A discussion on life and death.

Thu Jun 03, 2021 11:46 pm

Kazue woke up bleary eyed with a slight headache. His nature was more nocturnal and waking up early always presented itself as a challenge. His white hair was like a bird nest that went through a tornado. A few minutes wrestling with a comb set it straight. He smiled at his looks before brushing his teeth and getting dressed.

“Morning!” Kazue gave a happy morning two his parents as he dug into breakfast. His dad was used to cooking in the mornings which made it easier for Kazue to not bother with cooking. He inhaled his food down as if it was his last meal.

“Slow down. Your father and I have to talk to you.” Kazue immediately felt his food go down the wrong pipe. The surprises when his parents wanted to talk to him at breakfast were never good. The good surprises were reserved for dinner time with steak. “We know you have not been taking your ninja training seriously. Not that your dad and I want to push you. We just think you should go with this guy to learn a thing or two.” His mother passed him a black card that had the word Kenshin written on it in silver ink. “We had a hard time procuring that. So we hope you can put some effort into it. Not just stick yourself with theoretical research all the time.” At this point Kazue was sure this was more of his mothers decision. As his dad did not participate in the conversation and did theoretical research all the time. It was the only reason Kazue picked it up.

Kazue was one to know that arguing with a woman was futile. He accepted the card with a fair amount of grace. “It is not a problem mom. If you think this Kenshin guy is decent enough to teach me then I will go for it. I can already be counted as a decent doctor. I just need to be a better ninja.” It was not completely his fault he was un-practiced in learning jutsu and the like. Medical science was too much fun to be had. “Alright. I will head over to the hospital now.”

His mom and dad waved him off gingerly. It would take Kazue a brisk 10 minute walk. He could have ran and made it to the hospital in two minutes. He decided against it since he wanted to leave a decent first impression on whoever his supposed tutor would be.

“Hello!” Kazue walked to the front desk. “I am here to see Kenshin.” He showed the card to the receptionist who gave Kazue a once over. Her face was surprisingly unreadable. Kazue figured people with unreadable expressions were usually trying to hide something. A shiver of trepidation passed down his spine.

“You can follow that black line on the floor to his office.” The receptionist gave him a response and went back to her duties as if pretending Kazue did not exist. He gave her a nod before doing what he was told. The line was distinct and easy to floor. Kazue went through some open double doors, a hallway, till it stopped in front of another door. This one was single and ended in an arrow, indicating his destination.

The arrow pointed to a door that had a morgue plague next to hit. A part of Kazue wanted to turn around to see if it was the right place. He had to assume no person in their right mind would use a morgue as an office. He would also have to assume that his parents would want someone in their right mind to tutor their only son. He gathered up his courage and gave the door a knock anyway.

“Hello. I am Kazue Kenko. Here to see Mr.Kenshin.” Kazue made sure his voice was polite. He was unaware of what was on the other side of the door. He could breath easier with an all clear to enter. If not he would march back to the receptionist.

WC: 675

Fri Jun 04, 2021 11:43 pm

The Ragdoll could be seen within the morgue of Sunagakure, a small smirk on his face as the one armed man continued to jot down notes on his latest experiments. Honestly… having only one arm really wasn’t hindering him in the slightest, although that was mainly due to his rather unique physiology. He could regenerate the arm at any point really, but he had chosen to keep the injury until Mizuki returned from Hoshigakure and he could properly debrief her of everything that had happened during his ill fated assassination attempt on the current Mizukage. Just thinking of the man brought a scowl to his face… the man wasn’t even impressive, and if it wasn’t for that damnable armour that he wore he would have been dead thrice over. The fact that the man hadn’t killed him, yet managed to both survive and escape without harm was a true blow to the pride of The Reaper.

Kenshin, in his current form, wasn’t much to look at and he knew it… but really, he had always hated being the centre of attention, and this form is what he imagined he would have looked like at this age had he not encountered Mayuri and Szayel. He wasn’t all that tall, only standing at 5’9, and while not exactly skinny, calling him muscular would be a joke… no, he was toned at best. His skin tone, hair colour and eye colour were all typical of someone with albinism, but the crimson of his eyes was a few tones darker than is standard. His silver hair is shoulder length and rather moppy in appearance, simply hanging from his head without anything in the way of styling or brushing, yet it still wasn't truly messy or tangled. He was clad in a long sleeved white shirt with a grey V pattern over it, with a simple set of pants, and of course some nice shoes that actually covered his toes. He had said it a million times now… fuck everything about shinobi sandals. Heh… of course, the left sleeve was neatly folded up and pinned near his shoulder, so that the empty sleeve wasn’t simply swinging around as he moved.

Overall… The Ragdoll, the last true S-rank Missing-Nin, and the First Kazekage of New Sunagakure… looked like little more than a crippled teenager, and with his chakra kept firmly suppressed that image was only cemented further.

Heh… he wondered whether his visitor would even know who he was. It wasn’t as though Kenshin was an uncommon name, and while the knowledge that the former Kazekage operated out of the hospital morgue to sell transplants was something everyone knew… most were unaware that the morgue also served as his personal office. Oh yes, he was well aware that he would be receiving a visitor today, and truthfully he was looking forward to it… after-all, it wasn’t as though he was personally sought out to teach others what he knew. Most were far too intimidated by his status within the village, or by his reputation, to even consider asking him to teach them… despite the fact that he was more than willing to impart his knowledge to those that would actually use it. Kazue Kenko, the son of two of his employees within the hospital, and a newly graduated Genin… supposedly the boy had a talent for Medical Ninjutsu, and if that was true Kenshin would do his best to foster that talent. Skilled Medical Specialists were something that he was always looking for, even before he became head of the Medical Corps. In his personal opinion it was quite impossible for a village to have too many Medical Specialists, they were invaluable in both the field and on the home front, as injuries were a daily occurence no matter where a shinobi was.

He would be brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a knock on his door. Hmm, the boy was nice and early, that was good.

“Enter!” the deep voice of The Ragdoll would call calmly, his back to the door as he continued to write down notes in his small journal. Kenshin was near the back of the rather large room. The morgue had steadily grown larger as the population of Suna increased, with the room now being 10m from entrance to the back wall, while the width of the room remained the same at 5m. There were a total of 10 draining tables in the room, spaced quite evenly, and the amount of Cold Chambers in the room had doubled from 40 to 80, with two rows of 20 chambers on both the left and right wall of the room. The entire room was well lighted, as the roofing of the room consisted of illuminated ceiling panels.

Now, one may consider this quite small for a settlement the size of Sunagakure… but the wonders of Chakra were near infinite, allowing for the rate of death to remain extremely low… and with Corpse Storage scrolls being as cheap any excess of bodies was easy to handle.

WC: 845

Mon Jun 07, 2021 7:54 pm

Kazue opened the door to the room. He was feeling nervous the entire time. If Kazue could ever feel his heart beat this would have been the time. It was the same feeling one would have when going on a first date. Not that he believed he would be interested in Kenshin. According to what Kaz could deduce, the guy should be ancient. His parents would not suggest learning from someone without some reputation and renown. Ninjas that had renown in the medical field were pretty old. Even if Kazue was used to performing surgery he was still not renowned. It just showed how hard the medical ninjutsu field was. It was ecompasing and expansive so now everyone could manage it. In his mind Kazue pictured an old man with many wrinkles, a frenzied expression, and probably hair as white as his own.

No matter what the guy looked like, Kazue wanted to leave a good impression. He considered himself skilled and it made him very proud. In fact Kazue would consider himself to be one of the people most proud to be a medical ninja in Sunagakure. His pride would not stop himself from considering having a mentor, as long as the person's skills were good enough. If they were even close in age Kazue would even bother to call him big brother. Which was most likely going to be the result. Kazue understood as a doctor he was great, as a ninja he fell short in some aspects. It was the main reason why he was only a genin. Admittedly, if it came down to a fight he was not nearly as confident as being able to hold himself. If the fact that he was not able to use medical jutsu as well as practical medicine came out. The chances of him being laughed out of the academy were high.

He stopped his overactive thinking as he walked in.

Walking into the room Kazue's eyes darted about. He took in the sight of the large room as he looked for his mentor. The voice came from inside so he believed the man to be inside the place. The room was chilly but felt nice on his skin. The standard air from Suna was normally sweltering anyway. The change was greatly welcomed.

The only person in the room caught his attention. He walked briskly towards the man with a smile on his face. “Hello! I am Kazue Kenko. I am here to obtain instruction from Kenshin Sensei.” He referred to the name on the card like that with a sensei added to show respect. Kazue did not associate the young man to be the person he was here to see. As Kazue approached his body stiffened as he felt something was off. His nostrils slightly flared as he took in the scents around him, even focused on his hearing to check something. His instinct was confirmed as believed the young man was dangerous.

Normal circumstances when Kazue was able to hear the heartbeats of a person, as well as smell their unique fragrance. The problem was the fact that no smell or sounds could be heard coming from the guy. It was eerie as if he was not there as long as Kazue did not look at him. He did not believe the man was using jutsu which meant the guy could probably kill him with ease. Observation was a doctor's basic necessity. It was the main reason Kaz could notice and process all the information he thought of.

If it was not for the fact that the young man he was looking at looked too young. Kaz would almost believe that he was the guy he was supposed to see. It was just that he looked too young and a bit on the skinnier side. As well as too faired skin. Which is saying something as he compared the guy to Sukotto. It was only at this point that he noticed the guy was missing an arm. He believed he was over thinking it and calmed down some. When he thought about it. The young man could just be Kenshin's assistant. It would be proper for him to be polite to the young man as well.

He gathered the strength in his body and walked towards the young man. Sticking out his hand for a firm shake.

“Sorry, for the stop and startle. I can be a bit sensitive to my surroundings and the chill in the room hit my skin just now. The sensei must like to keep the bodies fresh.” He told a half-truth as to not try and startle the man. Kazue was always so kind as to take the feelings of other people into account. If he was a rude person he would have just said the man was freaky.

WC: 806 TWC: 1,481

Mon Jun 07, 2021 9:27 pm

The Ragdoll would finish taking his notes and close the journal that he was writing within, the simple black leather of the book looking somewhat worn due to age, but aside from that the condition of it was immaculate. With that done Kenshin would turn his head to peer over his shoulder with his left eye, ignoring the physical form of the man and instead focussing on the feel of his chakra. It was strange really, The Half-blood Uzumaki had always found it difficult to remember people based on their physical features, and instead usually relied upon the feel of their chakra to discern who they were. Heh… he could recall the tiny intricacies of someone's unique chakra signature in detail… but remembering a face was simply beyond him. The visitor's reserves were not particularly impressive, at least by his own standards, but he could sense how calmly the chakra flowed within his body, something that spoke a great deal about the level of control this teen possessed. That was a level of control that he usually felt within someone who had double the boy's current reserves, but still… there were flaws, and improvements could definitely be made.

The Reaper would give the lightest of smirks when the boy informed him that he was here to receive instruction from ‘Kenshin-Sensei’, and that smirk would grow just a fraction wider as the boy stiffened upon his approach. His sharp eyes caught the way that Kazue’s nostrils flared just a little wider as he took in a particularly deep breath, or rather, as he took in the scent of the area. It was clean, and like any hospital room had the peculiar stench of decay and hand sanitizer… but what no doubt piqued his interest was the complete lack of any scent from the only occupant of the room. It was quite a simple little creation really, and was initially intended to be used as a poison, but only truly succeeded in infusing the natural oils of someone's skin with a solution that eliminated all odors from them. As with all of his creations he had tested it on himself first, and the notes on how to create the solution, along with its effects, could be found within the journal that sat closed in front of him. He knew quite a few people that would happily kill to attain this book and its contents… but for the time being Kenshin was quite happy to hoard his own knowledge.

Now, he had no way of knowing that the teen couldn’t hear his heartbeats, but he was doing absolutely nothing that would make the sounds of his heart from being heard. If he did indeed begin to hear them beating he wouldn’t be able to detect any difference between Kenshin’s multiple hearts and one single heart beating, as each individual heart actually beat much slower than a single one, something he had long theorised was to keep the blood pressure of a Tau stable. When the teen was closer Kenshin would turn to face him, doing so right as a hand was extended, and without any preamble he would accept the hand and give a single strong shake, a strength that one wouldn’t have expected from one as skinny as he. Not truly impressive by any means, but certainly not a strength one expects from a skinny teen. When he gave his excuse for the sudden freeze a smooth and deep chuckle would escape the mouth of the silver haired youth. He wasn’t wrong, the temperature of the morgue was indeed regulated to best keep the corpses fresh, but The Ragdoll had never had much issue within such environments, both due to his own familiarity with them and due to his damaged nervous system.

“My apologies if the room makes you uncomfortable, the temperature is automatically regulated and there isn’t a way for us to change it whatsoever. Personally I’ve never been bothered by extreme temperatures, be it heat or cold, although I will admit I do have a somewhat unfair advantage in that regard. My Bloodline has the lovely side effect of simulating extreme nerve damage, meaning I can’t feel much of anything… heh, I’ve outright stood in flames and barely felt a tickle.” The Ragdoll would explain, a macabre smile slowly growing on his face the more he spoke.

“My apologies for getting off track. You must be Kazue, I have heard a fair bit about you from your parents, and if what they have said is true then I suspect we’ll be seeing a fair bit more of each other in the future.” The Ragdoll would then say, the macabre smile being replaced by a simple amused smirk.

“So, do you have any questions before we begin?” Kenshin would then ask, his amused smirk growing ever so slightly as he voiced his own question.

WC: 813

Tue Jun 08, 2021 10:35 pm

Oftentimes if one listened to the voice inside their head that told them something was wrong. Who could possibly know what they would learn. If Kazue paid attention earlier he would have noticed the smirk he got from the man. As Kazue did not tell a joke on purpose he would have noticed the reason as to why. Between that and the amount of strength the man had with just one arm. Although, the last reason could be explained away.

Kazue was nodding his head as he listened to the young man talk about his bloodline. Kazue was tempted to ask for a blood sample to look into it. He only decided against it so as to not upset Kenshin’s disciple. It did not stop the glow of interest in his eyes. He would just shelve the thought process for another time. The moment he noticed the smile on the young man’s face Kazue felt a small moment of trepidation. It was followed up with acknowledgement of the man’s status in his own way. If Kazue was not able to follow the insinuation of words his brain would work better as a block of tofu.

This was the man that was supposed to be his teacher. A hint of pink darkened his caramel colored skin. Making Kaz more embarrassed than he should have been. Kazue could not help but wonder what age the man was. If this was the man’s original skin then his care routine must be impressive. Besides the fact that he was pale, missing an arm, and looked sickly. Kazue would say Kenshin looked like his health was radiant. Kazue held in a sneeze that made his ears pop. The popping of his ears made some block sounds come in. He was able to pick up on the heartbeat that Kenshin had. Kazue would describe the heartbeat as a rhythmic calm. The rhythm could almost be considered soothing.

Kazue shook his head as if saying yes before answering. “The room is not too bad. I acclimate pretty quickly.I do have a few questions. Why do you look so young if I can ask? That one is purely curiosity. I do have some questions about learning some medical ninjutsu. I just figured it would be better for me to see some practical applications of it first. If I am to be honest my medical skills are great, just not my medical ninjutsu skills.” Kazue was speaking in a fast rushed tone. Getting it all out. The joy of the interesting and exciting would not be repressed.

“Oh!” As if an afterthought hit him he decided to add in another thought that came to him. “If I am being honest I also want to learn some stuff about poisons,if you know anything about it. I know that poisons, and the like, are not the most common medical ninjutsu knowledge. Not that you asked me what I want to learn. I am fine actually learning anything you feel like teaching.” Kazue gave a quick thumbs up till he remembered his manners at the last moment. To a lot of people Kazue would have looked like a bumbling intern just starting his residency. Still unsure of the proper procedure he would question the leader relentlessly until he became acclimated to the job.

Even if he stopped with all the questions. It did not stop the rampant curiosity that was held behind his eyes. It was times like this that Kazue was more vampire than he released. Growing up he was never as thirsty for blood and war like other members of his people could have been. He always longed more for knowledge. Even now his curiosity burned his flesh more than any thirst ever came close to. Kazue was not the type to rest until he received the answers that he wanted. It was why he almost died because he wanted to test how long he could go with feeding. This was only one among the things he tried testing at various times. Kazue just wished he could find another one of his kind to compare notes. Like is having a preferred blood type a normal occurrence? Or was Kazue just weird by the normal standards of his kind?

Out of nervous habit his hand started to smooth out his clothes. He wore a crisp blue shirt with matching blue long pants. It had a scholarly young man feel to it. It was not a memorable outfit but it was comfy, clean, and easy to work in. It was made from a certain type of breathable fabric. Made by a close family friend of the Kenkos’ and sold to them at a reasonable price. Kazue may not really care for fashion, he did care if he looked neat or not. As long as he felt clean everything else could follow.

WC: 811 TWC: 2,292

Wed Jun 09, 2021 11:11 pm

Kenshin’s smirk would grow ever so slightly as the boy seemed to pick up on just who he was, the light flush of his face being enough of an indicator. He would resist the urge to smirk when the teen asked why he looked so young, it was something that he had grown used to over the years… Many that were inexperienced with shinobi found it hard to believe that one so young could be so powerful and knowledgeable. Thankfully he was quick to move onto questions regarding his training, and before that he would inform Kenshin that while he was quite a skilled medic, yet was lacking in Medical Ninjutsu knowledge. It was… a start he supposed, although it would have been easier if the man was a complete blank slate. It was honestly a bit jarring just how much chakra changed things between civilian medical care and shinobi medical care, and he knew well that the teen would certainly find himself wide eyed at the seemingly careless nature of shinobi medical practices. Finally, Kazue would admit to wanting to learn more about poisons and the likes, and it became even more clear just how little he knew when it came to Medical Ninjutsu… poison was not only extremely common amongst medical specialists, it was often favoured.

“Well, I look so young because I am indeed very young. I am only 18, but don’t let that age fool you, it is not an exaggeration to say that I am one of the best Medical Ninjutsu Specialists in the world, and I am certainly the best within Wind Country. Shinobi Medical Practices differ greatly from civilian medical practices, and I assure you our ways are far more efficient and effective than those of civilians… in quite literally every way. Something you will learn about shinobi, and Medical Ninjutsu especially, is that it unlocks a great many doors that are locked to non shinobi… you will likely have to forget a lot of what you have learned about civilian treatments if you wish to truly succeed as a Medical Specialist. There is a reason that a shinobi dying of illness or disease is something that you’ll never have heard of, and that reason is Medical Ninjutsu. Cancer? Calling it a simple fix is an understatement, simply flood the body with chakra and kill off all the cancerous cells, and regenerate healthy cells in their place. Heart Defect? Heh, any medical specialist of worth has the ability to clone and create entirely new organs and limbs.”

“I may be young but I have spent a majority of my teenage years learning and growing more skilled as a Medical Ninjutsu specialist, learning from and under some of the most skilled in the field. Countless hours of training, studying and experimenting have allowed me to reach the heights that I have, and I don’t regret even a second of it. My claims of being one of the best are not unfounded, as I have personally performed the two most difficult feats that a practitioner of Medical Ninjutsu could hope to accomplish, feats that most consider to be impossible.” The Ragdoll would explain, going into detail about some of the feats that Medical Ninjutsu was capable of performing, as well as some of the feats that he was personally capable of, although he would remain purposefully vague about what these two feats were, as a way to coax Kazue to ask. He wasn’t trying to brag, he simply wanted Kazue to understand that, when it came to shinobi, age was simply a number.

“Now, you will be pleased to know that I am quite adept when it comes to the creation of poisons, and I have personally developed techniques and abilities that make their use in combat far easier, and if you do succeed in impressing me I will teach you how to use them.” Kenshin would then say to finish, a genuine smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes on his face as he gazed somewhat impassively at Kazue.

“We will be starting with a rather complex and high ranking Medical Technique, the Mystical Palm, a favoured tool of any Medical Specialist as it can be used to both heal and harm. These are the hand seals, and all you need to do is direct the chakra to your palms once they have been completed.” The Reaper would then explain, performing the four handseals required for the Mystical Palm as a demonstration, as well as showing him what the end result of the technique would look like by allowing a soft cyan aura to engulf his hands.

WC: 773

Fri Jun 11, 2021 12:48 pm

Kazue could not believe the rampant unfairness in the universe. How was he expected to reconcile with the fact that the man who was teaching him was only two years older than himself. This entire time he was expecting an old grandpa sage in the medical arts. It made him feel like he wasted a fair amount of his life. He would not allow the feelings of inferiority to get to him too badly. Kazue considered himself a prodigy in some regards. Even if he had to forget a lot of the stuff that he learned it did not mean it had no basis for things. His study on bloodlines and the like should always be relevant.

The applications of medical ninjutsu were far more interesting than Kaz originally believed. It was through the power of chakra that so many other problems could be solved. Kazue could not help but wonder if it was from the power of chakra that he could not hear his own heart. He only noticed recently that his own heart lacked a beat. Listening to Kenshin the only explanation that made sense was because of his chakra somehow. As civilian medical studies were unable to find out the reasoning as to why.

Hearing Kenshin talk about the two most difficult feats filled him with more questions. He was going to ask what they were as soon as he got the chance. The only reason he reframed was because his new sensei was still talking. Spewing out such profound wisdom. Kazue would not be ashamed to admit that he felt his skills improving just by listening to what was being taught.

“This is an interesting ninja art.” It was the first words Kazue was able to get out as he began to practice. “I can probably multi-task it. I work better at dealing with multiple things at once. Chakra control is one of the easier things for me to do. I think it was why I was recommended here as well.”

Kazue gave a big grin as he started circulating the chakra in his body. The hand seals were relatively simple. It was a matter of getting his chakra on the right path. He closed his eyes as he focused on the feel of his body. Cutting off his senses to focus on what he was doing. It would have been so easy to assassinate him at the moment. He could not hear, smell, see or anything as he focused. If one looked closely they could start to see a flickering of soft cyan lights showing on his hand. At first it was like a random dot that appeared. The dot grew larger, still flickering in and out of existence. Three minutes passed before the cyan light enveloped his hands, still flickering on and off. Becoming more steady as a bit more time passed. It took a full six minutes after the start of using the hand seals, to this moment where the light was a steady solid cyan.

Opening his eyes Kazue let out a deep breath. “It took me some time but I managed to get the hang of it. It was a lot more difficult than I thought it was.” His body would have had a light sheen of sweat if it was not for the cold air of the room. Making Kazue more glad about the temperature.

“There were some parts of it that made it more difficult than others. I can at least do this compared to regular ninjutsu. If this was basic what would be considered harder. Well. I mean you mentioned two difficult feats. I am curious as to what they could be.” Kazue stopped the cyan glow from his hands. “I am also wondering about the peculiarities of this jutsu. Would regrowing a limb be possible with this jutsu? I ask because the basis is stimulating cells. Cells should grow and adapt when damaged. So would the missing cells from a missing limb be regrown because of it. Or would the jutsu read the cell damage as impossible to repair and simply mind the wound caused by a missing limb?” Kazue had joy and an interest dancing in his eyes.

He found Kenshin to be odd but was enjoying his company. There was a world of difference if Kazue had to slowly sort this stuff out by himself. Compared to having someone with rank and tributes teach him. It was like slapping wings onto a tiger. This stuff would have taken him longer to understand. He could only blame himself for slacking on his ninja training to learn the civilian healing arts. If Kaz had done all this at an earlier age, he believed he could have been Kenshin's equal. This was mostly due to the fact that Kazue grossly underestimated the sheer ability of Kenshin. He thought of the man as a tiger compared to the actual god of death he was.

WC: 825 TWC: 3,117

Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:58 am

The Reaper could see the barely disguised envy within the boy's eyes, along with the misguided pride, and it was enough to turn his genuine smile into a slightly sardonic smirk. Honestly, in his mind Kazue had indeed wasted a great deal of time by studying the wrong side of Medicinal knowledge, and he knew that was exactly the line of thought that he was going down. Yes, in some fields the knowledge could overlap, but he would have learned those things studying Medical Ninjutsu under a skilled teacher regardless. Honestly, The Ragdoll truly didn’t understand why some that had access to chakra chose to focus more on the civilian side of things… a shinobi that elected not to use their chakra was the same as a regular person choosing not to use one of their limbs. It was self crippling, and served no true purpose. The boy's next words were almost enough to make Kenshin palm his face in frustration… he would not allow some green novice to try ‘multi-tasking’ with Medical Ninjutsu, not unless it was to purposely allow him to botch a treatment and get someone killed as a lesson.

He would watch silently as Kazue formed the hand seals and began to focus on channelling his chakra to his hands, something that didn’t take him very long all things considered, but Kenshin could see quite a few flaws with his application. He would hold off on criticism for the time being, allowing the teen to ask the questions that he could see within his gaze, and said questions brought the small smile back… he appreciated the curiosity that Kazue was showing, and that much was likely evident.

“The Mystical Palm isn’t a technique capable of reforming lost limbs, although it isn’t for the reason you may have suspected… The technique was actually designed to be inferior so that more people were able to both learn and master it, because while it may not be able to restore what was lost it is able to prevent people from dying. Despite it being an A-rank technique it is one of the most simple Medical Ninjutsu you’ll come across, simply use your chakra to stimulate the cells and trigger the natural regenerative properties of the body. More complex techniques won’t simply speed up a natural process like that, they will flood the body of the person to find the issues and start to fix them by creating whatever cells are needed. The Mystical Palm is certainly useful to know, and it is indeed something that can be useful… but it isn’t exactly the type of technique you’ll see used by those that truly specialise in Medical Ninjutsu… hell, I truly can’t recall the last time I’ve used it.” The Raggedy Man would explain, before allowing a small smirk to cross his face.

“As for two feats I mentioned… Well, they’re both considered to be the pinnacle of the art and there isn’t a soul that would tell you otherwise, but there is a widespread debate about which of the two feats is harder to perform. Some say that creating life from nothing is the pinnacle of our art, and others argue that breathing life back into someone who has died is the pinnacle… although as someone who has performed both feats I can safely say that it was far harder to create life than breathe it back into a corpse.” Kenshin would then say casually, barely paying any mind to the fact that he was admitting to have already performed acts that most would consider to be miracles, and many more would say was pure sacrilege. He was bragging a little and he could admit that, but he always enjoyed seeing the looks on the faces of those that didn’t understand the true limits that Medical Ninjutsu could be taken to by a truly skilled user.

“But back to the matter at hand. That was a decent start, but there are quite a few flaws you’ll need to work on before you can hope to use that to do anything aside from kill someone. First things first, you need to learn to keep the flow of the chakra extremely steady, as even the smallest of fluctuations can cause the cells you are stimulating to mutate, and I’m sure I don’t need to explain what that can lead to. You will also need to learn how to perform the technique far faster than you did, and above all else you will need to learn how to block out everything around you whilst you are healing. The last thing anyone needs is some screaming friends and family distracting the Medic… and before you ask, yes, that was not a random example. It is something that I have seen happen, because as unfortunate as this may be, we do not live in a peaceful or pleasant world… sometimes time isn’t on our side, sometimes we simply don’t have room within the hospital… and because of that we are forced to heal wherever we can.” Kenshin would explain, a small frown on his face as he recalled the exact situation he was talking about. It was back in Hoshigakure, a Genin that was showing off in the training ground shortly before Kyousuke unleashed the Four Tails… the boy hadn’t survived solely due to his teammates' constant questions and cries distracting the Medic on duty at the time.

“I don’t expect perfection from you, and believe me when I tell you that you will fail for a long time before you succeed. I don’t care how good you think you are, because I can assure you that you will not be an exception to this… but I don’t need you to be good, what I need is for you to listen and for you to put the effort in. You’ll eventually get it, after a lot of failures, and once you have it you’ll remember it because you’ll never want to experience those failures again.” The Ragdoll would then say, his tone not harsh but not kind either, simply informing him of the truth of the matter and what he expected from Kazue. He had personally trained a majority of the current Medical Corps of Sunagakure, and those he hadn’t trained had been evaluated quite thoroughly to ensure they met his standards. Many had applied for positions and many had been denied, and it went without saying that Kazue would simply become another of those denied if The Reaper suspected that the teen wasn’t giving their training his all. He had little need for natural talent, he could train anyone into a passable Medical Specialist and he would be damned before he trained anyone that was unwilling to work.

WC: 1125

Sun Jun 13, 2021 1:24 pm

A myriad of things were playing in Kazue’s heart. The emotions on his face were more steady as he contemplated. The first emotion came like cold water on a campfire. The feeling of believing he was doing well was short lived when Kenshin pointed out his flaws. It made him feel like a bit of a failure for being such a waste. If he thought about it. Kenshin would probably view him no differently than a child.

Kaz tried to keep his eyelids from twitching. He could only think to himself that Kenshin was really going to gloss over his skills like that. Bringing a person back from the dead was practically impossible. Creating life from nothing was even more so to the point that it was unheard of. A young man like Kenshin, barely older than Kaz, is capable of doing both of the feats. Would be no different to a god amongst mortals. Yet, the man was teaching him mystical palm.

The coldness in his heart was eaten up by ambition as Kenshin went on. Kazue had his own pride. He would not consider himself the best ninja in most aspects except when it came to medical skills. Even if Kenshin was looking down upon him now he would work to get the recognition from this man. The thirst for his knowledge lit up the fires of passion in his heart. Kazue would not realize it. He was already becoming a different person than the one he was when he first walked inside.

“You may as well take me up as a discipline since I find this interesting.” The words coming out of his mouth probably sounded more smug than they should. Kazue found Kenshin to be challenging enough to take him as a master. Normally the teacher would take a student but Kaz was more proactive than that. “I find it interesting that you stand at the apex of the medical world. The only place I want to be. If you like a challenge you may as well train me as your successor. When I get to the summit I may as well make you proud by kicking you down.” The smile he gave was wide.

“You should think about it while I practice. I am not one to quit till my thirst is quenched.” Kazue went back to practicing the mystical palm aura. This time the interval to activation was a lot shorter. As well as the aura being more smoothed and streamlined. He continued to do it more and more. He was showing fierce concentration as his eyes turned a bit darker gold than the usual light sheen. He was not hungry for blood but his eyes still reflected some of his thirst to learn.

Kazue was unaware of how many times he used the skill, or how much time was passing as he continued to do it. He stopped when a sheen of sweat was able to build on his body. The cool air of the morgue did not stop the intensity of his training. He did the hand signs again and the aura turned on and held steady, it was as if his hands became their own steady lights.

“Tell me. Is this up to the standards of your training? If not I can do this all day. If you think this is up to snuff come at me harder.” He stared at Kenshin with a hard look in his eye. It was not fear, dread, or tiredness that invaded his body. It was a euphoric high that was getting him. The feeling of being challenged and overcoming it. Kenshin may have been the most threatening man he has come across. It did not stop the excitement inside of him.

WC: 627 TWC:3,744

Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:47 pm

Kenshin would give a wry smirk at the smug tone in Kazue’s voice as he spoke… oh how he loved breaking the arrogant ones, seeing them crumble under the added stress and pressure of failure was truly a sight that brought a smile to his face. The more the boy spoke the more Kenshin’s smirk would grow, and the more this singular thought would compound… he wondered whether the boy understood that he never ‘rested’, that his one singular goal in life was to stand at the top of the food chain. This boy… a mere untrained whelp who was unable to even perform the Mystical Palm correctly… he presumed to be the one that would ‘surpass’ him? How cute. Heh, he would assist the boy in his growth… if only to help the child understand just how wide of a gap stood between them now.

“Hehe… you sure know how to dream big, and I do like a challenge… but I don’t think you truly grasp just how large the gap between us is, so I’ll teach you… if only to truly show you the extent of that gap. Try not to crumble under the pressure, kid.” The Ragdoll would say, his smirk shifting into one that was purely sardonic as he gazed at the boy, his eyes impassive as ever.

He would watch silently as the boy continued to practice with the Mystical Palm, his eyes trained on the sheen of chakra that coated his hands, and the more the boy practiced the better it got… this was good, as it showed that he did at least possess some modicum of skill. When the boy asked whether this was good enough The Raggedy Man would narrow his eyes in a minute display of annoyance.

“It is passable, and for now that will do, but if you haven’t improved your usage of the technique further by our next lesson I will personally, and literally, throw you out of this building. Now, another basic yet staple technique for Medical Ninjutsu practitioners is the Chakra Scalpel, although this one has more combat uses than the Mystical Palm. When done correctly you’ll be able to sever tendons and attack organs directly, without piercing the skin, although when done incorrectly, whether this be intentional or not, it will cut directly. These are the hand seals, and this is what a properly performed version of the technique will look like.” The Reaper would explain, forming the hand seals and displaying the technique to Kazue, before allowing a dark smirk to cross his face.

“You have 10 minutes to perform the technique, correctly or not. If you can’t do that then this will be the end of our lesson today, and I will expect you to learn how to perform it perfectly by the time of our next lesson.” He would then say, his smirk both a mixture of mocking and challenging. It was certainly possible for someone to perform these techniques in their first attempts, but the real question was whether they were properly done.

WC: 511

A discussion on life and death.

A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.

Re: A discussion on life and death.