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The following article contains spoilers for Naruto and Boruto.
The Otsutsuki clan, introduced inNaruto, has gained even more attention inBoruto’s plot. The originalNarutomanga briefly mentioned the clan, but it couldn’t fully explore its lore. However, the manga did establish that the main clans of Konoha are descendants of the Otsutsuki. This, of course, includes the Hyuga clan.
There are still many things to explore regarding the Hyuga clan and their unique trait: the Byakugan. The Byakugan is also part of the Otsutsuki legacy that the Hyuga clan carries in their blood. So, how exactly did the Otsutsuki clan branch off into the Hyuga clan?
The Otsutsuki Clan: Parasitic Aliens Looking for Power
The Otsutsuki clan is definitely one of the most interesting clans in theNarutouniverse, and there are still many mysteries surrounding their existence. The clan is notorious for acting like parasitic space colonizers, traveling from planet to planet to cultivate Chakra Fruits, with which they become more powerful. Chakra Fruits sprout in Divine Trees, which, despite their name, are actually dangerous. Divine Trees absorb the chakra from all life forms, slowly killing the planet. The Chakra Fruits, which sprout from time to time, contain a tremendous amount of chakra and genetic material, enhancing power and causing mutations in those who consume them. Famous and powerfulkekkei genkailike the Sharingan and the Byakugan are the result of theconsumption of Chakra Fruits, as far as we know.
It’s likely that not all members of the Otsutsuki clan agree with this predatory behavior, but it seems that the most powerful ones are like this. The most powerful Otsutsuki known is Shibai, who ascended to godhood after consuming an incredible amount of Chakra Fruits. It would be a great addition if the series included more information and showed some disagreements among members regarding this behavior. Either way, centuries ago, Kaguya and Isshiki Otsutsuki were sent to Earth to cultivate Chakra Fruit—apparently, the clan usually assigns a pair of people to grow a Divine Tree on a chosen planet. In the anime, the Divine Tree had already sprouted on its own, but the manga hasn’t confirmed it yet.
Kaguya Broke the Rules and Ate the Fruit
The original series established that Kaguya betrayed Isshiki as she grew fond of the Earth and started to believe that she should consume the Chakra Fruit and use her powers to make humans stop fighting each other. While the originalNarutomanga didn’t explore the Otsutsuki clan that much,Borutohas greatly expanded their lore. According to Amado, Kaguya was a low-ranking member of the clan, meant to be sacrificed to the Ten Tails. Isshiki would then either consume the fruit himself or deliver it to someone else. In the anime, Kaguya suggested that other Otsutsuki members would eventually come, but it also seemed that she had started to hate her own clan.
This place… this earth is my precious nursery. I cannot allow you to damage it anymore.
— Kaguya Otsutsuki
Kaguya was the first wielder of chakra on Earth, and she later had two sons, who inherited part of her chakra and powers acquired after eating the Chakra Fruit. Their names are Hagoromo and Hamura Otsutsuki. Kaguya apparently became an important ruler on Earth (Kishimoto drew inspiration from theTale of the Bamboo Cutterto create her), but eventually, she lost herself in lust. Kaguya started to believe that she should once again be the only person with all the chakra on Earth, devising a plan to kill her own sons. She merged with the Ten Tails to achieve her goal, but Hagoromo and Hamura were able to seal her. Hagoromo later came to believe that chakra should be spread around the world, creating ninshu, a peaceful and spiritual form of chakra use. His older son, Indra Otsutsuki, later turned ninshu into a battle tool, giving rise to ninjutsu.
The Younger Brother and the Hyuga Clan
Some time after Kaguya was sealed,Hamura, the younger twin, decided to leave for the Moon to guard Kaguya’s remains(which were also sealed), taking the rest of the clan with him, except for Hagoromo’s children (or at least, that seems to be the most logical assumption). He eventually passed away from old age on the Moon, surrounded by clan members. However, he apparently had children on Earth before that, before his lineage continued and eventually gave rise to the Hyuga clan, which inherited the Byakugan from him (he also had the Tenseigan, but the Hyugas never acquired this ability). Probably because he left for the Moon, Hamura is lesser known than his older brother. Just like Hagoromo, he believed in peace and freedom.
The clan continued their lineage on the Moon. Generations later, Toneri Otsutsuki, a descendant of Hamura, traveled to Earth looking for human companions. He always haddeep feelings for Hinata Hyuga, despite never really meeting her. However, Toneri despised how humans weaponized chakra and tried to punish and destroy the shinobi, leading to a battle between him and Naruto.
Many Mysteries Still Surround the Hyuga
The Hyuga clan is the only human clan with Otsutsuki ancestry that doesn’t descend from Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Instead, as mentioned earlier, they descend from Hamura Otsutsuki, Hagoromo’s younger twin brother. Most members of this clan are usually born with the Byakugan, which suggests that the Byakugan is related to a dominant gene (but not all members necessarily have the Byakugan; for example, Boruto has never awakened it). Unlike the Sharingan, which is awakened by some Uchiha members after a traumatic or stressful event, theByakugan is an innatedoujutsu.
While descending from the Otsutsuki and having a usefulkekkei genkai, the original story didn’t delve into their history as much as the Uchiha clan’s, leaving many unanswered questions about both the Hyugas and the Byakugan.Boruto: Two Blue Vortexhas set the stage to eventually explore the clan with theplot surrounding Himawari Uzumaki.
