The clash between Naruto and Orochimaru raged on, a whirlwind of violence that consumed the crumbling bridge. Naruto's chakra, tainted by the Kyuubi, flared violently, growing more unstable with each passing second. Red chakra bubbled and twisted around him, taking the form of a monstrous cloak. With four tails unleashed, Naruto was losing himself.
Nyx remained on the outskirts, her cold, calculated gaze fixed on the chaos. Frost crept beneath her feet, spreading slowly across the bridge's cracked surface, but she made no move to engage—yet. Her mind worked silently, analyzing the situation, searching for the right moment.
Naruto roared, his feral chakra tearing through the air, forcing Orochimaru to retreat. The serpent ninja laughed, his body elongating grotesquely as he slithered through the chaos. "Yes! Show me more, Naruto-kun!" Orochimaru taunted, his voice filled with sickening excitement.
But Nyx wasn't interested in Orochimaru's games. Her focus was on Naruto, the way the Kyuubi's power was rapidly overtaking him. She had fought beside Naruto before, but this… this was different. This was the raw, untamed energy of the Nine-Tails, a force so wild it threatened to consume everything in its path.
Suddenly, she felt it—Kabuto.
He moved silently, his gaze locked on Nyx from the shadows. He thought himself clever, sneaking around the periphery of the battle. But Nyx had sensed him from the moment he moved. Without turning, she flicked her wrist, sending a thin, sharp shard of ice into the mist. It shattered the kunai Kabuto had thrown at her, freezing the air around it.
Kabuto stepped forward, emerging from the shadows with a smug grin. "I've heard about you, Nyx. Ice, as cold as your heart. You think you can control this situation? You think you can manipulate that?" He nodded toward Naruto, whose chakra tails now whipped wildly through the air.
Nyx's eyes narrowed. Kabuto's attempt at rattling her was futile. Her voice was as cold as the frost she conjured. "I don't need to control it—just contain it."
Kabuto smirked, but it faltered slightly. He reached for his side, readying another kunai laced with poison. Nyx didn't give him the chance. She took a step forward, and the air around them grew frigid, the frost beneath her feet spreading faster now. Icy spikes materialized from the ground, surrounding Kabuto in a cage of glistening shards.
"You're outmatched," she said, her voice calm and unwavering. "Now watch as the storm unfolds."
Kabuto hesitated, his smirk vanishing as he realized the extent of her control. He was trapped, unable to move without risking being impaled by her ice.
Nyx turned her attention back to the battle. Orochimaru was still cackling, dodging Naruto's wild attacks with unnerving fluidity. But Naruto—he was barely recognizable. His face twisted in feral rage, his eyes glowing red with Kyuubi's malice.
Sakura stood nearby, horror etched across her face as she watched her teammate spiral out of control. "Naruto, stop!" she cried, but her voice was lost in the roar of the Kyuubi's chakra.
Nyx's eyes flickered toward Sakura briefly. The girl was reckless, about to throw herself into the fray to reach Naruto. But Nyx knew better. Charging in blindly would only get Sakura killed. The cold reality was clear—Naruto was no longer Naruto. He was a weapon, a force of destruction, and one that needed to be neutralized before he destroyed everything in his path.
Yamato had stepped forward, preparing to use the power of the First Hokage's chakra to suppress the Kyuubi's influence, but Orochimaru's relentless taunting kept Naruto distracted.
Nyx moved, her steps swift and precise, closing in on Orochimaru. She extended her hand, summoning her ice sword. The shimmering blade appeared in her grip, cold and deadly, as she aimed for Orochimaru's serpentine body.
Orochimaru dodged again, but this time, Nyx's blade grazed him, a thin line of frost spreading across his skin. He hissed in pain, his golden eyes narrowing as he glanced at her. "You again?" he spat, annoyed. "Do you think you can stop me?"
Nyx didn't answer. Her gaze was fixed on Orochimaru, but she could feel Naruto's chakra growing wilder behind her. The bridge groaned under the weight of their battle, cracking and splintering with each strike.
This had to end.
With a flick of her wrist, Nyx sent a flurry of ice spikes hurtling toward Orochimaru. He dodged most of them, but one pierced his arm, freezing it instantly. His laugh faltered as he glared at her, but Nyx remained unflinching. Orochimaru might have been a slippery serpent, but even he could be caught in the cold grip of death.
Before Orochimaru could retaliate, Naruto lunged again, his chakra claws swiping wildly through the air. Nyx stepped back, letting the chaos unfold. Orochimaru barely evaded the attack, and in the split second of distraction, Nyx struck. Her ice blade slashed across Orochimaru's chest, freezing the area on contact.
Orochimaru staggered, his serpentine form convulsing as the ice spread through his body. "Damn you…" he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. But even as he struggled, his attention was pulled back to Naruto, whose feral rage continued to grow.
Nyx turned her attention back to the real threat—Naruto. His fourth tail was fully formed now, and his chakra had reached a dangerous level. The Kyuubi was taking over. Yamato, seeing the danger, was readying the jutsu that would suppress Naruto's chakra, but Nyx wasn't about to wait. She knew how volatile the Kyuubi's power was.
Her eyes narrowed as she focused on Naruto's movements, reading the flow of his chakra. She could see it—the weak points, the frozen spots where the Kyuubi's energy could be disrupted. She raised her hand, preparing to intervene when a deafening roar shook the bridge.
Naruto's chakra exploded outward, sending shockwaves through the battlefield. His eyes locked onto Orochimaru, but in his feral state, it was clear he was no longer distinguishing between friend and foe.
Sakura, unable to bear watching any longer, ran toward Naruto, shouting his name. But the moment she got too close, one of the Kyuubi's chakra claws lashed out, striking her.
Nyx moved in an instant, her speed fueled by the icy flow beneath her feet. In the blink of an eye, she appeared beside Sakura, catching her just before she was thrown off the bridge. The cold radiating from Nyx enveloped them both, forming a protective barrier of frost.
Sakura gasped, her eyes wide with fear and confusion as she looked at Nyx. "You…" she whispered, but Nyx cut her off.
"Stay out of the way," Nyx said coldly, her voice sharp as ice. She lowered Sakura to the ground, her gaze never leaving Naruto. The frost beneath her feet thickened, and the air around her grew even colder. This was no longer about controlling the battle—it was about stopping a force that could destroy everything.
Yamato stepped forward, his hands forming the signs for his jutsu, but before he could finish, Nyx raised her hand. The frost beneath Naruto's feet began to spread, creeping up his legs, slowly freezing the Kyuubi's chakra cloak.
Naruto let out a feral roar, thrashing wildly as the ice continued to climb. But Nyx's Kōrimeigan activated, her eyes glowing with a soft, icy blue light as she pinpointed the flow of the Kyuubi's chakra, seeking the frozen points where she could disrupt it.
With a final motion, Nyx's hand closed into a fist, and the ice around Naruto solidified, freezing him in place for just a moment—long enough for Yamato to complete his jutsu.
A burst of energy surged from Yamato, the power of the First Hokage suppressing the Kyuubi's chakra. Slowly, the red cloak began to recede, the tails shrinking back into Naruto's body. His form slumped, and the bridge, finally succumbing to the strain, began to collapse.
Nyx stood at the edge of the destruction, her frosted gaze cold and composed as the chaos finally subsided.
"Checkmate," she whispered.