Inoichi only had one child, and she wasn't often given to fits of misbehavior, or at least, not any that required his presence at the Academy. But despite his lack of experience in these matters, Inoichi was certain that a school yard spat did not require the presence of the Hokage. Or, curiously enough, the aging head of the Senju clan. Older than the Sandaime himself, Senju Tenjouma was not often seen by others in the village except during the meetings of the clan heads.

On the heels of Tenjouma's arrival were the Harunos, a civilian couple that Inoichi had met a few times after their respective daughters had become friends. They gave Tenjouma a curious look but dismissed him as just an old man, and instead bowed to the Sandaime in apprehension. Well, at least Inoichi wasn't the only one confused by his presence then.

Their company was rounded out by two other clearly civilian couples, who Inoichi took to be the parents of the other children involved in the fight. Inoichi fought the urge to fold his arms. While he would have words with Ino over involving the children of civilians in fights, scuffling wasn't uncommon in the Academy as the students found their own pecking order and formed and dissolved alliances. Now was the time children learned each other's strengths and weaknesses, hopefully in order to form well functioning teams in the future.

Presumably all the necessary parties were gathered, for the Hokage subtly flared his chakra, a thing that only the shinobi present could sense. Shortly afterward, the conference room door opened and the chuunin instructor ushered them inside. Waiting for them were four young girls, their faces all tear stained and still faintly pink from emotion. Inoichi frowned at the way Ino kept sneaking glances at Sakura, who appeared to want nothing more than to curl into a ball and hide her face completely from everyone in the room.

"Now that we're all gathered here, could you girls explain exactly what happened today," Suzume said, "without talking over each other this time."

The three girls all looked at Sakura and one even scooted her chair away from her. The scraping noise grated on Inoichi's ears, but even more it angered him to see Sakura curl in on herself even more. This was a girl who was clearly low on confidence, self-esteem, and in the short time he had known her, she had been nothing but sweet and gentle. Despite her civilian background, she made for a good playmate for Ino, and was good practice for when Ino would someday work with civilians on missions.

Finally, it was Ino who plucked up the courage to speak. "Sakura and I were practicing with the koto together, in our kunoichi classes, when those two came over and started being mean to us. I started yelling at them back, but then Ami cut the strings to our koto. And then Sakura got really mad and then..." Ino fell silent.

"Perhaps it is better if I show you," the teacher said. She pulled her hands into the release seal and the genjutsu that had covered the corner of the conference room fell away. The girls startled; clearly they hadn't sensed it. But what was more interesting was the ruined koto. Indeed, the strings had been neatly cut, but much more striking was its body. Branches twisted out of the gleaming wood, all arched in one direction. Some were deadly sharp points. Most had been expertly sliced in half, likely by Suzume. It was obviously the work of a jutsu, one Sakura had no business being able to do. Beside the Hokage, Tenjouma shifted and narrowed his eyes with interest. Now it made sense why the clan head was present.

"You mean to tell me she tried to kill my daughter?! Over a school prank?" the woman who must have been Ami's mother stood up in outrage. She leveled a finger at Sakura. "I want her expelled immediately." Inoichi couldn't hold back his snort. If things played out the way he was now suspecting they would, Sakura could detonate the Academy building and as long as no one was killed, she wouldn't be expelled.

Unfortunately for the Harunos, they didn't quite know what was happening, only that their daughter had attempted to use a jutsu on another student. Mebuki's hands clenched into fists.

"Before any decisions are made, I would much rather have the teacher's opinion on what happened," she said. Her calm voice belied the tension in her body.

Suzume laced her fingers together. "Ino's story and the evidence on the koto all line up. It also fits with previous behavior exhibited by Ami. The response may appear to be rather extreme, but I am given to understand that it is common upon first awakening a kekkei genkai."

"A kekkei genkai? Sensei, we're civilians. Sakura doesn't have a kekkei genkai," Kizashi insisted.

"That is why myself and Tenjouma-dono are here, Haruno-san. We are here to verify that it Sakura-kun has indeed awakened a kekkei genkai, and if she has, to make the appropriate arrangements," the Sandaime said.

The other unknown civilian woman spoke up. "So this is all okay because she might have one of those hidden shinobi techniques?"

"We do not condone the usage of jutsu on other Academy students. However, a child cannot control when they awaken their kekkei genkai, nor the manner in which it awakens," explained Suzume. "In the future, we will expect Sakura to maintain control of this jutsu, whether it is a kekkei genkai or not. But, given her talent for ninjutsu that she displayed earlier, no, Sakura will not be expelled from the Academy. She is in fact highly encouraged to continue her studies so that she may aid Konoha in the future."

"Rest assured I will be speaking to Sakura-kun and Ino-kun regarding how to properly handle provocation in the school yard. But I must also remind you as well that bullying and discord among the children is not tolerated. That will be a talk for another day, however. I must conduct business with the Harunos," the Hokage said. The civilians understood the not so subtle implication and gathered their daughters and left. On their way out, one of the men made sure to slam the door in a childish show of anger. No doubt the teachers would be hearing their displeasure for the next few weeks to come.

Inoichi also stood in order to leave. Certainly Tenjouma wouldn't want another clan head around to witness whether or not there was a bastard child running around the village. As a member of the Intelligence Division, Inoichi knew exactly how valuable news, true or not, could be.

"Wait, could Yamanaka-san stay? Only, I'm afraid we don't understand these things very well," Mebuki said. He paused. It wasn't as if the Hokage wasn't going to explain everything to them anyway, he didn't see what use he could be. Still, he waited for the Hokage's word.

"If Tenjouma-dono does not object, Inoichi-dono may certainly stay."

The Senju man nodded once. Inoichi sat back down, undeniably curious as to the outcome. The Harunos turned their eyes to him and he found himself explaining.

"It appears to me that Sakura-chan has used an exceedingly rare kekkei genkai, known as the Mokuton. This is the bloodline ability of the Shodai Hokage, Senju Hashirama-sama. Tenjouma-dono is the head of the Senju clan. He will perform a few DNA tests, and possibly a bloodline limit test of some kind, in order to verify if Sakura-chan has really used the Mokuton. This will all be done under the supervision of those of us present."

"And if Sakura is somehow related to the Senju?" Kizashi asked.

"Then the appropriate arrangements will be made and your daughter will become the heir to the Senju clan, as is her right as the only known natural carrier of the Mokuton genes. If she is not, then no changes will occur," Tenjouma answered.

The Sandaime folded his hands on the table. "Please proceed, Tenjouma-dono."

The elderly man withdrew a few slips of paper from the inside of his yukata. All four had small smears of blood down the left side. He set them down in front of Sakura before taking out a single kunai.

"Only a few drops of blood is necessary."

Inoichi did fold his arms as he watched Sakura's face drain of color. Perhaps a six year old from a very traditional clan wouldn't have a problem slicing their hand, but even his own daughter would flinch at it, and Sakura, whether she was a Senju by blood or not, was very much a girl from a civilian family. She needed a softer touch than that.

Ino clasped a hand over one of Sakura's fists. "It's okay Sakura-chan, it'll just be a tiny cut. I'm right here with you, okay?" Ino also glanced at the kunai warily. It was definitely sharper than anything she had previously handled. Slowly, Sakura's fist uncurled until her hand turned upward so it could grip Ino's. Their hands held together, Sakura found the courage to reach out and grab the kunai.

Tenjouma continued to wait with the patience of only the most experienced shinobi as Sakura slowly found it within herself to let go of Ino and take the kunai to the tip of her thumb. The sharp edge split the skin easily, and the girl had probably cut herself deeper than intended. Still, blood welled to the surface of her skin readily, and with speed born of one who wanted something over as quickly as possible, Sakura wiped her thumb on all four sheets of paper.

The kunai dropped to the table with a clatter as Sakura hastily brought her hands back to herself. Ino resumed her grip on Sakura' s hand, heedless of the blood smearing across her palm. Inoichi smiled slightly. His daughter was a good girl.

"Now what?" Mebuki asked.

"We wait for the results," said Tenjouma. The room fell utterly silent as they watched the four slips of paper. For what felt like an eternity, there was nothing, and just when Inoichi was going to suggest that perhaps Suzume had been mistaken, the paper emitted a faint glow. All four of them.

"A positive match," Inoichi murmured.

"Out of curiosity, Tenjouma-dono, who did you compare Sakura-kun to?" the Hokage asked.

"Myself, my cousin Kikyou, and Hashirama-sama."

The Haruno couple leaned forward, as if the intensity of their stares might somehow change the results. "And the fourth sheet?" asked Mebuki.

"It is a test to see if she carries the genes specific to the Mokuton," Tenjouma paused, then added, "she does." Inoichi turned his gaze back to the two girls. They both had identical looks of shock, their jaws slack and eyes wide. Inoichi felt stunned himself. A true user of the Mokuton had been born again, and it apparently ran strong in Sakura. He peered at Tenjouma out of the corners of his eyes. His expression hadn't changed much but Inoichi could sense his excitement. And no wonder. The Senju were a dying clan of less than twenty members, having sacrificed the majority of its population in the previous wars or in the name of marriage in order to tie the clans of Konoha together. Bastard child or no, the coming of a young child who could use the Mokuton would be taken by the Senju almost as a gift from the gods.

Sure enough, Tenjouma spoke again, "I will have to check the records to ascertain how you may be a relation to our clan. But there is no doubt in my mind that you are my cousin, Haruno Sakura. Henceforth, you will be the heir to the Senju clan."

"Heir to the clan? That's a bit much, isn't it? Isn't there a process to all of this? She's a six year old girl, and more than that, she's my daughter!" Mebuki stood up and stared down the Senju clan head. Her jaw was clenched and she had instinctively rested her weight forward. Inoichi wouldn't have thought a civilian capable of such aggressive posturing towards a known shinobi. Or maybe she assumed that because Tenjouma was old, he was no longer physically fit and thus unable to harm her.

"I assure you, it is all perfectly in order. You have seen it for yourself, Haruno-san. It would be best if you did not make this difficult. Sakura will be better off living with the rest of the clan."

Inoichi didn't bother to suppress his wince. This was going to rapidly spiral out of control and he didn't need a doujutsu to see that. The Hokage recognized it as well and coughed.

"Let us not be so hasty. Tenjouma-dono, surely there is a way to compromise? I'm aware how much the reappearance of the Mokuton means to your clan, but Sakura-kun isn't just a Senju."

Inoichi wasn't sure, but he thought he heard Sakura murmur "I'm not one at all" under her breath. So there was a bit of steel underneath all her softness after all.

Tenjouma huffed. "Sandaime-sama, you know that it is well within my rights as the acting clan head to act as I see fit in the case of a reappearance of a kekkei genkai, and the child now falls under my purview."

"Rights? What about our rights as her parents? Yamanaka-san, is this true?" Kizashi looked to Inoichi for answers.

"Yes, it is quite legal. Early during the formation of the village, clans were encouraged to intermarry to forge new ties and prevent another civil war from breaking out. However, clans bearing a bloodline ability don't want that ability spreading to other clans, for several reasons." Inoichi paused, "Despite the Shodai-sama being the only known user of the Mokuton, it is still recognized as a kekkei genkai of the Senju. In cases where a person displays a kekkei genkai of a given clan, that person automatically becomes a member of that clan and is subject to the rules governing them, handed down by the clan head."

Kizashi rubbed a hand down his face, looking exhausted. "Isn't there anything you can do for us?"

Inoichi couldn't suppress a sigh. In the words of Shikaku, how troublesome. He met Tenjouma's gaze to measure the resolve there. There was no way Inoichi could pit the Yamanaka against the Senju, small as it was, especially not for the sake of a civilian couple. It would get ugly fast. The Akimichi, Nara, and Sarutobi would inevitably get dragged into it, and with the most recent marriage of Senju and Hyuuga, no doubt the Hyuuga would be quick to back up the Senju. Picking a fight here over kekkei genkai had the potential to split Konoha into a civil war. Many wars had been started over the claiming kekkei genkai, and this wouldn't be the first.

"I'm afraid not. As I said, it is law. I can only recommend to Tenjouma-dono that he reconsider his stance and find a way to compromise with you." Inoichi shifted to address Tenjouma, "If you do this, you're only going to foster resentment in the girl you want to make heir to the clan."

Tenjouma looked like he wanted to say something, but a small voice interrupted him.

"You want to take me away from my parents," Sakura's voice was so flat, he couldn't tell if what she said was a statement or a question. But her expression had a bland, empty quality that was alarming. Usually shinobi that looked like that were seconds away from snapping and going on a rampage. Inoichi was suddenly aware that there was quite a lot of wood in the room, from the table they were sitting at to the trim on the walls.

Suzume, whom Inoichi had nearly forgotten about, stood abruptly. "C'mon girls, how about we get a snack while they finish talking?" Ino acquiesced to her touch and stood, but Sakura remained sitting. One hand was held by Ino but the other gripped the table tightly.

"Sakura," Suzume's voice became firmer. But the girl ignored the teacher and fixed her teary green eyes on Tenjouma. Underneath her hand that still gripped the table, a sprout suddenly blossomed. That...wasn't good. A few more moments of high stress and the whole table would look like the koto in the corner. Though it was very interesting that Sakura didn't appear to require hand signs to use Mokuton. Very interesting and very dangerous.

Tenjouma leaned forward across the table. His attention was now fully focused on Sakura. "I had thought a clean break from your parents would be easiest in order to assimilate quicker to our shinobi clan lifestyle. I can see that this is not the case, and indeed, Inoichi-dono appears to be correct that you would only dislike me, and by extension, the clan, from separating you from your parents. "

"One of your parents must also be related to the Senju in order to pass along the Mokuton to you. Though neither of them claim the Senju name, it is possible for your parents to move with you to live with the clan."

"So we can stay together?"

Tenjouma nodded. "If that's what you would like." Beside Inoichi, the Harunos audibly breathed a sigh of relief. Well, that was one crisis averted.

"Excellent. I will begin processing the paperwork. Tenjouma-dono will handle things on his end and inform you on how things will proceed from here," the Sandaime also looked pleased that things had been resolved peacefully. "Suzume, I think we're done here. You can return to your other duties now."

The instructor bowed and left the room. As the adults got to their feet, Ino pulled Sakura around the side of the table until they both stood next to him. Ino's free hand came up to grip his pant leg. As he thought, she was nearly as upset as Sakura and was only putting on a brave face for her benefit. He reached down and patted her head.

Sakura wasn't long in reaching for her parents. Her mother clucked and fretted over the cut on her thumb while her father hovered over them. Ahead of them, Tenjouma and the Hokage left the conference room. Inoichi and Ino were beginning to walk past the Haruno family when Kizashi gestured for him to stop.

"Yamanaka-san, thank you for your help today. We know we must've put you in a difficult position," Kizashi's smile looked more like a grimace. He looked down at Ino. "And you, missy, thank you for being such a good friend to my daughter." Ino beamed at the praise.

Inoichi looked over the family again. They had no idea what they were in for. The Senju weren't usually a strict clan, but in the face of their extinction, a great deal of pressure would be put on Sakura. Hating himself a little bit for it, Inoichi spoke. "Of course, Haruno-san. Anytime you need my help, please let me know. I'll do what I can."