The bright moon hung high, and its clear light scattered in fragments through the leaves into the jungle, barely allowing one to see the surroundings.
"Stop, everyone rest in place."
Hyuga Hizashi, who was guarding the front of the convoy, gave the order, and the convoy, which had been travelling for half the night, stopped in a large open space to rest.
Everyone sat together, leaning against their companions, and if hungry, they would pull out a Soldier Ration Pill from their bag.
Those who weren't hungry leaned against a tree and closed their eyes to rest.
No one lit a fire; in this wartime situation, there was always a chance of encountering enemy Ninja, and a fire would expose the convoy's position and make them a target for nocturnal animals.
Hyuga Hizashi walked up to Ren and sat down, pulling out a flask of water from his pocket and handing it to Ren, who was chewing a Soldier Ration Pill.
"Want some?"
"Thank you, Captain Hizashi."
Ren took the flask, gulped down two mouthfuls, and finally swallowed the dry Soldier Ration Pill.
Although it wasn't his first time eating it, the taste of the Soldier Ration Pill was indeed not much different from chewing wax.
"Captain, would you like a Soldier Ration Pill? It's refreshing."
Ren pulled out another Soldier Ration Pill and handed it to Hyuga Hizashi with a smile.
"Thank you."
Hyuga Hizashi didn't refuse; he took it and put it in his mouth to chew.
When he couldn't swallow, he could only take the flask and wash it down with two mouthfuls of water.
"Phew, it's really dry. I really miss Ichiraku ramen and Barbecue Q's meat…"
Hearing Ren's words, Hyuga Hizashi smiled helplessly.
"What you said makes me a bit hungry too.
I really miss my wife's mustard octopus."
"Wow, that sounds delicious."
Ren's eyes lit up, and he kept swallowing saliva.
It had been almost two months since he came to the battlefield, and he had been eating nothing but Soldier Ration Pills or dry rations every day; his mouth was practically bland enough to taste a bird.
"If there's an opportunity, Ren, you can visit our Hyuga Clan when you're free."
Hizashi looked at Ren and smiled.
Regarding Ren, the intelligence sent back to the Village from the battlefield during this period, under the intentional or unintentional promotion of Hiruzen Sarutobi and the Uchiha Clan, had made Ren and Ryufeng quite famous in Konoha.
As for Kakashi, he was already well-known since he graduated at five and became a Chunin at six.
It was understandable for the Hyuga Clan to want to befriend such a genius, but Ryufeng was a member of their sworn enemy, the Uchiha Clan, so he was not within their consideration.
Therefore, regarding the talent and strength Ren displayed, the Hyuga Clan elders' opinion was that they could befriend him.
After all, Ren also had Lady Tsunade, one of the Sannin, backing him.
Why wouldn't the Hyuga Clan do something that achieved two goals at once?
"Hahaha, I'll definitely go.
When we return to the Village, I'll treat Captain Hizashi to ramen."
"Good."
In this harmonious atmosphere, the rest period passed.
Hyuga Hizashi stood up and ordered them to continue moving forward, striving to meet with the welcoming party sooner.
Ren, who had been on guard for the first half of the night, finally got to rest in the latter half.
He squeezed out a space in the large bag of medical supplies, crammed himself in, closed his eyes, and entered a state of light sleep.
In a daze, Ren felt the convoy stop.
Subconsciously opening his eyes, Ren saw hundreds of Leaf Ninja standing in front of the convoy.
The leading man wore a large trench coat and a large hood, along with sunglasses, and was completely covered except for his face.
It seemed they had met with the welcoming party, and the leader should be Shibi Aburame, the Aburame Clan Leader.
"You've worked hard, Hizashi."
"Hahaha, it's nothing.
Let's go first.
Our team is almost exhausted, and after a short rest, we still need to rush back there."
Unexpectedly, the two seemed to have a good relationship.
The hundreds of Ninja Shibi Aburame protected both sides of the convoy, taking over from the Ninja who had been patrolling for half the night.
The convoy proceeded towards the Konoha Camp not far away.
Upon reaching their destination, the convoy stopped at the gate of the Konoha Camp.
By this time, the sky was already dimly lit, and the Ninja inside the Konoha Camp had begun their work.
A group of Ninja who had received orders in advance were waiting at the Konoha Camp gate.
Seeing the convoy approaching, after verifying the information, the Ninja began to act.
Under the command of the Medical Ninja, the medical supplies were handled with care and sorted clearly.
As for the group of Ninja brought by Hyuga Hizashi, at Hyuga Hizashi's signal, they were led away to rest in the Konoha Camp.
"Alright, let's go.
Lord Jiraiya is already waiting."
"Okay."
Hyuga Hizashi nodded, took two steps, then stopped again, slapping his head.
"Almost forgot."
Hyuga Hizashi turned to look at Ren, who was leaning against the gate in the distance, yawning, and called out softly.
"Ren! Let's go!"
"Oh, coming, Captain Hizashi!"
Ren gathered his spirits and quickly came behind the two, slapping his face as he walked to quickly clear his head.
"Is this Lady Tsunade's disciple?"
Shibi Aburame turned to look at Ren, half of his face hidden in the shadow of his hood, preventing others from knowing what he was thinking.
"Since you know, I won't introduce him further.
Before leaving, Lady Tsunade asked me to hand Ren over to Lord Jiraiya for arrangement, so I brought him along.
Ren, this is the Aburame Clan Leader."
"Hello, Aburame Clan Leader, I am Hoshimi Ren.
Please guide me in the future."
"Hmm… I understand."
After speaking, Shibi Aburame extended his hand, and Ren quickly grasped it and shook it.
Immediately after, Shibi Aburame turned and walked forward.
Hyuga Hizashi lagged a step behind, helplessly patting Ren's shoulder.
"The Aburame Clan Leader is just like that, but he's still a good person."
"Hahaha, I know.
Let's catch up quickly, Captain Hizashi."
Ren followed behind the two, observing his surroundings as he walked.
The Konoha Camp here was largely no different from the Konoha Camp on the Sand Village Battlefield.
If one had to point out a difference, it might be that the Ninja stationed on the Rock Village Battlefield were significantly more numerous than those stationed on the Sand Village Battlefield.
Tsunade once told Ren that Konoha had deployed the fewest troops on the Sand Village Battlefield.
According to Ren's estimation, Konoha had deployed at least over ten thousand troops on the Rock Village Battlefield.
This was only Konoha; if it were Sunagakure, fighting two Villages would be enough to give them a hard time.
Kumogakure, as the undisputed second among the Five Great Ninja Villages after Konoha, should have no problem fighting two Ninja Villages to a standstill.
Konoha, which always fights four in every Ninja World War and still wins, is unique in the entire Ninja World.
"We're here."
Unbeknownst to them, the group had already arrived in front of a tent, guarded by two ninjas at the entrance.
Shibi Aburame motioned for the two to go in and report.
A moment later, the guarding Ninja came out and nodded to the group, signalling them to enter.
Shibi Aburame and Hyuga Hizashi walked in front, with Ren closely following.
Upon entering, Ren heard a voice that was both confused and surprised.
"Ren?"