Oh lord, I groaned, mentally slapping myself for not saying anything before. Naruto looked around confused at first then grinned from ear to ear. I face palmed myself and I knew Streaks was smirking next to me. This is the part of the series where Naruto has to act like an idiot. And I'm here! Just Great!

Looks like your friend is already trying to cause a commotion, Streaks said. A saw a flash of orange as Naruto lunged for one of the many clones. As his fist made contact with its side, I watched carefully. But instead of dissipating like it should have, Naruto's fist went right through the clone. Naruto landed behind the clone with black goo all over his hand and arm. There was a gaping hole where the side of the clone had been.

My eyes grew wide in shock. Slowly but surely another head had appeared where the clone's side used to be. It continued to grow to about its waist. A kunai was clutched in its fist. I thought it was going to hit Naruto but it swiveled toward Sasuke instead and swiftly sent it in his direction. I raised my hand and a solid small force field of energy formed around him, deflecting the kunai.

All of a sudden I felt a wave of nausea and my knees felt like jello. I collapsed in the ground not able to move. Streaks grew to his full form beside me and settled into a defensive position. My body felt like I had pins and needles stabbing me all over. I gritted my teeth when the pain became more intense. Stars began dancing behind my eyes and before I knew I should have lost consciousness I felt a powerful surge of energy. I felt my body slowly lift from the ground. I levitated a foot from the earth facing the clones. My short hair whipped around me as gust of wind blew through the trees.

The others cowered as the wind began to snap and uproot trees. If felt a burning sensation in my neck and it spread to the rest of my body. I stretched my hands in front of me the remaining clones that hadn't disappeared crumpled and withered like dying flowers. Then everything went black again.

When I came to, I was in a field of white roses. The sky was kind of light but kind of dark. Like twilight. I felt calm like I was supposed to be there. I felt someone's hand on my shoulder I turned to face a lady in her twenties looking at me. She had a warm and oddly familiar smile. Her long black hair was coiffed in a bun at the top of her head and some of it framed her elegant face. She had piercing gray eyes that stood out against her caramel colored skin. She wore normal shinobi clothes and the Kanoha headband was strapped to her waist. Before I could ask who she was she pulled me into a warm bear hug that knocked the wind out of me. I felt moisture on my neck where her tears had fallen.

"I've been waiting so long to see you!" she gasped.

Forest of Death

Merisa was no longer in control of her body. That was clear. After all the clones were destroyed, she went on a rampage. No one could get near her for fear of getting ripped to shreds. The opposing ninja had already been found but were trapped in force fields. Streaks tried to talk some sense into the girl but she was not responding. Her eyes glowed bright silver. The black marks on her body resembled Sasuke's from earlier.

Naruto fought furiously against the pulling wind to get close to his friend but was knocked to the ground. He kept trying, though. He eventually got within a few feet of her and reached for her hand. Her gaze turned sharply in his direction and he was sent flying back to where the others were hiding.

"What's going on?" Sakura called over the noise.

"I don't know," Naruto called back. "Hey, Merisa! Snap out of it!"

Merisa's POV

The strange woman was holding me at an arm's length with her eyes brimming with tears. I was really confused now. She was just staring at me like she knew me or something and I have never met the lady. And she had a really bright smile and I didn't know why.

"Do you know who I am?" she asked.

"Um, not really," I said still bewildered.

Her face fell immediately.

"He didn't tell you, did he?" her voice was low and dangerous.

"Wh-who?" I asked.

"Your… father," she said as her eyes clouded over.

I sweatdropped.

"Wait, my father?" I said, eyes growing wide. "Are you my mom?"

"Incompetent fool," she growled, ignoring me.

"Hmm," I mused, "I guess so. Dad did mention you had a terrible temper!"

"I know he didn't have long to explain anything to you, but he could have at least mentioned my name," she sighed and the tension in her face dissipated. I noticed with a start that she was quite beautiful. And that I probably resembled my dad more than her.

"Here, sit," she said.

I obeyed instantly and sat cross legged next her. She sat in a careful lotus position and stared dreamily at the strange sky. I looked over at her expectantly then I started getting a little nervous. I opened my mouth a couple of times as the time went on but closed it immediately. Finally, I cleared my throat.

"Umm, mom?" I said tentatively. It sounded weird coming out of my mouth. Especially when it was being directed at someone who could pass as my older sister. She turned her head in my direction. Her eyes were startling silver and seemed to sparkle in the strange twilight.

"Have you ever heard of the Sage of Six Paths?" she asked.

I shook my head. She nodded slowly then pursed her lips in thought. She finally exhaled and turned her head toward the sky. I looked up, too, and my eyes widened when I saw that the sun and moon in this dream world were sharing the same sky now. They must have moved.

"The Sage of the Six Paths," my mother started, "was a monk who appeared long ago in an age of endless war. He was the first to discover the truth of chakra, and with it he tried to lead the world to an era of peace instead of conflict. He travel across the land, spreading his ideal and religion, the Shinobi Sect, which eventually came to be known as ninjutsu. His great deeds and ultimate desire to bring peace to the war-torn world made him widely known as the Saviour of this World."

"Centuries ago, the sage defeated the most powerful demon in the ninja world, the Ten-Tails, and was praised as a god for the virtue of his victory. In order to protect the world from the Ten-Tails, the Sage developed a certain technique to seal the beast within his own body, giving him the ability to harness and control its overwhelming power; he became the first jinchūriki. However, this offered only a temporary solution. In the event of his death, the seal would break and the Ten-Tails would once again be unleashed upon the world.

"Aware of his impending fate, the Sage used Creation of All Things to divide the Ten-Tails' chakra into nine individual constructs that would become known as the tailed beasts. As a final precaution, he used Chibaku Tensei to entomb the physical remains of the Ten-Tails body within a gigantic stone prison, which he hurled into the heavens.

"Creating the moon."

I sat there breathless for a while. It was all so overwhelming. Meeting my real mom for the first time, this strange twilight, and learning the origin of the moon. The source of my strange powers and the prison for one of the most powerful demons in the world. I shivered even though I didn't feel hot or cold.

"Wait," I said after a brief silence, "What does that make me? With being the host of the moon spirit 'mangetsu no seishin no hosuto'," I did exaggerated air quotes, "with the Ten-tails trapped in the moon? Am I kinda a jinchūriki like Naruto?"

"No," she said simply. A sad look crossed her face, "Even worse."

"Why?" I asked.

"Because if someone kills you," she explained, "The ten-tails would be set free."

I stared at her wide eyed. She only looked back placidly that pitying look never leaving her eyes. The looming darkness snapped my attention away from her steely gaze. I glanced up at the sky to see that the moon was almost blocking out the entire sun. Like and eclipse. A sudden feeling of dread sank in my stomach.

"Am I going to die?" I asked.

My mom only scoffed. "No one knows their own fate. Yours and the fate of the ninja world are still up in the air." She rose to her feet and held her hand out to me. I took it carefully, but she hoisted me off of the ground with ease. She held me tight in an embrace that would have suffocated anyone else. For someone so dainty looking, like herself, she was freakishly strong.

She pulled away and held me at arms-length. She placed one of her hands gently on the side of my neck where the curse mark still throbbed. She placed her other hand over my heart. The pain in my neck went away instantly and I gasped in shock. When I looked up at her, she only smirked at me. Deep midnight blue shadows danced across her face when the field started darkening. The moon had completely eclipsed the sun now.

"The power over darkness is in you, Risa-chan," she said, "Remember that. Only you can shape your own destiny."