"Larch Da—" 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 Sparrow. A bony hand slaps down on her shoulder; the ReDead, clutching the kunoichi's wrist, restrains her torso over a stone block. Three gut-wrenching shrieks blare around the circular room, prolonging the paralysis.

The Uzumaki opens her eyes, and the two ghoulish creatures flanking Pelican lurch towards him, with another coming closer. The ReDead in front of Sparrow clasps her head with its cadaverous hands. Anxiety grows as she wonders what cruel, painful demise is in store for her. The ReDead adjusts the kunoichi's face towards itself; the frightening figure is even more hideous and grotesque up close. She closes her eyes, awaiting the inevitable.

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

Sparrow recoils, "Ouch."

"Grawmp."

"Ow!" Sparrow scowls at the ReDead standing there, holding her head in place. Its bony fingers press against her head as the other ReDead behind the Uzumaki grabs her hips.

"Grawmp," a swift, vigorous collision from behind shoves the flabbergasted kunoichi.

"Oof!" Sparrow's eyes widen, "D-did you just…"

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

Pelican's jaw drops at the spectacle before him: at Sparrow swearing up an unclear garbled mess of a storm as a ReDead beats her in the face with its genitalless crotch. The ReDead behind the raging kunoichi smacks her rear end. She gasps before it matches the other ReDead's pace; the ReDeads high-five over Sparrow.

Pelican finds both creatures' rhythm, coordination, and speed—unsettling. He struggles to move as some mysterious phenomenon restricts his movement. As the shinobi wonders, 'How much more absurd can this get!?' A ReDead surprises him from behind with a bear hug, "OH, AH FU—ARGH!"

"Grawmp grawmp grawmp grawmp."

Anger washes over Pelican's face like a boiling tidal wave as it contorts into an all-consuming rage. His nostrils flare; the shinobi'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 the shinobi's leg, resting his thigh between its forearm and bicep.

"Grawmp grawmp grawmp 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 the heinous anus. He gags as its tongue darts from left to right before the unthinkable happens. The perverse creature lunges its masked face forward, muffling his screams and swashing its long, slimy tongue in and around Pelican's mouth. A warm, putrid sensation arises in the shinobi'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

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 surge 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, Crane and Raven stare aghast at the shocking display.

A Surging Centrifuge of pulsating chakra hurls the cannibalistic fiends nonstop; however, some smash into the walls. Raven maims, butchers, and pulverizes her way through as the Red Zetsus persist in their relentless assault. Crane uses Water Release to dismember or blast them away with a high-pressure cascade. The endless waves of mutants force Crane and Raven to withdraw. They sprint down the corridors, slashing their way up the floors. The Anbu captain takes point, lacerating anything that tries ambushing from within or above 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 Crane and Raven. They rush past the quasi-endless halls, evading the random flesh-eating ghouls 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; all that awaits is a fate worse than death."

Continuing along the narrow path, Raven and Crane 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. Crane keeps pace as the kunoichi navigates the treacherous halls. They lose the mutants chasing them, but zombie-like groans and constant rumbling inside the walls echo in the floors and vents. She uses her dōjutsu to scout the two opening paths ahead, "Double-time it, Crane!" they speed towards the crossroad with urgency. Around the corner, the Red Zetsus flood down one of the aisles.

"Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death!" The rusting pipes within the corridors bend and creak like fingernails on a chalkboard. Razor-sharp water droplets erupt from the walls, cutting the stampeding abominations into quivering slices of rotting flesh. A hazy image appears 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 Crane and Raven to proceed. The halls change and contort, resembling an endless spiral extending the gateway farther away. Crane 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?"

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

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

Seething with rage, Raven and Crane dispel the genjutsu. The paintings fade to blank canvases; rather than demoralize or torment the Anbu, the act of cruelty strengthens their resolve. They rush past the final door, breaching the one-way window, almost catching the Marine Contra off guard if not for them radiating with killing intent.

Jimi executes a Back-Walkover to remain standing (Macaco Em Pé) and prevent the Anbu from tackling him to the ground as they lunge over him. Again, they blitz the fugitive, not sparing him the slightest chance to draw a weapon or counter; straightaway, he dodges or evades using their momentum against them. The war criminal b-twists above Raven, then side-flips over (Aú Giro Sem Mâo) Crane's follow-up attack. The Anbu captain assails Jim with short jabs and kicks, aiming for his vitals.

The Contra deflects or counters the rapid onslaught with his hands, wrists, forearms, and elbows. Crane tries incapacitating Jim using takedowns, submission holds, and sealing tags. He maintains his distance in constant motion to circumvent the shinobi's flank attempts. Despite the despair of Jim's plight, he searches for available openings or weaknesses in their defenses. The fugitive shifts stances while minding his Footwork. He maneuvers both assassins across each other, but this backfires. The Anbu are adept at fighting in tandem; their teamwork is almost flawless.

Crane 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. The war criminal diverts them before initiating his counteroffensive. Raven blocks a back Knife-Hand Strike, ducks a left hook, and transitions with Crane. The Medical-nin 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 the tall Anbu's axilla.

The shinobi drops the kunai before he can plunge it into Jim's temple. He grapples Crane's arm, then drives his knee into the Medical-nin's abdomen, doubling him over. He rolls in a circular path onto Crane's back; the Marine Contra's legs extend in a V-shape, kicking Raven in the head and tumbling her over a sofa. Using the tall shinobi as a Pommel Horse, Jim swings one leg after the other beneath his torso before performing a head-scissors throw. Crane 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 cartwheels over a low sweep after countering a reverse roundhouse kick (Aú Sem Mão). The Anbu captain 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. Crane springs up from behind the counter and kicks the mass murderer through the air.

"Toasty~!"

Jim crash-lands onto 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. Crane and Raven scowl with utter astonishment at his audacity.

The Anbu exchange glances, then a nod before glaring at the Marine Contra. Raven and Crane stalk toward Jim, drawing their swords; they disappear, rushing him at full speed. He leans back, flipping over the sofa; their blades pierce the fabric, centimeters away from his head. The fugitive 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 the tables, dodging swift strikes and sword strokes while projecting random furnishings at the Anbu as a diversion. He spins on his shoulders, revolving his legs like a pinwheel; the Contra trips Crane and then knocks Raven off balance. Continuing his momentum, he pushes off the ground with his hands, catches the kunoichi's head between his legs, and slams her with another head-scissors takedown.