Hospital Medicine [Training/Open]

[Arkai]

[0/10]

Cleanse, Wound
Rank: "D"
Skill: NinJutsu
Effect: Cleans out a wound so it may be bandaged without fear of infection.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: A technique devised for whenever a Medical Doctor is low on Chakra. The user performs this technique over a wound allowing the chakra to clean any wound to ensure infection does not take place. Afterwards the user may bandage the wound. This technique was devised just in case the user does not have any anti-disinfectant chemicals while having low chakra reserves to fully heal a wound.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor.

     Arkai jogged through the streets of Kumokagure, breathing hard as he ran. The constant rain had not let up and were it not for his jacket he’d be thoroughly soaked. But he dodged villagers and pedestrians as best he could, knowing his mother would be displeased if he showed up late. She’s been looking forward to this day for a long time. There’s no way I’m gonna piss her off now. He lifted his head, looking for the soft blue glow which emanated from the enormous hospital. Contrasted with the dark clouds, the hospital’s outline seemed to be a beacon of light, at least to Arkai. He lowered his head and sprinted towards the building.
     Once inside he walked through the reception area, smiling at the clerk as he strolled past her desk. He took a moment to shake off his damp jacket in the stairwell before climbing several flights to reach the 4th floor. When he stepped onto the ward, the charge nurse spotted him. “Arkai! Dr. Hito warned me you’d be here.” She wagged her finger, grinning. “I’m a little sad to see you’re finally taking up medic training. We’re going to miss all the help you gave us with trays and trash.”
     Arkai bowed and scratched his head sheepishly. “I’m sorry Togi-san. Mom’s been dying to teach me some healing techniques. But I’ll visit from time to time!” The nurse sighed dramatically, then gestured down the hallway. “Well, if you must, Dr. Hito’s already begun her rounds.” Arkai nodded, scampering off in the indicated direction.
     His mother stood in her physician’s uniform outside a patient room, scribbling notes on a clipboard. She smiled a little upon sighting her son. “It’s about time you showed up. We’ve got no time to waste.” Arkai checked his watch. “Aw c’mon Mom I’m not even late.” She shook her head and put on a blank expression, one he’d seen dozens of times before she consulted patients. “No time to waste. And when we’re in the hospital, it’s Dr. Hito to you.” She turned away and knocked on the door before entering. Arkai tightened his lips. Gotta grow up someday I guess.
     In the bed before them laid an elderly woman. She seemed familiar to Arkai, though everyone in the village had probably seen each other at least once. His mother and a nurse had rolled her on her right side, exposing a red ulcer on her left buttock. “Stage two, healing well,” muttered the nurse. “I’m glad you’re both here, I was just about to do a dressing change.” Dr. Hito nodded. “First lesson, Arkai. Wound cleaning.” She raised a gloved hand, which then glowed green with chakra. “The technique is simple. Channel a small amount of chakra into your hand, then run it over the damaged area. Basic sterilization.” Arkai nodded. He’d always been interested in his mother’s array of jutsu. It was time to try them for himself. He donned a pair of gloves and walked over to the bedside.
     The old woman chuckled. “Be careful back there young man!” Arkai laughed nervously. “Oh I will.” He switched places with the nurse, holding the patient up with his right arm. Taking a deep breath, he slowly forced chakra into his left palm. His hand tingled, and a green aura crept around his fingers. “Good, now spread it evenly.” His mother eyed his hand closely. Arkai wavered. Chakra control had never been his specialty. He recalled a visualization technique he’d read about in the learning center. The book had recommended picturing cracking an egg over one’s palm, observing the yolk drip over and around your hand’s creases. He breathed slowly, trying to shift chakra around the cracks in his skin and spread it evenly until every space was filled. He glanced down at his gloved fingers. To his disappointment, only two fingers carried a green aura. Arkai grinded his teeth, but his mom didn’t seem as disheartened. “Not perfect, but it’ll do. Now hover just above the wound.”
     Arkai complied, shifting his index and middle fingers above the ulcer. For a moment, nothing happened. A trickle of sweat ran down his brow. Then he felt the tingling sensation in his fingers leave his body and flow into the seeping area. Some fluid around the tear bubbled, shaking for a few seconds, then evaporating. Arkai looked up at the medics around him. His mother’s face was expressionless, but the nurse shrugged. “Hey, not bad. If you’ve got the time we can pack this ulcer and get Mrs. Bacha on her back again.” Within a few minutes, the ulcer was sealed with fresh gauze.
     “She’s got a skin tear too, if you’ve got the time.” The nurse rolled up the sleeve of Mrs. Bacha’s gown, where an 3 cm-long streak of red marked her arm’s underside. Arkai’s mom peeked at it briefly, then said “Let the student handle it. I just received a page from the ER. Some fool practicing greatsword moves needs his fingers stitched back on. I’ll be back in about an hour, so keep training Arkai.” She thanked the nurse and swiftly exited the room.
     The nurse held the old woman’s arm up so Arkai could visualize the tear. He lifted his right hand this time, giving little space between his skin and the wound. He again imagined an egg cracking over his palm, willing chakra to fill the gaps between his fingers and run along fleshy valleys in his skin. I won’t force it, just gotta let it happen. This time the glow covered his whole hand, even if it’s circumference proved rather thin. He gently pushed his hand toward the rip and felt energy flow out of him. The wound seemed to shiver for an instant, then the nurse lowered Mrs. Bacha’s arm. “Thanks. What was your name again?”
     “It’s Arkai. I’m doing medic training so you’ll see me around. Hopefully I won’t bother you too much!” He bowed to both women, then left the room. Whew. I’ve got a long way to go.

[Madame Loki]

+10 -Learned- 

Just as a note, I liked the post, and I gave you a +10 because of the shear volume off the post. However, training wise, there was actually only about 7 maybe 8 points worth of actual training. You'll need about 5 to 6 paragraph of solid training. For me personally 5 would be fine. I know you want to set a story and flow, because I like to do the same, but you're gonna need to find a balance between the two. 

[Arkai]

Healing Hands, Cloak of Healing Hands
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can hold a Jutsu of Healing in their aura, allowing allies to grab it when needed.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When the user performs a Healing Hands technique, the user may choose to hold the charge of the touch technique for up to 6 rounds. Unlike most cases where the user holds a charge, the user is free to perform other Jutsus and touch objects and other creatures without losing the Jutsu. At any time during this duration if the user and another creature come in contact the user may, without taking up movements, choose to discharge the Healing Hands technique into the touching creature. User may only have 1 Healing Hands technique held in this way at a time.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor. Must know Healing Hands (Light).

[0/30]

     While Arkai walked to the hospital, he noticed flurries of activity on the street beside him. Several vehicles and carts were rolled quickly into the first floor. No one seemed to be relaxing, many familiar faces of medical professionals were shouting orders as he walked through the front doors. The desk clerk saw him enter and immediately called him over. “Arkai, Dr. Hito has left orders that you are to head to the emergency room immediately. There’s been an accident and any available medical staff are needed.” His throat grew tight. “Thanks for the head’s up,” he said before half-jogging to the emergency ward.

     Nurses and shinobi seemed to fly around the ward. Nearly thirty gurneys were jammed into rows at the center of the trauma ward, frantic medical teams hovering over unresponsive bodies. Arkai’s mom spotted him and transported herself immediately to his side. “There was a bridge collapse. It’s not pretty, but most of these people should pull through. You remember the healing hands technique I taught you?” Though he was a bit out of practice, Arkai channeled chakra into his fingertips, giving his hands a green aura. “Good,” said his mom before rushing over to a bed and signing something on a clipboard. “Now hold that energy in the air and maintain it. The nurses and other medics are getting tired, so give them that power if they call you.”

     Arkai had heard of the “TAG” procedure of emergency medicine before. In mass-casualty situations, medical shinobi tended to spend a lot of time saving and spending chakra on complicated jutsu. In these situations, they needed less-advanced staff to provide energy so experienced professionals could use their energy more efficiently. The concept was simple, but as Arkai had never held a Healing Hands charge before. He felt energy numb his palms. Unfortunately the jutsu tried to discharge itself, and Arkai wrestled with this imbalance for several minutes before his chakra dissipated. He thought about the technique for a moment. I need to somehow control my energy in a way that prevents it from seeking damaged tissue immediately. I should try to just concentrate it in my hands, so that way the others can just let my chakra flow into them.

     “Over here!” called a nurse who had one hand pressed tightly to a patient’s inner thigh. Arkai sped over to her, already concentrating energy. He allowed his palms to fill, again feeling healing energy course through his chakra system. It tried to manifest as soon as he summoned it, but Arkai willed the energy to condense in a single spot in his hands. He had a hard time keeping his energy together while he ran, but he used the method of concentration he’d learned during genjutsu training, imagining holding water in cupped hands. Though some energy leaked out, he managed to hold it in a single spot until the nurse finished tying a tourniquet. She held out her hand and Arkai touched it, releasing his own energy into her body. The technique proved sloppy, but the nurse seemed not to notice and continued treatment.

     “Shit, she’s losing too much blood.” muttered a medic assessing an unconscious woman. She waved Arkai over and told him to build energy while she found the source of the patient’s wound. He willed his chakra to his hands, the intensity of the situation jarring his concentration. This time, Arkai widened his scope of energy, clenching his fists and trying to build chakra around his whole palm instead of at a single point. He felt much more energy leave his body; his chakra insulation wasn’t proving efficient enough. He started panicking, but thankfully the medic touched his arm and around 80% of his original jutsu transferred to her skilled hands. Arka gasped at the energy transmission, it was taking a lot out of him. “Insulate your hands first,” grunted the medic, still focused on using Arkai’s energy to slow the patient’s heart rate. “Use your chakra like a pair of gloves.”

     Pair of gloves. A good plan. Arkai took a deep breath and tried to distance himself from the chaos. Using a similar chakra-control method to genjutsu, he focused on his own heartbeat and dispensed a small amount of energy with each pulse until he felt mostly in control. He formed the image of a pair of green gloves hovering in front of him, and slowly sliding his hands into each finger. One at a time, seal your fingers up. He felt the energy at his hands compress between the dermal layers, forming a thin energy barrier. Then, like blowing air into a balloon, he gradually filled his hands with healing power. The barrier strained against this new force, but held for the moment.

     “Arkai!” He swiveled toward the source of the noise and found his mother standing beside a person coughing blood. He hurried over and she held her palm toward him. Arkai placed his hand on top of hers, and he felt the chakra begin to dispense from his body. Focus, don’t let it all out at once or you’ll waste energy. He willed his chakra to remain behind the skin barrier except for his middle and index fingers. This way he was more easily able to direct his energy flow, all of which now concentrated in his mother’s palm. The method took more time than the other attempts, and Arkai feared Tori would grow impatient. Thankfully, she was able to stabilize the patient’s lungs, shutting down excessive fluid distribution into the pleural space. With Arkai’s extra chakra, she healed damaged blood vessels and extracted fluid through the patient’s back. After a minute, the man stopped coughing and laid down. Dr. Hito scribbled something on his chart before scrambling to the next patient, The exertion seemed not to bother her, but Arkai felt chakra strain already. A nearby aide handed him an energy bar and some water. “Eat this and take a five minute break. Pace yourself, you’re doing fine.” Arkai followed her instructions, sitting in an unused patient room and trying to catch his breath.

[Arkai]

Healing Hands, Cloak of Healing Hands
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can hold a Jutsu of Healing in their aura, allowing allies to grab it when needed.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When the user performs a Healing Hands technique, the user may choose to hold the charge of the touch technique for up to 6 rounds. Unlike most cases where the user holds a charge, the user is free to perform other Jutsus and touch objects and other creatures without losing the Jutsu. At any time during this duration if the user and another creature come in contact the user may, without taking up movements, choose to discharge the Healing Hands technique into the touching creature. User may only have 1 Healing Hands technique held in this way at a time.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor. Must know Healing Hands (Light).

[X/30]

     After his break, Arkai again prepared to help on the floor. Staff had managed to stabilize the most acute patients and get them to the ICU, but a fresh wave of trauma procedures had already begun. He felt somewhat winded after using his energy so quickly, but there was no time to waste. As he walked out of the patient room, an aide grabbed him and brought him to a team of medics performing an intensive bowel resection. The aide tapped one shinobi on the shoulder and he stepped back, motioning for Arkai to take his place.

     The genin moved into the crowded circle. The doctor next to him ordered him to prep a cloak and standby. He complied, placing his palms together and channeling energy across his fingertips to form a glove. Chakra flowed through his circulatory system, following the diffusion of oxygen into the skeletal muscles which attached at his phalanges, where he tried to hold the energy. The chakra gloves helped most of the excess energy from spreading off, but Arkai still held his palms together to make sure runoff could be reabsorbed into his body. The doctor held up his palm and Arkai pressed the back of his hand into it. A tingling sensation built in his hand and soon faded, the energy already being used to kill off germs which had infiltrated sterile body cavities.

     A nurse to his right asked him to repeat the technique. “I’m going to need some more energy to help hold him down. This next part’s going to hurt.” Arkai nodded and tried to concentrate only on his right hand this time. He imagined the flow of blood throughout the body, and willed that the chakra flowing to his left side bind more tightly to hemoglobin when it made its lap through his vessels, only to detach more readily upon reaching the right side. I’m not super sure that’s how blood works, but whatever. He felt a charge in his right arm, and tried to repolarize some of his ions to prevent the energy from dispensing too quickly. “Put your hand on my back while I hold the legs,” said the nurse before moving into position at the gurney’s foot. Arkai stepped back to give her space, then transferred chakra from his right arm directly into the nurse. Her muscles tensed, and he looked up right as a medic on the opposite side of the bed brought a chakra scalpel into the patient’s abdomen. The man howled, but the nurse managed to keep him from leaping up until the incision was finished and the patient was properly anesthetized. “I think we’re good for now, thanks.” Arkai left, knowing they didn’t need another body taking up room. He’d be needed elsewhere soon.

     Sure enough, a shout from a few beds over brought him to the side of a junior doctor who had his hand clamped down on a young girl’s ankle. “She got lucky and only broke a few bones in her feet, but I overdid my Ease Pain. Help me out real quick.” Arkai wrapped his fingers around the doctor’s wrist. This time he didn’t waste a moment building energy, but instead tried a direct transfer. He willed his chakra to move in a steady stream out of his palm and into his fellow student. He tried to make the energy transfer as rapid as possible by concentrating on his comrade’s radial artery, allowing the fresh energy to absorb smoothly. After several seconds of holding, the junior doctor smiled and thanked him. Arkai looked down at the girl. She seemed to be handling the whole situation fairly well. “Hang in there, okay?” She gave him a determined look and said, “Of course. I’m going to be a ninja of Kumogakure. I won’t show pain.”

     For several minutes, Arkai was not needed. The medical staff still worked feverishly, but none called out or moved from their bedside. Aides rushed in between the beds, handing bottles of water and energy bars to help replenish fluids and energy to those patients who didn’t need surgery and the medics who’d been working for hours. He snagged a water bottle and chugged down as much as he could swallow. The short reprieve gave him time to regenerate some chakra, and he knew pushing it would do no good for anyone.

     A weak groan and sudden thud snapped Arkai back to attention. “Dammit, we need some help! Arkai!” He scrambled toward the yells and found his mom and two other shinobi with their hands around the bloody stump where a patient’s arm used to be. Arkai nearly tripped over the severed limb while he squeezed between an IV pump and tray of surgical tools. “We’re getting weak, but we can’t lose the jutsu now. Bolster us.” The junior doctor he’d helped minutes before also appeared at their sides. Together, she and Arkai built their chakra up and let it flow into the medics. Arkai gasped at the energy discharge; they were using so much chakra that it hurt to replenish them so quickly. The junior doctor whispered through gritted teeth, “I always try to let it out in bursts. Five seconds on, then five seconds off.”

     Arkai acknowledge the advice, then cut off chakra outflow by concentrating on his gloves’ sealing power. He counted to five, immediately noticing a difference in his exertion. He countered by releasing another five seconds of energy. The drain was still rapid, but he didn’t tire as fast as before. One...two...three… he glanced up and saw the bloody stump begin to shift and shake, splattering the doctors with blood. Four… the adjacent doctor was audibly gasping, eyes starting to bulge. Five… Arkai released his chakra into the medics around him as his partner did the same. A sound like a curtain tearing came from the patient’s body and a wide cord of bone and muscle tissue burst forth, followed by several more. Arkai concentrated hard on the rhythm of energy conservation and release, his own muscles starting to twitch.

     After several more minutes Arkai dropped to the floor. Sweat soaked his scrubs. The medics around him finally stepped away from the patient, panting like greyhounds after race. Arkai was helped to his feet by the junior doctor. “Thanks for the tip,” he mumbled wearily. She smiled back at him, clearly exhausted herself. Arkai may have imagined it, but he thought he saw his mom smile at him while inspecting the patient’s newly regenerated limb.
“Take a break you two. We’re through the worst of it, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”

[Arkai]

Healing Hands, Cloak of Healing Hands
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can hold a Jutsu of Healing in their aura, allowing allies to grab it when needed.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When the user performs a Healing Hands technique, the user may choose to hold the charge of the touch technique for up to 6 rounds. Unlike most cases where the user holds a charge, the user is free to perform other Jutsus and touch objects and other creatures without losing the Jutsu. At any time during this duration if the user and another creature come in contact the user may, without taking up movements, choose to discharge the Healing Hands technique into the touching creature. User may only have 1 Healing Hands technique held in this way at a time.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor. Must know Healing Hands (Light).

[X/30]

     The work lasted long into the day, but at last the flow of injured slowed. Additional and on-call staff were summoned, helping distribute patients more evenly. Arkai was still overwhelmed, but did his best to keep pace with the other medics. As the sun was setting and patients were being moved to other floors, he was called for once again.

     Some five junior doctors were supplementing the experienced medics in a complicated ritual in OR 2. One poor patient had been caught between carriages, resulting in twisting of the right and left legs, several broken bones, and tearing of two major blood vessels. Blood pressure was stabilized and extra fluids were running through viable arteries, but the doctors now prepared surgery to neutralize the major problems.

     A weary surgeon motioned Arkai over to him, requesting additional energy. Arkai walked to his back, making sure to stay outside the circle of script. He raised his hands, now getting the hang of compressing his chakra into a thin barrier around his fingers. Energy coursed from his chakra center to his hands, tingling while it passed through his body. The surgeon grabbed the manifested energy, using half of it to rejuvenate his muscles and the other half to heal a small wound on the patient. Arkai allowed enough energy to heal the wound to leave, but halted its flow before any excess was released. They’d need all the strength they could muster.

     Two medics were working on reversion the torsion on the legs. They’d managed to prevent any further internal bleeding, but the muscles were warped at unnatural angles. The medic concentrating on the right leg motioned Arkai to his side. The genin again forced chakra through his body, pulsing the energy with his heartbeat, trying to control its distribution and maintain efficiency. This time he let the chakra form a sheet between his two hands, a solid green square from which the surgeon could draw power. Carefully and deliberately the medic rotated the mangled leg until muscles were not longer caught up in each other. He next took the square of healing energy and placed it over the leg, causing those muscles to knit themselves together. Soon after, the nurse focused on the left leg began coughing violently and Arkai headed toward her.

     While he started summoning the strength to form another cloak, he peered over at the damaged limb. A splintered femur had just barely sliced into the femoral artery, forcing the nurse to spend much of her energy stemming the bleeding. Arkai pushed his chakra through his hands, seeking out weak parts in the nurse’s muscles. Practice had given him precision, and he was able to drape the cloak over areas where she’d need it the most. Arkai produced small chunks of the healing cloak by expelling energy in bursts, then guiding them over the nurse’s sore body. She muttered a word of thanks, taking her time before allowing each piece to heal her.

     Arkai moved to the head of the circle, now gazing upon the true damage the patient had suffered. Doctors with hands bursting with chakra barely managed to heal a torn carotid while holding the patient still. Furthermore, another medic was solely concentrating on keeping the patient’s blood pressure elevated by way of manually influencing the heartbeat. He knew the procedure itself was far out of his scope, but he still had to try and assist. He slowly raised his hands, arms aching from filling them with chakra at such a rate. As quickly as he could create the energy cloak, the medic swiped pieces of energy and placed them over damaged skin, letting the ripped dermis over the neck merge back together. Arkai felt a bead of sweat run down his nose. He continued to let the energy pulse in the same rhythm as his heart, easing its flow methodically. The medic seemed impatient, but they’d all had a long day and Arkai couldn’t help but take his time. After thirty seconds Arkai stepped away, legs shaking. God I’m so tired.

     His mother entered the OR. She stood outside the circle, examining the remaining problems with the patient. “I’ve got enough chakra left to complete the sealing. Let’s finish up.” She waved Arkai to her side. “Got time to give me a hand?” He nodded. They both moved to the patient’s left side where some nurses were unrolling scrolls to complete sealing of the many incisions he’d received. They began performing handsigns, and Arkai’s mom held her palm up to him. Arkai used what little strength remained to shove chakra up his arms, his technique sloppy due to exhaustion. Green energy crackled between his fingers, forcing him to dial the intensity back and contain excess chakra flow. He raised his arms above his head and willed the cloak to pour down around him. Dr. Hito scooped up the chakra as it fell around her son, then formed a few handseals. She held Arkai’s energy over the patient’s sternum, then pushed it directly into his chest. The circle of script began crawling up the body. In a few seconds, it formed a fist-sized circle with an “X” through it over the patient’s heart.

     “That’ll keep his heart beating until he’s healed.” Tori glanced over at her son who was leaning his head on the side of cabinet to help him stand. She almost felt bad, but the life of a medical shinobi was tiring. He’d have to get used to it eventually. “Thanks for your help Arkai. Go home and rest.” Arkai nodded sleepily and left the room.

[Madame Loki]

-learned-

[Arkai]

Healing Hands, Bolstering Healing Hands
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can turn extra healing into bonus vigor.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When performing a Healing Hands technique, if the healing exceeds the limit being cured (no harm is done on the body), the healed creature gains temporary Armoured Points, allowing the creature to withstand attacks before succumbing to real bodily damage. The amount of Temporary Armoured Points is equal to the Healing Hands technique performed. These temporary Armoured Points do not stack with themselves, or any other source of temporary Armoured Points. The temporary Armoured Points lasts for 10 minutes.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor. Must know Healing Hands (Light).

[0/30]

     Arkai had barely changed into new scrubs before hospital staff rushed him to the ER. Apparently there’d been fire on the west side of town and emergency services were in urgent need. Within minutes he was in the back of an ambulance with several other medics sent to support the firefighters. They stepped out and were greeted by other responders who’d reached the scene before them. Arkai was handed a flame-retardant cloak and pointed toward several burning buildings. Firefighters pulled their own cloaks on and rushed over to the medics. Other doctors raised their palms in a similar style to the Healing Hands Cloak, but their chakra was different. Noticing his confusion, an EMT jogged over to his side. “It’s healing hands, but this time you concentrate on the respiratory system at a cellular level, combining your chakra with their body to increase ATP output.” Arkai nodded, only barely understanding the instructions. An eager firefighter was shoved in front of him and he had no time to sit and think.

     Arkai generated chakra and forced it toward his hands. He felt the familiar tingling of healing energy, indicating it was time to lay hands on the man. He tried to follow the EMT’s advice, and concentrated energy in the lungs. Usually his jutsu accelerated cell division rates or created new cells, but this time he had to access existing cells. Arkai willed his energy to follow the path of oxygen in the body, starting from its binding to hemoglobin in the lungs.

     He felt his chakra move with the heartbeat, being circulated back into the left side of the heart. Arkai tried to force his chakra to bind to hemoglobin molecules as well, but there was no space and his energy control was not yet refined enough to manipulate his power so finely. He had to settle for following the path of blood once it left the aorta, spreading to the body’s tissues. Though it was difficult to detect, he sensed a sudden disruption in his energy whenever blood cells lost oxygen. He hoped he could follow a similar route and have his chakra release at the same time at the same time as the oxygen perfused, but his focus was broken by a nearby fireteam spraying Suiton-style techniques across the street. Both he and the firefighter were irritated, but they moved away from the water jutsu and Arkai tried again.

     Until I have better chakra control, I think I’d better just stick to concentrating energy at the tissues and waiting for oxygen to arrive. He put his palms together and let energy flow through his body. He guided chakra to his fingers and this time took hold of the firefighter’s arms, pulsing his chakra through to the muscle tissue. After several moments of adjusting to his body’s circulation pattern and heart rate, Arkai started expanding chakra from the muscle fibers so the blood vessels would enter its sphere of influence. From there he tried to manipulate his energy en masse. I still can’t focus directly on the cells, but if I saturate the region where perfusion takes place, maybe I can accelerate ATP production. This method proved moderately effective. The ninja’s skin became flushed and he said he felt good to go. Whether or not he actually felt protected or just wanted to get on with his job was debatable. Arkai tried to keep his chakra flow going as he saw a wave of tired firemen emerge from the building, ready to receive additional shielding.

     While the shinobi who’d come to him changed into a new protective cloak, Arkai began generating a chakra mesh once more. He stood behind the man while he donned the cloak, trying to first cause his energy to infiltrate skin layers. If he didn’t force the chakra into the muscle itself, but instead had it wrap around blood vessels, he might have a shot at simply saturating perfusion points. From there’d he simply will his chakra to accelerate cellular processes to allow for faster turnover and more ATP. In theory, it was a decent plan, but as Arkai enacted it, he noticed the man’s skin cells thickening. Shit. Of course it could lead to greater cell division. He slowed his chakra dispersion, settling instead to instill healing energy around the blood vessels to quickly counteract any damage the fireman might face. The man shook his hand before heading back into the inferno. Arkai felt a glimmer of disappointment. I hope I get to use my medical knowledge to actually help someday.

     One of the medics beside him received an order to go inside the building so she could heal a wounded civilian. While she started gearing up, she waved Arkai over and asked for some bolstering. He obeyed, pumping energy through his body and into the medic’s, gauging which areas would need most support. “I usually just try to get a decent level of chakra in the bloodstream and imbue it with protective energy” chimed the medic. Arkai nodded, willing his jutsu to target blood vessels and run concurrently with their oxygen flow. The tingling feeling left his arms, but seemed to linger around the medic’s upper body. She fist-bumped Arkai and took off into the fire.

     The genin wiped sweat from his brow and asked a passerby for a glass of water. It’d probably be another long day.

[Arkai]

Healing Hands, Bolstering Healing Hands
Rank: "C"
Skill: Supplementary
Effect: User can turn extra healing into bonus vigor.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: When performing a Healing Hands technique, if the healing exceeds the limit being cured (no harm is done on the body), the healed creature gains temporary Armoured Points, allowing the creature to withstand attacks before succumbing to real bodily damage. The amount of Temporary Armoured Points is equal to the Healing Hands technique performed. These temporary Armoured Points do not stack with themselves, or any other source of temporary Armoured Points. The temporary Armoured Points lasts for 10 minutes.
Limit: Must be a Medical Doctor. Must know Healing Hands (Light).

[X/30]

     The firefighters had isolated the burn to a single tower which was already emptied of citizens. The main problem emergency teams now faced was removing people from collapsed buildings after fires had been extinguished. Though many shinobi had been using a variety of jutsu to shield themselves from falling debris and heated metal, their chakra began running low and so turned to the medical corps for additional protection. A group of workers in tattered robes formed a line in the street while Arkai and his fellow medics prepared to shield them.

     A woman with several bruises on her shoulders and upper back indicated her injuries to the genin. He summoned his chakra and began the bolstering technique. Energy coursed up his palms. Arkai was getting used to projecting energy into another body, and his chakra soon found its way into the ninja’s bloodstream. He concentrated on generating energy through cellular respiration, combining oxygen with chakra to increase ATP yield. Despite his efforts, could feel excess energy being wasted by imprecise chakra control. He shifted focus to the bruised areas, causing chakra to invigorate the surrounding tissue. The shinobi immediately returned to the collapsed building when Arkai lowered his hands. There’s gotta be a better way.

     Next in line was a man requesting shielding around his abdomen and thighs, as he’d rubbed the skin raw after hours of picking up rubble. When Arkai began pulsing chakra near his belly, he realized the ample fat in the area proved much easier to bind than hemoglobin. Maybe I can accelerate fat breakdown? He let his energy combine with subcutaneous tissue under and around the ninja’s damaged skin, then felt the changes in metabolism. At least briefly, it felt like the lipid/chakra combination was increasing the size of fat cells. The man looked at Arkai quizzically. “Hope yer not tryin’ to make me fat!” he joked. Arkai chuckled along with him. “No sir, this should just help cushion your stomach from chafing.” He ruffled Arkai’s hair before heading over to the supply tent. Arkai wasn’t a fan of that, but whatever.

     Maybe creating a “chakra bandage” would help improve coverage if I’m only going to use the jutsu externally? It made sense. He wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of infiltrating the circulatory system if the protection was only skin-deep. Arkai decided to test the theory on a fireman with a lengthy cut down his shoulder. He let strands of chakra gather between his palms until it formed a translucent green rectangle, which he let hover over the damaged area. He let the energy adhere to the shoulder, then sink just below the dermis to form an extra layer. He set the chakra to activate when fat cells started burning, ideally to produce extra energy without total glycolysis. The firefighter seemed satisfied by the bandage, which was good enough for Arkai.

     A few minutes passed before Arkai and two other medics were rushed to the base of one of the collapsed buildings. One unlucky firefighter had a support beam collapse right on top of his legs as he pulled a civilian from the wreckage. He was stable, but in severe pain. While they called a more experienced physician, the medics needed to generate enough shielding to prevent the column from cutting off blood flow. Including Arkai, the three shinobi crouched around the rubble in a circle. Together they pushed chakra toward the firefighter’s legs, each using their own chakra to form a barrier and relieve pressure on blood vessels. As their chakra intertwined, Arkai could feel how the other junior doctors applied the technique. While Arkai continued pulsing chakra between the man’s skin layers and his subcutaneous fat, another medic simply formed his energy into a solid barrier. The other doctor performed the precise chakra control which Arkai had been unable to master, allowing the patient’s body to generate vastly more ATP than normal. Between the combination of three methods of the same technique, they managed to help the trapped firefighter hold on until further shinobi came and freed him. Arkai felt somewhat in awe of the two medics who’d just helped him. The sheer strength of chakra required to make a barrier was astounding, and the other controlled her energy with such precision that Arkai suspected she didn’t need their help protecting the man.

     Intrigued, Arkai walked over to the water tent where the junior doctor was resting. “Hey there. Your chakra control’s like, really good. How do you get that precise?” The woman shrugged. “It’s not too hard with Bolstering Healing Hands. Try saturating the extracellular muscle space with chakra. It’ll help oxygen distribution and increase metabolic speed.” She held out her forearms for him to practice. Arkai squeezed what little chakra remained into his palms and held them over the ninja’s arms. He guided the jutsu through her body, this time willing it to affect the muscles. But instead of pinpointing the muscle groups themselves, he relaxed his grip slightly, allowing energy to leak into the space between the muscles. As the woman breathed, he felt she was indeed correct about intracellular space. The body seemed to know how to process chakra on its own, and within moments her arms were innervated with healing energy. To prove the technique’s effectiveness, she pulled a kunai and cut a shallow gash across her palm, which disappeared as soon as it arrived. Arkai thanked her for her help, then began searching for some snacks.