—And this one, Father? —Kiseki asked, pointing his hand toward the crystal located at the center of the star.
Kizashi, upon hearing this and seeing the crystal his son was pointing at, replied solemnly:
—This is the maximum limit of our lineage.
But first, Kiseki, let's go in front of the door.
—Jutsu Shōton: Breaking the Crystal Seal.
Kizashi performed the jutsu, and at that moment, it could be seen how the door, which had a five-pointed star along with different crystals and a central crystal, began to shut off one by one.
First, the glow of katon faded. Then came Suiton. After that, Fūton. And finally, Raiton and Doton.
And finally, the central Shōton crystal, dark violet in color.
When the last light disappeared, the seal vanished, and the door slowly began to open.
—Follow me, Kiseki.
Kiseki was in shock. He had always suspected that his father was a ninja pretending to be a civilian, but he never expected that he also possessed a Kekkei Genkai.
And even more shocking was that he could feel the same energy his father had inside his own body.
Kizashi, seeing that his son was not following him, sighed before approaching him.
—It's hard to process, I know… that we are ninjas. But knowing you, I think you already had your suspicions. We are more than simple ninjas… we are holders of a Kekkei Genkai. I have it, your mother has it… and now you have it too.
After saying this, he stretched out his hand, and small floating crystal fragments began to appear around it.
Kiseki was still in shock, but slowly began to connect all the clues he had noticed.
The huge underground base, the countless rooms designed for ninjas, and the unusually agile way his parents moved for people who were supposed to be ordinary civilians.
And since awakening his power… or rather, that warm sensation he now knew was chakra… he could also feel it in his father and mother.
—So that's what it was… —Kiseki thought.
But before he could continue thinking, he saw his father take his hand.
Before Kiseki could say anything, Kizashi had already begun guiding him.
A small amount of chakra flowed from his father's hand and connected with his own.
Kiseki could clearly feel how Kizashi was trying to guide the flow of his chakra, teaching him the correct rhythm.
And almost instinctively, Kiseki began to follow it.
Suddenly, he felt nearly half of his chakra being consumed at once.
Then, in front of his eyes, the same small floating crystal fragments his father had created began to form.
While Kiseki admired the newly formed crystals he himself had created, he heard his father say:
—We, the Haruno, or formerly the Haruno Clan, were one of the many clans from the Warring States Period. Originally, we did not come from the Land of Fire, but from the Land of Earth, specifically the Valley of the Stormy Rock. Because of that place, our clan was nearly impossible to invade within its territory, but at the same time, it was extremely difficult to survive. Still, we adapted thanks to our Kekkei Genkai… although it also brought us a great curse.
Kiseki watched his father get lost in the void, staring at the crystals they had formed, unable to tell whether his expression showed pride or regret, as if the weight of his lineage was crushing him.
Kizashi sighed after a brief pause and looked back at his son.
—Shōton was originally born to protect us. Its beauty and power attracted the nobles and daimyō of that era, who began paying us large sums of money to create crystals for them. At first, it seemed like a fair deal. Even the Land of Earth's daimyō offered us a prosperous place to settle, leaving the Valley of the Stormy Rock behind, so we accepted without knowing the consequences.
Over time, it stopped being beneficial. They demanded more and more, and the nobles kept increasing their pressure.
Everything got worse when ninjas discovered that our crystals could carry elemental chakra, as you saw in the door.
In its original form, Shōton was never pink or any of the colors you saw before. Each crystal took on a different color depending on the element. For example, within our clan, although we did not master all five elements at once, we were able to imbue crystals with them at an impressive level.
A Haruno with lightning affinity could create crystals that electrocuted. The same applied to the other elements.
But the true advantage was something else: ninjas could absorb the power of our crystals, just like natural chakra veins. These veins contain crystals of different elements and can enhance a ninja's affinity, as well as permanently increase their chakra. However, they are extremely dangerous to use.
You're probably wondering what crystal veins are. They are natural formations similar to the ones you saw in the door. Very few remain today, and only the Land of Iron still has them, selling them to prevent wars. As far as I know, the Hokage should have them… though I don't know what for.
But back to the topic… when ninjas discovered the true value of our crystals, they began hunting us in secret in both the Land of Earth and the Land of Lightning.
Thus, our clan, once as powerful as the Hyūga or the Kaguya, began to slowly disappear, victims of persecution.
The reason was simple: if Haruno blood is mixed with rocks or human-made crystals, they gain the same properties as our own crystals.
Little by little, fewer and fewer members remained, until during one of those hunts, your great-great-grandfather used a forbidden jutsu he had developed himself Shōton: Elemental Destruction.
After activating it, he died… but he also ensured the clan's secret would remain hidden.
After that, the remaining survivors split apart. Your great-grandfather hid in the Land of Fire as an ordinary civilian, while others scattered across small islands in the Land of Water. The idea was simple: if one fell, the clan would not be wiped out completely.
From then on, we stopped using the original Shōton and degraded it into the version we use today. The Shōton we use now is pink in color, much weaker than the original.
Haha… nowadays, it can be broken with a simple sound. Something that was completely impossible in the past.
Kiseki, upon hearing this, felt his mind explode. He never thought his family, or rather his clan, had such a tragic massacre behind it. In his previous world, he was a devoted Naruto fan and thought he knew everything, but hearing his father made him realize how terrifying and cruel the shinobi world truly was.
He felt immense fury in his blood upon learning that his own clan, the one he had been reborn into, had been massacred, even though he was only six years old in this world.
Kizashi, noticing how his son clenched his fists until his fingers turned pale, said calmly:
—Kiseki, I know you may feel anger or hatred for what happened to our clan, but what matters is the present. We are here, together as a family. More important than revenge…
Kiseki, upon hearing this, slowly calmed down and replied:
—You're right, Father… let's continue, please.
Kizashi smiled and said:
—That's my boy.
He ruffled his hair, and they continued forward through the door.