Shinki had risen and was examining the iron-barred door.
The bars were thick and firmly welded, with gaps barely wide enough for an arm to pass through.
Dim torches flickered on the corridor walls beyond the door, casting long shadows that paced back and forth across the stone floor.
"The guards are tight," he said quietly. "And something feels strange here. My Chakra isn't flowing smoothly, either."
Yeto ignored their conversation. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then slowly exhaled.
When she opened her eyes again, the faintest glimmer seemed to flash deep within her purple pupils.
She remained silent, but her brow furrowed more and more deeply. After a few seconds, she said coldly, "At least a dozen Jonin-level guards."
"Stationed at both ends of the corridor and at the corners. Their footsteps, breathing, positions... They're well trained. Not ordinary jailers."
A dozen Jonin-level guards? Shikadai's heart sank. That was an enormous force.
Sunagakure's prison couldn't possibly have that many Jonin guarding one area at the same time.
"Can we use our abilities to break out?" Shinki looked at Yeto, then checked the flow of his own Chakra.
He could still sense his iron sand Secret Technique, but it felt as though a layer of thick glue stood in the way. Drawing on it took several times more effort than usual.
Yeto shook her head. She raised a hand, stopping her fingertips a few inches from the iron-barred door.
An extremely faint, nearly invisible transparent Barrier appeared for an instant, its surface subtly distorted, then vanished.
"There's a powerful seal on the cell itself. It isn't just the door. The entire space is locked down. Forcing our way out won't work, and it'll trigger an alarm."
Shikadai forced himself to calm down, his mind racing.
An unknown