Starring:
Date: November 26, 2012
Summary:
Taiki decides to get some studying done by the Mist Lake, when Uzumaki Tenken arrives for a small quiz. Atsuro shows up near the end of the session for some idle chat before lunch. NOTE: Part of the Medical Studies log is currently a scene on pause and will likely remain so until after part 2 of the chuunin exams is done so the PC there can be free to finish the scene in backscene.
"Medical Studies 2: Lakeside quiz"
Mist Lake
Taiki, and his ninken appear to be wandering around the lake this cool morning, as if looking for a place out of main traffic. After spending some time, they find such a place, and today's guard and his ninken are quick to ensure the area is not trapped. Once that is done, Taiki pulls out a couple of scrolls from his vest. One is placed down first, and with a small sampling of chakra a single-person stone desk/drafting table appears on top of the scroll. Activating another seal brings out a chair, also carved out of stone but meticulously crafted to look comfortable despite the materials that went into its making. Once these are set, Taiki nods and brings another scroll on top of the flat-counter top board of the desk. Another brief channeling of chakra later, and a pile of books appear. The top three go into an empty space underneath the angled work top, and one last surge of chakra brings out a set of scrolls and a graphite rod.
After considering the setup, Taiki nods once and sits down, opening the first two books to saved places. "Let's see… advanced human anatomie… circulatory system…" he mutters to himself as he sits down to work. With his graphite rod he starts to take notes on the heart, the blood vessels feeding it, and the major blood vessels connected to it. Some of this stuff he already has picked up from his time as a patient in the hospital, though he does seem to find the details a little interesting.
After a short time spent mapping out the ciculatory system, or at least that which is generally known at advanced levels, he comes across something that interests him. "Heart rate can both control, and be controlled by, chakra. Examples of the heart controling chakra flow can most easily be seen by examining a meditating patient. Though there are other factors controlling the flow of chakra in a person's chakra network, it is important to note that for most shinobi, the first step of calmness in meditation is to slow both breathing and heart rate. The slower, steadier rhythm of the heart helps to calm the flow of chakra in the chakra network, both purifying it and rendering it more stable." Taiki hmms and makes a few notes.
"I wonder if the converse is also true?" Taiki says as he picks up the other open book and starts flipping thorugh it. After scanning through the book for a moment, he finds what he's looking for. "Yes, it is. The more agitated the ninja, the faster the heart beats, speeding up the chakra flow at the expense of allowing leftover energy from jutsu use to contanimate it. This is the reason shinobi who use a lot of chakra over a brief period of time are often tired. The body is taxed by the constant use and requires rest to regain strength. Except under extreme cases, loss of chakra in the network is not harmful, so long as the loss is temporary. The body generates enough chakra to refill a network quickly, under most conditions." He jots down a few notes and nods. "Interesting…"
Taiki makes another sections of notes, writing this down carefully in the scroll. The guard pauses on his circuit and clears his throat, causing Taiki to look at him. "Taiki-sama, are you sure it is okay to be doing this here? I mean, we are in another village…"
Taiki smiles and nods at the Beta clan member, one of the few he actually can get along with. "Hai, this is basic medical knowledge every village knows. I don't have any secret information here. If any shinobi from any village, including this one, finds us, they're apt to be really bored unless they happen to be med-nin themselves, at which time they'll either be even more bored or make a comment or three." The guard appears to be mollified, allowing Taiki to work once again, this time making notes about what happens when outside chakra is applied to the heart, such as in cellular re-construction techniques that comprise the entirety of the fish test.
After another hour or so of comparing notes of the human circulatory system, and how chakra effects it, Taiki pauses to stretch. "I never guessed the interplay between chakra and the human body was so intricate… No wonder why Uzumaki-sensei had so much trouble…" In truth, he had wondered about that for a while. Uzumaki were the penultimate seal users, there simply wasn't anyone better. Yet Uzumaki Tenken seemed to have trouble with that seal… "If the circulatory system and chakra interactions are so complex, where does that leave the more complex systems, such as the neural network?"
"Where indeed, Inuzuka-dono," an elderly voice sounded out of no-where. Taiki turns around quickly, wondering why neither one of his ninken reacted. The voice gave him a clue, but Taiki wasn't satisfied until he could prove it was who he thought it was. He withdrew from a pouch an i-ching medalion with an odly cut piece taken out of it. Holding it up, Tenken nods and produces the counter-piece, thereby proving they both were who they said. "Now, what happens to the circulatory system when chakra from the chakra network is explosively removed or otherwised violently elliminated?"
"Well, in addition to whatever physical damage to the body in general causes to happen to the veins and arteries in the affected area, the violent outburst can contaminate the blood and turn some of the cells toxic," Taiki answers after a few minutes of thought. "In open wounds that are exposed to the outside world this is not as serious as it could be. The toxins are for the most part bled out, leaving only minute traces in the blood itself. However when the blood is not allowed to escape the human body, it can cause serious infections, that would require not only cleaning out the affected areas, but also purifying of the blood itself, else the consequences can be… severe."
Uzumaki Tenken nods as he sits down on the ground nearby. Taiki joins him, leaving his stone chair. "Very good Inuzuka-dono. It appears you have been studying. Now, how does a chakra network infection effect the circulatory system, and why?"
"Infections in the chakra network are really a misnomer, aren't they Uzumaki-sensei?" Taiki asks the old man. "Wouldn't it be more appropriate to call them contaminations instead of infections? Even opening the gates tends to cause the network to be more contaminated than anything else.
"While that is true," Tenken answers, "You must understand that contaminations are either detected right away, or they are overlooked and inadvertently allowed to fester. Thus the term infections is used in the later case to show the efforts of the chakra network to clear itself. Most of the time the chakra network can do that easily. However, in cases like you father's it is not allowed to purge the contaminating chakra, causing major issues."
Atsuro arrived in Kiri with the bulk of the Konoha visitors, so he's only been here a short time. Regardless, he's already formed some initial impressions of the village. First, despite its reputation as being an inescapable hell-pit, it appears to be a functional village where people can live. Second, despite this, it seems to be unnecessarily hell-pitish; seriously, what's with all the buildings made out of bones? Taizen, normally a lover of bones, isn't thrilled either. There's just this sneaking suspicion that they're human remains.
This little area has no buildings made out of bones, however, so they're feeling a little more comfortable about it. And, what's this? A lake up ahead? As long as there are no bones in it… well, they both like swimming. They come out of the path into the lake area. Not noticing anyone around, at first, Atsuro figures he can get away with some skinny dipping and begins to remove his shirt. However, the scent of Taiki soon reaches them and changes their minds. They didn't notice because of distance before, but yes, that's definitely Taiki. And Tenken. Atsuro casually re-buttons his shirt, and walks over. "Hell-o, what's this?" asks Atsuro. Taizen barks in greeting as Atsuro looks between Taiki and Tenken. "Some sort of seal training?"
Taiki nods and commits Tenken's lecture to memory. "Then I'd have to say… the contamination of chakra in a chakra network, given the proximity of the core to the heart, can cause toxin build-up in the blood, which in turn can poison the body and the circulatory system itself. If the chakra infection is bad enough, it would more than likely cause cardiac arrest."
"That is one result," Tenken comments. "Another is cellular degeneration. This effect is most commonly seen in shinobi who come in contact with outside chakra that is regarded as poisonous to humans, or animals for that matter. Without cellular reconstruction or regeneration, the shinobi in question could very well lose whatever is effected by this chakra."
Taiki nods and is about to ask a question as Atsuro enters the scene. Truth be told, Taiki looks tense, but otherwise okay. Reasons can vary. "Hello Atsuro," Taiki says with a nod. "Not really seals, but the med-nins training me in Konoha asked Tenken-sama to apply what he knows of medical knowledge to aid me in my studies while we're here."
Tenken gives a welcoming smile and a bow of the head toward Atsuro. "Hello Atsuro-dono. How are you today?"
"Huh," says Atsuro, "Well, you're diligent, aren't you?" He looks around. "Here, even when the only hospital around is probably made of former patients, you're still studying up on your med-nin stuff, eh?" He glances around the area, trying to see if there's something about the location. "How come you came to the lake to study?" he asks, "I assume if it was a secrecy thing, you'd have picked a much better spot. Somewhere where people can't just walk up to you and start talking." He grins.
He gives Tenken a nod. "Better than I thought I'd be in a place like Kiri. I still prefer Konoha by a long shot, but the people around here don't /look/ like they've been tortured." He holds up a hand. "And you don't need to do the dono stuff. Just 'Atsuro-san' will do." He prefers no honorific at all, of course, but Tenken doesn't seem like the type to accept such a thing.
There's a member of the beta clan not too far off that seems to be completing another circuit of patrol. He notes the three newcomers, recognizing Atsuro and Taizen instantly. He does not recognized Tenken, however, and starts to approach. Taiki notices this and gives the guard a wave-off, signalling its alright. "Well, it was either stay in the suite and be surrounded by three of the five guards at all times, or come out here and and relax while I study. Besides, Uzumaki-sensei just arrived in town, and we had arranged to meet him here so I could take him to the suite. So I decided to get some studying in while I waited."
Tenken nods in agreement and adds, "And when I found Taiki-dono here studying, it seemed a shame to make him repack everthing, so I'm holding his first lesson in Kiri here. Thus you walked in on us." He then adds in response to Atsuro's answer, "It does seem different than what many expected, doesn't it?"
After a moment he asks Taiki, "Now, how would you go about clearing out an infection of the chakra network?"
Atsuro gives the Beta guard a casual glance and nod. Not really any reason for either of them to acknowledge the other under the circumstances. "Looks like you're still surrounded by guards," he notes, "But I guess it doesn't hurt to have more breathing room. Even if the fact that you said suite instead of room makes me suspicious." He frowns, "Didn't you argue with me when I suggested you should have guards? Changed your mind?" He grins again, "Or did someone change it for you?"
Atsuro nods to Tenken. "I actually have a friend from Kiri. Doesn't mean that an awful lot of the people from here are… not friend material. Symbolic for the village itself, as it turns out."
Taiki falls silent for a few moments as he thinks about Tenken's question. "There are, if I estimate right, two ways. The more common way requires a med-nin to use a chakra heal technique similar to poison removal. They separate the foreign or contaminated chakra from the rest of the network, and remove it. That is the far more well-known and used technique. The problems with this technique is that you're introducing more foreign chakra to an already taxed chakra system, which can cause complications. I can't quite picture what that fully means yet, but I'm getting there. The lesser-known way, if I remember correctly, requires a seal master with medical knowledge to apply a filter seal. In fact, I've only seen reference to the second technique in your notes."
Tenken looks around for a moment, then nods. "Keep the details of those notes to yourself, Taiki-dono. I have a feeling I know where you're going with your pursuit of medical knowledge. If so, you'll need those notes for the basis of your work."
That said, Tenken looks back to Atsuro and nods. "I know a couple of people here from my travels. Individually, they can be decent, as long as you're not their enemy. You generally do not want to become an enemy of Kiri." Of course that could be said about any hidden village, but right now they're talking about Kiri.
Gratified by Tenken's acceptance of his answer, he turns to answer Atsuro's question. "I thought over your words, and decided you could be right. That and another friend pretty much agreed with you. I was told the ANBU would be busy enough and couldn't help, so Kenichi-sama got some of the better Beta's together for my guard detail."
Atsuro merely glances off to the side while the complicated chakra stuff is discussed. He could get it if he listened, probably; he's not dumb. But since he'll never be a seal master or a med-nin, that information wouldn't be of much use to him. Render unto Taiki what is Taiki's. When Tenken makes one of information bits out to be a secret, he helps out by sniffing around to make sure nobody's listening in.
"I figured," he responds to Tenken, nodding, "I also figure that as guests, anything that would make the village look bad is being, ehhhh, filtered from our sight." He shrugs. "But I don't know. The most I've heard this friend complain about is that there's too much water. There /is/ a lot of water, but obviously we have very different ideas of too much."
He nods to Taiki. "Let's hope it was good advice then," he says, "But I think it probably is. Kiri has less cause to be going after you than Recluse, and Recluse is the one that'll be kept away by guards." He pauses. "Who was the friend? Anyone I know?"
Tenken looks at the sky and then turns his head to Taiki. "Go ahead and pack your stuff up. We need to go get something to eat soon. I don't know about you, but I am hungry." Taiki nods and starts sealing things back into his scrolls as Tenken answers Atsuro. "Well, this /is/ Kirigakure, in the Land of Water. Of course there's going to be a lot of water here. It's the same as any other village really, even Konohagakure, there's a lot of leaves there, which can burn easily."
As the desk disappears Taiki looks back and says, "True enough. And considering it was the same advice you gave me Atsuro, and I was close to following it anyway, I decided to give it a shot. And you know the source of that advice, it was Nara-san." That said, Taiki starts slipping storage scrolls back into their pockets.
"It /is/ lunchtime, come to think of it," Atsuro says. "Guess we'll soon discover just what they eat around here," he says to Taizen, sharing a glance with the nin-dog, "I'm no longer convinced it's human flesh. Maybe a lot of seafood? I could go for some mussels or something." Taizen barks in agreement, apparently feeling that some seafood would make a nice change of pace.
"I know," says Atsuro, "Think the Land of Fire thing is kinda spurious though. We get some forest fires, but that isn't enough to name a country after. Maybe if we had more coniferous woods. Pine needles are basically tiny green bombs."
"I assume you mean Usagi," he says, "Since there are a few hundred Nara in the village. Hrm, maybe she /is/ closer to me mentally than I'd realized. You'd better be giving her the right education."
Taiki's stomach growls a little, echoed by Nozomi's, but not Shinobu's. "Now that's odd," Taiki says as he looks at his ninken. "Normally its Shinobu's stomach that growls. But yes, it is lunchtime, and I think we can all use something to eat," he says, acknowledging Tenken's comment as well as Atsuro's. "And yes, I am talking about Usagi-san, and I'm teaching her as best as I can, though she's also teaching me since the med-nins paired us together."
Tenken nods and chuckles. "Yes, I've seen you two play off each other. If I didn't know that you two viewed eachother as siblings, I would have thought you were flirting." A particularly ugly look from Taiki has Tenken holding his hands up in surrender. "I know, I know, don't joke about that. Seriously Taiki-dono, I know past events messed you up, but you need to learn to lighten up and trust people again. It was just a joke…"
After Taiki relents Tenken looks back to the older chuunin and says, "Well, earth was taken, from what I understand, and "Land of Trees" doesn't sound too official for a major political power. Plus the countries apparently had this element thing going, so Fire had to be it. But enough of that. Will you be joining us for lunch Atsuro-san?" Yes, Tenken is even more a stickler on honorifics than Taiki, and that's saying something.
Tsking, Atsuro looks to Shinobu. "I think someone had too much breakfast," he deduces. "Hrm, why hide it by saying 'a friend?" he asks, "Of course, maybe I'm starting to see why you said she and I are alike. I still think you're nuts re: her keeping up with my wit. Not at all alike are my incisive observations and her clumsy quips."
He grins at Tenken when he makes the comment about flirting. "I made that mistake once too," he sympathizes, "Well, multiple times, but when you do it on purpose it's not really a mistake, is it?"
He glances back to Taiki. "I'll agree to join you for lunch if you can find a topic more interesting than country name etymology."
