Me: How much of absurdity you wanna put in this story?

Also me: Yes.

The coppery taste on her lips has already become familiar. She coughs a couple of times, gasping at the pain that even this movement brings her. Her brain is lethargic and she's not sure when unconsciousness will claim her again, so she concentrates on thinking about the facts, trying to stay sane enough to get through that torture.

"My name is Kana Uchiha. Seventeen years. Konoha's kunoichi. I infiltrated Isengard and was captured by a hostile element. "

A gentle breeze passes by, and she catches the scent of fire and burning trees. She can hear venomous noises that she has come to associate with that sordid orc language.

"Assassination mission: failed. The target, Saruman, somehow managed to resurrect or trick me into thinking he was dead. Eiko, Katsuo, and Riki Uchiha were captured. Location of victims: unknown. Hypothesis: somewhere in the Tower. Victim status: hostages or dead. Most likely hypothesis: alive, given that he wanted to use us as weapons."

The heat seeps through the layers of clothing, where she can feel the burn blisters scrape against her clothing.

"My condition: chained by some kind of magic that constantly sucks chakra. Kept on the brink of chakra exhaustion. Minimal food and water, just enough to not die. Wrists, ankles, and back were pierced by the chains. Sunburn and fever. Difficulty breathing, broken ribs, slow reflexes and thoughts..."

Kana pauses, momentarily hesitating to even think about it. But she needed to accept it and move on.

"...and blind."

It's a bitter thing to swallow. Kana tries not to think too much about that condition, not that moment, not at that place.

"When you're safe with Eiko, Riki, and Katsuo, you can think about it. Until then, don't give the satisfaction of crying in enemy territory."

So the Uchiha thinks, trying to find a solution to her captive state. Kana tests her chains several times, enduring with each sudden movement a little more of her chakra being drained, and what was holding her back getting even more inside her skin.

She would not give up, however. Her family needed her, so she can't give up.

There was nothing to do but wait, speculate, and go through with it. If she was right, Saruman would try to convince her to join his army again, hoping the experience of physical and psychological torture would change her mind.

She was a kunoichi, however. She was meant to be broken, over and over again, and stay loyal to the mission. She had already been through this and would probably go through it again in the future because this was a shinobi's life.

But Saruman didn't know that because there are no shinobis in Middle-earth.

One day, he would make a mistake.

So she waits for it.

Kana is no longer alone.

There was someone in the Tower, someone she couldn't hear the sound of dragging chains, which meant she or he wasn't trapped, someone whose power she could feel, someone who was an enemy of Saruman.

"Saruman's Mistake."

She almost smiles, but keeps her expression carefully neutral and her breathing as soft as possible, listening for the noises the other makes. She assumes is a man, from the screams that echoed earlier. For a long time, the only sounds were gasps and a few moans of pain and betrayal so expressive it was disconcerting to hear.

Then the man finally seemed to notice her. There was a horrified gasp as she felt his eyes on her. Kana had the distinct feeling that he had pity all over his face.

"I-I…" She coughs, her voice a little hoarse from lack of use.

"…I thought I would be the only one to receive special treatment. What did you do to piss off the old goat?"

There's a moment of silence when she can almost feel the bewilderment of the man ahead, a confused murmur "Old... goat... ?" and finally an answer.

"I refused to participate in his plans."

"He has a problem when he's told 'no', then."

She rolls her eyes and couldn't help the huff that left her lips, regretting it immediately, but not making a single sound of pain, more out of habit than anything else. The "Poor girl" he says in a worried tone does not go unnoticed. She tilts her brow and decides he must be an older man, maybe even a father, with all that emotion seeping into his voice.

"Is that what Miss did to irritate the... old goat?"

"Miss... ? Ah, I almost forgot the manners of this world. Well, I suppose it's only right to return the respect… This time."

"Something like that. You... aren't chained, are you? Normally I wouldn't have had to ask, but Saruman did something to my eyes."

"My Eru! He did what?!" – He looked livid and even more horrified as he replied that he wasn't chained.

"Could you…"

She didn't get a chance to finish the " Could you try to take the chains away" sentence. Snarling a "No!" as he invaded her personal space, Kana involuntarily jerked back when he touched her forehead, not being prepared for the sudden touch. She hisses at the pain of the chains hurting her with the sudden movement and bites her lip to suppress the whimper of pain.

"I am so sorry… I should have warned you."

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"I won't hurt you, young lady. Do not be afraid."

"Oh, damn. Great, now he thinks I'm a weakling." She thinks, embarrassed, and clears her throat.

"I was…surprised, that's all. What were you planning to do?"

"I thought I'd make a diagnosis of your situation. See if I can restore your sight, or at least ease some of your pain. I believe the chains should probably be taken off one each day, or your body might not support it. There is... a lot of blood. "

She thinks about what he says with a thoughtful expression, speculating on the man in front of her.

"Healer?"

"No, but I know enough about healing magic to alleviate your condition."

"Mn." – She replied and nodded her head. – "Proceed."

He was more careful, Kana noticed, barely touching his forehead. There was a soft humming, in a language she didn't understand. A strange, relaxing feeling came over her, similar to what had happened when the Mirkwood archer, Legolas, had healed her. It was really… magical, as ridiculous as it still sounded in her mind. She knew there were mages in this world, having fought one herself who might be as skilled in their sorcery as she was in her ninjutsu, but that distinct sense of calm, of peace was what really unnerved her. It was different from the medi-nin's method she was used to. It wasn't as efficient on her chakra, but it felt similar enough to ease some pain.

"You're not a normal human, are you, lady?" – He asked, curious. She didn't answer him. He finished with a weary sigh and she missed it immediately, the pain gradually returning.

"That is all I can do now. If I had my staff or even if I had a little more rest, I could do more."

"Staff? So… Is he a mage too?"

She nodded silently, imagining that the other was also injured, as she had definitely heard the sound of battle before.

"They call me Gandalf. What's your name, Miss?"

"They call him Gandalf, but he didn't say it is his name. A false name?" She thinks, absently, and considers whether she should offer the same, but ultimately decides not to.

"Kana."

"Well, Kana. Although the circumstances are direful, I'm glad to meet you."

"I… am glad to meet you, too, despite the circumstances. Or, maybe, because of the circumstances."

Kana didn't explain further, leaving him to wonder what she meant by that. Of course, she was referring to the help she expected from him, which was much easier than she'd anticipated, but other things as well. It was hard to go through torture alone, though it couldn't have been more than a few days since the confinement, and the darkest thoughts ran through her mind. Plus, sometimes she wonders if this was real, she used to say "Kai" every day for one year since the massacre. Kana would also benefit from him anyway, even if he was Saruman's bait to try to convince her to join him. If this Gandalf was truly an ally, that was fine, and if he was an enemy, she would extract whatever information she could and manipulate him until she seemed convincingly desperate to accept any offer from Saruman.

The next day, when she opens her eyes, it is still the darkness that greets her.

"A blind Uchiha is nothing." – Kana recalls the whispers of her clan many years ago when it was not difficult to find a blind Uchiha walking the streets of the complex because of the war.

Kana swallows and exhales a soft sigh before repeating the information she had, ever alert to the new presence she was sharing the space with.

When he wakes up – or pretends to wake up, she's pretty sure he hasn't been able to sleep – the first thing Kana does is inform him that he's going to have to rip off all the chains at once.

"Miss Kana, you won't survive if you take them all out at once."

"It's a risk I'll have to take." – Kana says and, before he replies, she explains her reasoning:

"There is a possibility that once you remove the chains, Saruman could feel it. If that happens, he would separate and I won't have a chance to run away for a long time. As soon as you take the chains off me, if he feels it and comes to check, I'll escape. I don't have the strength to carry you, but if you help me I'll find a way to get you out of here."

"Kana…" – The man begins with concern evident in his voice. – "We are at the top of the tower. Unless you have wings, I don't see how that would be possible. As for the chains... if that's what you fear, maybe I shouldn't take them off until the escape is near. But... you will have to be patient."

The Uchiha clenches her jaw, though that's the only sign of her annoyance.

"There's a reason I'm stuck in these chains. I don't care if it's a tower, the tallest mountain in this world, or a damn abyss, once these chains are out of my body, I will escape. Help me, Gandalf, and I will help you. Do nothing and I will repay you in the same way."

There is a cold certainty about her, and Gandalf catches a glimpse of her tenacity. She's a strange creature, and the istari eye her with curiosity and caution, because even wounded, vulnerable, and chained as she is, there's a promise of power in her. In the part of her face he can see, it's not the expression of a reckless young woman or a baseless haughty girl, but a professional calm, of someone not making thoughtless statements.

He believes she is capable of carrying out what she has said, even though he has no idea how she would manage to do it.

Gandalf shakes his head, still feeling in his heart that she should take them out one by one, rather than take it all like this.

"I'll take your chains off, promises of retribution or not, because it's the right thing to do." – He tells her and then approaches her, warning her. – "I'll make contact."

She feels his hands on one of her wrists and involuntarily closes her eyes.

"Ready?" – He asks and Kana silently nods her head.

He expected her to pass out from the pain after the first chain was removed, maybe even try to convince her then that one a day would be better if Saruman didn't show up. But Kana remains awake and stubborn, it seems.

Gandalf removes the chains, one by one, and is more and more amazed at her strength. There's blood flowing and it must be excruciating pain, but she bites her lip as hard as she can to keep from screaming too much.

By the end, she's gasping in pain and looks almost dead, which makes the mage's stomach churn in guilt and anguish, because even if it was necessary, it was still at his hands that her injuries were getting worse. When it's all done, she passes out.

Hours later, Saruman doesn't seem to have felt that she was free and Gandalf regrets not having insisted on taking them out one by one when in the following days she is in a feverish state and most of the time unconscious, struggling to survive. It's even harder when he has to give her water and feed her when he takes off her mask and sees she's barely an adult.

By the fourth day, however, every fever is gone and she is more awake, healthier, and more alert than he has ever seen her.

It doesn't take long to get used to the layout of the Tower's top, and now that sight of her is gone, her other senses are heightened. Her sensitivity to feel the energy of this world was also gradually increasing and now she knew where her new ally was just focusing a little, as well as being able to sense if there was anyone on the pavement just below them.

Kana is grateful that Gandalf doesn't talk too much. He tried to get to know her better and she gave vague and curt answers before he accept that Kana was not interested in becoming friends with him, nor did she need words of comfort or spill what circumstances had brought her here. She likes the older one, despite drawing clear boundaries between them; it was just that she had no reason to try to forge a deeper bond than temporary allies.

After three days of getting used to her blindness and her freedom of movement, with her chakra no longer low, she's ready.

The teenager looks toward him with a smirk on her lips.

"It's time we got out of here and pissed off the old goat. And if you're asking yourself 'how?'… that's how."

He barely has time to process when she takes a few steps and is on the edge of the Tower, falling. Gandalf screams her name, stunned, and runs to see her body fall... Except she's glued to the stone wall, with a mischievous expression even through her mask.

Kana was walking along the side of the Tower, defying any rationality, as if it were as natural as he was standing on top of the Tower. Gandalf has never seen anything like it in his many years of life. He's speechless.

Though Kana doesn't see the eldest's utterly bemused expression, she can almost imagine his disbelief and she returns to the top of the Tower, stopping right in front of him, who took a few steps back as she approached.

"That... should be impossible... How do you... ?"

Kana hummed an "mnnnn," inwardly amused to impress.

"Now that you know it's not impossible, shall we?" – She turned and bent her knees a little and the older one looked confused at the typical position of someone who is going to carry another on their back.

"I'll carry you and then we'll go in through the lower deck window."

He ponders his words and decides to give it a try, despite his common sense that a young woman wouldn't be able to carry him. He ignores common sense. She'd already proved to him that some things weren't as impossible as they seemed, and for someone who can walk along the wall of a building as naturally as if it were the ground, he doesn't think it will be that difficult to carry someone twice her stature.

This is how Gandalf sees himself, against all logic, being carried by a young human (or perhaps not so human) lady, walking along the Tower wall until he reaches the floor she said.

"It will be difficult to get through the grounds to the gates without being seen..." The mage says, trying to find a way out of Isengard that doesn't lead to a confrontation, but he can't find a solution.

"I know how to leave in secrecy." – She says promptly, moving with an agility that made him wonder if she really was blind. She unlocks the door to the room, after putting her ear to the wall and deciding there is no one in the hallway. – "This way."

He lets himself be guided, and just as he's about to ask for more explanation, they enter what looks like an armory and she pulls out a sword unlike any he's ever seen. It was plain, black on the outside, but when she unsheathed it and moved, he could tell with certainty that it was a blade with a quality worthy of the weapons of the dwarven masters or the elven weapons of the First Age. He didn't have time to ask about the sword, not when she dug a little deeper into one of the room's pantries and returned with his staff. Split in half.

"Yours?" – She questions and Gandalf nods, muttering a soft "yes", while gently taking the two pieces of his staff. He closes his eyes and concentrates on fixing it, which he partially succeeds in. It was whole again, but it wouldn't conduct his power well.

"Could you reverse what Saruman did to me?" – The Uchiha asks, pointing to her eyes.

"In the state the staff is in, I cannot efficiently conduct my magic to fully reverse. I can restore your sight for a few hours, though."

"Good enough." – She answers, anxious, and the eldest begins the healing process. When Kana recover her vision, she sighs in relief and nods in silent gratitude.

"What's your plan for us to leave unnoticed?"

"There is an underground passage. I will put an illusion over us, and it will prevent them from seeing us, hearing us, and smelling us. We will still be tangible, so be careful not to bump into anything."

A few days have made all the difference, Kana thinks, blinking in surprise and flustered by how many orcs there are now. It was like an anthill as if Saruman had gathered the army she had been wondering where it was a few weeks ago. She glances sideways at the old man accompanying her, who looks increasingly somber as they cross the passage.

Kana was looking for the cages. They were empty last time, but she was pretty sure there were now three children in chains. Unfortunately, when she saw the cells, there were more than children.

It was a nightmare corridor, reeking of mildew, dampness, blood, and sex, and Kana had to press her hand over Gandalf's mouth so he wouldn't utter an exclamation or vomit while they were under the genjutsu.

"That explains how there are so many of them now." – She thinks with distaste, listening to the screams of the women in each room mix with the grunts and snarls of the orcs. A cold shiver runs through her as she thinks that maybe they've done more than just arrest her children, but it passes when she gets to the furthest jail, the last one.

She reinforces her hand with chakra, breaking the lock and enters the dark, damp imprisonment, her heart sinking at the sight she sees.

Katsuo and Eiko are unconscious, chained, though not with the same black cloud chain.

"They must have been drugged." She thinks, releasing them and breaking the metal chains with ease. Gandalf also approached, probing the state of health of each and whispering that they were only unconscious and with few injuries, none of them lethal.

The mage carried the boy and Kana placed Eiko in her arms as they silently left the mage's territory. Gandalf didn't dare speak until they were near the grotto and that was only because Kana broke the silence first.

"Gandalf." – She calls him. "Go ahead with the children. I need to go back and now you will be able to move without needing a genjutsu. The chances of encountering orcs are considerable out there, so be careful. Go south; I'll meet you in the nearest village."

"What are you talking about? My God, Kana, you can't go back, you saw what happens... You... saw..." – He says, alarmed and puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing and searching her face that she wasn't serious about it.

It takes her by surprise, that he's almost panicked, that his wrinkled face is filled with sincere concern, for a stranger. She does not understand. He doesn't know her and yet he was acting like he really cared. The last time she'd seen so much concern directed at her was from Riki. She swallows and shakes her head, removing Gandalf's hand from her shoulder.

"I need to go back."– She says, calm. – "Wait for me for two days in the village."

Gandalf has no chance to say more, as the girl disappears before him in a whirlwind of leaves.

She finds him in Saruman's office, but there is something wrong with him. She can feel it in his chakra, she can see it in his expressionless face, in his rigid body next to the mage.

It's like seeing a doll, no life, no thoughts, just… there.

"Riki!"

Kana appears before the boy, grabbing him and taking him to the other side of the room, holding on tightly.

Saruman rises from his chair in surprise, looking at the figure that has appeared and has looked pretty good for someone who has been on the brink of death for the past week.

"Riki? Hey boy, I'm here. It's going to be okay now. Riki?"

He doesn't react. Kana hears Saruman's deep, condescending voice and glares at him.

"He won't listen to you. Just me. Isn't it, Riki?"

"Yes, sir."

Her body moves at a speed indecipherable to human eyes and the blade of her katana is against the mage's throat before he can feel it.

"What did you do?"- Her voice is sharp, murderous intent to the maximum, eyes red and full of fury.

Saruman is immobilized for a few seconds, that repressive aura too much for him to bear, nearly choking on the corrupt air, before he can gain some control over his body again.

It was almost as fearsome as being in the Eye's presence.

Saruman knows she's only going to hold back for a few more seconds before driving that sword down his throat, so he hastens to use his voice before that happens.

"I-if you kill me, it's your brother who will die!" – He yells, eyes wide, sweating. The pressure in his throat builds, drawing some blood before Kana narrows her eyes and loosens just a little.

"Is that how you survived last time? Making someone else pay for your death?"

"Yes." – He answers honestly. She growls, teeth bared. He suffocates from the intensity of her bloodlust.

"Undo it." - She orders and, despite the fear he feels for this mortal and his hatred, he laughs.

"And then you're going to kill me. Again."

The tension in the air is palpable before she withdraws her sword from his throat and takes a couple of steps back.

"Undo it... and stop looking for the children..." Saruman frowns, about to retort, when she drops to one knee, never failing to meet his eyes. –

"… and I will serve you with all my power for the rest of my life. I will be your weapon, your shield, I will do anything, no complaints, no questions, obedient to death."

He contemplates her offer, skeptical but tempted. There's no submission in those red eyes at all, but he wonders...

"If I accept your offer, what guarantee will you give me that you won't kill me?"

"None beyond my word. But if you refuse my offer, I will destroy you."

"If you kill me..."

"No, I'm not going to kill you. But you will wish so." – She says, a sadistic gleam in her eyes.

The istari swallows, feeling trapped where he once thought he had every advantage. He knew people's hearts and was sure that wasn't an empty threat.

Saruman extends his hand.

"Fine, Kana Uchiha. We have an agree..."

"No! Kana!" – Riki shouts and they both turn around at the same moment that a tremor runs through the Tower. The boy has a sphere above his body, holding in a precarious position, barely holding on as he screams in pain. Saruman widens his eyes, walking toward the boy in a hurry.

"Put the Palantír in place!"

"Riki!" – Kana tries to run to his side and take that thing out of his hands, that orb that now has a burning eye watching them, but the tremors in the tower intensify and cracks appear in the floor and walls. The building is increasingly unstable and finally begins to give signs of collapsing when the Palantír fell at Riki's feet, breaking in half.

The ceiling and floor begin to collapse; one of the rocks is right above Riki and Kana catches up to Riki just as the rock would hit him. She shields him with her body, while he still screams in pain from whatever had happened while he had held that orb.

She jumps from rock to rock, using chakra on the soles of her feet, but another piece of rubble hits her and this time it's on her head; she feels like she's about to faint, but before that she positions herself below him, still in the air, and wraps her body around him.

"So this is how I will die."

She thinks, with a smile and through tears, looking one last time at her little brother, who was no longer screaming; Riki stares back at her, stunned, but it's not the honey color that stares at her, nor the golden of his lycanthrope form, nor the blood-red of their bloodline.

His eyes are like flames; pupils are like cat slits amidst the blaze of his iris.

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And The Eye in Mount Doom vanished.

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Sooo, as you're guessing, we have a Sauron|Riki thing happening here. I left glues from the beginning and was really excited to get in this scene! What do you think so far? Hope you guys liked it. Don't panic, I promise things will be alright, even if it seems like the doom of Middle-Earth, that's why I have de "redemption" tag on this. Of course, it'll be slow, but, yeah, just know that I always make my stories with a "happy end" because I love happy ends the most.

Oh, and thank you for helping me out with the rate thing. ^.^