Falling In Reverse

Chapter 6: Journey to the camp

"You could act a bit friendlier."

"And why would I do that?"

"I don't know, Kurama. Maybe because, you know, we're not trying to make enemies here?"

"It is not my fault that those Uchiha snowflakes are so twitchy."

A few closer Uchihas shot him aggrieved looks from where they were hopping from one tree to another in front of the Jinchuuriki. The moment their eyes met with the fierce red ones and saw that cruel grin on the young blond's face, they instantly turned away.

In the sealscape, Naruto sighed, not quite sure if he felt more exasperated or amused. He was lounging on Kurama's forearm, his back leaning against the fox's shoulder and one of his hands behind his head. "Can you at least stop talking loudly?" he muttered tiredly. "You're making them uncomfortable."

"Serves them right!" the Kyuubi cheered with a deadly glee. He made absolutely no effort to lower the volume of his voice.

Still controlling Naruto's body, Kurama brought up the rear as their group of ten rushed through the forest towards the camp of rebels. Of course, that was his personal decision and his only. No one else had any say in it, Kurama simply stated that he would follow at the very back and that was it.

Being stared at the back of their heads by the being that once destroyed their lives and unwillingly hearing his one-sided conversation, every syllable oozing of his disgust for the Uchihas, did nothing to alleviate the anxiety and unease. They were all tense, nerves taut to the extreme, but in the end, crucial help from the Jinchuuriki to weed out the enemy they had no hope to even recognize outweighed this torment.

"But you're also scaring Da—uh, Minato and Kakashi."

Kurama eyed Minato, taking note of his rigid posture, tightly clenched fists, and the fact that the man never glanced behind, not even once. His brow furrowed.

"And I know for sure that you care about them quite a great dea—whoa!"

Not even an experienced ninja as Naruto was able to go from peacefully lying down to suddenly trying to stick a landing faster than a blink of an eye without a hitch. His feet slipped as it touched the branch, his balance momentarily lost. He sent more chakra than necessary to his left sole, creating a small burst that corrected the direction of his next jump and allowed him to continue tree hopping without a clumsy fall or even a pause.

Nonetheless, when everyone else came to a halt, facing him, poised and ready, and nervously reaching for their weapons, Naruto had to stop too. "Sorry about that," he said in a hurry, lips pulled into a stiff smile. "Kurama just shoved me back into controlling my body without any warning." Sheepish, he rubbed the back of his head and then mumbled, "...Jerk," under his breath.

An instant, "Snot-nosed punk," rumbled in response from the depths of his mind.

The moment the boy's explanation sunk in, everyone's shoulder visibly relaxed. Naruto tuned out Kurama's delighted cackle at the sight. After a moment, he shifted under the suspicious scrutiny of nine pairs of eyes and finally scowled.

The one who broke the silence was the one-eyed Uchiha. "Is it normal? You and, um, Kurama sharing the body?"

Not Kyuubi, not the fox, not 'it' or any other label, but Kurama. Naruto looked at the man, feeling pleasantly surprised. Shisui not only remembered the name, but didn't disregard the existence of it either. The young blond approved. Judging by the lack of insulting sneers, Kurama did too.

"Kurama already lives inside my soul," he replied. "Sharing the body isn't that strange in perspective."

"Lives inside your soul?" another Uchiha asked.