with an unreadable expression on her face.

With Naruto unconscious once more, the blonde medic stood up then and turned to the Hokage who was already asking her questions, "What was he going on about, and why was he using female first person forms?"

Tsunade sighed tiredly and rubbed at her temples, "I need a drink Hatake," the man looked at her sharply and Tsunade sighed back ached from arthritis and she had been having growing chest pains, which was why she had passed on the hat. She was getting old, no matter how good she took care of her own body-if one excluded her alcohol addiction. And she certainly felt too old to go through this with her successor.

"Remember how I did a blood test to make sure this was our Naruto?" Kakashi nodded firmly in response to her question, "Well, the genetics matched up but the hormones were all over the place. It showed signs of severe long-term depression and hormones similar to a woman who had a stillbirth not too long ago."

"And what he was talking about was…?" Kakashi began before trailing off as he pushed his headband back over his transplant eye. "How could he have a stillbirth?"

Tsunade frowned along with him, "Hatake, his hormones suggest that," she faltered but began again. "They suggest that he's a woman, or at least has been for years. He has almost nonexistent levels of testosterone, but they have been building back up over the last few days. It also appears he's been depressed for years and if what his hormones are suggesting is true, losing this supposed baby was the tipping point.

"The state Naruto is in right now is likely self-induced. I'd imagine he hasn't been eating for weeks and before that only eating enough for the…the baby." She grimaced, it seemed impossible that Naruto, the brash little boy that convinced her to become Hokage, had been a woman, possibly even a mother. It didn't match up at all with the Naruto she knew.

They all believed he had died when he and Sasuke faced off and disappeared into that kamui. Kakashi tried following them but it failed, he couldn't find them at all. It had devastated them all, their savior was gone, their shining light of hope had been sucked up by a sharingan technique again, but this time there was little hope he would return. Kakashi took up the mantle of Hokage after seven years of searching for them, and now Konohamaru was being trained for the position.

Tsunade moved toward the window and frowned. Kakashi had moved over to Naruto's bed and brushed back his hair. "Do you think it was the first time Naruto had been pregnant?"

"No…" They both knew the implication.

"Is it too much to assume he did this to Naruto?" Tsunade knew who this he Kakashi was referring to was—the venom in Kakashi's voice said all she needed to know.

"If he didn't do it, then he helped Naruto through labor, otherwise Naruto wouldn't be a Jinchuuriki or even here." Tsunade turned away from the window to see Kakashi seated next to Naruto and holding one of his skeletal hands. "Hokage-sama," she addressed the man almost sarcastically, "Shouldn't you be doing paperwork."

"It can wait until he wakes up again and I'll have a clone deal with meetings."

"Hatake," she deadpanned but he just looked back up at her with a cold look. She huffed, "Fine, be childish, Brat." She was halfway to the door before she stopped and they both began to laugh weakly. Kakashi was a brat and he knew it, sometimes it was a relief for both of them to be reminded of that.

"I stand by my previous decision. We wait to hear his story before we let anyone know he's back or declare him traitor."

Tsunade looked at the man sitting beside her favorite blonde. He looked much older than he was, and she too felt much older than she looked. She imagined her liver would give out soon, but before that happened she'd get Naruto back on his feet.

"Very well, Hokage-sama. I will continue his current treatment and assess his mental health when he wakes up and begin treatment for that as well." She bowed. Her tone was serious. She never would have thought that she'd stay in the village after passing the hat off to Kakashi, but when…when Sakura broke down, she found she could not abandon the hospital or the village.

Tsunade left the room and shut the door firmly behind her. She leaned against it and closed her eyes tightly as she thought about Team 7. Kakashi seemed to be the only healthy member left, the only functioning member left, as far as she knew. Yes he took his team's collapse as a personal failure but he used it as motivation to become the best Hokage he could.

Sakura took her teammates' "deaths" the hardest. She had a complete mental break down ten years ago. Since then, for the safety of those around her and her own safety, she was moved into civilian quarters and became a civilian doctor. She no longer interacted with ninja, but it was for all of their safety. She was happily married to a baker and had a son, and she pretended she had never been a ninja. It was for all the best, they had all decided.

Naruto had touched so many people's lives, and they all mourned his loss. Perhaps the most surprising reaction had been Sai and Hinata…She chuckled even as tears gathered in her eyes. Who would have thought Sai would become a Kakashi, and Hinata one of the fiercest advocates for Naruto's peace? Who would have thought?

"Tsundae-hime!" she looked over to Sai who came jogging up with a bright smile on his face, Naruto's smile on his face. She wiped at her remaining tears and greeted the former Root operative. "Why are you crying Tsunade-hime? Is old age finally catching up and you are lost in memories?"

She glared at the man with a smile on her face, "Shut up Brat, don't you have children to pick up?"

Sai laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head, "Neji is graduating from the academy today, and I was going to pick up Sakura from Shina so we could congratulate him," Sai continued to smile brightly before he began to move toward the section his eldest daughter worked in. Shina would watch her sister when both Sai and Hinata were on missions.

"Sai, you still have some blood on you from your mission," she stated drily and the man faltered in his step before bowing.

"Thank you Tsunade-hime," he then started toward the bathroom. She smiled sadly. He might act like Naruto now, but he continued to do assassinations, while Hinata did what Naruto would do. Sometimes she wondered if they were really happy, and it only made her agree with Kakashi. Perhaps it would be best to keep Naruto hidden for now, lest it ruin the precarious lives built in his absence.

---

A/N: Firstly, my OTP involves Naruto, so I have no attachment to the pairings suggested above, and if you don't like them sorry but lets be realistic. All the clan kids would have to marry a non-blondline persons so that the bloodlines wouldn't be corrupted-that was the main argument Hiashi would have had against Naruto. So... keeping that in mind it does limit who marries who, and some marriages may just be purely political. I'm not advocating one pairing over another, so please don't shut this story down because of it. I'm making my best guess, cynical though it may be, on what would happen should Sasuke and Naruto have vanished after the war.

Also, I know I said this chapter would end at Rivendell, but at this point I am only half way through the outline I had and the chapter was already as long as the previous one. The next chapter may be shorter but it will most certainly end at Rivendell. Also, as I'm sure you've all guessed, I am an introspective writer, so my action scenes have much to be desired. If you have pointers or no any good stories I should look at for action sequences, I'd appreciate it (To be truthful, I usually skim over actions scenes 'cause they're boring to me, but that is a large part of this story). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter ~ with love, depressedchildren