-Two days until Kakazu arrives-
Pov: Shuzo
*Whistle* *Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
"You were right... this is the best..." The dy on the massage table sighs and the dy sitting next to her smiles warmly.
"I had heard that you are recently hired?" The dy I am massaging asks.
"Yeah, pretty much- just yesterday actually" I respond and stop whistling to focus my chakra.
"Where did you learn such techniques? If that is not too rude to ask?" She ponders.
"Here and there, I used to be a self taught ninja but no one really trusts a nobody to get things done with all these cns and vilges about- so I decided to use my jutsu for massaging" I say simply.
"Self taught? But the way you implement medical chakra through my muscles- that is not something taught anywhere but few hospitals" She replies.
"You know what I am doing?" I ask in surprise.
"Of course- who do you think I am?" She responds.
"Uhhh... I just got this job so sorry if you are a regur" I chuckle and spread my chakra through her flesh... slowly but surely precisely hitting every point I need for my mending to work.
...
Remembering that box... I am gd to have forgotten what Kenzo and Ryū went through- all that medical research, training, precision and chakra control was nuts, and that was for something like massaging.
If I didn't have that first title I would have started screaming madly.
I mean... who massages twenty eight million people in a row just to perfect finger movements? And who the hell thought it was a good idea to start over whenever I messed up!?!?!
Haaaa- its fine, that's fine... I am over it now... don't let my anger intercept my massage.
Stay professional.
"Haaa- so I ask again, who taught you this? The medical ninjutsu seems so refined... but it has been entirely repurposed to massages instead of actual healing, only few can alter a jutsu to their liking and only few medical ninja can mess with something so delicate like flesh mending using this much detail" She asks.
I look over to the chair next to the table and see that her assistant? Friend? Or whatever is genuinely interested in my massage too.
"Well... as I said, I took stuff from all over and made myself with this- simple stuff really" I shrug and jab at her spine a few times- sending bursts of chakra into her bones that make them ache less.
...
She does have a rather old body compared to her looks however, I wonder what's up with that?
"Interesting, you have completely overhauled several medical jutsu and turned them into this... a much longer process but with continual treatment you could heal some serious injuries..." The dy mumbles to herself.
"And this is only the A-rank package right? What where the others again?" She asks.
"S and K are above them- though I will not do them for now" I say seriously.
"Yes, we understood when you told us before... may I ask what separate's these packages?" She asks.
...
"E-rank massage is like normal massages, when you first hopped on the table that's what I was doing" I say.
"Right, 'normal' but still the best normal massage I have ever seen... probably due to your insight into the human body" The dy next to her comments.
"D-rank massages start to weave chakra into the body-" I state.
"But not medical chakra, I couldn't see what was happening but you did something odd..." The dy comments again.
"Yes, normal chakra is poured into the body- just enough to slowly massage points inside the body that need help, I don't use medical chakra here as normal chakra can help me form shapes easier" I state.
"Like a hand?" She asks.
"Yes- I mirror the actions outside the body on the inside and hit any sore points form every angle to eliminate any pain, such is the nature of my massages. To mend" I say.
...
"C-rank massages start to use medical chakra- I pour into your muscles and soak them in healing properties which allows your body to feel lighter, I also apply this technique to required areas, like bones for the- well, for those that need it" I say.
"And B-rank?" She asks.
"I am about to start- watch closely and keep an eye on my fingertips" I say and focus fully.
*Woooooooo* *Ssssss*
A light sound of wind and sizzling fire emit from my hands as I work, my fingertips heat up to the perfect warmth needed for the body and I slowly glide my fingers across her back, arms and legs.
"Wait- fire and wind at the same time? This ratio of control is amazing" The dy sitting down excims.
"Yes- but that's not it" I say and focus my chakra fully.
*Rub* *Glide*
A small amount of what looks like mud oozes from my left hands pinkie finger and some water from my thumb- I glide my hands and the mud like cream applies to the skin while the heat dries it- then the water break it down into droplets.
"Four elements?" She mutters.
"Five" I state.
*Zzz!*
I small shock flows through my hands and gently shocks the target- she rexes and my hands glide back wiping off the mud and slowly jolting her muscles.
"What does that all do?" The dy sitting down asks.
"The heat and wind work together to loosen the skin and the earthen mixture seeps into every... gap it can find within the skin- the water helps it like the wind helps the heat spread and the lightning shocks the skin and I purposefully move the flesh to flex- or tighten... once dried... wrinkles and cracks should have smoothed over with less loose skin, although you would need to keep doing this for a while if you want to remove them completely and not just for a few hours..." I say.
"How long?" The dy on the table says in the most serious voice she can muster.
"Uhh... with your skin? Probably appointments every month, if I do it too much at once it would not do you any good- just letting you know that it would take over two years" I scratch my cheek.
"Done" She says.
"Done...?" I ask.
"I will come here every month for two years" She states.
"B-rank costs a lot of money for using it over a long period of time..." I say.
I mean- my pockets have been filled to the brim and I have only worked one day- maybe half that.
"Doesn't matter" She says.
"Okay... well... I am also quitting after this massage..." I tell her.
"Wait- why?" She asks with genuine concern.
What did I say for her to care that much??
"Want to travel, but if you are willing to pay I can travel back to the nd of fire every months end... or maybe I will tell you where I am headed each month and you can come see me? Up to you" I say.
"I am willing to pay" She says.
Alright, I will travel back to one of these towns each month in time for the appointments.
"What pce do you want me to be at?" I ask.
"Hmmm... in a month? Visit here again and I will come find you" She says.
Alright- noted.
...
"Um... sorry to interrupt but the next rank is A, right? May I ask what happens?" The dy sitting down asks as silence envelopes the room again.
"A-rank? Well we are skipping all the hundreds of things I can do with B-rank... but that's fine, you won't be using them today anyway" I say.
They nod their heads in understanding, my five elements massage can do much more than wrinkle removal and skin smoother.
"A-rank is where I start using things you don't normally see in the ninja world- a yin based technique and a yang based one, which would you like first?" I ask.
"The yang please" The dy replies.
"Alright- this technique is called the 'Phoenix Fingers' and you will see why in a moment" I smirk.
*Whoooo* *Whaaaaaa*
Soft strokes of light appear from my fingertips and heat radiates from them, sweat pours down my face as I slide them across the body... the light beams like sunlight but has embers that mimic lightning.
The warmth radiates across her body and pulsates through her- like ripples in a pool the energy flows through every part of her body and rejuvenates it, like fresh sunlight on skin she glows.
"What- how- what is that!?" She asks with wonder.
"The mixture is unique... fire, lightning... medical chakra and a whole lot of yang that connects them all... it took a long, long time to find the perfect mix that produces this, a small mistake and my arms will burn to nothing" I say.
And it is indeed true, every time I failed my own creation will rush back through my chakra system and rampage violently, I would be lucky to use my arms again.
...
That's why I needed to perfect it twenty eight million times.
Until I never made a mistake.
Until my body learned not to.
If I did make a mistake? Than it would be on purpose- I am unable to produce an 'accident' with how much time I spent on it- even when dead tired, starving and insane.
"Fire with medical chakra...? And the... I see- this is a unique blend, I can't believe you managed to do something like this so young..." The dy on the table mutters in bewilderment.
"The energy pulses through your body, it mends any wounds and more importantly-" I start.
"It restores lost stamina and chakra from the effects of aging- a high dose could temporarily put someone into their prime body for a fight and slow doses over time could combat weakness of age... I suppose too much can dey the long term treatments but that's a pitiful punishment compared to what benefits it acquires!" She finishes for me.
Knowledgeable... very knowledgeable.
"Phoenix, rebirth is the inspiration?" The dy sitting down asks in wonder.
"Yep" I say while completing the movement.
Her body shines a tone lighter, not enough to be noticeable at a gnce but if you focus enough you can see it.
"That shine will fade in two hours so don't worry" I say.
"And the yin technique?" The dy sitting down asks.
"The name of that technique is 'Palm of Crity' and its main function is to rex the target" I say and focus chakra to my palm.
As opposed to the bright orange of the phoenix fingers this technique is a calm green much like perfectly grown grass.
It emits little shocks that slowly twirl around my hand and concentrate in the centre of my palm.
"Just breathe in deep and as I press the palm into your spine I want you to breathe out slowly for the duration of this technique... don't breathe in till you want to end the massage" I say and she nods while breathing in.
*Whooo* *Whuuuuu*
Soft sounds emit from my palm as I lower it into her backs centre, I raise my elbow and grab the table so as to apply as much pressure as I can.
I close my eyes and focus on the green energy as my palm is pced onto her back.
"Haaaaaaa-~?" She makes a funny noise as my energy passes through her, like a sudden surprised breath of relief.
I release the energy into her spine and send it straight through it and up to the brain.
One wrong move from this point on and I fry my own brain into a puddle of warm goo.
Haaaa- I let out a breath of my own and channel joy, pleasure, rexation and any positive feeling I can muster into her, the emotions sink into her Yin energy and attempt to... 'brighten' the energy up for ck of a better term.
"This... is..." She slowly breaths out sadness.
"Calm down. Focus... don't think and just feel" I say and remain focused on my task.
...
Come on...
...
Crity.
A sudden burst of green energy flies through her spine and jolts her mind, her eyes widen and if I could see her I would find a single tear dripping down her face.
Let's think of the mind as a tunnel for a moment... my initial palm is soothing and sends positive emotions to dig out the tunnel slowly with a pick, gradually it calms her down... while the jolt of 'Crity' I send through is like using dynamite- takes out a chunk of the tunnel all at once but is a huge shock.
Now this doesn't 'fix' people's fears, anxiety, depression or trauma and stuff... but it does help clear the way for them to help themselves... so- crity.
...
Its not much but I like this skill- the others I have used as Kenzo and Ryū where all about killing someone or keeping myself alive and this is the opposite of that.
Just genuine help.
...
"Stop- stop" She asks and I raise my palm away from her body.
"Lady Tsunade- are you alright?" The sitting dy gets up and holds her shoulder.
"I... I- I am done for today, thank you for your massage" She tells me and I nod.
"You are welcome, I will be back at the end of the month" I bow and walk out of the room so she can get changed into her usual clothes.
I enter into the lobby and smile at the receptionist and owner of this bathhouse.
"That was your st customer? Shame, you were an amazing hire- but you did at least warn me" She sighs dramatically.
"Sorry about that- but I did give you a generous amount of what people payed for my services" I reply.
"True- true, always welcome back anytime you want, and keep the robes I gave you, they suit you good and it wouldn't do you any good going into town naked" She says.
"Are you sure? I can return them after I pay for some other clothes?" I say.
"Nonsense, you have payed for those robes a hundred times over with just that st massage" She ughs.
"Fair enough, I suppose I will be seeing you- maybe in a month" I say and scratch my chin in wonder.
---Pov: Tsunade Senju
*Shuffle*
I pce my haori back on and sigh once more, unsure of what to do with what just happened.
That st technique was... something.
It brought up all those memories all at once, but ut also brought up the happy moments I had with 'him'.
And the joy... I haven't felt that happy in a while, and it felt so genuine- almost like I was reliving the happiest moments of my life.
"Are you alright Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asks as she picks up Tonton.
"Yes. I am fine, lets go" I clear my throat and exit the room, looking around for that man.
..?
Is he rexing in the back?
"Excuse me young dy but could I speak to the masseuse?" I ask the dy at the counter.
"Oh- I am so sorry Lady Tsunade, but the masseuse just left a moment ago- he would be shopping for clothes right now" She tells me and I nod.
"Would you like me to go find him Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asks.
"..." I sit silently and wonder what I should do.
What do I want to do? What am I going to ask him? I have already asked him all those questions about his jutsu- would he be willing to reveal its secrets?
"Lady Tsunade?" Shizune asks as I silently ponder.
...
"Lets go find him- I have unanswered questions" I say and leave the bathhouse into the streets of this small town.
After ten minutes of looking around Shizune finds him with a small trash bag full of clothes... he is currently deciding between various yered Kimono and robes of sorts.
"Shozu- wait right there!" I say and walk up to him, he turns around and smiles.
"Hello again, did you need something?" He asks with a nice calm smile.
"You, what did you do?" I ask.
"..? Oh, the palm technique? With it I can help mend the mind, although all I do is support efforts on your own part" He says warmly.
"Is that what you did? But that sudden flurry of... memories" I awkwardly shift.
"Oh- apologies if anything traumatic came up- what that technique does is dig up those sort of things and try to alleviate the pain it causes... if you want a refund I can give around a quarter back, as you can see I have just bought some clothes" He apologizes fully.
"No, no, that's not what I wanted- I just have questions about that technique, would it be possible if I could study it for a bit?" I ask, words I don't think I have said in quite some time, though of course the world has overtaken me in medical ninjutsu...
"Study it...? It would take some time to fully examine what I do..." He thinks calmly to himself.
"Where are you going? May I ask if we accompany you for just a little while?" Shizune walks into the conversation and asks.
Yes- great idea, we can just go with him!
"I was thinking of visiting the nd of stone after this... maybe dip down to sand and then head to lightning after that" I say.
"Why not stop by Tanzaku town for a week? We can travel there and you can head off for wherever you need to go?" I ask.
...
"I suppose if you are that interested- I am also in no rush so I guess I have the time" He says and I smile.
Perfect.
"Alright, when do we leave?" I ask.
"Just after I buy some essentials, I am not expining why I was naked and bloody in the forest again" He chuckles.
...
..
.?
"What may I ask, do you mean by that?" Shizune raises her eyebrow.
"Haaa- long story, not enough time" He says.
"We have two weeks or so..." She replies.
"... uhh... sunbathing. bear? Something to do with my friends student and his blood... you get it" He coughs and begins browsing the stores again.
...
"We will see you at the main road just before the gate" I ignore that st sentence and move on.
Whatever that massage is- I need it, I feel like I haven't felt that level of joy in quite some time.
---
Pov: Shuzo
"Hello again, I bought a backpack so I am all set and ready to go" I greet them and we start walking immediately
...
"And since we are travelling buddies for a bit might I ask your names?" I question.
"I am Shizune, and this is Lady Tsunade- this here is tonton" Shizune introduces the group.
"Tsunade..? Oh- I do know you" I excim.
"Ha! Took you a bit" She scoffs.
"Sorry, I hadn't ever seen a picture of you- read about your work plenty of times however" I chuckle.
"Hm" She nods her head seriously.
"So- if I may ask, you left off at the A-rank technique- what is beyond that?" Shizune asks me.
Hmm...
"S-rank and K-rank? I am afraid that I cannot show you those techniques- that is to be done under certain circumstances" I reply.
"I see, no need to reveal that information to us- I am more curious about the palm technique you showed" Tsunade questions me.
So we begin-
"That technique is simple, my Palm of Crity allows me the power to gift my positive emotions and slowly use them to push through your negative emotions... while the pulse at the end is a huge shock all at once which forces the person to dig up old negative emotions that stick to you" I expin as simply as I can.
"I see, the details if possible- how does it work jutsu wise? And can I replicate it for daily use?" She asks me.
Daily use? Positive emotion can be very addictive- but she looks like she is trying to escape negative emotions rather than gain more positive ones.
"No- not for daily use, no better than some addictive drugs- what my technique does is give crity, if you cannot use that crity to better yourself than that's on you" I fully deny her that.
"But the positive emotions could-" She insists but I interrupt.
Fine- how about a bet?" I ask.
"Bet...?" She smirks.
"Oh no..." Shizune sighs.
"I will give you a massage every second to third day and use my Palm of Crity to help you- if you manage to overcome your burdens than I win- if you do not I will spend more time here trying to help you learn how to do this technique" I tell her.
...
"That's it? Deal" Tsunade nods seriously as if she has already won.
Thanks for reading :)
