Ye Chen knew perfectly well that Nagato was "monitoring" their every move.
So Jiraiya's claim that they had "already become aware of our presence" was clearly inappropriate.
Someone had been watching their movements since before they entered the village.
Amegakure had shown no "unnecessary" reaction all this time, clearly because it was also "confirming" the two men's intentions.
Or perhaps, out of regard for their past friendship, Nagato had not made trouble for Jiraiya, to whom he owed a debt as his teacher.
Whatever the reason, Jiraiya had already brought Ye Chen deep into Amegakure.
For patrols to be stepped up only now very likely meant that a "major move" was coming.
At that, Ye Chen's groggy drowsiness vanished in an instant.
He shifted, about to get out of the pool, put on his clothes and "disguise," and hurry away from this trouble spot.
But Jiraiya calmly waved a hand at Ye Chen and said:
"Young friend, don't be so hasty! The situation isn't as bad as you think."
"Come on! Sit down and hear me out."
Ye Chen's brows knitted tightly, but he sat back down.
Jiraiya paused before beginning to speak at length.
"Besides Amegakure stepping up its patrols, I also picked up some other intelligence."
"From my observations! Pah... from the relevant information I gathered, one of the earlier customers next door was a high-ranking member of Amegakure."
"According to her, Amegakure has been gathering its forces lately. Clearly, they're preparing for a major move."
"As it stands, Amegakure is hostile toward all Five Great Shinobi Villages. Their next operation is bound to involve them."
At this point, Jiraiya's expression turned unusually grave, and he continued:
"Your Land of Grass is too close to the Land of Rain, and your Hidden Jun Village is developing too quickly."