A/N: NEARLY FOUR HUUUUUUNDRED REVIEWS! This story is nearly at that mark! You guys are the best! When I first created this story I never once thought that it would graduate to become the massive and phenomenal hit that it is to day! And to top it all off, this is my longest chapter to date! Reviews inspire me to write like this so I just want to say...

...THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!

Still I return again! Things have been absolutely crazy for me as of the last few months what with the surgeries and all, but now at long last, I feel I can devote my attentions to this fic anew as I've intended to do! Of course, now that they're not cutting me OPEN anymore to work on my heart I've also come up with a quite a few new ideas! I can promise ya'll that the next few chappys are going to be nothing short of absolutely brilliant! So sorry for the wait! There's a bit of a long author's note this time, because there are a few matters I want to address.

But I also want to bring something to your attention. I've been putting this off for a while, but this needed to be done. I have PURGED many of my older works. That's right, I've delted or adopted off many of the stories that I will no longer be continuing. Fear not, my most popular fics will remain, but most of my old stuff from back in 2008 and 2009, when I had no idea what I was doing is being all but removed from the site. Out with the old, in with the new, as they say! Still, if anyone is interested in any of my old stuff, say the word and its yours to continue. But I've held ya'll up long enough!

Now that we've addressed all those issues, I just wanted to say: Thank you. To all of you who reviewed and have yet to review, and especially those who noticed my improved writing style. You all know who you are. I look forward to hearing more from you as we continue down the strange, convulted path that is this story. I honestly cannot believe I've already gotten so many reviews for the first chapter alone, and now its so damn high I could cry with joy! Hopefully I won't dissapoint you guys!

Which brings me to my next point of interest. I'm sick. Really sick of getting flak from people for dedicating time and precious resources to my works, only to be assailed by those who are dissapointed that I'm not going to stick to canon in some of my stories. This is fanfiction, damnit!

The latest chapter of Imperfection is a prime example of this and its beginning to grate on my last nerve. So, I...say this. I'm DONE. Just, done. If ya'll don't want to read some of my works then I won't grace you with them. My health is atrocious, and I'm STILL dedicating time to this site, knowing that some like my works. But I'm sick and tirned of all the hate I've been gettingin this last year- which is seriously causing me to wonder whether I should just drop this site altogether and move on. I dunno. Maybe I just don't like it when I've devoted so much time to something and a large group of people dedicate themselves to tearing it down. Who knows?

Maybe I'm just contemplating out loud. But to any writer reading this, you probably understand where I'm coming from. It wears on the soul to not have your work appreciated, doesn't it? I know you can't please them all but this...is ridiculous.

But I've held ya'll up long enough!

And with that...

...onto the next chapter! =D Fair warning, there's a bit of language in this chap...

"Only one thing can melt...

~?

Unbound

"You need to leave Arendelle and come back with me to Konoha. Now."

There was a silence as Naruto's mind proccessed Itachi's words. And then.

And then.

...ha!"

Naruto guffawed, a disbelieving laugh leaping from his lips despite his best efforts to control it. He didn't know whether he was terrified or angry or elated; probably somewhere in between the two. He'd just fought the battle of his life, now this stranger-who'd very nearly killed him earlier, was suddenly demanding that he come home with him. Under any other circumstance, he might've actually found it funny. But his laughter was a byproduct of sheer incredulity; he simply couldn't bring himself to believe what Itachi was asking of him.

"He's not going anywhere with you."

Elsa was the first to find her voice. And her resolve. Wordlessly, the ice queen moved to stand between the two of them and took Naruto's hand. The very action spoke of pure defiance; something he hadn't thought her capable of a few hours ago. He was so proud of her. She'd known his answer before he could even finish laughing. As if sensing that very thought she shot him a glare so fierce it made his very soul shiver. Hey, not like he was planning on following this nutcase anywhere...

"Well," he shrugged. "You heard the little lady. No means no."

Itachi hadn't been expecting this; for a moment, that stoic visage reflected his shock.

"You can't be serious."

Naruto clicked his teeth in warning, a stray blue spark grinding out between his molars and into the open air. "I've never been more serious in my entire life."

"Neither have I." Itachi composed himself with a counter of his own, those dark orbs blazing into his blue. "I've already lost one brother to this god-forsaken war. I'm not losing another."

Naruto frowned. "I'm not your brother."

The man cringed slightly at the accusation. "No, you're not. But I think of you as one. If you had your memories back, you'd understand."

"Memories?" Elsa blinked, suddenly recalling a quiet conversation when they were little more than children. "How do you know about that?"

Itachi turned solemnly, that blank onyx gaze affixing itself to her. "I know many things, your majesty. Some time ago he clashed with my brother, Sasuke, at the Valley of End, a distant place in our country. He did not survive. Naruto has been missing ever since. Admittedly, I don't know how he made it to these distant shores-only that he did. Had I known

Something twisted inside of Naruto then. The strings of his emotions, already plucked and stretched to their breaking point, chose that moment to snap. Elsa must've noticed, because she shrank back slightly. Naruto's ire burned so hot he barely noticed.

"Ohh," he began quietly, voice vibrating with barely controlled anger. "Is that what this is, then? So, that's why you caused all that chaos in the palace?" Flames surged at his words, the blue-white flames threatening to eat away at the icey drifts beneath their feet. "Because you think of me as a brother? Well, bro, you sure have a funny way of showing your fucking affection!"

"Naruto, this is bigger than you. Bigger Arendelle. If you don't come with me, I won't be able to protect you from Pain. The world will be-

"Fucking hell man," he growled, putting his back to the man. "I said no! Now...lemme be!" Grabbing Elsa's hand, they started down the mountain together, leaving Itachi amidst the drifts. Naruto tried his utmost to put the mysterious man from his mind but the doubt lingered, an insidious voice plucking at the back of his brain. They'd barely made it three steps before the nearsilent footfalls of the shinobi started following them. Every fiber of his being longed to lash out at the man and charr him to a crisp, stilled only by the knowledge that a frontal assault wouldn't work on the wily warrior.

"Why are you following us?"

"If I can't convince you to return with me, then I'll just have to follow you."

"The hell you will!"

"If you're worried about Anna, don't be." he called at their backs. "I've already remedied that situation with her...suitor."

Naruto stilled. Damnit.

"Remedied?" he turned, fixing the Uchiha with a ghastly glare. "What the hell did you...?"

"Hanz was a leech, here for power, not love." Itachi replied readily. "So I plucked him."

"You killed him, you mean." Elsa raised a hand to her mouth, unable to stifle her gasp. Killing to protect someone was perfectly understandable, but Itachi's casual admittance of his misdeeds. There was not so much as a glimmer of remorse in this cold blac eyes; as if he were casually discussing the weather or something.

"I merely placed him under a genjutsu and forced him to return home, your highness. He has no knowledge of himself or Anna or even Arendelle. Your sister may be heartbroken-but a broken heart is surely better than coming under the spell of a man who never loved her. And that weaseltown fellow...well, no one will miss him." his gaze switched back to Naruto. "All that remains is to fix the climate and reconcile with the populace. If you did that, I'm certain the kingdom would be more than willing to forgive you."

Naruto could feel the beginnings of a migraine coming on. "And, what? You expect me to be all buddy-buddy with you because you did me a favor?"

The Uchiha actually looked a little put out at his rebuke. "I thought you'd be pleased."

"Yeah, well, I'm still sore with you for starting this mess in the first place."

"It worked out in the end, didn't it? " his gaze strayed to Elsa, meeting her stare without the slightest flinch. "In the end, the two of you emerged even closer than before." The Queen colored under his casual comment, but otherwise, offered no confirmation of what was already fact. Like her love, a part of her longed to freeze the meddlesome Uchiha where he stood and shatter his body into a thousand shards. Not only did she dislike the idea of him meddling in their affairs, but he seemed intent to muck things up. Why couldn't he leave them alone...?

As if sensing that very thought, Naruto scowled. "Look, whatever you're trying to do, we have a crisis to fix. "

Itachi sighed.

"You really have changed...Hinata's going to be in for a bit of a shock when you get back, I see."

"I have no idea who you're talking about. And I'm not going anywhere without Elsa."

"She will be sad to hear that."

"Again, I have no idea who she is, so I don't care." At the man's curious expression, his scowl deepened. "What, was she a friend or something?"

"...it is not for me to say, then. But you must understand; you're not safe here. This kingdom cannot protect you. Lady Tsunade can."

Out of the corner of his eye, Elsa frowned thoughtfully. The longer Itachi spoke, the more guilty she became. Clearly Naruto had a life in this "Konoha" of which Itachi spoke. It also explained the scar on is forehead, as well as the matching hitiate. He'd had a life there before the tides had carried him to Arendelle. What if she was keeping him from all that with her refusal? A part of her longed to see his homeland for herself, but what he had said, this talk of a war...it dampened her expectations as to what they might find there. If Itachi spoke the truth, he had friends there. A family, even.

But this Akatsuki group...if their reach was so far as to infiltrate Arendelle...perhaps they should take the fight to them, then, instead of waiting for the enemy to bang down their gates. By the Ancestors, she hoped this was the right decision she was making here...

"Maybe we should go, then."she whispered softly. "It sounds like you'd be safer there than you would here, at any rate."

"What?" Naruto balked. "We?"

"Yes, we." she arched an eyebrow. "Did you really think I'd let you leave by yourself?"

His eyes strayed to Elsa, so soft and delicate yet as he'd learned, more than capable of handling herself in a fight and within the court. She squeezed his hand with a quiet confidence, her small fingers all but vanishing within his palm. In that instant his mind was made up. Elsa was his world. His everything. Why should he give her up, and return to a world that he couldn't see across the sea, a horizon he failed to remember? No. His place was here. With her. Maybe if she were to go with him that would be a different story, but no he couldn't possibly ask that ofher. He didn't want any part of-

"Ah," Itachi's voice cut through his thoughts like a hot knife through butter. "It seems we're here."

Naruto let go of Elsa's hand, his eyes narrowing slightly as he saw the scope of the change that had been wrought on Arendelle. They could see it here, even from their place on the mountain trail. A quiet hiss parted at his lips. "Bloody hell...

Elsa covered her mouth, fingers flying to her face in disbelief. "Oh...

He risked a glance down over the horizon, and, what he saw there nearly caused him to weep. The land had been torn apart by the simultanous releasing of their elements; one side of the idyllic little kingdom-the side which they currently occoupied-was wreathed in winter, the other, scorched by the sun. Plants were dead or dying and those that hadn't were suffering at their hand. They had done this. Unleashed magicks their world had never been meant to see. The land had been changed. Even now it was suffering, half consumed by heat, and the other, frost.

Perhaps unleashing them again would be able to remedy the situation.

"Alright," he decided, "We're going to fix this."

Elsa shot him a skeptical look.

"How? You said so yourself, neither of us knows how to stop this."

"And need I remind you that every moment we delay the land is ravaged even further?" Itachi pointed out.

Incredibly, a small smile plucked at Naruto's lips. It only grew as he turned toward Elsa.

"What was that saying? Only true love can thaw a frozen heart? I'm betting the same can soothe a burning one. Its worth a try, at the very least." He offered a hand to her. Time seemed to stand still. So long ago she'd hesitated to touch him-fearful of hurting him. And yet now she felt none of that hesitation. It was as if all her doubts had been eradicated. There was no more fear in her. He was Fire. She was Ice. By all rights and laws of nature they shouldn't be able to co-exist as they had. And yet they did. Because...

She loved him. The realization stunned her. From the bottom of her heart she loved this strange man-and he here. There were no barriers between them anymore. She was unbound from her fears and doubts and all of the terrors that had haunted her ever since she was a little girl. And it was all because of him. He'd coaxed her out of her icy shell, pushed her to do things she daren't have done before. She'd gone along with it, quietly and uncertainly, always fearing the worst. He'd seen her at her lowest point. She witnessed him at his worst.

They brought out the best in each other. And now he was asking her to trust him, one last time.

She did.

Smiling, Elsa took his hand. She felt his power flood her almost immediately as their fingertips touched, tendrils of gentle blue flame curling around her arm-as a thin blanket of haorfrost covered his. She kissed him as fiercely as she dared, eyes drifting shut at ease, as the blue blaze sheathed her from head to toe. He held her, unblinking as her own element wrapped around him like a second skin. Every fiber of her being thrummed the touch, a warmth of a different sort flooding her, spreading out from her chest. As one they turned toward the travesty taking place below. As one they raised a hand, fingers clenched up each other.

Fire and Ice.

Two elements that had no business living with one another, yet manifested here in them now. And all of Arendelle was bathed in the glory of their gifts. The forces of nature assailing the kingdom of Arendelle were left in their thrall; the scorching heat suddenly stilled. The terrible snows began to lessen, ice storms faded away to clear blue skies. Uchiha Itachi stood in stoic silence as he watched them work their wonders; his placccid visage betraying only the slightest of smiles as the weather phenonomenon ceased to be. Such raw power. Working together, they could've destroyed the entire kingdom, had that been their wish.

He was pleasantly surprised therefore, when Naruto and Elsa lowered theirs hand from one another and turned to face him. "Something you wanted?" For a moment, he thought the blond was going to strangle him. He was fairly certain Elsa might. But no hands were laid upon him. Merely words.

"Alright," he said at last. "You win. We'll go with you."

Grimacing, he squeezed tight Elsa'shand.

...together."

A/N: And there you have it! Dun-Dun-Dun! Events are spiraling rapidly towards the center. Naruto and Elsa have faced their first true hurdle in their blossoming relationship and overcome it with flying colors! Kisame is dead, Itachi has pulled a double agent-never was loyaly anyway-and Akatsuki wants Naruto for the Kyuubi, unknowing whether he still has the Biiju inside him or not; and all of Arendelle is already experiencing a major hot and cold swing from the chaos that Akatsuki has wrought! What will happen next? What will Naruto's answer be to Itachi's ultimatum?! Will he stay or will he go?! Its anyone's guess from here on out! Regardless...

...The events of Frozen ought to be quite different with them involved...will Naruto and Elsa make it out of this one alive? But the story doesn't end here! Now remember, we will eventually see the Elemental Nations in this ficlet! Naruto is the LAST jinchuuriki remaining, and all bloody hell is about to break loose!

So...in the immortal words of Atlas...

...Would You Kindly Review the story of this humble man? And of course, enjoy the preview!

(Preview)

"Akatsuki, huh?"

The alarms grew louder and the warning messages now declared that hostiles had breached the upper levels. Naruto scoffed, "Then I hope you brought an army."

R&R! =D