Hey, I'm back! And... OH MY GOD, I FORGOT TO UPDATE!

After my infamous luck of bad weather every time I go to a vacation/camp somewhere, I've experienced bad weather, wet tents and, quite possibly, even hail. So I apologise for my very later-than-usual update.

In other words, if I announce that I willingly went to a camping trip, you'll know that I have completely lost it.

P.S: This chapter is a lot shorter than I originally planned it to be, but my ideas have shut down on me (Hey look! That rhymes!). Also, I feel really guilty for not updating sooner. The next chapter should come a lot earlier than the hiatus I was in. I react to bribes and/or death threats well for incentives.

Reviewer's Corner!

demon-sword: I meant that Kakashi knew that the Yondaime was able to summon toads and foxes; he just doesn't know who the boss of the fox summons were (Which of course, was Kyuubi). As for Rin... She just likes cute and fluffy things. At the moment, Kyuubi's gender is a mystery. That little Apocalypse thing I did was just a joke, and should not be taken seriously. Ever.

Dumbledork: I don't think I'm going to kill her. She might be helpful as a medic-nin later on. (Or maybe not. I still have no idea where I'm going with this. It's like this thing has no ending or something...)

michael69: Yes! Behold the awesome might of Kawaii no jutsu and despair, foolish mortals! (Insert evil laugh here.)

karikado: I currently have no thoughts of stopping my fic... yet. I am yet to think up of a good way to wrap this thing up, so...

korrd: It shall be revealed in this chapter or the next (I can't remember anymore...). I have something up my sleeve.

Oh yeah... Before I start the next chapter, I want to make another survey, this time regarding bloodlines. Should Naruto have one? If so, what does this mysterious bloodline do? I've already recieved a review asking Naruto to have a bloodline that copies other bloodlines, so...

Okay! On with the story!

Disclaimer: I lose brain cells every time I write this. I think my brain is broked. Let me give it a shot for old times' sake. Narutoe dosent' blong two meh.

...Yup, it's busted alright.

Chapter 9

"So, let me get this straight..." surmised the reinstated Konoha-nin inside Tazuna's house, "My real name is Rin, I used to be a team mate of you," she pointed to Kakashi, "And my sensei was able to summon toads and foxes like Karin-chan?" she asked, hugging the unfortunate fox even harder. Crackling bones could be heard as she did this, and all present in the room winced at the noise.

"On the plus side... The pain's gotten to the point where it's numb, so my cracked ribs, my dislocated shoulder and my broken spine doesn't hurt as much anymore. Maybe if I die, the pain will disappear," choked the newly dubbed Karin-chan. No one seemed to have the heart to tell Rin that the fox was in excruciating agony, as they were afraid she would hurt them instead.

"That's the gist of it," said Kakashi, smiling. "So... what happened to you two years ago?"

"Let's see," she mused. "I remember blacking out when... something attacked me.. It reminded me of a snake. The next thing I remember is that two people saved me. The first carried a huge sword, and I think the other carried senbon needles. That's all I remember."

Naruto, instantly recognizing who her saviours were, silently communicated with Kyuubi through his mind at her association with the man nicknamed the "Demon of the Mist".

'Alright, Kyuubi, spill it. Why wasn't Rin-neechan(1) there the last time we did this? How in hell did she end up with Zabuza and Haku the second time around?'

"Kami-sama, and I thought you were a twenty year old in a twelve year old body... You've changed things so that these turn of events happened. Remember the Hyuuga and the Uchiha incidents? Maybe something you did there changed what's going to happen. I actually don't know, because this is the first time I did the time-travelling jutsu. Feh, what's done is done, I suppose. If you need me, I'm going to go into your mind now. The damage Rin gave to my poor underling look bad enough to be serious." At this point the fox summon disappeared in a cloud of smoke, leaving a disappointed Rin.

"... Naruto, you still owe us an explanation about the summoning," reminded Kakashi in an almost sing-song voice, breaking Naruto out of his mental argument with Kyuubi.

"Uh... Oh look! Dinner's ready!" shouted Naruto, pointing to the table laden with food. 'When in doubt, change the subject' was one of Naruto's favorite sayings and he was going to stick to it. He happily went to the table and began to eat, pointedly ignoring his team mates' looks of "You're-hiding-something-and-you're-going-to-tell-us-after-dinner".

"It's pointless! Why should you people try to stop Gatou when he's so powerful? You're all going to die!"

The once calm atmosphere was shattered abruptly when a familiar child's voice screamed. The said boy then burst into tears after his proclaimation. The room was silent for a moment, until-

"So... That's it? You're crying just because you think that we're all going to die? What kind of a sissy are you! Stop being a crybaby and grow up," Replied Naruto harshly. He got up, then headed towards the door.

"Naruto, where are you going at this time of night?" asked Tsunami worriedly. Even though her father warned her about the genin's prowress as a bloodthirsty maniac, she liked him. Naruto was always kind and polite to her during his stay at the house.

"Training. After all, who else is going to save this place other than my teammates and I? I'll be fine; I've lived in the forest several times before. Thank you for the meal and your concern, Tsunami-san." The blond then closed the door, leatting a cold draught sweep over the whole dinner table. The reaction was immediate: Sasuke and Hinata thanked the bridge-builder's wife, and left the house to comfort Naruto. Inari quietly got up and headed upstairs. Kakashi followed soon after, mentally kicking himself for wasting his chance to confront Naruto. Tazuna and Tsunami left to get away from the awkward moment.

Rin... merely pouted.

"I can't believe they ditched me..." She said. Sniffing abruptly, she quietly whined, "I want Karin-chan back..."

Outside in the field, Naruto stared at the copy of the forbidden scroll he had managed to write out almost hungrily. He was distracted at the prospect of learning new techniques that he managed to not notice two figures approaching him.

"Naruto, we know you're hiding something, and... Wait, that's not a copy of the Forbidden Scroll, is it?"

Like a small child caught with their hand in a cookie jar, Naruto attempted to save face by doing the smart thing and acted innocent.

"Uh..."

Okay, scratch that.

"I.. uh... Kakashi-sensei made me do it?" he said weakly. His teammates gave him a glare so venomous that even cold-blooded killers would quaver for a moment. "Fine! This scroll is about cooking recipes, alright! I'm learning how to cook! There! You happy now?"

A crow passed by the three, crowing "Ahou, ahou!"(2) Wind blew, showing a small tumbleweed pass by. Crickets chirped.

"A... Cooking recipe scroll. You. Learning how to cook," said Sasuke skeptically.

"Yes, do you have a problem with it, teme?" He snapped back. And so began the war of insults. (3)

"Yeah, because you have an IQ of room temperature."

"No I don't! And you know what? There are several people in this world that I find obnoxious and you're all of them."

"Calling you an idiot would be an insult to all the stupid people."

"You're not the worst person in the world, but until one worse comes along, you'll do."

"You possess a mind not merely twisted, but actually sprained."

"I used to think that you were a big pain in the neck. Now I have a much lower opinion of you."

"You are living proof that evolution CAN go in reverse. I'm amazed you haven't got a Darwin Award yet for being braindead."

"Hey! That's two insults! You're not sticking to the rules you asshole!"

"Hmph. I'm surprised that you can count that high."

"Pardon me, but you've obviously mistaken me for someone who gives a shit."

"Keep talking, someday you'll say something intelligent."

"You are a piteously fiendish degenerate and a primitive, cold-hearted member of a tribe of trifling truculent twits. Ha! Take that!" Sasuke looked at Naruto oddly before he rebutted,

"You are a lamentably ignominious glutton and a perverted, feeble-minded object of execration. Touché."

"Stop it! Naruto, sorry for interrupting your... cooking scroll, but these insults aren't necessary!" Burst out Hinata.

"We know. We just do this for fun," replied Naruto with a cheeky fox-like grin. Sasuke nodded, matching a grin with Naruto.

"So.. you're learning how to cook, eh? Then let's see the scroll. I bet Hinata would like to learn new recipes, wouldn't you?" asked Sasuke almost evilly.

"Actually, I'd love to. Give me a look," she said, managing to snatch the scroll off Naruto faster than he thought. "Aha! It is a copy of the Forbidden Scroll!"

"I knew it! Naruto, tell us what is going on, or we might not trust you again."

The blond knew that he was stuck. He knew that if he said nothing, then they would never trust him again. On the other hand, he knew that if he told about the time-travelling and Kyuubi, there was a chance that they wouldn't trust him either.

What was the poor genin to do?

Eventually, Naruto came to a decision.

"Fine. I'll talk. But first we should go somewhere more private. This is considered an S-ranked secret that even the Sandaime Hokage decreed that punishment for failing to uphold it will result in instant execution. Understand?" The two nodded, eagerly wanting to know what their friend hid from them so much.

... Yosh! The ninth chapter complete!

Notes:

(1) Nee-chan - meaning older sister or something along those lines. From what I saw in the anime, Naruto pretty much calls every female older than him that.

(2) Ahou - meaning fool, or idiot. I liked that crow in the anime fillers so it's in there.

(3) The insults - I had fun writing them. I just felt that the two would act like that. I've got a whole load of insults I can do with Naruto and Kiba, which I might do when he shows up.

Now, as I said before, bloodlines. Personally, I dislike the idea because...

1. Too cliché. I've lost count at how many fics I have read regarding Naruto having one.

2. Too Über powerful. I know that I can make the bloodline weak from the beginning, but...

The bloodline limit ideas are still open nevertheless. The next chapter will be up soon, so please be on the lookout for it!