Title: Never Really Home (Chapter Two)

Pairing: Sasuke/Naruto, Kakashi/Iruka, one-sided Sakura/Sasuke, hints of Lee/Naruto

Rating: M mostly for language, but for some sexual content as well.

Warnings: Eventual spoilers up to recent chapters.

Disclaimers: Don't own Naruto.

"Fuck, Naruto," gasped Sakura in pain as she pulled the kunai from her side. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"I...erm...sorry?"

"Sorry doesn't cut it this time, Naruto. Now, help me get to Tsunade before I bleed to death."

"But ...I ...Sasuke."

"I'm not in the fucking mood to hear your Sasuke crap." Naruto gave Sakura a surprised look. Apparently, Tsunade's foul mouth had rubbed off a little on his pink-haired friend.

"Are you telling me that you would rather continue a pointless search for a traitor than help a friend?"

"Well..."

"Don't even answer that," Sakura cut him off sharply, a little annoyed at his apparent shallow viewing of their relationship. "If you won't come back for me, come back for Tsunade. She wants to talk to you."

Seeing that there was no escape, Naruto let out a disappointed sigh and slung Sakura's arm over his shoulder...

"Dammit, Uzumaki, I am getting tired of your antics," mumbled Tsunade to herself as she leaned over to heal Sakura's near fatal wound. "Did I not specifically tell you to stop looking for Sasuke?"

Naruto didn't answer. He was too annoyed that he couldn't keep looking for Sasuke to think about what the Hokage had told him.

"If I hadn't been training Sakura to collect her chakra at certain weak points of her defense, she would probably be dead."

Naruto scowled at her. He already knew that what he had done was stupid; she didn't have to rub it in.

"Anyway," she said, straightening herself, "I have something to tell both of you, but I'm just waiting for..."

A knock on the door interrupted her. "Kakashi."

"Sorry I'm late," said the infamous-copy nin as he shuffled in through the door. "I had to...erm..."

"Save it, Kakashi. Where have you been?" said Tsunade in a very mother-like tone. "I have barely seen you all week!"

Kakashi remained quiet, but Naruto noticed a smile beginning to creep up on his sensei's partially-covered face. He was obviously very pleased about something.

"In fact, I haven't seen Iruka either," said Tsunade, her voice rising. "What is the point of being Hokage if I can't keep track of my underlings!"

At this, Kakashi snuck a little wink to Naruto, an action that made Tsunade's (now twitching) eyes narrow in anger.

"I don't know what is going on between you two, but there are more important issues to discuss right now."

Naruto let out a snort. What could be more important than his sensei falling in love?

"Sasuke's back."

The silence that met these two words was louder than Tsunade had ever heard. She thought she heard a pin drop in the hallway. The leaky faucet in her private bathroom dripped loudly, echoing throughout the room.

"Did you hear me? Sasuke's back. He has been spotted by several villagers, and is staying in a local hotel."

Naruto's mouth opened in shock. But then, it closed so suddenly that he bit his tongue. Naruto had waited for this day for three years. He thought he would be happy. But he was actually very upset. Why had Sasuke come back after all these years? Why did he always have to be the center of attention? Couldn't he let Naruto save him for once?

In a fury of emotions, Naruto's orange chakra flared around his body, and his innocent sky-blue eyes turned a very dangerous red.

He got up from his chair so fast that it fell backwards onto the floor. Ignoring the chair, he turned to leave.

"Naruto!"

"WHAT?" He whipped around so fast that Sakura let out a little gasp.

"You are not to see Sasuke."

"What makes you think you could stop me if I wanted to?"

Now, it was Tsunade who looked frighteningly angry. She got up from her desk so she could look Naruto in the eyes. "You forget your place," she said in a voice so calm, it was frightening.

"I've forgotten nothing!" Flecks of spit flew from his mouth. He had edged making the drops land on her face. Tsunade did not wipe them away.

"You are not to see Sasuke," she repeated in the same terrifying voice. "We don't know where Orochimaru is, and we need to keep a safe distance until we know details."

"How will we find out any details if we don't SEE him?"

"Naruto, for the safety of this village, you are not to see Sasuke."

"FINE!" Naruto was so close to Tsunade, she could feel his voice vibrating with fury. He turned around and stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind him so hard that it flew off the hinges into the hallway.

"Well," said Kakashi, in his ever-so-pleasant voice as he pulled out his adult novel from his back pocket, "that went well."

"Fuck you," said Sakura and Tsunade together.