"Yasu Baa-sama, where does our clan come from?"
"You want to know the full story, hmm? Well, it's quite a long one."
"We can listen, we're old enough!"
"Hmmm... Well, if you so say so."
"Long ago, there was a wife and husband unable to conceive. They were naught but peasant folk, with no right to a name nor glory. Still, they were happy together, and loved each other very much, but yet they longed for a child of their own. They were still young, yet it seemed all hope was lost for them until they heard a rumor that inflamed their hopes.
There was a rumor about a powerful spirit guarding a temple amongst the bamboo, away in the Land of Demons, which was quite a ways from where the couple happened to live, the Land of Fire. Still, they were desperate, and so they packed up all that they could and left for the Land of Demons. The travel was harsh and they encountered a multitude of obstacles along the way, not to mention actually finding the rumored temple was difficult. In the end, it took them many years, yet their determination was strong and unfaltering even in the face of the strongest discouragement.
When they finally found the temple, they were not met with the spirit as they had expected. Instead, they encountered someone even more powerful; the Two-Tails, Matatabi. Despite their intimidation, they braved on and begged for Matatabi to even just hear their request. He conceded, and heard their desire to have even just one child. Matatabi saw how they had struggled and endured in order to meet him, yet he still had one test for them.
He challenged them to take proper care of a Nekomata kitten for a full month with minimal incident, and then he would grant them their wish. The couple was frightened, but they had already come this far. It was without hesitation that the woman and wife accepted his challenge, and so they were bestowed with their charge, who they were unaware to being Matatabi, simply in disguise as a Nekomata.
It was with the gentle and kind care of the woman that they succeeded, and the firm authority of the man. Not only did they succeed, but at the end of their month Matatabi was in quite impressed with the woman, having sensed her unending kindness and the purity of her heart, and the loyalty of her husband. In fact, Matatabi respected and even grew fond of them. This was more than enough for Matatabi, and he decided to bestow them with more than one child.
By giving the woman a fragment of his own chakra, she became pregnant. And then she became pregnant again. And again. She bore nine sons over the course of nine years, their family making their home at Matatabi's temple per his hospitality and wish.
Her first born son was named Ichirou, and he was even-tempered and wise beyond his years, not to mention blessed with exceptional abilities. He was fast, as fleet-flooted as a cat and as balanced as one, not to mention agile and strong.
Her second son was named Jirou, and he was mischievous and shrewd, also blessed like his elder brother. He was capable of easily taming the Nekomata and speaking to them and any cat as though they were merely another human being. As well as this, he could see in the night as though it were day, hear the smallest of sounds and smell even the faintest of scents in the breeze.
Her third son was named Saburo, and he was quiet and shy, preferring to keep to himself. He was capable of seeing past the human body and into their soul, able to read their very nature and pick apart the sinners from the saints. Not to mention, he could read the emotions of those around them as easy as breathing, even able to feel them himself.
Her fourth son was named Shiro, and he was loud and energetic, constantly exploring. He was capable of turning into the Nekomata himself, and utilize the Two-Tails' chakra so that he was thrice-fold, or even more than that, powerful than before.
Her fifth son was named Gorou, and he was critical and truly honest, able to make and carry out even the most difficult of decisions. He could manipulate the corpses of the dead as though they were puppets not even using chakra threads, just by his willful control. He was so exceptional, that his puppets may as well have not even been dead, for how lifelike they appeared and functioned.
Her sixth son was named Rokuro, and he was gullible and naive, always believing in the good of people even if they didn't deserve it. He could manipulate and mold fire as though it were a second limb, able to manipulate its temperature and even become immune to the flames themselves.
Her seventh son was named Shichiro, and he was grim and serious. He could see and interact with the souls of the dead, give them the strength to become fully formed ghosts themselves in order to interact with the world, or help them to pass onto the afterlife.
Her eighth son was named Hachiro, and he was cunning and manipulative, but loyal till death to his family. He was capable of deceiving others in advanced ways by manipulating their emotions in ways independent from his silver-tongue and even able to persuade and control with them with such suggestion of his unnatural manipulations. He was also able to seize and borrow the life force of another to either strengthen himself, or others and even bring them from the brink of death.
Finally, her ninth son was named Kurou. He was born a leader despite his order of birth, authoritative and wise, also eager to discover the world. At first, it appeared he had no special ability, but it was later discovered that he had "nine lives", in which he only truly died after his ninth death. Still, he didn't let this bring him down to the temptation of envy against his brothers, and only spurred him on to be greater.
Once all nine sons were grown, it became clear they were too big for the small village they were at, though the locals regarded them all to be like demigods, able to tame the violent Nekomata who had stolen their children and deceived them, and protect them from outside forces. They all were destined for something greater, and so they set all planned to set out and explore all the Lands in search of a new home to bring their aging parents to and start a new village, or Clan of their own."
"And now, I believe I shall stop here. It's almost time for your dinner, can't you hear your mother's calling you home?"
"Yasu Baa-sama!"
"No buts, if you wish to hear the rest of the story, come back here tomorrow."
"Fine. Thank you for telling us your story, Yasu Baa-sama!"
"Have a good night, Yasu Baa-sama!"
"Goodnight, children, goodnight."