A rumble of thunder rolled in from the south, a lightning strike illuminated the SEALs operatives for a second before darkness enveloped them. Commander Naruto gave his men a quick nod before he pulled back the operating rod of his M4A1 carbine, which was equipped with a M203 grenade launcher. He would need the grenade launcher if his suicidal idea was going to pull off. "Alright, let's go through our game plan again."
They turned to Tyuule, who was unnerved by their sudden attention on her.
Barney pinched the bridge of his nose. "What is she doing here, boss?"
Naruto scratched the back of his scalp and his shoulders slumped. "I don't know. She wants to stay."
"I can fight." Tyuule argued, hoisting her rusty sword. "You helped free my people. I cannot let you endanger your lives for us any further."
Hale shrugged. "I'm on board. We ain't gonna take down ten thousand soldiers all by ourselves. Yeah, they might lack in quality, but they sure complement that with quantity. This ain't a movie, boss. We ain't King Leonidas and his three hundred. We can use more help."
Max had his silver cross in between his fingers, but his gaze was steeled at his superior. "I have to agree with Hale on that one."
Tyuule smiled nervously. "I won't hold you back. I'm fast and nimble."
Naruto sighed and wrestled himself to a standing position, a hand on his hip. "I guess some local expertise may get us through. Alright, tell us more about the terrain. Are they traveling by horses? Which routes will they take?"
Tyuule sprawled a map right beside the bonfire and pointed at what seemed to be scribbles of mountains and trees. The soldiers were listening raptly. "They will come from the forest. It is the fastest way for them to reach here. Prince Zorzal is… arrogant. He probably thinks his men have ravaged my land, so his guard will definitely be down. I believe most of his men are travelling by foot."
"Great. That's what I want to hear." Naruto fiddled with a bullet in between his fingers, much to Tyuule's curiosity. She deduced it was a form of ammunition for the thunder-sticks they carried. "Alright, we need to settle this quick. A scare tactic. We gun down their commanding officer, we lower their morale. Fast, efficient, and above all else, no mercy. Let's set up traps in the forest and make it our turf."
They all nodded.
"These assholes have spilled American blood on American soil. It is a crime that must not go unpunished." Naruto rested his rifle on his shoulder, his eyes fierce and fearless. "In less than ten hours, any and every sonuvabitch we see wearing the armour of our enemy are going to die. There is no hesitation. We will be cruel to our enemy. Through our cruelty, they will know who and what the U.S. Army is capable of."
The men cheered uproariously.
"They will find evidence of our cruelty." Naruto's voice was brimming with conviction and untamed fighting spirit, something that sent Tyuule shivering. She might be a queen and warrior in her own right, but this enigmatic man held the charisma to make people swoon over him. "We will leave a trail of their disembowelled and dismembered bodies for them to see. They will be horrified to know what we can do. We will make them quaver from the sight of our uniform, we will make them talk about us, we will make them think about us, and we will make them fear us."
His men didn't doubt him. It's not easy to kill people, but their boss was a professional at it. Greenhorn marines straight out of boot camp thought they were Rambo, but war was serious business. They once saw Naruto marched into a decrepit building hot with insurgents and he annihilated them with only a pair of Glock 34. They still haven't forgotten how their commander walked out of the building caked with blood. "War is ugly, not gonna sugar coat it. What a man can do to another man in war… makes you wonder if God has lost faith in humanity as a whole."
His men's sight was downcast, some hollow-eyed.
Heaving a sigh, Naruto glanced up to the night sky. "But what we do here is important. I want your mind on the mission. Nothing else. These pricks think they can storm into our turf and do whatever they want. They think nobody is going to stop them. It's up to us to let them taste their own medicine. Let's go on to work."
"Yes sir!" His men roared in unison.
Rummaging his pocket, Naruto dug out a packet of cigarettes and turned to Tyuule. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
"S-Sure." Tyuule stood up and followed Naruto into the woods.
-Naked Siege-
Enjoying his puff of smoke, Naruto leaned his back against a great oak, his eyes reflecting a seasoned warrior who had endured the horrid of wars. The sound of crickets chirping in the dark was soothing to the ear, but Naruto didn't pay attention to it. He softened his gaze and studied Tyuule. "Tell me more about the Empire."
Tyuule blinked. "What do you wish to know?"
"Everything. Their history, their agenda, who's in charge."
"The Empire is ruled by Emperor Molt Sol Augustus." There was venom laced in Tyuule's voice. "He has been conquering and expanding his kingdom for decades. The Elbe Kingdom, the Mudwan Kingdom, and the League Principality are allies of the Empire. Their combined might is enough to conquer any lands. We would have been enslaved and killed by them if it weren't for you."
Naruto stroked his trimmed beard. "So, is it safe to say that this world is like a fantasy land?"
Tyuule's ear twitched. "Fantasy land?"
"You know? Alice in the Wonderland?"
She looked at him puzzled.
"Narnia?"
"Umm…"
Naruto chuckled and scratched his scalp. "I'll bring you some of our books when I get home."
Tyuule broke into a soft smile. "That will be nice."
They shared a peaceful moment together in silence, neither spoke for a while. Naruto was appreciating the bucolic scent of rain and pine trees, but Tyuule had different thought in mind. "Can I ask you something?"
Out of the corner of his eyes he watched Tyuule fidgeting demurely, her mouth opened and closed, as if floundering for words. He loosened his shoulders and waved a hand, easing up her tension. "Fire ahead."
"Why did your men save us?"
"Why not?"
"When the Empire pillages and destroys, nobody is spared. The men are either killed or became meat shields for the Empire's army." Tyuule balled her fist. "The women are either sold to brothels or became slaves. The children would be killed. It has always been their practice."
Naruto stared at Tyuule, his face inscrutable. "What do you think of us?"
"I… don't know. It confounds me."
Flicking his cigarettes aside, Naruto dropped a hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "We don't stoop so low to do such things. We are the Navy SEALs. From where I come from, the Navy SEALs are one of the world's fiercest warriors. We fight with honour and glory. There is no honour and glory in enslaving villagers or killing the defenceless. You can trust me on that."
Tyuule knew he was right. His men could easily raze her city to hell and subjugate her people with slavery and death, but they chose to offer them freedom instead. It was nothing sort of a miracle that these men had become her salvation. They were even willing to sacrifice themselves just so they could stall the malevolent Empire's troops. As a proud Queen of the Warrior Bunny, she couldn't let them die a needless death. It was why she stayed back to fight by their side and die for her people.
"If you're thinking we're planning on dying, then you're sorely mistaken." Naruto smirked. "I'm not planning on sending my boys to death. And I won't let you die too. Not on my watch."
"This is madness." Tyuule's bloodshot eyes were pleading and desperate. "We both know death is inevitable. You are facing ten thousand men."
"Yes, we are severely outnumbered." Naruto caressed Tyuule's cheeks, offering her a smile unfathomable confidence. His beautiful smile had such a soothing effect that it calmed her nerves. It was inconceivable for a man to be so dangerous, yet so compassionate at the same time. She felt her heart thumping in her chest, not out of fear, but for something else. "But that's the thing. We are not going to be trapped in the forest with them. They're gonna be trapped in the forest with us."
-Naked Siege-
Tyuule found herself scratching her head in confusion when she returned to camp. Naruto's men were bifurcating the arrowheads from its shaft and slicing off the sharpened tips from spears. They had accumulated enough to fit them in a large rucksack. Tyuule tugged at Naruto's shoulder, her lips trembling. "Umm… what are they doing?"
Naruto raised a brow. "Preparing for the traps."
He dug out a M26 grenade from his vest pocket and presented it to her like it was a trophy. "This is going to determine the outcome of our battle."
The opportunity to scare Tyuule was too much for Max to resist. "Hey, careful there. That thing can blow your head off."
At that, Tyuule yelped and almost punched the grenade, much to everybody's bewilderment. Naruto was however swift enough to prevent a cluster-fuck from unfolding and hid the grenade behind him. Pulling Tyuule to his embrace, he stroked her lustrous silver hair while shooting Max a dirty look. "It's okay. Just stay cool. It's not gonna blow your head off."
Hale let out a lewd whistle, a mischievous look in his eyes. "Ohh! I see what this is about! Boss and bunny girl sitting under a tree! K.I.S.S -"
"Finish that sentence and I'll cancel all your leaves for next month." Naruto warned.
Hale stuck his tongue out at Naruto and hoisted his bag over his shoulder. "Let's head out to the forest, boys. Our boss needs some alone time with his new girlfriend."
"Ohhhh!" Max teased, guffawing like a hyena when Naruto flipped him the bird. Even no-nonsense Barney was chuckling. They picked up their weapons, flipped down their four-tubed GPNVG (Ground Panoramic Night Vision Goggle) from their helmet, and took a stroll to the tenebrous forest; Max was singing Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love.
Pushing Tyuule gently away from his grasp, he met her gaze, his ocean blue eyes were hypnotising her. "You don't need to fight with us if you don't want to."
She bit her lower lip and averted her gaze. "I am willing to lay my life for my people. This is my fight, Naruto."
Naruto sighed and nodded. "I understand."
Tyuule flinched when Naruto showed her the grenade. "It's okay. This thing doesn't explode unless you remove the safety pin." He gave the ring a gentle tap with his thumb. "However, once removed, you have only 4 seconds before it explodes. Once it explodes, the grenade shatters into shrapnel and kill any poor sonuvabitch nears it. That's what my boys are doing. They are going to throw a blanket of sharp objects near the claymore and grenades to raise its destructive level when they explode."
Tyuule marvelled at the small device resting harmlessly in Naruto's grasp. How could such a small lemon-shaped thing possibly unleash hell? Was there magic involved?
Pocketing his grenade, Naruto gave the stupefied Tyuule a playful wink and spun around. "Let's go help the boys finish the work."
-Naked Siege-
The morning sun peaked over the horizon, basking the earth with its warmth. It would had been a beautiful morning for Tyuule if she wasn't praying to whatever Gods out there not to let this day be her last. Naruto noticed Tyuule was whispering gibberish under her breath for a good one hour and let out a sigh.
Grasping her wrist gently, Naruto peered up, smiling at the burnt orange sky. "Take a deep breath."
She pursed her lips and shifted her attention to his callous hand, his thumb stroking her knuckles. "Are you scared?"
"I will be lying if I said I'm not." Naruto grinned. "It's what make us human."
"Then how do you overcome your fear?"
The blond scratched his temples, pondering the question. "I guess you have a choice. You either let your fear control you or you fight it."
Tyuule blinked. "Fight it?"
"Something like that." Naruto shrugged. "I'm not very good at explaining stuff. I just go with the flow."
"I see." Tyuule tucked her knees closed to her chest, sneaking glances at Naruto's chiselled features and strong jawline. "So… do you have a mate back home?"
"Mate?" Naruto arched a brow. And then realisation dawned on him. "You mean a wife? No. Not really. My job requires me to travel often. Didn't really have time to get a relationship. Didn't want to do it too I guess."
"Oh?" She swallowed. "Why is that?"
"Reasons." Naruto smiled, but she could discern untold sadness in his eyes.
Tyuule leaned against Naruto's arm, her voice was almost a whisper. "Do you think you will ever find one?"
"Maybe."
Suddenly, Naruto jolted up and took a sniff in the air. "They're here."
Tyuule's eyes widened.
Taking a quick gaze at his G-Shock digital watch, Naruto tapped his earpiece. "Barney, report."
"Bogey approaching at one o'clock. They're five hundred yards away from us."
"Ready your position. No screw up, got it?"
"Yes sir!"
Time seemed to slow down for Tyuule. She could hear trumpets and foot-stomping reverberating across the forest. The Empire's troops had arrived. Steadying the rhythm of her breathing, she reached out for the dagger stashed in her boots.
"Barney, on my signal."
Everybody was anxious. The tension amongst them was thick.
"Wait for it…"
The timing had to be perfect. The enemy must be near the trap for the plan to work. There could be no mistake.
"Wait…"
Tyuule was sweating profusely.
"Almost there…"
Barney laid prone atop a sturdy tree branch roughly a kilometre away from his team, his finger was already on the trigger of his M2010 enhanced sniper rifle.
"Now!"
All she heard was an ear-piercing boom and the General of the Empire's Army fell from the back of his horse.
The siege had begun.
Chaos was unleashed soon after. Earth-shattering and deafening explosions were erupting all over the forest, sending the Empire's troops in disarray. Perched safely atop a tree branch, Tyuule almost sympathised with the frightened soldiers beneath her. She would be weeping in trepidation if she was amongst the enemy. That thought only served to make her blood go cold. She wouldn't dare fathom fighting Naruto's forces in combat. In an instance, a hundred of Empire's goons were dead, their disfigured bodies were torn to bloody shreds.
Max and Hale were relentless. They bit off their grenades' safety pins and hurled it at the enemy, the bone-rattling and lung-sucking blast only served to increase the death toll. Naruto dug out a handful of shuriken from the pouch strapped on his waist, threw it at the horde of screaming men, and did an intriguing hand-sign. Much to Tyuule's consternation, the shuriken seemed to have multiplied in numbers, enough to blot out the sun.
The barrage of projectiles rained down upon its victims, killing anything in its warpath and ending their pitiful screams. It was maddeningly foolhardy for the Empire's troop to even put up a resistance.
"It's party time." A cruel grin curled at Naruto's lips as he fired his M4A1 Carbine at his enemy, startling Tyuule. She could only gape in horror as Naruto and his men mowed down their enemy with such deadly precision and brutal efficiency that it almost made her knees weak.
"Tyuule, close your eyes."
She stared incredulously at him. "W-What?"
"Just do it!" Naruto tossed a flash bang at the enemy, snaked an arm around Tyuule's waist, and pulled her to him so she wouldn't get stunned. Tyuule was shivering in fear as she nestled on Naruto's chest, her eyes shut tight. A searing white light abruptly flooded the forest, disorientating and paralysing anybody who saw it. Naruto had given his enemy no chance to retaliate, ensuring they were crippled by astonishment.
Hale hollered with glee and sprayed a hail of rounds from his mini-gun with righteous anger at the Empire's troops.
Naruto touched his earpiece and grunted. "Barney, do you have visual on our target?"
"Yes, sir."
"Take the shot."
From afar, Barney steadied his breathing, took aim, and pulled the trigger.
A loud crack pierced through the forest.
-Naked Siege-
Prince Zorzal El Caesar was swallowing his consternation down his throat. He didn't want his subordinates to see him whimper in uncertainty and fear, but his body couldn't help but sweat in panic at the sight of his frontlines being disintegrated so effortlessly. The captains of his army was begging for his order, but he couldn't hear anything except the unsettling ringing in his ear.
Suddenly, Zorzal felt a jolt of pain burning and radiating from his shoulders. He shrieked in terror when he realised his left arm was blast off clean from his shoulders and blood was spurting out from his macabre stump. In the midst of agony and confusion, Zorzal fell flat on his back, screaming and writhing. "W-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?"
His men hastily wrapped bandages over his words, stammering in fright. "W-We don't know, my lord. We were ambushed, but we don't know who or what is causing this! What should we do?"
Everything escalated too fast for Zorzal to process. He gritted his teeth and glowered at his soldiers. "Listen up, you useless sack of garbage! I want you to rally our troops and hunt down the ones responsible for all these! I want you all to bring them to me and I will skewer them alive with my own hands! Do you hear me?! GO!"
-Naked Siege-
"Houston, we have a problem."
Naruto raised a brow. "What is it, Barney?"
"The prince is retreating, but his men aren't."
Max and Hale maintained discipline fire at his enemy, awaiting warily for orders. They could hear their leader's sigh through the radio transmission.
"Okay, we'll pull out from here. I'll cover you all. Max, take Tyuule."
Tyuule snapped at Naruto. "I'm not going to leave you behind!"
"The girl is right." Hale said through his headset. "We aren't leaving you behind to fight these assholes all by yourself."
"This is a direct order!" Naruto was seething. "Tyuule is a civilian. We can't let her die out here. Take Tyuule and get out of here now!"
"With all due respect sir, fuck your direct order." Max retorted and reloaded his SCAR-H. "We ain't letting you die out here!"
Barney interjected. "I'll cover Max, Hale and Tyuule. Do your magic boss."
Max growled. "Barney, what the fuck? You're going to let the boss die here?"
"Have faith in the boss, dipshit! Now go!" Barney almost bellowed before he fired at one of the enemy who was charging blindly at them. The fool went straight down in the dirt on his face.
They could hear Max cursing like a sailor as he performed a swift fast-rope down from the tree he was hiding. Hale did the same, minus the cursing.
Naruto grabbed Tyuule by her shoulders and met with her terrified gaze. "Listen to me, Tyuule. I need you to trust me on this one. Go with Max. I'll meet you back in camp."
"B-But…"
It was then they heard Max grunting in exasperation through the radio. "I'm hit! These bastards just shot me in the leg with an arrow!"
"Fuck!" Hale fired several rounds at the enemy before he made a sprint towards the injured Max. "Sir, they're fighting back!"
"This is our cue!" Naruto snapped at Tyuule. "Go and get Max out of here, Tyuule!"
"You -"
"This is an order! Now go!"
She bit her lower lip, a maelstrom of sorrow and tribulation were smothering her heart. She didn't want her saviour to die like this. With a look of despondent, she leaned forward and captured Naruto's lips. It was a fast, desperate and needy kiss, something that caught Naruto by surprise. Her voice was husky, but her furrowed brows spoke volume of her distress. "Return to me when this is over."
Naruto smiled. "Will do."
She clenched her jaw and leaped to the sky. Performing a back-flip in mid-air, she hurled her throwing knives at the enemy, killing anybody who poked their head out from their cover. Naruto let out a whistle, admiring Tyuule's dexterity in combat. He got to admit, Tyuule's beauty was akin to a Greek Goddess, her figure could put any Victoria's Secret's models to shame, but she was tough as balls, so it evens out.
Hale hefted Max over his shoulders and made a dash out of the forest, Tyuule following closely behind. When they had retreated, Naruto reached out for his earpiece. "Barney?"
"They're safe. Boss."
"Stay in your position. Make sure nobody get past me." Naruto's face became unreadable.
"Roger."
After his M4A1 was empty, Naruto dug out a pair of his favourite Glock 34 and racked his handguns. Without hesitation, he dove down to the enemy line and did a combat roll when he touched ground. He bolted at the nearby spearmen and shot them in the head, the blare of gunfire startling the rest of the Empire's troops.
One of the soldiers swung his sword at Naruto, a futile attempt to delay the imminent. Naruto intercepted the assault, caught the soldier's wrist, and fired a round into his enemy's gut. Another soldier tried to behead the blond with a sword strike, but he manoeuvred his way out of harm's reach and emptied a bullet into his victim's right eye.
Naruto sidestepped another attempt to decapitate him, threw the enemy over his shoulder, and shot the man in between his eyes. The blond glowered at the Empire's troops. They were mortified and they should be. Naruto stalked towards the enemy like a hawk, a wicked grin graced his lips. Although they had the numbers, they were backpedalling from the demon before them.
Naruto had left a swath of death in his wake, striking fear into the enemy's ranks. Beckoning them to him, Naruto released a burst of chakra from his feet, propelling him into the enemy's formation in lightning speed. He spun around, firing a burst of rounds at the enemy encompassing him. Every shot was a headshot, his victims' head seemed to explode and their limp bodies fell over.
Fluidly reloading his handguns, Naruto seized the hem of an enemy's chest armour, hurled him to the ground, jammed the muzzle of his gun into his to-be victim's mouth, and glanced up at the captain of the troops. His murderous eyes shone a sinister crimson before he unloaded a bullet into the squirming men's throat, ending his misery.
"Boss, you can pull back now."
"Why?" Naruto raised a brow, his glare was fixated at his enemy.
A deathly whistle whizzed by the forest, accompanied by a thunderous explosion that sent geysers of hot ash and red flames to belch upward, eradicating a platoon of enemy almost instantly. Naruto grinned; it was a M830 round fired by the U.S. Army's M1 Abrams battle tank. "Good job, Lee."
The hoarse howls and timorous screams of the enemy died down immediately when they were blew up by another ungodly explosion, the rippling shockwaves made the scorched earth trembled.
"Commander Naruto Uzumaki, this is Alpha, requesting permission to engage target." A foreign voice intercepted his radio's frequency.
Naruto raised a brow. "Aren't you already engaging the enemy?"
"Those are just warning shots, sir."
Naruto stifled his chuckle. "Do you have birds in the air?"
"Affirmative. Do you want me to patch you through?"
"Go ahead."
"Copy that."
Naruto glanced up and noticed three AH-64E Apache attack helicopters hovering menacingly above the trees, ready to obliterate anything in its path. A second later, a gruff voice was heard over the intercom. "This is Raven 1, what is your order sir?"
"Do you have visual of the goose?"
"Goose?"
Naruto pinched the bridge of his nose and raised his volume. "Barney!"
There was some buzz that interfered with the transmission, but Barney's voice was faintly heard. "A blond guy with an arm missing. Probably whining like a bitch about it."
"Negative, sir."
Naruto placed a hand on her hip. "Raven 1, fly over towards my 2 o'clock. I want you to find me that whiny bitch."
"Permission to kill, sir."
"Negative." Naruto frowned. "Get me the location of the goose's hideout and report back to base. Do not engage them. I repeat. Do not engage them."
"Roger that."
One of the AH-64E Apache veered off its formation and flew towards its destination.
Naruto grinned. "Raven 2, Raven 3, do you copy?"
"Reading you five, over."
"Gun down any Roman wannabes on sight. Leave one or two survivors. I want them to tell their superiors what they have witnessed today."
"Copy that."
The invasion had begun.
Author note: Thanks for the support. I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
Pairing wise is still up to debate.
1.) NarutoXTyuule
2.) NarutoXPina
3.) NarutoXYao
4.) NarutoXRory
5.) NarutoXHarem
Let me know how you feel.
Drop a review :)
