"That's a good question..." Ryu commented awkwardly.
The man in the monkey mask leaned against the wall, arms crossed. Though his eyes were hidden behind the mask, Ryu sensed the man's curiosity. "Fine, I won't push for answers," the man said, chuckling softly. "But I need to remember not to jumpscare you again..."
"Really? You're leaving it at that?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Do you want me to?" The man questioned, a playful tone in his voice.
"N-no, it's just that... isn't it your job?" Ryu stammered, feeling slightly confused.
The man shook his head. "Not really. I deal with practical threats. Most of the people here are dangerous criminals; if I interrogated everyone, it would take forever. Besides, the main appeal of this place is the 'no questions asked' policy. If you start hurting patients or causing trouble, that's when I get involved. Up until then, it's not my issue."
The man paused, a more serious expression on his face. "But you nearly took me down before I could react, and that's terrifying. I don't want you as an enemy, kid, so please don't go on a rampage."
Ryu nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. But you mentioned something about Arakan earlier?"
The monkey-masked man sighed. "Yeah, I wanted to tell you not to take Arakan's words personally. He's been under a lot of stress, being the only doctor treating patients since Akina handles logistics."
Ryu frowned, feeling defensive. "So what if he's under pressure? I saved a patient, and all I got was hate. Now you're telling me I shouldn't be angry because he's stressed? Are you serious?"
The man held up his hands in surrender. "I get why you're upset, but you're hiding a medical Jutsu that could potentially help countless people."
Ryu exhaled sharply, frustrated. "First of all, I'm not telling him about the technique because I can't, not because I don't want to. I agree that helpful discoveries should be made public, but my case is an exception. Secondly, it's my Jutsu! Who is he to lecture me about what to do with something that belongs to me?!"
The man in the monkey mask tilted his head, his tone more serious. "I see. So your Jutsu involves more than just analysis."
Ryu's eyes widened in shock. "H-how?!"
"You practically gave it away, kid," the man chuckled. "Besides, I used to be an Anbu, and we specialize in interrogation and gathering information."
As the tension in the room dissipated, Ryu relaxed a little. It was clear that the man had no ill intentions, and the atmosphere between them became more casual.
"Okay, but back to Arakan. Do you know why he's so difficult to deal with?" Ryu asked in frustration.
The man shrugged. "I don't know all the details, but I've heard the basics. Apparently, he used to work for the Mist, but he couldn't stand their brutal and inhumane practices, so he ran away. If you want more information, you should ask Akina or Arakan himself. But he must have witnessed some truly awful things to become the way he is now. To be honest, we worry about him sometimes."
Ryu sighed, processing this new information. "I see. You know, I should probably go back to him. It's my test day, and I can't let a salty coworker ruin it for me."
The man nodded. "You should. I could tell Arakan was impressed by you, despite his attitude. If you can put your pride aside and return to him, I think he'll likely accept you. I checked where he was before coming to talk to you; he's treating another patient on the second floor. If you hurry, you can catch up to him before he moves on to the next patient."
Ryu grinned, feeling a renewed sense of determination. "Thanks for the heads up. By the way, I never got your name."
The man chuckled. "I'm Daisuke, now go already!" With a gentle push, he sent Ryu on his way.
----
"Arakan!" Ryu called out, catching up to him just as he left a patient's room. Arakan turned, his voice laced with irritation. "What do 𝐲𝐨𝐮 want?"
Taking a deep breath, Ryu apologized awkwardly. "Look, Arakan, I'm sorry I stormed off earlier. I shouldn't have done that... Can I continue the day with you?"
For a brief moment, a tiny smile flickered across Arakan's stern face. "Alright, I suppose I could use the help. Let's move on to the next patient," he agreed.
Ryu's face lit up with excitement. "Great! Let's go!"
As they walked, Arakan briefed Ryu on their next patient. "This patient has been with us for a while. They suffered a stab wound in the abdomen, which resulted in a pierced small intestine. I need you to use your analysis jutsu or whatever it is to perform a quick examination."
Ryu nodded, doing his best to keep up with Arakan's brisk pace. 'Okay, but maybe slow down just a bit? We're walking, not running!' he thought to himself, struggling to match Arakan's stride.
---
Ryu carefully removed the patient's bandages, discreetly activating his Sharingan to inspect the wound. 'Alright, let's see what we have here. The wound has been treated with great care, but... There's a small infection in the small intestine. He needs Medical Ninjutsu, but Arakan can't waste his chakra on every little thing...' Ryu recalled what Arakan had said earlier.
Growing impatient, Arakan demanded, "Well, what do you see?! We can't waste time here; we have more patients to see!"
Ryu responded, "It's not a big deal, but there is a small infection in the small intestine. It's very minor, though."
"Step aside, kid. I'll take care of this," Arakan said as he approached the patient and started using his Medical Ninjutsu.
As Arakan began the healing process, his hands glowed with a soft green light. The chakra from his hands seemed to penetrate through the patient's wound, gradually reducing the inflammation and eliminating the infection in the small intestine. Ryu watched intently, fascinated by the precision and efficiency with which Arakan performed the procedure.
After a couple of seconds, Arakan finished the healing, and Ryu confirmed, "The infection's gone."
Satisfied, Arakan nodded. "That's good. Let's move on to the next patient!" With that, the two of them started walking to the next room, ready to tackle the next challenge.