Disclaimer: I do not own the manga, anime, characters, whathaveyou that are used in this story.

After the War

Naruto wonders if he didn't actually end up falling under the spell of the Infinite Tsukuyomi. But then, why would his deepest desire be Sakura and Sasuke-teme acting all lovey-dovey and ooey-gooey in front of him? Well, as romantic as the bastard can be.

He pinches himself on his arm. No, Sakura-chan is still sitting in between Sasuke's legs, leaning on his chest, like it's just a normal everyday thing they do.

He forms the needed seal and tries to disrupt his chakra flow, even if he knows it wouldn't work on the level of genjutsu he's surely in. Nothing. Sasuke even has his one arm lightly wrapped around Sakura's waist now.

At this point, Naruto slaps himself on the face. Hard. Enough that he goes crashing down the hospital floor. This gets his teammates attention but they don't disentangle from each other, like he thought they would once they noticed they weren't alone. They just sit there looking at him like he's the weird one.

"Naruto!" Sakura finally leaves her comfortable position when he doesn't get up. "What the hell are you doing you idiot? You wanna get a concussion?"

"Hn. Leave him be. He's just looking for attention."

"I'm looking for attention?" he screamed at the smug looking Uchiha. "I heard the nurses say you always call Sakura-chan over here to your room! What's wrong with you that she has to spend the whole day here?"

If possible, the bastard's smirk grows wider and he shifts his gaze from him to the fiercely blushing Sakura-chan. "What? What's so funny?

"It's nothing Naruto," Sakura assures him.

When he still looks suspicious of them, she rounds on the bastard. "Ugh, Sasuke-kun, stop looking at me like that!"

Naruto looks at one teammate, then another. He's sure he's missing something here. "Ne, why are you so red Sakura-chan?"

"I said it's nothing Naruto-baka!"

It's the last thing he hears before Sakura, still flustered, accidentally clocks him in an effort to stop him from talking.

At least, he thinks it's accidental.

Ugh.

--xxx--

Is he the only one who's seeing this!?

The newly reinstated Team 7 is strolling through the village after a hard day's training. Sakura did not go easy on him. Days like this, he's really glad he's part Uzumaki and that he has a bijuu in his gut. It doesn't look like Sakura's forgiven him for whatever it is that he's said wrong the other day.

But honestly, how can she blame him?

She and Sasuke are walking down the street with their pinkies wrapped around each other!

It would be subtle, if it was anyone else, but this is Sasuke-teme for crying out loud. A guy bumped into him yesterday and Sasuke almost made him wet his pants before the guy took off running. And Naruto's pretty sure he was one of granny Tsunade's ANBU guards.

Sasuke did not like to be touched!

They might as well be holding up giant neon signs pointing to their linked fingers.

He nudges Sai with his shoulder and whispers behind a palm, "Hey, you can see bastard and Sakura-chan holding hands too right?"

"Of course I can dickless. Did Sakura's last punch give you vision problems? That happened to me once as well." Naruto flinches at the nickname but decides to ignore it. He also notices the lack of term of endearment when it comes to the pink haired med-nin, something Sai has wisely decided to stop doing in the presence of the Uchiha.

"But I mean!" Naruto gestures wildly at the two, hoping it would convey his meaning. "How— When did this even happen?"

Kakashi falls into step with him and Sai. "When did what happen?"

"That!" The blonde hisses. Naruto feels like he's in some special hell where people are especially thick— oh kami. Is this what Sakura feels about him all the time? Maybe he does deserve all the beatings.

"Huh, that is weird."

Finally! Kakashi-sensei knows what he means.

"Sakura's growing out her bangs."

Naruto throws his hands in the air. "I hate all of you!"

--xxx--

The next few days continued like that.

Sasuke and Sakura moving in the bastard's stuff in Kakashi's now empty apartment.

Sasuke and Sakura buying tomatoes at the market.

Sasuke and Sakura feeding a bunch of kittens near Hokage Tower.

Everywhere Naruto looks, he's assaulted by visions of pink and black. He'd be insulted not to have been asked to hang out if he wasn't so confused. Are they dating? They've got to be! But why aren't people freaking out like he is?

More importantly, why didn't Sasuke and Sakura tell him?

After a week of wanting to pull his precious hair out, Naruto caves and asks the two people he's sure knows what's going on.

"Oi!" he calls out from a secluded alley near Konoha Plaza. "Ino! Shikamaru!"

If anyone can help him figure it out, it's the lazy genius and Sakura's (female) best friend.

"What are you doing here, idiot?" Ino says as she saunters over with a flip of her hair. "Tired of your adoring fans already?"

Shikamaru throws what's left of his cigarette on the ground and grinds it with his sandaled foot. "You know this celebration is mostly for you, right?"

It's true. He should be having fun right now. The war's over and endless days of peace are on the horizon. He should be in Ichiraku, eating some free ramen— not going crazy over his friends' relationship status. But he is.

"Nevermind that," he hisses. "Tell me what's the deal with the bastard and Sakura!"

"Naruto, what—"

"And don't tell me you have no idea because I have eyes! I know I'm not always smart but even I can see them and they're flirting!"

Both shinobi raise an eyebrow at his outburst, and it seems they're not the only one who notices. One by one, the other members of the rookie nine show up.

"What's got your panties in a twist now, Naruto?" Kiba and Akamaru pull up with Shino and Hinata. Chouji's not far behind, hefting some karaage and yakitori for his teammates.

"He's pitching a fit cause Sasuke's not paying attention to him," Ino teases.

"That is so not it!" Naruto insists. "I mean just look at them now!"

They were admittedly hard to miss, though Sakura only wears a simple cotton yukata and Sasuke hadn't even bothered to change out of his training outfit. It's the giant mallet she's hefting on her shoulder, Naruto thinks. Or the ridiculously huge stuffed rabbit Sasuke is nonchalantly holding on to.

They never do anything overt but…

"Troublesome. Haven't they always been like that though?"

Naruto deadpans Shikamaru. "You think I, their teammate and best friend, wouldn't have noticed they've been dating since we were genin?"

Everyone, even shy and gentle Hinata, answers with a resounding yes.

"Come on!"

"Think about it Naruto, has Sasuke ever given any other girl the time of day?" Ino asks. "Not to mention they practically share one brain cell when it comes to your dumbassery."

"Sometimes, Akamaru and I would see them walking together. I think he was walking her home."

"And they've got that silent communication going on, even when we were kids," Chouji adds.

"Oh! And that whole hug from behind thing that happened in the Forest of Death during our first chuunin exams!" Ino tells him what happened since he wasn't awake for that part.

It was an 'angst-fest' she assures him, whatever that means.

Even Shino chips in, mentioning that Sakura was the only one who knew Sasuke well enough to know he'd be leaving for Orochimaru.

Naruto looks at his teammates once again. Sakura leads the Uchiha to a stall selling cotton candy. They don't have their pinkies linked this time and there really isn't anything suspicious going on between them.

Except there's this soft look on Sasuke's face that only appears when Sakura's not looking.

It's just like the look Sasuke had, waking up from his brother's Tsukuyomi and finding himself wrapped around Sakura's embrace.

"I t-think Sasuke-san and Sakura-san has a-always had a connection, d-don't you think Naruto-kun?"

"Heh. You might be right Hinata-chan. There's still something I'm wondering about though."

Everybody, even steadfast and sweet Hinata, groans.

"Why didn't they tell me anything?"

"Don't bring it up to them stupid!" Ino screeches. "They're like deer. If you startle them, they'll start running. Why do you think none of us have reacted to it yet?"

Deer? What do woodland animals have to do with his sickeningly cheesy teammates? "Ugh! None of this makes sense!"

"What doesn't make sense?" Sakura walks to them, a scowling Sasuke and stuffed rabbit in tow. "You're not already in trouble so early into the night are you Naruto?"

--xxx--

They walk along the riverbank. Sasuke and Sakura ahead, lost in a hushed conversation, and him trailing behind.

It's a familiar dynamic, when he thinks about it. And it's not that bad; they're not actively trying to brush him off like they would when they were younger. He doesn't want to get in the middle of that anyway.

Naruto doesn't know what they're talking about but it has Sakura-chan bright and bubbly and gesturing wildly with her hands.

Sasuke's not even trying to hide that soft, special look anymore.

And he's… happy for them.

Naruto thought he'd be jealous… after all, he's liked Sakura almost as long as she's liked Sasuke. It's not like that though. Maybe he's seen all along that connection Hinata was talking about.

"Hey…"

Sasuke and Sakura look back to him, all smiles and their pinkies linked together once again.

"You two are the most important people in the world to me, ya' know? And I'm really happy that we're finally back together."

Sasuke rolls his eyes, a gentle smirk on his lips. "Quit being so sappy, blockhead."

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura giggles and lightly swats the Uchiha on the shoulder. "What did you want to say Naruto?"

"As I was saying! I'm glad we're all here and that you two are dating now. Also, Naruto would be a great name for your first kid— ow!"

The blonde caresses his aching head. What did he do wrong now? Both his teammates are blushing and fidgety and there's a wider distance between them that wasn't there before.

"W-we're not dating, Naruto-baka!"

"What? But you've been together the whole time Sasuke's been back!" Naruto wracks his brain to make sure he's got it right. "And all the hand holding and 'eating together'? And the eye smex! Don't tell me you're not dating when you're doing the eye smex!"

Sasuke's rinnegan eye twitches. "What the fuck is an eye smex?"

"Ugh! Stop!" Sakura aims a punch at him but she must be too flustered cause she misses. Thank kami. "I'm leaving!"

Sakura stomps away boorishly, leaving him with a Sasuke whose ears are burning bright red. Did he and everyone get it wrong?

Sasuke hits him on the face with the stuffed rabbit before going after the med-nin. "Tch. As if we'd name our first born after you, dobe."

Great. Naruto lies down on the grassy riverbank as he waits for the world to stop spinning. The multicolored fireworks that explode above him doesn't help though.

So are Sasuke and Sakura dating or not?

He thinks this is one mystery he'll be content not to know the answer to. It hurts too much.

He grins.

Yes, this is just the way things have always been.