Konoha's Maelstrom

13

AN: For Sakura's POV, which you should all clearly find after Meiko's (even though I don't label the POV's, there's a clear switch), this is kind of how I think Sakura would think of Meiko. If it is wrong, please tell me, but I believe that this POV is actually really good. Comments appreciated

Meiko looked up at her parent's portrait.

She closed her eyes, breathing evenly, and just stood there for several minutes. It was peaceful and quiet—Meiko was thinking about the first round of the Chunin Exam.

"Don't forget, the Chunin Exam isn't just about strength, it's about smarts. They'll test your brains, then your strength as a team, and then your own strength. Stay calm, stay focused, and be clever."

Shisui's warning rang clear in her mind.

She'd been seven and had asked about the Chunin exams. She'd wanted to know the difficulty to expect, Shisui did not disappoint. He hadn't told her exactly, but he had given her pointers and tips.

During her dad's time, he also had watched many Chunin exams and he had noted them down in his journal. Meiko got the gist.

"Written exam: brains, info gathering."

Round one, Meiko just needed to get the information by copying off another without getting caught. A test of stealth.

She exhaled again, and finally opened her eyes.

"Watch me because this one's for you and Shisui-nii," Meiko said softly. She turned and went up to her room.

It was five A.M. Meiko had woken early, done her morning routine, and she needed a shower.

A quick shower later and the use of a hair dryer, Meiko's dual-coloured hair was tied back in a messy braid and her bangs framed her face, with some strands falling in front of her eyes.

She pulled on a black sports bra and underwear. Next she pulled on high-waisted, navy blue, double-layered shorts. Then she grabbed a short-sleeved, tight-fitted shirt. She pulled that over her head and was soon in the dark grey shirt with the Uzumaki swirl on the back, the red symbol being worn proudly. Finally, she pulled out a pair of navy blue gloves that reached to her wrist. On the back of the gloves, there was the Namikaze symbol, barely visible due to the black being hidden by the dark blue, but it was there and it was a comfort.

If you're wondering how she got the Namikaze symbol on them, Meiko specially learnt how to embroider to be able to put it on the gloves.

Meiko checked her katana was sealed into her shorts and she had her pouch of shuriken on her thigh. Meiko got her kunai and put them in two different pouches, equal number in either. She then attached the pouches to either side of her hips, one on her right and the other on her left.

The pouches, like her shuriken holster, were a dark blueish-grey.

Meiko pulled on her boots. She'd made an alteration to her boots the night before; each boot had two storage seals—one storage seal held kunai and the other held shuriken, the same for the other boot. Meiko could easily tell the difference because the kunai storage seals were around the upper calf area and the shuriken were near the ankles.

Finally, Meiko grabbed her hitai-ate and tied it around the left upper arm. The dark grey shirt fell over the hitai-ate a little, but that was fine.

Meiko nodded to herself. It was 5:23, so she had several hours to kill before she would head over to the Academy.

Meiko went over her plan. Act nonchalant, do nothing to attract attention, and be smart about how she cheated. She had a plan and she was glad that Meiko could sneak seals anywhere.