No Matter What, the Intelligence Must Be Delivered Safely

Kurenai walked at his side, maintaining half a step's distance, while Asuma lagged slightly behind, a candied hawthorn skewer he had just bought from a roadside stall dangling from his mouth. He munched on it as he walked, looking rather carefree.

"Aoba, what kind of person do you think this contact will be?"

Asuma bit off a candied hawthorn and asked around it, his words muffled, "The intelligence didn't mention what he looked like, only the code phrase and the location.

"What if we get the wrong person? That'd be pretty awkward."

"We won't."

Aoba's voice was calm and firm. "The fact that the contact could remain undercover in Sunagakure meant he was cautious enough.

"If he could pass intelligence in a place like this, his disguise and powers of observation had to be exceptional.

"As long as we followed the code phrase, he would come to us himself."

Kurenai tilted her head slightly, her gaze brushing over Aoba's unruffled face, though a complicated emotion flickered through her heart.

Aoba's composure and meticulousness always made her feel at ease, yet behind that steadiness seemed to lie a faint sense of distance that she could never quite grasp.

She spoke softly, trying to ease the mood. "Aoba, you seem especially concerned about this mission.

"Is it because the spy's intelligence is so important, or... do you have other worries?"

Aoba's steps paused slightly. His eyes remained fixed ahead, and he did not turn back. "Kurenai, you know that any mission can go wrong.

"Especially an operation involving spies. One mistake could cause the entire plan to fail.

"I just wanted to make sure we all made it back safely."

Asuma could not help rolling his eyes. "Come on, Aoba. The way you said that makes it sound like Kurenai and I