Kizashi Haruno fell silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. "I never wanted to tell you this. I was afraid it would affect the path you chose in life."
He stood, went to the study, and took a dust-covered genealogy down from the top shelf. He gently blew the dust off its cover.
"But now that the Canopy Screen has appeared, I have to tell you."
Kizashi Haruno spread the genealogy across the desk and pointed to an entry. "Look. Back in the Warring States period, the Haruno Clan was a prominent family, just like the Nara Clan and the Yamanaka Clan."
"We didn't have a special Kekkei Genkai, but we did have a few Secret Techniques passed down through the family."
Sakura Haruno stared in shock at the densely packed names and records. "Then how did we end up like this, with so few people left?"
Kizashi Haruno sighed. His finger slid across the yellowed pages and stopped at the name Akira Haruno.
"Back then, the Senju Clan, led by the First Hokage, Hashirama Senju, reconciled with the Uchiha, led by Madara Uchiha. They began bringing other clans together to found Konoha."
Kizashi Haruno's voice dropped. "But Akira Haruno, who led the Haruno Clan at the time, opposed it. She believed peace between the Senju and the Uchiha would be temporary, and that once Konoha was founded, those two clans would hold all the power."
"So she rallied several other clans to oppose Hashirama Senju and Madara Uchiha, hoping to secure a say in how Konoha would be run."
Sakura Haruno held her breath. "She opposed the First Hokage?"
"Yes. In her arrogance, she got herself killed by Madara Uchiha," Kizashi Haruno said heavily.
"After that, bitter infighting broke out within the Haruno Clan. Some wanted to join Konoha,