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.'


The Haruno clan had initially hailed from Kirigakure. Just as the Kaguya had been known for their Shikotsumyaku and the Uchiha for their Sharingan, the Haruno were known for their Inner spirits, a second presence within their minds. These spirits acted as the chains of the mind, and with the aid of these second existence, they could break through the limits placed on the body by the brain in order to protect it.

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


The word of the clan head was law.

That was the first thing every single Haruno was taught.

Unlike many, the Haruno had no line between the main house and the branch house. All were equal under the head. Inner spirits only bowed down to those stronger than them, and the clan head was the one of the generation with the strongest Inner spirit. The head was the clan.


The Haruno were very secretive, and very little was known of them. It's numbers were unknown and the clan head rarely made an appearance outside.

Still, it's members held positions within the shinobi system and on the battle field, they were very reliable fighters. Unbound by mental and physical limits of the body, they were an idealized form of shinobi.


The Moon was a very important symbol within the Haruno clan.

It was both a binding chain, as well as the gates to freedom.

The grip of the Inner spirits on the mental realm was much tighter and stronger than most seemed to think. However, under the eclipse, the Inner spirits released their hosts for the night. These nights were the rare times those with Haruno blood could think and act without the calling of their Inner spirits.


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.


The Cave of Generations was a sacred location for the Haruno clan.

There, the Ceremony of Choosing took place, and the child that stepped out of these caves became the heir to the clan. On an eclipse once every generation, children of a clan of white haired members stepped through the stone doors and one came back, hair now pink.

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. Only the clan head knew what exactly happened within the rocks.

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


There was a time every few ten years where every single Haruno withdrew from service for a few days. Nothing was made public but people talked.


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. They guided the heir until the head died. Then the heir took over as head and the next heir was chosen the following 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, the 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.


So...another story.

Sorry if this was very hard to understand. Yeah, it was very...cut up?

This story, in a way, can be taken as a re-write of 'Spirit and Soul'.

Don't worry too much, cause we'll keep updating 'Spirit and Soul'.

Later chapters will be longer.


Darque: This is the very first story idea Raven though of himself. I'm so proud of him!

Raven:...Thank you?

Darque: I have to say, I found the idea pretty interesting. Look forward to the next chapter, cause I actually recommend it.

Raven: Okay. So, that's a compliment, right?

Darque: Duh! And I'm serious. It's pretty good. Also, the first chapter will be much longer, I think.

Raven: XD

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