"So, you stayed up late again yesterday?"
From behind the pitch-black door of the dark confinement cell came the clinking of bowls and chopsticks. After a while, Hirohiko's surprisingly energetic voice sounded.
"Ah..."
Chiba, leaning against the door, wore a bitter smile. Two deep dark circles hung beneath his eyes, and he looked completely listless.
"So, even though it was only ten minutes, you still found a way to enter that Sealed Space without relying on the Mangekyō Sharingan's ocular power. A relatively safe method."
At those words, the clinking of bowls and chopsticks inside paused slightly before Hirohiko spoke again.
"Mm. I checked yesterday too. There weren't any residual toxins in my body. In other words, the medicinal effect wears off after ten minutes and doesn't leave any aftereffects."
Chiba closed his eyes slightly and leaned his head back as he spoke. Having stayed up all night, he was not in great shape right now, with waves of drowsiness constantly washing over him.
It was now noon on the day after yesterday, time to bring Hirohiko his meal, and Hirohiko was eating with considerable gusto.
As for that morning, Chiba had not been idle either. First, he sorted through the Sealing Jutsu and Curse Mark Jutsu he had researched during this period. Then, he systematically organized everything he needed to do next, wrote it all onto scrolls, and made detailed records.
Perhaps because he had stayed up all night, or perhaps because he had memorized too many Sealing Jutsu Formulas at once, his memory had worsened somewhat. He had nearly forgotten some of his plans, so he made a backup record.
After finishing all that, he took over Yukina's task and came to bring Hirohiko his meal. Along the way, he picked out certain details about Higan and told