At the edge of the forest near the stronghold, Amane suddenly felt her body sway a little. Just now, she had not only dispelled the ones near Mei Terumī but had also incidentally dispelled all the Shadow Clones that were simulating and calculating.
[Whoa~ that's a bit intense]
Amane felt her heart suddenly twitch, followed by a weariness akin to staying up until dawn solidifying into a tangible weight pressing down on every muscle in her body.
But immediately, her bug-like physical prowess kicked in.
Not only did the aforementioned sensation subside after just two deep breaths, but the moment her body lightened up instantly even felt a bit pleasurable.
[This body is too awesome. Isn't this like getting a free massage and hot bath after training?]
Just as Amane was worrying she might develop strange habits in the future, a little girl with reddish-brown hair in front of her was looking at her with a strange expression.
"Your expression was just disgusting. You wouldn't..."
Ringo Yuriko's gaze suddenly turned subtle.
"The Shadow Clone brought good news. The person following us is an ally, but they're on another mission."
One must absolutely not try to refute what Ringo Yuriko said; responding would be falling right into her trap. So, the correct move here was to steer the conversation back to business.
"Tch, boring. I don't believe you didn't understand just now. Anyway, it's fine if nothing's wrong. We should probably start heading back soon."
Not far away, accompanied closely by Yue, Toyama Kei finished arranging the nearby flowers and began to pay her respects. Looking at the countless broken Ninja Tools stuck upside down in the soil amidst a sea of spider lilies, Amane and Ringo Yuriko only watched from a distance, not wanting to get close.
Turning back, the two girls inadvertently exchanged another glance, but both were tacitly silent, neither speaking.
Only after Toyama Kei had finished everything she wanted to do did Yue run over, looking dissatisfied, and whisper, "You two are so rude. You could at least pay your respects to so many wrongfully killed and fallen comrades."
Yue felt very sad. Ever since hearing Toyama Kei explain what this place was, her heart had been unable to settle. Therefore, she couldn't understand why her two teammates seemed to have no desire to pay their respects and were instead talking about strange topics on the side.
Especially Amane. In Yue's eyes, she should be a person with considerable awareness. How could she seemingly show not a shred of respect for this place?
"We need to be clear about what we're doing right now..."
"Just now, I sensed someone approaching from behind, so I used some methods to confirm. Everything's fine now."
Amane gave Ringo Yuriko a subtle look, signaling her not to speak. After all, keeping Yue in the dark was a tacit decision between them. Now, facing Yue's accusations born from not knowing what happened, it was necessary to explain first.
"Huh! Is that so?! I'm sorry, I seem to have misunderstood."
After a moment of surprise, Yue chose to apologize, while also looking at Amane with a dissatisfied expression, clearly asking why she hadn't given her a heads-up earlier.
"Stabilizing the client's emotions is also a major duty. If I had told you earlier, could you have been sure not to reveal any cracks before the situation was clear? If not, with Miss Toyama's personality, even if she were willing to continue this commission, she would remain wary. That would mean a deduction in our mission completion evaluation. But now, as long as we report truthfully, we can receive a positive evaluation."
This statement made both Ringo Yuriko and Yue look at Amane sideways.
Compared to Yue's further admiration for Amane at this moment, Ringo Yuriko slightly opened her mouth as if to say something, but obediently closed it, falling into brief silence.
She couldn't criticize this. Why hadn't she thought of such an explanation? Clearly, they both acted in tacit agreement because they thought Yue was inexperienced, yet with just one explanation, Amane managed to gain even more favor?
The most terrifying part was... Ringo Yuriko didn't feel Amane was putting on an act. Her explanation was entirely sincere, with no hint of deception. Didn't that mean Amane had factored in stabilizing the client's emotions right from the initial arrangement?
We're all the same age, so why are you so outstanding? Truly terrifying!
Ignoring the two's current opinions of her, Amane walked straight to the client's side and said, "Miss Toyama, could you please wait a moment? Ringo Yuriko and I would like to take turns paying our respects."
Toyama Kei nodded, then proactively came to stand beside Ringo Yuriko and Yue, watching together as Amane walked before the 'cenotaph' blooming with spider lilies.
"She's a very good little squad leader."
Toyama Kei said with great approval.
She was, after all, the child of a Jonin. The reason she herself hadn't become a Ninja was a lack of high talent, but even so, some basic training was essential.
So, she had overheard most of the conversation between the three girls just now.
"Amane is truly a very intelligent person, and she also understands the concept of a Ninja very well. Thanks to her, I found the direction I should advance in the future."
Yue would never forget what Amane told her yesterday about what a Ninja is, so she spoke with heartfelt admiration.
"..."
Ringo Yuriko neither agreed nor voiced her own opinion at this moment. She just silently watched Amane's praying back with expressionless eyes.
Seeing their different reactions, Toyama Kei found it quite interesting. Along the way, it had been her and Yue talking and chatting, with no communication at all with Amane and Ringo Yuriko. Now it seemed the return journey wouldn't be boring. After all, the mission was half-complete, and the way back was always much safer.
Toyama Kei was very curious about the relationship between Ringo Yuriko and Amane. Just looking at them like this seemed quite amusing.
"Huh? Why does it feel like the mist is getting thicker?"
A wisp of mist suddenly drifted past Yue with the wind, and immediately after, she could barely make out Amane's figure not far away.
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, it really does seem so."
As soon as Toyama Kei finished speaking, a loud noise suddenly erupted nearby! At the same time, the two could only see a flash of brilliant blue lightning! And then... there was nothing more.
Yue's breathing became rapid. In this short time, there wasn't a single person around her anymore. Not only Ringo Yuriko but even Toyama Kei, who had never left her side for a moment, had disappeared.
[I need to stay calm! I need to stay calm! I need to stay calm!]
She mentally shouted to herself three times in a row, but her frantically beating heart showed no signs of calming down. Helplessly, Yue decided to lean against a tree and take a few deep breaths.
However, the moment Yue reached her hand out, she lost her balance completely and fell over!
[What is this! I passed through the tree? Does that mean I'm currently caught in a Genjutsu?]
This unexpected action made Yue realize her predicament, but the situation didn't improve in the slightest.
Because to dispel a Genjutsu, one must disrupt the flow of Chakra within their own body, and Yue didn't know how to do that method!
Secondly, there was another method through pain. Yue looked at the spot on her arm she had pierced with a Kunai, then touched the tree she had just passed through—this time she still passed through it, proving this method had failed.
The normal method she couldn't do, the pain method didn't work, so the only remaining option was to rely on others. But But at this moment, Amane and Ringo Yuriko were gone. Even with little awareness or experience as a Ninja, Yue knew they had been ambushed!
"What is your purpose!"
Remembering the information Amane had just revealed, Yue shouted loudly, trying to break the current situation, but was met with only silence.
[Amane, Ringo Yuriko, Miss Toyama, you must be okay]
It seemed now the enemy's target likely wasn't her. In that case, Yue could only pray for the others' safety and try her best to find a way to break the Genjutsu she was under.
Elsewhere at the same time, after trying and failing the two methods to dispel Genjutsu, just like Yue, Ringo Yuriko couldn't help but show a pensive expression.
Could this be Amane's doing?
The moment this thought arose, Ringo Yuriko dismissed it. Because Amane had provided information earlier; if she were really behind this, wouldn't that be a case of 'protesting too much'? So, the likelihood of Amane being the mastermind was low.
Thinking this, Ringo Yuriko couldn't help but grin. Her trust in Amane was really that low, suspecting her companion first at a time like this.
But there was no helping it. Who made her, Ameyuri Ringo, feel that something was a little off about Amane? It was an instinctive intuition, a feeling that this girl her own age was hiding secrets, even though she showed no sign of it outwardly.
[But she is a guy full of schemes. The moment the thick mist was about to completely obscure her, she remained motionless in place. What does that mean?]
While recalling the scene, she ran her hand along one large tree after another. Finally, as her fingertips felt rough bark, the curve of Ringo Yuriko's mouth lifted even higher.
As a native of the Hidden Mist, Ringo Yuriko immediately understood what the so-called 'Genjutsu' they were trapped in actually was.
No wonder the usual dispelling methods were ineffective. They weren't under a Genjutsu at all.
The Great Clam.
According to records, this creature has the effect of making people see mirages. In the past, the Second Mizukage, Hōzuki Gengetsu, captured and contracted it for Summoning, developing a Ninjutsu unique to himself.
[Without a sensory-type Ninja, we're blind. I can only try my luck by extending my Lightning Nature Chakra.]
Ringo Yuriko wasn't confident. Her Lightning Nature Chakra perception was developed to solve the problem of her eyes' dynamic vision not keeping up after her physical abilities surged.
Therefore, she must have first achieved Lightning Nature Transformation, then discovered this problem, and then developed this solution. And she's the same age as Amane this year.
So this perception ability was still in its early stages; only within ten meters could Ringo Yuriko be sure it was accurate.
"In the end, I still have to rely on Amane? She wouldn't have done this on purpose because of that, would she? If that's really the case, I'm definitely going to attack her when we get back!"
Ringo Yuriko couldn't help but think viciously.