The Lineage

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.


The Lineage
By 11


Chapter 27
Finality: Last Battle

I love this place. It smells like musty mold, so old the dirty laundry of the world must be buried here.

The eve of their war and I’m set to observe it. For now – so here I am in the lower levels of the Order’s lair. It’s open down here, more so than the upper tunnels – the ceilings are built higher. The air current is freer.

But the best reason: the histories carved on the walls. Following up the accounts of the rise and decline and rising again of the regen ‘sub-specie’.

These walls record the internal wars between clans – all these dirty politics put down simple and plain right here for all to see if they really look.

Deeper in, the final circular outlet, dipped in the floor, high ceiling spiraling up and figure painted in bright red and gold and orange and darkest black.

That old throne of blood and flame, and Kyuubi who begot the vampire specie as his brother birthed the wolves. So Kyuubi, the real one, ruled for a century and bred his first line.

What ever happened to him?

The first requirement for immortality is mortality?

But what does that mean?

My teeth grind in displaced frustration. I wish I knew – why Sasuke can and will live forever and I will not. Shit. I’m the god right? The fully merged god. He’s not – so why is he…?

Oh fuck it. Who gives a shit?

Sasuke will die one day too – it’s not like anything is definite, least of all that putrid ‘god’. That clan he bred split – the favored clan and the unfavored. But not favored by Kyuubi. That thing didn’t give a shit about any of it. The Order made it so.

The part of the clan that agreed with the Order’s plan to outlaw Regenerate vampires, and the part of the clan that disagreed, or maybe just wouldn’t support it. Who knows when it was so long ago? Kyuubi himself never gave a shit about anyone or anything.

I wonder if that’s why the Order came to be after he was gone. I grin to myself contemplating the cruel face etched on stone. How painful it must be to know your creator doesn’t really care. Just made these leeches and said ‘figure it out’.

If you ask about the favored and unfavored clan – the clans that simpered and felt the need to survive and preserve the blood limits and whatever else they held so important when it’s not – they’re the unfavored.

That sick maker would only favor those who didn’t give a fuck about him or anything – that would have made them closer to his ideals. I follow the walls back down and these same politics repeat:

The schisms and the wars, lack of Regenerate organization, their near extermination – but this only the record from inside the Order. I wonder if there is any record to be found on the Regenerates.

My blood boils and lurches. I feel it pulling beneath the skin – faster, and reaching. It flows in opposing patterns – up and down my limbs. Fuck – the war has already begun.

I can feel it as my own blood is spilled and I can see and feel it worming, wriggling, gasping in me – pulsing like a living writhing can of worms bubbling up inside. It’s spilling and pouring out and choking on my insides until I force it back down.

It’s a distant prodding and poking as my blood attacks my blood. Worthless maggots – those idiots belong to me – if they don’t stop on their own I’ll have to kill them.

By the time I reach the surface my blood curdles to the battles – a billow of smoke across the mountainous ground. It’s a wave of crimson that swells and recedes to swell again. The regen swarms, now sane and deadlier than before.

I can hear it clearly in my blood in my head – that swarm of flies on the right is Jiraiya’s legion. He moved in and managed to drive back the nonpures; but Itachi and Orochimaru’s groups are scattering. They broke them down earlier.

Fifty groups in all – and they manage to escape now using guerilla tactics from the side and behind. Only half their number are actually on the field – the others are all moving around picking off squadrons. Effective – but Tsunade’s onto them.

Jiraiya’s had to fall back – that’s almost fifty dead, ten dismembered – Tsunade’s in, Sakura’s there too. She just chopped off one’s head.

Jiraiya is preparing for a later attack – he better hurry though. Tsunade and Sakura are in charge, but they’re too upset – they’re still too angry over Orochimaru’s betrayal. That’s where they’re heading too – straight into the thick toward the traitor.

Flush him out and take down as many regen as possible. Orochimaru’s already gone on though – they know. There are still twenty left behind in that alcove – Zabuza and Haku are the one over.

It’s kind of sad to watch – she’s taking her time now: Sakura rips off an arm or a leg and leaves them – but they get right back up. The limb grows back – and it makes a ‘squick’ sound when her sword turns back on them and crushes the skull.

The earth is stained red then black as it sinks into the dirt. The regen aren’t as skilled – but pointy-teeth just smashed Zabuza’s chest in. Zabuza hardly stood a chance though – he sired pointy-teeth – what a bad, bad, captain.

No sign of Sasuke. I can feel him I know exactly what he’s doing. I can feel him ripping wire through a pureblood’s brain, carves up the skull and skin – worming insides spilling out. But my eyes can’t find him.

Too much – a crushed skull – an arm twisted clean off – a foot driven through a lung – claws delve into eyes sockets – rip out the bloodied mess – a hand rips through a torso – organs torn out – screams and cries of pain and rage – often so mixed not even the blood can tell.

The regen turn back –an earth-shattering roar resounds – I’ve felt the thundering for five minutes, but now my body can feel the shaking of the ground as well.

Purebloods all leap back wherever they are – fear races like a too thick perfume across the field. The wolves are here – and the furred things of fury spill onto the field like a salad bowl overrun with maggots and spiders cascading over the lip of the hill and into the bloody mess below.

His crimson hide is hard to miss – my brother rushes the field – jaws set quickly into a pureblood vampire – looping outside his jaw, a claw pierced through his tongue.

A howl of rage and he chases him down – jagged teeth closing hard into the escapee’s legs – a sharp cry of agony and Gaara tosses him into the air.

He catches him in his jaws and with a few quick bites every bones cracks – his spine – he’s dead – and then he swallows. A rapturous roar before he rushes into a group of several pures, taking each on in turn at once.

I feel my body shaking, my blood willingly boiling – I see every part as his paws crush onto their bodies. They strike into his hide – the skin is torn up in several places.

His bone is starting to show and his muscle ripples horribly breaking flesh itself. He rips one up the side but the second drives its claws across his back and his blood gushes from the wounds. He howls – but he’s in ecstasy – I can smell it as clearly as I see it and feel it resonating inside of me.

My claws drive hard into my own arms holding myself still – because my heart’s going too fucking fast – I’m going to go in there myself! And I will! But not now – not all the players are present! Shit this waiting is driving me fucking crazy!!

Then finally I catch the black wave of death – kevlon and steel – a smokescreen that billows up from the east. The Hunters pour in and I get the chance to admire their weaponry first hand.

Gattling guns – chock full of silver fired en-bulk into the nearest wolf – an enraged cry before the beast collapses metal liquid gushing from it’s chest, mixed sickening silver color in red.

Bursts of foul-smelling fire and smoke thrown grenades – and then the guns fire again and again, driving the wolves backward out of the line of fire. Snarling snapping beasts that edge in as the Hunters move and their smoke screen fades and re-bursts.

The front lines rush in, quick, fast, dodging the stray sword or claw or maw, darting into the thick. Small cannons across their shoulders – a furious flare that shoots out – catches a group of fledglings in terrified cries.

Sun blast flares that scour the fired area with UV – and the flesh of the young ones burns both regen and pureblood – flaying crisp skin up to muscle and bleached bone. Flares ripping overhead and grenades that flash and shoot out ripping off heads.

Sakura and her broadswords flash and scream across the field – heavy cloaks now taken precaution as the sun flares detonate overhead – a momentary cease to battle until the light dies and blood is spilled again.

Haku slashes one open – ribs shattered – internal organs snapped out – ground into the dirt – skull to follow. Lee a torn open leg, the tendon is showing – unconcerned busy whipping around a nonpure – his spine snapped, leg torn off – just started to regrow and stops.

I feel Tenten here too – powerful legs splitting bones and slender painted claws shredding flesh. A flurry of steel and red and sound of screeching and roaring angry and agonized cries – and the charcoal smell of chaos.

My blood and body catch what my eyes cannot – every part of this discord unfolding. It fills me up with sound and sight and mind – my nerves alive and screaming with the sound to join in – to burn – to shred and tear and rend.

It’s a necessary pattern and guise – this furious three-way free-for-all – Hunters shoot wolves, and flay both pures and regen – wolves skewer hunters and pures – pures kill nonpures, wolves, and hunters – all the players are present!

Now!

No, not yet.

Now!

Just a little more!

But I can’t wait.

And the burning in my blood bubbles through my skin. A scream as flame pours out of me thick and red like liquid living fire racing across the scape.
I feel my eyes – burning out of my skull – I can still see – my flesh torn open – scarlet claws escape my body.

They’re screaming and howling. The world opens up – I’m everywhere at once – they’re all ripped open – and their crimson cries add to the wave sweeping over – devour – destroy – taking in it all.

Earth torn a rift – burning red fury slashes a rupture in every vessel – and the storm descends. The storm that sweeps everything away.

Dying cries – blood coated hate and rage and pain – the animal desire to survive – it’s not each other they’re fighting anymore! A hurricane of fire and blood – and they’re all falling down – one by one.

The beasts shudder to the earth and the bloodless maggots whine their last – humans gasping their final breaths – hands clutching outward as if to seize a little more time – a little more life to live.

All a final attempt and she rushes to the eye of the storm. My eyes burn a crimson screen but I see her approach – so slow to me, but it only takes her a second to cross the field – Sakura’s heavy broadsword raised to slash into my skull.

It will never connect – not with bone.

The crimson swirls and her cloak is rent from her body – tattered dark cloth still holding to – and she screams with a final lunge – the steel strikes hard and the earth cleaves up around the weapon’s sides.

I still stand and her eyes flash emerald hatred into me, her sword still buried in the ground at my side. Her blood is boiling because of me – she already knows that she won’t kill me.

Her teeth grind together in a fury and slowly she bites the words out to me; “You’re a jerk…”

I wonder if my mouth can stretch and smile like this when every nerve is numb for the pulsing and raw renting of flesh and bone. “I love you too.”

Her sword struck from the ground and she stands in the eye of the storm looking out across the waste as my flames begin to withdraw back toward me – a single tornado pooling upward to the sky.

“Now what?”

“Find Jiraiya and Tsunade,” I instruct her, “Tell them to draw back now, if they do not want their forces to be decimated.”

She frowns, but she understands it, still she scowls at me as she turns, “You’re a bastard, Naruto.”

She’ll tell them. “Thank you, love.”

The storm gaps as she steps through – taking off toward her generals to convey my message – a message they would already know if they bothered to listen to the screaming in every drop of leech’s blood.

Hinata has already heard, so has Shino, and Lee – they’re on their way back – Lee is missing part of his leg. Half of Shino’s hand is gone – Hinata’s body armor protected her from the first wave – she’s already safely cocooned back in her labs.

I see Tenten still half buried in a trench, avoiding the tirade of living flames – I touch into her mind and she cries out across the field delicate fingers touching the mark I left on her.

Time to head back now, doll.

Naruto… she almost giggles and across the distance her eyes turn to lock on me – a strange smile across her face and then she too is gone. I walk on, because it’s disturbing to me – I thought I’d marked him but he’d burnt that mark back into me hadn’t he?

I can’t find Sasuke – too much heat – sound – confusion – I can’t see him, I can’t find him – it bothers me. I’d know if I’d already swept him over but I haven’t. Sasuke – where the fuck are you?!

I feel the chill as Haku and his squadron of wounded maggots close in around the source of the furious storm. My mark burns in them – and I walk on – my words echoed in them to know.

You will stand down and return to the lair or I will kill you.

It’s simple enough to follow – and I’m pleased to note the Hunters taking their injured in arm and moving quickly back toward their camp – both regen and pure retreating where too many wounded occur.

I sweep toward the last vestiges of the battleground – wolves snarling and pressing bones into dust as vampires rip open flesh and bury themselves inside their larger prey to suck them dry. All behind me is an empty dying scape.

Then that son-of-a-bitch brother of mine barrels into me. Fuck! All teeth and claws and too-much burning – too eager – too rough – too unfocused – and his tongue is all over my body, steely paws holding me down. I could throw him off – but I also needed to speak to this over-enthusiastic hothead.

“Did you have fun?” I finally manage to ask around my sibling’s snout – my claws setting hard into his muzzle to keep from being near-swallowed again.

“YES!” he roars happily – and his breath stinks of sweat and rot and blood too oxidized by now to be sweet.

“Good,” I half smile, half sneer, noting his hide already russet stained darker with crimson matted blood. “Because it’s time to stop the party now, and clean up the mess.”

He snarls in his throat jaws snapping shut, green eyes eyeing me angrily – “Don’t tell me we have to solve this with a fight?” I hum, my claws tightening into my muzzle keeping his head down to me, as he attempts to shake it away.

“I went easy on you last time…” I remind him and he glares all the harder and snarls, then looses his head from me. Skull tossed back his maw opens with a single sonorous howl.

Every wolf perks itself from the ground or its immediate battle – a jaw snapping a neck in two – then each and every one bounds like a colossal mountain down across the field and over the basin – back farther west – toward the wolves’ lands.

Gaara howls again and then faces back to me – “party-pooping bastard.” He snarls and then his thundering steps take off after his pack – a chorus of howls as the beasts rush on, away.

Orochimaru and Itachi are together now – and on the farther end – I move to where they are – the crimson storm lashing out to the remaining stragglers – crushing a skull – snapping a spine – slashing a neck.

“Naruto…” Orochimaru greets first, that gentlemanly air of his dulled by a harried breath as he cuts down an opponent – and the smiley weasel faces me as well after tossing back another part of the battlers.

There aren’t many pures over here anymore – the order to withdraw has already been given by those two generals. “Naruto, to what do we owe the pleasure?” Itachi greets genially, “Although this really isn’t the time for pleasantries I suppose.”

“I’m here to demand the withdrawal of the Regenerate troops or you will die – that’s all.” I smile back at him, as genially as can possibly fucking be.

Itachi blinks and glances over at the last remaining portion of the battlefield, crimson eyes straying toward the flames my body has released from rifts in my flesh – he knows I can kill him, and Orochimaru, what’s left to contemplate then?

“So you would have us throw away all our work?” he asks morosely, as if this would have succeeded in anything but a large death toll in the first place. A bunch of fucking idiots!

“No,” I assure him, “I’d just rather that certain asses not get themselves killed – you two included.”

Orochimaru startles frowning slightly, which is new considering his almost permanent half-smile. Itachi regards me hesitating – and it takes pointy-teeth’s arrival to get him to speak again.

“Suigetsu – the third rank?”

“Fallen – Juugo’s getting some survivors out – including Karin,” he reports then turns to me, and scowls. “It’s you, bastard.”

“Care to tell your superiors to withdraw for me?” I wonder.

“You’re a pretentious asshole.” He glares, then turns back to Orochimaru, “but we really do need to get out of here. The wolves left thanks to this jerk – and the purebloods will also pull back but we gotta get moving too – daylight isn’t long now.”

“We will withdraw,” Itachi agrees, his finger absently moving to the place I marked, although it is not yet burning from me. “Orochimaru, Suigetsu, see to the wounded and if we can’t get them all below ground within the new two hours.”

“Suigetsu!” I stop pointy-teeth before he moves on, he stops but glares, like Sakura he acknowledges me as his maker, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it.

“What, bastard?!”

“Where’s Sasuke?”

He scowls, “Last I saw he was over there a ways with a wolf and some hunters.” He points toward a farther ledge. Fuck he’s that close maybe and I can’t feel him thanks to interfering sounds and smells. That sucks.

“Thanks.”

Then he takes off as Itachi instructed, and I move where pointy-teeth instructed me to find Sasuke. The third ledge and a wave of relief sweeps over me – it’s him. He’s safe and he’s doing fine.

Sasuke, my Sasuke, his wire lashing out like a venomous snake – three hunters held at bay and heavily armored. He’s trying to find a weak spot but so far they’ve been parrying him.

I fucking found him.

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