Naruto: The Medical Ninja

Chapter 249: Chapter 246: The Wing-4

”It’s your own mind that’s doing the healing, mister. I’m just showing it the way.” Ryu said to Osamu, explaining the situation to him.

Ryu turned to the assembled doctors, who watched with awe and curiosity. ”As you all witnessed,” he began, his voice clear and concise, ”Mister’s excruciating pain comes from his brain receiving conflicting signals. His mind’s internal map still registers a limb that is no longer there. This mismatch causes the phantom pain. By seeing his right hand’s reflection, his brain is visually convinced his ’missing’ left hand is still there, moving freely. His mind also mirrors the feeling and proprioceptive feedback of his visible hand onto the perceived phantom limb. This mirrored sensory feedback overrides the chaotic pain, effectively remapping the brain’s perception.”

”Over time, after the loss of a limb, typically within several months to a year, the brain eventually accepts the loss and rewires itself to not have messed up feedback, causing the phantom pain to fade away. However, some brains are a bit stubborn, no offence, mister,” Ryu said with a brief, light glance at Osamu.

Osamu gave a weak smile and a slight nod and said, ”None taken, kid. It was as you said... hard to accept.”

Ryu continued, ”In persistent cases like this, where the brain struggles to adapt, this mirror therapy provides the necessary guidance.”

The doctors were visibly astounded, their eyes wide with disbelief at what they had just witnessed. ”Mirror therapy... We’ve never considered such an approach.”

A younger doctor then asked, ”Apprentice Hamura, could a medical Genjutsu not achieve a similar, perhaps even faster, result?”

Ryu nodded. ”That’s a fair point. This is a core concept in neuro-rehabilitation, often overlooked in a world focused on chakra-based healing. Pain is the absolute enemy of Genjutsu. Intense pain breaks a Genjutsu before it can even take hold. Imagine trying to hold a delicate illusion while someone is screaming in agony—it’s nearly impossible. It would also often require sedation, which carries its own risks. While a truly powerful Genjutsu might be able to overcome such severe pain, such techniques are exceedingly rare. Even simple Genjutsu is rare in most minor ninja villages.”

Everyone nodded. They knew what Ryu said is true on both counts.

Ryu continued, ”This mirror method, however, empowers the patient to heal themselves, strengthening their own neurological connections. It provides a non-invasive, patient-driven path to recovery, fostering genuine, lasting change rather than mere temporary suppression.”

Now that Osamu was momentarily free of the excruciating pain—the mirror therapy having successfully quieted the primary agony to a negligible level—a fragile peace settled over him, mister.

Moderate applause filled the room. ”This may change how we treat chronic pain!” Medical professionals murmured agreement.

Despite the overall positive reception, some were less enthusiastic due to differing perspectives on unconventional treatment methods. Doctor Hoshino, a sharp-featured, stern-looking lady known for her rigid adherence to protocol and disdain for anything outside established medical texts, offered only a tight, unenthusiastic clap. She stood at the back, arms crossed, a dark cloud on her face. Her ambition burnt fiercely, and Ryu’s easy brilliance grated on her nerves, an unwelcome threat to her own standing. She wanted to say something, anything, to puncture his calm, to expose what she perceived as his arrogance.

”No,” Ryu corrected them, his voice calm. ”This does not work for every kind of pain.... Only phantom limb pain ... and only 3 out of 10 times, by my guess... But if it works, it can indeed be reinforced through meditation or through subtle Genjutsu.”

”Still, it was a brilliant approach,” the kind, older doctor interjected.

”A show of parlour tricks, if you ask me,” Doctor Hoshino sniffed, stepping forward, her crisp white coat a stark contrast to the dark cloud gathering on her face. Her voice, usually modulated for the ward, was laced with an undeniable edge of irritation. The faint murmurs of approval from the other doctors quickly died down, resulting in an uneasy silence.

”While I commend your... unconventional approach, Apprentice Hamura,” she continued, her gaze narrowing on Ryu. ”Let us not forget your place. You are an apprentice, not a licensed physician. Diagnoses and treatments, especially for complex conditions, are the purview of qualified doctors, not academy students indulging in psychological games. You are overreaching your authority.” She paused, letting her words hang. ”You should leave the actual treatment to us, the professionals.”

Ryu met her gaze. His expression was unruffled. A faint defiance sparked in his eyes, a glint of the ’mischievous showman’ she so disdained. ”Ah, ego, the shinobi’s most predictable foe, and apparently, the doctor’s too,” he mused internally. ”Some people just can’t stand it when someone else figures out the cheat code.”

”With all due respect, Doctor Hoshino,” Ryu began, his voice calm but firm, a stark contrast to her agitated one, ”my medical credentials are from the Leaf Medical Council. My teacher is Nono Yakushi, a highly respected medical ninja. As for ’overreaching authority,’ providing treatment is only illegal if not done in the presence of a qualified doctor. You were all here, observing. Every protocol was observed; if not, then surely you would have stopped me, wouldn’t you, Doctor? Your silence, then, implies consent, or perhaps, a recognition of efficacy.”

He paused, letting the unspoken accusation hang, as he observed her tense up. ”While respecting established protocols, our ultimate responsibility lies with the patient’s recovery. When current methods reach their limits, it becomes imperative to seek innovative solutions, always within a framework of rigorous observation and professional oversight. The pursuit of knowledge and the alleviation of suffering are, I believe, the highest callings in medicine. Don’t you agree, Doctor?”

He offered a small, disarming smile, a gesture that seemed to infuriate her even more. ”Don’t you agree?”

He didn’t wait for her reply. He nodded to Osamu, who watched with bewildered hope, then turned to leave. The old fisherman, still processing the sudden, blessed relief, gave a weak nod back before slowly, tentatively, rising from his bed. A newfound lightness in his step, a subtle lessening of the burden of pain, propelled him forward, eager to finally meet his family, to embrace them without the constant throb of agony.

The stern Doctor Hoshino merely glared, her face darkening. Her competitive glint turned hostile, fueled by a simmering rage that grew within her. Her ambition, scorched by Ryu’s easy triumph and his cutting retort, boiled within her. ”Apprentice brat,” she fumed internally. ”He thinks he can show up with a few simple reflections and invalidate years of practice, years of study? Not on my watch. I’ll expose him.”

As Ryu reached the doorway, her sharp, desperate challenge cut the quiet. ”Well, well, Apprentice Hamura,” she called, stepping forward, arms akimbo. ”Quite the showman. Intuitive diagnosis, optical trickery for a cure? Very... unconventional.” She spat the words. ”Perhaps you’d like to try your hand at a real challenge? Not mere ’psychological games’ or ’re-wiring brains’ with mirrors? Something truly medical, where conventional methods utterly failed?” Her lips curled into a scornful sneer.

”I have a patient in the last wing with a highly complex condition that has baffled all medical professionals in this hospital, including medical ninjas. Even your ’advanced diagnostic principles’ may struggle to decipher this mystery.”

Her tone made her belief clear: Ryu would fail spectacularly. ”Or perhaps,” she added, condescendingly, ”your innovative approaches only work on... simpler cases?”

Ryu turned slowly. His irritation turned into a predatory interest. His eyes grew sharper despite his casual expression. He noticed her posture, challenge, and desperate need for validation masked by aggression. ”A test? Excellent. I was bored.”

Ryu replied, ”Always a pleasure to expand one’s knowledge, especially when it involves pushing the boundaries of what is considered possible.” A faint, knowing smirk touched his lips, a hint of the ’gambler’ in him emerging, showcasing his willingness to take risks and embrace challenges. ”Lead the way, please, Doctor.”

As they walked, Ryu thought about phantom pain. ”Can I create phantom pain for enemies using this technique? Can I do it using Fuinjutsu?”

Ryu had recently acquired the Jisatsu seal, which read biological signals, so new ideas and possibilities took root in his brain.

Ryu thought, ”If I can read signals, can I reverse it? Create biological signals? That could induce phantom pain.”

Ryu thought of more use cases. ”There are more useful applications than creating pain, if I can actually do that. Like when my sensing failed, and that Root ninja almost killed me. I could reinforce my sensing with this new seal’s application.”

Ryu made a mental note to work on it later.

Doctor Hoshino led Ryu past recovering patients into the hospital’s remote, rarely visited areas. Compared to the brighter main hospital, this part had stark shadows. The distant murmurs faded into a heavy silence. They entered a quiet corner hallway, where the air smelt like despair. Doctor Hoshino stopped at a sturdy door.

The dull metal plate bore the inscription- ”Ward-4”.

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