Bleh. If Sasuke goes back to Konoha then there will be nothing to drive the story. Sakura will get in the way, and they'll continue doing non-story missions. Sasuke needs to go to Orochimaru while Sakura turns her back on Naruto to break team 7(Is that the number?) and drive the story somewhere that it should go, like more individual character development for those characters just now taking the spotlight (Neji, if he lived, Shikamaru, etc.. and the new alliance with the Leaf and Sand).

Let him go, people! Sasuke needs to follow this path and let his spirit get broken later by Itachi. I doubt he'll stay with Orochimaru long anyway.