---
The ice moaned beneath Elsa's feet as she stepped into the heart of the frozen fjord. Wind howled around her, whipping her hair into tangled waves, dragging snow into her eyes. The storm wasn't just weather—it was her grief turned wild, her fear laid bare.
She didn't see the figure at first, not until he stepped out of the blizzard—sword in hand, eyes sharp with false sorrow.
"Elsa," Hans called, soft, almost mournful. "Anna's gone. She died... because of you."
The words hit harder than the wind. Elsa staggered, her arms wrapped tight around herself, her breath catching.
"No..." she whispered, voice cracking. "Anna..."
The storm twisted in pain above her, winds shrieking in tandem with her breaking heart.
Then—sudden color. A blur of orange cleaved through the storm.
Naruto skidded to a stop between Elsa and Hans, arms out, breath fogging the air.
"He's lying!" he shouted, eyes locked on Hans. "Don't believe a word from him!"
Hans's expression shifted, the act fading. He lunged, sword flashing in the pale light.
Naruto moved in one fluid step. He parried, grabbed Hans's wrist, twisted—metal clattered to the ice and skidded away.
Hans roared, throwing a punch. Naruto ducked low, swept his leg out, and Hans hit the ground with a grunt, dazed.
Shouts rang out behind them—the guards, charging.
Two Naruto clones burst into being, rushing into the fray. They didn't need weapons only fists, precision, and momentum. The guards collapsed one by one, slipping, stumbling, outmatched.
Hans crawled toward his hidden blade.
Naruto was there first.
He stomped the dagger aside, grabbed Hans by the coat, and yanked him upright. Their faces inches apart, Naruto's voice dropped low.
"You're done."
Wire looped fast around Hans's wrists, tied with the speed of someone who had trained his whole life in survival.
The storm around them eased slightly—just enough to see, just enough to feel the moment shift.
---
Naruto turned, his breath coming fast, his senses reaching outward.
There—just beyond the frost—his clone's chakra signature, flickering, barely there.
Anna.
Without a word, Naruto sprinted into the storm.
---
Behind him, Hans groaned, slumped on the ice. But his fingers still worked. He wriggled, slowly, subtly—and drew a dagger from his boot.
Elsa hadn't seen him.
She had fallen to her knees, the fight gone from her. Her face crumpled as she stared into the snow.
Hans stood slowly, silently, dagger gleaming in his grip.
---
Anna stumbled through the storm, almost blind, barely breathing. Her braid had turned white. Ice climbed her arms. Her vision blurred.
But she saw Elsa.
She saw Hans.
Saw the knife in his hand.
Her body screamed in protest, but she moved—one step, then another, every motion like shattering glass inside her limbs.
She hurled herself forward.
Time cracked.
Hans's dagger swung down.
But it never reached flesh.
There was a sound—a deep, ringing snap, like a glacier breaking apart.
Anna's body froze, solid as carved ice, the blade bouncing harmlessly off her crystalline side.
She stood there, motionless.
A statue.
A sacrifice.
Elsa turned just in time to see it—and screamed.
"Anna!"
---
Naruto burst onto the scene, breathless, eyes wide. He saw it all—Anna, frozen mid movement. Hans, dagger raised. Elsa, sobbing on her knees.
Something inside him snapped.
In a blur, he crossed the space. Hans turned, just barely.
Naruto didn't shout this time.
He struck.
Hans went down hard, skidding across the ice. The dagger clattered away.
Naruto moved over him, knee pressed to his chest, wire wrapping his ankles tight. Hans struggled, cursed—but Naruto's hands didn't waver.
"Not another word," he said, voice cold.
When it was done, Naruto stood, his fists clenched.
He looked over at Elsa, collapsed beside Anna, holding her sister's frozen hand like it might still be warm.
The storm died down, the wind quieting as if the fjord itself had gone still.
Naruto stared at Anna's frozen face.
He had fought. He had protected.
But it hadn't been enough.
Not yet.
---