The Shrine of the Blood

In a solemn looking place, underground in the depth of the village, a whispering crowd surrounded about eighteen small three to five year-old kids, standing in the core of the circular place.

The atmosphere was heavy, and somewhat oppressive as two distinct groups could easily be distinguished. One was made of folk who had eyes, as white as the astral body their feet were tied to, and the other was made of folk who didn't. Fortunately their sensory abilities still allowed them to apprehend their surroundings in a fitting manner for fighters, but the sight of almost a hundred sightless people at once would be disturbing for most people.

Among the children, Haru was not the oldest nor the youngest. The bloodline test was due every three years for those who were at least three year-old, in order to let the bloodline of the kids developp for some time. As he was barely one when the last test took place, he now was eligible at four year-old. 

Every other kid around him at least had the Byakugan, else there was no need to even come here to be tested. There were eight girls and nine boys, plus him that made ten boys for eight girls. Nothing particular in anyway, and continuing to observe his fellow test candidates, he noticed that some were on the verge of a breakdown due to the stress, and some others were very confident, not to say looking arrogant, for some reasons.

A hand clap took him out of his reverie, as a elderly aged man dressed with the bicoloured kimono of the clan council stepped forward, his elder peers behind him.

"Please quiet ! Today takes place trinannual Shrine test of the blood. This solemn occasion is not the place for you to blabber around. It may be common knowledge for most of you, but I shall say a few words in order to clear any misconceptions and misunderstandings." First said the old man. "The shrine test of the blood is a tradition that first began with the eighth Patriarch, about five hundred years ago, to face the growing problem of the degeneracy of the blood. It is the main reason why we've been able to maintain such a high fraction of our forefathers strengths to this day. Children, today whether your name name shall be recorded in the lineage genealogy or not shall be determined. From left to right, you may step forward."

The leftmost one was a little girl, surely his age. Her posture was a bit stiff, but she didn't seem anxious. And for good reasons as he and all inner members could see her vibrant chakra on top of her Byakugan. She had a high chance of success, that much could be seen at a glance.

As she stopped walking a few meters in front of them, a great fuinjutsu formation suddenly manifested at her feet. Beside the other ten children, no one else in the place seemed surprised. Soon enough, as the lights of the mysterious looking formation lines dimmed, middle aged man in the back of the elder group shouted,

"Ôtsutsuki Eina! Age four, gifted with the Byakugan and the Shikotsumyaku. Bloodline purity of thirteen percent. Passed !"

A couple meters on the left of the elders, a pair of parents could be seen sighing in relief and happiness as the whispers rose up again. The elder that led the ceremony smiled softly, and said.

"Congratulations, Ôtsutsuki Eina-san. You may now step out of the place and rejoin your parents but please stay until the end of the ceremony."

The blond haired girl nodded softly, and left the place for the next kid, another blond haired boy. Almost everyone in Shirogakure was either blond or white haired, the darkest being some light auburn haired people. It was wholly irrelevant to the bloodline purity of the individual, however.

After a few seconds, the fuinjutsu formation lit up again. And this time, when the loud voice of the middle aged man was to be heard again, people tensed up a shriek pierced through the ears of everyone.

"Ôtsutsuki Wabisuke. Age three, gifted with the Byakugan, and the Shikotsumyaku. Bloodline purity nine percent. Failed !"

"NOOO !!!"

The loud cry of his mother could be heard in the background, as he simply sat dumbstruck, seemingly unable to proceed the situation. Suddenly as the formation's brightness intensified, an unbearable pain in his eyes made him roar of all his lungs before passing out on the ground, blood dripping out of his eye sockets.

The silence was only broken by his mother's weeping, and his father's hands were tightening so bad that blood dripped down the fingers of his fists.

His results were excellent, a hairstrand away from the threshold. Compared to the average purity of seven percent in the clan, branch members included, he has nine. He had both kekkei genkai. His fate was a gruesome reminder of the clan's ruthless traditions, and Haru could see the few couples tensing up in the crowd, especially those in the branch group. Whilst the success rate of the kids in the branch family was only one out of ten, every few years one would rise to the main family. Being born in the branch didn't mean that one could not inherit a bloodline of great quality, it just meant that it was less likely on average.

As the current events resumed, one after another candidates, were demoted to the branch. Frown could be seen across the elders faces as seven children one after another were stripped of their eyes. Whilst they were used to it weren't bothered by the gruesome sight, seven in a row was an unfortunate streak that didn't spell good news for this generation's batch.

Haru's turn had yet to come, as an auburn haired girl stepped forward next to him. Whilst she was among those that seemed almost arrogant in the beginning, the repetitive eye stripping scene took a toll on her confidence.

She was tense, as was her parents that prayed silently in the elder group. And soon after the fuinjutsu formation lit up, the middle aged man voice rose again.

"Ôtsutsuki Koyuki. Age four, gifted of the Shikotsumyaku and the Byakugan. Bloodline purity of ten percent. Passed !"

A much needed success made the assembly relax and cheer, and the laughter of an elder could be heard as the other smiled, at last. Koyuki smiled in relief too, and soon enough it was Haru's time to step forward. Whilst his father had shown some anxiousness earlier in the privacy of their household, he was now stone faced. Even though his heart could be restless, he would not show it among his peers, as a dignified elder of the clan council of the Ôtsutsuki main family. 

His mother Hisame was among the branch members, in the prominent center place along other individuals. Whilst she had eyes, they were closed most of the time because having her eyes closed like other branch members made her stand out less and in any case her sensory skill allowed her everything she needed to know in order to oversee the situation.

Above the now brightening fuinjutsu formation, Haru was calm. He had full confidence in pedigree, even though his mother didn't have the Byakugan. Her purity was about twelve percent and her talents were for everyone to see, as only the strongest warriors and the patriarch could reliably claim to be stronger. 

"Ôtsutsuki Haru. Age four, gifted of the Byakugan, and the Shikotsumyaku. Bloodline purity of sixteen percent... Passed !"

Eyes widened and gasps could be heard, but only a white haired woman in the front of the branch group was smiling as if she expected it. 

Heavens... It's been a very long time since the clan has given birth to such a good blood. It should pretty much on the same level as the grandsons of Lord Hamura. Not to mention... He is the son of Genji and Hisame. There are some that won't like this very much.

The head elder presiding the ceremony was bewildered, but soon recomposed himself. On top of ensuring the quality of the Ôtsutsuki bloodline would not decrease, there was another reason why having a high purity was coveted.

Firstly, it gave a much better chance and easier time at mastering the most powerful techniques of the clan, such as the the Seven God Airstrikes of the Byakugan or the Corrupting White Bones of the Shikotsumyaku, notably because on top of a more performant Kekkei Genkai, one would have much better grasp and talent in nature chakra transformation and their more powerful derivatives. 

Secondly, what was less known to common people in the Ôtsutsuki clan was that their bloodline held many sleeping Kekkei Genkai, such as the revered Tenseigan among others. Whilst the hope was slim, given a fair amount of luck it wasn't impossible to awake them given some time and opportunities. A well guarded secret was that the third generation patriarch after Homura awoke a Tenseigan in his right eye at the dusk of his life. Many elders hoped that some genius would one day surprise them this and open a new realm of possibilities for the community. 

His bloodline was bound to attract attention, because there were purity threshold that were speculated to be required in order to awaken the various Kekkei Genkai. It was not a rule set in stone, as from time to time there would be exceptions such as Haru's mother Hisame or Wabisuke earlier, but two percent was considered the minimum in order to awaken the Byakugan, although it would be really trash. High quality Byakugan could only be awoken with five to six percent purity. That is why virtually everybody in the Ôtsutsuki clan awaken the Byakugan, and when that does not happen, it is nine out of ten due to a bloodline conflict or a gene defect problem because of the various inbreeding issues that occurs rather a purity problem. The Shikotsumyaku on the other hand was much more recessive, and generally manifested by the threshold of ten percent purity. 

Over ninety nine percent of all Ôtsutsuki clan member have a purity hovering between four to fourteen percent, sitting on a lower average of seven. The reason why his bloodline test was special, was that the only individuals who have ever awakened additional Kekkei Genkai or some more powerful variations were all without exception fifteen percent or above purity. 

"Last, please step forward."

The last kid was rather usual, and he had a very out standing black hair color. In this regard, he was even more infamous than him. His father was the Great Elder of the clan, only second to the patriarch, and his mother whilst a mere housewife with no particular fighting abilities had an outstanding fifteen percent purity, just like his father. As such, by birth Ôtsutsuki Byakuya was fated to greatness. But when his mother gave birth and his hair color was out for the world to see, what was arguably the most ridiculous drama of Shirogakure history unfolded. Adultery scandals with outsiders were among the most popular rumors, and whilst Byakuya's father never made any public statement about it, everyone knew the kid was treated like a filthy bastard. 

As the walked forward, the short and black haired kid held no expression. His chakra flow was tranquil, and his steps steady. As if this whole stage was not about the his fate as a free living man but a mundane task such as having breakfast. The crowd stopped whispering around but many gazes were sardonic. 

"Ôtsutsuki Byakuya. Age five, gifted with the Byakugan and a second unidentified Kekkei Genkai. Bloodline purity of fifteen percent. Unusual situation that requires the handling of the clan council."