I do not own Naruto as a game, Manga, Anime series or a character. All original characters are mine though :P
Hi no Ishi (The will of Fire) - The Countdown
Teams are being formed, but how will this affect the freshly minted genin? And what are we counting down to? Well, regardless the action is getting kicked up a notch!
All underlined terms are explained at the end of the chapter.
~Tatsuko's POV~
Today is not a good day – not even close. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that there are few days that have been worse. And those who know what I've been through, know that that is a statement.
If Sasuke's recent interest in me wasn't bad enough, then Sakura and Ino's current grudge against their 'competition' only made it worse. However that doesn't even scratch the surface of my current dilemma.
/ "What do you mean I won't be on either Yuuna's or Naruto's team?" I was trying so hard to not shout at the top of my lungs, but was only partly succeeding.
"Tatsuhi's mission was to guard the two until they made gennin, so that other jounin could take over." His gaze was filled with sadness, obviously knowing what he was doing to me. I hated that... If you know you're hurting someone, don't do it! "They have both graduated from the academy, child."
"Tou-chan would never have stopped the mission there, and you know it. He would have-"
"He would have had the authority and sway to become their jounin sensei himeself. Both of which you do not have yet."
"Don't. Do not dare use that tactic with me, Saru-ji-chan. I was denied early admittance to the Academy to start with the two, then I refused an early Graduation to stay with them. That way there would be no raised eyebrows at my constant presence in the Academy to keep an eye on them. You know as well as I do how much I gave up to fulfil this mission! So don't you dare use that against me. I am trying hard enough to remain respectful in an upsetting situation." I tried to keep my face placid, but I'm sure he saw the slight snarl that slipped through.
"You are the one that requested a chance to have a childhood, were you not?" From one low blow to another. He simply knew me too well... chikushou!
"So you thought that-"
"That you would want someone you were not honour-bound to protect tooth and nail so that you might have half a chance to have something akin to Tatsuhi's bond he made over time with his team." I hate it when he does that! I could only rub the bridge of my nose gently, hoping to calm myself down a bit. Fucking logic.
"So who are these jounin then?" 'Who is taking my purpose away from me?'
"Naruto will be placed with Hatake Kakashi-" I could almost hear him thinking 'Yondaime-sama's only surviving student.' Just to rub salt on an open wound... "Kakashi-kun was willing to step down as ANBU buntaichou to take up that honour." His patient smile told me that there was more to that than the words he used. I hmphed anyway.
"That's a start at least." I mumbled before I could stop myself. I couldn't help it, okay! 'I've been directly in charge of guarding those two since-' I sighed, trying to ignore the rest of that thought.
"Yuuna will be placed with Asuma, who is well aware of the precariousness of the situation."
"Robbed of a delicate mission by the two laziest jounin under your command. Priceless." I crossed my arms in front of me and looked at a very uninteresting picture over to my right, trying to hold my errant tongue as best I could.
Even though I was not looking at him any more, I felt his eyes soften. It was something I was only ever really able to do with him... anymore. "I chose those two, because I could guarantee both their loyalty and their discretion. More importantly, I was under the impression that you would still be helping them train anyway."/
Not a good day at all. 'After a two year, A-class mission, with little to no sleep every night, guarding what many consider to be the bane of Konoha... they stick me on a genin team... Bastards.'
Resigning myself to my fate, I just sat and waited.
"First of all I would like to congratulate you all for passing the Academy exams." Iruka-sensei began his speech – one I can honestly say I blocked out completely. Can't really remember anything other than the proud look he shot Naruto at one point or another.
The only thing I could think about was how much I had sacrificed to fulfil a mission no one wanted me to complete. Moving out of Yukikami compound and into a detestable orphanage, getting no more than four hours of sleep at a time, simply because I had to let Hikaru get the same four hours of sleep before one or both of us passed out from exhaustion. The assassination attempts that had to be thwarted, the beatings that had to be repaid in full, the ANBU operatives I had to turn in that were overstepping their bounds (about half the assassination attempts were from them). Never being able to relax, even while taking a shower...
"Team 7, under Hatake Kakashi. Uzumaki Naruto, Yukikami Hikaru and Yamanaka Ino." Everyone seemed to have something to say about that Molotov cocktail, but I was happy that at least Hikaru would still be close to Naruto to keep an keen eye out for the boy.
'At least I won't have to worry about my two little brothers...'
"Team 8, under Yuuhi Kurenai. Aburame Shino, Haruno Sa-"
"WHAT!" I don't think I've ever heard Sakura shriek like that, thank Kami-sama I don't have to deal with her.
"As I was saying." Completely ignoring her, nice. "Haruno Sakura and Uchiha Sasuke." The celebration that followed, along with a few jibes directed at 'Ino-bunta', were completely ignored. Sorry, I was in no mood to care.
"Team 9, under Yamashiro Aoba." I suddenly felt numb.
'Aoba-sensei? He made jounin?' A smile creeped across my face before I could stop it. 'No wonder he's been so tired lately.'
"Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and-"
The world stopped. Something welled up within me, hoping against all hope that my name would come next. But logic dictated that it would not be so. Teams were always set up according to a pattern: two guys, one girl and a jounin. As well, family was almost never placed on the same team, and Hinata and I were first cousins – which Saru-ji-chan would know about. There was no logical reason why my name would be called.
That didn't stop me from mentally reciting every prayer I had ever learned to any Kami that would listen.
"Senju Tatsuko."
"YATTA!" Before I knew what I was doing, I jumped up and was doing a victory dance. Of course... that meant that EVERYONE was staring at me, but I was far too happy to even be embarrassed at that point. I even snatched Akamaru off of Kiba's head and started dancing with him too! Suddenly the world didn't seem quite so bad.
"Tatsuko-chan." Iruka-sensei didn't fully understand what this meant for me, but I won't blame him for that. "Tatsuko-chan." He tried again, a little louder this time. I was still ignoring him, waltzing with my canine dancing partner.
"Isn't this great Akamaru-kun, we're on the same team!" I squealed happily, though I think Akamaru was the most entertained person in the class at that point. His eyes were twinkling a with a joy that could only be matched by my own. I may have even unknowingly cast a genjutsu on the whole class, that turned all the walls pink and had it raining rose petals. But Akamaru didn't mind – no doubt he was just as happy about it, ne?
"SENJU TATSUKO! SIT DOWN NOW!" Demon head no-jutsu... harsh.
I'm pretty sure he was not amused by my delighted squeal even after I sat down. Well, at least I can understand how Sakura felt now :-3
"Ahem, moving on. Team 10, lead by Asuma. Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chouji and Kitsunaga Yuuna." Seeing that Chouji and Shikamaru just smiled at each other, Iruka-sensei continued uninterrupted this time.
"You're jounin sensei will be here to collect you shortly. Please do as you're told and treat him or her with nothing but respect. I wish you all the best of luck and much success with your Shinobi career."
"I'd ask if you were happy about the team assignments, but it would be pointless." Hikaru teased as he plopped next to me. I never made it back to my usual seat in front of him... or in next to Yuuna, who was in front of him... whatever.
"Nee-chan actually did a victory dance! Totally priceless!" Yuuna squealed, then tried to pet Akamaru.
"Rrrrrrrrrr..." The pup was not impressed.
"Sorry about that, Imouto-chan. Inuzuka ninken don't like being touched by people. He only seems to trust me enough to pet him." Akamaru calmed down almost immediately after Yuuna withdrew her hand.
"Umm, hello." Kiba obviously thought I missed something, or that he missed something... something was being missed, in his opinion.
"Hey, Kiba-kun. Did you hear? I'm on the same team as Hinata-chan and Konoha's soon to be most famous ninken!" I smiled ear to ear.
"Yeah but you seem-"
"Won't it be cool, Akamaru-kun? You, Hinata-chan and I doing missions together. Training day after day. Chasing away all the bad guys. You know we're going to get along so well together, ne Akamaru-kun?"
"Arf!" He obviously agreed whole-heartedly.
"You think she noticed that I was on the team too?" Kiba turned to Hikaru, obviously feeling left out. Karu just shrugged, Kami-sama bless his heart – he knows me so well.
"Team 8, please follow me." A tall woman with shiny black hair and red eyes announced. She was wearing an odd dress, which almost looked like a long scroll with a single red line drawn down the middle of it was wrapped around her. But the light make-up - blue eye-shadow, rose lipstick, stencilled eyebrows and what appeared to be foundation masking a bruise on her neck – said clearly that she was unafraid to look pretty on duty. Sadly, most jounin kunoichi choose to dress like men to come over more serious, or like sluts to maximize every effect on the male libido. She chose a more modest approach, obviously taking the road less travelled.
Right behind her, just on the boarder of her personal bubble, was an even taller man with a lit cigarette in his mouth. His piercing gaze reminded me of Saru-ji-chan for some reason. "Team 10, let's go." Smoking habits aside, his appearance – trimmed beard and white loincloth aside – scream standard chuunin. I quickly found myself doubting this man was the capable sort, and the lazy way he spoke was not really helping much.
Then a few casual paces behind him was... "AOBA-SENSEI!" I unzipped my jacket a bit and tucked Akamaru in, much like Kiba usually did with the pup – when he wasn't napping on his master's head. I jumped over the desk in front of me and pranced up to the man. "When were you planning on telling us you made jounin?"
"What, and miss the look on your face when you heard you were on my team?" He smiled at me. I think I learned to trust him a lot more over the last year. He was actually one of the few people that I could turn to for anything. Kind of like a big brother. "You know that I won't be going easy on you just because you're my Imouto-chan, right?"
"Wouldn't dream of it, sensei." I shook my head innocently.
"Who do we have here? Is that you Akamaru?" Sensei bent down to be face to face with the pup. "My, my, you've gotten big haven't you?"
"Arf!" Akamaru announced proudly.
Sensei offered an open palm to the pup, perfectly vertical with the base of his palm underneath. He slowly moved until Akamaru was close enough to smell his hand to get used to his scent, but made no move to pet him.
"Arf arf!" Akamaru obviously remembered him and rubbed his head into the man's palm.
"I hope you and I will be able to work well together." Aoba-sensei said in earnest as he scratched behind the pup's ear.
"Arf!"
"Doesn't anyone care that I'm still here?" Kiba-kun was still a bit put out by my little announcement earlier. I think I've teased him enough, ne?
As we were walking down the hall out of the classroom that essentially brought us all together... just as we were out of sight of all the others, and Hinata and sensei walked up a bit, or I simply held Kiba back a bit... details, details.
"I think someone misses their partner." I put Akamaru back on Kiba's head with a flourish and a last gentle scratch behind his ear, straightening Kiba's hitai-ate a bit for emphasis. Then I leaned in and whispered into his ear, "And yes, I'm very happy we're on the same team, Kiba-kun." I took in a deep breath, enjoying the smell of his hair.
'Even though you're from a clan known for being rough around the edges, your hair always smells like spring flowers.' I'm not sure, but I may have brushed my lips against his cheek... judging from the blush on his face, I think I did.
"All right, introductions time. I know you and you know me, but we're gonna do it anyway." We were sitting together in a little café, with Hinata-chan to my left and Kiba-kun to my right – naturally holding Akamaru-kun in his jacket, two paws and a head were all that was visible though. And Aoba-sensei sitting directly across from us, probably studying our body language to get the most out of the information given.
"To give you an example of what I expect to hear, I will go first. My name is Yamashiro Aoba, of the Ii clan. I am eighteen, Blood type O, a workaholic and damn proud of it. I am still a functioning member of the T & I department in my spare time, and I enjoy learning new things." He then nodded to Kiba, obviously expecting him to go next.
"Name's Inuzuka Kiba. I'm twelve, Blood type B. Um, don't really have a side job, but I enjoy training with Akamaru. I'm mostly a taijutsu and clan jutsu user, and I am going to be the talk of the town with two cute girls on my team, ne Akamaru?"
"Arf!"
I rolled my eyes at his last statement, resisting the urge to smack him. I can understand what he was trying to say, and I knew it wasn't really a come-on... but still!
Aoba-sensei nodded to me next. "Senju Tatsuko, twelve, blood type A, mostly nin- and genjutsu. I am long range and support. Suiton is my element of choice, and I work harder than I should." Kiba and Hinata looked at me a bit funny, obviously not knowing half of what I just said before hand.
"I actually figured you would prefer genjutsu." He theorised with a smile, then nodded to Hinata to keep the roll call going.
"A-ano, my n-name is Hy-hyuuga Hinata. I'm t-twelve, blood t-type A. I m-mostly use J-J-juken." There was a long pause, probably sensei waiting for her to continue.
"A perfectionist with a stutter. We'll have to work on that. Probably self esteem issues." Jeez, this guy is good! It actually took me a few weeks to figure that out... "Anyway, tomorrow we will be meeting up in training ground 14, the one near the lake. I take it you all know where that is?" When he received only nods he continued. "Good. We will start at 6:00 AM, if any of you show up so much as a minute late there will be consequences, and no eating breakfast. After I deem you all worthy, we will grab a meal together. Ja ne."
I liked his exit – not the standard leaving with leaves genjutsu, but more a 'I'm too quick for you to follow, so why mask it at all'. Not flashy, but it makes a clear statement.
"Well, I'll see you guys tomorrow then. I have some errands to run. Ja!" With that I was gone too, I did mask my exit with a watery genjutsu though. I had no doubt that Kiba would be able to follow me, and maybe Hinata too if she applied herself a bit.
'So I'm on a team with Hinata-chan, Kiba-kun and Aoba-sensei...' I thought morosely as I made my way to the blacksmith – the one that was only about a block away from the Hokage Tower. I was officially a kunoichi now, so I was allowed to buy and wear any and all armour and weapons that were for sale. All I have to do was to make sure my hitai-ate was visible when making the purchase.
'My hitai-ate... how do I want to even wear it?' It was currently in the top pocket in my pants – close enough in case I needed it, but clearly not where the world could see it. I thought about a few of the more obvious options: forehead, waist, biceps, neck. All were good places, but all already taken by classmates or acquaintances.
As I thought about my options – weighing pros against cons – I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a shop's showcase window... Staring back at me was a blonde with uncared for hair, no clear indication of her new status of Konoha kunoichi, no make up whatsoever, tomboyish clothes, above average looks, but far below average care to highlight that. 'I look bland...'
Being taken off the... No, being debriefed after successfully completing an arduous missions, was difficult to cope with. But in a way it might actually be for the better. 'Maybe it's time to start paying attention to me.'
On entering the blacksmith's, I realised two things: I needed to come up with a plan to help Yuuna and Naruto train with their new – and far too lazy – senseis, and I really need a new outfit, probably some new tools as well.
"Ohaiyou gozaimasu!" Came the standard welcome. "Ah, Senju-sama, are you here to pick up your package?"
I nodded, wordlessly making my way to the counter at the back of the store. The middle aged man walked into his back room and retrieved a few items, which he spread out on the counter for my approval. One kodachi in its scarab, two giant curved kunai and one ninjato also in its scarab. "Another job well done." I praised after inspecting each item in turn.
"I trust this is everything you need of me?" He indirectly offered. I wondered at that for a moment, carefully taking the kodachi out of its scarab again.
"No, I have two jobs I need done immediately. Naturally I will reimburse you for any additional inconvenience that may cause." He waved that last part of, as he always does.
"Knowing that I have such a loyal customer has its own rewards. What do you need?"
"A new wardrobe, and new tools to work with. That is one that is easily catered to... the other thing is..." I reached into my jacket and pulled out a leather pouch, which jingled lightly at being handled. "I need you to undo the damage that lack of care has wrought." He nodded gravely, no doubt recognizing the pouch and knowing how long he had not seen it to care for its contents.
"I'll be in the back taking care of this – shouldn't need more... than a few hours, 'pending on the state their in." He gently picked up the pouch and took his leave, leaving me to look around.
"Otou-san, I'm back from... Ah, Senju-sama, it's good to see you again." I turned around to see the blacksmith's daughter entering the shop. She had clearly just come back from training, judging from the dirt and grime that decorated her outfit and features.
Nodding my head in greeting, I made my way over to the clothing section. "You're timing is excellent, I just so happen to need a second opinion on the new outfit I will be needing. If you have the time?"
"Sure, let me just... freshen up." She motioned to her state, a bit embarrassed.
"Of course. Your father is in the back, should you be curious."
"Thank you." With that she was off.
"I dunno, this one does seem more practical, but you said that you had a thing for the boy on your team right?" The girl was clearly fishing for more than I was offering.
"I said nothing of the sort." I smiled teasingly. "You think the skirt looks better?"
"Maybe, what overall look are you really going for?" She asked.
"That is exactly what I am wondering right now. I still don't even know how I want to wear my hitai-ate..." I folded the standard issue pants and placed it neatly back on the top of the stack.
"Well, that depends on what you want people to think." She explained.
'What I want people to think...?' I took out my forehead protector, rubbing my index finger over the insignia for Konoha idly.
"I hate it when people underestimate me for being a girl, so I tend to dress more tomboyish. However, I always try to throw in some more feminine colours to accentuate the fact that I am both strong and a girl." She was right about the way she dressed. Her loose navy blue pants allowed for full motion, and gave her the air of a tomboy... but the bright pink shirt stated that her femininity was not completely forgotten.
"What I want people to think..." What did I want people to think? Nothing. I looked into the full length mirror one more time and took in what I saw.
Dark blue shinobi sandals – and my toenails need to cut – matching loose pants, with a same colour jacket that sported black overtones and more wear and tear than most girls would ever want their clothes to show. My shades were in my kunai pouch, which was a habit when I was off duty. "I look like a boy, don't I..." I finally realised. My only saving grace were two lumps on my chest – which were still all too easy to hide...
I never considered myself to be a girly-girl, ever. Everything I wore reflected that. Hell, mostly everything I did reflected that.
'What kind of girl does Kiba-kun like?' I blushed at the thought.
Throwing caution in the wind, I decided to look at the more non-standard section. Miniskirts were refused immediately, but there were a few more modest skirts I would be willing to consider. Then there was a few dresses that might work. 'Definitely not for missions, but they might be nice for down time.'
"Mesh armour will be a must... but that is unavoidable..." I drawled the last past almost lazily. 'Being practical and pretty is not going to be a walk in the park. So how about I narrow down what I need and what I don't want and see how much room I have to play with...'
'Needs: tight fitting to avoid drag while running... a jacket with a hoody to hide my bright hair while sneaking around... not too many layers to avoid overheating... two kunai pouches, one on each leg – I already have one, so I just need to pick up one more... some stuff to fill the pouches with...'
The entire time I was making my list, I was walking around looking at everything at once. Mentally crossing out all the items that went against what I needed, and rolling my eyes at anything that fell under the 'don't want' category.
"Okay, I think I have a basic idea." I announced halfway through the girl's latest story of her and her team mates.
"Really? Well let's see what you've got?"
Without missing a beat I grabbed all the items I had made the cut and dashed for the changing rooms. I carefully took out all the items I had hidden under my current jacket – which too quite a bit longer than I thought it would. 'Do I really carry that much stuff with me?'
After forever had come and gone, I was finally standing in just my underwear. The first thing I put on was the mesh armour – though it was labelled as 'whole body armour' it was actually little more than a pants and a shirt that could be temporarily stitched together after being donned. Still, it basically covered everything, leaving my hands and wrists, feet and ankles and my head uncovered – my neck was mostly covered.
Next came a navy blue, form fitting, three quarter pants with no pockets and a turquoise sleeveless top that left my navel exposed, but covered most of my neck. Then the jacket... That took the most time to find. After delving into the stacks of possibilities, I found this one...
It wasn't double sided, it wasn't fireproof or so tough that no kunai could puncture it. Nothing like that. It was just a bone white leather jacket with a fur hoody and loose sleeves with enough pockets on the inside to store the stuff I needed. It didn't hug my frame, nor was it as loose as my old jacket.
Why did I like this jacket?
…
It matched Kiba's almost to a T.
After attaching my two kunai pouches and restocking my pockets, I walked out of the changing room. I dunno why, but I felt different. I felt like I was doing so much more than just changing clothes... This felt like a step – a huge step. I just wish I knew where it was going.
"So...?" I asked after stepping out into the girl's view... what was her name again?
"You look good!" She announced happily. I twirled this way and that to give her a better view. "You might want to put on some shoes though." She joked.
'Chikushou... I still managed to forget something...' I grabbed a pair of standard issue sandals and started putting them on when... "KAWAII!"
On the other side of the room, a twin tanto set caught my attention. I stumbled over the the showcase gawking at them the whole way. They were cute, practical and they were easy to hide or simply let hang on my waist. Did I mention they were cute? And as an added bonus, they were on sale! I love shopping! … right? Yes, I love shopping!
I took the set off the display and put those on too. "There's just one thing missing now..." I said, finally putting on my sandals the way they were meant to be – with... Tenten (?) offering me the missing one.
"Mm...?"
"A feminine touch."
"Well, I will admit that you stuck to mostly the same colours, but you are showing off your curves more."
"Huh?" She just laughed at my confusion, tugging me towards the mirror in the changing room. She was right, once again. The jacket, even when zipped up, didn't hide my... chest as well as my old one did. And the pants sacrificed pocket space for a comfortable fit and no crevice left unhugged. If I hadn't put on the mesh armour, I'm positive I'd be able to see every line in my underwear – now it was just hinted at.
I turned around to... check how much was really showing...
"There's no way he wouldn't notice you now." She winked at me. I decided then and there to wear the tantos differently. I had them in my sleeves before, hidden and ready to strike at all times, like tantos were meant to be.
In stead I wore them like belts, together making an shallow cross just above my rear. "There." I said happily. "Now anyone who stares won't miss the blades that will castrate them if they misbehave." A smile and her rolling her eyes were the only response I would get out of her, but I didn't mind.
"All right, how many uniforms will you be needing? I would recommend at least three full suites, but if you go for five you get more discount." Ever the business woman, I liked her for that.
'Three should be enough, but I do want something special for down time... I wonder what we'll be doing during time off anyway.' "I'm already splurging on the weapons, I'll just take three."
A nod, two stops and a hop to cash register later, we were tallying the total. I decided to don my shades again while she was busy counting the money I place on the counter, and I activated my doujutsu. 'Just finishing up with my package. Perfect, then I can meet up with Yuuna for a quick dinner before heading to the sentou for the night.'
Yuuna, Naruto, Hikaru and I were on our way to Ichiraku's. Since we all graduated, we agreed tonight was a good night to celebrate a little, and I made sure everyone had their weapons set up exactly right. Hikaru had his kodachi hilt sticking out over his right shoulder. Naruto had his new ninjato stuffed in his jacket – yes, the orange one... surprisingly Yuuna didn't drag him into the shopping district yet to straighten that out – with only the hilt sticking out like an outgrowth from his spine. Yuuna wore her giant kunai like a big 'X', with the handles sticking out over her shoulders. My tantos were the least obvious, I think, but I wonder why no one said anything about them yet. Sure we could legally wear them now, but I expected more resistance in wearing them for no reason.
I looked at everyone we passed, waiting for the inevitable exchange of words about demons being armed, or some such idiocy... but it never came.
"You went shopping without me! Totally not cool!" I guess Yuuna's constant squealing and shouting were throwing people off, or maybe people were less willing to pelt careless words a four fully armed shinobi.
"It wasn't shopping. I was picking up everyone's stuff and I had some time to kill while Ryuusei-san was finishing up." I defended, folding my shades and finally putting them back into my kunai pouch, obviously they wouldn't be needed tonight.
"Well, either way, you know she won't drop it until you take her shopping." Karu reminded me.
"Take her shopping? With Naruto needing a new wardrobe, you think she'll worry about me?" The look on Naruto's face was priceless, but the look on Yuuna's face as she realised I was right was even better!
"Hey, old man, we're back!" Naruto announced happily as we entered the stand, obviously trying to change the subject before possibly being dragged into the nearest clothing store.
"Ah, my best customer returns! Welcome, welcome." Even though his restaurant only had six stools, and three patrons already present, no one seemed to mind leaving when we arrived. "Say, Naruto-kun, you like much tougher with that hitai-ate on your forehead, don't you think, Ayame?"
"Oh, wow. Congratulations on graduating, all of you." Ayame smiled brightly, bringing Yuuna and my tea without being prompted to.
"Ayame-nee-chan, you spoil us." Yuuna teased happily.
"Is it my fault that I knew you all so well, Yuuna-chan?"
"Everyone, tonight is on me, so please order anything you like." I laughed as the others smiled a bit too broadly. "What? Is something on my face?"
"Someone's happy about being on her new team." Karu teased, earning him a swat on his shoulder.
"Hmph." Even while feigning irritation, I still couldn't help but smile a little.
A/N: Well, there you have it, the latest installation of Hi no Ishi. This is a bit of a refreshing way to begin this Arc, knowing that it will all go downhill from here. You'll see what I mean in time, don't worry.
Chapter 22 is already 75% done, so expect that a lot quicker than this chapter and the previous one came out. And this really is the beginning of the action, so if you are wondering if the drama will keep coming - yes, but in less concentrated doses.
Buntaichou - Team/Squad captain.
Ino-bunta - Ino-pig
Yatta! - All right!
Hitai-ate - Forehead protector
Ja ne - See you later.
Ja - See ya!
"Ano... G-ganbatte ne, N-n-n-naruto-kun."