Chapter 168 - 63: Plotting the Escape
"Father, it's time to eat."
Kitsuchi knocked lightly on the prison door, holding a flat food box in his hand, and spoke softly.
"Haven't I told you? You don't need to come in person for something as trivial as delivering meals. It might arouse suspicion from Murasaki."
A deep voice resonated from the pitch-black cell. Though not loud, the voice carried a penetrating power, suggesting that Ōnoki's health was still relatively stable.
"Visiting you once a month has become a habit over the years. If I stopped, it would seem suspicious instead," Kitsuchi replied.
He deftly slid the food box through the narrow food slot at the bottom of the door. The flat box fit perfectly into the slot, clearly custom-made for this purpose.
"What about the thing I asked for?" Ōnoki inquired.
Kitsuchi pulled out a small stack of papers from his robe and pushed them through the slot.
"These are the intelligence summaries from the Anbu this month, covering all the ninja villages. The classified information only goes up to B-rank; I don't have clearance for anything higher."
No response came from inside except for the sound of chewing food and flipping through papers. It seemed the old man was multitasking—eating while reading.
Kitsuchi stood silently, not wanting to disturb him, and waited patiently.