Chapter 20 - Hidden help

Ryu furrowed his brow as he examined a patient, his thoughts racing. 'Not again... How did Arakan miss so much?' The dimly lit room was filled with the soft sounds of strained breathing, both from the patient and Arakan himself.

Arakan, panting heavily, leaned against a nearby table, sweat dripping down his face. "*Huff* What... did you *Huff* find?" he asked, his voice filled with exhaustion. Ryu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for the older man. Despite his attempts to conserve Chakra by avoiding its use on patients with minor injuries, Arakan had missed several hidden infections and complications. Lacking the proper tools and resources, he had been forced to rely on his own limited energy.

Ryu's keen eyes had caught these oversights, allowing Arakan to treat each patient in turn. But with each new discovery, Arakan's Chakra reserves dwindled further. The strain was evident on his face and in his trembling limbs, yet his piercing eyes never wavered from the patients in his care.

Regaining some composure, Arakan asked again, more clearly, "What did you find?" Ryu looked up from the large open wound on the patient's arm. "His Radius is healing well thanks to your treatment, but there are still some bone fragments lodged in the muscles of his forearm," he explained.

Arakan frowned. "Let's move the patient to the surgery room and take those out."

Ryu hesitated, thinking things over. 'This won't do. He'll do more harm than good in this state, to both the patients and himself. I need to find a way to make him rest. But will he agree to take a break? Maybe if I can make him realize it's for the best...' He took a deep breath before speaking up.

"Arakan, you can't keep going like this. We have 120 more patients to examine today, and you're running on empty. Take a break. Right now, you're more likely to hurt the patients than help them. I'll make a list of what's wrong with the others so you can rest and save time. We can discuss my findings later."

Arakan hesitated, then sighed in resignation. "Fine, I'll take a break. Call me in an hour. I'll try to restore my Chakra in the meantime." He handed Ryu the list of patients and some notes about their conditions before shuffling towards his room.

As Ryu looked over the list, he knew full well that he wasn't going to simply document patient problems. 'I've got an hour. I should try to lighten his workload a bit. This is my test, after all.' Ryu chuckled at his thoughts, the sound of his footsteps echoing softly through the dimly lit corridor.

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Ryu studied Arakan's notes on the patient before him. "Hm... It seems he was hit by some kind of poison. His lungs are barely functional. More specifically, many of his alveoli have been destroyed, and the current nodes can barely keep the lungs working." The alveoli, tiny air sacs within the lungs, played a critical role in gas exchange. 'Arakan removed the poison from his system, but the lungs aren't recovering well.'

Ryu's thoughts raced. 'What should I do? Should I secretly use the Transformation Jutsu? Why am I even considering it? If someone finds out, I'm done for. But... it doesn't feel right to stand by and do nothing. Arakan has pushed himself to the brink, and I'm not even tired. Plus, this is my acceptance test... Why is this so difficult? Maybe I can use it from a distance? That way, no one will know it's me. No, I still need to examine them to find out what the problem is. I don't want to waste my Chakra by rebuilding their entire body... Let's give it a test run.'

Ryu closed his eyes, envisioning a healthy lung in his mind. He recalled the intricate structure of the organ, with its countless alveoli, bronchioles, and bronchi. He remembered the delicate balance that allowed the lung to function optimally, the efficient gas exchange that kept the body alive. Focusing on this mental image, Ryu formed a clear understanding of what the patient's lungs should look like, free from the damage caused by the poison.

With a deep breath, Ryu used the Transformation Jutsu on the patient's lungs, applying the permanent effect modifier. In an instant, the damaged tissue transformed into a healthy, functioning organ.

The patient, who had been struggling for breath just moments before, suddenly inhaled deeply. After a few seconds of realization, he sat up with surprising speed. "Easy, you still need some time to recover a little," Ryu cautioned. It wasn't a lie—his body needed a minute or two to adjust to the sudden change. If the patient moved too quickly on top of that, he could become nauseous.

"What did you do to me?!" The patient exclaimed in shock, ignoring Ryu's warning. "I fixed your lungs. How do you feel?" Ryu asked, picking up a pencil to update the patient's chart. "I feel brand new! I was struggling to breathe just a moment ago, though. How did you do it so quickly?" the patient inquired.

"Medical ninjutsu," Ryu explained. "I used it to stimulate growth in your lungs, and new alveoli replaced the damaged ones. Don't worry, there shouldn't be any side effects. However, you should stay here a few more days so that if any issues arise, we can take care of them. If there's nothing else, I'll be moving on to other patients."

"That's amazing, kid! Even Arakan told me he wasn't sure he could do something about it. I'll never forget this!" the patient said, grateful. "If you're so thankful, please keep it a secret," Ryu requested. "You got it!" the man agreed.

'That guy won't rat me out, right?' Ryu thought as he walked away.

As Ryu strolled down the hallway to the next patient, a figure in a black hood and monkey mask appeared before him. "Daisuke? Aren't you supposed to be on patrol? How come you have time to talk to me so often?" Ryu asked.

"After what you did to me last time, I told the others to patrol the area instead. I'll be monitoring you from now on. Also, I don't know what you did to that guy, but you should probably use that technique in a less obvious way," Daisuke advised.

"You saw my jutsu?! Darn... Do you have any ideas? And, by the way, won't that guy rat me out?" Ryu asked, concerned.

"How about this: I'll put the patients to sleep, and then you can come in and do your thing. As for that man, he's one of the kindest people I've met. He was branded a criminal because the Mist wanted his assets, but he's an honorable man. Since you just saved his life, he'll never betray you. But what was that jutsu? You said you fixed his lungs, but it happened incredibly fast. What kind of medical ninjutsu is that?" Daisuke inquired.

"I can't tell you that... Man, I was really counting on no one being around..." Ryu admitted.

"Don't worry, kid. Keeping secrets is what we do here. I won't tell anyone. It's not crucial information, so I don't need to report it. Besides, you're one of us now, and we don't rat out other staff members," Daisuke reassured him.

"Thanks—wait, how do you know that I'm a staff member? I haven't passed the test yet. And I just noticed, but is your leg fine? Your cast is gone now," Ryu remarked.

"I've been shadowing you for the entire day, Ryu, and I've been here long enough to recognize an exceptional audition when I see one. The fact that Arakan changed his behavior towards you so quickly means your results are likely already out, even if it's not official. As for my leg, Akina worked her magic. She's a doctor too, you know," Daisuke explained.

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Alright so I can already predict the comments that will say that this is so contradictory, and for those, I'll say that he's still only a child. He's a very mature one, but a child nonetheless.