There are quite a few bugs around, but the nearest frog is over a hundred meters away, still in the river water.
"It seems there are no frogs around."
"Yes, there's no sign of frogs around. But, why is Hakushi-kun particularly concerned about the frogs?"
Ayane blinked her eyes, asking with doubt in her heart.
"That's because recently there have been a lot of frogs suddenly appearing in Konoha Village. I'm worried that someone might be using them for surveillance."
"Using frogs for surveillance?"
"Yes, the one doing this is likely Jiraiya, one of the Sannin. I've heard he's signed a Summoning Contract with the frogs of Mount Myoboku. And these inconspicuous creatures are easily overlooked, making it convenient for gathering intelligence, right?"
Just like the cats that Ruri has trained, there's a possibility that someone is using frogs to collect intelligence.
"Could it be looking for something?"
Ayane showed a thoughtful expression.
"Not really sure, it might be surveillance for something. Anyway, the frog issue has nothing to do with us. At most, we just need to be careful when exchanging information in the future."
"I see, indeed."
Ayane nodded in understanding.
No anomalies were happening around them, and there was no Anbu watching over them, which meant their secrets hadn't been exposed.
Doing too much would be counterproductive, drawing unnecessary attention.
Even if something unexpected happened at times like this, just maintaining a normal pace was enough.
"By the way, there's another troublesome matter I need to tell you about."
Hakushi scratched his head, sighing helplessly, unsure how to start.
"A troublesome matter?"
"Ah, it's related to Ruri."
Hakushi's eyes unnaturally glanced elsewhere.
Ayane thought of a possibility.
"Could it be..."
"Exactly what you're thinking, our affair has been exposed. So in the future when acting as a team, I won't have to deliberately hide my abilities and can use my full strength in battles."
Hakushi continued to scratch his head, feeling that things were becoming increasingly complicated.
Because he couldn't ascertain Ruri's specific attitude towards this affair, he couldn't deduce any useful information.
But this way is good too. When acting in a group of three in the future, he won't have to hide his abilities to cover things up.
This might allow them to complete their missions better.
From then on, he just needed to push the credit to Ruri and Ayane, and continue being an inconspicuous invisible member.
After all, safety comes first.
"I see."
Ayane slightly bowed her head, hiding her expression.
She didn't ask why it was exposed, because such questions were meaningless now.
From now on, they just needed to get along with an open mind.
But thinking of it this way, there was still a bit of resentment.
I should have been the first to know Hakushi-kun's true secrets, right? Ayane thought with some distress.
"Are you okay?"
Seeing Ayane with her head down, Hakushi was a bit worried she might overthink things.
"No, it's nothing. Actually, I also think Hakushi-kun should have confessed to Ruri sooner."
Ayane raised her head and smiled, already sorting out her lost feelings without showing them on her face; only she knew what she truly felt.
Unable to infer anything from Ayane's smiling face, compared to before, she had indeed matured a lot.
So, it's better to quickly end such topics.
Continuing this topic when speaking to one woman about another felt exceptionally terrifying.
Afterward, Hakushi handed over the training method of Natural Energy and the assisting medicine to Ayane.
Letting her quickly become adept at using Natural Energy.
Honestly, among the three of them, Ayane was likely the one most favored by Natural Energy.
Because the Hyuga Clan's primary method of fighting is Taijutsu, specifically the Gentle Fist Technique utilized with the Byakugan.
Hakushi couldn't predict the extent to which Ayane could enhance the power of the Gentle Fist after mastering Natural Energy, but the benefits received from it were undoubtedly above him and Ruri.
Hakushi eagerly anticipated how powerful Ayane would become using Natural Energy in conjunction with Gentle Fist.
Ayane took the items but didn't immediately start training there; instead, she joined Hakushi in their patrol duties around the area.
The first half of the night's patrol didn't uncover any problems. However, with Jiraiya's squad also involved in patrol assignments during the night, the patrol schedule was divided into three segments.
So Hakushi and Ayane completed their patrol duties two hours earlier than usual and returned to the camp to rest.
Nothing happened throughout the night.
In the early hours of the next day, a party of six set out once again.
They kept traveling throughout the day and only reached the border area between the Land of Fire and the Land of Rivers by dusk.
Konoha's primary base for engaging the Hidden Sand forces was stationed here.
There were over two thousand Konoha ninjas here, with the commanding officer being Orochimaru, one of the Sannin, while Tsunade served as the Deputy Commander to assist him.
Nonetheless, the situation on the frontline remained grim.
After undergoing a strict inspection, the Konoha ninja guarding the main camp finally allowed them to pass.
Upon entering the camp, Hakushi immediately sensed an oppressive atmosphere distinct from Konoha Village.
Medical personnel were carrying stretchers with the injured into the tents.
Ninjas gathering in small clusters by the tents with simple hot food in hand, expressionless with gaunt faces, eating their meals without emotion.