Falling In Reverse

Chapter 7: A new world to fit in

"You alright?"

Naruto groaned, face still hidden behind his hands. After a moment, the only thing he managed to say was, "Gaara is a girl..."

Kakashi hummed, shoving his hands into pockets, and shot a glance at the young redhead woman who was listening to Minato explain the situation. "Yep, she's definitely a girl," he confirmed.

Naruto let out another groan. He could still feel his face heating up, but at least he stopped thinking about—

Nope. He was not thinking about it!

"Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Minato-sensei was about to tell you, but you just ran off without listening."

True. In that case, Naruto could blame only himself. "Shit..." slipped past his lips as he rubbed his face up and down in a strong, rough motion.

Kakashi observed him for a few seconds, then crouched down. "You scared the people," he said, his voice soft and understanding. "You could have told us and we could have thought how to deal with it together."

Naruto dropped his arms to his sides and turned his head towards where he heard the voices. Some of the people quickly turned away the moment they saw him looking over, but others continued to stare. He could feel it—their distrustful, angry gazes—like physical blows on his person.

With a weary sigh, Naruto pushed himself off of the ground into a sitting position. "I once waited," he murmured, running one hand through his hair. "Another time I hesitated." A handseal he knew by heart summoned ten shadow clones into existence that disappeared into the surrounding forest without as much as a word. "I'm used to it—being hated," Naruto whispered, sounding so tired. Defeated. "I'm not here to be a hero. As long as they are alive, it's fine."

"I see."

Suddenly, a weird thought crossed his mind and Naruto froze. His head snapped towards Kakashi, almost panicked. "Sasuke is a guy, right?"

Kakashi blinked. His surprise was short-lived, however, because, on the next second, his eyes drooped back into his usual lazy stare. "Ah, well..."

A chill slid down Naruto's spine. There was no way... He could swear he had heard Itachi calling Sasuke a he. "Sasuke is a guy," he insisted. If his voice pitched higher, no one could fault him for that. "Right?!"

Kakashi's eyes closed, mimicking the smile hidden underneath his mask.

Naruto's heart sank. If he had to deal with a female Sasuke, he... he...

"Sasuke is a guy."

Naruto's tense frame relaxed, his stomach unknotted itself, and he almost sprawled back on the ground from relief. Then, he straightened up again, a glower fixed on his sensei's counterpart. "You're an asshole," he growled out in a slow, irritated manner.

If Kakashi felt guilty, he didn't show it. On the contrary, he appeared to be delighted. "Maa, you jumped to conclusions yourself," he drawled, unbothered by the fact that Naruto's glower darkened.

"Kakashi!"

Kakashi looked behind him at the call. "Alright, come," he said as he stood up and extended his hand to the blond. "Time to meet the others officially."

Naruto grimaced, shooting a glance at the waiting people. After lingering gaze on Obito, he grabbed the offered hand and let himself be pulled up to his feet. "What did da—uhh, Minato say to them about me?"

"The truth," Kakashi replied with a nonchalant one-shoulder shrug. "Everybody here knows what happened to sensei's family, have seen them dead. Truth is easier to explain."