Prologue- Suijin Kitagawa
In the world ruled by the power of the shinobi war is constant, even during times of peace. A 'time of peace' simply meant there were no major wars taking place, but battles always raged on and counties were always at war, or on the brink of it, be it with an enemy nation or within their own lands. Over the course of history, many families became ninja clans that fought against each other relentlessly through the centuries, and all faced tragedy in their war-ridden pasts. Mine was no different.
Both my parents were shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Mist. My mother, Gina Kitagawa, was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist and the only female in that generation of swordsmen. She wielded the broadsword Oniago, trained me through my academy years and was as good a mother as there ever was. My father was a fairly strong, but average nonetheless, chunin who sought after nothing but power. Well, there was my mother too, but he mostly only looked to become stronger and stronger, and drilled the same idea of 'gain power' into my brain at an early age. He was never much of a 'loving' father, but simply having both parents was a blessing back when I was a child.
Not long before I was born, and even into the years of my infancy, civil war was constant in the Land of Water. Clans with kekkei genkai, or bloodline traits and abilities passed down within a clan's members, were used as tools of war and were heavily responsible for the high death-tolls, or so they say. Personally, I think they were just looking for a scapegoat. Regardless, these clans became hated and were targeted, often killed simply for what flowed in their blood. Some clans were wiped out entirely. Some dispersed, looked for homes elsewhere and hoped for survival in solitude and secrecy while others went into hiding.
I personally had never felt any animosity or resentment towards these clans. They had done nothing to me and had only been doing their duty. I was surprised the day I turned seven and my mother took me into my room to have a 'talk.' Now, at first I assumed this was the 'talk' I'd always heard the older kids in the village laughing about, (I now know I was way off!) but was quickly proven wrong and left curious for a couple more years to come. As it turned out, my mother and I were part of one of these kekkei genkai bearing clans. The Kitagawa clan.
Centuries-no, thousands of years ago, the Kitagawas had many instances where they bred with demons who were once as much a part of this world as humans. Because that was so long ago and without any demon blood added to the clan's offspring, the blood thinned with each generation, and each generation, the not even half-demon Kitagawas' powers dimmed until children with strong demonic blood only appeared every eight to ten generations or so, and only in three or four. At this point, it was simply a kekkei genkai named 'Onitaikei.'
The ones gifted with this trait age one year for every six that pass, thus extending their life to a much greater length than a normal human. Luckily, it usually doesn't awaken until the child is seven to thirteen, so they don't have to look like we're tiny children for a ridiculous amount of years. They have the ability to unleash massive amounts of chakra and at the same time alter their bodies, enhancing their physical prowess to either make up for any weaknesses, fortify one's strong points or, more commonly, both. When the blood was stronger, and our bodies born to hold such power, it wasn't as much a problem as it is for those who awaken it now. Awakening the Onitaikei, as with every powerful jutsu, comes with a risk. If one does not train themselves to control the demon chakra, it will overcome them and turn them into nothing more than a snarling beast.
As that threat became more prominent, the Kitagawas also developed a jutsu to restrain Onitaikei users while they train or, worst case scenario, to kill them should they lose themselves. It is called the Seishuku-Bekuta. What it does is molds one's chakra to any shape or form they desire and for any purpose. As a vector, a barrage of arrows, a shield- literally anything one can imagine. Invisible and undetectable to all but the most skilled sensor-type nin. It is not a kekkei genkai, and can be learned by just about anyone, but it is very difficult to master and very draining on one's chakra. A genin wouldn't be able to make more than one vector or a small shield. Kitagawa children are not taught this jutsu until they are fourteen, when they are sure that they won't awaken the Onitaikei. In awakened form, one wouldn't be able to use it anyway, but they would know how to detect Seishuku-Bekuta attacks that much better.
Despite being part demon, the Kitagawas were never a violent clan. In fact, they were a nomad clan who traveled up and down the Land of Water's Great Northern River, nestled in the valley of the largest mountain range in the north. However, the surrounding ninja clans that were constantly at war with each other forced them into action. They were forced to abandon their peaceful ways and learned to fight as these ninja did.
When Kirigakure was founded, they moved in there and were respected as one of the most powerful shinobi clans. But at that time when kekkei genkai baring clans were being persecuted, the Kitagawa clan fled back to the North River, longing to return to their original life style as best as they could. Thanks to their Seishuku-Bekuta, they were easily able to keep out any and all intruders. Hence, the mountain range's re-naming to the Forbidden Mountains.
My mother and her late mother had distanced themselves from the clan's main branch some time before the civil wars started turning ugly for us. They still held their name and kept in contact with their relatives, but preferred to simply be on their own. No hateful feelings or anything. And that was exactly what allowed them to stay in Kiri when the rest of the clan left. My grandmother and mother hid their name from all others and claimed no relation to any clan. They loved their home and if they wanted to stay, they had to keep it on the down-low.
All this was a bit much to take in, but I listened intently to my mother's every word and understood the meaning of it. What frightened me was when she said that they were over-due for another awakening. That meant there was a chance it could pass to me. My father didn't know. He couldn't. He hated kekkei genkai bearers. I was so afraid of what would happen if I awakened it and he saw. There were so many stories of such things happening and families killing each other. I feared what would happen if mine and my mother's secret got out. What would they do to me? What would they do to my mother? But at the same time… I couldn't help but toy with the idea… of what it would be like to have that kind of power.
My name is Suijin Kitagawa, and this is my story.
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