Chapter 16 "The Burden of Knowledge

I was fine with the horrible visage of my familiar, as well as the awful smell of charred flesh and sulfur. But when the demon spoke...I started to regret summoning it. It sounded ancient, it's voice had a tone filled with malice and...hints of remorse. It sounded hurt and sad but that was of no concern to me, it served its purpose and deserved this fate...right?

I turned the corner and needed to duck to avoid getting hit with fragments of bone, steel and blood. I could smell immediately that this was undead blood so I let my guard down a bit then I saw it was Kiri's...girl that killed the vampire. She was standing around the corner and seemed to have had wrapped her arm around the vampire's forehead and squeezed...insanely hard and crushed him, steel helmet and all. She had her other arm against the body's torso to hold him upright and retain her stealthiness. But seeing that it was I who was coming down the hallway she dropped the body and turned to face me. She mumbled something in her own language and exhaled deeply with a small scowl, strange as she usually had a neutral expression or small smile when around her friend. She suddenly let out a ear-splitting hiss and tensed as my familiar appeared behind me. I flinched before asking my familiar, "I thought no one could see you, besides me?" The flames behind his charred rib cage smoldered in frustration before he responded, "as did I." I sighed before trying to soothe her, I struggled to remember her name. "Kat..." I started, using the term Kirisuto commonly used but her expression showed she took exception to that. "Manda Katsuye." She uttered through her bared, uncomfortably sharp teeth. "Oh...alright. Manda...he is under control." I asserted, but she didn't understand. I held my hand out and said, "familiar, show our bond." He grunted before his charred flesh got overtaken by his flame core and he became a being of pure flame, except for his neck, which still remained charred flesh. The flesh grew thinner as a chain formed of the substance extended from the collar and into my hand. I then tugged and caused him to kneel as I looked into her eyes and said, "mine." She seemed to process this and nodded, her unnerving fangs and expression returning to obscurity. She then looted the vampire of his blades and firearms, a MP40 submachine gun and a Mauser Pistol. After, Manda stood behind me and was ready to follow. I ensured my weapons were loaded as Manda pulled back the charging lever on her SMG before we started moving down the manor towards the Wild Geese once more.'

After several floors and spent shells, we made it to the last staircase before the first floor, where the mercenaries had established their base. The formation we stood in was now familiar, Katsuye then I, after multiple encounters we recognized that this was the most effective strategy for combat in these narrow corridors. If any opponents made it around her familiar, which was immune to physical damage, Manda could take them with her blades or firearms and I could use my guns to help either before the undead could get within arms reach. As we made our way down we heard multiple death cries of separated groups of Wild Geese as the Millennium vampires made their way through the manor. The room Pip and his protectors were in a larger room at the end of a hallway that had multiple bends for no real reason. This strange construction may be annoying for the maids who are responsible to clean this section, but it was a fortunate coincidence from a tactical perspective. At the beginning of this long stretch of hallway laid a reinforced barricade made of furniture that reached the ceiling. It was obvious that attempting to clear out the debris would take too much time since there was so much furniture that no light escaped through from the other side. I grit my teeth and was trying to think of a way to the Wild Geese when I tripped over a fallen Nazi. I rose quickly and went to kick the son of a bitch when I noticed he was a grenadier, meaning he carried multiple explosives. I grabbed his supply of oddly shaped German grenades before running back towards the stairs. Manda followed as did my familiar. "Katsuye…" I started and said woman looked at me. "...it's times like these where Kirisuto's thick skulled brain helps." She said as she made an expression that could be likened to an idiot, Katsuye laughed, apparently insults were universal.

Back at the British Defense HQ

I went to draw my guns and shoot the traitorous brits when Integra stared me dead in the eyes. She gave me an unspoken order with one look and it was understood. I begrudgingly stayed still and let the Doom player, who now had red eyes, take my weapons. "I hope your PC gets AIDS." I grumbled, causing him to slap in anger. He smirked and responded with, "I pray you never play another game in your life." I gasped at the harsh words, that curse was unforgivable in the eyes of a true gamer. I grit my teeth and spoke as my eyes reflected in the bright, yellow lights. "I'm going to make you eat that gun." He mock shivered out of disrespect as his commander stepped forward.

"Sir Integra, Sir Penwood, good to see you two are doing well." Another member of the round table said as his eyes gained malice and transitioned to a fiery shade of red. The leader seemed to be bitter over being disrespected and was treated like an errand boy though he was equally import and the same rank as the other round table members. Integra started to giggle then full on laugh, Walter's countenance twisted in a smile behind her as he adjusted his dress gloves. "You are trash...even before we even knew you were a traitor we could feel you were beneath us." She said quietly as her voice gained anger as she went on. I actually smiled at the animosity the woman displayed, I bit my lip in anticipation of what happened next. The man closed his eyes as he steadied his breathing. "I don't care what you think, it doesn't matter anymore." He said as he pulled out his Webley revolver and shot at her.

Walter moved to cut the bullets with his wires but was too slow, I appeared in front of her. "You moved a bit later than you should have, Uzumaki." The young woman said as she flicked the back of my ear. "Sorry, Ma'am." I said as I stood and the bullet tips on the floor began to melt from the intense flames he expelled from his lips, the flames were high in temperature and spread wide but had a short range. The vampires looked stunned before Walter cut off the heads of two vampires in the front, including the round table member. I decided we didn't have time to draw this out so I did some hand seals and used the last of my available chakra. I had more of my own chakra, could use nine tails chakra or sage mode but the latter two required effort and using too much of my own chakra could be fatal. "Wind Style: Devastation," I muttered before a large gust of wind burst forth and slammed the wires through all the vampires. Their limbs collapsed and Walter sighed at my actions. "They get weaker when flung willy nilly, Mr. Uzumaki." I shrugged before checking over Integra. "You ok?" He asked before she pushed past him and sat. I sighed, pride was a mental defect for people that refuse to admit they are afraid. I sat by her.

"We must evacuate and leave these men to monitor the situation." Penwood stood and slammed his hands on the table, tense before exhaling and going back to his meek stance. "I'm a sorry excuse for a man. I don't look like a strong person nor do I have a strong person's mannerisms, I have never worked to my fullest or worried over life. But...I won't shame my family by running away with my tail between my legs and let these people die for me." He said before swallowing. I actually felt...something besides contempt, I was inspired by the man and felt that he was doing the right thing so I drew my revolver. I had it for years, I was issued it when I became a captain in the ANBU and it was practically part of me but...I was a different man now. I am broken but he was strong, he was foolish but confident, much like the Penwood before me. I handed him the revolver and pulled out the speed loader and a small box of rounds, "I don't recommend giving them the pleasure of killing yourself, I'd fight until the end." He paled but nodded, Integra smirked and walked out with her butler following, I moved to follow but was tapped on the forearm. "You are indeed skilled with explosives aren't you, Mr. Uzumaki?" I grinned.

We were driving down a narrow London road, in the strangely archaic looking, compared to the others, vehicle that Integra often traveled in. The city was burning, people were being skewered by Millenium bayonets, they were being devoured by vampires and reanimated as ghouls that made more ghouls. The final moments of Sir Penwood were playing over the radio as Walter was driving, Integra was in the backseat as was I. I noticed that we swerved to avoid obstruction and turned around corners a lot just to survive. "...God save the Queen, thank you for allowing me to service this fine country, Penwood signing off." The middle-aged man said before the transmission itself died, no doubt caused by the tower being destroyed by the C4 plastic explosives I set up upon Penwood's instruction. After one turn I noticed a few silhouettes in the rear view mirror as we swerved. I gripped the door brace and tightened my belt, "there are over a dozen of them behind us. Integra looked forward. "Walter, we must get to the manor, now!"

Walter went to reply before he fell to his side, sprawled over the passenger seat for a few seconds. I drew my Adder pistol and fired through each window multiple times after I placed Integra's head in my lap. We crashed and all went still for a few moments. I could barely see when cold, dead fingers grabbed me and tossed me out onto the pavement, I next heard another person's exposed hands and face hitting the hard ground. "The other one seems to be dead, Captain." I assumed a grunt said. The Captain made a "tch" sound in response. I looked up, he had blonde hair, tan skin and medium pink irises. Integra stood and when the grunts tried to hit her, I grabbed one by the chest part of his uniform while Integra impaled the other through the temple with her rapier. I started to choke the German I grabbed and dug my thumb into his throat. I pressed hard until he couldn't breath, I hopped behind him and aggressively twisted his head until I heard the spine crunch. Captain raised his hand and the rest of the Millenium troops readied their rifles to execute us.

I grit my teeth, trying to find out a way out of this. I used way too much chakra earlier and couldn't do a substitution on just myself right now, let alone Integra and I simultaneously to dodge bullets! Which are slightly faster than a thrown kunai or shuriken. I hung my head in thought, trying desperately to poke the nine tails awake when gunfire erupted from the right of us. I put Integra in a bear hug and leaped with all the chakra I could manifest, we landed on a roof, taking cover as bullets tore up the stone shingles. After a few moments of gunfire being exchanged, the number of lines of fire being used against the Hellsing agents lessened until no one was shooting towards them. Integra smacked my hand away, "unhand me." She ordered and I did so as she tried to sit up, I shoved her back down. "Let. Me. Check." I insisted before I peeked over and saw numerous people in similar black clothing.

I pulled out my pistol and a kunai and exclaimed, "that you, Alexander!?" I heard a chuckle. "Uzumaki?" I peeked over the rooftop then waved. "Yep. You the bad guy at the moment?" The older man shook his head to the negative. "We need to get back to the manor, shit's going...to well, shit." I said in what may have been the least elegant sentence ever uttered. Alexander nodded with a laugh, "aye, I agree we need to- look out!" He yelled as I dodged a pair of bullets on reflex before parrying a woman bearing a katana, she had a crazed look in her eye and was dressed as a female priest…? "Nun." The nine tails interjected causing me extreme stress. I shoved the woman's blade back and backhanded her off the roof as my eye twitched at Kurama decided to wake up after he could've been killed. The swordswoman recovered in mid-air and landed on her feet, beside her was the woman who shot at him. "Yumie...Heinkel." He said as he cracked his wrist and looked between either female with narrowed, focused eyes.

"Stand down, he is an ally." Alexander said before Heinkel interjected as she kept her pistols up, the barrels still smoking. "But the Archbishop-" Alexander shut her up, "is acting a bit screwy. That boy is getting too big for his breeches." He said before observing us, Integra looked over the rooftop as well. "Hello, Sir Integra, please allow us the honor of walking a lady home!" He said as energetic as ever. Integra had hopped onto a lower section of roof above the entrance of the building then a car and lastly the ground. I jumped and landed in front of her in a single leap. "Forgive me, but while I like you, Anderson, I can't afford to trust any of you all." I said as I walked with Integra. Anderson chuckled and closed his eyes, "Amicable, well I guessed you wouldn't be opposed if we walked ahead of you and in sight? We just happen to be going the same way." Yumie interrupted, "Actually-" Kirisuto nodded as he smirked. "That'd be great, thanks for the help Heinkel, Yumie-chan." He said sarcastically to the two women. Yumie, being Japanese, blushed before recognizing the jab and her face turned red with anger instead. A few minutes of orders and the dozens of Iscariot agents or Judas Priests as Integra called them, were walking en masse. Kirisuto and Integra were walking with Anderson, Yumie and Heinkel in front. Anderson in the middle and Yumi on the left and Heinkel on the right. Kirisuto was relieved that Kurama, the nine tailed demon fox, resurfaced from his mind. "Uzumaki...we need to speak."

Kiri mentally nodded for the chakra entity to go on and he did so, keeping his eyes on the priests. "Well...the reason I couldn't communicate with you for a while is that...this world is dying. I don't need to eat but I absorb the chakra in the air, from the planet, to survive. I never knew that until I came here...where humans tainted it...I am weaker here, Kirisuto. You can use my chakra but once you use a bit, like earlier, I will have to rest for a long time." Kirisuto felt fear, he had a pretty easy time dealing with the Wild Geese and Seras but it was still difficult, only Mazeru to truly talk to except for Kurama. I had been around Kurama since right after Father died, he filled the void left behind and, in his own way, tried to help. I really loved hearing his voice, though that could be hard to believe, given it's demented, loud and gravely but...it was my Kurama's. "I guess it was time for me to quit breastfeeding your power after all this time huh?" I said jokingly, Kurama laughed. "Yes, even the strongest beast must stop suckling at some point. I think it won't be that difficult as that Snake Sage Mode of yours is so powerful. Plus...you also have the eyes of your Mother's bloodline, you should be able to use the strongest defensive maneuver available now." Kirisuto's eyes opened, he never learned much about the Mangekyo Sharingan in school or home growing up, his Mother's reason probably being because she was disturbed about the nature of the eyes and the academy...was just full of trashy assholes. "Defensive? I know Amaterasu...that's it. It just kinda came to me and I heard it mentioned once...by Shio." I said and Kurama grunted affirmatively. "Yes...the flames of hell that burn for over three days. But that is only what lies in your left eye. If you discover what your right eye's power is then you may be able to activate Susano'o." He instructed causing me to cover my right eye instinctually as we speak. "How do I do that?" I asked and the tailed beast sighed. "That's the problem. You will have to be in another battle where you just suddenly 'know' it again. Only the pressure of battle or the pain of loss can make your eyes evolve, that's why it's called It could be Tsukuyomi or Kagetsuchi as both are in your blood." He said and I started to grow excitable.

I was always a weak boy and heard tales yelled at me by the bitter citizens around me that hated the Uchiha. Their curses only made me love my family more, I learned of the mighty jutsu only we can do. I learned about the fearsome Kamui and it's user Obito Uchiha as well as Madara and his powerful Susano'o and well...everything, Madara was fearsome enough to fight all nine of the tailed beasts by themselves! Or my grand-uncle, Itachi Uchiha, who had the ability to use Tsukuyomi which allowed him to control a world the target was stuck in for up to three days yet...in real life only seconds passed. Lastly...everyone told me about my grandfather, Sasuke Uchiha who could bend Amaterasu flames to his will with Kagetsuchi, even making blades out of them and later gaining a Rinnegan, able to teleport similar to the Hiraishin jutsu of the Fourth Hokage. "To think I could have similar powers to theirs...I'm happy that I can feel close to them, regardless of who they were they are my family. To have a tangible connection to such great people...makes me happier, I touched my closed eyes, "Together we'll be stronger than them all, we do have to go against thousands of soldiers on our own after all." I said to Kurama energetically and he roared in excitement. "Yes...we can work on helping you better manage my chakra until you can enter Kyubi mode from there on so many more abilities are possible. With your eyes, your bloodline jutsu and my power we would walk through the thousands of garbage and laugh as their blood floods the land for days!" He said with glee and I actually felt equally as ecstatic, I couldn't wait to get back at all of them...for Mother, Father, the Twins, Katsuye, Shio and Kurama...as well as for me. "I will show them how useless their no, this life, is and how miserable they have been living their 'lives.' Then I'll take back those I love and walk away, victorious to spite them. " I said as I got a manically smile, not to big but the emotion it portrayed was dire enough that they most sickening grin couldn't come close, years of pain matured into hatred shone through my teeth. My eyes shifting to their Mangekyo stage from how into the fantasy I was, darkness overcast my visage so that the red objects in my eyes glowered. The two female Iscariot members looked at me and drew their weapons, "Vampire!" They yelled in surprise, Anderson managed to cut off Yumie and block her katana with his bayonets but Heinkel had no sort of obstruction. She fired a couple of rounds but my straight tomoe Mangekyo gave me the ability to know exactly where to adjust where to stand to avoid all the projectiles, I then stared at her and used a paralyzing Genjutsu. "Mangekyo Sharingan." I stated before she froze and I walked over to her. I ejected her magazine of the pistol she fired and stroked her hip as I drew a fresh one from her belt. I ejected the one in the chamber and swiftly put it in the used magazine before I loaded the fresh one and cocked the gun's slide back. "I'm no vampire, Love. So don't hurt me...that way..." He said, letting the end of the sentence fall to a whisper only the two interacting could hear, before he released her. She was blushing like mad but accepted her weapon and it's attachment before skulking off behind Yumie, the proud woman's confidence was a bit diminished.

I then coughed, closed my eyes to deactivated my sensory organ's secondary abilities and kept walking, Anderson fell back so he was beside me. "I apologize for their actions, learned behaviors." He excused and I just toss my hand up as if swatting a fly. "No issues here, might want to send the chastity supervisor over to her after this though, that girl is...wanting." I said, I wasn't interested in her as I wasn't with most of her kind, but the insinuation went over his head. I sighed and looked to Integra who was stoic as always before a small glimmer appeared in her eye, that perplexed me, what could she be interested in?

About twenty minutes later and we arrived at the manor and I shook Anderson's hand. "Thank you for the escort, Alexander." I said and he nodded to the negative. "No! We were just walking this way, remember?" He joked before he exhaled and said in his softer tone. "I saw your face earlier...as a young man I had a similar one, fought for a crazy cause and was reckless." He started making me frown, he thought he knew me...just like everyone else. "But I know you're different, your mind is decades older than your body isn't it? I know that is awful...to carry the burden of knowledge. Just thinking takes a toll, the greatest thinkers are some the greatest cases of people who hated having to live. When you think too much and see the world thought a clear lens you start to notice the dark things that were emitted. You realized few beacons of light exist or rarely overlap, the chances of succumbing to the black are larger, yes?" He said and I nodded dumbly, shocked. "Everyone does their own thing to manage they learn, teach, create, have sex, kill others, kill themselves, wallow in self pity or just burn out. But I...I wanted to help people. Even if they think I'm a stupid caveman yelling to the sky in hopes of rain, I help them because I think that's who I'm supposed to be. I fight and kill when I know I will burn for it because I feel that's who I was meant to be, I love those I hurt and those that hurt me because I believe someone who was better than me said to. You should look for reason to care." I thought deeply, I knew the rundown of the story, seemed ridiculous in some aspect but I don't care about that. I felt respect for that man nonetheless, even if he was just some fool who thought he was a son of nothing, he died thinking he was doing it for our damned race, suffered. I looked down in thought, their was an afterlife, the reanimated spoke of it and they seemed happy. Their was a grim reaper or shinigami who harvested souls...there was a 'soul.' I decided to maybe look into religions to see if anything just stuck out, thinking their is nothing was stupid at this point, I know there is something...that matters out there. Not a meaning but a reason. I just don't know how anything about what it is. Anderson whispered a prayer of some sort and said, "Nonetheless fight hard and live, no matter why and because it's fun!" He said as he and the rest of Iscariot departed. Heinkel and Yumie gave me a lingering look so I lifted a hand, they actually waved back.

"Weird..." I muttered as I turned to enter the manor and heard gunfire and explosions, I made a fist and drew my pistol. "Intruders...Millennium!" Integra said before running ahead, I sighed and followed. "I was getting bored with all this talk! Let us tear into these hollow ones without a shed of remorse for they are slaves to their savage desires, Uzumaki!" The monster inside me bellowed and I scowled at the prospect. "That's great but Katsuye and Seras are in there too..." I said before holding my fingers above my Hiraishin tattoo and grabbed Integra by the waist before pressing it with a chakra filled finger. I yelled to the woman as we disappeared in a yellow-tinged burst of light, "you better not have had my sheets thrown out!"

Chapter End