A/N - Okay, first I'd like to say that this chapter is a bit shorter than my usual chapter length. However, I figured that the end of the chapter was a good place to cut the chapter off at. Sooo...yeah.

Anyways, I'm exhausted. Pretty sure I have a sinus infection, which sucks. I've been feeling miserable all day. Runny nose, my nose is red and puffy, hurts like hell too. I'm running a fever and I have a horrible migraine on top of all that. It hasn't been a fun day AT ALL. So if the quality of this chapter isn't very good, I apologize. I did the best I could with it, despite being rather sick.

Chapter 3 - Sasuke

"I'm surprised there weren't any noise complaints last night." Kakashi said, clearly amused as he looked at his teammates.

Naruto and Sakura both glared at him. "That's because all we did was cuddle you dummy. We don't have to do that every time we share a bed." Sakura said irritably.

Kakashi chuckled and raised his hands in a placating gesture. "I was only joking. I wasn't trying to offend."

Naruto sighed and said, "I know. Just…" Shaking his head, he chuckled a bit and looked at his fiance. "You know what? Let's go out and enjoy some breakfast somewhere, just the two of us."

Sakura smiled brightly at this and nodded her head in agreement. "Let's! I'm starving."

Kakashi simply smiled to himself as he watched the happy couple leave on what he considered to be an impromptu date. What a happy couple.

Guy walked up beside his rival and smiled at what he saw. "The Flames of Youth burn brightly in young Naruto-kun and Sakura-chan, indeed! I have never seen them so happy as they are together."

Kakashi eye-smiled and nodded in agreement. "I'm happy for them. Despite everything the two of them have been through, they've managed to start a new life together. The two of them will fight with everything they have to keep each other and their children safe. It will only make them stronger and stronger as time goes by."

Neji stepped up beside Guy with a smirk on his face. "I think they'll be just fine. Having a family will only push Naruto to fight that much harder. He truly has something to fight for now, and with that knowledge, he won't die. Whether it's the Akatsuki or Orochimaru, Naruto will not lose."

The others in the group nodded in agreement with that sentiment. After a moment, however, Kakashi decided to bring something up. "Speaking of Orochimaru, you remember what Sasori said, right?" Seeing the others nod, he continued. "This is our chance to deal with Orochimaru, Kabuto, and Sasuke all at once. I know they originally intended to bring Sasuke back, but I can't help but wonder what they'll choose to do when they see him again. If Sasuke attempts to kill Naruto, Sakura may just kill Sasuke, damn what the councils say."

Tenten scoffed at this and said, "Screw the councils. They're a bunch of corrupt bastards that only think about themselves and how to line their own pockets. You know it as well as I do. I mean, look at what they tried to do while Naruto was away from the village!"

Neji scowled and nodded his head. "Yes, I remember. They tried to have him labeled as a missing nin with a kill on sight order. They also wanted to 'deal with' their children. Yes, Tsunade-sama dealt with them and their bullshit, but you know as well as I do that they haven't given up. If they have their way, Naruto will be dead and his children will join him. They don't want the 'demon spawn' to plague their village, after all."

Guy shook his head in disappointment and said, "It's a shame that the Flames of Youth no longer burn within a great portion of the villagers and the councils. The past Hokages would be ashamed of what has become of their village and its people. If only there was some way to rekindle their inner fire…"

Kakashi shook his head and said, "I'm afraid something truly big would need to happen for them to change their ways. As it stands, Naruto and his family will need to be careful in their own village. It's a damn shame."

Later that day

"Are you sure you can't stay longer? You're a hero to these people." Temari asked as she looked at Naruto and Sakura.

Naruto smiled at her and said, "I'm afraid we need to return to Konoha and prepare to meet with Sasori's spy. Hopefully we can deal a blow to Orochimaru somehow. Personally, I'm looking forward to paying Sasuke back for trying to kill me years ago."

Sakura gently squeezed her fiance's hand and said, "You won't be doing it alone. I want to punish him for daring to hurt you like that. He betrayed the village, betrayed us. He needs to pay for what he's done."

Temari smiled at the two of them, actually feeling somewhat envious of the love the two shared. It's too bad. Naruto's quite the catch.

Sakura immediately understood what Temari was thinking and quickly clung onto her lover's arm in a possessive manner. "You know Temari, if you really wanted, you could be with Shikamaru. You two would be good together." she said, trying to ward off the fan-wielder.

The blonde sighed and shook her head. "Maybe. To be honest, it feels like you've taken the best guy out there. A lot of girls aside from myself are bound to be jealous of you."

Naruto blushed at this and shook his head. "I doubt that. I'm not really as great as you're making it sound. I'm lucky Sakura actually likes me. I didn't think anyone did."

Temari, Sakura, and the other Konoha ninja all sweatdropped at this and shook their heads in amusement. Sakura turned Naruto to face her and said, "Sweetheart, you don't seem to understand what a catch you are to most women. You're handsome, you're strong, you're really kind and sweet…" Sighing softly, she said, "There's already a few people I can tell you right now that feel that way about you."

Naruto blinked a couple of times before something registered with him. "Well, I already know about Hinata having feelings for me. But who else could there be?"

Kakashi simply giggled perversely behind him, but didn't say anything. Instead, Sakura sighed and kissed Naruto's cheek. "You're cute, but you can be kind of dense sometimes, Naruto-kun. Remember all those women you've saved before? Koyuki Kazahana cares about you a great deal, more than I'd like to admit. I can't remember the others off the top of my head, but you are definitely popular with women outside of Konoha. As for inside Konoha? You have a few, erm...fangirls. Don't ask me how that got started, but it's happened and they really like you. They wanted to sneak into your apartment while you were gone and take some stuff that belongs to you. Don't ask me why."

When Kakashi began giggling again, Naruto sighed and created a shadow clone that bonked him over the head. "That's...kind of disturbing to think about. Fangirls? For me? Can't say I ever expected something like that. As for the others, I don't really care. I only have eyes for you."

Sakura blushed and fidgeted slightly before she leaned in and kissed him sweetly on the lips. Afterwards, she rested her head on his shoulder and smiled happily as she basked in his presence. "I love you sweetheart."

"I love you too, Sakura-chan." Naruto said before looking at his friends. Sighing, he turned to Gaara and extended his hand to shake his. "I'm glad you're okay, Gaara. If you ever need help again, don't hesitate to call on us. You're my best friend, and you're my brother in all but blood."

Gaara smiled at his friend and shook his hand. "Of course. And if you ever need anything from us, do not hesitate to call. I'll send someone over to help right away, you have my word."

"Thanks, Gaara." he said before hugging his friend. Turning to face his team and his companions, he said, "Let's go everybody! I want to get home and spend some time with my kids."

Kakashi chuckled a bit before saying, "He's right everybody. Let's get a move on!" And with that, they began their trek back to Konohagakure.

Once they were gone, Gaara released a sigh and said, "The Akatsuki are not going to take the loss of two of their own well. Naruto has painted an even larger target on his back. I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to capture him again soon."

Kankuro shrugged and simply patted his brother on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Naruto can take 'em."

His siblings nodded in agreement with that assessment. No matter what, Naruto would not lose to anyone that threatened him or his family.

The next day - Konohagakure

Naruto chuckled as he looked around Tsunade's office. It was something of a mess and Tsunade appeared to be drinking heavily. When she noticed them, she shot upright in her chair and shouted out, "Oh praise you Kami! You two, do something about your kids! They've been driving me up the wall!"

Sakura giggled at that before nudging her fiance. "They take after you, sweetheart."

"That's not a good thing." Tsunade griped. "One Naruto is more than enough. We don't need those two growing up to be troublemakers."

Naruto and Sakura both shot her a fierce glare at that. "Shishou, please refrain from saying such bad things about our children. They're still young. They have plenty of time to grow out of this phase. And besides that, you act as if Naruto-kun's some horrible trickster or something. Yes, he teases you sometimes, but you know that he respects you and many others here in the village. Sure, he pulled pranks in the past, but he's calmed down a lot. I don't appreciate you saying such things about my family."

Tsunade felt a cold chill shoot down her spine and nodded quickly in understanding. "R-Right...sorry. I didn't really mean anything by it."

Naruto sighed and said, "I know. But they're our children. I promise you that we'll raise them right and teach them not to behave like that. But right now, they're young and curious. When we're away on missions, there's a good chance they'll get up to some mischief. We'll do what we can to get them out of that habit, but…"

Before anyone else could say anything, Kakashi stepped forward and said, "Hokage-sama, we have some news to report. As I'm sure you already know, we managed to save Gaara before the Ichibi could be extracted from him. Naruto and Sakura performed exceptionally well and showed great teamwork in our battle against Sasori and Deidara. Naruto also proved that his years away were most definitely not wasted. He defeated Itachi's clone by himself without any need for me to intervene somehow. He also disabled a seal used by the Akatsuki to protect their base. Finally, he fixed Gaara's seal and even damaged the statue the Akatsuki were using to try and store the bijuu. All-in-all, I'd say the mission was a huge success."

Tsunade's eyes widened slightly before she smiled at her protege and her brother figure. "I see. I'm glad to hear that. Your training has paid off well, it seems."

Naruto smiled back for a moment before he adopted a serious expression. "There's more, Hokage-sama. As Sasori lay dying, he informed us that he was to meet a spy in Orochimaru's employ in a week's time. This is our opportunity to get information on Orochimaru and Sasuke and perhaps even deal a crippling blow to the Snake Sannin. And, if need be, we can end Sasuke so he can't hurt anyone else like he did me. He's unstable and is a danger to everyone around him."

The Fifth Hokage frowned before nodding in agreement. "You're right, Naruto-kun. Very well. Team Kakashi, I'm leaving this mission to you. I think I'll assign a fourth member to your team for this mission. For now, you're all dismissed." Looking at the happy couple at this point, Tsunade said, "Your children are with Shizune at Ramen Ichiraku. Go see them and take them off of her hands. Why they behave so well for her is beyond me."

Naruto and Sakura both nodded before leaving her office and made their way to Ramen Ichiraku. Once they were gone, Tsunade looked at Kakashi and asked, "Do you believe Naruto has shown the skill and mindset required of a Chunin?"

Kakashi quirked a brow and said, "Hokage-sama, I think he's proven he's worthy of the rank of jonin. He's much calmer now than he used to be and he thinks things through in battle rather than blindly rushing in. His mind seems to work at the pace of a Nara and he has the power to take down S-rank ninjas. Personally, I think his parents would be beyond proud of him. But, in answer to your question, yes, Naruto is ready for the rank of chunin."

Tsunade smirked at this and said, "Jonin, hm? He's really that much better now?" Seeing Kakashi nod, she couldn't help but chuckle softly. "For now, I'll give him the rank of chunin. Later, if he continues to prove himself, I'll gladly promote him to the rank of jonin. Thank you for your input, Kakashi."

"Anytime Hokage-sama." Kakashi said with an eye-smile. "If you don't mind my asking, who did you plan to add to our team?"

"It's someone you're familiar with. Code name: Tenzo. I believe I'll give him a new code name for the duration of his stay on your team. Yamato is what he'll be called. Do you think your other teammates will get along with him well enough?"

Kakashi eye-smiled again and said, "There won't be a problem. I think they'll get along pretty well. I'm actually looking forward to working with him again."

"Good." Tsunade said. "We'll give them a few days to spend time with their children. Afterwards, you'll set out on your mission. I want your team to end Orochimaru if possible. But more importantly, I want your team to either bring Sasuke Uchiha back so he can be put on trial to determine his fate. If he resists, you have my permission to end his life as well. I don't want a threat to Konoha to continue existing. Is this understood?"

Giving her a serious look, Kakashi nodded once in understanding. "As you wish, Hokage-sama. I have a feeling that Sasuke will put up a fight, and I'm more than willing to put him down if that's what it takes." Shaking his head, Kakashi let out a chuckle. "I actually kind of pity him. Naruto and Sakura are going to destroy him. Knowing Sakura, as soon as she sees Sasuke, she's going to beat the snot out of him for what he did to Naruto."

Tsunade chuckled as well and said, "If he wasn't such a dick, I'd pity him. He deserves whatever those two do to him. I just wish I could see it."

Naruto & Sakura

Naruto blinked as he stared at the number of bowls stacked in front of his children. "They...eat more than I do. Holy crap."

Sakura looked at Shizune with a disapproving stare. "Shizune...why are you doing this? You should know better than to spoil them like this."

The ravenette chuckled nervously and said, "They were begging for it and I kind of caved. Sorry Sakura-chan."

Naruto looked at her and asked, "They used the 'look', didn't they?"

Shizune sighed and nodded her head. "Yes. They know how to use their cuteness as a weapon. And in case you were wondering, they've both beaten your record for most bowls of ramen eaten."

"I can see that. Normally I'd be a bit upset, but seeing as it's my children, I'm actually fine with it. Still, they shouldn't eat so much ramen. They need a balanced diet if they want to grow up big and strong like their parents."

Sakura giggled somewhat nervously and said, "As I told you before, they enjoy ramen here, but I didn't think Ichiro would eat this many bowls. Normally he has about 4 or 5, not this many. He must have really been hungry this time."

Shizune sighed and nodded her head. "Yes. I'm surprised as well, but you could literally hear his stomach growling. I just couldn't say no to them."

"That's okay Shizune-nee. I'm glad to see they both love this place as much as I do. I think it's okay to spoil them like this every once in a while." Naruto said with a happy smile on his face.

Yuri turned around to face her father and stretched her arms out to him. "Dada! You back!"

Ichiro looked at them and said, "Mama! Up! Up!"

Naruto chuckled and picked Yuri up, hugging her snug against his chest. "Hello my cute wittle girl. Have you been good for Granny Tsunade and Auntie Shizune?"

Sakura smirked as she held her son close. "You've been naughty, haven't you?"

Ichiro and Yuri both shook their heads no. "Nuh-uh! We good!"

"Yeah, yeah! We no bad!" Yuri exclaimed.

Naruto smirked at his little girl and rubbed his nose against hers. "My wittle girl. You're just too darn cute for your own good. But you nearly drove Granny insane. Try to be good for her next time she babysits for you, okay?"

Yuri pouted at her father and her eyes began to water. Seeing this, Naruto quickly tried to assuage her. "Sweetie, don't cry! Granny Tsunade's just overreacting, that's all."

Yuri stopped with her crocodile tears and looked at Ichiro, giving him a peace sign with her fingers. Seeing this, Naruto wasn't sure how to feel. His eyes widened and he looked at Sakura, absolutely flabbergasted at what had just happened.

Shizune giggled and said, "And now you have been on the receiving end of her cuteness attack. You'd best get used to it soon, because she and Ichiro will do that to you if you try to scold them."

Sakura sighed and looked at her lover. "You're going to need to be stern with them and teach them properly, otherwise they're going to walk all over you. I know it can be hard, but I'm sure you can do it, sweetheart."

Naruto sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. "This parenting thing is going to be harder than I thought." he said. "Ah well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'll strive to be the best darn father and husband I can be!"

Yuri smiled brightly at her father and nodded, though she wasn't quite sure what he was saying. "Yay Dada! Yay yay yay!"

Ichiro grinned and said, "Play! Let play!"

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "I suppose that might help you to work off all the excess energy you two have. Very well, why don't we play hide and seek, hm?"

"Yay! Play play! We hide Mama! Dada look!"

Naruto smirked and booped his daughter's nose lightly. "Okay then. You, Ichiro-kun, and Mommy will go hide. I'll look for you after counting to 20, okay?"

"Okay! Hurry Mama!" Yuri exclaimed as Naruto put her down. Grinning at her family, she soon took off to hide somewhere in the surrounding area.

Ichiro nodded and ran off as well, excited to be playing a game with his father for the first time ever.

Meanwhile, Sakura smiled at her husband and said, "I'll keep close to them, just in case." Afterwards, she ran off to go and hide as well.

Shizune simply smiled as Naruto closed his eyes and counted to 20. It's nice to see him having fun like this. He needs this.

After counting to 20, Naruto grinned and began his search for his family. He knew that if he wanted to, he could easily sense them, but he wanted to give them a chance. However, when he heard drunken shouting and the words 'demon spawn', his eyes narrowed angrily. Moving quickly, he appeared in an alley, glaring at the drunk man harassing his son. "I don't appreciate you treating my son like that. Apologize. NOW!"

Ichiro ran to his father, tears streaming down his cheeks as he clung onto his father's leg. "Dada! Bad man there!"

The drunk glared at Naruto before pointing at Ichiro. "Yous should n-never…" Belching, the man wobbled a bit on his feet as he glared at Naruto. "Never be allowed to breed. Th-They're demon spawn! Yoush ebil!"

Creating a shadow clone to deal with the drunk, Naruto lifted Ichiro onto his shoulder before leaving the alley, listening with a sinister smile as the drunk screamed out in pure agony at the beating he was receiving. "You okay Ichiro-kun?"

"Yeah Dada. Me okay. Thank you."

"Good. Wipe those tears, son. Let's find Mommy and Yuri-chan. Ready?"

Ichiro nodded and smiled at his father as he went off in search of his sister and mom. Reaching up, he wiped away his tears and smiled a big smile for his father.

Later

Naruto looked into his fiance's eyes seriously. "Sweetheart, do the villagers often act that way towards our children?" he questioned, a deep frown on his face.

The pinkette frowned and looked down, nodding her head once. "I'm sad to say that they do. I'm sorry."

Hugging his love close, he kissed her lips tenderly before shaking his head. "Don't apologize for them. You've done a great job raising our children on your own, despite the village's hatred towards our family. I'm just sorry you three had to deal with it for so long without me around. I love you three so much. What do you say we go home and relax for a while?"

Sakura nodded and walked with her future husband and their children towards their home. However, as they walked, they ended up bumping into Ino, who was a bit shocked to see the four of them. "Naruto? Sakura? And little Ichiro-kun and Yuri-chan! What are you all up to?"

Naruto offered Ino a smile and said, "It's good to see you again, Ino. I heard from Sakura-chan that you've babysat our kids before. Thank you for doing that. I greatly appreciate it."

Ino smiled at him and said, "It's really no problem Naruto. I'm happy to watch after them. They've been real sweethearts with me. They don't misbehave, unlike when they're with Tsunade-sama. I think they just enjoy tormenting her." Giggling a bit, she looked Naruto over appraisingly before smirking at Sakura. "He's turned out well. If you weren't with him, I'd gladly snag him as my own."

As her husband-to-be blushed deeply, Sakura smiled at her best friend and said, "He's a real catch, isn't he? I'm glad to be with him. He really makes me feel special."

The beautiful blonde smiled and nodded her head in understanding. "I'm happy for you Sakura. Might want to watch out though. Never know when another girl will try to steal him from you."

Sakura sighed and shook her head. "Yeah, tell me about it. I'm worried about what Hinata will try to do to win him over. She's still pissed at me."

Ino shrugged and said, "Meh, don't worry about her. Naruto's yours and yours alone. If she can't accept that, then oh well. I doubt she'll take things too far."

"If you say so. Thanks Ino."

Naruto smiled at Ino and said, "It was nice catching up with you Ino, but we need to get back home. Ichiro-kun and Yuri-chan are tired and need to be put to bed. I'd also like to spend some time alone with Sakura-chan."

Ino smirked at him before saying, "Oh, I bet. I can only imagine the kind of 'quality time' you two share when you're alone." Looking him over from head to toe, she said, "Kind of makes me envious, imagining what the two of you get up to."

Blushing, Naruto simply nodded before walking off with his son and daughter walking beside him, the two of them holding his hands. Once she was alone with Sakura, Ino giggled a bit and said, "Have fun, Sakura. I'd love to hear some details sometime."

Sakura blushed deeply before quickly running off to catch up to her future hubby. Ino, you are such a pervert!

Two days later

That night, Naruto and Sakura had made love again after putting their children to bed. They were so hot for each other and couldn't resist going at it again and again. Sakura was frustrated though when she realized that she couldn't afford to get pregnant again, not now that the Akatsuki were on the move. So, she had made sure to use a contraceptive technique to ensure she couldn't get pregnant. She wanted to give Ichiro and Yuri some younger siblings, but unfortunately, that would have to wait.

Now they were on the way to Kusagakure, where they would set up a trap on the Tenchi Bridge to ensnare Sasori's spy and potentially get at Orochimaru himself. As they walked, they eyed their new teammate with an appraising eye. After a while of silence, Sakura looked at him and asked, "Yamato-san? What kinds of things can you do?"

Yamato looked at Sakura and then at Naruto and said, "I can use the Mokuton kekkei genkai. Don't ask me how, because I don't feel like answering that particular question just yet. I'm skilled in Water and Earth Release techniques as well. Aside from that, I can use my Mokuton abilities to ensnare enemies, preventing them from either running away or attacking. As for why I was put on your team? Part of it is to help rein Naruto in, just in case he uses too much of the Kyuubi's chakra and loses control." Looking them in the eyes, he said, "I don't see any point in lying to you, as we are teammates now. I trust Naruto to know when and where to use the Kyuubi's chakra, if he ever chooses to. I have heard nothing but good things about him though, so I don't foresee any problems occuring."

Naruto frowned at this and shook his head. "I decided before that I won't use the Kyuubi's chakra if I can help it. I'd rather not rely on it, as I feel my own skillset is enough to see me through any battle. I trained with the toads and I've learned quite a bit about fuinjutsu as well. I'm confident in my own abilities, and therefore I likely won't need to rely on Kyuubi's chakra."

Sakura smiled at her lover before turning to face Yamato. "He'll be just fine. I understand the precaution, and I won't fault you for it, but I want you to have faith in my hubby-to-be."

Yamato simply smiled at them and nodded his head in understanding. "Of course. I was not trying to imply that I didn't trust him. I was only trying to explain my purpose on this team."

Kakashi looked at them for a moment before saying, "Enough of that kind of talk. Why don't we take a break at that resort up ahead? We still have plenty of time before we arrive in Kusagakure, so relaxing in the hot springs up ahead should be just fine. It might make for a nice experience, as well."

Naruto and Sakura smiled and said, "Alright! That sounds like a good plan to me!"

Kakashi and Yamato simply chuckled at their exuberance. Ah, to be young and somewhat innocent. Kakashi thought with an eye-smile.

Hot springs

Sakura pouted as she wasn't allowed to join her fiance in the hot springs. If they were alone, she'd definitely sneak into the men's section so she could 'play' with her lover. Just thinking about it was making her horny! She couldn't help but wonder if her future husband was feeling the same kind of frustration she was. Oh Naru-kun, I wish we could enjoy this time together. Damn it!

Seeing as she was alone in the female side of the hot springs, she closed her eyes and began to massage one of her breasts while her other hand slid downwards until she was running a few fingers up and down her slit. Naru-kun…

Meanwhile, on the men's side, Naruto was resting with his eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of the warm water enveloping him in its embrace. Ahhh, this feels so good. I really needed this. I just wish I could be with Sakura-chan…

Looking towards the wall that separated the two sides, he frowned to himself. I wonder how Sakura-chan's doing? Kami I wish I could be with her right now. I can only imagine what it would be like to make love in a public setting like this. The danger of possibly being discovered making love in the hot spring would be totally worth it. He thought with a pervy grin on his face.

Kakashi smirked as he saw this. I swear, these two are just too damn horny for each other. I hope they're using some form of protection so she doesn't end up pregnant again. If she wants to fight beside him, she can't afford to get pregnant.

Yamato sighed and said, "They really can't help it, can they? They seem to want to be together in any capacity whenever they get the chance. Can they keep it together for this mission?"

Kakashi smiled at his companion and said, "No worries. And they're still in their teens. Hormones are running rampant for them right now, so it's only natural that they'd be horny for each other. No need to worry though, they know how to focus on a mission."

"Good to hear. Now, let's relax for a while and set out again in the morning." Yamato said before leaning back and basking in the warmth of the hot spring.

Tenchi Bridge - Days later

Naruto and Sakura stared across the bridge at the apparent 'spy' that had shown up. Things started out simple enough. Yamato mimicking Sasori, the spy talking with the disguised Yamato, simple things like that. Then the spy was revealed to be Kabuto Yakushi, and Orochimaru showed up a little while later, taunting Yamato.

Seeing their comrade in trouble, Team Kakashi leapt out and prepared for combat. When Orochimaru saw Naruto, he smirked and licked his lips with his long, snake-like tongue. "Naruto-kun, it's been far, far too long. I heard my old teammate trained you for some time. What I see doesn't impress me. I'm willing to bet that Sasuke-kun has far surpassed you in these three, long years."

Naruto simply smirked and said, "I'm sure you'll be surprised then, when I kick your ass and kill Sasuke. I wonder, did you spend more time training him, or fucking him? After all, you two make the perfect match. A couple of butt buddies, if you will. I'm willing to guess that he was the bottom, am I right? After all, he has the word 'uke' in his name. Makes it kind of obvious which side he'd play for."

Kabuto glared at Naruto and said, "Don't insult Orochimaru-sama in such a way!"

Naruto quirked a brow at Kabuto before turning back towards Orochimaru, casually shrugging Kabuto's comment off. "Kabuto really hasn't improved any, has he, Orochimaru? I can sense how pathetic he is from here. Poor, poor Kabuto, always doomed to be a petty little weakling."

Unable to take it anymore, Kabuto charged Naruto with his Chakra Scalpel technique activated in both hands. Before Naruto could react, Sakura appeared behind Kabuto and landed a powerful punch to the back of his head. When he went flying off the bridge, she cracked her knuckles and said venomously, "Nobody threatens my Naru!"

Orochimaru blinked a couple of times as he watched Kabuto fall to his death at the bottom of the canyon. Looking back at Sakura, he asked, "Your Naru? If I'm not mistaken, weren't you Sasuke's little fangirl?"

Sakura scoffed as she turned to face Orochimaru. "In the past? Sure. But I realized how I truly felt about him and Naru-kun. I'm happy with my honey."

The Snake Sannin frowned at this before looking at Naruto again. "That doesn't really matter in the long run, does it Naruto-kun? The point still stands that you are nothing compared to Sasuke."

Naruto sighed and shook his head in mild disbelief. "Sasuke this, Sasuke that. You're just like the idiot villagers, pampering him and making him believe he's better than he is. Sasuke is, and always has been, a pathetic weakling. If I hadn't held back at the Valley of the End, I would have won and killed that pathetic piece of shit. I was trying to keep a promise made to someone very precious to me and decided against killing him back then."

Orochimaru narrowed his eyes at this bit of information. Rather than say anything, however, he looked at Sakura and grinned sadistically. Raising his arms, he unleashed a wave of snakes towards her, thinking she'd be an easy target.

Turning, Naruto swung his arm, sending a wave of wind sickles flying towards the snakes, severing their heads from their bodies before they could reach his fiance. Looking back at Orochimaru, he narrowed his eyes and said, "I suggest you focus on me, Snake-teme. Unless, of course, you're actually afraid of me? I couldn't exactly blame you for your fear though, considering Sasori and Deidara were such easy targets."

The Snake Sannin's eyes widened slightly at that information before nodding his head in understanding. "I see. You've grown more than I thought, Naruto-kun. Very well, if you want a fight, you've got one!" he said before pulling out the Kusanagi and charging towards Naruto.

Naruto took his sword in hand and activated a couple of its seals. One seal covered the blade with wind chakra, while the other strengthened his blade to the point that it could withstand all of Orochimaru's blows. Blocking Orochimaru's thrust, he slipped around behind the Snake Sannin and left a deep gash in his side before flourishing his blade and smirking at him. "Sword techniques are not your specialty, Orochimaru. You rely too much on the special properties of your sword, rather than focusing on bettering your skills. Meanwhile, I've been trained in a number of things, including sword techniques. You simply don't stand a chance."

Orochimaru scowled as he turned to face Naruto and quickly blocked his sword with the Kusanagi. Making several quick jabs, he quickly became frustrated as Naruto blocked every attack. What made things worse is the fact that Naruto's sword was leaving several gashes on the Kusanagi, a supposedly indestructible blade. This can't be happening! He thought angrily.

"Awww, is big bad Owochimaru afwaid of wittle old me?" Naruto asked mockingly. "You really should try something else. Then again, it's not like I'll give you the opportunity to fight back."

Orochimaru quickly blocked more attacks, only to wince a couple of times when Naruto slipped past his guard and pierced his body in numerous places. Quickly leaping away, he regurgitated a new body and attempted to escape, only for Sakura to appear in front of him and slame a fist into his face, sending him crashing to the ground just past the bridge.

Standing up again, Orochimaru rubbed his face and glared at the pinkette. That felt like one of Tsunade's punches! Dammit! I need to escape!

As he went to escape underground, he found that he was unable to do so. Looking down, he saw that a couple of sealing tags were slapped on his legs. "No!" Orochimaru exclaimed. My chakra! I can't feel my chakra!

Before the Snake Sannin knew what hit him, he felt something pierce him through the chest. Coughing up blood, he tried hard to escape in a new body, but found that he couldn't even do that. Looking down at the fist protruding from his chest, he realized Kakashi had hit him with a Lightning Cutter attack. Realizing that he was about to die, he began to laugh. "To think...death would find me...here. N-Naruto-kun...I knew you were...something special…"

Hearing the compliment from Orochimaru, Naruto sighed and slipped his sword away. "I appreciate that, Orochimaru. Tell us, where can we find Sasuke? I'd like to pay him back for what he did three years ago."

Orochimaru coughed up more blood before chuckling softly. Pointing off in a seemingly random direction, he said, "T-That way...it's hidden behind a boulder...Sasuke is there…"

"Thank you." Naruto said as he watched the last bit of life leave Orochimaru's eyes. Reaching out, he closed the Sannin's eyes and laid him down on the ground so he could rest in peace. However, after some thought, he removed the Sannin's head and sealed it away so he could turn it in for the bounty on his head later.

Kakashi wiped the blood off of his arm and smiled at Naruto and Sakura. "Very well done, you two. We've just removed a powerful threat to yourselves and Konoha in general. Now, what say we go and pay Sasuke a visit? I'm sure he'll love to know that his master is dead."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Oh, he's going to love seeing us again. I fully expect him to put up a fight. If he does, I think we'll enjoy tearing him apart."

Yamato looked at Orochimaru's dead body and thought, Kakashi wasn't kidding when he said they were incredible. I'm surprised they could pull something like this off so easily. No matter how much stronger Sasuke has become, I have the feeling that these two won't let him off easy. It will be no challenge for them, of that I'm sure.

Secret Hideout

Naruto and Sakura smirked as they saw the boulder blocking entrance into the hideout. Yamato was about to suggest a stealthy approach into the hideout, but Sakura beat him to the punch as she easily shattered the boulder with her super strength. Sighing softly, he shook his head and said, "Well, if that doesn't alert him to our presence, I don't know what will."

Kakashi simply chuckled and said, "Trust me, Sasuke isn't the type to flee from a potential fight. If he's still as arrogant as he was in the past, then he'll wait for us. His arrogance will be his undoing."

Yamato shrugged and nodded his head in understanding. "Very well. Let's get in there and deal with him. What do you think we should do though? Take him alive, or end him here and now?"

Kakashi shrugged and said, "That's entirely dependent on him. If he tries to kill us, we're within our rights to end his life. Otherwise, we try to take him alive. I highly doubt he'll make this easy for us, though. I'm willing to bet that we'll have to kill him, and I won't lose a wink of sleep over it."

Yamato found himself nodding in agreement with that assessment. "The villagers might be upset, but they'll get over it if they know what's good for them. Sasuke made his choice and now it's time that he pay the consequences for it."

The team of four descended into the hideout and proceeded forward. When the path split, Naruto and Sakura went in one direction while Kakashi and Yamato went down another. After some time, Naruto and Sakura entered a fairly open room and saw Sasuke waiting for them with that same arrogant smirk on his face that they were oh so familiar with. "So, the fangirl and the dobe come to see me. It's been a while."

Sakura glared fiercely into his eyes and said, "I hope you're ready to die, Sasuke. You hurt my Naru-kun before, and it's time to make you pay for it!"

The Uchiha quirked a brow and looked between the two of them. "You two are a couple now? Hn, not like it matters. Though, that does make this easier for me." he said with a sadistic grin before he moved quickly behind Sakura, his sword poised to pierce her through the heart.

Naruto, upon seeing Sasuke move, grabbed his sword and snapped it in two with his strength. "I don't take kindly to you threatening my fiance." he said before slamming a fist into Sasuke's face, sending him reeling backwards.

"Fuck!" Sasuke cursed as he clutched his face in agony. The hell?! Since when was the dobe this strong?!

Sakura turned and smirked at the Uchiha. Before he could react, she slipped into his guard and landed a fierce punch to his chest, sending him crashing into the wall and screaming out in agony as he easily felt a couple of broken ribs. What made it worse for him is that he knew one of them had pierced his lung. Spitting up some blood, he wheezed for a moment before he quickly formed a Chidori and prepared to charge them. Unfortunately for him, Naruto moved faster than his Sharingan could follow and proceeded to slam a Rasengan into his gut, causing him to spit up even more blood as he felt his body being shredded by the sheer power behind his technique.

Sakura decided to end the fight by appearing in front of Sasuke and slamming her fist so hard into his face that pieces of bone shattered and pierced his brain. A short while later, he ceased breathing and collapsed in a heap on the floor. Glaring down at his corpse, Sakura said, "That was for hurting my Naru-kun!"

Naruto looked at his healing hand before turning his gaze on Sasuke's corpse. "Heh, good riddance. I doubt the people of Konoha will be happy that their precious little Uchiha is dead, but who the hell cares? I say we drag his carcass through Konoha for all to see. He's paid the price for his crimes, and I don't feel the slightest bit of pity for him."

When Kakashi and Yamato reached the room they were in, they looked at Sasuke's dead body. Shaking his head in mild amusement, Kakashi asked, "Did you even try to take him alive?"

Sakura scoffed at this and said, "What? And let the people of Konoha pardon him for his crimes? You know as well as I do that they would've simply given him a slap on the wrist and accepted him back with open arms. No, we gave him exactly what he deserved."

Kakashi sighed, but nodded his head in agreement. "I agree with you. I'm actually kind of curious to see how they'll react when they learn of Sasuke's death. Should be amusing, to say the least."

Naruto sealed Sasuke's body up in a storage scroll of his own design before looking at his teammates. "So, what do we do now? Explore the hideout for anything useful? Or do you want to start heading back to Konoha? I'm eager to get back home to my kids, to be honest with you."

Kakashi chuckled softly and said, "We'll make a note of where this hideout is located so another team can check it out later. Right now, I'd say we deserve to take it easy. We'll begin our trek back to Konoha. I know you'd like to see your children soon, so we'll try to be quick about getting back. And team?" Seeing he had their attention, he gave them an eye-smile before saying, "Good job."

Naruto and Sakura both smiled at that and nodded their heads in thanks. And with that, the team of four left Orochimaru's hideout and began making their way back towards Konohagakure. If Naruto and Sakura knew what their next mission entailed and what would happen on said mission, it would be guaranteed that the pinkette would throw a fit. Oh, how fun their next mission would be...

A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed it. If not, then oh well. *shrugs*

I actually debated on if I should include a lemon in this chapter or not, but I decided against it. I think the chapter was just fine without it.

As you can see, a lot happened in this chapter, including the deaths of Orochimaru and Sasuke, and the presumed death of Kabuto. And if you're curious about what the next mission will be, it should be familiar to all those who saw the first Naruto Shippuden movie. Sakura and Shion are not going to get along, I can assure you of that now. lol

Anyways, I'm feeling really ill, so I need to try and get some rest. I dunno what I'll work on next.