Up to Par

That was the motto that Innocence had lived by. For someone who scored fairly well on tests but couldn't cast a proper jutsu to save her life, it was a brilliant way to sum up her budding career. She had finally managed to pass the Academy albeit with some "extra credit" that her instructors had conjured up tp finally get her out of the door. Either out of pity or exasperation, they wanted her to move on and that was the best way to do it. Innocence wasn't complaining. She only knew of the end-result and the excitement it produced was only matched by anxiety. If she failed as a genin it would only intensify the shame and inadequacy she felt. Innocence was therefore desperate for a win. Something that she could put on paper and stick on the fridge. A beacon of hope in an otherwise dreary outlook. She figured she'd start at the hospital where her true talent lay. Innocence had passed the Preliminary Medical Assessment Exam with a perfect score. She had taken to studying Ijutsu in her spare time and the knowledge came natural to her. She could isolate and identify pretty much every muscle in the human body. Sure her practical skills left something to be desire but she wasn't as hopeless with Ijutsu as she was with Ninjutsu. The young kunoichi thus managed to swing her way into a trial program for junior Medics. She had requested Yuichi to be her mentor and much to her surprise, she got him.

Innocence took quick and short steps to the appropriate wing. This was a chance to start fresh. A chance to not be a total laughingstock. Yuichi had always been a good teacher. It was because of him that she hadn't given up on her dream of being a ninja altogether. She was wearing her signature lab outfit. She doubted they'd give her a chance to perform an in-depth surgery, but she'd be prepared for it nevertheless. Innocence was ushered into a room and told to take a seat. She plopped down into one of the chairs and swung her legs in anticipation.

"You're working with Yuichi today right?"
"Yeth, er correct" she said wincing at the sound of her own voice.

Yuichi was, by no means, a talented medical ninja for most of his life. He had the knowledge, he knew were all the vital organs were, he could name most of the parts of the skeleton, but he had not been taught most medical skills until recently. Despite this, he had given various lessons on human anatomy in the past and proving his skill in surgery was not a challenge for him. He still had problems however, and the cold sweat running down his back reminded him of this. One of the primary reasons it had taken him so long to gain any progress in the medical field is that it made his somewhat nervous, especially the more hands-on aspects.

However, one thing he was more than capable of was giving lessons to others. His knowledge was easily passed on to somebody with more of a stomach for these things, and he viewed it as particularly important to test a person's grit.

He had gotten into his white surgical outfit and made his was over to a small room with several chairs and a desk. In the top drawer of the desk was a spreadsheet of multiple standard procedures, as well as information about working in intensive care and outpatient care. He was glad that he had Innocence Uchiha to work with, because Yuichi struggled to interact with strangers. He handed Innocence the clipboard, looking her over as he did so. She had grown a small amount since Yuihi had last seen her. He wondered how tall she was, now. She had to be at least as tall as him.

He sat down and crossed his legs. "It's been a long time, Innocence. A little over a year, I think..."

Yuichi remembered the last time they met as before his mother died. So, a little over a year seemed accurate. He considered asking how she was doing but decided against it. It seemed rude considering recent events.

"It will be some time before we will be able to do a whole lot. How much do you know about the junior medic program? You'll be my first student for this type of thing, or, well, anything really."

Yuichi didn't really want to tell her that he was also relatively new to this as well. The job that they were doing was pretty easy, just work a nurse would typically be doing, unless there was some kind of emergency they were needed for. They would be doing filing and moving around patients, perhaps doing some basic questioning and check-up type procedures, looking for common problems and so forth. They had some time to go over things before their first patient, though.

When Yuichi walked into the room, Innocence was totally obvious to any nervousness he might have felt about today's tasks. As far as she was concerned, he had nothing to be nervous about. Unlike her he was a talented shinobi that didn't screw up everything he attempted. She gave a wide smile and revealed her single missing tooth. It was the source of her signature lisp and endless frustration. Fortunately, she didn't need to be overly cautious with Yuichi present. She hopped out of her seat and strode over to him before giving a mock salute. She was just about his height now which made her feel more confident.

"Long enough for me to finally catth up with you" she said as she traced a line from the top of her forehead to the top of his head. She could only hope one day their expertise would match as well. When Yuichi asked how much she knew about the junior medical program, she shrugged.

"Not muth. They literally jutht need bodieth in the hothpital cuz tho many doctorth died on the frontlineth." Yuichi would largely be setting the agenda for today as far as Innocence was concerned. If he wanted to sneak into the surgery wing and masquerade as some attendants then she'd be down for that. Innocence wasn't known for following the rules of the medical establishment.

That was a brutal thought. She wasn't wrong, many people died recently. He swallowed hard and tried not to let any doubts show. She spoke so casually about the whole thing. It made him a bit uneasy. Perhaps, in part, because he still hadn't finished processing feelings of his own.

"I swear there's something different about you," Yuichi said. He looked her over well. Sure, she grew, but that wasn't it. She looked a bit older, but that wouldn't stand out. Her style hadn't changed to much. Were her eyes always green? After a moment, he gave up. It was his imagination.

He believed that he could trust Innocence, but he needed to know more about how skilled she was before they could really get to work. He resisted the urge to bop her on the nose.

"Right, do you have any kind of medical ninjutsu yet? If not, we can start things off by teaching you a few basic things I might need you to know. In particular, chakra palm or healing hands are important. The chances you'll use them are slim, but it's probably better to check first."

Yuichi probably could have found out what she knew if he read her report, but he only skimmed it. He wanted to catch up a bit before they started, anyway.

"Oh?" Innocence sarcastically batted her eyelashes at her friend. "Can't you tell? I've had some work done" the cheeky genin said raising her eyebrows and allowing the implication to remain unstated. She then laughed and slugged him in the shoulder playfully to let him know that she was joking. Yuichi, ever the serious Uchiha, then asked her about what medical ninjutsu she knew. Innocence was aware of the Mystical Palm technique, but she wasn't that great at it. She had yet to successfully apply the technique to anyone although she was pretty decent with conventional surgery.

"Not really. I've been practicing that mythtical palm thing but no luck ath uthual. Other than that, nothing elthe really." Innocence wanted Yuichi to teach her the move. He was really good at schooling others and she could really use the help.

Innocence would work with Yuichi throughout the day and hone her skills at the hospital then she'd go home.

[Exit]