Together the two traveled through villages. They thought Sasuke would catch up with them but he never did. Two months passed and he wasn't seen or even heard from. They had no choice but to assume he had abandoned them. Not like they could blame him.
The summer was coming to an end and leaves began to fall. They got by doing small jobs and never let on that they were ninja. Naruto and Sakura got new outfits. Commoners clothes and no longer the bright orange suit he'd been used to. They got by well enough. From one town to another. Soon groups of Ninja from the leaf stopped going after them. No other village sent hunter nin after them. This was something Sakura felt was odd. She thought surely Kato would have sent a plea to other nations to help capture the rogue. After the war the ninja villages had become extremely close. And wealthy. They fought for each other and their borders were more open than ever before.
Only one year had passed since the war but trading had immediately become an intense source. Suna had an abundance of medicines and fine clothes to trade. Iwa traded tools and gems. Kumo gave cattle and livestock. Kiri provided fish stock and sea goods. Konoha was mostly a provider of food. Together the nations supplemented each other in perfect balance. If any nation was cut off they were so reliant on the other villages they would suffer greatly.
Three months had passed since their defect. Sakura's short hair and Naruto's lack thereof kept them under the radar. Occasionally a man would recognize Naruto but usually they agreed without much talking to keep silent. Nobody had forgotten what Naruto did. Most supported him.
Currently they were traveling through the land of Iron. Naruto and Sakura hadn't used Chakra since leaving. Naruto's superior physical ability had not diminished though. Usually their money came from doing small farming jobs or helping with cattle. The land of iron was getting cold this time of year. They were dressed firm in thick coats and trecked alongside a road. They'd heard of a small village which was often cut off due to the heavy snow fronts. Looking for shelter before the night came they walked huddled close to one another. The cold seemed to seep into their bones.
"H-how much f-f-further," chattered Naruto.
"T-two Kilometers," Sakura guessed. She shivered at the loss of heat from her mouth. They shuffled on in silence.
"H-help!"
Sakura and Naruto froze, eyes alert. Naruto nodded to Sakura that yes he'd heard that.
"Is someone there?" Sakura called. All she saw was white.
"Hello? Over here! By the big tree! Oh kami-sama please help!"
it was definitely a woman. Naruto and Sakura were alert but concerned. They turned to the left and started running towards the large tree. A big pit which had been covered by the snow, about six feet deep and three feet wide. The edges were thickly coated with ice. Standing in the middle was a short young lady. She had long white hair which blended into the snow, but her blue eyes shone against her pale skin.
"Oh thank Kami," she covered her mouth and sniffed. It wasn't due to the cold.
"We'll get you out!" Naruto kneeled down and held his hand out. "Hold on to my hand tight."
The woman did so. He ended up holding on tighter and hauled her up until she was in the clear. She didn't weigh much. Once she was on the snow Sakura lunged at her and started to pat her down. The girl looked a little frazzled.
"This is S- Lily," Naruto grinned when he caught Sakuras sharp look. "Lily's a doctor. The very best!"
The girl flushed. "I'm so sorry for this! I was trying to gather up the goats and the ground caved it!"
Naruto shook his head. "I'm just glad you're okay."
Sakura's hand jolted back the moment it touched the woman's stomach. "You're…"
"Six months," the woman blushed. "I'm surprised you could tell."
Sakura offered a gentle smile. "Of course. But why are you out here in this condition?"
"Um, um what?" Naruto tilted his head. "Whats going on?"
Sakura and the woman both giggled. "I'm pregnant. And I have to get the goats in!"
"What about the father?" Sakura gave a disapproving look. "Honestly letting you outside in this condition!"
The woman flushed again. "H-he passed away two months ago. There was a cave in at the mines."
Sakura immediately felt bad. "Oh I shouldn't have pried-"
"It's fine,: the woman brushed it off while standing. "My name's Iva by the way. Koneko Iva. I live in Wellsprings Village. It's about a kilometer north. Is that where you were heading?"
"It was!" Sakura clasped her hands in front of her chest.
"Well let me make you dinner when we get there! It's the least I can do. We get so few visitors if it hadn't been for you…"
"It was really nothing," Naruto grinned, rubbing the back of his head.
"I didn't get your name," Iva said.
"I'm N-"
"Choji!" Sakura interrupted. Naruto nearly tripped and she sent him a smug look. He got to pick hers, she was picking his. Naruto sent her an upset look. Iva, luckily didn't notice.
"Well Lily, Choji, what brings you all the way out here?"
"We're just looking for work. I'm a wandering Doctor. I like to travel around, seeing who needs my help. I also sell teas and remedies. Naruto does the heavy lifting."
"Whose Naruto?" Iva cocked her head.
"Oh I named my backpack that!" Sakura said quickly. "You know after the hero."
"Oh! Uzumaki!" Iva sighed. "I've always wanted to meet him! They say he can destroy an entire county with one stomp of his leg when he was in the nine tails form!"
Naruto raised his eyebrows with a grin. "what else do they say about him?"
He ignored Sakura's look of exasperation.
"They say he's the most handsome Shinobi to ever exist! They said that he was engaged to the Mizukage but because they were from-"
And so the trek back was filled with stories of this Uzumaki Naruto hero. Most of which were completely ridiculous and made Sakura laugh and some of which actually undermined his real strength.
The town of Wellsprings was very small. Population 221. It was covered in snow and the houses were close despite everyone having their share of livestock. Naruto immediately took note of the cattle, mostly hearty breeds which could withstand the tough winters.
Sakura noticed the people. There were a few kids pressed to the window. Others were walking with heavy backpacks out of a large church building in the center of town. Sakura guessed they used it for the school.
"Iva! You were taking a while! We were about to go look for you," a thick built man approached them.
"Sorry Taka. I actually fell in a snow hole out by the wistard tree. If these nice folks hadn't come and helped me…"
The man took no time in shaking Narutos hand. "Well we have to thank you. Iva's important to us."
"Oh Taka you're only saying that because I'm the only one with goat milk this side of the mountains."
He grinned. "Are you visiting someone? We don't get a lot of passers-bys this time of year."
"No We're just passing through. I'm a wandering healer. My names Lily by the way. And this is Choji," Sakura waved to Naruto.
"Why dont you get a lot of travelers this time of year?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Well anytime now the cold front can roll in. Once it does the roads in and out are barricaded. We're trying to get caught up for the winter. Since Mati's passing- lord rest his soul- it's been a little harder gathering the wood to last us this year-"
"Oh come now Taka. These nice folks don't want to hear about our problems! I promised them a bite to eat at home."
"Right. Sorry about that folks. My mouths bigger than my muscles."
Sakura laughed it off. "Oh it's always nice to hear about how the villagers are doing. You wouldn't happen to have an inn of sorts would you?"
He shook his head. "Afraid not. I'd invite you over but we've just got two rooms and the twins hate to share. If you need our living room though-"
"Oh there's no need for that. You guys can stay at my parents old house. They passed away last year and the place has fallen apart a little but it should provide shelter enough and the fireplace is still working."
"Oh I don't want to impose," said Sakura.
"Nonsense! A married couple like yourself needs privacy I understand!"
Naruto blushed and rubbed his cheek. "Hehe you t-"
"We're just friends!" Sakura quickly interrupted out of habit. "Honestly this dobe… I'd never!"
Taka chuckled. "Reminds me of you and Mati, doesn't it Iva?"
Iva and Sakura blushed in unison.
"The twins are out of class now. I better get going. The wife will have my head if I'm late again. It was nice meeting you Choji, Lily."
"You too Taka," Sakura gave a small bow/
"Well come by later to pick up some cheese Taka! I'm going to get these two situated." Iva waved as she led them away. The house they arrived at was a wood cabin. The door hung off slightly. Inside it was nearly empty but it had a great deal of dust. The wall had cracks and the roof needed repairing. One of the windows was broken in.
"It's… worse than I thought," Iva rubbed the back of her head. She made her way over and chased spiders out of the fireplace. "But it will work with a little help! You can set your stuff down. I'll send you back with blankets. Sorry it's not more."
"Oh it's so much more than we expected. Trust me, I've seen worse. Like Choji's old apartment," Sakura scrunched up her nose.
Naruto started laughing before he remembered that he was Choji. "Hey!"
They returned to Ivas for dinner. The woman confessed that she didn't have any relatives alive but everyone was kind of like her family in the town. It had a very strong sense of community. Something that Konoha never had.
Then they returned. Together they cleared up a spot in front of the fireplace and made a bed. They shared it because it was much too cold to be too far from the fire or each other.
In the morning Naruto went out to see if the villagers needed any help. Once they discovered how insanely strong he was Taka asked him to help with a few trees. It was hard work to do something like chop wood in the tree. Naruto was glad for the physical effort.
Sakura was busy too. She made a few stops around the village. One kid had a busted knee which she quickly set. A miner had a shoulder that needed to be set. And a virus was going around. It didn't take long for her to notice a problem, which she brought up to Iva over a cup of tea that night.
Naruto was just getting back from working when it turned dark. He kicked his boots off and sat with them at the table.
"I was just asking Iva," Sakura explained, "About how many sick people there seemed to be. And no one has any medicines?"
"Well we lost our doctor a year back," Iva admitted. "He was summoned to another town for work and never came back. Turns out he was given a better job. It's great for him and all but… it left us short handed. People are dying when there's no real reason. My parents came down with pneumonia. My husband… if we'd had a proper doctor we could have saved him. If we just had the herbs and the reason. Sometimes we can call the doctor from the next town over but during the winter we're closed in."
Sakura frowned. "Well… what if you had someone learn?"
"That kind of education is too expensive for us country folk," Iva grimaced.
Naruto pursed his lips before loudly placing both hands on the table. "Alright! What if Lily teaches someone? She's the best doctor in all the nations. If you have someone willing to learn-"
"What? Oh I couldn't let you do that Lily. It's too much trouble."
"Well, I don't see a problem with it. I wouldn't feel right leaving you guys without at least basic knowledge. "
"I…" Iva looked down. "Are you sure? We couldn't pay you that well for teaching us. But we could give you shelter and food."
Sakura gave a gentle smile. "I'll stay until you have a few people who can fix up alright?"
"Oh this is wonderful! I'll have to tell everyone!"
Sakura just smiled. She turned to Naruto after Iva fled to tell the neighbors. "I think this is a good idea."
"Me too. Me too." Naruto put a hand over hers. He smiled.
She smiled back. "Hey N-"
"When we return to the village," Naruto smiled, "You think it's about time you make a real move on Sasuke?"
"Eh?" Sakura wasn't expecting that.
"I mean he's back in the village. And you're both older. I bet he'll come around. You've always been special to him."
Sakura frowned a little. Naruto was always so off. He'd started encouraging her and Sasuke after he returned. After the war. And Naruto hadn't made a move himself. He'd treated Sakura as a friend and nothing more.
It partially broke her heart.
