Thank you for your kudos, reviews, and interest in this story! I'm glad it's bringing some smiles to people. Hope you enjoy the second chapter.

***This chapter contains some *spoilers* from the light novels, specifically Sakura Hiden: Thoughts of Love and Longing, Riding upon the Spring Breeze. Since it is still being translated, I took what I know to have happened in the novel and used it as a resource for the characters psyche. The plots I created in this story here on out is not from the novel. The novels are also considered , the awesome OrganicDinosaur does the translating for the novel. (Please support by buying the book once it's available in your country. Until then, enjoy. You can check it out on the following link.)

r/Naruto/wiki/novels#wiki_sakura_hiden.3A_thoughts_of_love_and_longing.2C_riding_upon_a_spring_breeze

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Mr. Masashi Kishimoto et al owns it.

Kakashi Hatate, The Sixth Hokage of the Village of the Hidden Leaf, son of the White Fang, and proud teacher to the Heroes of Legend sat at his desk in the office of the Hokage. He gazed happily at the retreating backs of Naruto and Sasuke. He marveled at the growth of his students. Sasuke had just returned home but his heart came back long before now. Naruto had the acknowledgement of the whole village and was on his way to being the next Hokage. Sakura had achieved the Strength of Hundred Seals. Her strength rivaled the previous Hokage. She was also an accomplished medical-nin and spearheaded the new Children's Mental Health Clinic.

Kakashi spun in his chair. He was concerned about Sakura lately. The new Anbu executives insisted on having her. Kakashi wasn't surprised by their request. Sakura discovered a certain organization lead by a man name Kido within Anbu and took that man down. She joined Anbu and would secretly report anything odd within the organization directly to him. He didn't doubt her abilities or her loyalties, but the amount of pressure from this type of mission can get to anyone. Maybe Sasuke being back can alleviate some of that pressure. He chuckled to himself.

When it rains it pours. Sasuke thought this expression was only used for misfortunes. Unfortunately, this expression was what came to mind to best describe his current situation, surrounded and pampered by the people from his village.

"Oh! The Uchiha brat is back!"

"Look! Another one of the Heroes of Legend!"

"You got so tall!"

"Hey! Weren't you trying to destroy the village? Why the hell are you back? Ah just kidding."

"Shut up! He saved the world in the end didn't he?"

"Young people these days."

What started as a tentative hello soon became a hail storm of greetings. Shy little kids with star struck eyes and older people approached him with determined vigor. He travelled alone for so long so he was a little overwhelmed, but the attention was nonetheless welcomed.

"You know you love this." Naruto stated, nudging him with his elbow. "Not nearly as bad as you think right?"

Sasuke responded with a sigh. Acceptance. It was something he still had to remind himself to do. Accept who he was in the past and who he has become now. It was a daily struggle but that didn't mean he wasn't at peace. Still, a part of him felt it would of been better if people hated him.

"Stay away from him. You never know if he'd turn on the village again."

"Who said that?" Naruto shouted, his hands fisted. "Come out here and say it to his ugly and my handsome face!"

"It's fine." Sasuke breathed out. Sasuke didn't care what people said about him. People can change. He was living proof.

"But their lives were saved by me and you!" Naruto said, frustrated.

Sasuke smirked at his friend. After his battle with Naruto, he came to the conclusion he would always protect his home and village. He didn't have to be acknowledged as a hero to do so.

"The village has acknowledged both of you. You're one of the 'Heroes of Legend', Sasuke. Some people are still stuck in the past and are blinded by hate." Sasuke jerked his head up and peered into the eyes of Iruka, his old academy teacher. The man looked older but only around his eyes.

"It seemed just like yesterday that you young kids were graduating from the academy." Sasuke changed his mind, Iruka's an old man.

"Oh! Iruka-sensei!"

Sasuke observed as his friend and old sensei chatted. Of course it would end on ramen.

"Join us. It'll be my treat welcoming you back to the village." Iruka said, gently. He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder before he walked off. Sasuke couldn't hold back a small smile.

"Holy sh—Sasuke there's something wrong with your face! You're smiling!" Naruto teased.

They fell into a companionable silence as they walked. Sasuke catalogued the different changes in the village. His mind directed his thoughts to Sakura. He thought back to what Kakashi said before he left his office. "She's at the training grounds with the kids from the clinic. There's something you should know…" Sasuke furrowed his brow.

Sasuke didn't expect Kakashi to tell Naruto and him that Sakura was working undercover within Anbu. Sasuke felt extremely uncomfortable about the situation. He didn't expect her to tell him about Anbu through their correspondence, but did her lack of communication about her struggles come from not wanting him to worry? Or was it something else entirely? In addition to her other responsibilities, Sasuke had no idea how she functioned day to day. He huffed with frustration.

"Sakura had cut back on her work recently. I didn't expect it to be because she had a new job." Naruto stated, pulling Sasuke back from his thoughts. "She was so busy when 'The Children's Mental Healthcare Clinic' was first established. Then other villages wanted to adapt the program so she had to travel a lot."

The clinic wasn't new news to Sasuke. Sakura had talked about her clinic in her letters. He also visited one of these clinics during his travels. Many children were benefiting from Sakura's vision.

"Suna was the first to adapt and add such a department to their hospital. She went over there to help them adapt the program.

"It was during her trip to Suna that she got kidnapped right?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, but she took care of the situation and also defeated Kido." Naruto replied.

"I know, I saw her take him down."

"Which is odd because you told us to take care of it, but you still showed up. Don't say you didn't because the whole place was on fire from your Fireball Technique"

"They took her!"

Naruto was surprised at how much Sasuke's words were laced with emotion. It was another testament at how much they have all grown the last couple years. Naruto wondered about his two precious friends and where they now stood with each other.

"She didn't say anything about seeing you."

"I left before she saw me."

"Why didn't you go talk to her?"

"I don't think she wanted to see me."

Sasuke had arrived in the forest near the end of Sakura's battle with Kido. He used his Great Fireball Technique and finished off the rest of Kido's goons. At the end, Sakura stood surrounded by broken debris and cracked earth. His fire did nothing more then accentuate her power and beauty. For a moment it was all he could do not to run over like Naruto to a ramen stand. He stopped himself because he saw something from Sakura that surprised him. Shame.

"Have you guys talked about this?" Naruto looked over at Sasuke. If his personal experience with Hinata had taught him anything, it was communication was crucial and could be a matter of life and death—literally in his case.

"I plan on having that conversation with her soon."

They travelled the rest of the way to the training grounds in silence. Once they arrived, his eyes searched desperately for her. He found her high on a cliff surrounded by children and other medical staff. Sasuke let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"We going to talk to her or you're going to just look at her all day." Naruto started to laugh. He smacked Sasuke's back with his hand. Sasuke responded with a glare. Sasuke could feel his face getting warmer.

"Shut up." Sasuke started to walk off. He was perfectly fine. It wasn't like he never spoke with Sakura before. It was just having this loud idiot of a friend there to see him reunite with his…with Sakura that had him feeling out of sorts.

Laughter brought their attention back to Sakura. The kids were hang-gliding off the cliff.

"Taking a leap of faith and overcoming fear." Naruto explained. "Hey Sakura! Over here!" He waved his arms excitedly.

"Naruto? Oh! Sasuke-kun?!" Sakura beamed and smiled at them.

Sasuke reminded himself to breath. He ignored the knowing look on Naruto's face.

"One sec!" They watched as Sakura spoke with the other medical advisors. The kids who waited patiently for their turn peered over the cliff to look at Naruto and him. More than a few staff members also looked.

"K! I'm coming down!" Sakura took a hand-glider and jumped off the cliff without warning. Her hair billowed in the wind as she floated down.

Sasuke's mouth parted open slightly, his body moved on its own and his mind would catch up later to consent its actions. He moved directly to where Sakura would land with his speed and caught her.

"Sasuke…kun?" Glider forgotten, Sakura dropped it to the ground. It landed with a soft thud.

Sasuke registered Naruto offering his help to the people on the cliff in the back of his mind but Sasuke's main focus was on the woman in his arms.

"I'm home…Sakura."