Forgotten

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Naruto (Shippuden). This is a story inspired by the original made up for entertainment purposes only. - Krystal

Chapter 46: Captain

Naruto was frantically running around the village that morning. Yuki was heading to the hospital to visit Kakashi when she spotted him. He seemingly saw her as well and detoured back to talk to her. She stood still waiting for him to come. A little further ahead, Shikamaru and Choji were waving at her as they were also headed in their direction.

"Yuki! You don't have a team, right? We need someone to fill in for Kakashi-sensei since he is bed ridden."

"I can't decide on that, Naruto. I actually have to meet up with Tsunade-sama to see what her plans are for me." Yuki replied as Shikamaru and Choji joined up with them.

"What about you, Shikamaru?" Naruto quickly asked them without greeting them properly.

"Sorry, Naruto. We were just assigned a mission this morning. We are about to leave."

"What good friends you guys are..." Naruto mumbled.

Before he could finish that train of thoughts, something flew at them and they all scattered and looked towards the Hokage tower. Yuki recognized that something. She didn't move from her spot. She could tell Sai was the one sitting on the tower's rooftop sending his painted beasts at them. She hadn't seen him in a while without his ANBU masked. She raised an eyebrow trying to comprehend why he would attack them. Shikamaru became Naruto's support right away trying to hold Sai down with his shadow, but he was too slow and Sai left the scene with a fake smile drawn on his face.

"He is definitely from Konohagakure." Shikamaru said.

"He's from the Root." Yuki said. "I don't know why he attacked Naruto though."

"The Root?" Naruto asked.

"I'm heading to the hospital. I'll see you around." Yuki said, ignoring Naruto's question.

Yuki promptly arrived at the hospital. She climbed the stairs and turned the corner to head into Kakashi's hospital room. As she pushed the door open, she saw Kakashi sitting up in his bed with Tsunade, Shizune and another man who had his back turned to her.

"Yuki, you are just in time. Come in and say hi." Tsunade told her.

"Tenzo-senpai!" Yuki said cheerfully, recognizing the man as an ANBU she worked with when she was also in the organization, under Kakashi's supervision.

"Please, call me Yamato now." He told her, scratching the back of his head as the name Tenzo was not his to own either.

"He will be replacing Kakashi temporarily." Tsunade explained.

"Naruto was going around crazily looking for someone for his team." Yuki told with a smile as she looked at Kakashi's medical chart.

"Danzo requested for one of his ANBU to join them. What was his name again?" Tsunade asked she turned towards Shizune.

"Sai." Yuki answered instead.

"Yuki-san, how did you know?" Shizune asked her, surprised.

"We ran into him earlier. I assume he was testing Naruto out. Yamato-senpai, you will truly have your hands full with this team."

Yamato sighed. Kakashi chuckled. Tsunade frowned.

"What more can you tell us about this Sai character?" She then asked Yuki.

"Not much. He's your typical Root ANBU. Actually, he's more than that. He is the perfect Root ANBU: emotionless, cold and ruthless."

Yamato and Yuki exchanged looks. He was once apart of that organization. He knew how they were trained. However, not all of them were able to suppress all emotions like Yuki had mentioned. He knew that if such a person existed, he should be feared as no one could ever know what he wants to achieve.

"Well, I'm glad if it's someone, it's you who is going to be in charge of my team, Tenzo." Kakashi said to lighten up the mood that reigned in the room.

"Kakashi-senpai, please, it's Yamato now."

"What's the mission and why the rush?" Yuki asked Tsunade.

"Sakura got intel from Sasori that the spy he had planted by Orochimaru side would come to the Tenchi Bridge in 10 days of time. Naruto obviously caught wind of that and believes there's a possibility of finding Sasuke there as well."

Yuki nodded as she now understood why he was so frantic earlier. She hadn't heard Sasuke's name in so long. Not she had forgotten about him, but more like she had given up on him. She stopped believing in the possibility of him returning to village and having a normal life among them all. She looked to the floor. She felt like she disappointed Itachi as well. He told her to take care of Sasuke. She believed she failed miserably. She couldn't even believe in him, how could she ever watch over him?

"I know you would have wanted to join them as well, but Kakashi wants you to stay here in the village so he can teach you the extent of the Sharingan." Tsunade then said, interrupting her train of thoughts.

"I don't..." Yuki started.

"I wanted to stop you from getting hurt because we knew Danzo wanted something to do with the Sharingan. However, now that everything is out in the open, I believe that it is in your best interest as well as the village's best interest to have you master your eyes." Tsunade cut her as she knew that Yuki had been unwilling for a long time now to rely on her eyes.

"Power is scary, especially when it's unknown. However, once you hone it well, power is useful and can help save lives. You should know that first hand." Kakashi then said. "I can only do so much to teach you too. I think the rest you will be able to figure it out on your own and as you fight."

"I am well aware of that, but..." Yuki started before sighing. "I understand."

"Oh, another thing. I've decided to promote you to jonin. You will be filling in for Kurenai while she's pregnant. You will be Team 8's new captain."

"Are you sure it's wise to let me lead a team? I'm not exactly known to be a team player." Yuki said as she bit her inferior lip.

"It's something you learn as you go." Yamato told her. "When Kakashi-senpai left, I had to be in charge all of the sudden. I made mistakes at the beginning, but I learned with experience. You are much smarter than I am. You will figure it out."

"Thanks." Yuki said, although she still doubted her skills as a leader.

"You both should go meet your team. You don't want to keep them waiting for too long." Tsunade then told them.

"Naruto is really impatient too." Kakashi told Yamato, smiling. "Have fun."

Captain. Yuki thought to herself as she made her way to Team 8's location. They were waiting for her in the forest as instructed by Kurenai who announced her pregnancy just hours ago. She wondered how they would feel having a captain that was just about their age. Tsunade had handed her their files so that she could have an idea of who she would be dealing with. They were the perfect team for tracking from what Yuki could tell. They were also team she knew the least about within the teams of chunins that graduated the same year as Naruto. She sighed as she approached their location. Captain. It was a heavy weight on her shoulders. It was the weight of three lives.

"Eh? Don't tell me you are our new captain?" Kiba said as she waved to them.

"Sorry to disappoint." Yuki replied as she expected Kiba to feel unsettled about her appointment as their new team captain.

Shino didn't seem to mind, but then again, it was hard to tell how he felt most of the time she had met him. Hinata was as quiet as ever. However, she had been grateful to Yuki since their first Chunin exam.

"So... you probably already know my name. I'm Yuki. I was appointed as your new team captain until Kurenai-san comes back."

"I don't understand why we need a team captain who is basically our age." Kiba said as he was frowning.

He knew very little about Yuki. In fact, the two of them never really interacted before that day. Before Yuki could reply to that comment, Shino said quietly:

"That's because we need someone who is level headed to lead us. The Hokage probably knows how short-tempered you are and how we are unable to keep you in check, Kiba. That's why she sent Yuki here to lead the team."

"I don't care what the Hokage thinks. She's just like one of us. She should be an equal, not a superior." Kiba said, expressing very clearly his discontent.

"I... I think Yu-Yuki-san would be a... a... great captain." Hinata then murmured.

"Hinata! When have I let you guys down as the team's leader?"

"Team leader?" Yuki asked. "I don't recall reading in any of your files that you were the team leader."

"UNOFFICIAL team leader!" Kiba corrected himself.

Yuki chuckled. She sighed and then told them:

"I can understand the concerns you might have about me being your team captain. I think it's only fair for you to doubt someone you barely even know. I'll give you the chance to challenge me as the team captain. If you are able to defeat me, I'll tell Tsunade-sama that you don't need me as a team captain and that you will be fine on your own. However, if the opposite happens, I hope you can accept be as your new team captain."

"Are you challenging all four of us at the same time?" Kiba asked as he patted Akamaru who was seemingly ready to fight.

"I should at least be this confident if I want to lead you."

"Don't say it wasn't fair after you lose." Kiba said loudly as he readied himself for the battle.

"Kiba-kun... Is... Is this really necessary?" Hinata asked.

"Hinata, take it as if we were training to get better knowledge of each other's skills if you are unwilling to fight for leadership. I expect you to give it your all." Yuki said as she retreated herself into the forest to hide from them.

Yuki was curious to see how skilled they were in tracking, knowing of their great reputation in the art. From what she knew, the Inuzuka clan had insanely enhanced sense of smell, Hinata's byakugan rivaled Neji's and the Aburame's clan's bugs were like perfect tracking chips. The three of them were known to be some of the best shinobis in their respective clans. However, she was also well aware of their weaknesses. Kiba never thought ahead enough to hold out in a long fight. He fought everything head on without much planning involved. Hinata was kind, sometimes she was too kind. She also lacked confidence. She would be able to do so much more if she gained that self-confidence. As for Shino, his only weakness was his skills in hand to hand combat. As long as Yuki could come close enough, she had a sure win against him. However, he also knew that was his biggest weakness. Therefore, he would make sure she wouldn't be able to get within range for a taijutsu battle.

"Found you!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru were charging head on. "Dynamic ma... Huh, where did she go?"

Yuki had flashed herself away from him and gracefully arrived in the forest clearing where she met with Hinata. Hinata was in position to fight her. She did not move forward despite being able to strike Yuki at that moment. Yuki smiled knowing how unwilling Hinata was to fight for no reason.

"I told you to give it your all, Hinata."

"I already know you will be a great team captain." Hinata replied as she lowered her hands.

"This isn't about who gains leadership, it's about getting to know each other." Yuki said as she took Hinata down and tied her hands together. "But, I also don't want to make things difficult for you. So, just sit tight here. It shouldn't last much longer."

Yuki vanished and headed back into the forest, leaving Hinata there in the clearing to wait for the fight between Kiba, Shino and Yuki to be over. As Yuki made her way through the forest, she sensed Shino's chakra being nearby. He wasn't close enough to see her, but he kept heading in her direction at great speed. She smirked and decided to lead him towards the hidden lake in the forest. She assumed he had put a tracking bug on her when they first announced the challenge. However, because he knew little about her abilities, she assumed that his bugs were not immune to her ice jutsu. If she lead him to the lake, she would have to resort to little chakra to stop his bugs from attacking her. As she reached the lake, she just stood right in the middle of it, patiently waiting for him to arrive. As he appeared, he calmly walked to the edge of the water. He looked at her through his dark sunglasses and said:

"We've known each other for a long time now."

"I remember seeing you when we were just children. It was a rainy day, wasn't it?" Yuki asked, smiling.

"You actually remember me, unlike some people I consider friends."

"I'm guessing Naruto is the one you are referring to?"

"You've guessed that because he was the only one who was away for a long time from the village."

"Correct."

"Since you have such good memory, you must remember that my bugs can constantly evolve and that water isn't something that can stop them as many commonly think it would."

"I do remember that. However, your bugs can only evolve if you have knowledge of your opponents' skills. Unfortunately, none of you truly know the extent of my capabilities."

With that said, he then sent his bugs after Yuki. She quickly kicked the water up in the air and used her wind jutsu to freeze them all. As it provided a shield for Yuki, she quickly made her way to the edge of the water to strike Shino. As she landed the first hit, she realized it was a bug clone. She quickly reacted by using her ice jutsu to stop their movement as well as prevent them from forming dome around her. She then sensed Kiba's chakra charging at her from above. She flashed herself back to the center of the lake and heard a loud crashing sound where she was was previously. She then used an earth jutsu to keep Kiba trapped in the ground alongside with Akamaru. Shino, only then, stepped out of the forest and said:

"I guess the battle is over. You win."

"Shino! What do you mean she wins? You are still able to fight."

"No and that's because she knows none of my current bugs are able to fight off her ice jutsu as it is not a common jutsu to encounter. Hinata also doesn't want to fight, therefore, she's already out of the picture. You are currently trapped in solid rock and are unable to lend a hand. She's way above us in both fighting prowess and intelligence. Kiba, I think it's time to accept this defeat."

"Damn it." Kiba said, pouting. "Welcome to the team, captain."

End of Chapter 46

Thank you for reading.

Sorry it took so long for an update. It should be back up regularly now!

Let me know what you think of it so far.

xox

Krystal