I have redone this chapter and probably the rest of the story because it was short and badly written.

Hope you enjoy the new version!

I don't own Naruto. If I did, NejiSaku would be canon and Sakura would be less weak before the timeskip.

Chapter One

Five years.

It had been five years since he had been here last and the memories were less than pleasant.

Sasuke Uchiha smirked slightly as he wondered how his old teammates had fared over the years he had been absent. It had been two years since they had last seen each other and during that meeting he had attempted to kill them.

He grimaced. That was definitely going to come back and bite him in the ass.

The dark haired shinobi stared up at the walls surrounding the village of Konoha where the top of the Hokage's tower was just visible. He was going to have a hard time convincing the Gondaime to let him return, especially after almost killing Naruto twice. It was common knowledge that Tsunade had a soft spot for the blonde teen.

Shaking all negative thoughts out of his head, Sasuke started towards the gate. He knew he was being dumb by showing himself to the guards but it was probably the easiest way of getting to the Hokage without being attacked by every ninja in the village.

It wasn't long before they caught sight of the male and tried to seize him. Sasuke didn't put up much of a fight because of afore mentioned reason and because attacking the guards wouldn't help him when the time came for him to ask for forgiveness. So he went along with the men who forced his arms uncomfortably behind his back and pushed him through the gates.

People stopped to stare at him as he was pushed through streets but when he introduced them to the famous Uchiha glare, they immediately went on their way. He didn't really blame them for staring; anyone would if they saw their fellow shinobi walking past with a boy wearing enemy's clothing. Perhaps it would have been smarter to change before returning to the village.

The Hokage's tower was within seeing distance now and Sasuke saw the sign that read 'Ichiraku' go past his line of vision. For one small moment, he thought he saw the familiar colours of a certain person's black and orange jumpsuit. He wouldn't have been surprised if it actually was him though; the ramen-obsessed idiot practically lived there when they were younger and he highly doubted the reckless blonde would have grown out of it.

The destination was right ahead of them now and Sasuke felt an emotion he had only been forced to face a small number of times in his life. Fear. What if he wasn't accepted back? What if the Gondaime decided to have him killed?

He scowled at himself for thinking such things. There was no point in scaring himself. If he turned back now he would never be able to return. This was his one chance and he wasn't going blow because of some stupid 'what if?'s. With newfound confidence, Sasuke glared up at the looming building and sped up his pace.

The guards glanced at each other, confused. Usually when they had to drag someone here, the person was struggling and screaming while trying to get back to the gates. It was unusual to have someone so willing to see the Hokage.

Unaware of the men behind him's confusion, Sasuke continued into the Hokage's building until he came to the door leading to Tsunade's office and knocked loudly on it. No sound came from within the room so he guessed she was out and decided to wait inside for her.

He turned the handle and prayed it was unlocked. Fortunately for him, it was. Silently, he stepped into the office and closed the door behind him. The desk in front of him had a large stack of papers that took up almost all of the room. The room was seemingly quiet from where Sasuke was standing but the papers on the desk were shifting slightly which was strange because there were no windows open. It was very strange so he decided to investigate.

Walking towards the desk, he started to hear a strange sound from behind the pile. It sounded like deep breathing but he couldn't be too sure. As carefully as he could manage, he edged around the desk, trying to make sure not to knock over any of the papers.

The sight that greeted him was so humorous that his emotionless bastard of a brother would probably have to stifle a laugh. The 'great' Gondaime was fast asleep, her face lying in a puddle of ink, with her mouth open slightly and saliva sliding down her chin.

Sasuke sweat-dropped. This woman, the one who was drooling all over some poor sap's mission report, was the famous Sannin, Tsunade? The woman who was said to be able to crush mountains?

At that moment, he saw something under the desk. Wait, there was more than one.

'One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.' He counted in his head, 'Holy crap! Even Orochimaru didn't drink this much and he was drunk almost every day. Well…either that or he was incredibly screwed in the head….'

Somehow Sasuke didn't find that last thought impossible…

"Oooooohhhhhhhhh,"

His head snapped back to the napping woman who was slowly waking up. He immediately backed up put some space between himself and the Hokage.

"Why have you returned?"

The voice was tired but it still held resentment for the composed teen in front of her.

"I have come to ask for absolution. I wish to become a part of this village again." He answered quietly.

"Why?" All sign of her sleepy state had vanished from her voice. It held only curiosity.

"I am remorseful of what I have done and I would like to re-establish bonds that I before chose to sever. This village was my home and though I know it will be hard to regain the trust I once had, I would like to try."

"How do I know that as soon as you do gain acceptance to this village, you won't do what you did five years ago?"

"I still desire my revenge but I shall not let it blind me like I did back then."

"Prove to me that what you speak is the truth!"

"Tsunade-sama, you know as well as I that I could not prove my loyalty with mere words. I ask of you only one chance. If I even show the slightest hint of betrayal, you may target and imprison me."

There was silence for a moment and it appeared the woman was debating with herself whether to trust him or not. She finally answered and he could detect some apprehension in her voice

"Sasuke Uchiha, you have betrayed and attempted to kill your fellow shinobi-"

He cringed inwardly. He could have seen that coming.

"-but the people of Konoha are not unforgiving. Though you may have done some things that are unpleasant, you have also proved helpful to us in the time you were here. You are accepted back into this village and I can only hope that you regain the bonds you have lost."

Normally, Sasuke was not a very emotional person. In fact, over the years he had acquired the name:

"The Human Ice Cube"

But at that moment, he felt a surge of emotion that could only be described as ecstasy. He had to fight himself from hugging the lazy alcoholic who, might I add, still had ink on the side of her face.

For the first time in many years, Sasuke Uchiha felt truly happy.