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Narutoprobably has one of the best world-building in aShonen Jumpmanga over the last twenty years. Kishimoto clearly puts a lot of effort into creating a consistent world with a long history that makes fans thirst for more. One central element in the renowned clans ofNarutois their genetic abilities, also known askekkei genkai. But instead of simply establishing that some people are born with better genetics, Kishimoto attempts to explain where these mutations come from.
In the end, most of it traces back to the legendary Otsutsuki clan. Almost all major clans from Konoha have Otsutsuki ancestry, and the Uchiha clan is no exception. So, how exactly are the Uchiha, the Sharingan, and the Otsutsuki clan related?
Who Is The Otsutsuki Clan And Why They Came to Earth
The Otsutsuki Clan was introduced kind of late in theNarutomanga, but it quickly became a central part of the series' universe. Centuries prior to the story, Kaguya and Isshiki Otsutsuki came to Earth to cultivate a Divine Tree. For a long time, Divine Trees had been worshiped as the source of life on Earth, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Divine Trees actually absorb the vital energy (chakra) from all beings, eventually sprouting a Chakra Fruit.
TheChakra Fruit contains chakra and genetic materialfrom all sorts of beings, including humans, so those who eat it gain immense powers. Not only does the person absorb a tremendous amount of chakra, but they usually undergo intense genetic mutations that usually lead to amazing new powers. Both the Sharingan and the Byakugan are probably the outcome of genetic mutations generated by the consumption of Chakra Fruits, for example. Therefore,the original goal of Kaguya and Isshiki was to cultivate the Divine Tree until a Chakra Fruit sprouted.
Kaguya Otsutsuki Changed Her Mind
The original story didn’t give much information on the Otsutsuki clan, apart from the original goal of Kaguya and Isshiki. Later inBoruto, Amado revealed that Kaguya was a low-ranking Otsutsuki, which quickly made fans wonder just how powerful a high-ranking Otsutsuki could be. As such, she was meant to serve as a sacrifice, but she changed her mind. Instead, she attempted to kill Isshiki and consumed the Chakra Fruit herself, becoming incredibly powerful.
Borutowill probably still delve more into the Otsutsuki clan origins and structure. Momoshiki Otsutsuki came to Earth to understand what happened to Kaguya and Isshiki’s mission, which suggests that the Otsutsuki clan currently has some special interest in Earth, for an unknown reason. The Otsutsuki clan is made of parasitical colonizers who travel the universe aiming to consume Chakra Fruits, without caring about the destruction the Divine Trees cause, since they eventually lead to the elimination of all life on a planet.
The Otsutsuki Ancestors of the Uchiha Clan
AfterKaguya consumed the Chakra Fruit, she had two children. In the anime, it is explicitly stated that she fell in love with a human, Emperor Tenji of the Land of Ancestors, and had children with him, but the manga hasn’t confirmed this yet. Either way, Hagoromo and Hamura were the children of Kaguya Otsutsuki in both versions, and they inherited part of her chakra and somekekkei genkai.
It seems that Kaguya’s story is quite complex. She grew fond of the Earth and also developed a messiah complex, believing that she should consume the Chakra Fruit to bring peace and protect the world. She tried to understand and love humans but grew wary of them due to their constant fighting, which seems a bit ironic, since the Otsutsuki clan is also not looking for peace at all. Apparently, she also came to despise the Otsutsuki clan. In the end, she was consumed by her own beliefs and desires, and she thought she should be the one holding all the chakra in the world. She absorbed the Divine Tree and became the Ten-Tails. Her actions led Hamura and Hagoromo to fight back and seal her.
Again… I, the ancestor of all chakra… am defeated by these scattered chakras… Why!!??
— Kaguya Otsutsuki
Later, Hamura went to the moon while Hagoromo stayed on Earth. Hagoromo had two children with an unknown woman,Asura and Indra Otsutsuki.The latter, credited as the creator of ninjutsu, isthe ancestor of the Uchiha clan, but it is unclear at which point in Naruto’s history the clan was created.
Why is the Symbol of the Uchiha Clan a Fan?
“Uchiha"sounds similar to “uchiwa,” which means paper fan, the symbol of the clan. Fans can be used to make flames stronger, so the symbol is also a reference toUchiha members being typically good at Fire Release. It’s important to note that any shinobi can learn Release techniques from any of the five elements, even though people typically have an inborn affinity for one element. Some people might have affinities for more than one element.
However, not all Uchiha are necessarily born with an affinity for fire, butthey are likely encouraged to perform Fire Release jutsu from an early age. Indra himself is said to have had an affinity for both fire and lightning from an early age.
