Starring:
Date: October 17, 2012
Summary:
Keiji seeks out Mushi to learn a jutsu from the legendary mednin.
"Learning Medical Ninjutsu Part IV"
Mystic Flower Gardens
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The inside of this building is fragant with the smell of plant life, something incredible rare in the harsh desert. The stone walls of this building have vine tendrils growing up towards the roof, thin and small offsprings spreading away from the main vines, and latching into the walls. The roof is actually a large wooden hatch, to allow limited sunlight to enter on calm days.
The building can fit about 15 people comfortably with all the plants. There is a large pathway, not formed of stones. Instead, it is lined with stones, and people walking along it are actually walking on a soft carpet of grass. Shoes are required to be left at the door, so as to avoid damaging the tender grass shoots.
The center of the building is actually a small pond, about 10 feet across. Growing from the center of the pond is the largest flora in the place, a single lemon tree, growing proud and straight up towards the roof. It is kept well pruned to avoid damaging the walls, and to allow light to reach the other plants. The rest of the plants in the room are mostly smaller flowering bushes, and ferns. Simple, green plants, to give some much-needed natural life into the lives of visitors.
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Contents:
Mushi tends to stay inside during the hottest hours of the day, usually in a rented room off ground level. That way the constantly blowing sands are less likely to blow through the window into her room. She doesn't enjoy eating all her cooking with a fine coating of sand on it. Now after a scorching afternoon, Mushi is coming out during early evening when it has begun to cool. She's at one of her favorite places to be in Sunagakure: the fantastic gardens.
And as usual she's not only enjoying the scenery but discreetly pilfering some of the herbs and other samples here and there. Putting them in a small sack sitting beside her medical pack and a notebook. And now she's sitting with her feet dangling into the pond, raising and lowering her bare feet to send ripples out over the small body of water.
Keiji had heard of Mushi's arrival in town. It seemed to excite him more than most others knowing that she is a mednin. It is the main thing that drew him out during the day. He had been searching all over the village for her. It came as a slight surprise that she was not at the hospital. Finally after searching the village and not finding her, the young Shippodoku decides to check the Flower Gardens.
After removing his shoes, Keiji moved into the gardens and scanned around. It was not long before he found someone fitting Mushi's description. "Greetings miss." he states as he stops short of her position near the pond.
"Could use a bit more fruit," Mushi says, glancing over at the lemon tree. Like some peaches, apples, oranges, something to munch on besides mint leaves. Though it must be a tremendous effort to grow any kind of trees here, and careful attention. Some plants were here she couldn't find in any of the other countries even. She rummages in her pack for something to munch on.
And stops when Keiji comes up. She flinches guiltily as if she's been caught, well, taking some of the plants. She looks to him and says quickly, "Are you the gardener here? I was given permission to fetch a few samples." Albeit that was many visits ago, something she'd interpreted as 'every time she came around.' She'd take in Keiji and then ask, "Who are you? I'm Nikumari Mushi." It's clear she's not from around here, from her wanderer's garb and no Sunagakure forehead protector.
"My name is Shippodoku Keiji." the young boy states. If she had been around during the first ever Chuunin exams, it would not be the first time she had heard the name. After all he did take first in the tournament and was one of only three to be promoted from the exams. "I am not the gardener, however I do know most people are arrested for taking samples. You must have some respect from our Suna officials."
Keiji glances at the bag and then at the different plants. "I came here to make a request of you. I have been an apprentice at the hospital for some time. I am looking to recieve some final training to help me on my path."
Mushi rubs her chin when Keiji mentions his name. It had been quite awhile, but it did ring a vague bell. Then, she gets it. "You're the kiddo who aced the Chuunin Exam, right?" she says. "I was an enforcer there." He'd probably know she had an exhibition match that ended in a draw. Not that she'd ever go looking for a real fight with that kind of monster outside a dampened ring. "You're Chuunin now, right?" she asks, more politely than skeptically. She's pretty sure after that performance he'd be promoted.
She does wave off his concerns and say, "Hibari-sensei gave me permission." Now she thinks of it…maybe she should go visit her sensei once in awhile. However, Keiji catches her attention fully for the first time when he mentions he was an apprentice. "That's good," she says approvingly. "Suna healers are some of the finest, because of the plants and poisons you have here. Unskilled medics think that you only need chakra to heal, but you can never really be great until you have access to all kinds of knowledge. I created a few medical techniques based on the plants I found here."
Finally someone actually remembered who he was. That was almost worth going through the entire exam. "Yes, I am the same Shippodoku that aced the exams. I am still a Chuunin though working on Jounin now. Unfortunately I missed your match while I was training for my own. It was a reasonably tense time."
Keiji had met Hibari once or twice but never really dealt with her. "My apprenticeship was simply through the hospital using chakra techniques. I do know a bit of plants and herbs. My clan once dealt in deadly poisons. I recently gained some knowledge into that. However, do you think you could teach me a little bit of your knowledge? Something to get me pointed in another direction."
Sunagakure…Chuunin Exams. She squints at Keiji. "You that one who poisoned the water?" she asks suspiciously. Though not accusingly. It was a good strategy, though she forgets who used it. At least she wasn't the one who had to clean it up afterwards. She rummages in her pack as he goes on to ask her if she can help him out. And she chuckles. She pulls out a box of strawberry dipped pocky and starts munching on one. Even holding one out to Keiji.
"It's nice you're moving forward," she says, "but I might not be the type you want. Most of my techniques are specialized for certain things. And the standard ones…well, your medics can teach it better than me. Especially because they've had plenty of experience in this unique environment." She takes her feet from the water and slips on her sandals.
The young Chuunin shakes his head in response to the poisoning of the water. "No no. I did not learn about poisons until after the exams. My scorpion venom is also not enough to have poisoned such a supply of water. That was someone else." He then raises a hand to block the strawberry. "No thank you. I do not eat in public."
Keiji shakes his head she states that the local practitioners might be better at teaching him. "I have learned how to mend flesh with chakra, but that is not the only thing. There are so many different skills. There is nothing you could think a young mednin could use off the top of your head?"
Mushi regards Keiji as he speaks. Then, she smiles and says, "Okay. I'll show you the one I made from my research here in your homeland. That'd be fitting." She brushes the crumbs off her hands and says, "Clean hands. A highly unappreciated and often overlooked asset a medic should have when having their fingers near an open wound. Lick 'em off if you have to (I actually did once.)"
She says, "Medicinal Healing, I made it up myself; fairly straightforward. It has three advantages over healing techniques of its level, and one disadvantage. The three…well…it targets illnesses, such as wounds, headaches, colds. It helps with infected wounds, which is especially important around here when sand and other stuff is blowing around you. And it's a great pain reliever. Sounds useful but it lacks the raw wound healing power of, say, Light Healing Jutsu."
Though she probably cannot see his excitement, Keiji smiles beneath the mask as she decides to teach him a jutsu. "Clean hands, understood." his words are stated to confirm the words. "Ok, so a trade of healing power to clean the wound or heal a lesser affliction. Sounds pretty useful." Basically up to this point Keiji had learned that diagnosing the issue was the main thing. Of course selecting a proper jutsu from that diagnosis was equally as helpful or failure to do so could be equally devastating.
"You can't see healing jutsu when it enters the body," Mushi says. "I usually like to visualize it not as visible, but as a feeling. Each medical technique has a different one. Burning. Soothing. Warm. Fluttering. They're all unique. In Medicinal Healing it's…a cool ooze. Here, quicker to show than explain."
She'd place a hand on Keiji's arm and he'd feel a cool liquid spreading thickly through his arm. Visualize it spread out soothingly, erasing pain. Mending damage. It's not done in a huge flash, it's done very gradually and carefully. Now you try it on me." Quick as that? She holds her arm out.
The feeling was unique. Keiji could not say he had felt something like that before. "Visualize the chakra spreading out smoothly. Kind of like a liberating force. Easing and erasing the pain. Slow and steady." Then it was Keiji's turn to try it out on her. He removed his pincered finger and placed a hand on her arm. At first there was nothing as he did not want to invade her system with chakra. Then there was a feeling. Cool and cold. "Slow and steady." he states while placing a bit more chakra into it. He was not rushing it along, but placing enough chakra in for it to spread out evenly. "Like this?" he asks.
Mushi says, "Uh, between you and me 'feeling' isn't usually how it's trained. I don't think this is the official Suna prescribed training method. Not sure if they'd approve." She doesn't sound perturbed though, to heck what they think. To each their own. She gives a half nod at Keiji's attempt.
"Almost got it. A bit less liquid, a bit more spongy. It's not just washing away pain it's soaking it up, dissolving it. I know it sounds stupid, but really this is the quickest way to learn. Oh there is two more advantages to this technique. One is that since it's a gentle heal, you're less likely to badly botch it. The greater the healing, the more danger there is for it to go wrong. The best time to practice is on yourself any time you get a headache or a cold; remember this exact feeling. And second good thing is it has no aftereffects. No weakness or grogginess from healing, it's very stimulating. So try again."
Keiji listened to how Mushi decribed the healing. "Feeling helps working with chakra. I have always found it helpful." He tries once more. This time his chakra is larger but slower. It feels more controlled almost like a sponge. "Ahh. Because there is not a lot of healing power to it, it is hard to really botch it." Finally Keiji removed his hands and nodded his head. "Thank you."
Keiji listened to how Mushi decribed the healing. "Feeling helps working with chakra. I have always found it helpful." He tries once more. This time his chakra is larger but slower. It feels more controlled almost like a sponge. "Ahh. Because there is not a lot of healing power to it, it is hard to really botch it." Finally Keiji removed his hands and nodded his head. "Thank you."
"You handle your medical chakra well enough," Mushi says, with a nod. She'd wave a hand, signalling an end for the test run and sit back again studying the young shinobi. "I think you can handle practicing it well enough. I suppose this is where I give you some sage words of wisdom, hmm?" Then she'd lean forwarcd, making a fist under Keiji's nose and glaring at him. "Don't bungle up with the technique I made or I swear I'm going to hear about it, come, find you, and getcha a good one. Got it?" Wise indeed.
Keiji smiled beneath his mask as he got the worse of wisdom. While they were not the expected words, they were words that inspired him a bit. For a mednin who has seen the things she has, she is still able to keep a sense of humor or jest. Not many could do that. "I understand. Thank you for the training. I will not bungle it up."
