-Simplicity-

-Chapter one-

Naruto sat in a room of old men balancing his pencil on his upper lip in a desperate attempt to amuse himself. Tsunade insisted if he was serious about be selected to be hokage he should be more involved in the political process, which mostly consisted of attending incredibly dull meetings.

He stared up at the clock to determine how much longer he had to endure this torture. He looked briefly over to the door and caught a glance of a dark haired figure walking by with what looked like the Uchiha symbol on his back. Instantly Naruto rose causing his previously balanced pencil to fall to the table with a loud clank.

"Sorry, Bathroom!" He yelled as he sprinted out of the room in pursuit of the figure he had seen. After running to the end of the hallway and back to the other end checking inside every room on the way he gave up his search. He slumped to the floor and began to run his hands through his hair. I must be seeing things. Naruto thought to himself. He resigned himself to his fate and reentered the meeting.

After 2 more hours of foot tapping, finger twiddling, doodling, and overall boredom he was free. Naruto sprinted out of the room over to the hospital where he found Sakura treating patients. He sat himself down on one of the spare beds.

"The beds are for patients Naruto." Sakura said between clenched teeth as she began wrapping a wound.

"Relax I'll move if you need it." Naruto sighed as he lied back resting the back of his head in his palms. "I thought I saw Sasuke today. It was weird. It felt so real!"

"Quiet down Naruto patients are trying to sleep." Sakura hissed.

"I can't help it. I was so sure this time it was real. I looked everywhere Sakura, and I mean everywhere. I even checked the ceiling."

"I'll ask the Hokage about it later, besides don't you need to get going?"

"What are you talking about, I just finished all my work for today."

"Didn't you promise Iruka-sensei you'd help out at the academy today?"

"Right!" Naruto yelled and he shot up and sprinted out the door."

"Don't yell in the hospital!" Sakura yelled after him.

Once out on the street Naruto's mood improved immensely. He stretched and started to head over to the academy. Naruto thought he saw a dark figure bearing the Uchiha symbol heading to the outskirts of town but when he blinked it was gone and scowled himself for going seeing things. It must be all the time I spend in those pointless meetings he convinced himself.

Iruka-sensei was excited to see Naruto arrive. "Naruto, great, could you watch the class for me while I run a quick errant?"

"What! I can't do that Iruka-sensei!"

"Sure you can, just make sure they don't kill each other."

"Easier said then done" Naruto mumbled to himself.

"Great I'll be right back." As soon as the door closed Naruto stood in front of the class.

"Ok, today we are going to learn a very simple transformation Jitsu that works great on adults. Naurto snickered.

"Don't you dare Naruto!" yelled Iruka from down the hall. Naruto silently cursed his former teacher's well-trained ears that he figured must be a result of dealing with whispering students.

"Alright instead we are going to play a fun game that will help you with both your transformation and replacement jitsu!" Naruto exclaimed enthusiastically.

---

The whole class including Naruto cried out in laughter when a student trying to avoid getting tagged transformed into a goldfish not realizing fish are useless on land. The student reappeared with a pop completely balling. "I was trying to transform into a shark." They cried.

"It's ok" Naruto said rubbing the top of the youngster's head. "That's really hard jitsu, you did well." It was that that moment Sakura came bursting through the door out of breath.

"Naruto you were right Sasuke is back!" She yelled.

"How can that be? Why haven't we seen him around the village?"

"Tsunade says he is sent on a lot of solo assassination missions for a sub division of ANBU and when he's not on a mission he tends to keep to himself in the old Uchiha compound."

"Sakura, do me a favor and stay here with the kids until Iruka-sensei gets back!" Naruto yelled as he ran out the door. He sprinted until he reached the edge of town where the Uchiha compound was. Suddenly he realized he had no idea what to say to Sasuke.

Sure he had thought about it, but now that he thought back to everything he had planned to say he couldn't think of a response to his words that didn't involve bodily harm or death. He paced outside the gate for a long time until eventually he sat down on the ground leaning against the gate and watched the sun begin to set. Finally he got the nerve to enter. He cautiously walked through the gate. He walked by abandon houses until he stood in front of the main houses slowly he slid he door open. He saw a pair of sandals neatly lined up at the entrance and he smiled to himself for having chosen the right house. He took off his own sandals and stepped up onto the tatami floor. He slid open the first door and saw a lone figure kneeling in the center of the room meditating.

"What do you want to say Naruto" Naruto jumped at the sudden noise.

"What makes you think I was going to say anything?" Naruto cried out defensively.

"I could feel your chakara once you reached the edge of town. You were outside the gate for a long time which means you weren't going to attack me and that you thought a lot about what you were going to say, this also means it's neither urgent or important, but I know you are going to say it anyway so put me out of my misery and just tell me." Sasuke said without so much as twitching a muscle.

"Hn." Naruto replied before he started to look around the room. He saw Sasuke's sword resting by his side but aside from that there was nothing in the room. "Do you even sleep?"

"One does not need sleep when they are at peace with their mind." Sasuke replied coolly.

"Are you serious?" Naruto questioned. Sasuke opened his eyes and turned toward him.

"Of course not dobe, I just keep the futon in the closet."

"Right, I knew that"

"I know you didn't come here to ask me if I sleep, just tell me what you want and leave."

"Teme, where do you get off coming back and not telling anyone? Did you really think you could avoid me?"

"I hoped so, clearly I failed" Sasuke said as he returned to meditating.

Naruto was getting angry and desperate. He knew if he didn't say something fast he would be forced to leave. "Lets go get ramen, my treat."

"And why would I go get ramen with you?"

"To celebrate you being back." Sasuke raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'seriously?' "Fine to celebrate the fact that I'll leave you alone if you go."

"That is the biggest load of shit I've ever heard"

Naruto snarled at the passive looking Sasuke sitting with his back to him. "You came back to rebuild your clan right? In order to do that you're going to have to go into village eventually, why not get a free meal out of it, you still need food even if you are one with you mind or whatever." Naruto stood there staring at Sasuke's unmoving form. "I give up. What can I say to convince you to go?"

"You don't need to convince me. I'll go." Naruto sighed in relief as he watched Sasuke stand and slide his sword into place on his back.

"We better get going before the shop closes up," Naruto said through a huge grin on his face.

The whole trip was awkward. They walked in silence. Even when they go to the Ramen bar there wasn't much conversation.

"What have you been up to recently?" He asked hopefully only to get a silent response. "Tsunade thinks I have a good chance of becoming hokage. She has me attending political meetings in between missions. I also help out Iruka-sensei at the academy whenever I can. I figure it's the least I can do for causing him so much trouble all those years." Laughed Naruto who got not so much as an eyebrow twitch in response. "So, I heard you killed your brother. That's good." Still nothing. It was a relief when food came and he had something to distract himself.

Once they were done eating Naruto stood up and paid. Before Sasuke could slip away he came up with a plan. "Hey, we should drop in on Sakura to say hi quickly"

"Ok" responded Sasuke. Naruto Grinned broadly and grabbed Sasuke's wrist only to have his hand shaken of a split second later. Naruto settled on walking a few steps ahead of Sasuke. They arrived outside the door of her apartment and Naruto knocked. A few seconds later he heard the door click and it was opened to reveal Sai standing in front of them shirtless.

"Sai," he heard Sakura giggle "you can't open the door like that it could be my mother!" Naruto watched as Sakura walked toward the door and noticed them. "Naruto, Sasuke, what are you guys doing here." Naruto knew she meant why was Sasuke there; he dropped in all the time.

"We just thought we would stop by to say hi." Naruto said speaking for both himself and Sasuke.

"Why don't you come in? I'll make some tea."

"That's ok, maybe some other time, we really should get going." He turned waving to Sakura and Sai as they closed the door. It didn't take them long to get back to the Uchiha Compound. Naruto was surprised when Sasuke sat down on the ground much the way he had earlier. Naruto took this as a cue to sit down next to him. There shoulders brushed against each other for a second that made butterflies run up and down Naruto's spine.

"So Sakura and Sai?" Sasuke finally asked.

"Yeah, it turns out she's attracted to cold, emotionally challenged jerks" Naruto snickered and was pleased to see a smirk on Sasuke's face.

"How about you Naruto?" asked Sasuke. He was surprised by Sasuke's sudden spur of conversation.

"I don't think I'm in the right place for a relationship right now." He scolded himself as the words came out, not only was it the biggest load of bullshit, it also made him sound like a chick. "I would be nice to get laid though." Naruto noticed that Sasuke said nothing to this. "I bet you aren't getting any either, we should just fuck each other." Sasuke let out a laugh. "Wait a second I could have been being serious!"

"Sure " Sasuke responded though laughter.

"I'll prove to you that you should take me more seriously. When do you get back from your next mission, we'll do it then."

"I get back next Wednesday"

"Ok I'll be here!"

"Whatever, you're just going to wuss out anyway." Sasuke said as he stood up and walked though the gate.

"I won't, you'll see!" He yelled to Sasuke's retreating form before heading home himself.

---

The next day Iruka-sensei treated Naruto to ramen. "Mind explaining to me why I came back to the classroom to find Sakura tied to a desk?"

"Eh sorry about that, I had to leave in a hurry."

"Any reason why?"

"Sasuke's back in town."

"Oooh I see." Iruka-sensei said looking at him with knowing eyes.

"Iruka-sensei can I ask you a question?" Naruto said with his head bowed to hide the growing blush on his cheeks.

"Sure, you can ask me anything." He said rubbing the blond on the back as he continued to eat his ramen.

"How do two men have sex?" At Naruto's words Iruka spat out all the food that was in his mouth.

"Why on earth would you want to know that? Are you and Sasuke," Iruka-sensei coughed before whispering, "boyfriends?"

"Nooo, nothing like that. It's just I haven't seen Sasuke in a long time, and it turns out he's been avoiding me the whole time he's been back and I started to panic that he would disappear again without me seeing him again. Sex came up in conversation, and we had an argument about him not taking me seriously, and somewhere in my screwed up mind I thought the best way to get Sasuke to agree to seeing me again was to become his fuck buddy."

"You got yourself in deep this time Naruto."

"Don't I know it" Naruto mumbled under his breath

"Sex screws up every friendship."

"What about you and Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka-sensei blushed and stared down at his bowl.

"That's different, it was a one time thing, and you're not even supposed to know about that. Besides I can't even look at him now."

"On the contrary you stare at him all the time now"

"I do not."

"Then you better start looking very intently at your ramen because he's about to pass by." Naruto watched as his two former teachers stared at each other as Katakashi passed. "I think that was the dictionary definition of staring sensei." Iruka glared at Naruto before continuing to eat his ramen. "Will you just tell me how it works so I don't seem like a complete idiot when I go."

"So you're really doing it."

"I'm not about to back out on my word, especially not when Sasuke said I would chicken out."

Iruka sighed and responded. "Up your butt." Iruka said barely above a whisper. At this Naruto when completely red, he really was in over his head.

"How does it…?"

"Please don't make me explain Naruto"

"But, that's gotta hurt right?"

"I'm not going to lie to you it's uncomfortable, and sometime painful, but it gets better after awhile and it just becomes about being close to someone." If possible Iruka-sensei became even redder. Naruto would have smirked but he was too embarrassed himself.

"I think I can handle pain, I am a ninja after all." Naruto said smiling at Iruka.

"Naruto I have 2 pieces of advise for you."

"Yes sensei?"

"Number one, use this." He handed a small bottle to Naruto who examined it curiously. "It, uh, makes it go in easier."

"Yeah I figured that much out, I was just wondering why you carry it around Sensei, hoping for a chance encounter with Kaka…"

"NUMBER TWO!" Iruka said cutting Naruto off. "Once it's done it's done. Don't stick around to chat or sleep. Leaving puts you in control. This is very important Naruto, don't linger unless he asks you to stay."

"I got it. Thanks for the ramen Iruka-sensei!" He said as he got up and headed home to metal prepare for next week's engagement with Sasuke. At least now he would have something to think about during all those boring meetings.

---

Wednesday came too soon for Naruto and before he knew it all the kids had left the academy and he was waving goodbye to Iruka-sensei who caught Naruto in a hug. "You don't have to do this Naruto." He whispered in his ear.

"Come on Iruka-sensei your being melodramatic, it's not like this is the first time I've had sex."

"Oh really, who with were these previous encounters?"

"Myself mostly… let me rephrase that last line, it's not like this is the first time I've wanted to have sex."

"So you really want to do this?"

"You said it was about being close to someone. Well, I want to be closer to Sasuke and if this is how I have to do it, so be it." Iruka let go of Naruto and let him leave.

Within minutes he was in front of the Uchiha compound sitting on the ground waiting for Sasuke. He didn't have to wait long, within 10 minutes the last remaining Uchiha was standing in front of him in the flesh.

"Hn, you didn't wuss out after all. It's not too late you can still back out dobe" Sasuke said smirking down at him.

"I'm ready." They glared at each other for a few seconds before Naruto spoke again. "Your move teme."

---

A/N

What a cruel place for me to end that chapter. Hopefully you won't have to wait too long for the next one. I tried to make the characters as in character as possible which was difficult because, lets face it, Naruto and Sasuke probably aren't ever going to get together in the manga/show. Hopefully I stayed as true to their characters as possible, though I must admit I took some artistic license and brought up Naruto's IQ I few points because I love writing clever banter. Ciao for now.

-Wensleydale