Sunshine History (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sunshinehistory) wrote2015-05-06 09:23 pm
sunshinehistory) wrote2015-05-06 09:23 pm
Entry tags:
Uchiha Clan
Uchiha
History
The Uchiha bloodline is old as balls. Their complete lineage -- the complicated history of early chakra war and what most now consider to be origin myth -- is known mostly to the clan head and permanent council seats, passed down within those families. The rest of the clan is taught lineage from the warring states period through their role in the founding of Konoha and are accordingly proud, sometimes accused of being prideful.
The Uchiha were the wildcard of the alliance that built Konoha. A long history of killing and being killed by the village's other founding clan was not viewed favourably by the Senju, and although they ultimately did settle in the village, they were viewed with suspicion by many. The clan suspiciously viewed the village right back, and through the time of the Second Hokage still presented a sufficient flight (or worse) risk to give him many a headache over whether he could trust the group or not.
On the clan's side, they felt slighted in precedence upon the establishment of the Hokageship as -- if not a bloodline -- a clear lineage of ideology. Although they had been promised equal standing by the First, they found quickly that this was no guarantee under another less friendly Hokage, and saw no reason to expect that the next kage would be any more inclined to support the clan. The Uchiha tendency to close ranks under pressure did not help endear them to the village, and they provided an unpopular military police and widely feared field shinobi right up until the third shinobi world war, when the Fourth made the first efforts to bring them more closely into the village fold.
Given the lack of physical wall between the Uchiha and the village, the division between clan and village was at once less obvious and more insidious, running on a deep force of habit and culture. It was not until the closer wartime relationship between Uchiha forces and the rest of the village's shinobi that the majority of the clan spent significant time with non-Uchiha, and to this day there is an unavoidable (no pun intended) clannishness. However, the Fourth's friendly overtures and recognition of the clan's contributions to the war effort and village security did some work to thaw relations between Uchiha and village. The current Hokage, albeit an atypical and thus not a proper Uchiha himself, being from the clan has helped accord some status as well, though this is sometimes viewed askance given his blatantly un-Uchiha behaviour.
These days, the clan is viewed with somewhat less fear. This is not necessarily a plus for a clan that prides itself on its combat capabilities, but it has made it easier for them to function within the village. They still function as the military police, handling both "domestic" crimes and village security against outside threat. They are also required to serve as police for Konoha's civilians (a tedious job that many of the Uchiha MP disilke), as well as fire and other disaster relief forces. Intra-Konoha-nin crimes are their field, and they are diligent in law enforcement.
Their work as the MP occasionally intersects with ANBU's work within and without the village; the Uchiha are generally obliged to hand over cases that begin to touch on higher clearance-level intel, as well as any cases that turn out to involve intervillage conflicts. This has chafed in the past, as they have been sometimes seen as ninja who handle petty conflicts instead of the real work of shinobi life. A few generations have helped accustom them to this role, at least in the sense of smoother transitions and established paperwork. Still, given their pride in their battlefield abilities, handing cases over to ANBU can still rankle. Conversely, ANBU will sometimes turn cases over to the MP if they appear to be intra-Konoha-nin only; this annoys both parties involved, as ANBU is not used to handing over cases, and the Uchiha find it sometimes rankling to be given the dregs of ANBU investigations.
Through their role as police for civilians, the clan has an unusually close finger on the pulse of life on non-shinobi side of things both in the village and in the country as a whole. When civilians (or non-civilians unaffiliated with Konoha) fetch up at or against the village walls, it falls to the MP to locate them, vet them for any potential threats, and send them on their way. As such, they tend to notice general unease more quickly than the average mission-based ninja.
Characteristics
Appearance
The clan's hereditary doujutsu, the Sharingan, manifests as red irises with up to three tomoe surrounding the regular pupil. When inactive, Uchiha eyes vary from almost-black browns and greys to black. They are all dark-haired and dark-eyed; there is a distinct Uchiha 'look'. Uchiha who marry outside the clan and produce significantly un-Uchiha offspring can be of some consternation to bloodline experts within the clan, but new blood generally integrates quickly into the normal bloodline appearance.
Many in the clan wear an admittedly silly looking shirt with a high collar. These are emblazoned on the back with the Uchiha crest,which is a red and white fan. Most things that belong to clan members are emblazoned with the Uchiha fan. There are rumours that even their underwear is obliged to bear the crest, but these cannot be confirmed or denied.
There are varying levels of informal outfits that all roughly follow this design. Everyday wear usually involves a high-collared T-shirt with light pants. Mission gear includes more durable versions of the same shirt, and whatever amount of weapons storage happens to be required. Uchiha who go into ANBU (very unusual) will wear the ANBU uniform to avoid being identified, of course. Formal events require kimono (blessedly without the collar); most clan members will wear three-crested kimono on special occasions and only bust out the five-crested ones at weddings and funerals. The clan head's family wears five-crested kimono on all special occasions.
MP on duty wear armbands with the crest of the military police, a straight-pointed shuriken with an Uchiha fan in the centre.
Families or individuals in mourning wear a plain white armband on their dominant arms.
Traits
The Uchiha are known to be violently protective of kin. It is quite literally how they get stronger. Blood is true and kin is all. There are individuals whose loyalty to the village trumps their loyalty to the clan, but if it is obvious, they are rarely the most trusted people in the clan. Still, it is extremely rare that an Uchiha is ever disinherited or evicted from the clan, not least of which being because they would carry the bloodline with them.
Because activation of the Sharingan is closely tied to loss, grief, fear, anger, and other intense emotions, the clan has something of a reputation for producing shinobi that tend to get more unstable the stronger they are.
Although it is becoming somewhat outmoded, eye contact is important body language to older Uchiha. Direct eye contact can indicate trust or fear, given that there are several Sharingan techniques that rely on eye contact. Similarly, an individual making a point of avoiding eye contact may do so to express a lack of trust. More rarely, averted eyes are used to indicate a level of respect far beyond the ordinary, communicating that the individual feels unworthy of regard. The younger generation of Uchiha, raised in less insecurity, are more or less aware of these conventions but are less likely to adhere to them strictly.
In times of extreme emotion, the Sharingan can sometimes activate involuntarily. This is more common in younger Sharingan-users who are less in control of their emotions; adult Uchiha rarely allow themselves to appear so visibly affected.
Customs
Although it is administered with varying levels of formality by families, it is considered an unofficial coming-of-age ritual for an Uchiha to master the basic Katon jutsu. Only those who have demonstrated mastery of this technique are considered 'full' Uchiha, ready to move into proper shinobi training. This technique is usually taught at or around Academy graduation; those who mastered Katon jutsu at a younger age are considered advanced.
Uchiha weddings are a formal ceremony followed by a party where everyone congratulates the bride and groom and wishes them many Sharingan-eyed babies. There's probably fire, and probably alcohol, which makes Uchiha weddings events that can require the police or fire department. Fortunately, those are mostly run by Uchiha, so services are provided at no cost (not always something kindly looked-upon by Konoha's finance department). They are generally not whole-clan events given how large the clan is; on occasions where children of prominent families wed, they are sometimes attendance-optional (no need to cancel scheduled missions) clan-wide shindigs. The marriage of an heir apparent is of some import, but even then might not be cause for mandatory attendance unless the spouse-to-be is of significant political standing.
The Uchiha mourning ritual used to be an annual display of defiance and strength, with a lantern created for every death, set afloat in the ocean, and lit by Katon. The boats burn out shortly after being lit for practicality and symbolism; life is short, but clan will guide you into it and out of it. Within the village, this is a more subdued ceremony, observed by immediate kin rather than on a schedule except in cases of key individuals in the clan (head, elders). It now takes place on the portion of the Nakano that flows by the Uchiha shrine. One lantern is lit per family.
Attitudes and Beliefs
The Uchiha exist in varying levels of unease with regards to their home village. After Madara left the clan, though some argue he was expelled, way back in the day, they made efforts to integrate into the running of the village; the Second's possibly well-intentioned use of them as the village's police force, and thereby marking them as distinct from (and to some, set up in opposition to), the rest of the village drove a wedge between them and the wider village population that remains in place, albeit to a lessened degree, today. After several generations of clashing with the village in their duty as the MP -- and Uchiha take duty seriously -- there was finally some movement toward further integration under the Fourth, following closeness between clan and village necessitated by the war of attrition. Improved relations have come at a slow and unsteady pace, with plenty of opposition from clan members who hold mistreatment and ostracization in living memory, and pass that resentment on to younger generations. Even young Uchiha in the Academy are somewhat notoriously defensive of their clan reputation and name, and have been known to occasionally misdirect a Katon when provoked.
The Fourth made what might have been a good PR move in selecting an Uchiha for his team, but the clan wondered extremely about his choice of Obito -- a heretofore non-standout, and someone whose parents had moved out of clan quarters when he was very young, something he did not remedy after their death, and was therefore subject to suspicion. When a non-Uchiha on the team got a free Sharingan, their worst fears seemed to have been realised; the clan being integrated into mainstream village life only to serve as a Sharingan factory. As the years went by and that did not happen -- and Kakashi appeared to be an excellent ninja, even contrite about the whole eyeball business -- ruffled feathers smoothed down, but only slightly. Obito was widely regarded as something of a black sheep in the clan.
When he returned as an adult prior making his bid for Hokage, his overtures toward restoring his clan connections were viewed with a mixture of skepticism and amusement; an Uchiha Hokage seemed highly unlikely, and in any case this one was surely brainwashed by Konoha through Minato's sensei-lineage. Given that Uchiha are rarely, if ever, disowned, he was accepted more as an inevitability than a welcome breath of fresh air, though his successful selection as Hokage raised eyebrows in a way that was perhaps not all bad. Still, his close ties to the Senju and obvious preference for the previous Hokage's family to his own clan meant that although the clan was happy to acknowledge the first Uchiha Hokage, there were still plenty who argued that he only succeeded by downplaying his Uchiha heritage except when stumping for the clan's vote.
The current situation has therefore led to a very nominally two-pronged set of opinions in the clan. There are those who are cautiously optimistic about the move into the village that the Fourth initiated, and equally cautiously optimistic about potentially having the ear of a Hokage. These people are hoping that working more closely with Konoha will help dissolve some of the unavoidable walls that build up between a policed population and the policing population. There are others, the majority, who remain insistent on clan traditions and point to history with jaundiced eyes.
Governance Structure
The Uchiha are fairly egalitarian. There is a hereditary family clan headship, and some traditional family focuses (e.g. blacksmiths or NINJA ACCOUNTANTS), but otherwise leadership can flex depending on who proves stronger or wiser in the field. A council of elders and experts advises the clan head; some of these positions are hereditary, but attaining membership on the council is far from impossible. Some of the non-hereditary positions on the council are rotating -- one individual might hold it for a set number of quarters before the role is given to another.
Although this governance structure is designed to encourage representation throughout the clan, the primary focus of this representation is to ensure that all clan members are properly cared for; to the outside world, the clan head speaks for the clan. It is rare for individuals to break from this unified face shown to non-Uchiha.
Finances
The Uchiha are not a small clan, but the majority of them end up employed with the military police after an obligatory few years of fieldwork to get standard shinobi experience. Thus, their mission-earning population is a lower proportion of clan income than other clans. This makes the clan budget a little tighter than others, given that the MP is a taxpayer-funded institution (with a not inconsiderable percentage of operation costs fielded by the Uchiha themselves). This can cause resentment within the clan, as they view the MP as a key component of village security and can see any budget cuts from the Hokage's office as an affront.
They do have supplemental clan income -- see below -- but they're far from the wealthiest clan in the village, given that much of that income is dedicated to supporting their regular function. Uchiha homes are graceful more than lavish, even that of the clan head's family, but the clan makes every effort to ensure that their people appear well-kept, as befitting a key clan of Konoha.
Clan Fund
The clan fund is used to support the clan. All Uchiha pay a clan tax after their Konoha tax (some 10%) on mission pay and MP salaries; these monies go into the clan fund along with rents collected from land holdings. The clan fund is used for annual budget needs (Academy enrollment costs, outfitting clan members, putting the Uchiha fan on every item of clothing), but a significant portion of it is also dedicated to serving as a social security net for Uchiha.
In the event a shinobi dies before a set retirement age and leaves behind dependents, a dispensation is paid to family in quarterly increments to supplement whatever savings the family had. Dispensation is scaled to a modest percentage of the average take-home pay per quarter at the time of death. In the case of underage orphans left behind without a will stipulating specific family arrangements for their care, they will in most cases be assigned to the closest relative and the dispensation directed to that relative for the duration of the orphan's residence in their home. The funds are also managed in order to provide adequate living stipends for retirees, whether from the MP or from regular shinobi life. Individuals unable to continue in shinobi work can also draw a stipend.
Uchiha who don't make the cut as shinobi are generally expected to work in some clan-based function, whether in support of finances, smithing, or other supporting role. Where education or training is required that cannot be provided within the clan, the clan fund can be drawn on (with approval) to pay costs that the individual cannot personally afford.
Active-duty shinobi under the age of majority (18, following Konoha's regulations) have a larger cut of their mission pay (15% instead of the usual 10%) taken by the clan fund. These monies are either paid to the individual's parents, to be managed and turned over to them on their 18th birthday, or in cases where there are no parents, are managed directly by the clan fund and disbursed upon attainment of majority. This is to prevent squandering of money by new-minted ninja.
Pensions work in a similar way once Uchiha pass their 18th birthday; the amount they contribute to their retirement fund is optional, but the more they put away, the more handsome their pension is upon retirement. Although it is perhaps not typical for active-duty shinobi to put much thought to retirement, the large percentage of Uchiha who work within the MP means that a somewhat higher percentage live to an older age, which makes this function necessary. There is lingering resentment from other clans and unaffiliated shinobi in the village for these "cushy" positions.
Inheritance passed on within families is possible and does happen, but the clan will tax inheritance at the same rate as regular pay if taken as a lump sum; i.e. if your mum dies and leaves you 1M ryo and you take it all at once, prepare to have the clan scoop 100,000 (10%) off the top. To encourage responsible living, the clan takes a smaller cut if inheritance is spread out over time, so if you take your 1M inheritance spread out over ten years or more, the clan will only take a 5% annual percentage.
In the case of an Uchiha sentenced for a crime in a way that removes them from active duty, dispensation is still provided for dependents, but any personal savings are confiscated. This discourages crime but maintains standard of living for any dependent children who are on track to becoming shinobi.
Finally, the clan fund is also sometimes used as a bank for small loans to clan members, e.g. to improve a house or start a business. Loan repayment schedules and interest rates are pretty good since it's not like you can slip away unnoticed from your relatives.
As with land titles and for much the same reasons, the clan fund is held in civilian financial institutions. There are rumours that not all of these institutions are in Fire. As the clan has observed instability in the world, more and more of the fund has been transferred to cash, ready for immediate use.
The Uchiha security net may or may not be a common structure for other clans. The Uchiha are highly dedicated to their kin, and place a huge priority on making sure that all Uchiha are sufficiently cared for.
The clan fund is managed by NINJA ACCOUNTANTS.
Assets
The Uchiha arrived to the bargain that founded Konoha as nomads without much by way of land holdings (except for Obligatory Sekrit Bases, which are still theirs but largely unused), but some of the more money-minded clan members saw opportunity as soon as their physical location seemed stable. Uchiha-owned lands are patchworked through the immediate rural "suburbs" of Konoha, but also in more far-reaching areas as well -- the further from the village, the older the holding, as these were likely purchased early in their relationship with Konoha when distrust was higher.
A large percentage of land purchases far from the village were made during the Second Hokage's reign, when the clan found themselves tied down to it in function. To a lesser extent, there were also some purchases of land within the village, areas immediately adjacent to the existing district, mostly for practical purposes as the clan expanded. A third wave of purchasing outside the village occurred after the third shinobi world war and was focused somewhat closer to Konoha, a demonstration of a slight growth in confidence in their status within the village.
However, initial distrust, lingering distrust, and force of habit means that all Uchiha land holdings are entailed through civilian courts and not through Konoha. The land is held by the clan as a whole and not by individuals, and though the clan head can initiate sales or transfers, approval from a council of elders and prominent families is required to fully authorize a sale. The land purchasing budget (and all other budgets for that matter) gets decided annually, through vigorous debate, by those who handle the clan finances, the clan head, and the sitting council of the year.
Because all Uchiha land holdings are held through civilian contracts, none of the land is considered part of Konoha. Those areas within the village boundaries could technically be confiscated by the Hokage's office, however.
Land use is mixed. Much of the land held in Konoha's immediate civilian areas is used for agriculture. Some of the more distant holdings are in civilian towns and are meant for commercial use. Within Konoha, excepting the areas where the Uchiha actually live, most of the land is for commercial use. The purpose of maintaining these holdings is to supplement mission-based income and cover MP operating costs not met by the budget Konoha allocates to it. Rents collected from tenants go to the general clan fund, which is used for anything from widow/widower pensions to orphan care, school/weaponry/armour supplies to extra-budget items for the MP.
The clan fund is invested into new land, but all clan holdings are real estate or cash, given that there is not much of a financial market in Konoha or any of the feudal civilian economies.
Location and Population
While the Uchiha live in a semi-integrated fashion with the rest of the village; most of their homes are clustered in one area around the military police headquarters. This is largely for convenience, since the bulk of them work in some police-related capacity. It is also to retain the usefulness of the clan's traditionally tight-knit kinship network. It's much easier to nip across to your auntie's to borrow a cup of sugar if she lives in the house down the street.
Uchiha grow up surrounded by clan; the district has been established since they joined the village and has remained very solidly Uchiha-inhabited since the beginning. Given how deeply suspect they were at the founding of Konoha, non-Uchiha had no desire to live near them; their reputation over the years as MP and continued objects of suspicion did not make the area any more attractive for non-clan. As a result, there have been times when adjacent property values were not high, and there was an ironic swell of crime in the parts of the village closest to MP HQ. Since the Fourth's attempt to give them more equal village duties and the growth of the MP in response to village growth, these formerly high-crime areas have become more secure.
It's highly unusual for an Uchiha to live outside the Uchiha district. By and large these are people are usually making a symbolic move, disassociating with the clan for various reasons. As long as they're not in some way disgraced, they're still entitled to draw upon clan support and funds, but these folks are generally viewed with some suspicion within the clan -- after all, why voluntarily leave the support of one's kin?
The clan is large, but it is not the largest clan in the village by far. The visibility of their population is largely due to their constant presence in the village as the MP; there is a general impression that the clan is bigger than it is, and the clan does not particularly seek to counter that impression.
Abilities and Affinities
Not all Uchiha activate the Sharingan, but all Uchiha are trained as if they might. Uchiha children, like many other clan children, generally enter the Academy later than non-clan peers; they receive several years of training in basic forms and chakra theory from experts within the clan. Because their training starts so young, they are typically very proficient in taijutsu (barring exceptional circumstances such as illness). They are also trained for speed, as the body must move quickly enough to manage visual input from the Sharingan. Uchiha children are taught to fight blind in the event of either stolen eyes or prematurely destroyed ones.
The Uchiha taijutsu style is notable mostly for having no notable characteristics. Its primary function is to allow a dramatic degree of flexibility, permitting an individual with the Sharingan to adapt to newly-assimilated information at the drop of a hat.
The clan as a whole tends to have a fire affinity. It is true that a significant majority of the clan is born with fire as at least one nature; given, however, that one of the semi-official rites of passage for Uchiha require mastery of Katon techniques, even those who are not natural fire-users will attain familiarity with Katon jutsu. Barring the occasional exception, Uchiha are proficient in fire-based jutsu.
Bloodline
Uchiha have the ability to awaken the Sharingan, a powerful eye-based bloodline (doujutsu). Not all Uchiha awaken the ability; those that do usually do so through an experience of loss or near-loss, though other heightened emotions can cause this to happen as well. The doujutsu is developed and advanced through further experiences of emotion, often loss or something closely related to that though it varies with the Uchiha in question. As such, the clan has something of a reputation for producing shinobi that are more unstable the stronger they are. Times were, Uchiha could awaken the final form, the Mangekyou, through feeling responsible for the death of the individual most important to them. These days this ability is much rarer.
There is a further evolution from the Mangeyou, the Eternal Mangekyou, but it is unacceptable within the clan, and thus the information on how to attain it is not shared, nor is the attainment of it brought to the attention of the younger generations of Uchiha. No one wants Uchiha to start plucking out the eyes of their loved ones for their own use, after all.
Those who do activate the Sharingan have a natural defense against genjutsu, but anything more complex than that depends on the individual. The Sharingan's primary weakness when it comes to genjutsu is that eye contact must be made if attempting to use Sharingan-based genjutsu (regular illusion functions as it would for anyone else). It accords advantage in taijutsu, as the lowest level Sharingan is able to perceive movement at a higher level and anticipate actions to some extent. Because it has the ability to copy non-bloodline jutsu, Uchiha are trained to be flexible in both taijutsu style and manipulation of elements, though most are born fire-natured or taught fire proficiency.
The Sharingan is so easily transferable that it can be yanked from an eye socket and popped into another without obvious ill-effect. It's basically plug'n'play. The Uchiha are predictably deeply unhappy with this. The circumstances of Kakashi's acquiring a Sharingan were subject to considerable scrutiny, and Kakashi himself suffered a long period of Uchiha animus before he proved himself an adequate carrier of the ability. Even so, that he has retained it instead of returning it to its proper owner, regardless of any claimed attempts to do just that in the past, remains a point of contention within the clan, and Obito was given the unusual grant of an eye from a dead Uchiha largely out of affronted clan pride. Non-Uchiha shinobi seen with Uchiha eyes are targets for elimination with extreme prejudice; if located, the Hokage that would prevent an Uchiha taskforce dedicated to eradication will not be a popular one.
This bloodline is so well-known that it's something of a coveted collector's item. Only through vigorous efforts and the clan's reputation for seeking merciless revenge is it not widespread outside of the clan.
The Uchiha protect the Sharingan, but given how easily one can be implanted, the concern is less in cases of breeding and more with cases of the simple stealing of eyeballs. A stolen eyeball cannot breed another one, so it is not alarming for reproductive purposes, but clan members who awaken the Sharingan are invariably instructed in how to prevent any from falling into enemy eye-sockets and possibly being studied. There are last-ditch jutsu taught that destroy the eyes, to be used in cases of certain death, which is taught after one activates their doujutsu. It is very strongly impressed on all Uchiha that this is a last resort. It is highly unusual to receive replacement eyes, not least of which being because of a lack of supply.
Inheritance
The "Sharingan gene" is epistatic, found on a separate chromosome that has an effect on other chromosomes pertaining to ocular abilities. This is why transplanted eyes can work in other people's sockets.
The infrequency of activation is because the gene is also epigenetic, relying on an environmental trigger to become fully expressed -- in the Uchiha, this trigger is tied to strong emotions of loss or near loss. Finally, the Sharingan is also recessive-mutant; as a consequence, marrying out of the clan generally drastically lowers the chances of mixed-offspring being able to activate the doujutsu, regardless of gender. However, this does mean that some mixed children who do not express the doujutsu can still be carriers of the gene.
A non-Uchiha person can have three combinations of the same gene: epistatic normal/dominant, normal/recessive, or mutant/recessive gene where the sharingan/recessive on an Uchiha would reside. In marriages where one partner is not 'full' Uchiha, a combination of at least normal/recessive and Sharingan/recessive is needed to be able to express the trait. An Uchiha needs to marry someone carrying a normal/recessive epistatic gene for the offspring to have any chance of being able to express it, though they can still be carriers.
Mutations occur prenatally within the already mutant gene, with two primary cell lines -- one that results in the ability to use a diverse range of doujutsu (like Itachi, Sasuke and Madara), and another that allows the user to use specific and/or unique doujutsu (like Obito and Shisui).
[with thanks to Taiba for science]
Why it Looks Like That
The Sharingan is unlike any other eye formation in the Elemental Countries. The reason for this is that, unlike any other kind of eye, a Sharingan has moving pieces that do not stay with the rest of the eyeball while being in motion.
The Sharingan doesn't spin 360 in the eye socket, even though the tomoe of an activated Sharingan might spin, and sometimes spin very quickly. This is because the tomoe are on a separate layer of the iris which activation of the Sharingan the first time develops stem cells into. The layer is designed to protect the eye from chakra damage, and only activate each subsequent tomoe as they connect to the appropriate chakra pathways in the brain to activate previously unused nerves deep in the eye. This also accounts for the blood red color, as the detachment allows a very small amount of blood to fill the gap under the tomoe over the iris, obscuring the natural color and making the tomoe appear black due to the application of blood and chakra in the area.
However, this in and of itself is not dangerous for a Sharingan user, as there is a set pathway where the tomoe to spin over the iris to keep damage from direct chakra application from occurring. This is in direct contrast to the Hyuuga who suffer consequences from using their chakra in such a way if they hold their eyes active for too long.
The pathway over tomoe travel is incredibly important to how the Sharingan itself works, given each tomoe's addition along this path gives a different sort of perception, be it a seeming slowing of time, or an awareness of chakra to the visual spectrum that is only usable when chakra is being fed to the eyes. When the chakra is retracted, so too does the blood return to the inside of the eye, allowing the tomoe to return to their natural position and their seemingly black color to return to normal. Since the tomoe are naturally the same color, being made of the same iris themselves originally, they are not visible in this state.
The Mangekyou Sharingan, which destroys the simple pathway that the basic tomoe rested over when they were initially released, is a different animal entirely. Due to how it's activated, and the shock of chakra that comes with the connection of this level of Sharingan, there is an immediate spread of damage. At times, the pupil itself is partially obscured with blood in the new pattern that forms from parts of the iris that shouldn't be involved, and during others, this is not the case, but in the stall of movement there is more damage to the eye in general.
The body, unfortunately, cannot tell the difference, and in attempting to recommence the protective spin while this is being used, applies more chakra, thus starting a steady decline in vision as the eye's chakra pathways are burned from the outside in. Even as this is going on, it connects more nerves within the eye to heighten what can be done, thus making the user seem to pick up more of what is going on, and be more effective in their hypnosis and genjutsu, even as normal vision starts to go. The body, unable to repair the damage, tries to compensate by flushing more blood into the eyes, which is why bloody tears after use start to occur when the damage is severe enough.
Ultimately, this leads to blindness. The solution, however, is switching eyes with someone else who is similarly afflicted, as the mutual damage will actually allow for sight to be stabilized, and even fixed back up to a higher level. This is called the Eternal Mangekyou.
The body, on receiving a new set of eyes, will immediately try to connect to them and activate its stem cells again for a short time, allowing the damage to heal. In doing so, new connections will be forged, and the pathways that the body had accepted from its own, previous, Mangekyou, will be imprinted over the new eye in a controlled fashion as an attempt to repair it. Because the eye in question did not actually belong to the person who is healing the damage originally, this means that there will already be a pattern of damage, thus resulting in the phenomena where neither pattern survives the healing, and instead a new one is formed.
This new pattern will be entirely stable, working much like the initial movement of the tomoe over the iris that the first stage of the Sharingan has, allowing a free spin without chakra being burned into the pathways of the eye. Unfortunately, replacing the eyes is not enough to fix damage previously accrued to the mind by errant chakra due to the way the eyes were activated and used.
Breeding
Breeding is managed by bloodline experts, though strictly arranged marriages are only common in really prominent families. Within the clan, these experts keep extensive family records in order to ensure that inbreeding does not become detrimental; they will also recommend bringing in new blood where necessary. The Shizuoka (not always known by this name), a clan that traditionally followed the Uchiha, have often been involved in breeding exchanges to inject new blood into both clans. Given the length of their relationship, it is not uncommon for Shizuoka to look fairly Uchiha in appearance, though the Uchiha are careful to manage exchanges to prevent awakening of the Sharingan in a Shizuoka -- for multiple reasons.
Uchiha seeking to marry outside of the clan or its usual exchange clans will find that their intended spouses are subject to intense scrutiny extending beyond mere consideration of genetic viability. Individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the field are generally accepted; those who are politically valuable are as well, but not necessarily accorded equal respect if they are not also outstanding shinobi. Outside of the special instance of the Shizuoka, being part of a bloodline clan is not a plus, as it could affect the likelihood of the Sharingan breeding true. Children produced out of wedlock are taken in by the clan as a point of necessity to protect the bloodline, but those who do not activate the Sharingan are largely viewed as leeches on clan funds and treated as such.
Sharingan-Specific Abilities
It's a Xerox machine. It copies, prints, and faxes.
We'll start with the copy part of that. The Sharingan is a spinning red wheel of 'I will never forget what you just did'. This is meant in the most literal sense of the phrase, as when activated, anything seen with the eye will be imprinted permanently into the mind of the user. Some would claim that this is part of the cause for Sharingan users becoming so unstable, as the most common use of the Sharingan is in battle, but not all critics of the Uchiha agree with this theory.
Prints is next. As the above implies, once seen is always remembered. In situations where there is a jutsu involved, the chakra flows will show as colored threads to the perception of the Sharingan user, following the surface movements and allowing the user to replicate any jutsu that is not bloodline related. Some shinobi in prior wars have had the unfortunate experience of having their 'bloodline' jutsu outed due to an Uchiha suddenly being able to use it in the middle of battle, which quickly put an end to anyone trying to make such claims falsely. This does not mean that those clans that have been subjected to such circumstances do not still hold a grudge.
An added benefit to the color seeing part of the eye is that if you know the way someone's chakra usually flows over them, seeing it disrupted immediately alerts Sharingan users that someone is under a genjutsu. Similarly, any visual genjutsu are very hard to inflict on someone using their eyes in such a way.
Of course, in combat, the speed at which the jutsu is perceived often gives the illusion that the world is slowing down to a Sharingan user, thus allowing them to move in a way that makes it seem as though they're reading the minds of their opponents or moving before them, when in actuality, they're simply reading the intent in real time and responding as fast as they understand it.
Now for Faxing. The Sharingan has a remarkable hypnotic quality, which in turn makes genjutsu dramatically easier for someone with a Sharingan to use, and that much harder for the opponent of one of these to escape it. Not all hypnosis used in this way is used for genjutsu, as a bijuu would readily fall docile under a strong enough user, but that is the most common and accepted use. Thus, it is not so difficult for a sharingan user to project a genjutsu over someone, even if it's something as simple as making the time lag seem longer for their opponent to more effectively use their combat reading abilities to freak someone out.
Of course, that is not to say that the eye works strictly in the realm of perception. There are two jutsu that are rarely used because the eye used for them usually goes blind. These are Izanagi and Izanami. Izanagi warps time and reality, changing reality through an illusion that becomes real after being cast, usually to save one's life. Alternately, Izanami traps someone in a loop that makes them relive a situation repeatedly until they finally abide the caster's wishes. The latter of the two at times keeps someone trapped until they die, if they refuse to learn.
Someone who has a Sharingan naturally uses very little chakra to keep it active. However, this is not the case for non-Uchiha, who cannot turn it off, and also cannot stop a feed of chakra outside of what their body is prepared for thus leading to acute exhaustion with protracted use, a problem no Uchiha would ever have.
Mangekyou
Unlike the normal Sharingan, the Mangekyou Sharingan is highly destructive to the person who uses it until they go blind with the use of abilities given by it.
The abilities involved with this level of the eye vary from person to person, but it should be noted that genjutsu abilities with it are nearly inescapable, a dramatic contrast to the normal Sharingan. It should also be stated that the Mangekyou often comes with some form of ninjutsu or other reality changing skill. One dramatic example of this is Susanoo, which is a two eyed technique that protects the user. The abilities of each eye, however, vary, and thus would be up to the individual Uchiha to discover.
One way to avoid the issue of blindness would be to proceed on to the Eternal Mangekyou, which most Uchiha do not even know is an option. The reason why this is the case is that you must take the eyes of another Uchiha to reach this level, and they too must have been at the Mangekyou level. It will stop the deterioration, and give you the abilities of the other Uchiha, but ultimately is not a practice that will ever be encouraged.
Current Events
In the past year, the MP has taken steps to increase village security within their domain, with or without prompting from the Hokage's office. Patrol frequency has been upped, and shinobi have been more and more commonly required to carry ID or prove their identities even within the village; where possible, stricter standards for civilian goods and groups travelling in and out of the village have also been imposed. These steps have not endeared the MP to the population, civilian or ninja, but they fully intend to continue to tighten security in response to various breaches throughout the year.
Most recently, the clan head received the upsetting -- and upsettingly unsurprising -- news that his eldest son and heir is abdicating from his role. The closeness observed between Itachi and Obito and Itachi's general disinterest in the clan has led some of the biggest grumblers to suggest that the heir was targeted for pro-Konoha brainwashing. Most are more realistic and assume that his early departure from clan life was a mistake and prevented him from forming an adequate relationship with his clan. Once the news gets out that he has not only stepped down but will be moving away from the clan, however, there will be one voice of displeasure. This is a clan where kinship bonds are not just important but critical -- whatever internal politics may disrupt Fugaku's life and give him ulcers, they are still invested in presenting a unified whole to the outside world.
History
The Uchiha bloodline is old as balls. Their complete lineage -- the complicated history of early chakra war and what most now consider to be origin myth -- is known mostly to the clan head and permanent council seats, passed down within those families. The rest of the clan is taught lineage from the warring states period through their role in the founding of Konoha and are accordingly proud, sometimes accused of being prideful.
The Uchiha were the wildcard of the alliance that built Konoha. A long history of killing and being killed by the village's other founding clan was not viewed favourably by the Senju, and although they ultimately did settle in the village, they were viewed with suspicion by many. The clan suspiciously viewed the village right back, and through the time of the Second Hokage still presented a sufficient flight (or worse) risk to give him many a headache over whether he could trust the group or not.
On the clan's side, they felt slighted in precedence upon the establishment of the Hokageship as -- if not a bloodline -- a clear lineage of ideology. Although they had been promised equal standing by the First, they found quickly that this was no guarantee under another less friendly Hokage, and saw no reason to expect that the next kage would be any more inclined to support the clan. The Uchiha tendency to close ranks under pressure did not help endear them to the village, and they provided an unpopular military police and widely feared field shinobi right up until the third shinobi world war, when the Fourth made the first efforts to bring them more closely into the village fold.
Given the lack of physical wall between the Uchiha and the village, the division between clan and village was at once less obvious and more insidious, running on a deep force of habit and culture. It was not until the closer wartime relationship between Uchiha forces and the rest of the village's shinobi that the majority of the clan spent significant time with non-Uchiha, and to this day there is an unavoidable (no pun intended) clannishness. However, the Fourth's friendly overtures and recognition of the clan's contributions to the war effort and village security did some work to thaw relations between Uchiha and village. The current Hokage, albeit an atypical and thus not a proper Uchiha himself, being from the clan has helped accord some status as well, though this is sometimes viewed askance given his blatantly un-Uchiha behaviour.
These days, the clan is viewed with somewhat less fear. This is not necessarily a plus for a clan that prides itself on its combat capabilities, but it has made it easier for them to function within the village. They still function as the military police, handling both "domestic" crimes and village security against outside threat. They are also required to serve as police for Konoha's civilians (a tedious job that many of the Uchiha MP disilke), as well as fire and other disaster relief forces. Intra-Konoha-nin crimes are their field, and they are diligent in law enforcement.
Their work as the MP occasionally intersects with ANBU's work within and without the village; the Uchiha are generally obliged to hand over cases that begin to touch on higher clearance-level intel, as well as any cases that turn out to involve intervillage conflicts. This has chafed in the past, as they have been sometimes seen as ninja who handle petty conflicts instead of the real work of shinobi life. A few generations have helped accustom them to this role, at least in the sense of smoother transitions and established paperwork. Still, given their pride in their battlefield abilities, handing cases over to ANBU can still rankle. Conversely, ANBU will sometimes turn cases over to the MP if they appear to be intra-Konoha-nin only; this annoys both parties involved, as ANBU is not used to handing over cases, and the Uchiha find it sometimes rankling to be given the dregs of ANBU investigations.
Through their role as police for civilians, the clan has an unusually close finger on the pulse of life on non-shinobi side of things both in the village and in the country as a whole. When civilians (or non-civilians unaffiliated with Konoha) fetch up at or against the village walls, it falls to the MP to locate them, vet them for any potential threats, and send them on their way. As such, they tend to notice general unease more quickly than the average mission-based ninja.
Characteristics
Appearance
The clan's hereditary doujutsu, the Sharingan, manifests as red irises with up to three tomoe surrounding the regular pupil. When inactive, Uchiha eyes vary from almost-black browns and greys to black. They are all dark-haired and dark-eyed; there is a distinct Uchiha 'look'. Uchiha who marry outside the clan and produce significantly un-Uchiha offspring can be of some consternation to bloodline experts within the clan, but new blood generally integrates quickly into the normal bloodline appearance.
Many in the clan wear an admittedly silly looking shirt with a high collar. These are emblazoned on the back with the Uchiha crest,which is a red and white fan. Most things that belong to clan members are emblazoned with the Uchiha fan. There are rumours that even their underwear is obliged to bear the crest, but these cannot be confirmed or denied.
There are varying levels of informal outfits that all roughly follow this design. Everyday wear usually involves a high-collared T-shirt with light pants. Mission gear includes more durable versions of the same shirt, and whatever amount of weapons storage happens to be required. Uchiha who go into ANBU (very unusual) will wear the ANBU uniform to avoid being identified, of course. Formal events require kimono (blessedly without the collar); most clan members will wear three-crested kimono on special occasions and only bust out the five-crested ones at weddings and funerals. The clan head's family wears five-crested kimono on all special occasions.
MP on duty wear armbands with the crest of the military police, a straight-pointed shuriken with an Uchiha fan in the centre.
Families or individuals in mourning wear a plain white armband on their dominant arms.
Traits
The Uchiha are known to be violently protective of kin. It is quite literally how they get stronger. Blood is true and kin is all. There are individuals whose loyalty to the village trumps their loyalty to the clan, but if it is obvious, they are rarely the most trusted people in the clan. Still, it is extremely rare that an Uchiha is ever disinherited or evicted from the clan, not least of which being because they would carry the bloodline with them.
Because activation of the Sharingan is closely tied to loss, grief, fear, anger, and other intense emotions, the clan has something of a reputation for producing shinobi that tend to get more unstable the stronger they are.
Although it is becoming somewhat outmoded, eye contact is important body language to older Uchiha. Direct eye contact can indicate trust or fear, given that there are several Sharingan techniques that rely on eye contact. Similarly, an individual making a point of avoiding eye contact may do so to express a lack of trust. More rarely, averted eyes are used to indicate a level of respect far beyond the ordinary, communicating that the individual feels unworthy of regard. The younger generation of Uchiha, raised in less insecurity, are more or less aware of these conventions but are less likely to adhere to them strictly.
In times of extreme emotion, the Sharingan can sometimes activate involuntarily. This is more common in younger Sharingan-users who are less in control of their emotions; adult Uchiha rarely allow themselves to appear so visibly affected.
Customs
Although it is administered with varying levels of formality by families, it is considered an unofficial coming-of-age ritual for an Uchiha to master the basic Katon jutsu. Only those who have demonstrated mastery of this technique are considered 'full' Uchiha, ready to move into proper shinobi training. This technique is usually taught at or around Academy graduation; those who mastered Katon jutsu at a younger age are considered advanced.
Uchiha weddings are a formal ceremony followed by a party where everyone congratulates the bride and groom and wishes them many Sharingan-eyed babies. There's probably fire, and probably alcohol, which makes Uchiha weddings events that can require the police or fire department. Fortunately, those are mostly run by Uchiha, so services are provided at no cost (not always something kindly looked-upon by Konoha's finance department). They are generally not whole-clan events given how large the clan is; on occasions where children of prominent families wed, they are sometimes attendance-optional (no need to cancel scheduled missions) clan-wide shindigs. The marriage of an heir apparent is of some import, but even then might not be cause for mandatory attendance unless the spouse-to-be is of significant political standing.
The Uchiha mourning ritual used to be an annual display of defiance and strength, with a lantern created for every death, set afloat in the ocean, and lit by Katon. The boats burn out shortly after being lit for practicality and symbolism; life is short, but clan will guide you into it and out of it. Within the village, this is a more subdued ceremony, observed by immediate kin rather than on a schedule except in cases of key individuals in the clan (head, elders). It now takes place on the portion of the Nakano that flows by the Uchiha shrine. One lantern is lit per family.
Attitudes and Beliefs
The Uchiha exist in varying levels of unease with regards to their home village. After Madara left the clan, though some argue he was expelled, way back in the day, they made efforts to integrate into the running of the village; the Second's possibly well-intentioned use of them as the village's police force, and thereby marking them as distinct from (and to some, set up in opposition to), the rest of the village drove a wedge between them and the wider village population that remains in place, albeit to a lessened degree, today. After several generations of clashing with the village in their duty as the MP -- and Uchiha take duty seriously -- there was finally some movement toward further integration under the Fourth, following closeness between clan and village necessitated by the war of attrition. Improved relations have come at a slow and unsteady pace, with plenty of opposition from clan members who hold mistreatment and ostracization in living memory, and pass that resentment on to younger generations. Even young Uchiha in the Academy are somewhat notoriously defensive of their clan reputation and name, and have been known to occasionally misdirect a Katon when provoked.
The Fourth made what might have been a good PR move in selecting an Uchiha for his team, but the clan wondered extremely about his choice of Obito -- a heretofore non-standout, and someone whose parents had moved out of clan quarters when he was very young, something he did not remedy after their death, and was therefore subject to suspicion. When a non-Uchiha on the team got a free Sharingan, their worst fears seemed to have been realised; the clan being integrated into mainstream village life only to serve as a Sharingan factory. As the years went by and that did not happen -- and Kakashi appeared to be an excellent ninja, even contrite about the whole eyeball business -- ruffled feathers smoothed down, but only slightly. Obito was widely regarded as something of a black sheep in the clan.
When he returned as an adult prior making his bid for Hokage, his overtures toward restoring his clan connections were viewed with a mixture of skepticism and amusement; an Uchiha Hokage seemed highly unlikely, and in any case this one was surely brainwashed by Konoha through Minato's sensei-lineage. Given that Uchiha are rarely, if ever, disowned, he was accepted more as an inevitability than a welcome breath of fresh air, though his successful selection as Hokage raised eyebrows in a way that was perhaps not all bad. Still, his close ties to the Senju and obvious preference for the previous Hokage's family to his own clan meant that although the clan was happy to acknowledge the first Uchiha Hokage, there were still plenty who argued that he only succeeded by downplaying his Uchiha heritage except when stumping for the clan's vote.
The current situation has therefore led to a very nominally two-pronged set of opinions in the clan. There are those who are cautiously optimistic about the move into the village that the Fourth initiated, and equally cautiously optimistic about potentially having the ear of a Hokage. These people are hoping that working more closely with Konoha will help dissolve some of the unavoidable walls that build up between a policed population and the policing population. There are others, the majority, who remain insistent on clan traditions and point to history with jaundiced eyes.
Governance Structure
The Uchiha are fairly egalitarian. There is a hereditary family clan headship, and some traditional family focuses (e.g. blacksmiths or NINJA ACCOUNTANTS), but otherwise leadership can flex depending on who proves stronger or wiser in the field. A council of elders and experts advises the clan head; some of these positions are hereditary, but attaining membership on the council is far from impossible. Some of the non-hereditary positions on the council are rotating -- one individual might hold it for a set number of quarters before the role is given to another.
Although this governance structure is designed to encourage representation throughout the clan, the primary focus of this representation is to ensure that all clan members are properly cared for; to the outside world, the clan head speaks for the clan. It is rare for individuals to break from this unified face shown to non-Uchiha.
Finances
The Uchiha are not a small clan, but the majority of them end up employed with the military police after an obligatory few years of fieldwork to get standard shinobi experience. Thus, their mission-earning population is a lower proportion of clan income than other clans. This makes the clan budget a little tighter than others, given that the MP is a taxpayer-funded institution (with a not inconsiderable percentage of operation costs fielded by the Uchiha themselves). This can cause resentment within the clan, as they view the MP as a key component of village security and can see any budget cuts from the Hokage's office as an affront.
They do have supplemental clan income -- see below -- but they're far from the wealthiest clan in the village, given that much of that income is dedicated to supporting their regular function. Uchiha homes are graceful more than lavish, even that of the clan head's family, but the clan makes every effort to ensure that their people appear well-kept, as befitting a key clan of Konoha.
Clan Fund
The clan fund is used to support the clan. All Uchiha pay a clan tax after their Konoha tax (some 10%) on mission pay and MP salaries; these monies go into the clan fund along with rents collected from land holdings. The clan fund is used for annual budget needs (Academy enrollment costs, outfitting clan members, putting the Uchiha fan on every item of clothing), but a significant portion of it is also dedicated to serving as a social security net for Uchiha.
In the event a shinobi dies before a set retirement age and leaves behind dependents, a dispensation is paid to family in quarterly increments to supplement whatever savings the family had. Dispensation is scaled to a modest percentage of the average take-home pay per quarter at the time of death. In the case of underage orphans left behind without a will stipulating specific family arrangements for their care, they will in most cases be assigned to the closest relative and the dispensation directed to that relative for the duration of the orphan's residence in their home. The funds are also managed in order to provide adequate living stipends for retirees, whether from the MP or from regular shinobi life. Individuals unable to continue in shinobi work can also draw a stipend.
Uchiha who don't make the cut as shinobi are generally expected to work in some clan-based function, whether in support of finances, smithing, or other supporting role. Where education or training is required that cannot be provided within the clan, the clan fund can be drawn on (with approval) to pay costs that the individual cannot personally afford.
Active-duty shinobi under the age of majority (18, following Konoha's regulations) have a larger cut of their mission pay (15% instead of the usual 10%) taken by the clan fund. These monies are either paid to the individual's parents, to be managed and turned over to them on their 18th birthday, or in cases where there are no parents, are managed directly by the clan fund and disbursed upon attainment of majority. This is to prevent squandering of money by new-minted ninja.
Pensions work in a similar way once Uchiha pass their 18th birthday; the amount they contribute to their retirement fund is optional, but the more they put away, the more handsome their pension is upon retirement. Although it is perhaps not typical for active-duty shinobi to put much thought to retirement, the large percentage of Uchiha who work within the MP means that a somewhat higher percentage live to an older age, which makes this function necessary. There is lingering resentment from other clans and unaffiliated shinobi in the village for these "cushy" positions.
Inheritance passed on within families is possible and does happen, but the clan will tax inheritance at the same rate as regular pay if taken as a lump sum; i.e. if your mum dies and leaves you 1M ryo and you take it all at once, prepare to have the clan scoop 100,000 (10%) off the top. To encourage responsible living, the clan takes a smaller cut if inheritance is spread out over time, so if you take your 1M inheritance spread out over ten years or more, the clan will only take a 5% annual percentage.
In the case of an Uchiha sentenced for a crime in a way that removes them from active duty, dispensation is still provided for dependents, but any personal savings are confiscated. This discourages crime but maintains standard of living for any dependent children who are on track to becoming shinobi.
Finally, the clan fund is also sometimes used as a bank for small loans to clan members, e.g. to improve a house or start a business. Loan repayment schedules and interest rates are pretty good since it's not like you can slip away unnoticed from your relatives.
As with land titles and for much the same reasons, the clan fund is held in civilian financial institutions. There are rumours that not all of these institutions are in Fire. As the clan has observed instability in the world, more and more of the fund has been transferred to cash, ready for immediate use.
The Uchiha security net may or may not be a common structure for other clans. The Uchiha are highly dedicated to their kin, and place a huge priority on making sure that all Uchiha are sufficiently cared for.
The clan fund is managed by NINJA ACCOUNTANTS.
Assets
The Uchiha arrived to the bargain that founded Konoha as nomads without much by way of land holdings (except for Obligatory Sekrit Bases, which are still theirs but largely unused), but some of the more money-minded clan members saw opportunity as soon as their physical location seemed stable. Uchiha-owned lands are patchworked through the immediate rural "suburbs" of Konoha, but also in more far-reaching areas as well -- the further from the village, the older the holding, as these were likely purchased early in their relationship with Konoha when distrust was higher.
A large percentage of land purchases far from the village were made during the Second Hokage's reign, when the clan found themselves tied down to it in function. To a lesser extent, there were also some purchases of land within the village, areas immediately adjacent to the existing district, mostly for practical purposes as the clan expanded. A third wave of purchasing outside the village occurred after the third shinobi world war and was focused somewhat closer to Konoha, a demonstration of a slight growth in confidence in their status within the village.
However, initial distrust, lingering distrust, and force of habit means that all Uchiha land holdings are entailed through civilian courts and not through Konoha. The land is held by the clan as a whole and not by individuals, and though the clan head can initiate sales or transfers, approval from a council of elders and prominent families is required to fully authorize a sale. The land purchasing budget (and all other budgets for that matter) gets decided annually, through vigorous debate, by those who handle the clan finances, the clan head, and the sitting council of the year.
Because all Uchiha land holdings are held through civilian contracts, none of the land is considered part of Konoha. Those areas within the village boundaries could technically be confiscated by the Hokage's office, however.
Land use is mixed. Much of the land held in Konoha's immediate civilian areas is used for agriculture. Some of the more distant holdings are in civilian towns and are meant for commercial use. Within Konoha, excepting the areas where the Uchiha actually live, most of the land is for commercial use. The purpose of maintaining these holdings is to supplement mission-based income and cover MP operating costs not met by the budget Konoha allocates to it. Rents collected from tenants go to the general clan fund, which is used for anything from widow/widower pensions to orphan care, school/weaponry/armour supplies to extra-budget items for the MP.
The clan fund is invested into new land, but all clan holdings are real estate or cash, given that there is not much of a financial market in Konoha or any of the feudal civilian economies.
Location and Population
While the Uchiha live in a semi-integrated fashion with the rest of the village; most of their homes are clustered in one area around the military police headquarters. This is largely for convenience, since the bulk of them work in some police-related capacity. It is also to retain the usefulness of the clan's traditionally tight-knit kinship network. It's much easier to nip across to your auntie's to borrow a cup of sugar if she lives in the house down the street.
Uchiha grow up surrounded by clan; the district has been established since they joined the village and has remained very solidly Uchiha-inhabited since the beginning. Given how deeply suspect they were at the founding of Konoha, non-Uchiha had no desire to live near them; their reputation over the years as MP and continued objects of suspicion did not make the area any more attractive for non-clan. As a result, there have been times when adjacent property values were not high, and there was an ironic swell of crime in the parts of the village closest to MP HQ. Since the Fourth's attempt to give them more equal village duties and the growth of the MP in response to village growth, these formerly high-crime areas have become more secure.
It's highly unusual for an Uchiha to live outside the Uchiha district. By and large these are people are usually making a symbolic move, disassociating with the clan for various reasons. As long as they're not in some way disgraced, they're still entitled to draw upon clan support and funds, but these folks are generally viewed with some suspicion within the clan -- after all, why voluntarily leave the support of one's kin?
The clan is large, but it is not the largest clan in the village by far. The visibility of their population is largely due to their constant presence in the village as the MP; there is a general impression that the clan is bigger than it is, and the clan does not particularly seek to counter that impression.
Abilities and Affinities
Not all Uchiha activate the Sharingan, but all Uchiha are trained as if they might. Uchiha children, like many other clan children, generally enter the Academy later than non-clan peers; they receive several years of training in basic forms and chakra theory from experts within the clan. Because their training starts so young, they are typically very proficient in taijutsu (barring exceptional circumstances such as illness). They are also trained for speed, as the body must move quickly enough to manage visual input from the Sharingan. Uchiha children are taught to fight blind in the event of either stolen eyes or prematurely destroyed ones.
The Uchiha taijutsu style is notable mostly for having no notable characteristics. Its primary function is to allow a dramatic degree of flexibility, permitting an individual with the Sharingan to adapt to newly-assimilated information at the drop of a hat.
The clan as a whole tends to have a fire affinity. It is true that a significant majority of the clan is born with fire as at least one nature; given, however, that one of the semi-official rites of passage for Uchiha require mastery of Katon techniques, even those who are not natural fire-users will attain familiarity with Katon jutsu. Barring the occasional exception, Uchiha are proficient in fire-based jutsu.
Bloodline
Uchiha have the ability to awaken the Sharingan, a powerful eye-based bloodline (doujutsu). Not all Uchiha awaken the ability; those that do usually do so through an experience of loss or near-loss, though other heightened emotions can cause this to happen as well. The doujutsu is developed and advanced through further experiences of emotion, often loss or something closely related to that though it varies with the Uchiha in question. As such, the clan has something of a reputation for producing shinobi that are more unstable the stronger they are. Times were, Uchiha could awaken the final form, the Mangekyou, through feeling responsible for the death of the individual most important to them. These days this ability is much rarer.
There is a further evolution from the Mangeyou, the Eternal Mangekyou, but it is unacceptable within the clan, and thus the information on how to attain it is not shared, nor is the attainment of it brought to the attention of the younger generations of Uchiha. No one wants Uchiha to start plucking out the eyes of their loved ones for their own use, after all.
Those who do activate the Sharingan have a natural defense against genjutsu, but anything more complex than that depends on the individual. The Sharingan's primary weakness when it comes to genjutsu is that eye contact must be made if attempting to use Sharingan-based genjutsu (regular illusion functions as it would for anyone else). It accords advantage in taijutsu, as the lowest level Sharingan is able to perceive movement at a higher level and anticipate actions to some extent. Because it has the ability to copy non-bloodline jutsu, Uchiha are trained to be flexible in both taijutsu style and manipulation of elements, though most are born fire-natured or taught fire proficiency.
The Sharingan is so easily transferable that it can be yanked from an eye socket and popped into another without obvious ill-effect. It's basically plug'n'play. The Uchiha are predictably deeply unhappy with this. The circumstances of Kakashi's acquiring a Sharingan were subject to considerable scrutiny, and Kakashi himself suffered a long period of Uchiha animus before he proved himself an adequate carrier of the ability. Even so, that he has retained it instead of returning it to its proper owner, regardless of any claimed attempts to do just that in the past, remains a point of contention within the clan, and Obito was given the unusual grant of an eye from a dead Uchiha largely out of affronted clan pride. Non-Uchiha shinobi seen with Uchiha eyes are targets for elimination with extreme prejudice; if located, the Hokage that would prevent an Uchiha taskforce dedicated to eradication will not be a popular one.
This bloodline is so well-known that it's something of a coveted collector's item. Only through vigorous efforts and the clan's reputation for seeking merciless revenge is it not widespread outside of the clan.
The Uchiha protect the Sharingan, but given how easily one can be implanted, the concern is less in cases of breeding and more with cases of the simple stealing of eyeballs. A stolen eyeball cannot breed another one, so it is not alarming for reproductive purposes, but clan members who awaken the Sharingan are invariably instructed in how to prevent any from falling into enemy eye-sockets and possibly being studied. There are last-ditch jutsu taught that destroy the eyes, to be used in cases of certain death, which is taught after one activates their doujutsu. It is very strongly impressed on all Uchiha that this is a last resort. It is highly unusual to receive replacement eyes, not least of which being because of a lack of supply.
Inheritance
The "Sharingan gene" is epistatic, found on a separate chromosome that has an effect on other chromosomes pertaining to ocular abilities. This is why transplanted eyes can work in other people's sockets.
The infrequency of activation is because the gene is also epigenetic, relying on an environmental trigger to become fully expressed -- in the Uchiha, this trigger is tied to strong emotions of loss or near loss. Finally, the Sharingan is also recessive-mutant; as a consequence, marrying out of the clan generally drastically lowers the chances of mixed-offspring being able to activate the doujutsu, regardless of gender. However, this does mean that some mixed children who do not express the doujutsu can still be carriers of the gene.
A non-Uchiha person can have three combinations of the same gene: epistatic normal/dominant, normal/recessive, or mutant/recessive gene where the sharingan/recessive on an Uchiha would reside. In marriages where one partner is not 'full' Uchiha, a combination of at least normal/recessive and Sharingan/recessive is needed to be able to express the trait. An Uchiha needs to marry someone carrying a normal/recessive epistatic gene for the offspring to have any chance of being able to express it, though they can still be carriers.
Mutations occur prenatally within the already mutant gene, with two primary cell lines -- one that results in the ability to use a diverse range of doujutsu (like Itachi, Sasuke and Madara), and another that allows the user to use specific and/or unique doujutsu (like Obito and Shisui).
[with thanks to Taiba for science]
Why it Looks Like That
The Sharingan is unlike any other eye formation in the Elemental Countries. The reason for this is that, unlike any other kind of eye, a Sharingan has moving pieces that do not stay with the rest of the eyeball while being in motion.
The Sharingan doesn't spin 360 in the eye socket, even though the tomoe of an activated Sharingan might spin, and sometimes spin very quickly. This is because the tomoe are on a separate layer of the iris which activation of the Sharingan the first time develops stem cells into. The layer is designed to protect the eye from chakra damage, and only activate each subsequent tomoe as they connect to the appropriate chakra pathways in the brain to activate previously unused nerves deep in the eye. This also accounts for the blood red color, as the detachment allows a very small amount of blood to fill the gap under the tomoe over the iris, obscuring the natural color and making the tomoe appear black due to the application of blood and chakra in the area.
However, this in and of itself is not dangerous for a Sharingan user, as there is a set pathway where the tomoe to spin over the iris to keep damage from direct chakra application from occurring. This is in direct contrast to the Hyuuga who suffer consequences from using their chakra in such a way if they hold their eyes active for too long.
The pathway over tomoe travel is incredibly important to how the Sharingan itself works, given each tomoe's addition along this path gives a different sort of perception, be it a seeming slowing of time, or an awareness of chakra to the visual spectrum that is only usable when chakra is being fed to the eyes. When the chakra is retracted, so too does the blood return to the inside of the eye, allowing the tomoe to return to their natural position and their seemingly black color to return to normal. Since the tomoe are naturally the same color, being made of the same iris themselves originally, they are not visible in this state.
The Mangekyou Sharingan, which destroys the simple pathway that the basic tomoe rested over when they were initially released, is a different animal entirely. Due to how it's activated, and the shock of chakra that comes with the connection of this level of Sharingan, there is an immediate spread of damage. At times, the pupil itself is partially obscured with blood in the new pattern that forms from parts of the iris that shouldn't be involved, and during others, this is not the case, but in the stall of movement there is more damage to the eye in general.
The body, unfortunately, cannot tell the difference, and in attempting to recommence the protective spin while this is being used, applies more chakra, thus starting a steady decline in vision as the eye's chakra pathways are burned from the outside in. Even as this is going on, it connects more nerves within the eye to heighten what can be done, thus making the user seem to pick up more of what is going on, and be more effective in their hypnosis and genjutsu, even as normal vision starts to go. The body, unable to repair the damage, tries to compensate by flushing more blood into the eyes, which is why bloody tears after use start to occur when the damage is severe enough.
Ultimately, this leads to blindness. The solution, however, is switching eyes with someone else who is similarly afflicted, as the mutual damage will actually allow for sight to be stabilized, and even fixed back up to a higher level. This is called the Eternal Mangekyou.
The body, on receiving a new set of eyes, will immediately try to connect to them and activate its stem cells again for a short time, allowing the damage to heal. In doing so, new connections will be forged, and the pathways that the body had accepted from its own, previous, Mangekyou, will be imprinted over the new eye in a controlled fashion as an attempt to repair it. Because the eye in question did not actually belong to the person who is healing the damage originally, this means that there will already be a pattern of damage, thus resulting in the phenomena where neither pattern survives the healing, and instead a new one is formed.
This new pattern will be entirely stable, working much like the initial movement of the tomoe over the iris that the first stage of the Sharingan has, allowing a free spin without chakra being burned into the pathways of the eye. Unfortunately, replacing the eyes is not enough to fix damage previously accrued to the mind by errant chakra due to the way the eyes were activated and used.
Breeding
Breeding is managed by bloodline experts, though strictly arranged marriages are only common in really prominent families. Within the clan, these experts keep extensive family records in order to ensure that inbreeding does not become detrimental; they will also recommend bringing in new blood where necessary. The Shizuoka (not always known by this name), a clan that traditionally followed the Uchiha, have often been involved in breeding exchanges to inject new blood into both clans. Given the length of their relationship, it is not uncommon for Shizuoka to look fairly Uchiha in appearance, though the Uchiha are careful to manage exchanges to prevent awakening of the Sharingan in a Shizuoka -- for multiple reasons.
Uchiha seeking to marry outside of the clan or its usual exchange clans will find that their intended spouses are subject to intense scrutiny extending beyond mere consideration of genetic viability. Individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the field are generally accepted; those who are politically valuable are as well, but not necessarily accorded equal respect if they are not also outstanding shinobi. Outside of the special instance of the Shizuoka, being part of a bloodline clan is not a plus, as it could affect the likelihood of the Sharingan breeding true. Children produced out of wedlock are taken in by the clan as a point of necessity to protect the bloodline, but those who do not activate the Sharingan are largely viewed as leeches on clan funds and treated as such.
Sharingan-Specific Abilities
It's a Xerox machine. It copies, prints, and faxes.
We'll start with the copy part of that. The Sharingan is a spinning red wheel of 'I will never forget what you just did'. This is meant in the most literal sense of the phrase, as when activated, anything seen with the eye will be imprinted permanently into the mind of the user. Some would claim that this is part of the cause for Sharingan users becoming so unstable, as the most common use of the Sharingan is in battle, but not all critics of the Uchiha agree with this theory.
Prints is next. As the above implies, once seen is always remembered. In situations where there is a jutsu involved, the chakra flows will show as colored threads to the perception of the Sharingan user, following the surface movements and allowing the user to replicate any jutsu that is not bloodline related. Some shinobi in prior wars have had the unfortunate experience of having their 'bloodline' jutsu outed due to an Uchiha suddenly being able to use it in the middle of battle, which quickly put an end to anyone trying to make such claims falsely. This does not mean that those clans that have been subjected to such circumstances do not still hold a grudge.
An added benefit to the color seeing part of the eye is that if you know the way someone's chakra usually flows over them, seeing it disrupted immediately alerts Sharingan users that someone is under a genjutsu. Similarly, any visual genjutsu are very hard to inflict on someone using their eyes in such a way.
Of course, in combat, the speed at which the jutsu is perceived often gives the illusion that the world is slowing down to a Sharingan user, thus allowing them to move in a way that makes it seem as though they're reading the minds of their opponents or moving before them, when in actuality, they're simply reading the intent in real time and responding as fast as they understand it.
Now for Faxing. The Sharingan has a remarkable hypnotic quality, which in turn makes genjutsu dramatically easier for someone with a Sharingan to use, and that much harder for the opponent of one of these to escape it. Not all hypnosis used in this way is used for genjutsu, as a bijuu would readily fall docile under a strong enough user, but that is the most common and accepted use. Thus, it is not so difficult for a sharingan user to project a genjutsu over someone, even if it's something as simple as making the time lag seem longer for their opponent to more effectively use their combat reading abilities to freak someone out.
Of course, that is not to say that the eye works strictly in the realm of perception. There are two jutsu that are rarely used because the eye used for them usually goes blind. These are Izanagi and Izanami. Izanagi warps time and reality, changing reality through an illusion that becomes real after being cast, usually to save one's life. Alternately, Izanami traps someone in a loop that makes them relive a situation repeatedly until they finally abide the caster's wishes. The latter of the two at times keeps someone trapped until they die, if they refuse to learn.
Someone who has a Sharingan naturally uses very little chakra to keep it active. However, this is not the case for non-Uchiha, who cannot turn it off, and also cannot stop a feed of chakra outside of what their body is prepared for thus leading to acute exhaustion with protracted use, a problem no Uchiha would ever have.
Mangekyou
Unlike the normal Sharingan, the Mangekyou Sharingan is highly destructive to the person who uses it until they go blind with the use of abilities given by it.
The abilities involved with this level of the eye vary from person to person, but it should be noted that genjutsu abilities with it are nearly inescapable, a dramatic contrast to the normal Sharingan. It should also be stated that the Mangekyou often comes with some form of ninjutsu or other reality changing skill. One dramatic example of this is Susanoo, which is a two eyed technique that protects the user. The abilities of each eye, however, vary, and thus would be up to the individual Uchiha to discover.
One way to avoid the issue of blindness would be to proceed on to the Eternal Mangekyou, which most Uchiha do not even know is an option. The reason why this is the case is that you must take the eyes of another Uchiha to reach this level, and they too must have been at the Mangekyou level. It will stop the deterioration, and give you the abilities of the other Uchiha, but ultimately is not a practice that will ever be encouraged.
Current Events
In the past year, the MP has taken steps to increase village security within their domain, with or without prompting from the Hokage's office. Patrol frequency has been upped, and shinobi have been more and more commonly required to carry ID or prove their identities even within the village; where possible, stricter standards for civilian goods and groups travelling in and out of the village have also been imposed. These steps have not endeared the MP to the population, civilian or ninja, but they fully intend to continue to tighten security in response to various breaches throughout the year.
Most recently, the clan head received the upsetting -- and upsettingly unsurprising -- news that his eldest son and heir is abdicating from his role. The closeness observed between Itachi and Obito and Itachi's general disinterest in the clan has led some of the biggest grumblers to suggest that the heir was targeted for pro-Konoha brainwashing. Most are more realistic and assume that his early departure from clan life was a mistake and prevented him from forming an adequate relationship with his clan. Once the news gets out that he has not only stepped down but will be moving away from the clan, however, there will be one voice of displeasure. This is a clan where kinship bonds are not just important but critical -- whatever internal politics may disrupt Fugaku's life and give him ulcers, they are still invested in presenting a unified whole to the outside world.