"I'm sorry,"

That's all it took.

Kasumi couldn't and wouldn't take her eyes off of the ground beneath where she stood. She was absolutely petrified. Were they angry? Would they forgive her? She had obtained the courage to come here and say what she needed to say but now she didn't know what to do.

Would someone say something already?! Anything?!

The more time that passed in silence the more scared the Yamanaka became. It gave her more opportunities to go through all of the worst-case scenario outcomes. Again. It was the last thing she needed. Her small amount of strength was fading fast.

It seemed impossible that she would be able to freeze any more than the state she was currently in but that was what happened when she felt arms wrapping around her. The arms held her up so she was no longer staring at the ground but at a dark piece of fabric. Her own arms went from being stiff at her sides to grabbing the material on either side of her face in tight fists.

It became a lifeline.

Her heart hurt just as much as her knuckles did. She could feel her nails cutting into her palms through the shirt. Kasumi's shoulders began to shake even though her eyes were still dry. The girl was still too afraid that if she made a sound or a wrong move then something bad would happen. The same could not be said for the other girl who stood nearby. Kasumi could hear TenTen crying but had still not heard anything from the boy who held her tightly.

Kasumi remained tense, TenTen continued crying and both boys remained unnervingly silent for a good few minutes after the embrace was initiated. But eventually, TenTen's tears dried up a little and Kasumi's hands slowly uncurled from being fists once she realised that the person holding her wasn't going to suddenly disappear. Once she was assured that she wasn't alone she finally relaxed for the first time that day. Katsu had helped to dull the pain but this was a cure. Kasumi then returned the hug and looked up into the face of her friend.

She didn't know whether to be surprised or not.

It was Daiki.

"You okay?"

Kasumi Yamanaka couldn't help but laugh at this. The true surprise of the day was definitely this moment. There were a lot of reasons for whether it would be more likely for Daiki or Tatsuya to have embraced her but Kasumi very rarely laughed, even on good days.

But she couldn't help it!

"What's wrong with you?!"

"You asked if I was okay,"

"What? Too obvious or something?"

"No. I should be asking if you're alright,"

Now both of them were laughing. Shortly after the pair returned to a much more relaxed cuddle but it was still just as strong as before.

From Kasumi's vantage point, with her chin resting on Daiki's shoulder, she could see the state that TenTen was in. Another surprise in this moment would be that the other girl looked the worst out of all of them. The main incident had between Daiki and Kasumi but here TenTen was with her tear stained and snot covered face. Tatsuya was holding her up by her shoulders and Kasumi could see the ghost of a grin on his face, which came to life when he made eye contact with the Yamanaka.

Kasumi wouldn't have been so worried if she knew that everything would be fixed, and this easily as well. At the same time, it was too good to be true. Maybe it was because she had overreacted or because they were all still so young and didn't have a large capacity for grudges. Or maybe it was because they all needed friends and all they had was each other.

Either way, Kasumi was happy and grateful. All she wanted was her friends; all she had was her friends. She didn't know what she would do if she ever lost them. Especially if it was her fault. She would never forgive herself.

"We can finally have our first group training now. I don't think all four of us have ever trained together. Come on you two, let's go. Have your tears finally finished TenTen?"

Tatsuya was good at being the voice of reason. It was usually his job, especially when Kasumi was out of commission.

"What do you mean 'finally'! I'm allowed to be happy! And yes … I'm good now,"

"Yeah, we should get back to training. One, mum's going to start yelling at us any minute now and second, Kasumi really needs to practise. I mean you did get your ass handed to you by Neji,"

"Look who's talking,"

These last three words were said in unison by Kasumi, Tatsuya and TenTen in response to Daiki's attempt to embarrass the Yamanaka.

"Oh yeah?!"

Unfortunately, Kasumi was still being held by Daiki when she made her retort and so was subjected to a barrage of tickles from the Inuzuka. Her pleads for him to stop the attack where barely audible above her own laughter and that of the other three children. It was a special moment for Kasumi and she knew she would never forget it.

It wasn't long until they heard Nami call out to them. While it was good that things within the group were now fixed it was also necessary for them to get back to training and become stronger.

"Oi! You lot! Get back to work!"

"Quite being such a spoil sport mum!"

"For that, you guys can go do a few laps of the field. 20 laps should wipe those smiles off of your faces. Now, get back to work!"

"Daiki!"

While Daiki started running away from Kasumi, Tatsuya and TenTen as they chased him down to get their 'revenge', Nami couldn't help but laugh. No matter what trouble the group got into the Inuzuka mother was sure they would always come out of it stronger and closer.


The year eventually came to a close and this left roughly two more years before the group graduated from the Academy. If everything went to plan then it would mean that Kasumi would graduate at the age of 11 and the others at 12. Kasumi would be the youngest graduate of the class but certainly not in history, she wasn't a prodigy or anything just desperate to get away from the Yamanakas.

These remaining two years went by both quickly and slowly. Kasumi had to endure her family, which meant that she had to sneak around the house in order to avoid trouble and had to make sure she returned every night so as not to invoke Airi's senseless wrath. This was counteracted by all of the good memories she shared with her friends at the Academy and the time they spent together at Nami's house.

Ino was a real pain, as usual. At least a dozen times over the two years Kasumi would return to the Yamanaka compound, just before sunset so as not to get into trouble but also so that she had to spend minimal time with her 'family', she would find her room had been trashed. Kasumi would find her treasured books scattered around the small space so that the floor was no longer visible through the mass of paper. Fortunately, they were never permanently damaged but the young brunette Yamanaka always worried that one day she would lose her only comfort in the horror house forever. Airi would always back Ino up and sometimes they would even collaborate on their schemes. The only Yamanaka that Kasumi could rely on, and the only assistance she received within the compound and clan, was Elder Runa because Inoichi always looked the other way when Airi and Ino started tormenting Kasumi. It was Inoichi that Kasumi hated the most and it was because of his inaction towards his brunette daughter's plight. At first, it could have been possible that Airi had him deceived but his ignorance would have only lasted so long which meant it was all intentional now. Instead of wanting a full family he wanted a 'perfect' family, and clearly, Kasumi wasn't a part of it.

Thinking of her 'family' and everything they put her through always caused Kasumi pain. It was tough being hated by those who were supposed to shower you with unconditional love but at least she had her friends. Nami offered her home as a sanctuary for the girl and Kasumi accepted gratefully. The Yamanaka spent all of her free time there, only returning to the Yamanaka compound for her curfew in order to avoid any extra punishments.

The Academy wasn't just a means to an end for the girl to escape her tormentors but was also where she was able to spend more time with her precious friends, Daiki, Tatsuya and TenTen. She also had to deal with Neji there as well but it progressively got easier over time, except for the one time she managed to beat him in taijutsu training but that is a story for another time. When the group finished their time at the Academy for the day, they would journey over to the Inuzuka compound, or occasionally the Shiota residence to change things up a bit, as a group, occasionally detouring to visit Elder Runa when she was working at the Yamanaka Flower Shop and spent the afternoon studying, training and enjoying each other's company. When Nami was available she would train them and this was either as a group, in pairs or individually. Training was always exhausting and Nami never held anything back but the children were always eager. They would complain but always got back up again and continued training. They all had their own reasons to become stronger and although the work was hard there were definitely improvements.

Through this training, each of them found their own specialities and strengths. Nami then used the solo training sessions to further develop these individual aspects of the child's fighting style. Kasumi, being a Yamanaka, was more proficient in sensory abilities than the others so Nami focused on strengthening these as well as some long-ranged and support tactics. This last part was influenced by the fact that the Inuzuka woman knew that Kasumi was being taught basic medic techniques by the friendly Yamanaka elder and so if Kasumi continued on this path then she would take a more defined support role within a team. After all, the only medic that was ever sent into battle on the front line was the famous sanin Tsunade. Daiki, on the other hand, was an Inuzuka and although this did give him some sensory abilities, such as his sense of smell and his bond with Katsu who could detect and communicate other information, most Inuzukas specialised in taijutsu and close combat. Nami also had clan techniques to teach her son and felt more comfortable doing this while his friends weren't around so as not to antagonise or anger anyone in the clan, there was no need to give anyone a reason to mistrust Daiki's friends or want to remove the other children from the compound. TenTen and Tatsuya were civilians and so it wasn't as simple when it came to determining what their strengths would be as there were no clan stereotypes or techniques to use as a reference. Through time it became clear that Tatsuya wasn't much of a fighter but more of an observer, which led Nami to narrow his training down to more long-distance tactics like with Kasumi. This wasn't all though. At the Academy, the only tests that the civilian born scored above average on were the genjutsu exercises. It turned out that his attention to detail and his tendency to remain in the background and read a situation made him perfect for casting detailed genjutsu. This need to use his chakra also meant that it made sense to teach him more ninjutsu as well and this also meant that his genjutsus would be even more accurate in recreating different ninjutsus if he understood their mechanics better. TenTen, on the other hand, was below average when it came to most things involving her chakra. However, when it came to weapons, she was a very fast learner and extremely accurate. Her taijutsu wasn't bad either and Nami could see clearly the determination the young orphan had when it came to proving herself and the desire the girl had to become stronger. Actually, all of the children possessed this drive. They all had their own reasons to always get back up again whenever they feel and to never give up even when the training got intense.

Each of the children had their own struggles to deal with and each persevered. Kasumi obviously had to deal with the hatred the Yamanaka clan directed at her and the issues she had with her family. This was what drove her to work hard to become a strong and successful kunoichi and she had the support of her friends, Nami and Elder Runa. Daiki was working hard to get strong but his biggest hurdle was his ninken. Katsu was the runt and would always be considered weak. It meant that his strength and stamina were less than the average ninken and the pair were often reminded of this fact by their Inuzuka peers. It wasn't the same as Kasumi's experience with the Yamanakas but it was still frustrating to know that they were viewed as weak by their clan. It didn't matter that Daiki worked hard because his whole technique relied on the assistance of Katsu. Katsu's training was difficult. He couldn't train as long as other ninken and often got sick or injured if pushed too far. Shin would always tell his little brother that this type of obstacle was a 'work smarter, not harder' problem and so his time and training was spent trying to understand his brother's words. Tatsuya obviously had to deal with the impacts that his parents' disapproval of the ninja path had on his life. It was discouraging to not have their support and them not giving him much opportunity to do extra training but at least he had Nami and his friends giving him all of the help they could. TenTen's situation was considered one of the worst. While she had nobody at home to hold her down, she also had no one at home to motivate her forward. But that was what motivated her. She refused all offers of a home, hating to think that they could just be pity and determined to prove her strength and her ability to look after herself.

Each of them had a challenge to face and each was going to become stronger.

The little time that Kasumi was forced to remain at the Yamanaka compound was made a million times better by the presence of Elder Runa. Kasumi always wondered, to some degree, why the Yamanaka elder remained nice to her despite everyone else in the clan rejecting her, but as time wore on, she cared less about why and just appreciated the fact that she was there. Elder Runa even attempted to gain permission from Inoichi to begin teaching Kasumi the basics of the clan mind jutsu but even though she was an elder, Inoichi still refused to allow his brunette daughter to be taught the clan birthright. Elder Runa would be punished severely if she defied this order from the clan head, especially with the subject being the protected clan justu but that didn't mean that the subject was going to be avoided completely when it came to her tutelage of Kasumi. Instead of teaching the young Yamanaka how to use the clan techniques, which she had been strictly forbidden to do, she taught Kasumi how to guard against it. This meant that anyone from the Yamanaka clan, in particularly Ino, would be unable to use the clan mind techniques to their advantage against Kasumi but would instead have to face her as an equal. Elder Runa wholeheartedly believed that Kasumi shouldn't be penalised for her birth or for something that happened generations ago and this was her way to prove this to both the young girl and the clan as a whole.


Everyone had gathered together at the Inuzuka compound for a very nervous dinner the night before where most of the time was spent revising everything for the exam. Shin had recently returned from his latest mission and had put in a request to stay in the village for a couple of days so as to join in the celebrations when everyone graduated and to help them in their transition to ninja life. Kasumi, Tatsuya and TenTen had only seen Shin a couple of times, as he was never home for more than a few days and that time was reserved for spending time with Daiki and Nami. Even with this small amount of time, Shin had still accepted the trio as new members of the family and everyone was ecstatic to hear of his 'time off'. Nami and Shin's confidence in the group of friends did give them some degree of peace but couldn't completly dispel their anxiety. It was one of the most important days of their lives after all. It would determine the start of their ninja careers.

Another surprise that the children had to endure that night was a surprise visit from the Inuzuka clan head, Tsume. The Inuzuka clan was notorious for being a very close family and so Tsume had come to personally wish Daiki good luck. This was something that shocked Kasumi. While she never received much love from her clan, except for Elder Runa, she had never seen or heard of Inoichi doing anything like this. They only ever celebrated when something was achieved, never wishing luck beforehand. Tsume was nice enough to extend her wishes to the rest of the group and even stayed for a little bit to catch up with Nami and see how Shin was going with his mission load.

"Kasumi was it?"
Tsume had just announced her intentions to leave and let the children get back to focusing on their exam preparations when she called on the young Yamanaka. This shocked everyone, mainly because they assumed that if she was going to single anyone out it would have been Daiki, a member of her own clan. After the few moments of shock wore off, Kasumi acknowledged the clan head and hoped that her delay hadn't caused any offence.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Can I have a quick word with you and Nami? I promise it will only take a moment so you can go back to your studies,"

"Of course,"

Unfortunately, Kasumi was not being given enough time to overcome her shock before more was added on. Why did Tsume signle her out? Why would Tsume want to talk to her? Was it about leaving the Yamanaka clan? Does Tsume approve of letting her be an 'honorary' member of the Inuzuka clan? What would happen if Tsume said no?

Kasumi was completely terrified. She didn't know whether to be more scared of the impending graduation exam or talking to the head of the Inuzuka clan about her fate, which rested with the high-ranking female Inuzuka.

Kasumi and Nami followed Tsume out of the house to the back porch where they were out of range of the children's ears but close enough for Kasumi to not feel so uncomfortable. Tsume then became very serious and it appeared to be infectious as one look from the clan head had Nami featuring the same expression. Now Kasumi was truly afraid.

"I need to know if you are certain about your choice,"
"What…?"
It wasn't a straight 'no' and this threw Kasumi off. Maybe the girl wasn't as observant as she believed herself to be.

"I will not put my clan in potential danger if you are not certain of your choice. This situation is extremely political and needs to be handled with care. Once you start you can't turn back. Once the process is completed you will not be able to reverse it,"

"I know,"

"Do you?"

Kasumi had to fight every fibre of her being to not turn to Nami for help and strength. If she was going to prove her conviction to the Inuzuka clan head then she had to do it alone. Prove her conviction.

"I don't consider them family and they don't treat me like family. I have been treated like trash and refused my birthright of the clan jutsu. I have to sneak around my own home in order to avoid punishment. My clan wishes that I was never born and aren't afraid to tell me this every chance they get. I didn't choose to be born. I didn't ask to be born. I didn't ask to be treated this way. I never did anything to deserve being treated like this other than that I was born. I'm alive so I deserve to live,"

Tsume was taken aback by the young girl's declaration of determination. She was mature for her age and strong. She had been through so much and wasn't letting anything stop her. Even with the tears streaming down the young girl's face, Kasumi never broke eye contact with the Inuzuka.

"They are your family,"

"I have a new one,"

That last answer was the final piece of information that Tsume needed. Kasumi answered without missing a beat and Tsume knew that she meant every word.

"Good…,"

Kasumi was visibly surprised by this response and just stared at the Inuzuka head.

"I will give my permission, BUT,"

Tsume interrupted Kasumi's reaction of joy but it wasn't to be cruel. She didn't wish for the girl to get her hopes up too much if everything else didn't work out.

"You will not be able to take the Inuzuka name. As I said before, this situation is very political and this may be the only way to avoid trouble. Remember, you are still the daughter of the head of the Yamanaka clan and even though your sister is obviously chosen as the next head, if anything happens to her you may be required to take on the role. But that is something to worry about when and if it ever occurs. Secondly, the decision is not entirely mine. Everything still has to go through the Hokage but I will be there tomorrow to give my support. Now all you have to do is make sure you pass that exam. Okay, kiddo?"

With this last sentence and remark, Tsume changed the whole tone of the situation and in return received a bone-breaking hug from the young girl whose tears had stilled not stopped falling and if anything were coming faster.

"Thank you,"

If it wasn't for their advanced hearing, Nami and Tsume would have missed it.


Sorry for such a long wait for this chapter. I figured it was time for the time-skip. They are finally going to graduate! (Hopefully)

I'm really excited for the next few chapters which hopefully means I can write them quicker :)

Please review!