i think it becomes less about Sasuke and more about not wanting to feel like that unloved kid again by his village

Mm, could be, could be. That also kind of feeds into that damn 'promise of a lifetime' he made to Sakura about bringing Sasuke back, and his nindou about never going back on his word.

Like I say, I hate that he's so determined to get Sasuke back, but he wouldn't be the Naruto I love if he wasn't. It's a frustrating dichotomy.