This is a re-post and re-edit of a oneshot I wrote for the 2016 KakaSaku Week.

Prompt: Walk of Shame

She always tried to avoid failure. Someone with a family name like hers should do so. She didn't mind it, not even a bit. It always made her strive to do better and motivated her to go further, to push her limits. One could say that the legacy her parents left behind and were still making would cripple their child when they started to flutter their wings, breaking under the immense pressure that was put on them.

For the past 2 years, Hatake Rina hardly understood the worried look her parents gave her when she stepped over the threshold of the Academy. But now…now was a different case. It might've been because of the severe beating she got, but her shoulders were heavy like lead as she left the ring.

At the age of 12, Hatake Rina failed to become a chuunin. The silver haired girl never thought that the sound of cheers that weren't because of her accomplishments could be so hurtful to her ears. She had her gaze focused on the arena's floor, not even daring to gaze into her father's eyes as she had her walk of shame. Together with his fellow Kage, he had a front seat view of how she got pummeled by a genin from Sand.

The whole arena was looking at her, their judgmental glares burning into her back. Someone as stupid, as useless and weak like her deserved their utmost scrutiny.

She was the daughter of the Rokudaime Hokage and the greatest medic to walk the face of the Earth, and yet she failed to follow in their footsteps. Maybe she'll never become a chuunin, staying only a measly genin for the rest of her life. Her stomach coiled and it took all of her power to put one foot after the other, without collapsing. The medics at the scene offered her to carry her out on a stretcher, but she'd lose all of her remaining dignity if that would happen. No, Hatake Rina has to leave the scene of her failure on her own two feet.

She just reached the exit, the tall walls of the arena hiding her from the on watchers of the match. The world around her started spinning, and her legs kept wobbling with each step she took. Her small, slightly bloody hands rested on the wall next to her, desperate to hold something that would not let her fall. But her brain slowly started shutting down and she finally succumbed to her injuries, collapsing onto the tiled floor.

The unusually strong smell of disinfectant roused her from her sleep. The scent, which everyone associated with injuries and hospital to her, was the smell of home. It reminded the young kunoichi of her mother, who always carried it with her after a long day of work. So, before she could even think over what she wanted to say, her mouth opened and formed two syllables.

"Mama?" Her voice was hoarse and her throat was painfully dry.

She scolded herself instantly, because she was too old to address her mother this way. Not even her 10 years old brother called her like that. A soft hand caressed the top of her head, probably making her already disheveled hair even a bigger mess. Green eyes slowly cracked open, meeting identical ones.

"How are you feeling, Rina-chan?"

Ashamed. Guilty. A failure. That's how she felt, because even though her whole body was aching like never before, they were overshadowed by aforementioned sensations. But how could she tell this to her mother? Moreover, if she starts speaking about the events of the exam, she'll certainly cry. And Hatake Rina was too old to cry, not to mention that ninja were not allowed to show such kind of emotions.

But what if she's not fit to become one? The 12 year old girl could still vividly recall the burning sensation left behind by the gazes of hundreds of people on her. It was like acid, and all she wanted to do was to curl up in a small ball. She had no right to call herself a shinobi.

"You did a wonderful job, sweetie." Her mother caressed her cheek.

"What?" Rina could not believe her ears.

"You did really well."

"But…but…I…" Her chapped lips started quivering. Not even biting down hard on them did stop the tears from falling down.

"Oh honey." Her mother enveloped her in a hug before Rina even realized what was happening. "You shouldn't be so upset about it." She cooed, rubbing her back in circles. The gentle motions did not stop the girl from crying; instead they made her sadness intensify.

How could her mother lie to her? How could she say that she wasn't upset by her failure? In a way she was glad that it was impossible to see the expression her mother sported while saying these words. Rina doubted that she could handle the look of disappointment she certainly had right now.

"I…I…f-ailed." Rina's words were barely intelligible between the sobs that shook her whole body.

Sighing, her mother grabbed the silver haired girl's shoulders and gently pushed her back, so that they were facing each other.

"You might have been defeated, but that does not mean that you failed." Rina's eyes widened at the older woman's words. How could any of this make sense? She lost, but she didn't at the same time? It was just too hard for her to wrap her weary mind around it.

"Do you know what's the purpose of the Chuunin Exams?" The question sounded utterly ridiculous; of course she knew the answer to that!

"It's for genin to become chuunin."

"Yes…but the board that decides who gets promoted is curious about what the participating genin know. They organize the matches in order to see what kind of skills they have, whether they are strong and smart enough to get promoted."

"But I've…I've shown them nothing." Rina hiccupped.

"What your mother means is that one might get a promotion even if they didn't defeat someone, just gave them a hard time." The young girl turned her head towards the entrance of her room, green eyes locking on the man standing there. Her father.

Suddenly, the weight that formed in the pit of her stomach increased tenfold, making it virtually impossible for her to utter even a single word. But in a way she was grateful for that, she was far too ashamed to talk to her father. He started walking towards her bed, closing the door. He wasn't wearing his Hokage garbs, only the standard ninja uniform that was usually covered by it. It was like he wasn't visiting her as Hokage, but as an ordinary shinobi, as her father.

"The matches are over." He said, sitting down on the opposite side of the bed where her mother was.

"Who won?" Rina's voice was barely a whisper. His big hand wrapped around her smaller one, giving a reassuring squeeze.

"In the end it does not matter who won the matches."

"How could it not matter? When…" She was about to cry again, but right now was not the time to do so. She did not want to further disappoint her father. "When only the victors could get promoted. And I failed…"

"We are not disappointed in you, Rina. Not even a bit." Rina looked at her father with wide eyes. Even though his face was covered by his trademark mask, she could see that he was not lying, that his words were genuine.

"In fact, we are really proud of you. And it doesn't matter that you got promoted or not, we will support you anyway." Her mother rubbed the genin's back in circles again.

An enormous wave of relief washed over her. Right then it did not matter that she got defeated by her opponent, or that she still remained a genin. What did matter was the fact that her parents didn't hate her for failing, that they weren't upset. Suddenly overwhelmed by all kinds of different emotions, Rina hugged her parents as strongly as she could. They both laughed, kissing the top of her head.

"It's still not official, but I have the list of chuunin." Her father said after she released them. "Do you want me to tell you?"

She nodded yes without hesitation. Even if she failed, she was still curious about who won in the end.

"Out of 21 participants, only three got promoted." Rina prepared herself for the slight tinge of jealousy, but she'll try to be happy nonetheless for the winners. Hopefully some of her friends made it.

"Koshiro from Suna," Rina grimaced after hearing that name. The boy was the Kazekage's nephew and the one who defeated her with his stupid puppets. "-Nara Shikadai…and Hatake Rina from Konoha."

"M…e, me?" She pointed a shaking finger at herself, unable to comprehend what was happening. "But how? I mean… Koshiro beat me, so how can I…"

"Because you almost defeated him." Her mother spoke up. "After Lee-sensei called off the match, and while you left the ring, he collapsed and is still unconscious. But the both of you showed the kind of skills that are worthy of promotion."

"So that's what you meant by losing, but winning at the same time?"

"Yes."

Just like that, Rina's tears dried up, and the weight in the pit of her stomach disappeared, replaced by bubbling happiness. Right now she wanted to do nothing else but jump up and down on her bed, accompanied by a little victory dance. However, that will have to wait for the time being. Instead, she hugged both of her, expressing her gratitude to them.

Today they taught her that success didn't necessarily mean everything.