Of Tales now and Long Ago

Of Beginnings and Endings

Prologue

The huge double doors were closed with a loud slam.

From the other side, the cries of scared children could be heard.

'The awakening takes time. Fear and desperation must take over, and only then will we see true potential.'

'Out of all the children that has been tossed inside, only one would come back alive.'

'That one child would become the next heir to the clan.'

'And may he or her finally awaken as the Ōtsutsuki heir we have all been waiting for.'

Years ago, the Haruno clan had been a very well known clan. Hailing from the Hidden Village of the Mist, they were very well known for housing a second spirit known as an 'Inner' in their minds, which helped them suppress emotions, as well as unlock physical potentials which the brain held back in order to protect the body from breaking down.

The Haruno clan members were also known for photographic memory and good chakra control.

In short, the mind was the domain of the Haruno clan.

The death of a clan head symbolized the end of a generation.

Once a new heir had taken his or her place as the head, the ceremony would be held during the next eclipse. There were the very rare chances of a Solar Eclipse signaling the start of the ceremony, and it was believed that a heir chosen during a Solar Eclipse would bring prosperity throughout that generation.

The next heir would be chosen by the next week.

What people didn't know, was that along with the birth of the Inner spirit came a strong instinct on self survival. The stronger the Inner spirit, the stronger the survival instinct.

And the Haruno clan took advantage of this in order to choose the next clan heir.

After all, someone with a strong Inner spirit could lead the clan through hard times, such as wars and other problems by thinking only about themselves, and to some extent, the clan.

The time during an eclipse was the only time when the Inner spirits didn't influence every move and decision made by a Haruno clan member.

That was the only time awakened Haruno clan children could act like children and parents could act like parents. Eclipses were the only times Haruno clan members could act like normal people and care for those around them.

However, looked at the other way, during an eclipse, no one but the head could call upon the powers of their Inner spirits.

The Haruno clan had produced lots of very strong shinobi, simply due to the fact that Haruno clan shinobi could complete missions without the intervention of emotions or past memories. Their bodies were also faster and stronger that most without the help of chakra.

After all, self survival was usually linked to the success of a mission.

To shinobi of the Kiri, the Haruno clan members were something they looked up towards. Strong and fearless, they were something all young shinobi wished to become like them.

The words of the clan head were law. No questions were asked.

Inner spirits obeyed only those who they believed were above them, and there were those who died due to their minds simply not being able to hold under the pressure.

All Haruno clan members with Haruno blood could awaken their Inner spirit through fear and desperation.

The Haruno clan was also well known for not having the line between the Main family and a Branch family. The clan was brought together by the Clan head, and all those with Haruno blood swore loyalty to him or her.

Clan heads rarely made an appearance outside the clan compound, and even those who were a part of the clan rarely saw the head.

No one but the clan head and his or her heir knew about what occurred within the cave of Generations.

All heirs throughout the Haruno clan history had pink hair, which no Haruno clan member thought as weird, even though everyone was born with white hair.

All parents of the Haruno clan with children at the age between three to six had to push their child forth to the ceremony. Every generation, around twenty children were brought to the cave of generations to decide the next heir.

The gates to the caves were locked and no one was allowed in or out.

They stayed closed until only one chakra signal came from within.

Haruno clan shinobi became official shinobi in Kiri and wore Kiri headbands, but everyone knew that the Haruno clan held no loyalty to the Mist.

The Haruno clan fought for no one but themselves, or so they said.

Once the one child had come out of the cave, they were then taken in by the head. Their memory was wiped so that they could 'start over'. They were taught the ways of the clan and his or her future responsibilities.

The head passed on what had been passed on to them by the previous head, who learned the same from the previous head and so on.

And that guided the heir until the head died. Then the heir took over as head and the next heir was chosen the next eclipse.

That was what had been repeated for as long as anyone could remember, and that was what was supposed to happen.

Everyone had heard of the Haruno clan massacre.

It happened during the eclipse right after the death of the previous head. No one knew who the killer was, and as far as everyone knew, no had survived.

No except for the one child who had come out of the cave as the next heir.

And before any of the shinobi sent to investigate could react, three year old girl had vanished from before their eyes.

No one knew that everything had been planned.

From the birth of the clan to the bloody end.

Everything.

The Haruno clan had been created with the sole purpose of finding and awakening the Ōtsutsuki clan head.

Ōtsutsuki Toneri had been waiting for the one child with a Inner spirit like no other. This child would awaken and retake their place as the head of the clan.

Then they would grant the revenge the branch family had long wished for.