Zaria and I were on our way back to the Grass Village. Even though we didn't go to the Sound like we had originally planned, it was nice to know she trusted me enough to go on a mission with her. I remember being in the academy, she couldn't stand being around me. Her team mates absolutely hate me especially Raiden. The only reason he hates me is because all of the attention I get. Honestly I don't care for the attention. I only wanted the attention so Zaria would notice me. I'll admit I have a small crush on her. At the same time I'm also jealous of her. She is from the elite Uchiha clan. One of the most powerful clans. They rank higher than my clan, Sojen and the Masamora clan. She had everything going for her. She was strong and beautiful. I was severely injured in the survival round in the chunin exams. If it wasn't for her coming to my rescue, I wouldn't be here today.
"Takada, you okay?"Zaria questioned. I guess she noticed me spacing out. It would be embarrassing if I told her what I was thinking about. She'll probably never speak to me again.
"Uh yeah I'm fine" I responded. She seemed to brush it off and I was okay with that. I was actually hoping I wouldn't have to explain myself. The Grass Village was in sight now. Finally I could get away from this awkwardness. Don't get me wrong I enjoy being around Zaria. In fact she's one of the few people other than Mizune and Haru that I like. Her team mates on the other hand are different. Raiden always starts fights with me. Satoru I actually have no problem with. He just hates me because he knows about my crush on Zaria and he has a bigger crush on her than I do.
"Thanks for coming with me Takada" Zaria said interrupting my thoughts.
"Uh yeah...no problem" I replied. She looked at me weird. I could feel my face was getting warm. She knew something was up. Please don't let this get awkward than it already is.
"Are you sure you're okay Taka" Zaria questioned. "You can tell me if something's bothering you" she then stated. Did she just call me Taka? Damn why does she have to be so cute. She just made it more awkward. That's what I was afraid of. Should I just tell her? She'll probably think I'm an idiot like she already does. My mind was going crazy with different scenarios. It put me in a panic. What was I going to tell her? The fact that I have a crush on you? No, she would just laugh at me and call me stupid. I could lie to her and tell her everything's fine. Unfortunately she's too smart for that. That's one thing I admire about her. I guess I don't have much of choice now.
"Okay there's one thing that has been bothering me for awhile now" I stated. This sucks I was hoping I wouldn't have to tell her. I decided to only tell her half of the truth.
"Well what is it?" she questioned. I can't believe I'm doing this.
"Of all the people you could pick. Why choose me? Don't get me wrong I don't mind being here. It's just that I know you don't like me." I questioned. I finally opened up and now I can't even look at her. I fought it for a second but I glanced up at her. She looked confused, but then she giggled. That completely confused me.
"Really? That's what has been bothering you this whole time? It's silly don't you think?" Zaria stated. That was the response I was expecting. Zaria stopped for a minute. I stopped too wondering what she was thinking.
"I have a perfectly good reason for choosing you to come with me" She stated. Zaria looked at me with a smile on her face then turned around and continued walking. I couldn't help but blush. A perfectly good reason? What was it? I managed to catch up to her. "You managed to prove my theory without even knowing it" She continued. Now I was really confused. What is she talking about?
"What are you talking about Zaria?" I asked.
"Well my main reason was because I knew how well you can handle intel missions. Plus I wanted to see if you kept up the act when my team mates aren't around" Zaria said. So she already knew about that. I shouldn't be surprised. She is incredibly smart after all. The fact that she recognized my talents and was able to figure me out is amazing.
"So you already knew" I said to her. I didn't want to look at her.
"Well of course I did, but to be fair Mizune was the one who told me" She responded. I should have known. Mizune was Zaria's best friend in our class.
"I told her not to tell you. I figured you would think it's stupid" I confessed. I could hear her giggling. I blushed with embarrassment. Could this get any worse?
" I don't understand why me being a member of the Uchiha clan is such a big deal to you. Honestly it's not something I'm particularly proud of" she confessed. Why would she be proud to be an Uchiha? I would be proud to be in one of the most powerful ninja clans like the Uchiha. However being in the Uchiha clan wasn't really the main reason why I like her so much. I looked at her as we continued walking. She had a weird look on her face. The look of discomfort. I knew talking about this would make her feel uncomfortable. We finally approached the gates of the Grass Village.
"Well talk about it another time." I stated not wanting to make her more uncomfortable. I walked up ahead of her but stopped for a second. "By the way, it has nothing to do with you being in the Uchiha clan. I could care less about that. It's the fact that you are so much more skilled as a ninja and a lot smarter compared to me" I confessed before I continued walking. I didn't look at her as I spoke. So I had no idea what her reaction was. She kept quiet so I was a little worried. We entered the village. It was good to be back after two days. I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to see it was Zaria. She gave me a hug which surprised me.
"Stop comparing yourself to others, especially me. You're a great ninja just the way you are" Zaria whispered in my ear. I was definitely blushing. I wouldn't be surprised if my face was redder than a tomato. That was the nicest thing she has ever said to me. I was too shocked to hug her back. I peered off into the distance and there was her team mates, Raiden and Satoru. Both of them were glaring at me, especially Satoru. It almost looked like he was giving me the death stare. Like I said he had more of a crush on her than I did. Like he was in love with her. It was completely obvious. The only person who didn't know was probably Zaria herself. Although I would be surprised if she secretly knew already. Just then Zaria pulled away then place her right hand on my cheek and smiled at me. "Just remember that okay" She said looking at me with a sparkle in her eyes. I was in a loss for words so I just nodded. "Hopefully next time we can go on an actual mission together" She continued removing her hand from my face. I smirked in response. Maybe she does like me after all.
"Yeah that would be great" I said and Zaria giggled. She walked over to her team mates and waved goodbye. There was hope for me after all.
