Hyuuga Clan

The Hyuuga Clan are one of the oldest shinobi clans in the world and renowned for possessing the Byakugan, one of the Three Great Doujutsu.

Otsutsuki Hamura, the younger son of Otsutsuki Kaguya, sired several children who remained behind when he and the rest of the Otsutsuki Clan undertook the duty of safeguarding the husk of the Ten-Tails and watching over the world of shinobi from the moon. One of those children was blessed with the Byakugan like himself who then  passed the doujutsu down to their descendants.

This family were originally the foremost leaders in the study of chakra after the passing of the Sage of Six Paths by using their eyes to perceive its existence and workings in a way that no one else could. While others had to rely on feeling and intuition when controlling their chakra, they could see exactly what they are doing for themselves and learned to control their chakra perfectly.

It was when shinobi became synonymous with warfare and the peaceful study of chakra became weapon research that this family truly became the Hyuuga Clan. Following the tradition of their ancestral clan, the Hyuuga were split into the Main House and Branch House. The Main House were the rulers who governed the clan and did not participate in missions or battle except in most dire circumstances. Because of this, it was their duty to devote their time to training; mastering every aspect and pushing the boundaries of their unique style. The Branch House fight against any and all of the clan’s enemies while protecting the Main House.

The clan’s abilities made them exceptionally dangerous from the very beginning. Their supernatural eyesight made them invaluable as scouts, bodyguards, thieves and assassins as few things could ever escape or block their vision. But as more and more ninjutsu were developed, their inherent advantage over the other clans lessened.

They sought a new way to overcome their enemies, one which took advantage of their knowledge and control of chakra. Their solution was devised by the Main House who developed their own style of Gentle Fist taijutsu using their Byakugan’s ability to see the chakra pathway system. They studied and trained relentlessly to create the fighting style and then taught it to the Branch House to use a weapon to protect the clan.

This levelled the playing field and made the Hyuuga a terror on the battlefield

Unfortunately, their exception reputation also meant that their secrets were highly coveted. Since the Byakugan was so numerous in their clan and could used by an enemy with a single eye transplant, the Hyuuga suffered from more theft and grave-robbing than almost any other clan.

Hyuuga Clan Juinjutsu

Beset by enemies on all sides, the Main House created a cursed seal to protect their bloodline. Once the bearer dies, the cursed seal destroys the chakra pathways within the brain and eyes to render their kekkei genkai worthless and make it impossible to study post-mortem. Once the cursed seal destroys the Byakugan, it vanishes from their body.

The Branch House was branded with the cursed seal and were even more deeply devoted to performing missions, acquiring  revenue and protecting the Main House. They were raised to believe that the death of the Main House was the death of the clan itself and that it was their duty to give their lives to protect them. It became a requirement for every child of the Branch House to be branded after they were four years old.

The bearer can choose to activate the cursed seal while still alive to commit suicide and protect the Byakugan from falling into enemy hands. Each cursed seal is also linked to the Hyuuga of the Main House who have the ability to activate it on the bearer’s behalf.

In the beginning, the Main House ruled fairly and the Branch House served them with honour. But soon enough the Main House questioned why they should share the elite techniques they had painstakingly developed with the ones who were meant to serve them. They believed it unfair that the Branch House gained recognition for these skills and were seen as the strength of the clan when they were its leaders.

What also came to light at this time was that the cursed seal could be partially activated to attack the bearer’s chakra pathways without killing them. Because it is linked to the chakra pathways within the brain, they could suffer excruciating pain at the whim of the Main House.

New rules and traditions were set in place so that only the Main House were allowed to learn the advanced techniques of their Gentle Fist whilst the Branch House were left with only the fundamentals. Should a Branch House show any defiance towards the Main House then they would be punished with crippling pain or even death. It was this that lead to the family cursed seal to become known as the Caged Bird Cursed Seal to represent the fate of the Brand House.

It was a time of great friction and discord within the clan but it was followed by resignation.

The Main House ruled and the Branch House served; that is the way of their clan. There was an undercurrent of resentment and jealousy in the Branch House but most were too resigned to their fate to genuinely hate the Main House or try to change the clan.

Joining the Hidden Village

The Hyuuga Clan were originally based in the area that would become the Land of Lightning and were first invited to join the newly formed Kumogakure. But rather than choose to ally themselves with those who had killed and stolen from them for generations, they instead ventured south to join their cousin clans in Konohagakure. It was a slight that was never quite forgotten or forgiven.

The clan changed little upon joining the village as the Main House continued to rule the clan and the Branch House performed the missions with the understanding that, in exchange for a home and protection, the clan ultimately served the Hokage. But they were highly respected by their fellow clans and the civilians for their skills, even developing a semi-friendly rivalry with the doujutsu-wielding Uchiha Clan (especially after the dissolution of the Senju Clan). It was said that the Hyuuga were the strongest clan of Konoha.

Some, both inside the clan and out, believe that the separation of houses and the cursed seal were an unnecessary existence now that the Warring Clans Era had ended.

This was a prominent topic with the circumstances surrounding the more recent Clan Head of the Hyuuga. Hyuuga Hiashi was born just before his twin brother Hizashi and was made the heir of the clan. However Hizashi was immediately relegated to the Branch House rather than remain as a member of the Main House as was typical of siblings. Because the two of them were twins, it was decided that the younger brother should join the Branch House to avoid any conflict over the clan’s future leadership.

It was a decision that greatly embittered Hizashi as he was denied his birthright and forced to become a servant despite being his brother’s equal in every other way. This resentment only grew he had a son who proved to have incredible talent with the Byakugan and the Gentle Fist but would forever be a servant of the Main House.

Then there was the event known as the Hyuuga Incident. Years after the Third Shinobi World War, Konoha and Kumo were finally going to enter an alliance and the latter sent their Head Ninja to sign the treaty. However the alliance was in fact a front for Kumo to try and kidnap the Hyuuga heiress, Hyuuga Hinata, using the Head Ninja who had essentially infiltrated Konoha using the ceremony as a pretence for stealing the Byakugan. After Hiashi struck him down, Kumo demanded that his corpse be sent to them in exchange for killing their ninja for the sake of studying his kekkei genkai as he had never been branded with their cursed seal.

Hiashi was willing to give his life for Konoha’s sake but instead they decided to trick Kumo by using Hizashi as his body double which prevents the risk of the Byakugan’s secrets being shared. For the sake of protecting everyone, rather than the Main House alone, Hizashi sacrificed himself and averted war.

Unfortunately, this was not the end of the clan’s trouble times. Neji grew up despising the Main House because he believed that they had murdered his father to protect Hiashi and resented living at their mercy. And Hinata’s weak mentality made her even less favourable than her younger sister despite being the supposed heir of the clan.

Fortunately, Uzumaki Naruto served as the catalyst that helped change them both for the better, leading to a reconciliation between them and a greater change for the Hyuuga Clan itself.

Gentle Fist

The Hyuuga taijutsu specializes in damaging the enemy’s internal organs through their chakra pathways. With the Byakugan’s insight, they can clearly see the entire chakra pathway system of the human body which are a network intertwined with every organ, muscle, vessel and cell.

They focus chakra into their hands and then release it in a precise burst into the opponent’s pathways with a touch. The forceful intrusion of foreign chakra damages the cells that the targeted pathways are connected to and wounds them internally. It is most effective when attacking the opponent’s internal organs as they cannot be trained to be tougher, causing pain, internal bleeding or even making the disrupt the organ’s functions to incapacitate or kill the individual. Against other body parts, they can damage nerve endings, burst blood vessels and bruise muscles. They can inflict such injuries even with just a glancing blow and their chakra is able to pass through clothing and armour.

It’s said that a Hyuuga was the one to deliver the killing blow to the Third Raikage in the Battle of Ten Thousand, striking his heart with the Gentle Fist.

Their taijutsu is primarily based on palm strikes as the hands are the easiest place for them to channel their chakra and to land their gentle touches, though they are equally capable of fiercer attacks. And the Byakugan’s omni-directional vision allows them to see enemies from any direction so that they can evade any blow and keep track of their movements.

The next level of their Gentle Fist requires a Byakugan capable of perceiving the chakra points of the chakra pathways. These are 361 nodes spread throughout the system which are practically the size of a pinprick.

By jabbing the point with their finger and inserting their chakra, it forces the chakra point closed which has the effect of preventing the victim’s chakra from flowing through the affected area. Depending on which points have been closed and how many have been closed, it can increase or decrease their chakra flow to disrupt their ability to manipulate chakra or halt the chakra flow within specific areas. In addition to needing eyes strong enough to see them, it takes great skill to be able to pierce a chakra point in the heat of combat.

Other than attacking living enemies, the Gentle Fist is especially effective against chakra-based substances as it can be used to cut through or destroy them even when actual weapons fail against them. In emergency, it has been used to reset dislocated shoulders or broken bones on the battlefield as the Byakugan can detect the injury and be used as a guide to help fix the problem.

The Branch House are taught basic techniques such as building up chakra within the body and release it from both hands in a single blow, or firing a shock wave of chakra to displace the air as a ranged attack.

But the more advanced techniques of the Gentle Fist are passed down exclusively in the Main House through oral tradition to ensure their place in the clan’s hierarchy.

They learn to strike the most vital sixty-four chakra points on the human body that completely stop their chakra flow, rendering the victim incapable of creating chakra and even struggling to move. They have skills known as Gentle Step which use chakra that has been shaped and maintained to enhance the Hyuuga’s fighting with their abilities such as absorbing the target’s chakra.

They even learn to release chakra from any and all of their chakra points rather than just those in their hands and feet which can be used to escape bindings or slow and redirect incoming attacks. Most impotantly, it allows them to create an absolute defence by spinning their body and chakra to catch and repel their enemy’s attacks in a destructive sphere or simply use it slow and deflect such attacks.

The Byakugan isn’t an absolute requirement for using this taijutsu style; other ninja can achieve that level of chakra control and thereotically even learn where to strike an enemy. But where others can only make a rough estimate, the Hyuuga can see exactly where to aim and are practically born to the style.

Once, their fighting style was called the Trigram Fist but few know it and even fewer use it. That name stems from the symbols that the Hyuuga are taught to imagine, utilizing their omni-directional range of vision to be able to attack or defend against any enemy within their range.

It is now simply known as the Gentle Fist because it has exemplified that entire style of taijutsu for centuries and is indisputably the strongest of its kind. To this day, it is recognized as one of the deadliest taijutsu styles in existence.