"Dance of the Lar-" two blood-curdling screams paralyze Pelican halfway through his technique. The temperature drops below freezing; the air becomes thick like syrup.

An invisible frigid force weighs down upon Hyena, "f-f-fu-fu-fucking c-cold!" she shivers. A bony hand slaps down on her shoulder; the ReDead clutching Hyena's wrist bends her over a stone block. Three gut-wrenching shrieks blare through the circular room, prolonging the paralysis. She opens her eyes, and the two ghoulish creatures flanking Pelican lurch towards him, with another coming closer.

The ReDead in front of Hyena clasps her head with its cadaverous hands. Anxiety grows as she wonders what sort of cruel, painful death lies in store for her. The ReDead adjusts Hyena's face towards itself; the frightening figure is even more hideous and grotesque up close. Tears stream down her face; Hyena closes her eyes, awaiting the inevitable.

"Grawmp," a flat spongy surface strikes Hyena in the face.

Hyena recoils, "ouch."

"Grawmp."

"Ow! What the hell?" Hyena scowls at the ReDead standing there, holding her head in place. Its boney fingers press against her head as the other ReDead behind Hyena grabs her hips.

"Grawmp," it happens again.

"Oof!" Hyena's eyes widen, "d-did you just…."

The ReDead stares in silence through its wooden mask before inflicting another pelvic thrust, "grawmp."

Pelican's jaw drops at the spectacle before him: Hyena swears up an unclear garbled mess of a storm as a ReDead beats her in the face with its genitalless crotch.

The ReDead behind Hyena smacks her rear end. She gasps then it begins matching the other ReDead's pace; the ReDeads high-five over Hyena. Pelican finds both creatures' rhythm, coordination, and speed—unsettling. He struggles to move as some mysterious phenomenon restricts his movement. A ReDead surprises him from behind with a bear hug; he realizes what's about to happen. Anger washes over him like a boiling tidal wave.

"Grawmp."

Pelican's face contorts into an all-consuming rage. His nostrils flare; Pelican's eyes are flashing and closing into slits. He quivers and drools, slurring unintelligible words that spew like a volcano releasing pent-up emotions into the darkness. Still, the ReDead continues going to town on his hindquarters like a jackrabbit in the middle of spring hopped up on barbiturates and fuck-thunder. Another ReDead reaches around Pelican's neck for leverage knocking off his mask. It lifts Pelican's leg resting his thigh between its forearm and bicep.

"Grawmp."

The ReDead in front palms the back of Pelican's head, pushing his face closer to itself. The ReDead's breath smells like a gaggle of hobos having an orgy in a dumpster full of moldy cheese and fifteen flavors of ass. Pelican gags, its tongue darts from left to right then the unthinkable happens. The perverse creature lunges its masked face forward, muffling Pelican's screams and swashing its long slimy tongue in and around his mouth. A warm putrid sensation arises in Pelican's esophagus. He vomits, yet the ReDead continues shoving its tongue down his throat. A tear streams down Pelican's cheek; he clenches his eye, trying not to drown in bile.

(Fort Firestorm — some time ago)

A torrent of inhuman figures catapults off a distant war-torn skyscraper crashing onto the streets like a waterfall of contorted corpses. The stream roars louder, increasing in size as more windows shatter. The steep cascade pours from the tall structure thundering down upon the mutant hordes. The bodies hit the floor, bursting like rotting fruit; gore and limbs splatter everywhere. Within the interior, Slug and Raven stare aghast at the shocking display.

A Surging Centrifuge of pulsating chakra hurls the abominations nonstop; however, some smash into the walls. Raven maims, butchers, and pulverizes her way through as the mutants persist in their relentless assault. Slug uses Water Release to dismember or blast them away with a powerful hydro-jet. The endless waves of marauders force Slug and Raven to withdraw. They sprint down the corridors slashing their way up the floors. Raven takes point, lacerating anything that tries ambushing from above or through the numerous rooms lining the burnt-out halls.

An industrial door opens at the end of the corridor; a monitor emits a horrible white noise above the door. The low image resolution renders the audio comprehensible enough for an enemy to taunt them.

"Is the reasoning behind the city's quarantine now apparent?"

The industrial door closes behind Slug and Raven. They rush through the quasi-endless halls evading the random mutants wandering about, immobilizing any that pose a threat. Around the final corner, the next door opens. A blurry display projects onto a nearby screen.

"There's no turning back; a fate worse than death awaits."

Continuing along the narrow path Raven and Slug come across a two-way intersection; a decision between left or right closes in.

"Don't split up; stay together!" Raven orders, activating her dōjutsu. Slug keeps pace as Raven navigates the treacherous halls. They lose the mutants chasing them, but zombie-like groans and constant banging against the walls echo in the floors and vents. She uses her dōjutsu to scout the two opening paths ahead, "double-time it, Slug!" they speed towards the crossroad with urgency. Around the corner, the mutants flood down one of the aisles.

"Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!" the rusting pipes within the corridors bend and creak like fingernails on a chalkboard. Razor-sharp water droplets irrupt from the walls cutting the stampeding mutants into quivering slices of rotting flesh. A hazy image transmits on a monitor near the industrial door at the end of the two-way junction.

"Nothing can ever be allowed to escape; only the fortunate parish."

The window shutters, flanking the passageway, close one after the other, forcing Slug and Raven to proceed. The halls change and contort, resembling an endless spiral extending the gateway farther away. Slug brings his index and middle fingers at eye level, curling the rest into his palm, "release," he mutters, dispelling the genjutsu. The illusion fades, the hall straightens, the doors are within reach, and they dash through.

"Is dying swift and painless not a merciful proposition overall?"

Slug and Raven detect a chakra signature nearby; the blank canvases along the walls alter. The images alarm and disturb them: dead teammates, respective friends, family even loved ones appear in each painting.

"Red Zetsu will consume and assimilate like sentient cancer until nothing remains."

Seething with rage, Raven and Slug dispel the genjutsu. The paintings fade to blank canvases; rather than demoralize or torment the Anbu, the act of cruelty strengthens their resolve. They surge through the final door blitzing Jimi, almost catching him off guard if not for them radiating with killing intent.

Slug and Raven burst through a one-way window, trying to tackle Jim. He executes a back-walkover to remain on his feet (macaco em pé). Raven charges at Jim; he b-twists above her, then side-flips over (aú Giro sem mâo) Slug's follow-up attack. They rush Jim, not sparing him the slightest chance to draw a weapon or counter. Regardless facing two opponents in close quarters puts him at a disadvantage. Straightaway he dodges or evades using their momentum against them.

Raven assails Jim with short jabs and kicks, aiming for his vitals. He blocks or deflects, then counters the rapid onslaught with his hands, wrists, forearms, and elbows. Slug tries incapacitating Jim, using takedowns, submission holds and sealing tags. Jim maintains his distance, staying in constant motion to prevent Slug's flank attempts. Despite the despair of Jim's plight, he searches for available openings or weaknesses in their defenses. Jim shifts stances while minding his footwork. He maneuvers them across each other, but this backfires. The Anbu are adept at fighting in tandem; moreover, their teamwork appears flawless.

Slug and Raven sustain the pressure shifting in an endless tag-team combo; however, Jim discovers a flaw in the Anbu's coordination that he exploits without hesitation. Jim redirects them, then initiates his counteroffensive. Raven blocks a back knife-hand strike, ducks a right hook, then transitions with Slug. Slug opens with a flurry of light kunai thrusts and a front kick. Jim deflects the attack with the side of his boot, then launches his forefoot into Slug's axilla.

Slug drops the kunai before he can plunge it into Jim's temple. Jim grapples Slug's arm, then drives his knee into the tall shinobi's abdomen, doubling Slug over. He rolls his torso in a circular path onto Slug's back; Jim's legs twirl in a V-shape, kicking Raven in the head and tumbling her over a sofa. Using Slug as a pommel horse, Jim swings one leg after the other beneath his torso before performing a spinning head-scissors throw. Slug flies behind a bar counter, collapsing the shelves and shattering the liquor bottles.

Jim sidesteps Raven's consecutive 360° ax-kicks, avoids a roundhouse kick, then ducks (esquiva) a tornado kick. He aerial-flips over a low kick after countering a spinning heel kick (aú sem mão). Raven blocks and deflects a chain of quick jabs, pokes, and rapid knife-hand strikes while escaping various joint locks and chokeholds. She thrusts her knee into Jim's chest, then snap-kicks him across the bar counter. Slug springs up from behind the counter and kicks Jim through the air.

Toasty~!

Jim is fortunate enough to land sitting on the sofa. He catches a glass cup and bottle of whiskey falling towards him, "oh, you finally hit me," he teases, serving himself the alcoholic beverage, "fantastic." He tosses back the whiskey in one gulp, exhales, then washes it down with an adjacent beer.

Slug and Raven scowl with utter astonishment at Jim's audacity. They exchange a, 'no, this mother fucker did not just do that in front of us!' glance before glaring at him.

Raven and Slug stalk toward Jim drawing their swords; they disappear, rushing him at full speed. He leans back, flipping over the sofa; their blades pierce through the fabric, centimeters away from his head. Jim springs from the ground, dashing away as they give chase. He uses the tables and bar chairs as cover to elude the various hurling projectiles. Jim slides under a table, kicking a chair at Raven, but she cuts through it.

Jim rolls away, dodging swift kicks, stomps, and stabs. He spins on his shoulders, revolving his legs like a pinwheel; Jim trips Slug and then knocks Raven off balance. Continuing his momentum, he pushes off the ground with his hands, catches Raven's head between his legs, and slams her with a flying head-scissors takedown.