Naruto's POV.
We walked for what seemed like an eternity, in silence, absorbing more of the city we were looking for ahead and the one we were leaving behind.
"That was close," Darui said after a long moment of silence.
We continued through the frozen forest, avoiding the road, which would have been an easy target for the rebels. There, the ankle-deep snow made the path safer. The journey to Border Town kept us from freezing, but at the same time it gave us the feeling of being swallowed up by the white immensity.
"Leave this world a better place than you found it..."
The girl's words echoed in my mind, repeating over and over like a broken record player. She had said that she would die to help us, but that if she survived, I would send a group to rescue her. My thoughts were interrupted by a group of electric soldiers running past on the road. Darui and I crouched behind the dry branches, hoping they wouldn't discover us. Luckily, they didn't stop, and to our relief, none of them were curious enough to investigate the trees.
Thank all the gods, just before dusk, we arrived at Border Town.
The Provincial Services Department was empty, as was my stomach. A young man was absent-mindedly throwing a tennis ball in the air and catching it again. He seemed to be the only one available for the job.
— Good evening — I greeted. He looked me up and down, without stopping joking, and then replied:
—Shouldn't the prince's dinner be offered to the lower castes?
— There is no dinner for the prince. If you are hungry, go die somewhere else. — He didn't seem afraid to express himself.
Darui looked at me with a confused expression. The Land of Thunder had donated generously to that project, as had other countries, including major companies like the Hyuuga and Uzumaki.
"I want to speak to your superior," he said, trying to remain calm.
— Me too. But he hasn't been here for two weeks.
A woman appeared, cleaning the floor with a mop. She looked at Darui and then spoke:
— Hey, you?
—How long has it been since dinner for the lower castes was served? — I asked.
— It was never served, dear.
(…)
Unlike the young man, the woman quickly realized who we were, and without delay, the mayor was summoned. All the guards in the area were placed in position, and we were offered dinner and a private room while they contacted the Southern Colonies.
— Something is happening in this country — I said in the middle of dinner, making Darui stop eating.
— And what are you going to do about it?
— I'll find out what's going on, Darui. These people should be being fed, not abandoned.
— You're going to stir up a hornet's nest, Naruto. I hope you're not a fool.
When the mayor returned, smiling, he said that my grandmother had been notified and that she would return to the Palace in a few weeks. He asked us to return there, but before leaving, I asked for the cash books and all the documentation of my project.
The books were correct, but there was one glaring error: no extra money had arrived in the last few months—money essential to fund the dinner project. If the money wasn't there, where was it?
Sakura's POV.
We all looked forward to giving Naruto a warm welcome, but he hadn't shown up to any of us since he arrived. It was Thursday, and the only certainty was that he would be there to hear about our projects in the Official Gazette.
I tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. I tried to read, I drank a cup of warm milk, but the physical exhaustion was not enough to calm my anxiety. My heart was racing, as if it sensed something. Naruto's silence... it hurt me.
I decided to leave the room and went upstairs to Naruto's floor. I asked the guard to announce me.
— It's four in the morning, miss.
— If he's awake, I'd like to talk to him.
The soldier gave a shy smile before disappearing for a minute. When he returned, he indicated that I could enter.
In the room, the lights were off, but it was easy to find him. Naruto was lying on the bed, with a thick book like an atlas, reading under the soft light of the lamp, which illuminated only the pages and his face.
— Hi! — he said, without taking his eyes off the book.
— Hi — I replied, approaching.
"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked, his voice low.
— You should too.
There was something about him, an intense and sad aura that surrounded him, a consciousness that hung in the air, like a scent that was difficult to identify. He was different, he wasn't the usual Naruto.
"I'm not good company right now, beautiful," he whispered.
His eyes, usually so vibrant, seemed dull, as if they had lost some of their sparkle. I tilted my head, looking at him more closely.
"Can I still stay?" I asked, seeing the dark expression on his face.
He nodded, and I sat down next to him at the head of the bed, pulling the covers up to cover my legs before laying my head on his shoulder. I closed my eyes, feeling his warmth.
— Warm... — I murmured, and he chuckled softly.
"Do you like this story?" he whispered, turning the page of the book. "But I don't want to get mixed up with crazy people," Alice observed.
"—Oh! It's inevitable," said the Cat; "we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad."
"—How do you know I'm mad?" asked Alice.
"—It must be so," said the Cat, "or it would not have come here."
I laughed along with him, and in that moment, in silence, the warmth and his company calmed me. I began to feel sleepy, feeling more connected to him than ever.
— My father made this book with all the stories he likes. The Little Prince, Alice in Wonderland, Puss in Boots... It's very practical.
— Why didn't you come see us? The girls are worried.
Naruto intertwined our fingers.
— I'm scared, Sakura. I couldn't face you knowing that I'm a coward.
— Fear? What are you afraid of?
— I can't say, my love. I wish I could, but I can't... and I'm a coward.
He smiled, but it was a weak smile, without the sparkle he usually had in his eyes.
"I think you're very brave," I began softly. "I've been through a lot and I've realized that you don't know how brave you can be until you have to be."
Naruto gave me a long kiss on the forehead, and we continued reading Alice in Wonderland together.
This is how you know you've found the love of your life: when you can be silent for a moment and feel completely at ease.