Scroll 7: Youthful Problems

Meiko Uzaruki was bored. She was still stuck in the Ninja Academy while her older sister, Yukari Uzaruki, was having all the fun. Even today, her sister had no missions and was watching the chuunin exams right now. Sitting here in the classroom with tan-wooden seats and a green-grey chalkboard on the front wall was nothing to get thrilled about.

Yukari-san, her older sister, had told her all about the chuunin exams and just who made the final cut. Meiko's favorite genin, that dog boy that always hung out around, didn't make the cut. That made her mad. The boy's dog was always fun to play with, because it was so smart. For the pair not to go on to the next step and become an official ninja was really frustrating for her.

"Darn it!" Meiko tossed her head up and shouted.

"Meiko! What is chakra!" the voice of her Chuunin instructor, Iruka Umino, cut through her day-dreaming.

"It's the stuff you use for ninjitsu and genjutsu!" was her quick reply. Her lame answer provided laughs for the rest of the pre-genin class. Iruka-sensei scowled at her and placed his handbook on the brown desk that was sitting near the front of the room.

"A chakra is a center of activity that receives, assimilates and expresses life force energy. The word chakra literally translates as wheel or disk and refers to a spinning sphere of bio-energetic activity emanating from the major nerve ganglia branching forward from the spinal column. There are seven of these wheels stacked in a column of energy that spans from the base of the spine to the top of the head. There are also minor chakras in the hands, feet, fingertips and shoulders. Literally, any vortex of activity could be called a chakra. It is the seven major chakras that correlate with basic states of consciousness…" He explained to the class. "Meiko, you should know this by heart."

The young Uzaruki girl, only a fresh 8 years of age blushed. The other twenty kids in her class continued to laugh at her. Meiko's worthless red eyes flared darker as her blood boiled. Iruka-sensei was right. She was smart enough to rattle off an answer to such a simple question. What was wrong with her today!?

"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei." Meiko mumbled and slide further into her seat. "I'll pay more attention now." The brown-haired man shook his head before continuing his lecture.

"Hey, pssst, Meiko-san. What's wrong?" the voice of the grandson of the Hokage interrupted her self-pity party.

"I'm just bummed that Yukari-san gets to watch the coolest fights today, and I'm stuck in class." The young Uzaruki girl muttered back.

"You're telling me, Meiko!" Konohamaru hissed back. "Naruto-dono is fighting today, and I can't watch, even though I'm the Hokage's grandson!"

"So?" Udon joined in. The snot-nosed, sandy-blonde haired boy was one of Konohamaru's best friends. Meiko didn't care.

"What's so hot about that Naruto-baka anyway? I heard he barely became a genin, and now he's taking the chuunin exams? What a joke!" Meiko muttered angrily.

"Hey, take that back, Meiko!" Konohamaru hissed slightly louder, his brown eyes becoming angry. "Naruto-dono is stronger than you know! He's going to become Hokage someday, if I don't!

"Tch…make me, you pipsqueak!" Meiko challenged, smirking at the grandson of the Hokage. "Hokage my ass, that idiot is an airhead!"

"THAT'S IT! I challenge you to a fight, Meiko of the Uzaruki Clan!" Konohamaru shouted his demand, making a show of himself by standing his right leg on the desktop and standing his body challengingly; leaving his finger dangerously close to Meiko's face.

"KONOHAMARU! What is the meaning of this!?" Iruka's severely annoyed voice cut through the pre-fight fight as the rest of the class fell silent; watching the outcome.

"Iruka-sensei! Meiko-san is insulting the great Naruto-dono! I refuse to sit by and do nothing!"

"So whatever, just leave me alone." She ignored the further chit-chat of the other pre-genin students and went inward. Today was going to be so slow.