Some are a kekkei genkai — a bloodline limit. Those cannot be learned by those outside the clan.
( except in particular cases, such as ao's byakugan, stolen from a main house hyūga in the third war. but he has no desire to imply the possibility of such transfer in her mind when the sharingan has always been so highly sought itself. it is less out of mistrust for sabriel specifically and more that he would prefer to jealously guard that secret against anyone seeking to learn it — after all, danzō's covetous nature towards the mangekyō is what lead shisui to his death. )
Others are techniques that could be learned with instruction. The flame barrier I used for the wards was created by one of my clan's forebears. One would not be able to use it to its full effectiveness without a fire-aligned chakra nature and considerable chakra resources of one's own, but that is its only restriction.
I see. Something like the powers of the Great Charter bloodlines, then while others are simply advanced skills kept within the family.
[Basic, easily learned skills would be the first to pass into general knowledge- but advanced magic, something known only to a few, was easier to keep secret.]
Have divisions between clans faded, since the introduction of the academy?
（ he makes a soft, thoughtful mm as he too reaches to top off his cup, steadying the pot deftly as he pours. ）
Some have. Others rifts have deepened. There is no perfect solution that suits every situation and meets every need, and there is considerable arrogance among the older clans that prevents them from seeing the reality of the present day clearly. Many live in the past — remembering old glory or feuds.
（ like his father. there's no trace of bitterness in how he says it — he's far too accomplished a liar for that. ）
However, the academy has done much to equalize the playing field between those of powerful bloodlines and those who come from very little, with no vast cache of knowledge and techniques to pass down.
（ sakumo hatake was famed as the white fang of konoha, but he was not born from a great clan, nor possessed of a kekkei genkai. yet, he was feared for a reason, and his son was easily the most skilled shinobi of his generation. talent can come from anywhere, and he has never agreed with the arrogance of the clans. ）
And I'm sure that the fact that there are exceptional individuals of no particular background offends the pride of those clans- unless they try to adopt those individuals, or marry them into their clans?
[It certainly wasn't unheard of for Ancelstierrian families of noble heritage to marry their sons and daughters to men and women with no family name but recently acquired wealth. Especially of those old families have little wealth of their own.]
Or do they still try to keep themselves separate and above the rest? Although if they're able to live in the past... I take it that means that at least there isn't a war?
[Because indulging in nostalgia while there was a war on sounded outright suicidal.]
（ he turns one hand palm-up in a benign shrug. she isn't wrong. shisui's own mother was an example of someone of prodigious skill brought into the clan to produce an uchiha heir. ）
There hasn't been a fullscale war since I was a child. However, border skirmishes and clandestine attacks are not uncommon.
（ konoha is a prosperous, resource-wealthy nation. is there little wonder the others have rallied against them? out of desperation, jealousy, a desire for revenge? he understands how these feelings can shape a man, and men are the ones who shape nations, for good or ill. one needs only look at how sunagakure was transformed by its jinchūriki leader since the days of the yondaime kazekage, or the changes made underneath the current mizukage, mei. the blood mist village that birthed kisame and zabuza and jūzō has — if not ceased to exist — at least been deeply buried in her attempts at reformation. yet, amegakure, under ōnoki, has hired the akatsuki enough to satiate even kakuzu's lust for money. and so the pendulum sways.
peace can never hold. believing such is an impossible dream. for all that he was a dreamer once, he has been too long in the cold and bloody reality. ）
[Gold, land... you can't take any of those things into Death. And Sabriel's more aware than most of how the consequences of mass death can linger long after the blood has dried and the bodies have started to rot.]
Especially when others are the ones being made to pay the price.
（ it is a human impulse. perhaps the oldest one — in times of resource scarcity, even distant human ancestors would eat their own to live. is that any different than killing each other over gold or arable land? ）
Do you have other questions for me?
（ there's no mistaking her curiosity as retaliatory, and he does not mind it. it's easy to lie about anything meaningful to him. ）
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[Sabriel could imagine it in both cases- both skills that should not be shared, and ones that could not.
Didn't hew own family have both, after all?]
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( except in particular cases, such as ao's byakugan, stolen from a main house hyūga in the third war. but he has no desire to imply the possibility of such transfer in her mind when the sharingan has always been so highly sought itself. it is less out of mistrust for sabriel specifically and more that he would prefer to jealously guard that secret against anyone seeking to learn it — after all, danzō's covetous nature towards the mangekyō is what lead shisui to his death. )
Others are techniques that could be learned with instruction. The flame barrier I used for the wards was created by one of my clan's forebears. One would not be able to use it to its full effectiveness without a fire-aligned chakra nature and considerable chakra resources of one's own, but that is its only restriction.
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[Basic, easily learned skills would be the first to pass into general knowledge- but advanced magic, something known only to a few, was easier to keep secret.]
Have divisions between clans faded, since the introduction of the academy?
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Some have. Others rifts have deepened. There is no perfect solution that suits every situation and meets every need, and there is considerable arrogance among the older clans that prevents them from seeing the reality of the present day clearly. Many live in the past — remembering old glory or feuds.
（ like his father. there's no trace of bitterness in how he says it — he's far too accomplished a liar for that. ）
However, the academy has done much to equalize the playing field between those of powerful bloodlines and those who come from very little, with no vast cache of knowledge and techniques to pass down.
（ sakumo hatake was famed as the white fang of konoha, but he was not born from a great clan, nor possessed of a kekkei genkai. yet, he was feared for a reason, and his son was easily the most skilled shinobi of his generation. talent can come from anywhere, and he has never agreed with the arrogance of the clans. ）
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[It certainly wasn't unheard of for Ancelstierrian families of noble heritage to marry their sons and daughters to men and women with no family name but recently acquired wealth. Especially of those old families have little wealth of their own.]
Or do they still try to keep themselves separate and above the rest? Although if they're able to live in the past... I take it that means that at least there isn't a war?
[Because indulging in nostalgia while there was a war on sounded outright suicidal.]
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There hasn't been a fullscale war since I was a child. However, border skirmishes and clandestine attacks are not uncommon.
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[War and death are nothing to take lightly, but small skirmishes are better than the outright slaughter of open warfare.]
What are they even fighting over? Territory? Wealth?
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（ konoha is a prosperous, resource-wealthy nation. is there little wonder the others have rallied against them? out of desperation, jealousy, a desire for revenge? he understands how these feelings can shape a man, and men are the ones who shape nations, for good or ill. one needs only look at how sunagakure was transformed by its jinchūriki leader since the days of the yondaime kazekage, or the changes made underneath the current mizukage, mei. the blood mist village that birthed kisame and zabuza and jūzō has — if not ceased to exist — at least been deeply buried in her attempts at reformation. yet, amegakure, under ōnoki, has hired the akatsuki enough to satiate even kakuzu's lust for money. and so the pendulum sways.
peace can never hold. believing such is an impossible dream. for all that he was a dreamer once, he has been too long in the cold and bloody reality. ）
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[Gold, land... you can't take any of those things into Death. And Sabriel's more aware than most of how the consequences of mass death can linger long after the blood has dried and the bodies have started to rot.]
Especially when others are the ones being made to pay the price.
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（ it is a human impulse. perhaps the oldest one — in times of resource scarcity, even distant human ancestors would eat their own to live. is that any different than killing each other over gold or arable land? ）
Do you have other questions for me?
（ there's no mistaking her curiosity as retaliatory, and he does not mind it. it's easy to lie about anything meaningful to him. ）
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[Sometimes, good sense can actually prevail. Not always, but often enough.]
No. [Sabrie's mouth quirks up into a wry smile.]
So you can go back to asking me. Or we could just enjoy the tea.
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he, at least, is content to carry on in easy, companionable silence. ）