"Welcome to our village, Haruno-san. I'm so glad that the hokage did not overlook our village. By the way I'm Yamada Tatsuki, the head of this village. If there is anything you need, you can tell me. Come I'll show you your house."

Haruno Sakura followed silently after the elderly man. It took her a week to reach the village. She had to cross the whole country to get to this village. During the first half of the journey she was tempted to go back to Konoha and carry on with life as it used to be but no matter how hard she tries she simply can't convince her heart to forget him. Knowing that she'll crumble down in front of him if she sees him again, Sakura decided to continue with the mission.

"Thank you very much Yamada-san but please call me Sakura. I would like to apologize on behalf of the hokage for the delay. I'm rather curious about the number of people living here Yamada-san".

Sakura noticed that the houses sprouted here and there. The houses were not built using a proper grid system. The properties were divided by wooden fences. Each property appears to have their own plantation.

"Well, I must admit that this is a rather small village compared to Konoha. Hmmm….there should be about 120 to 140 people here. After all we are just farmers and most of us own a small piece of land enough for each family to plant their crops. We take whatever we need and sell the rest to towns or other villages. Some families have their own shops selling essential things or services. It is rather sad you know, most of the villagers are either old or too young. Our young adults seem to find farming to be boring and less profitable. They prefer to work in towns than digging soil to grow crops. I'm sorry Sakura-san, you might have a few company around your age".

"It's ok Yamada-san, I'm sure I'll enjoy the company of everyone here".

"You are a quiet one, Sakura-san. Hahahaha….stay here for a while and I'm sure you will be a chatter box like me. Ah! Here we are, your new home. I hope you find it comfortable despite being small. I hope you don't mind using this place as your clinic as well. This house was owned by a friend of mine. He died couple of months ago and since he did not have any relatives, this house became the village's property. Well then I shall leave you, I'm sure you would like some rest after such a long journey. Sakura-san, I'm sure you are unable to cook your own meal for awhile so please do join my family and I. We would love to have you over".

"Thank you Yamada-san, I'll be delighted to join your family. I'll see you tonight then Yamada-san".

"Alright and don't worry about the furniture, they are all in there. See you later Sakura-san".

After watching Yamada-san walking of to a distance, Sakura decided that she really needs some sleep. As she entered the house, she couldn't help but notice the cleanliness of the place. Yamada-san must have cleaned the place for her, she must definitely thank him later. Just like he mentioned earlier, there were furniture in the house, a small coffee table in the hall surrounded by five rattan chairs. From the hall, she could see two rooms. There was a bed in the first room and also a cupboard. The second room was empty so she decided to use this room as her clinic and with a little bit of adjustment, her books might be able to fit in there. Speaking of her books, she just hope that it will arrive soon. She only managed to bring along her necessities for the time being. Tsunade-sama said that she will ask some one to bring her other stuff.

The kitchen was situated at the back of the house. There was a kerosene stove and a couple of pots and pans. A few shelves were built onto the wall. There seem to be another door in the kitchen, wonder where does that lead to. Oh! The bathroom, well there were pipes so that means no river bathing. Phew! Thank god. But no hot water, well one can't expect such luxury in a small farming village. The house may be small but Sakura felt comfortable. After all, the smaller the place is the easier it is to manage. Changing into something more lighter, Sakura flopped onto the bed. Staring at the ceiling she wondered whether her friends missed her or not, especially him…did he even realize that she was not there. With that thought she slowly drifted of to sleep.

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Author's note: I'm sorry that the first two chapters are rather short. As the story goes on, the length will increase. It is still in the beginning so I hope you guys don't mind. I'll try to update two chapters at a time.