Fort Firestorm — Rooftops — Jimi Iara Malkhaz II vs. Anbu Black Ops — PRESENT
Standing on a ledge, the Marine Contra stares Raven and Crane down. Lightning flashes across the sky; the crimson moonlight flickering from the clouds reflects off Jimi's glasses. He takes a drag of a cigarette before flicking it over the ledge. Both assassins stalk towards their target, shaking in anticipation and adrenalin radiating killing intent. The PDI device on Jim's wrist changes color; the ECG, indicating his chakra reserves, shifts from orange to yellow.
Jim grins, 'tch, more than enough to waste these losers.'
The Uchiha's grip tightens around the hilt of her blade, "for all the pain and suffering you've caused; you are undeserving of a quick death, Malkhaz."
Crane's pace hastens as he approaches, "With my medical expertise, I will prolong your suffering until you beg for death! Until then, you do not have our permission to die, Jimi. And only until then will we happily oblige you and end your wretched existence."
A small snort escapes the war criminal, "As you Grey Berets well know, I enjoy pain. It's like a good Chinese dinner, you know. With the sweet and the sour—expanding on that analogy, I will smile with delight; that's The Sweet. As you scream for your pitiful lives," Jim teleports between Crane and Raven, "Of course, that's The Sour!"
The Contra seizes the offensive, initiating a lethal oscillation using Hawk's sword. Crane parries the torrent of rapid slashes and thrusts; Raven responds with a professional volley of swings aiming for Jim's arteries and veins at breakneck speeds. The Marine Contra keeps his distance while maintaining pressure on the Medical-nin. He weaves various one-hand seals to shift the ground beneath Raven, keeping the Anbu captain off balance and her blade out of range. Jim reinforces his sword with chakra before unleashing a stalwart blow, stumbling Crane.
The mass murderer uses the Medical-nin's abdomen as a stepladder to deliver a powerful kick to the tall shinobi's torso. He backflips over Raven, landing behind her. She slashes at his ankles, but he throws a kunai into the ground, stopping her blade, then kicks the kunoichi, sending her crashing into Crane.
The fugitive sighs in disappointment, "I'm sought-after across the Great Shinobi Countries and amongst every minor nation. If you two are the best they can offer, I have nothing to worry about." Raven snickers, reaching under her mask to wipe the blood from her mouth; Crane dematerializes into a puddle. Jim's eyes widen, "A Water Clone!?" The shinobi appears behind Jim, wrenching on translucent wire strings that bind the Contra's limbs. He struggles to free his arms and legs, "So you plan to draw and quarter me?"
Raven chuckles, "Hmm, not a bad idea… yeah, something like that."
Jim sends a jolt of electricity toward the kunai on the ground with a single hand seal; it zips through the air, cutting the wire strings that bind his wrists. He drops to the ground, rolling his torso in a circular path. The translucent, elastic lines on his legs lasso Raven and Crane's hands; he whirls the Anbu like a turbine, hastening their speed, continuing to build momentum as his legs twirl in a V-shape. Jim cuts the wire strings from his legs, sending the assassins flying in opposing directions.
Crane and Raven cork-flip midair to stabilize themselves. They land on the stone tower's ledges, showering Jim with kunai and shuriken. He dodges and diverts the razor-sharp metal, performing multiple backhand springs to avoid the wire strings controlling the shuriken; however, the projectiles shift trajectory while in pursuit, cornering him against a stone pillar. Jim yanks a kunai from the air, then uses its ring to catch another as the wires encircle the column around him.
Raven bites down on the translucent strings, synthesizing a chain of hand-seals, "Fire Style: Dragon Fire Jutsu!" A blazing inferno accelerates down the wires, engulfing the stone pillar's lower half in a whirlwind of fiery torment. The flames dissipate, but Jim disappears. The column rotates—there he stands atop two kunai sticking into the pillar's surface; Jim raises his index and pinky finger at eye level while the rest curl into the Marine Contra's palm.
The floor tiles beneath Crane and Raven rotate, revealing active lightning seals. They enact a series of evasive maneuvers as each tag activates behind them. Jim blurs over a few hand seals, causing the electrified debris to launch at the Anbu, morphing his thunderous assault into a duel-prong ambush. They flank, then counterattack, drawing the electrical explosions closer to trap him within the blast radiuses.
Jim deflects a hail of shuriken while chaining a set of one-hand seals that allow him to sink into the ground like a massless phantom. Crane teleports to distance himself from the perpetual arc flashes trailing him. He shields himself inside a water dome to prevent the debris from turning his body into Swiss cheese. Raven springs up, diverting the electric pebbles without difficulty. Due to the Uchiha's well-developed and advanced Sharingan, every projectile moves at a reduced speed. She straightens then twists her body 1440° midair before landing a three-point pose, holding her sword behind her. The galvanic surges cease as the electromagnetic haze recedes.
Standing on the stone tower's ledge, a silhouette of Jim with large pupil-less white eyes and a bright, disturbing grin stares Raven and Crane down. Crane's hands blur over a sequence of hand seals, "Water Pistol: Quick Shot!" An enfilade of liquid bullets discharges from the aquatic barrier as the Anbu captain unleashes her Searing Skull Salvos; however, both attacks pass through the silhouette as it phases out of existence like a mirage. The mass murderer's maniacal laughter reverberates around the Anbu without them pinpointing its location.
"Crane! Behind you!" Raven warns.
The Contra resurfaces from within the ground; Crane parries the cold steel hurling at his throat. Jim and Crane exchange a brisk fusillade of sword swipes and strikes, dueling inside the swirling water dome. With two one-hand seals, Jim activates a series of lightning mines, forcing Raven to evade before she can flank him.
Crane and Jim's blades collide, scraping and raining sparks at the dome's center. The fugitive's sword slides along Crane's, forcing the tall shinobi to disengage and prevent the blade from severing a major artery. Jim whirls his sword, then rushes forward. He swings again at the Medical-nin's throat; the shinobi ducks, following up with a rapid slash at Jim's midsection. The war criminal jumps above the fridged steel, speeding towards his stomach before landing a solid kick onto Crane's head, staggering the Anbu. The shinobi responds the instant Jim's feet touch the ground. He grabs the disorientated shinobi's wrist, stopping the blade before driving his elbow into Crane's abdomen and face, then knocking the tall Anbu away with a vicious tornado kick.
'Tch, let's see how well you breathe underwater!' Crane flies out of the liquid dome, clasping his hands together, "Water Prison Jutsu!" The protective barrier becomes an aqueous entrapment, submerging Jim within several liters of a thick slime-like substance. A water clone of Crane manifests outside the dome, maintaining the technique. Jim holds his breath, concentrating on the surrounding area; he focuses his chakra, preventing the immense pressure from crushing him.
The Anbu approach the slime bubble, ready to swing away with their stabby-steely gore wands like a piñata. Jim waits in anticipation for them to get within proximity. He channels enough chakra to his hand to overcome the hydraulic pressure and shifts over a series of one-hand seals.
The stone tiles around the barrier flip, revealing explosive tags; explosions force Crane and Raven to abort, delivering a coup de grâce. Jim hijacks and repurposes the aquatic prison into a protective barrier, shielding himself from the blast zone. The heat vaporizes Crane's water clone before it can scream; the liquid dome dissolves without the clone acting as a medium to maintain it. Jim creates a thin layer of chakra around himself, drying his equipment and fatigues in seconds.
Jim grins, "I must be a girl because all your attacks have done so far is make me wet." Raven and Crane rush the Contra full throttle from opposing sides; however, he sustains his counteroffensive, keeping them on defense. Jim's Kenjutsu (sword technique) is chaotic and unorthodox. Yet he wastes nothing in his movements while upholding a degree of capriciousness. He exhibits inhuman agility and responsiveness. Every swing or motion is clean, swift, precise, and with clear intention, resembling an elegant dance of lustrous steel afterimages.
Nevertheless, the Anbu maintain their perseverance without falter or hesitation against the war criminal's aggressive vendetta. The Anbu's ability to evade and respond with appropriate retaliatory measures induces anxiety in Jim. The Anbu counteract his immense speed with skill and strategy, likewise possible recognizance of the Marine Contra's techniques. Crane and Raven continue attacking in tandem. Despite their near-flawless collaboration, the ceaseless struggle rages, with neither side acquiring supremacy.
The mass murderer continues pressuring Crane, realizing the tall Medical-nin's speed and reactionary time are declining. With subtle applications of genjutsu, he capitalizes upon Crane's weaknesses. Jim scores nicks and cuts on the shinobi's flesh while remaining mobile, shifting the ground (via one-hand seals/jutsu) and staying vigilant of both Anbu's attack ranges. Crane's inability to detect the illusions masking Jim's movements infers a slight decrease in cognitive functionality, situational awareness, judgment, and mental capacity.
'So it's finally taking effect; this could be a boon or a burden depending on how I navigate the circumstances,' The war criminal speculates. Crane appears unaware of the cuts on his limbs nor the red viscid substance oozing from every slash and incision Jim inflicts upon him. As the duration of each skirmish drags on, the decline becomes more apparent, 'This tall trouser-bandit is nowhere near as fast as before! Perhaps the notion of victory isn't contradictory,' he forces an aperture distancing himself between both, flanking Anbu. Jim shifts through a few one-hand seals, channeling chakra to his foot before stomping the ground.
Lightning pulses along the surface, stunning the 'trouser-bandit'; however, Raven leaps above the galvanic wave and plunges her sword at the Contra's heart. He sidesteps, grappling the kunoichi's wrist, then rotates his torso along her arm until he's behind Raven. Jim rolls backward, throwing and flipping the Uchiha like a tomahawk. Crane stumbles about, reeling from the current arching across his body; Jim slides between Crane's feet, revolving on his shoulders. The fugitive whirls his legs like a pinwheel, sweeping the shinobi off the ground. Again, he uses the Medical-nin's body as a platform in midair.
"Lightning Release: Fazing Flash Kick!" Jim backflips, slamming his electrified boots one after another into Crane's chin, rocketing the tall shinobi upwards. Jim lands on a ledge alongside Raven; she swings her blade at his ankles, but he aerial-flips overhead, slashing back with his own. She retreats, parrying the counterattack; he lands behind her in pursuit.
Raven spins around, swinging her sword at Jim's torso. He slides under the Anbu captain's blade, springs off the ground, and turns on his palms. He unleashes a flurry of upside-down revolving kicks and a sword swipe at her abdomen. She blocks the kicks using her forearms and elbows. Raven deflects the sharp steel before it can disembowel her, then responds with a sequence of low slashes, attempting a swift beheading.
Jim flips over her blade, retaliating with a forward swing. Raven enhances her sword with chakra, increasing its power; the collision spins Jim's sword from his hand. He steps back, snatching the spinning blade. The mass murderer swings one leg after the other beneath his torso to avoid the Uchiha following up with another downward swipe, trying to sever his knees. The war criminal's legs swing at her head; she evades then reciprocates a rapid, robust assault aiming for his midsection.
Jim pushes off the ground with his hands, twisting midair over the incoming razor-sharp blade before landing behind Raven. He swings his sword at her neck for an instant decapitation; however, she foresees the inbound death blow and counters. Raven ducks, grabs Jim's wrist to redirect his subsequent sword thrust, then drives her elbow into his sternum before whipping her fist back into the fugitive's face.
Jim recoils from the blow but leans away; Raven slices the chinstrap on his helmet, missing the jugular. She follows up with an airborne 360° kick, grabs Jim's helmet, and throws it like a frisbee. He collides with the raised ledge bordering the stone tower's edge. The Contra slides under the gyrating metal, whirring across the air at him; its brim lodges into the wall, almost skimming the tip of his nose.
Like a lit fuse, the sizzling sparks within his helmet's interior indicate an active explosive tag. Jim sinks under the stone before the explosion reduces his helmet to shrapnel. He ascends from the ground a short distance from Raven; regardless, Crane offers no leeway but a robust reprisal.
The tall shinobi swan-dives spinning 1440° intending to bore his sword inside Jim. He extends his legs apart, preventing a castration, then circumvents the drilling steel via Starfish Kip-Up. They surge at each other, re-engaging The Distance for a Duel. Their blades collide; Jim notices Crane's injuries are not affecting the tall Medical-nin's body.
Crane, not suffering fatigue or chakra exhaustion, further disturbs Jim. He continues losing ground as the tall Anbu pressures him against a stone pillar. The war criminal concentrates chakra on his feet, walking backward up the column while parrying the Medical-nin's vicious onslaught. He leaps over Crane, but the shinobi's powerful sword strokes keep Jim airborne.
"Woah, hey! What's happening!?" Jim blurts in confusion as Crane juggles him across the air upside down. "Stop it!" he blocks and deflects the sharp steel hurling at his body, unable to land; Raven joins in on the action. "Hey, knock it off!" He continues exchanging swipes and swings with the Anbu—while upside down. Jim uprights himself in midair before gaining enough space to touchdown out of reach from their blades. Crane rushes forward, enhancing his sword with chakra; he knocks the Marine Contra's sword from his hand and stumbles him with a turning sidekick.
Raven charges from behind Crane, slashing at Jim's throat; however, he executes a back-walkover (Macaco em Pé), dodging the decapitation attempt. The fugitive focuses minute quantities of chakra on the sole of his foot; the hilt of Jim's sword clings to the bottom of his boot. He spins upside down on his palms, gyrating his legs like a helicopter rotor. Crane and Raven parry the whirling torrent of sharp steel but suffer slight nicks and cuts before the revolving impacts misbalance them. They backhand spring away, then lunge forward and above their target, ready to sheath their swords down his backside.
Jim summersaults around them, continuing his momentum to elude the inbound blades. He rebounds amidst both Anbu, spinning on his shoulders, sweeping them off their feet; he pushes himself up with his hands, grabbing Raven and Crane's ankles. With a quick spin, he tosses them in opposite directions. The Anbu right themselves midair, then land, sliding along the rooftop's surface.
Jim sinks below the ground before emerging behind Raven as she skids. The kunoichi swings her blade; he ducks then slips behind her, unleashing a series of swift, sharp jabs and pokes to the Uchiha's popliteal (that part of the leg behind the knee), hip, floating rib, triceps, elbow, and wrist. She drops her sword, shrieking in pain as her limbs go numb. The Marine Contra uses Teleportation Jutsu to reappear before Crane; the shinobi swings a high wheel kick, but Jim hooks his calf around Crane's hamstring, deflecting the attack.
Jim assails Crane's floating rib, triceps, elbow, and wrist in a lightning-fast combo using the ends of his fingers and knuckles. He leans backward into a handstand, then spins on his palms, rotating his legs in a V-shape. He kicks both assassins in the face, knocking Raven on all fours and causing Crane to stumble over her.
The Uchiha reactivates her dōjutsu, spotting Jim before he reappears, "There!" Raven turns around, the mass murderer pops out of the ground, his eyes widen, and he gasps in fear as memories of a dispelled shadow clone besiege his mind. The Anbu captain bombards the fugitive's face with a volley of downward punches, knocking him back under the floor like a cheap whack-a-mole arcade, "I was waiting for you that time, you mole-fucker!"