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 49: King of their Home

Each team was dispatched to a different area of the Land of Fire to find the two Akatsukis starting wherever there was a bounty station as they knew that those two were constantly looking for new heads with a bounty on them. Yuki and Team 8 were assigned a northern part of the Land of Fire. They wandered for a little while as everyone did their part to try to find the two trespassers. Finally, finding nothing out of the ordinary for the next few hours, they decided to take a rest on the rooftop of the bounty station.

"I hate this place." Kiba said. "It reeks..."

"To no surprise, that's because who knows how many dead corpses were in this building." Shino replied.

Yuki also hated the place. She hated the idea of bounty hunting. It allowed for human life to be given a worth that should only be given to objects. It made it seem as though some lives were more precious than others when all lives should be worth the same. She hated it because it justified murders when it should never be justify. Because they had nothing to do for the time being, Yuki's mind started to wander off as she began to think about Sai and about what had happened last night. She sighed as Shino looked at her wondering what was going through her head. He didn't ask her though. He believed that if she wanted to share, she would have. As they were resting, Yuki saw a black crow that was one of Aoba's. She raised her arm to allow it to lend on her. There was a message attached to it. Hinata grabbed the message and read it out to them:

"Asuma's team met with the two Akatsukis. Rendez-vous at their bounty station location."

Yuki sent the crow away and stood up immediately. She instructed the rest of them:

"Hold each others' hands. I'm teleporting us there."

"Wouldn't that waste a lot of chakra? We could rush there instead and be there in about 10 minutes or so." Kiba asked her.

"That would be a waste of 10 minutes." Yuki replied as everyone gathered around and held onto each other.

She did as she said. She flashed herself to where Asuma and Shikamaru were. She had previously marked each of the team leader with her seal. It ensured that if there was an emergency, any team would be able to have close to immediate support. As she got there, Asuma's right arm was badly burnt. She quickly headed over and healed the arm as best as she could.

"Oi, Kakuzu! Isn't that the girl we once fought?" Hidan asked his partner.

He looked different from how he used to look when she saw him last time. Hidan's skin was no longer of a flesh color. It was black and white. He resembled a demon. He was however trapped by Shikamaru's shadow.

"Oi, Kakuzu! There are more people joining now. I think you should jump in and help!"

"Oh? So you remember how helpless you were fighting against that kid last time." Kakuzu said as he looked at Yuki.

Meanwhile, Asuma was relieved from the pain from the burn on his arm. He told Yuki:

"Remember that sacrificial ceremony you talked about?"

"Yeah?"

"As long as he is in that circle, whoever blood's he consumed, that person will feel all the pain that is done to him." Asuma told her as he pointed at the circle painted on the ground.

"In summary, Asuma's life is within his hands now as long as he stays in that circle. Oh, did we mention he's immortal? I knew they would be a drag to fight against." Shikamaru said as he tried to move Hidan out of the circle.

Yuki bit her lip as she watch Shikamaru slowly making Hidan come out of the circle. As soon as both his feet were out, Asuma charged ahead and decapitated him. His head rolled off onto the ground, hitting Kakuzu's feet.

"DAMN IT! You have done it now! Kakuzu! Why didn't you jump in?!" Hidan said.

Shikamaru collapsed onto his knee as he was exhausted from maintaining his shadow for that long. Everybody else were stunned at the fact that Hidan could still speak.

"Damn it! That hurts, ya know. After I'm done with your sensei, I'm going for you next!" He yelled out at Shikamaru.

Kakuzu picked up Hidan's head and brought it over to his body. He reattached the body and head with the help of those grey strings. Hidan cracked his neck a few times before trying to come back into the circle. Yuki pushed him back using a large scale wind jutsu. Kakuzu escaped from the wind while Hidan is flown backwards. He jumped towards Yuki but was stopped by Kotetsu and Izumo who were the two other members of Team Asuma. However, their effort was in vain as he escaped from their attack and grabbed them both by the throat and lifted them up mercilessly. Team 8 jumped into help, but his grey strings were fighting them off. Yuki attacked Kakuzu as both his hands were occupied. All she wanted was to allow Izumo and Kotetsu to be freed. She saw the color on their faces changing. They didn't have much time either. Meanwhile, Hidan made his way back towards the circle after he kicked an exhausted Asuma against the wall of the bounty station. Yuki threw her kunai towards as to make it to him before he entered the circle. However, Asuma yelled out from below:

"Yuki! Don't you dare get close to him."

That extra second that took him to say that was too late. Hidan was once again in the circle. He dodged the kunai that ultimately hit the ground. What happened next occurred faster than time should have permitted to happen. Yuki and Shikamaru simply saw a rod-like weapon entering Hidan's chest, heard Asuma's cry out of pain and then saw a lightning strike down into the forest. Shikamaru rushed down to grab onto Asuma. As he did, Hidan went towards him yelling out that he was next. Shikamaru didn't see him coming. Yuki quickly created a wall around Shikamaru as she pushed Hidan away with her wind jutsu once again. His laughter blending into the wind sound kept resonating in her ears. It drove her insane.

"Yuki!" She heard Shikamaru cry out for her name. "He's still alive, come, come heal him. He can still make it."

"He won't be for much longer!" Hidan bellowed as he was still enjoying the scene of desperation in front of him. "But I really can't let you heal him"

He pointed his scythe towards Yuki. He swung it back and forth trying to get her. Yuki wanted to go over to Asuma, but the battle was still not over. As she saw Asuma's blood seeping beneath the rock wall she had created to protect both him and Shikamaru, her desperation and anxiety grew as well. She looked around and saw that Izumo and Kotetsu were now at the verge of dying out of suffocation. Kiba and Hinata were injured and unconscious on the rooftop, as Shino was still fighting by himself Kakuzu who had far more experience than any of them. All of the sudden a flock of crows appeared and Kakuzu released his grip on both Izumo and Kotetsu. Yuki sensed Ino and Choji's chakra as well. They quickly headed behind the rock wall and carried Asuma away from the fight. Shino grabbed both Kiba and Hinata and fled in the same direction as Aoba did the same with the remaining two. Raido gave Yuki sign to leave as well. She nodded and flashed herself to where Asuma and the others were. They weren't followed by the two Akatsukis to her surprise. It wasn't in Kakuzu's nature to let a bounty go. Nonetheless, Yuki was grateful they didn't.

She kneeled next to Ino who was desperately trying to save her teacher. However, the tears just kept on coming down her eyes. She shook her head as Yuki took over. As her palms were now above Asuma's wound, she could tell that it was already too late. She bit her lip and started forming a seal to transfer her own life energy into Asuma. He grabbed her hand and said:

"You need to care for your life a little more. There will be many deaths along your way, as a shinobi. You cannot save them all, just protect as many lives as you can. You've already done plenty. Don't waste your life for an old man like me."

"You are still alive. It wouldn't kill me..." Yuki replied as she wiped away the tears from her eyes.

"I'm already a dead man. Life energy cannot be restored that easily. What if they need you... What if you go to far..." He said.

Asuma then turned towards Ino. She couldn't bare to look at him in such a state. He was happy she didn't see him defeated like this. He sighed and told her:

"Ino, watch over Choji and Shikamaru for me. You've always been the compassionate and understanding one, despite your bossy nature. Don't lose that spark. Don't lose to Sakura either. Keep your head high at all time. Choji, you've always had such a kind heart. Don't let that disappear, but be strong. You have such strength. Know how to balance your kindness and strength. Try to lose a few pounds too. Don't eat out too much."

Choji nodded as Asuma coughed up some blood. He then looked over at Shikamaru:

"Light me one last cigarette, now will you?"

Shikamaru took out Asuma's lighter and placed a cigarette into his mouth and lit it for him. Asuma looked at the sky and told Shikamaru to lean in. Shikamaru did as he was told. Asuma murmured something into his ear before closing his eyes as the ashes from his cigarette fell onto his chest and was extinguished by the pouring rain. Choji and Ino cried over his immobile body. Shikamaru stood up and took a few steps away as he turned on Asuma's lighter. He looked at the flame before complaining that the smoke from Asuma's cigarette was stinging his eyes. He closed his eyes and started crying. Yuki looked at Asuma's body, then at her hands that were now covered in his blood. The rain started washing away the blood. However, she kept on seeing it. She felt like the only way to not see it again was for her to resurrect him. She moved towards Asuma once again, forming the seals.

"Yuki, don't you dare." Shikamaru said, his back still turned towards her. "Asuma... Asuma wouldn't want it."

"I can do something about it." Yuki told him as she was in tears. "I was helpless when the Third died. Asuma is my adoptive uncle. I can't watch another family member die."

"Don't you know who his King is?"

Yuki stopped herself from moving any further. She knew his King was no different than hers. Even if they differed, they wanted to protect something precious to them. She pulled her hands away as she stood up.

"He died protecting that King. Don't make him feel like he failed." Shikamaru told her as he walked over and stored the lighter away. "Let's bring him back home."

End of Chapter 49

Thank you for reading.

I hope you are enjoying it so far.

xox

Krystal