A/N: In case it hasn't been clear, depending on the character's perspective, the italicized dialogue is a non-native language. So, when Naruto and Frodo are the perspective, the italics is any language other than Westron. When the perspective is from Team 7, the italics is any language other than Japanese/dream-language. Enjoy ~ love, DC
Chapter 17: The Search pt 3
September 29th
Kakashi gingerly walked into the dining room. He didn't need to use a tree branch to support himself anymore, but his body was sore as it continued to recover from his most recent brush with chakra exhaustion. He was used this sort of pain though, and so kept his expression cheerful to provoke his students.
Sasuke was slumped over at the table already and appeared to have fallen back asleep. Sakura, of course, was helping Bolger with the food.
"Maa, are you prepared to sit in a dim room all day writing?" he asked the boy as he sat down. He made sure to eye-smile to further irritate the boy. It was funny how this expression was their team's go-to facial expression when they wanted to annoy anyone. Hmm, Kakashi must be a good influence on the kids.
"Anything's better than being barefoot in a field," Sasuke drawled from his arms, where he continued to cushion his head from the table.
Kakashi refrained from pouting. He liked getting a rise from his former students—it was one of the highlights of his day, especially now that they were possibly stuck on this alien planet for the rest of their lives (or until Madara came for Naruto in which case they'd likely die trying to get home while fighting the man).
Bolger and Sakura left the kitchen with platters of food: eggs, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, beans in a sauce, fried mushrooms, and toasted bread. Of course, Kakashi had to do a double-take. He knew Sakura had been boiling walnut shells the night before so she could dye her hair, but he hadn't thought it would work! Her hair still had tints of red/pink in it, but it was brown now. She had also cut it into a bob, likely so her makeshift dye could last longer or so it took less time to dye.
Sasuke, who perked up as the food was set at the table, didn't seem to notice the change to their teammate's appearance. Instead, the boy began to pile the majority of the tomatoes onto his plate. Kakashi elbowed the boy in the side, which earned him a scowl from the teen.
"Bolger-san's taking most of the mushrooms," Sasuke protested, likely assuming he was being reprimanded for taking most of the tomatoes.
Sakura snorted. "Bolger-san is a hobbit it's expected he'll covet the mushrooms," she commented with an eyeroll.
Bolger looked up from his plate and blushed slightly. "My apology, but none of you eat mushroom," he said a bit defensively.
Kakashi pinched his nose. "Maa, Bolger-san, that is not the issue. I was simply disappointed in my student for not noticing his teammate had made such a drastic change in appearance." Part of Kakashi was painfully reminded of Rin for a moment as he looked at Sakura with her shortened and now brown hair.
Sasuke blinked and looked over at Sakura. "You mean her hair?" Sasuke asked disbelievingly. "I evened out the back for her and helped dye it last night."
"You'd think a jōnin would be aware of what was happening in a house as small as this," Sakura said a bit teasingly.
Kakashi was not pouting as he began to eat. He could defend himself by saying he was recovering from chakra exhaustion, but then the kids would just tease him about how he was "prone to chakra exhaustion," and it was his "own fault."
Bolger coughed slightly and seemed to be fighting back a laugh. "What do you plan today?" the hobbit asked to break the tension. His words were a bit stilted from more than just the foreign language.
"Sasuke-kun and I are going to be helping the Brandybuck librarians make copies of books," Kakashi stated.
"I'm helping the Brandybuck seamstresses with our clothes. We had enough money to order them yesterday, but I managed to haggle down the price by promising to help," Sakura stated. "Speaking of, I need to take your measurements before you leave," the girl added with a pointed look at Kakashi and Sasuke.
"And will you be gone all day?" Bolger asked a bit awkwardly.
"Once we get paid for our work today, we're planning to head off to Bree so we can get boots," Sasuke replied.
Kakashi had managed to secure a few gold coins for each book they finished copying, and if they were allowed to work relatively undisturbed, they'd likely get one done each before luncheon. From there, it would likely take three or four hours to run to Bree. Sakura was planning to run ahead of them once their clothes were done (which parts of had already been started), so she could put in orders for boots for them. Hopefully their shoes would be ready before the end of the day or that the shoemaker would have some that fit on hand.
"Should I expect you for dinner?" Bolger asked in Westron now, likely to make them practice more.
"We will stay night at inn," Kakashi replied a bit awkwardly. "Then see if Dôranna stopped at house recent."
Bolger stifled a laugh. "Miss Sakura has been right to chastise you for not practicing properly," the hobbit remarked which made the girl puff up with pride. Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"You write sounds, so easy learn," Sasuke tried to defend himself.
Bolger hummed as he continued to fight down a smile. "Should I prepare those notes for your travels then? I have a feeling you'll need them," the hobbit teased.
"I am certain they have copy already in heads," Sakura joined the teasing.
Sasuke blushed slightly and pushed away his mostly empty plate while Kakashi eye-smiled rather than feel ashamed for not properly studying Westron. "Of course I have head copy. Do you need Mr. Bolger's notes?" Kakashi turned the question back on Sakura.
"Stupid sharingan," the girl grumbled. Sasuke promptly tried to kick the girl under the table, but she moved her legs out of the way—likely anticipating the retaliation—and so the boy kicked her chair instead.
"Well, you have a long day ahead of you all," Bolger commented as he began to rise from the table. "I'll handle the dishes while you all head out. Please send a letter if you plan to stay in Bree longer than tonight. There are all sorts of unsavory people in Big Folk towns."
"Of course, Mr. Bolger," Sakura replied before hugging the rotund hobbit. "We stop for our bags before leave-ing," she added as she pulled back from the hug. Bolger smiled up at Sakura and bid her a good day. The girl then left.
Sasuke and Kakashi quickly followed suit and gave expressions of appreciation to their host. Hopefully, once they were properly outfitted, they could continue their search for Naruto.
…
Riding with Gandalf was mostly a quiet event. The wizard was focused on handling the quickly moving horse and getting to their destination. However, by the time Dôranna realized they were headed toward Hobbiton, the blonde could remain quiet no longer.
"Neh, Gandalf," he called for the wizard's attention. Gandalf hummed as he urged Shadowfax on. "Papa left the day after his birthday. He would have left as soon as the sale on Bag End was finalized."
"That is not the only reason we're stopping by Bag End. We must know how close behind his pursuers were," the wizard explained. He then looked sharply back at Dôranna before focusing forward again. "What do you mean he left after his birthday? Did he not get my letter?" he asked.
Dôranna grimaced. "Ah, about that, well Mr. Butterbur forgot until he saw me the day before Papa's birthday. So, well, he got the letter, but just the next day."
Gandalf cursed under his breath and began to grumble about forgetful, overworked inn proprietors. Dôranna hoped Gandalf wouldn't do anything to Butterbur when they saw the man—he seemed like a decent bloke just a bit too harried.
"I told Papa about the Nazgûl before he left though, so he should be cautious." Dôranna hoped this absolved some of the blame the wizard was casting at Butterbur.
"How did you know about them?" Gandalf asked almost worriedly. "Had you encountered them earlier than the Ford?"
"No, ah…Strider…" Dôranna said the Chieftain of the Dúnedain's alias slowly before continuing to speak, "he explained some of the enemies I'm likely to encounter if I continued to protect Papa. He, well, he was worried for my safety."
Gandalf's form slumped slightly, but without seeing the wizard's expression, it was hard to tell if this was in relief or shame. After a long moment in which Dôranna felt inclined to say or do something but didn't know what he could do, the wizard spoke. "Aragorn is a good man—a noble one."
"Yeah, and Papa will probably meet with him in Bree, and then Strider will be able to help Papa, and everything will be okay," the blonde tried to reassure the wizard.
"We can only hope," he said before urging Shadowfax to move faster. Dôranna wished he could reassure the wizard, but he understood how the threat of danger and uncertainty of the situation weighed on him. Plus, whatever had delayed Gandalf had left its scars.
The rest of their ride to Hobbiton was quiet. Whenever they passed through the different hobbit towns along the way, there would be startled hobbits watching them canter past.
It was nearly Supper time when they arrived at the Hill. Gandalf rode past Bag End before turning around to head back down the Hill. Dôranna frowned in confusion at Gandalf until they stopped outside of the Gamgee smial.
"Why did we ride past…" Dôranna trailed off in his question since Gandalf had already dismounted and was heading up to the green front door. Dôranna felt a bit dumb as he continued to sit atop Shadowfax and look bewilderedly around him.
"We rode past Bag End to see if the Nazgûl had broken into the hole. Since there were no damages, they must have known Frodo was no longer there. My question is why?" Gandalf explained himself quickly as he waited for the Gaffer to answer the door.
It took a moment for Dôranna to understand the significance of what Gandalf was saying. Did someone tell the Nazgûl Frodo's forwarding address or were they just told that the hobbit had moved?
The Gaffer opened the door to his smial and startled slightly. "Gandalf?!" he greeted the wizard before making a beckoning motion for him to come in.
"Should I take Shadowfax to the stables?" Dôranna asked. He'd have to go down the Hill, then again, the stables were designed for ponies, so Shadowfax was unlikely to fit.
"Shadowfax can graze up the Hill in the orchards," Gandalf replied a bit dismissively. The Gaffer peered around the wizard's side to look in surprise at Dôranna—he must not have expected anyone to be traveling with Gandalf.
"Young master!" the old hobbit exclaimed. "What brings you here?"
Dôranna was currently trying to dismount and stumbled slightly. He really wasn't used to riding, and so his legs and hips were quite sore and unsteady. He was just beginning to right himself when Shadowfax let himself out of the garden and started heading up the Hill toward the orchards. Could Shadowfax understand Gandalf?
Dôranna quickly shook his head and focused his attention back on the elderly hobbit. "Gandalf rode past my camp and since he's worried about my papa, well, I had to come too," the blonde mumbled a little as he rubbed the back of his head.
The Gaffer nodded solemnly and gestured for them to enter his hobbit hole. "Is this about the black rider that came on the twenty-third?" he asked as they were entering the home.
Gandalf nodded grimly as he followed the hobbit into the sitting area. He gratefully accepted a seat and then the tobacco the Gaffer gave him. Dôranna made sure to close the door behind them and then also entered the sitting area. The Gaffer was worrying his hands and then looked at them with a critical eye. "You both look thin and worn. Have you had supper yet?" he asked.
Gandalf was preoccupied with filling the bowl of his pipe, so Dôranna answered the hobbit. "No, we haven't. We've been traveling with haste and rest only long enough for Shadowfax to recover." Dôranna may have been lying a bit, but based on the state Gandalf was in, the blonde suspected that was the manner in which the wizard had been traveling before Dôranna joined him.
"Then I must insist you stay the night and rest well. You can leave before dawn, but pushing yourselves and your mount so hard will only cause more harm," the old hobbit warned them, and Dôranna nodded while giving Gandalf a pointed look. The wizard exhaled a puff of smoke and nodded reluctantly.
"Yes, I suppose we should take the time to rest while we have a trusted ally. But please, friend, could you tell me how you know of the rider in black?" the wizard asked.
"Let me fix you all some supper and then I will tell you what happened that night," the Gaffer countered. He then bustled off into the kitchen, and Dôranna quickly followed him.
"Let me help you," he offered and continued to offer even as the hobbit resisted his help. Eventually, the Gaffer gave in and allowed Dôranna to assist him in preparing a late supper. Before long, food was on the table, and they ate quickly. Gandalf clearly wanted to know about the Nazgûl, but he waited until they had been fed and watered.
The Gaffer and Gandalf were nursing nightcaps while the blonde boy began to fidget in his seat. At last, the old hobbit explained his encounter with the Nazgûl.
"The night of the twenty-third there had been a strange customer asking for Mr. Baggins of Bag End. He unsettled me—just the air about him felt wrong. He was tall and black-like and he stooped over me. I reckon he was one of the Big Folk from foreign parts. Granted there seems to be many of them these day—though none unsettled me as much as that man did.
"He was mighty put out when I told him Mr. Baggins had left his old home for good. Hiss at me, he did. It gave me quite a shudder." The old hobbit even shuddered now upon recalling the encounter.
"Did you tell him where Frodo was going?" Gandalf asked with a frown.
"Well, he was insistent, you see. So, I told 'im Mr. Baggins left that morning or leastwise his things did. When he asked where, I said Buckland, but I wasn't sure where seeing as I've never been so far from Hobbiton before. I'm glad he left when he did. There was something not right about him. Not right at all." The old hobbit shook his head emphatically.
"Earlier, you said there had been many Big Folk foreigners?" Gandalf questioned the old hobbit.
The Gaffer seemed to light up. "Oh right, I was wondering, young master, if they've contacted you yet. The other foreigners claim they're kin!" the old hobbit exclaimed.
"What?" Dôranna perked up and looked intently at the hobbit.
"Yes, word reached Hobbiton—days after the black rider, mind you—that your kin came to Crickhollow to look for you. They've been doing odd jobs around Brandy Hall because they were robbed on the road and won't accept charity from Mr. Baggins. One delivered the mail the other day. She had to be your age and moved faster than any horse I've seen. No one's ever gotten mail as quick as they did that day, I tell you!" The Gaffer laughed slightly at the memory.
"My kin?" Dôranna repeated quietly. Mr. Fox said his parents were dead so what other kin could there be and how could they be here? Weren't they from another world?
The Gaffer nodded seriously while Gandalf narrowed his gaze in suspicion. "What did these supposed kin look like?" the wizard asked.
"Well, I don't rightly know seeing as I didn't see 'em," the old hobbit confessed before hurriedly adding, "Rosie Cotton, though, spoke with the girl. Said she was nice, had green eyes and wrapped her hair up in a scarf. She was wearing a boy's clothes though," he added with a frown. "Miss cotton said the clothes didn't fit her right, so they must have been borrowed."
"If they were at Crickhollow, those might have been my spare clothes," Dôranna stated as he continued to frown. Had they met Papa? But shouldn't Papa have hurried onto Bree?
"Do you know anything else?" Gandalf asked.
"Well, there's an older fellow, and two kids: the girl and then a boy. I've heard rumor that the kids are the man's apprentices."
Mr. Fox? Dôranna thought to the giant fox. Does any of that sound familiar?
By older fellow do they mean old like the wizard? Was he clean shaven but had long hair? Did he have markings on his face? The fox asked quickly.
"Did the man have long hair or markings on his face?" Dôranna asked.
The Gaffer hummed. "No, I don't believe so, but he was missing an eye."
Hatake-brat, Mr. Fox half-growled, half-laughed.
"Do you know who these people are?" Gandalf asked.
"Mr. Fox might," Dôranna replied cautiously.
The brat has to be in his mid-twenties by now—I'm surprised he's still alive. He was your father's student. Likely the kids with him are his students, though why he'd take them on a mission to retrieve you, I can't say.
"What does Mr. Fox say?" Gandalf asked almost urgently as he leaned forward in his chair.
"Well, it's probably not the same person Mr. Fox is thinking of. You said this was an old man, right?"
The Gaffer hummed thoughtfully while furrowing his brow. "I didn't say that, but I've heard he has gray hair, which only old Big Folk have."
"Is he missing his left eye with a scar going down this way?" Dôranna asked as he drew a line bisecting his eye and then cheek. Mr. Fox had continued describing this Hatake-brat guy while the Gaffer was talking.
"I couldn't tell you," the hobbit replied.
Dôranna nodded in understanding before Gandalf made a prompting motion. The blonde sighed. "It could be someone Mr. Fox knows, but we won't know until we see him, and I don't know anything about the other kids," the blonde told the wizard.
"If it is who Mr. Fox thinks it is, are they an ally?" Gandalf asked almost hopefully.
He'd be here to take you back to Konoha, Mr. Fox told the boy.
Does that mean he'd attack me or Papa? The boy asked back.
No, not unless you resist returning with them.
Dôranna sighed. "If it's who Mr. Fox thinks it is, then he'd be here to take me to their home, and he'd drag me there if he had to."
Gandalf's expression grew troubled; the blonde could only wonder what the wizard had begun to think. Fortunately, the Gaffer broke the tension by saying it was nearly time for dinner and that they should wash up before it. Gandalf shook his head in tired amusement as he muttered "hobbits" under his breath. The wizard might not be able to eat like a hobbit, but Dôranna certainly could. He missed his seven-square meals a day.
…
Sakura shifted the skirts of her new dress. It was a little itchy, but it was warm. She opted for a dress instead of pants like her teammates' new outfits since those appeared to require more sewing, and she wanted to get to Bree before the shops closed. She did wear her chūnin uniform bottoms beneath the skirts, though, so she wouldn't have to worry about flashing anyone if she had to fight.
Sakura tapped her foot as she waited in the shoemaker's shop for him to finish Sensei's shoes. He had boots in stock that would fit Sasuke and her, but not Sensei, so she had to wait for him to finish those. It probably would have taken a long time if she hadn't shoved the remainder of her gold at him and told him there would be extra if they were done by the time her "master" arrived that evening.
One of the elder hobbits at Brandy Hall had knitted her and her teammates socks since (apparently) she was a cousin of Frodo Baggins, and he had ordered socks from her for his son. That was probably the only reason the hobbit even knew how to knit socks. Afterall, hobbits didn't wear anything on their big hairy feet because said hair insulated them, while the size and skin protected them from harm in the wilds.
Honestly, it was a bit overwhelming how many cousins that Frodo guy had and how all of them wanted to help the hobbit's adopted son's kin. She had never before met such a generous people as the hobbits. She had nearly refused the socks, but she was thankful she had them now. She could only imagine how uncomfortable these boots would have been without the woolen buffer.
It was the tail end of sunset now, though it was fall so that didn't mean much time-wise. It was probably nearing supper time by hobbit standards. Still, she was amazed the shoemaker was continuing to work, but she supposed the gold bonus for completing the work was too promising for the human man.
Sakura was beginning to wonder when her teammates would make it here, when something caught her eye from the shop window. She quickly moved to the door and then waved at the two ninja passing the shop. "Oi, over here," she called for her teammates' attention after poking her head outside the door.
Sasuke and Kakashi turned their attention to her shout and then moved over to her. They looked bedraggled from the road. The bandages on their feet were caked in mud and blood. She tutted at the state of their feet. She'd need to see if that inn, The Prancing Pony, had basins she could wash their feet in. She'd probably add some king's foil to the water since it was a miracle healing herb here. Sasuke had mentioned last night how his bath with the herbs had rejuvenated him.
The shoemaker paused in his work to take in the newcomers and began to scowl. "That is your master?" he asked with sneer.
Sensei raised an eyebrow and looked pointedly at Sakura to explain the situation. "I told him he'd get a bonus if he completed your shoes in time for your arrival. It's not my fault he assumed you were some daimyo," Sakura explained with a shrug and sniff.
Sensei shook his head but dug an ink-stained hand into the money pouch he had attached to the belt of his new pants. He held up two gold coins between his fingers. "We will pay for goods," he assured the shoemaker in Westron.
The human hummed but continued working. "I'll have them done in an hour or so," he said.
"Ex-cuse me," Sakura addressed the shoemaker haltingly, "Could I borrow basin?" she asked. While she'd rather wait for the inn, she had a feeling neither of her teammates wanted to move about the town any further without shoes on and thus would wear them out the door if she didn't stop them. If she recalled, there had been a fair amount of horse droppings along the road.
"Lydia!" the shoemaker yelled toward the back of the shop. A harried looking woman came out. "These foreigners want a basin, fetch it and fill it with water for them." The man's eye was on the gold coins Sensei was still holding up. The woman's gaze landed on the coins as well, and then she quickly left.
Before long, Sakura had a water basin with warm water and rags beside her. The woman, Lydia, even brought out chairs for her teammates.
"Alright, let me see the damage," Sakura addressed her teammates tiredly.
Sasuke and Sensei sat down and began to unwrap the dirtied bandages on their feet. There was plenty of mud and other unpleasant substances, but she found a few deeper cuts. She gingerly began to clean away the filth and then work some of the king's foil into the wounds to disinfect them. Before long, she had both of their feet wrapped up again and then held out their new socks to them.
By the time she was done treating their injuries, the shoemaker was done with Sensei's boots, so the jōnin put them on. He then gave the eager shoemaker the gold coins, and Team Seven was finally outfitted for Middle Earth.
"Inn?" Sasuke asked tiredly as they left the shop.
It took some getting used to wearing these boots. The arch support and grip was different from their sandals, and the stiff material the boots were made of made it all the more strange to wear.
"Yep," Sakura replied cheerfully.
It was fully nightfall now. Bright stars were twinkling out from the clouds above them, and many of the houses were lit from the inside. The windows looked like bright eyes against the darkness. Meanwhile, the Prancing Pony appeared rather raucous, but it didn't sound dangerous—in fact the feeling of the place reminded her a bit Crickhollow and Brandy Hall because it was homey and warm.
It had been a long day for all of them, so a welcoming inn would be appreciated even if it was busy. At the very least, they'd get a meal and see how expensive a room was. If it ended up being too rich for their budget, then they'd camp outside the town. It wasn't like they weren't used to roughing it.
Sakura entered the three-story establishment first—she noted a hobbit was leading five ponies off to some stables set below one of the wings of the inn. Honestly, she found the architecture of this inn fascinating. It had two wings that branched off to either side of the main building and then into the slope of the hill behind the inn. She'd wager the second floor looked out onto the slope and could be climbed into easily from the hill.
Upon entering the main dining/drinking area of the inn, Sakura had to sidestep as one of the workers hurried out of some doors. The man was human and large. He wore an apron and carried four tankards of some drink.
"Half a moment, lass," he called over his shoulder in Westron before he disappeared into the pipe smoke hovering in the building. Sakura wrinkled her nose and could only imagine what a state the local's lungs were in. She almost wanted to turn her team around and leave the place, but the human was back before she could make a decision. "What can I do for you?" he asked as he nodded to them all.
"We like place for three to stay night," Sakura said while stuttering over her words.
"Oh, not from these parts are ye," the man stated more than asked. "Well, I can get a suite for you, so you have your privacy lass—if your chaperones don't mind sharing a bed." Sakura tried to parse out what the man said, though she guessed it was something about her teammates given his head nod toward them.
"How much will one night be?" Sensei chimed in now, likely presuming they were talking about accommodations.
The human hummed while he thought. "Do you have any horses that need stabling?" he asked.
"No horses need stabling," Sasuke repeated the man's words like a copy-cat because he was one.
"And will you be wanting food with your lodging?" he asked.
"Yes please," Sensei replied with the memorized response.
The man, likely the proprietor (a Barliman Butterbur according to the sign of the inn), nodded his head and rattled off a price that was just within their remaining funds. Sensei handed over the remaining coins from his pouch while Sasuke fished out the difference from his change purse. The balding human frowned slightly and appeared almost concerned at their apparent means.
"We were robbed on road," Sakura explained with a grimace while stumbling over her words. "We worked odd, ah, jobs for this," she added with a gesture to their meager wealth.
The human regarded them sympathetically and pushed several of the coins back toward them. "Then you deserve a meal without fear of the cost," he said sympathetically. He had to be the proprietor to turn away profits in such a manner.
Sakura, Sensei, and Sasuke all gave the man a quick bow, while Sensei said, "Thank you, Mr. But-ter-bur for your generosity." All save the man's name had been a copied response. While Sakura was annoyed her teammates continued to use canned responses, she was glad to see her deduction about who the human was, was shared.
"You're welcome. And who might ye all be?" he asked genially and likely for his records.
"I am Kakashi Hatake, and these are my apprentices, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha," Sensei said as he gestured between them.
"Oh, what kind of craftsmen are ye?" Butterbur asked almost excitedly. "And where do ye all hail from?"
"Far away," Sasuke replied to the last question, while Sensei announced he was a painter. Butterbur appeared excited by the prospect of a painter, but his attention was quickly pulled away by a patron demanding a refill.
"Ah, let me call someone to get you all settled. Traveling from far away likely tired ye," the landlord said with a wink at Sasuke—likely teasing the boy for his clipped response. "Nob! Nob! Come here," he called into the din around them.
Soon after the shout, a hobbit came bounding up. He was young and quite cheery. "Nob, these guests need a room. Give them the one on floor three that has two rooms separated by a parlor," he ordered.
The hobbit nodded and then gestured for Sakura and her team to follow him. "Hello," the hobbit greeted them as Team Seven began to follow him.
"Hello," Sakura greeted the hobbit since her teammates were choosing to be quite and observe the way to their room.
"You're not from here. I can't place your accent though," the young hobbit commented.
"We are from far away and know a different tongue," Sensei replied with another canned response.
The hobbit appeared like he was going to press for more detail, but Sakura distracted the hobbit by asking him what he liked to do in Bree. It was perhaps not her most skillful distraction, but Nob was eager to talk.
It seemed he spent most of his days helping with the establishment, especially since there had been an uptick in clientele. The hobbit then went on to explain that there used to be much travel between the Shire and Bree, but it had decreased over the years. Now, they mostly got dwarves and elves traveling along the East Road, though several unsavory types had begun arriving from the south along the Greenway.
By the time Nob had finished telling them about the rangers who also frequented the Pony, they were at their room. Nob unlocked the door and then handed the key to Sensei. "You'll find a sitting room here, and then the bedrooms are behind those doors," the hobbit explained as he pointed to the doors at either side of the sitting room.
"Thank you, Nob," Sakura said with a bow that her teammates copied.
The hobbit blushed and then hurried out of the room. He gave them a second look and blushed a bit more before scuttling down the hall.
Sensei looked around the room and then clapped. "Alright, who's putting up traps?" he asked. Sasuke sighed and just moved over to one of the bedroom doors. Sakura copied Sasuke but moved to the other door. Sensei was left pouting in the middle of the sitting room at being ignored.
"You get to sleep there tonight," Sakura called behind her. She knew what Sasuke had been thinking when he turned to the bedroom door instead of responding to the jōnin
"Maa, my former cute genin are so mean to me!" Sensei whined. "Making an old man sleep on the floor."
"You're not even in your thirties," Sasuke retorted in disbelief.
"True, but I've been in active service for over two decades which makes me practically ancient!" Based on how Sensei's voice was a bit muted, Sakura guessed the jōnin had followed Sasuke into the other room.
"And? Do I look like a I care about seniority right now?" Sasuke replied.
Sakura suppressed a chuckle and began working on rigging up a simple wire trap for the window and then hid her pack under the bed. When she left the room, it appeared Sasuke and Sensei had continued to bicker, though really it was just Sensei being childish and teasing them to distract himself from something. Sasuke had trapped the window in his room and was now proceeding to prepare a trap for the door to their rooms.
"Sensei, have you trapped anything?" Sakura asked.
"I thought this would be a valuable learning experience for my former students," Sensei replied with an eye-smile like Sakura knew he would.
"Right, so that's why you're getting the sitting room to sleep in. You didn't trap one of the bedrooms, therefore you don't get a bed," Sakura stated with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Come on," Sasuke called from the door. "I'm starving and can't finish the trap until you get over here."
Sensei faux-pouted but followed Sakura out of the door. Sakura patted the man on the back mock-consolingly. "Hey, if you stop being lazy, then you can get a bed," she retorted.
While Sensei put on a show of being betrayed and aggrieved by this response, Sakura noted the quirk to his lips and the lack of tension in his shoulders. Sasuke shared a look with Sakura and then rolled his eyes, but he was also smirking slightly. Sakura bit her cheeks to keep from smiling or laughing at her team's antics.
No doubt Sensei was being so over the top because of how challenging the last few days had been. They were on an alien planet with a completely different culture. While the hobbits of the Shire were kind, the ninja weren't used to such kindness. Part of them had been expecting a threat around every corner or some otherworldly force like the Barrow Wights. Add to that the stress of learning a new language, the continued culture shocks, and the injuries they'd sustained from wandering this world barefoot…Well, Sakura could get why Sensei was acting the way he did.
Once they arrived at the bustling main floor, they found an empty-ish table. There was only one other patron sitting at this darkened corner table. "Ex-cuse me," Sakura began awkwardly as they approached the stranger. "Could we sit here?" she asked slowly.
The man was tall with shoulder-length dark hair, but Sakura spotted the graying hairs in his beard and at his temples. He looked weather-beaten, and while his boots were well-made of some supple leather material, they looked quite worn. The human man raised an eyebrow in surprise but shrugged and gestured for them to sit. He was smoking a curiously long stemmed and curved pipe, and he had a tall tankard before him. However, his gaze seemed fixed toward the center of the room.
"Thank you," Sensei said to the man before he sat down. Sasuke was already sitting and had slumped forward against the table. "Neh, Sakura-chan, could you see if Butterbur-san or Nob-san could bring over food?" he asked her.
Sakura nodded and turned on her heel; however, before she fully turned, she noticed the stranger at their table had widened his eyes at the sound of their native language. She didn't think he understood them, but it was still a bit curious. A glance at Sensei suggested he had caught the reaction too, so she knew he would be cautious about what they said around the stranger in case he could somehow understand them.
Sakura found Butterbur quickly enough, though a bright-eyed, well-dressed (if slightly weather-beaten) hobbit had caught the human's elbow and was subtly gesturing to their corner of the pub. "Who is that?" the hobbit asked quietly—probably too quietly for anyone hear without the ability of chakra to enhance their senses.
"The one smoking?" Butterbur questioned back in a whisper, while cocking an eye in the direction the hobbit gestured to but without turning his head—it was impressive to Sakura. The hobbit nodded. "I don't rightly know. He is one of the wandering folk—Rangers we call them. He seldom talks: not but what he can tell a rare tale when he has the mind. He disappears for a month, or a year, and then he pops up again. He was in and out pretty often last spring; was here a week ago but hadn't been seen since.
"What his right name is, I've never heard: but he's known 'round here as Strider. Goes about at a great pace on his long shanks; though he don't tell nobody what cause he has to hurry. But there's no accounting for East and West, as we say in Bree—meaning the Rangers and the Shire-folk, begging your pardon. Funny you should ask about him."
Sakura had caught Butterbur's attention standing so awkwardly amongst the various hobbits who had been eagerly talking to the bright-eyed hobbit.
"Yes, lass?" Butterbur asked her. The hobbit he had been talking to regarded the apparent ranger in the corner suspiciously.
"Ex-cuse me, Mr. Butterbur, but we hope for dinner?" Sakura cringed at her awkward speech.
"Of course, I'll have Nob send meals over," Butterbur replied before hurrying off.
Sakura then turned to the bright-eyed hobbit who still appeared in thought and suspicious of the strange man at her team's table. "Apology for inter-inter-rupt-ing," she addressed the hobbit.
He looked at her surprised. Perhaps he had not expected her to talk to him, or perhaps he had been too deep in his thoughts. "It is no bother, miss. But, may I ask where you hail from? I've never heard your accent before." If Sakura hadn't already known hobbits were inquisitive, she might have been annoyed.
Instead, Sakura flushed and brushed some of her short hair behind her ear—it was still so weird that it was short, but she liked it better at this length even if the dark color startled her. "Far away," she replied. "We have different tongue."
The hobbit looked excited. "Truly? I know several languages, perhaps I can speak yours?" the hobbit offered.
Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "I doubt. I think on-only five know our tongue," she replied.
The hobbit furrowed his brow. "Are there so few of your people?" he asked.
"Here, yes, back home we have many." Sakura saw that Nob was already bringing food to her table. "Ex-cuse me. It…is past supper time, nearly dinner time, no?" she asked with a smile. The hobbit laughed in surprise but nodded. She then excused herself from the conversation. Of course, because she had mentioned food, the hobbit was being very understanding. He wished her a good meal as she was leaving.
Sakura returned to her table to see her teammates were already eating their food. It appeared to be some kind of stew and mashed potato dish. "You two couldn't wait?" she asked them in a deadpan.
Sasuke just shrugged while Sensei eye-smiled. "Well, you were busy eavesdropping," he retorted.
Sakura kissed her teeth as she sat down. "I was not, but I did learn our table mate might be one of those people Dôranna studies under." The foreign name caught the presumed ranger's attention and his gaze narrowed slightly. Sakura eye-smiled at the man before digging into her food.
"Oh? And how is that not eavesdropping," Sasuke retorted.
"It wasn't intentional," Sakura shot back after swallowing a mouthful. She scrunched up her face. The food was too salty. She then reached for the cup that had been sat before her meal only to pause. "Is this alcohol?"
Sasuke hummed in confirmation. "Apparently the water isn't safe to drink. I asked Nob."
"I packed iodine tablets in case of this exact thing!" Sakura stressed with a glare at her teammate. Sasuke just shrugged and took a swing of his ale while grimacing.
"This is just bad tasting water," he said after swallowing.
Sensei continued to eye-smile and eat but one of his hands (the one which was blocked from view of the rest of the room) began to sign: Eavesdropper, seven o'clock, two.
The ranger at their table was now openly glaring at them. Sakura gave him an eye-smile again before reaching for her drink and timing a sip when a patron walked too close to her so that she then "bumped" into him and dropped the mug, which in turn allowed her to turn and face the room.
The eavesdroppers included the same bright-eyed hobbit from earlier, and a younger hobbit accompanying him. Sakura fluidly righted herself and the mug as she turned back to her meal. "How clumsy of me," she said before eating more and immediately grimacing. "By the Sage this is salty."
Sensei coughed. "I thought you were going to make a different oath," the jōnin remarked.
"Like what?" Sakura asked with her brow furrowed.
"I've heard Kotetsu-san say 'by the Sage's salty left nut' before," Sasuke added in a monotone.
Sakura immediately snorted. "Of course he did. If it wasn't for Izumo-san, Kotesu-san would be buried in ditch somewhere."
"After being beaten by a kunoichi he offended," Sasuke added.
Sakura nodded to that point. "Never mess with a Konoha Kunoichi," Sakura said with a proud smile. "We'll make sure no one finds the body."
"Truer words have never been spoken," Sensei intoned as he raised his glass, but Sensei didn't drink, especially since the bright-eyed hobbit had come up to their table.
"Hello Mr. Hobbit, how can we help?" Sensei asked the hobbit smoothly while setting back down his cup. He'd copied that phrase from Bolger; damn copy-cat.
He was looking between the three of them and then at the ranger also at their table. "Why do you speak this language? And how do you know the name Konoha?" he asked them with his shoulders pulled back like he was about to get in a fight.
Team Seven shared quick glances before Sensei took the lead. "I should ask how you know the name of our homeland," Sensei said in a threatening cheerful way as he eye-smiled down at the hobbit. Even sitting, Sensei was taller than the hobbit.
"And I should ask how you know my son's name," the hobbit retorted with his chin raised defiantly, although he did appear surprised to learn Konoha was the name of their country.
Sensei relaxed his posture and softened his expression. "So, you are the one who adopted my sensei's son," Sensei said softly. "Thank you, Frodo-san, for giving him a loving home." Sensei even bowed slightly.
However, this all startled the hobbit, and he backed up, only to be tripped by a patron and then slip on the alcohol Sakura had spilled earlier. As Frodo fell backwards, something shiny moved in his hand—a hand that had been nervously fidgeting with something in his pocket—and then the hobbit disappeared.
Sensei reacted quickly and moved to crouch in front of the table behind them. "Mr. Hobbit, all well. No hide," he said—his voice carried in the sudden shocked silence that followed the hobbit's disappearance.
"You big fool," Sakura yelled at the patron who had knocked down the hobbit, since she assumed Sensei was playing off the disappearing act as though Frodo had slid out of view and was now under another table. "Watch walking" she said angrily as she got in the flummoxed human's space, if only to draw as much attention as possible away from the vanished hobbit.
"Quiet yourself lass or I'll quiet you myself" the human warned.
"Try," Sakura snarled back as she raised up her fist.
In her peripherals, she saw Sensei and Sasuke were currently shuttling the startled and now visible hobbit toward one of the wings.
"Your husband ought to have taught you not to provoke a man," the rough looking human threatened before raising his hand back as if to slap her.
Sakura quickly jabbed the man in the solar plexus; he fell gasping to the ground. She then turned around to look at the patrons staring in shock at her. "He was to hit me?" she asked them defensively. Several patrons turned away in embarrassment, while others pointed in alarm behind Sakura.
Sakura knew what they were pointing to. The oaf behind her had pulled out a dagger—she had heard the metal glide against the leather sheath—and was prepared to stab her. Sakura easily grabbed his arm and bent the wrist backwards until he dropped the knife (although the crack she heard might have also been the bones breaking there). She then sent a knee up into the man's nose when he began to curl around his broken (definitely broken) wrist. Blood gushed from his nose and as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He fell forward limp.
"He had knife," she told the room of stunned onlookers with her hands up. "Also, he trip hobbit to rob."
"Speaking of Mr. Underhill, where did he go?" one of the hobbits who had been talking with Frodo earlier in the evening asked.
"He slid under table," Sakura said as she gestured to the table Sensei had crouched before. "My master help settle Mr. Underhill now," Sakura added. She used the alias the hobbit was apparently using—they had gleaned enough from context that Frodo Baggins was traveling incognito.
There were different murmurs of acceptance, but a few people insisted the hobbit had disappeared completely. As Sakura began to head toward the door her teammates had led Frodo out of, she caught that possible ranger exiting the same door she was about to enter.
He just looked at her and then side-stepped to continue into the tavern room. Sakura watched the ranger for a moment before ducking into the hallway that led to the rest of the wing. There was a shaken hobbit and her teammates.
"Did you sell the rest of the lie?" Sensei asked.
"Most believe Frodo-san was tripped by that human and then slid under the table you crouched in front of," Sakura replied like it was mission debrief.
"And the human who tripped him? He would have seen Frodo-san disappear," Sensei questioned.
"I riled him into fighting me and knocked him out. He won't tell anyone that Frodo-san disappeared for hours yet and the incident should be mostly forgotten by then."
Speaking of the hobbit, he sat down heavily on a stair and ran a hand through his hair. "I…" he shook his head and started again. "Thank you," he told them. "Thank you for helping me. Are you truly Dôranna's people? Why have you come now?"
"We shouldn't talk about this in the open," Sasuke commented, and the hobbit nodded.
"Come, let us go to my rooms. My companions will likely want to know about you all as well," Frodo replied and then shakily stood up. Sakura had a feeling it would be a long night yet.
A/N: I plan to update September 1st.