Zuo Hao's Helplessness and Ino's Confession

When the Third Hokage arrived, Zuo Hao knew he could no longer kill the Root ninja.

So he stopped.

Zuo Hao bowed. His throat tightened, but he forced a respectful tone. "Third Hokage, what brings you here in person?"

The Third Hokage fixed his calm, perceptive eyes on him. "Zuo Hao, why did you try to kill a Root ninja?"

The question sent anger flaring through Zuo Hao's chest.

Why else? Those Root ninja were trying to kill me. If I weren't strong enough, I'd already be dead.

But this was not the time for an open break.

He steadied his breathing and was about to explain.

Kakashi suddenly appeared beside the Third Hokage and gave him a quiet, concise account of the confrontation.

The Third Hokage listened without any change in expression. He merely nodded. "I see."

His gaze passed over Zuo Hao's face. He pressed the matter no further, saying only, "Carry on with your training."

Zuo Hao drew a deep breath, his chest rising and falling unevenly. His clenched fists trembled.

After a long moment, he slowly released them, as though even that took all his strength.

Just then, Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura caught up from behind. All three stopped when they saw Zuo Hao's back. Something was wrong.

They exchanged a glance and approached. Only then did they see his face.

It was the first time any of them had seen him look like that.

His jaw was clenched, his features twisted with anger and resentment. Beneath it all lay a deep helplessness, as if something had him by the throat.

"Brother... are you okay?" Sasuke stepped forward, worry plain in his voice.

Zuo Hao did not turn around. He only raised a hand and waved. His voice came out low and hoarse. "I'm fine. Keep going with the assessment. I'm leaving."

With a Body Flicker Technique, Zuo Hao vanished.

"...He just left? Why doesn't he have to take the assessment?" Naruto stared at the spot where Zuo Hao had disappeared, pointing at it in disbelief.

Beside him, Kakashi lazily tucked his little yellow book back into his ninja-tool pouch. His visible eye looked as dull as ever. "If you had that kind of strength, you wouldn't have to, either."

That night.

By the lake.

Zuo Hao sat on a rock at the water's edge, clutching a handful of pebbles. He tossed them into the lake one by one.

Each stone sent ripples across the surface before the darkness swallowed them, leaving no trace.

Just like him now.

He could still fight.

He was already more than capable of dealing with a few ordinary ANBU. Intangibility gave him an almost unbeatable means of survival. Indra's Chakra and the Uzumaki Clan bloodline had fused within him, and his strength grew visibly with every passing day.

It was not enough.

Not nearly enough.

Zuo Hao hurled the last pebble into the lake. The splash rose higher than any before it.

"Still not enough..."

Then hurried footsteps sounded behind him.

They were light, but came so quickly through the dry grass that whoever it was seemed to be running flat out. The steps stopped abruptly.

Zuo Hao did not turn around.

He thought it was Sasuke.

The next instant, he knew he was wrong.

A faint floral fragrance drifted toward him.

"Zuo Hao!!"

Ino's voice rang out behind him.

Zuo Hao turned. Moonlight fell across the lake and over Ino's face.

She stood less than three steps away, her hands gripping the hem of her clothes. Her chest rose and fell sharply, and her blonde ponytail swayed in the night breeze.

Her face was so red that even the moonlight could not hide it.

"What are you doing here?" Zuo Hao blinked, a little surprised, though he still wore his usual laid-back expression.

"I... I followed you." Ino's voice shook, but instead of lowering her head as she usually did, she looked him straight in the eye.

Zuo Hao raised an eyebrow. "You followed me?"

"Yes! I followed you!" The word seemed to push Ino past her hesitation. Her voice rose. "I have something to tell you. If I don't say it tonight, I'll burst!"

At the sight of her expression, as solemn as if she were about to march into battle, the corner of Zuo Hao's mouth lifted.

He shifted aside and patted the flat stone next to him. "Want to sit down and tell me?"

Ino froze for a moment. Then she gritted her teeth and strode over. Instead of sitting beside him, she stood in front of him and looked down at him.

"I'm not sitting! I'm saying it standing up!"

"All right." Zuo Hao leaned back on his hands and looked up at her. "Go ahead."

Ino took a deep breath.

"Zuo Hao, I like you."

Zuo Hao's expression froze.

He was not pretending.

Ino stood in the moonlight, her blonde ponytail coming loose in the night breeze. A few stray strands clung to her flushed cheeks.

Her eyes were damp, but they shone fiercely, as though she had staked years of courage on this one moment.

"You..." Zuo Hao opened his mouth and found himself at a loss for words. "Do you know what you're saying?"

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have followed you here in the middle of the night!"

Ino sniffed hard. Her eyes were red, but her voice was firm, as if she had caught him out.

Looking at her, Zuo Hao suddenly wanted to laugh.

He held it in.

If I laugh now, she might jump straight into the lake.

"Ino." Zuo Hao cleared his throat. "You know, right now I..."

"Right now you what?" Ino cut him off, planting her hands on her hips. "You're a Genin? You need to get stronger? You don't have time for romance?"

Zuo Hao: "..."

Why do those lines sound so familiar?

Wait!

Isn't that exactly how protagonists in the original stories turn down the girls who like them?

How is she answering for me?

"I'm telling you, Sahiro Uchiha." Ino thrust out a finger, nearly poking Zuo Hao's nose. "I thought of every one of those excuses for you, and none of them holds up!"

Zuo Hao leaned back to avoid her finger, his expression turning curious. "You thought of them for me?"

"Yes! The whole way here!" Ino's face reddened further, this time with excitement rather than embarrassment. "You think I don't know what you're like? You're not the sort of person who'd say, 'I need to focus on training, so I can't get involved with anyone'!"

Zuo Hao blinked.

I'm done for. She's seen right through me.

"You'd never turn this down just because you needed to train!"

Zuo Hao was silent for two seconds.

Then he raised his hands and clapped twice.

Clap. Clap.

"Impressive," he said. "You're the first person to read me that accurately."

Ino's eyes lit up. "So you're saying yes?"

"I didn't say that."

"Sahiro Uchiha!!!"

Ino stamped her foot in anger, her ponytail whipping back and forth like a golden cat's tail bristling in the moonlight.

Zuo Hao finally lost the battle and laughed.

It was not a polite, perfunctory laugh. She had genuinely amused him; his shoulders shook with it.

"What are you laughing at?" Ino glared at him, but with her eyes still red, she did not look intimidating at all.

"Nothing." Zuo Hao stopped laughing and rose from the rock, brushing dust off his pants. "I just want to ask you something."

"What?"

"What do you like about me?"

Ino went still.

Zuo Hao stood before her, almost a head taller. Moonlight fell from behind him, leaving his face faintly shadowed.

He still looked relaxed, but his eyes were serious.

"Is it my face?" He pointed to it. "Or the Uchiha name? Or the fact that I came first in the Graduation Exam?"

Ino opened her mouth, but for a moment, she had no answer.

Zuo Hao watched her and continued evenly. "If those are the things you like, I suggest you think it over."

"Because Sasuke has this face too. If you just want someone good-looking, you could always go to him..."

"No!"

Ino's voice shot up so suddenly that even she startled herself.

She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms, and the pain steadied her.

"It isn't because of any of that."

Her voice grew calm. Every word carried clearly, even over the wind.

"I like you because five years ago, when everyone was laughing at you and Sasuke, you stood in front of him."

At that moment, everything changed!

A Kunai flashed coldly through the air, flying straight at their faces.

Zuo Hao's Sharingan flared open almost at once. In his scarlet eyes, the Kunai's path slowed and sharpened.

But a chill burst through him.

Too late.

If he dodged, the unsuspecting Ino behind him would be run through.

There was no time to think. His body reacted on instinct. He spun, threw his arms open, and pulled Ino tightly against him, shielding her.

The next instant, the Kunai buried itself deep in his back. Blood seeped out at once, spreading into a stark crimson stain across his clothes.

"Zuo Hao! You—"