"Hyuuga is water."
Hinata looked up at her father, stern and austere in his traditional robes. He faced the ancient scroll on the wall that contained the family motto, penned by the founder of their clan, He conquers who endures.
"Father?" she asked demurely, her legs starting to fall asleep from kneeling so long.
Hiashi turned from the small shrine, incense sticks burning behind him, "You asked for information on the Sharingan, did you not?"
She nodded, "Yes, Father."
"Then I must start with Hyuuga," he explained, kneeling in front of her, "Because the Sharingan and the Byakugan share the same origin."
Eyes wide, Hinata quieted, knowing she must commit this information to memory, knowing he would not repeat the story.
"Before the First Great Shinobi War," Hiashi started, voice deep and enthralling, "there was only Hyuuga. The clan was very different then, smaller and no Main and Branch families. The Byakugan was rudimentary, nothing like its current power.
"We were shinobi, in a land that pitted us against other clans. We were soldiers for the Daimyo in the Country of Fire. We sweated and bled and died in greater and greater numbers.
"That changed though, when the family elders decided the clan needed more power."
Of course, Hinata thought, power was everything.
"They saw the value of some family member's eyes," he continued after taking a sip of tea, "If they could establish a bloodline limit, then they could build esteem amongst the other clans, charge more for missions, gain greater respect from the Daimyo.
"Their efforts culminated in a set of twins, identical save for one thing-"
Their eyes.
"-Their eyes," he said, "One was obviously an improved Byakugan, the other was something new, something different.
"The elders were worried. They had not accounted for this development. Would they be able to control it? Would this new eye prove to be more powerful than the Byakugan?"
Hinata sat still, she had never heard her father repeat a story. Much less one which cast the Hyuuga elders as doubters, as unable to guide the family.
"The brothers were kept a secret," Hiashi continued, "Without the knowledge of the extent of their power, the elders had no choice.
"They grew up together, brought closer than most siblings because of their shared isolation. They were trained as shinobi and each learned the secrets of the other's eyes.
"However, they differed in one important aspect," he explained after taking another sip of tea, "While one brother was content to hone his abilities in obscurity, the other had more lofty goals. They fought, neither one able to completely overcome the other.
"The elder brother left the clan. He married a Fire County noble's daughter and took her name. He was the founder of the Uchiha.
"The younger brother was our ancestor, the founder of the Main family of the Hyuuga.
"The Uchiha grew rapidly in power and numbers, gaining enemies and foes alike. The Hyuuga grew more slowly, developing the curse seal to temper our power with wisdom.
"But this was many years ago," he sighed, "When the two clans remained far away from each other both geographically and politically, each one keeping their space from the other. The two clans have always been weary of each other, the secrets of the bloodline limits passed down within both families.
Now this was news to Hinata. She sat still, trying to camouflage her interest but also her anxiety. If her father knew, would her opponent know? What would he tell her, if anything?
Hiashi finished his tea, the empty cup clanking hollowly against the polished table, "When Konoha was founded, several prominent shinobi clans were brought together from around the Fire Country. Amongst those, the Senju and the Uchiha reigned. Each had respect and fear from those gathered and each other.
"Respect and fear are powerful motivators. Even though they had been enemies, the clans knew that to survive they had to join together, but could they trust their new allies?
"The Hyuuga were no different, and we suffered our own losses during the long wars. When the invitation was offered to create a ninja village we accepted, leaving our secluded ancestral lands to live here.
"We were respected and feared, but that was not the only reason the Hyuuga were accepted," he continued somberly, "The invitation was the idea of the Senju."
Hinata nodded, but her father didn't notice, "While not so infamous as the Uchiha, we had our own talents- namely the secrets of the Sharingan. The Senju were nothing if not pragmatic.
"You know the rest of the story, daughter. The flame of the Uchiha burned brightly and then died, snuffed out save for one member. The Hyuuga remained, like the steady pour of water over a fall, slowly carving its course."
She sat silent for a moment, contemplating his words, "Then all that remains of the Uchiha is the Sharingan," she said softly, "He knows nothing of the Byakugan."
Hiashi nodded, a rare smile creeping onto his stern features, "The boldness of the Uchiha has doomed them and this shall be your strength."
Disclaimer: Let me check... nope... still not mine.
A/N: I know, a lot of dialogue in this one. A few notes:
The family motto is actually a quote from a Roman satirist by the name of Persius, and it sums up what I think the Hyuuga mentality is.
The fire/water duality is interesting too.
So the story of the two clans is told, but what secrets do the Hyuuga have?
Lastly, I will be on vacation for the next two weeks, so you probably wont's see the next chapter until the Fourth of July. As always, thanks for reading!