Chapter 21 - Part of the team

"Alright, let's get to work. I want to finish as much as possible before Arakan's break is over. Otherwise, he'll overexert himself with that intense Ninjutsu of his. So, how do you plan on putting the patients at ease?" Ryu inquired, raising an eyebrow at Daisuke.

Daisuke grinned mischievously. "Ever heard of the Neck Chop technique?"

Ryu stared at Daisuke with confusion evident in his eyes. "You mean... chopping off their neck? Or am I missing something here?"

Daisuke chuckled. "No, no, nothing that gruesome! You simply open your palm, align your fingers, and strike the back of their neck. It's an old trick to make someone pass out."

Ryu frowned skeptically. "Does that really work? It doesn't sound very effective."

Daisuke burst out laughing. "I'm just kidding, Ryu! We'll actually just cover their eyes with a cloth and use earplugs to block out any distractions. It won't be the most comfortable experience, but they'll be fine once they're healed. Just remember not to fully heal them like before—focus on the urgent stuff."

Ryu shook his head, scoffing at the awful joke. "You had me worried there for a second. Your idea sounds like abuse, though."

"Well, you can approach them normally if you prefer," Daisuke suggested, shrugging.

Ryu's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "Actually, I have an idea..."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow, wary. "I'm not sure I like that look."

"I think you will," Ryu responded confidently, and with a swift motion, he used the Transformation Jutsu to assume the appearance of Akina. "Now I can use my own Jutsu and pass it off as Medical Ninjutsu. Akina does rounds occasionally, so it should be believable."

Daisuke nodded thoughtfully, though he looked concerned. "It's a clever idea, but be careful. If you mess up, it'll backfire on both of us."

"Don't worry, I've got this," Ryu reassured Daisuke with a confident smile, fully embracing his new disguise.

Ryu glanced at the patient information in his hand. "Alright, let's see... The next patient has... tetanus?" He couldn't hide his surprise.

Daisuke nodded. "Oh, that one. Arakan has been treating her for a while now, and she's almost recovered. Just give her the final push, and nobody will question it."

"Alright, I'll go see her now," Ryu said, still disguised as Akina, and entered the patient's room.

"Akina? Are you doing rounds again?" the patient asked, recognizing the familiar face.

"Yes, the new helper has lightened my workload a bit, so I have some time," Ryu replied in Akina's voice.

"Did you get a new assistant? Congratulations! How is he?" the patient inquired, genuinely curious.

"He's doing well, but let's focus on you for now," Ryu said, discreetly activating his disguised Sharingan. The patient revealed her thigh, which had a bandage covering the upper part. Ryu carefully untied the bandage and inspected the wound. It was almost healed and just needed that final push, as Daisuke had mentioned. "I think with a bit of Medical Ninjutsu, you'll be completely healed," Ryu told her confidently.

"Oh, finally! Work your magic, Akina," the woman exclaimed excitedly.

Ryu placed his hand firmly over the wound, concealing the fact that his hands wouldn't glow green. He gradually transformed the woman's body into a healthy state, taking care to break down the initial transformation into smaller, more believable steps. "By the way, Akina, how's Arakan?" the patient asked.

"He's resting for now, feeling a bit exhausted. Why do you ask?" Ryu responded, maintaining his disguise.

"Nothing major. I was just curious about how he was doing after yesterday," the patient explained. "He came by last night during the nightly rounds. I thought that was your thing, so it surprised me. He seemed to be struggling to walk, so I wanted to check if he's alright now. It sounds like he is."

Ryu's thoughts raced. 'What the hell? He did a 24-hour straight shift and then went through all those exhausting tasks with me? This is messed up...'

Finishing the healing process, Ryu asked, "How do you feel now?"

"I feel amazing! Thanks, doc. I'll repay the debt as we agreed before, okay?" the woman said gratefully.

"Sure," Ryu agreed, leaving the patient's room. "Daisuke!" he called out.

Daisuke appeared behind him. "Yeah?"

"Can you go make sure Arakan gets some rest? He needs to sleep until morning, and I think his neck itches a bit," Ryu requested, his voice hinting at a certain action.

"Sure thing. You seem to have everything under control. I'll be back in a minute," Daisuke said before disappearing. Ryu nodded and checked his list, preparing to move on to the next patient.

---

"So, how did I do?" Ryu asked Akina the following morning.

Akina smirked and responded, "You little rascal, did you really have to transform into me?"

Ryu smiled sheepishly. "How did you figure it out?"

"I usually do the night rounds, and many patients thanked me for your help yesterday. I was puzzled at first, but I pieced it together eventually. Why didn't you reveal your skills from the beginning if you were going to use them anyway?" Akina asked curiously, sipping her coffee.

Ryu chuckled. "Honestly, I wasn't planning on using my abilities, but after witnessing Arakan nearly overexert himself, I guess you could say my competitive spirit kicked in."

"I see," Akina said thoughtfully. "I thought you'd dislike him."

"Don't get me wrong; his personality is atrocious, but I do respect his dedication," Ryu admitted.

Akina nodded in agreement. "That's true! Well, as you may have guessed, you passed with flying colors. Welcome to the team! However, I'd be cautious around Arakan for the next few days if I were you. He's pretty upset that you didn't wake him up after his hour-long break ended."

Ryu wiped the sweat from his brow, chuckling nervously. "Yeah, I brought that one on myself." He couldn't help but feel anxious about his new coworker.