#Middle-earth isn't really as isolationist as you would think

[tobinyama]

Naruto Founders Silmarillion/Rings of Power AU thought train

This will probably be relatively short since I've been mostly thinking of designs and how the major players would exist in this world. I'm trying (to my preference lol) to keep the dynamics relatively the same between characters even though I may or may not (definitely am) breaking a lot of canon from both series. This is most certainly a bit of a frankenstein of the two verses taking aspects from one and placing it in another. Im tending to use terms from the Silmarillion rather than Naruto, however there are still specific things from Naruto that I am inserting and keeping the terms of in this AU/verse I've been lightly braining. Take this little preamble as a warning that this is not necessarily one verse or the other. More beneath the line :D!

To start with, I think I'm going to detail the Senju and Uchiha and how they exist within this world, which is to say, they don't. Not really, they exist in a metaphysical sense, but not 'actually' as clans per se.

Senju in this verse is more akin to the political ideology of Internationalism. The Senju are of the High elves, typically of the younger crowd who didn't experience or only experienced the end of The War of Wrath (the war with Morgoth and post destruction of the Two Trees). Senju have arisen in the ~70 years after the end of the war and lack of Orcs being sighted. Senju are not necessarily all youths, but also others who wholly believe the evil to have been defeated and there is nothing to be concerned over. Continuing, the Senju as an ideal like to interact with Men and Dwarves, and the other persons of Middle-Earth. To the point, some Senju have chosen to walk the path of Men (most common in the case of halflings and those who have fallen for one of the Men, this also includes Dwarves (who doesn't love their short bearded kings and queens)).

The Uchiha, however, are isolationist elves. They are those who aim to leave Middle-Earth to return home. They wish to eventually return elvenkind to their ancestral home and return the Silmarils to where they rightfully belong. Some do believe that the evil is still out there and there are Orcs still to hunt, but not all. Uchiha tend to believe that they have no reason to be in Middle-Earth and honestly shouldn't be there. This isn't their land and it isn't theirs to lay claim too. Uchiha find it distasteful to choose a path you were not meant for, why would something so long lived choose a life so short. Why would one choose to debase themselves and leave all the good that comes to being a High Elf.

You'll notice I've completely left out the Sharingan. How the Sharingan comes into play is something I'm still honestly debating. At the current moment I've made a way for it to exist and how it works in this verse without super breaking it. However, you'll have to sit and wait while I explain Hashirama's and Madara's roles.

Both Hashirama and Madara are Maiar. For those unaware, Gandalf is a Maiar and the Wizards was another name for them during the time period in LotR! For the duration of this, I will continue to call them Maiar. Madara chose to incarnate roughly around the middle of the War of Wrath and live among the elves. He is commonly known as Madara the Red for his unique ocular powers formally known as the Mangekyou Sharingan (no power up yet you freak). As in the Naruto universe he is essentially a power style intended to represent the capabilities of the 'Mind'. His powers lie primarily in augmenting the world with his visual prowess and all the Sharingan entails. Madara likes the High elves and feels pity for them being forced out of their ancestral home and thus tends to ideologically side with the Uchiha. While not necessarily a hallmark of the Uchiha, he is a fairly prominent figure (the kind of political power you have among those lesser than a Maiar to have a Maiar on your side is insane). Unfortunately, the Senju also have a Maiar on their side by technicality alone. Hashirama has incarnated in the shape of Man near the end of the War of Wrath. He took a more simple route than Madara the Red had. Hashirama was known by many names throughout his wanderings, but became commonly known as the Man in the Woods with a more formal title given by Madara (in recognition that wow! another Maiar) as Hashirama the Brown. Hashirama when first incarnated lived with an elf and their wife who was a halfling. They had three children, of which were named Tobirama, Itama, and Kawarama. Out of the three, only Tobirama chose the life of an elf, but decided (upon reaching majority) to travel with Hashirama. Tobirama is a Senju, but doesn't particularly care for the details of either Senju or Uchiha ideologies.

Before I reach the meeting point for Tobirama and Izuna, I'm going to give a short intermission of where Izuna has been in this time and his relation to Madara. Izuna fought in the War of Wrath, he remembers being forced from his home and watching the Two Trees felled. At that time he hadn't reached majority, but reached majority in the first half of the War of Wrath. Izuna is very into Uchiha ideology and is an active pursuer of it. He has denied the reward to go to his ancestral home by the King specifically so he could continue advocacy of doing something to bring all elves home. Madara met Izuna's family fairly early on for their status in Court as well as Izuna being intimately involved with the war. Tajima is the one who taught Madara about his son Izuna leading the frontlines in the war against Morgoth and his Orcs and spoke of their old home. Madara felt grief for Izuna being so young and forced from his home. In this grief (insert funny magic moments) Madara granted a portion of his power to Izuna giving him the ability to manifest the Sharingan. Izuna thus became known as Izuna the lesser Red or Little Red as a sort of 'acolyte' for Madara the Red. Even if in actuality Izuna's and Madara's relationship became more of a brotherly thing.

Now comes, maybe 50 or so years post the end the war of wrath. Tobirama and Hashirama are finally returning to the elven kingdom in Middle-Earth. Tobirama and Hashirama at this point have made names for themselves out in the world, Tobirama was most often referred to by the Men of the world as White Knife for his coloration and his elvish lineage and on the occasion the Wood's Ghost for the fact that he will always be near when the Man in the Woods is around. Tobirama and Hashirama are first summoned to the elvish Kings court (mostly just Hashirama, but a King can't really summon a Maiar). Madara and Izuna are there, Madara eagrly awaiting his friend and fellow Maiar, while Izuna is curious to meet another Maiar and see if he could convince the elf by Hashirama's side to be Uchiha (or maybe they already were!). Insert ideological blows. Izuna is too insistent and pushy and Tobirama does not appreciate it at all. Funnily enough, Izuna is acting more 'mannish' where Tobirama the Senju is acting more 'elvish'. It doesn't result in blood, but it does result in Izuna flashing his Sharingan as a superiority thing and it becomes a huge issue in the Court. No elf should attack another especially in the presence of the King. Izuna is punished by being exiled from Court for a period of time. Hashirama and Madara come to sort of blows over this, but not much. Madara is curious about Tobirama and how he managed to get such a rise out of Izuna or why he got such a rise out of Izuna (could maybe tell Tobirama was intentionally getting a rise out of Izuna?). Maaah these are my thoughts so far, may add more later. I'm still trying to figure out how Tobirama's powers manifest. I don't think I want it to be a gift from a Maiar like Izuna's was.

[marileneriddle-notes]

Notice how a dwarf is just considered as much a usual sight as a farmer? Even though they like their peace and quiet, the hobbits are not as cut-off from the world as you might think. Really, I think part of their 'isolationism' was really imposed on them - the fall or Arnor to Angmar essentially cut off the hobbit branch of Men from the rest of the Men further east.

And for all of the protection the Dunedain provided, I do think that hobbits are far more hardy than most people think. Sure they were not prepared for war, but that was because the other people deliberately kept them away from those information. If they were not sheltered away, I do think the hobbits would have managed to rise up against enemies. They may not have enjoyed peace as much, but they would not have been overrun as easily by Saruman either.