It's alive!

XXXXX

Minas Tirith was magnificent. She rose from the cliff-side like the prow of a ship, and glowed in the evening sun. Its white stone towers and walls dominated the plains before it like a king on his throne. Merry and Pippin could not contain gasps of wonder at such a sight, and Boromir breathed deep the pride of his home.

"Now that's something you don't see in the Shire!" Merry laughed as Pippin nodded beside him.

Legolas felt the loss of the forest they had broken from, but the wild grasses that flowed and swayed in the light wind all the way to the gate whispered to him and he was content. Gimli could scarcely wait to inspect the craftsmanship of where the city met the mountain behind it. As a dwarf nothing would compare to Erebor in his blood, but he could respect the glorious sight Minas Tirith presented.

They had left their companions only two days previous, and Sakura was surprised how close they had been to the seat of Boromir's father. Had he known of their presence they would have had difficulty evading him. As it was, Faramir's rangers would have led the rest of their party far from here by now, and she trusted in the man's conviction to destroy the Ring. In Faramir there was nothing of the roiling doubt that had plagued Boromir when faced with its temptations. No doubt with so much change the Ring was unsure who to target; hopefully her companions were enjoying the brief respite.

She herself was glad to be rid of the darkness that had never stopped trying to seep its way into her mind. Had this been ten years previously no doubt Inner Sakura would have dealt with it like she'd dealt with everything else. However since growing into a real kunoichi, Inner Sakura had merged more and more with the rest of her until there had been nothing left of the defence mechanism she used to need. That now she found herself in need of her once again was nothing short of ironic.

Their approach had not gone unnoticed by the soldiers manning the walls. They could see movement along the fortifications, and could hear the grinding of the inner doors being opened as they neared the huge outer-walls. There was a building murmur of excitement as the message of just who was returning spread through the citadel. Boromir, the Captain-General of Gondor, had returned!

The great outer-doors opened as they reached it, and almost immediately Boromir was swept into a bone-crushing embrace by a kinsman.

"Boromir, my lord! Today is a good day!" the man laughed, holding Boromir at arms-length to check him for injuries.

"Beregond! A sight for sore eyes, so you are," Boromir replied, enduring the scrutiny with grace.

Beregond turned to see the company Boromir had brought home with him. He was one of the few that knew of Faramir's dreams, and had long been considered another little brother by the Captain-General. Boromir could read from his face what a strange picture they presented: two hobbits, an elf, a dwarf, and a woman with pink hair peeking out from under her travelling hood. Beregond turned anxious eyes back to Boromir.

"I have many a tale to tell, my friend," Boromir assured him with a wry smile.

Beregond laughed aloud, "That, I can see, my Lord. Come, your father will want to see you."

"Aye, how does my father fare?" Boromir asked in an undertone as they began walking up towards the Steward's quarters at the top of the city.

The citizens of Gondor crowded the paths to get a glimpse of their returning hero, shouting and clamouring for Boromir's attention. Merry and Pippin, and even Gimli soaked up the atmosphere as they trotted along behind the mens' long strides. Sakura and Legolas felt more uncomfortable being paraded in front of so many people. They were watched with outright curiosity, if not veiled hostility, and it made them press closer to their source of real legitimacy in this city.

"Your father is -" Beregond faltered over the words to express the strange melancholy that had fallen over the Steward.

"You must tell me the truth, Beregond, no matter if it is not what I would hear," Boromir pressed, speaking in an undertone while waving at the gathered city-folk.

Beregond frowned, it was so open a place to discuss the matter, but Boromir deserved fore-warning. "He is taken with a malady of the mind – as though he is in the deepest mourning."

"Mourning?" Boromir questioned. His mother's death had changed Denethor for ill, but while he and his brother lived there was little to shake the man so. He said as much to Beregond as they walked past the wall of guards protecting the ascent to the heights of the citadel.

Beregond paused once they were alone on the stairs and cast his eyes over the companions that Boromir allowed close to him. Strange company for strange times, though they watched him with less interest than he did they.

Boromir caught his eyes, "What ails my father, ails Gondor, and what ails Gondor ails us all with our enemy at our backs."

He cloaked his meaning for the benefit of the soldiers surrounding them, but his meaning was clear to Beregond. However strange his Lord's new allies they were to be trusted.

"He believes you to be dead, my Lord," Beregond stated frankly, "The notion seized him but a few days past, and he refuses to listen to reason."

Boromir shared a look with the others before he reached up to run a hand through his hair in frustration, "He will see reason when he sees me before him," he sighed.

Beregond watched in confusion as those gathered around him barely reacted to the news he had just imparted. Those close enough to the Lord Steward to have been informed of his condition had been in a state of near panic. The morale of the people of Minas Tirith hung by a mere thread, and the apparent mental illness of the Steward they relied upon may have been enough to tip the delicate balance. They'd concealed it thus far, but discontented muttering had already begun.

Boromir began up the stairs again, taking the large steps two at a time in his haste to reach his father. "Beregond, you are a true friend, and I assure you I will not keep you in ignorance, but at this moment my father must steal my attention."

"I understand, my Lord, of course. Do you have need of me?" Beregond asked as he easily loped along beside him. The hobbits, Sakura, and Gimli were forced into a more undignified trot to keep pace, and Beregond felt the impoliteness acutely but could not slow.

"Always, my friend, father has retreated to his study I presume?" Boromir asked.

"Aye, my Lord, we have not been able to tempt him from it."

Boromir nodded, his face set. As they crested the stairs they came upon Minas Tirith's most revered sight. In the centre of an open, sun-dappled plaza stood the gleaming white tree that adorned the armour of every man of the city, and that which Naruto had seen in his vision. Boromir barely paid it heed as he led them past it to the private quarters of the Steward. The others lingered as far as they could to absorb the sight, and the calm that was such a contrast to what lay outside the gates.

The Steward's chambers lay beside and slightly behind what were clearly the King's chambers. The grand doors and windows were clearly cleaned regularly, but there was no sense of inhabitation, and what lay behind was covered with the dust that floated in the air. The chambers of the Steward were more thread-bare, having seen more use over the last age. The guards standing before the doors were over-joyed to see Boromir, but moved to prevent his companions entering the personal chambers of their lord.

"They enter with me," Boromir commanded, "We have much to tell my father."

The guards protested citing the Steward's apparent ill-health, and the unusual nature of their guests. From the set of Boromir's shoulders they could see the tension in him, and it took all his good sense to maintain a level tone, "I cannot tell you how I appreciate your service to my father, and no doubt were he well my father would do the same. However we cannot delay any longer – they enter with me, and you will prevent any interruptions. Need I repeat myself?"

The guards quailed under the weight of Boromir's words, and reluctantly allowed the group to enter. They closed the doors behind them, and all there was inside was silence. Beregond had not been overstating the melancholy that had fallen over the Steward. The lamps were unlit, and uneaten food lay on trays before the closed door the study. Boromir went to approach, to fling open the door and shake some sense into his father, but Sakura held up a hand. Inside she could feel an energy – less pervasive than in the study of Saruman, but still present.

"The Palantír?" Boromir asked, though it was clear from his angered tone that he knew.

Sakura nodded, chewing her lip as she weighed the options. They could not risk touching it with bare skin – had Kurama not protected Naruto he, and the quest, would have been in the gravest danger. There was also the matter of alerting Sauron to their knowledge of his reach. Ninja worked in secret and shadow – was there benefit in concealing what they knew? She said as much in a whisper to the men assembled around her .

"Would there be a way to separate Boromir's father without alerting our enemy? I am unfamiliar with the reach of the seeing-stones," Legolas asked.

"Sai said that when he covered the stone it was as if the room was empty," Gimli said, and it was clear from his posture that he felt the same as Boromir. Physical action would always be preferable to the slow, poisonous tactics of the Dark Lord.

"If Boromir can enter and draw his father from the room – we could cover it, and then remove it without allowing it to corrupt us," Legolas continued Gimli's thought, and missed the appraising look the dwarf cast him.

Sakura nodded, but something in Merry's face stopped her from proceeding, "What are you thinking, Merry?" she asked.

Merry frowned, "It's just – I mean, don't we want Sauron to know we're here? Frodo has to make it, and if we can take Sauron's attention away from his own lands, that would make that easier, wouldn't it?"

Boromir ran a hand over his beard as he weighed the words, "You're right, my friend, I had only thought of separating my father from our enemy's corruption - I should have considered Frodo."

"The full weight of Mordor will fall upon Gondor," Legolas cautioned. Beregond looked between them, confusion and alarm warring on his face.

"I know, and though I wish it were not so, it is only a matter of time," Boromir agreed.

Pippin, recognising that the word of a hobbit would not be dismissed in this world of big folk, piped up, "I have an idea!"

"What is it, lad?" Gimli grunted, still feeling the handle of his hand-axe as he watched the door to the study.

"Sakura, you can do what Naruto did in Rivendell, can't you? You can make yourself look like other people?" Pippin questioned, his voice getting faster as his excitement grew.

Sakura nodded as she began to realise where his thoughts were headed, "I can. You would have me appear as Frodo, or perhaps all of our friends, where Sauron may see it?"

"Turn his little game back on him!" Gimli agreed. Subterfuge would never be a dwarf's style, but he could appreciate the return of a favour.

The enthusiasm for the notion was building, and Legolas felt it was his duty to counsel them in reason lest their enthusiasm lead them to rue the day. "Our enemy has been gathering forces to him for some time, and he will strike with all haste if he believes it will win him his prize – can Gondor withstand such a force?"

Boromir watched as Beregond's face paled further, and the tendrils of panic began seeping in to his normally steadfast Citadel Guard. Beregond was loyal to his post, and to his Lords. It would take a matter of the gravest importance for the man to break with protocol. Boromir could tell that it was all he desired, and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Your wisdom is our keen ally, Legolas, perhaps we should not act with haste. In truth, hasty actions have always been my weakness, as I'm sure Beregond here will attest. My father is my heart, but my city is my very soul, and I would not see it fall," he announced, before turning to his guardsman, "Beregond, I want a report on every strength, every weakness, anything that may affect my city in its hour of need – we must put ourselves in this danger, for the good of us all. That does not mean we need do it blindly."

Beregond nodded fervently, and rushed to obey, when Boromir hailed him, "Beregond, I do not need to say that anything you heard in this room must remain here."

"Of course, my lord, I would not breathe a word," Beregond bowed.

Boromir smiled lopsidedly, "I know, friend, but I feel the better for saying it."

XXXXX

Less than a day's travel from their meeting place brought Frodo to the outskirts of Osgiliath. Gandalf had commented that he had forgotten just how close the ruined city was, and how close it lay to the lands of their enemy.

"Aye, once Osgiliath thrived," Faramir said quietly, his voice tinged with sorrow, "Yet now it lies but a shell. As Mordor's power grows, Osgiliath weakens. It as if the very air is polluted, and the waterways that were once so pure are now barely more than sludge."

"It will not always be so, Faramir," Gandalf assured him, his voice soft, but resolute.

"Will we be going into this city?" Naruto questioned. He had been overcome with a strange restless feeling, and Kurama paced endlessly within him. Sai did not show it, but his chakra moved and flowed such that it was clear he had it ready to draw on if the need arose.

Faramir shook his head – he had planned to lead them near it only. He had sent his fellow rangers to follow their usual patrol, and only he remained with Gandalf's company. He trusted his rangers with his very life, but the Ring would seize upon any weakness. They would not fall under its spell willingly but, on hearing how it had tried with such persistence to turn his brother's deepest held love for his city, he could not take such a risk. His men were anxious, home-sick, battle-weary, and it was just such emotions that their enemy would seize upon. They were privy to very few of the details, in case word should spread, and had taken their leave of the strange company with only worry for their leader.

Others in Osgiliath would not be so amenable to the will of the Steward's younger son. No doubt his father had instructed that he, and his reports, be watched. Faramir had begged to be the one to travel to Rivendell and act on the dream that had come to him. Denethor had paid him but little attention during his childhood, but it had been enough to see that Faramir recognised the danger of the Ring falling into the hands of men. Boromir had studied because he was near forced from the training grounds and into the library. Faramir had studied because he loved the world they lived in, and all its history, including that of the man who had ensured his family had retained control of Gondor. Denethor desired the Ring, and did not trust his son to bring it to him willingly.

Frodo found himself near disappointed – Boromir had talked of Osgiliath and he wished to see the setting for the great battles that had been fought there for himself. However he could see Faramir's wisdom; the less who knew of them, the better. The guilt of the troubles Gondor had endured pressed down heavily upon Aragorn, and he was selfishly glad that he would not see the despair in the men who garrisoned it. Once the war was won he would return Osgiliath to its rightful state – he swore it to himself on his honour.

However his relief at avoiding the ruined city was to be short-lived. As they passed by the main road that would have led them there Faramir brought them to a forest path that ran parallel, but then snaked away in the direction of Mordor. The woods were thinner, barer, here, and held only the silence that had surrounded the forests near Isengard. Sam viewed the dying and rotting vegetation forlornly, and for a moment dearly wished he were back in the lush greenery of the Shire.

He was just entering the denser tree-line when both Naruto and Sai stopped as one. Naruto tended to take point and often walked beside Faramir, while Sai lingered near the back of their party in case of rear attack.

"Sai" Naruto said in his own tongue, "Do you feel that?"

Sai stilled further for a moment and breathed deeply as he concentrated, "Yes, moving towards the city."

"How many?" Naruto asked, though Kurama was already reaching out beyond the confines of his cage to feel for himself.

Sai hesitated: the company was watching them. Frodo and Sam looked up at him with fearful eyes from around Aragorn who had moved unconsciously to be nearer them. Faramir was of more patience than his brother, but it was clear he loved the land no less, and chafed at the thought of information being kept from him. Gandalf, more attuned to the world around them, could also sense the creeping shadow.

"Not a large force – most likely scouts, but they will be at the city within the hour," Sai replied.

Naruto paced a little as he tried to decide what to do. They couldn't endanger the Ring-Bearer, but Osgiliath was the last line of defence before Minas Tirith. Faramir had admitted it was lightly manned since the last large battle had been won in their favour. If they did not warn them, it may fall, and then it would be used to funnel the invasion of Middle-Earth. If such a thing happened soon these lands would be overridden with Orcs before Frodo had a chance to pass through. He communicated his though process to Sai, and as always, was relieved when the master tactician agreed.

They spoke a little further, and agreed on a course of action. Whether it be for good or ill they would assist Osgiliath, and then continue their journey through last remnants of Gondor before their enemy fell upon it. Faramir was near beside himself when they related what was happening. An early warning of the type they seemed to possess would spare many a good man's life. Gandalf and Aragorn advocated for the safety of the hobbits. They did not doubt that Sai, Naruto, and the remaining men of Gondor would overcome the threat, but rather that Frodo might be seen by the Eye as it focussed on Osgiliath.

"I agree," Sai said plainly, "I would that you Gandalf, and you Aragorn, would linger near here in the forest with Frodo and Sam while we repel this force."

Faramir seemed as though he would protest, but Naruto spoke before he could articulate his loathe to remain while his comrades risked their lives. "We would not ask you stay, Faramir, but it may lead to unwanted questions."

"Rather that than leave my men thinking their Lords have abandoned them," Faramir stated without hesitation or fear.

"Then let us proceed. I do not think we have long," said Sai, already pulling a scroll from his pocket.

Faramir nodded, and turned to crouch down before Frodo, "There is a small shelter near here – take the path, and cut off to the left where the old statue's head lies. I would bid you shelter there, and we will find you soon."

Frodo appreciated that he spoke directly to him, rather than directing his protectors. Aragorn watched with interest in the man who had all the gentler skills of a leader. Boromir possessed the battle-sense, and spoke to his soldiers as one of them, but Faramir had the touch with common citizen.

Naruto was still pacing as Gandalf and Aragorn led the hobbits down the winding path, and Faramir returned to lead them into the Western portion of what remained of Osgiliath. The main gates had been broken down by some powerful force, and the men gathered on the towers beside it saluted as Faramir approached. Naruto and Sai had re-donned their bone-white travelling masks, and Faramir could see from his men's drawn faces they were an ominous sight.

A man, tall and proud with a regal bearing, approached them as soon as they had passed the gates.

"Faramir, my dear nephew, I did not expect to see you – I had thought your patrol was not due back for a week hence," the man said, his face blank though the ninja could see the effort it was taking to keep the suspicion from his tone.

"Uncle!" Faramir bowed in respect, and both ninja were quick to follow suit. "Aye, my patrol is still within the forest, but my friends here have imparted some dire news that cannot wait for the proper pleasantries."

"Strange friends, and ill omens, what news, Faramir?"

"Sound the alarm, uncle, we will soon be under attack," Faramir pleaded breathlessly.

"How do you know this? Our guards report nothing of it," Faramir's uncle could not see why his nephew would create such fantasy, there must be a reason.

Sai stepped forward, "Enemy forces will attack from the river, they will be here in but a few moments. Sound the alarm, and get your men ready for battle."

Faramir had known there was something powerful about the men at his side – something that ran beyond their strange abilities. The coldness in Sai's tone was like a trickle of ice water down his spine, and it was clear his uncle felt the same. The man hesitated but for a second, before turning to a nearby soldier and confirming the order. The ancient bells that had survived the destruction and formed the basis of the soldiers' warning system creaked into voice. All around them the men who had been resting, or sparring, leapt into action, though they did not yet know the source of the danger. Naruto barely moved as Kurama used his heightened senses to track the approach of their foes.

"Faramir, who are these men?"

"I apologise, uncle," Faramir bowed again as he drew his bow from his back, and hefted the weight of his sword in his hand. "I fear I only know a little of them, but Gandalf has put his trust in them, and so do I. Friends, this is my uncle, Prince Imrahil of Dol Amroth. He is my mother's brother, and has always treated my brother and I with kindness. Uncle, they are Naruto and Sai, they hail from a most distant land, but have pledged their support in our war."

"Well met," Imrahil replied, raising his voice over the clanging of the bells and the clamour of the men.

Naruto suddenly tensed, drawing a kunai and moving towards the ruined docks that had once held the bridge over the great river. Sai drew his katana, ignoring the strange looks he received from the men around them who all preferred heavy swords, and followed. Faramir and Imrahil directed their men to form a semi-circle around the docks, and to cover all possible entrances through which their foes could emerge.

"When did you come to Osgiliath, uncle?" Faramir asked, as he moved behind his new allies. Keeping them in sight, but unwilling to get too close. He was unsure of their fighting style, and did not want to hinder them, or have them hinder his own.

"Only a day past, Faramir, your father is taken of strange musings and bade me bring a small force hither," Imrahil replied as quietly as he could to be heard, but not overheard.

Faramir was unmoved by his uncle's revelation of his father. Denethor was taken to strange musings more often than not, and had he been present no doubt he would have borne the weight rather than Denethor's brother-in-law.

Naruto and Sai stood together on the crumbling walls that had once separated the docks from the residential areas. The higher ground was also favoured by the Gondorian archers, who took up what were clearly familiar positions. Below them the close-quarter fighters spread out to cover as much possible ground with their meagre resources. The day's light was fading swiftly, and an eery fog was drifting in to settle around them. Whether it was created by their enemy, or simply a product of the stagnant water, they could not say.

"They're confused," Naruto murmured of the approaching enemies.

"They've lost the element of surprise – they would have snuck in and slaughtered these men," Sai agreed.

Naruto cocked his head to one side to focus on where he could feel the approaching energy sources. Inside him Kurama bared its teeth in disgust at the polluted, slimy quality that characterised their enemies. Even the most immoral men had nothing of the corruption these things carried in their very beings.

"Will they retreat?"

"Unlikely," Sai replied, "Even if they cannot take the city, they will make a test of its defences. Sauron can spare the man-power if the reports are to be believed."

Naruto nodded and eased chakra into his muscles in preparation, "Kill them all?" he asked. Sai would no doubt have already considered several scenarios.

Sai followed Naruto's line of sight to where the first twisted outlines of their foes were beginning to break through the fog and into view, "Capture the leader; he may have information. Kill the rest."

It was a tactic Naruto would follow, though Sai's reasoning would never sit well with him. Many thought him naïve, even soft, that he considered torturing captured foes for what they knew distasteful. Even Kurama scoffed at him for it. However in war and to protect the undefended he had to allow it – their enemy would surely have treated them no better.

The men surrounding them began a murmur of alarm near all at once. There had been no word from their spies on this attack, and those men must now be presumed dead. If it had not been for Faramir, and his odd companions, they would have been at the mercy of the small force approaching swiftly on make-shift rafts across the river.

Faramir respected his uncle's martial abilities greatly, but he was no distance fighter, and so he took command for the moment. The orcs, for they could be little else, would soon be in range, and Faramir gave the signal for his men to sight their targets. They were practiced archers, but no doubt the number of their foes would mean they would not be stopped by a few volleys before they could come ashore. He could see Naruto and Sai standing as calmly as though they were merely watching the water on a summer's day, and he was taken with the desire to watch them fight.

There was a moment of silence in which the bells stopped and both sides were frozen as they viewed each other. Then Faramir's order came – fire at will. The arrows of the Gondorians were swift and true, and many orcs fell from their boats into the water with shrieks and yowls of pain. Those that avoided the first wave sped towards landfall, their harsh cries filling the air. The men swiftly fletched another arrow and loosed. The orcs hid behind their dead companions, and pressed themselves closer to their make-shift rafts.

Naruto tensed beside him, and Sai knew as soon as they reached the land he would be in the thick of the fight. The orcs would rue the day they faced him. There had been too much travelling and little enough action for a man like Naruto. There was an orc towards the back of the company, and Sai could see it barking orders to those around it. Naruto would be more than capable of dealing with any that escaped the Gondorians – so he would dedicate his time to the capture.

The first orcs charged ashore, into another hail of incoming arrows. As they gained their feet they began to use their own bows and arrows. The shafts were black and thick, the heads cruelly barbed, and most likely poisoned. As the men retreated behind cover, Naruto leapt from the wall and into the heart of the fray. Faramir gasped aloud as he plunged, but landed on his feet like a cat close enough to strike the throat of the nearest orc.

The swordmen of Gondor were not sure what to make of him, but his attack spurred their own. The orcs still outnumbered them. Osgiliath had barely half their number of able-bodied fighters, but they fought with heart and gave no quarter, for they would receive none. They roared as one and ran towards their enemy.

Whereas Naruto was the typhoon, Sai was the lightening bolt. Naruto whirled and spun in between his slower enemies, creating as much havoc as he could to keep their attentions on him. Sai was near surgical in his approach – appearing as from thin air to dispatch a foe before disappearing again. The orc leader remained near the back as his troops piled over each other to reach the land and their enemies.

With the orcs so close, and their own men in the thick of the fighting, the archers were forced to forego their weapons of choice, and join the hand-to-hand fighting. Prince Imrahil was a seasoned fighter, and had often tutored the young Faramir in his more elegant style. The similarities were lost on the orcs that fell before their blades.

Though it was an eternity to the tired Gondorians the fight lasted less than an hour before the tide began to turn in their favour. It was a queer feeling that was felt more than the facts recognised, and Sai knew it was his moment to act. The orcs began pulling back – they had slain over a dozen, but their kills had been returned twice-fold – and their crude archers turned to covering their retreat.

Sai was as a shadow, moving silently through the battle-field, and barely seen by the orcs he passed on the way to his prize. The orc captain was larger than his compatriots, but no less susceptible to the simplest of genjutsu. Sai grunted as he shouldered the weight of a suddenly unconscious orc, but dragged him easily enough from the battle to deposit him behind a stone out-cropping.

Soon the battle became a rout, and the orcs were spilling back into the water to escape. Naruto stood on the docks grinning widely, despite being covered in black blood, and watched with satisfaction as the Gondorians filled their backs with arrows. Faramir had already sheathed his sword and was attending the wounded. Despite the victory the atmosphere was muted. A number of good men had perished, and the men who survived had been ground down by the constant conflict. Imrahil and his small contingent of soldiers were noticeably fresher, and they tactfully withdrew to leave the others to grieve.

Naruto watched until he was sure the remaining orcs were not re-forming for a retaliatory attack. Sai lingered by his side a little before turning to the out-cropping where the orc commander lay. Kurama curled up inside his cage; his lust for battle and chaos satiated for the moment. It had been little more than an exercise, and he stretched gently before moving to assist Faramir. The soldiers he passed nodded with respect and a little awe. His display had been enough for them to forget their inherent distrust of outsiders.

He knelt binding the wounded arm of a soldier who was in truth too old to be in such a place. It was a sure sign of the struggle the land was gripped by. There were many men like him, and boys who had yet to reach full adult-hood. The man grimaced, but thanked Naruto as he tied off the bandage, before suddenly falling silent.

Naruto turned to look over his shoulder and found that Sai was standing almost directly behind him as he waited for him to finish. The comfortable feeling that had settled over him disappeared in a heart-beat. Sai was as tense as he had ever seen him, and was methodically wiping the blood from his already clean blade. It was a habit he lapsed into when he was unsure or worried.

"Sai?"

"We need to speak to Gandalf."

XXXXX