Hello, everyone. I hope you like my first fanfic.

The first few chapters are short and quick, but they will get longer and longer once the story starts going. I plan on covering everything from the moment Sasuke returns to Konoha, his travel with Sakura, some nice adventures, (some lemons - nothing too explicit), and Sarada's birth.

I have finished the plot outline, but I do take suggestions as the story goes on.

Original Artwork by me. Characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

1: Going Home

It's been a while… Maybe I'll go home.

It had been two years since Sasuke left Konoha, and yet it was still a place he called home. His old home in Konoha did no longer exist since Pain had destroyed most of the village. The only reason Konoha could still be considered home was because Sakura and Naruto gave him a new meaning for home. Even though he inherited everything left behind by the Uchiha, all this wealth meant nothing to him since Sasuke was never someone to flaunt wealth or prosperity. What was the point of having wealth if his family was six feet under?

For many years, Itachi was the sole reason he kept on living – to avenge his clan. Now that Itachi was dead, his journey to find a new purpose in life had only given him half answers. Perhaps his only path to redemption was not abroad as he originally thought – he did need to eventually make up for all the mistakes he committed against his closest friends.

Despite the atrocities that he committed when he defected from the village, Sasuke had begun to redeem himself and his family name. He turned a new leaf - leaving the old and hateful Sasuke behind.

Creating new bonds meant that Sasuke could get hurt once again. However, he knew one thing for sure. He was no longer afraid to become involved with those close to him. The ties that he had established in Konoha were those that he treasured the most - and also longed for. The incident with Chino and the exploding human bombs, only reinforced that Sakura and Naruto never gave up on him and that they were eagerly awaiting for his return.

Something felt different to Sasuke as he walked through the gates of Konoha. He was no longer considered a criminal; he was free from any burdens of his past.

His name and face were obviously notorious, and his hair growth not only hid his Rinnegan, it also allowed him to hide his own face. Perhaps the guilt and shame from his past still haunted him – he did not know how to feel about it. Consequently, these physical reminders – his arm and his overgrown hair – were also his own form of personal penance.

As per requirement, Sasuke had to check in first with Kakashi in order to let him know he was back home. Sasuke always avoided too many messages – he was not a man of many words. However, his feelings and words were also intensely internalized - perhaps it was part of the Uchiha curse.

As he walked towards the Hokage's office, Sasuke slowly took in the sight of the village. Once again, everything was changed – different. The old town still had the same narrow streets and cramped buildings, while new constructions were taking place where there were once wooded areas. Construction also started taking place just above the Hokage mountain, and on the outskirts of the village. Perhaps a new boom in population meant that several war refugees had fled to the village in order to have protection and opportunities for their families.

Through a pile of rising steam, old shops still gave off different scents of food throughout, making one more inviting than the other. Yet, many new faces now crowded the street, and none took notice of Sasuke's presence. Despite being considered a war hero and a criminal, many people knew his name, but not his face... he preferred it that way.

"Come in," Kakashi said with an unenthusiastic voice that Sasuke knew too well, "Oh, hello Sasuke, welcome home."

Making eye contact with the Hokage, Sasuke muttered, "Kakashi."

Getting right into the business at hand, Kakashi wasted no time speaking out through half-closed lids, "Well Sasuke, I'd like to thank you for sorting out the recent events, we have been working hard on our end as well."

Trailing off, Kakashi explained what had occurred in the prison after Chino and the rest of the Lightning Gang had been sent there. Just like Sasuke, they had been given another chance to work and redeem themselves with their village.

"By the way Sasuke...", Kakashi continued as he stood up and said, "I don't know how long you plan on staying here. Well, you need to get settled. Have you thought of where you are going to stay?" as he handed Sasuke a key chain with a single key in the ring, and an address scribbled messily on the key tag, "Make yourself at home."

Sasuke blinked twice at the surprise, before reaching out to accept this small gesture, "Ah, thanks."

"You may go, you must be tired", Kakashi then turned his eyes away from Sasuke and turned his attention to the computer screen in front of him.

Turning on his heel, Sasuke left the office.

With only a scribbled address in hand, Sasuke had to ask for directions. When he was younger, he never had to ask for directions because all the places he had to go had been shown to him by someone else.

As he traveled through several narrow streets and alleys so he could avoid the crowded streets, he passed by an alley that had a broken mirror. Looking down, he finally took a good look at himself. He had been in so many poor villages and out in the wilderness, that he never had the chance to see how much he had changed. His clothes were in tatters, and his hair was overgrown - definitely not the best version of him. All the recent fighting he had been in had pretty much done the final damage. To him, it did not matter since his main objective was to help those around him, in the quietest way possible.

Well, I guess I do need a new outfit, he thought.

There were many shops near the alleys that he took home, and picking a new outfit would be no problem for him. He wanted something simple like the clothes he already owned, without his family crest – since walking around with the Uchiha crest always attracted trouble because of his notoriety. Until he felt completely redeemed, he had no desire to proudly display anything.

At the first shop he stopped by, he bought the plainest clothes he could find and left immediately after.

A couple of alleys over, he found the utilitarian building that matched the description and address on the tag. Though the building looked plain and simple from the outside, the inside was somehow recently updated.

Sasuke's new home was one large room with a kitchen with basic appliances to the left of the entrance – a small sink, a double element mini stove, and a small fridge. The bathroom was to the right of the entrance with a tub, shower, sink, and toilet; and the small living room had tatami mats with a small short table. At the very back of the living room, there was a closet where the bedding could be found and stored during the day.

Closing the door behind him, Sasuke breathed in deeply. It seemed as if the apartment had been closed for some time. There was a stale and moist smell in the air that was probably caused by the straw in the tatami mats - nothing that a cracked window couldn't solve.

For Sasuke, it felt strange to not sleep on the forest floor or some moldy tatami mat with straw bedding. After all, he did visit very poor towns and villages that could not offer him anything too comfortable.

Hearing a loud bang from his from the front door, Sasuke instinctively reached towards his sword, before he felt a familiar chakra signature followed by loud yelling.

"OI Sasuke OPEN UP!"

Heading towards the door Sasuke said, "Loser, what do you want?" as he opened the door with a smirk on his face.

"What do I want? I want to punch you so hard for being away for so long!" Naruto replied while raising a fist at him.

"Hm, how did you find me so fast?" Sasuke replied while standing in his doorway. He definitely did not need to stir up a commotion amongst the villagers about his return, since not everyone understood him.

"Well, I was training in Sage mode, and could obviously tell the moment you walked in through the village gates."

Without thinking twice, Sasuke crouched down to put his shoes back on, "Heh, I guess it has been a while, I could use some training."

"Eh? You just arrived! You must be tired", Naruto's eyes widened at Sasuke's willingness to train.

Closing his eyes, Sasuke got up to face his eternal rival, "Quit the jibber jabber let's go, Loser."