sunshine_messages | Unsealed: Posted to General Missive Network

Perhaps this is a bit forward of me, but my experiences over the last few months have indicated that there is a near-criminal lack of basic medical knowledge among the ninja and civilian population.

As such I, Dr. Yakushi of the Sound, will happily answer any medical questions you might have, no matter your village affiliation, from the hours of 3pm to 6pm, Mondays through Fridays. Yes, even the questions your parents or teachers are unwilling to answer. Yes, even things that might make you uncomfortable or embarrassed. There is an anonymous messaging option for that very reason. Yes, I can speak to most complications arising from Bloodline Talents (though depending on how unusual your abilities, it might be best to speak to your personal doctor or teacher, should your talents be considered a village secret.) It would be my pleasure, and duty, to answer your questions and decrease the number of preventable injuries within our communities.

So.

Ask away.

Some common questions to start us off -

Is scar tissue stronger than regular skin?
It is. However, each cell of your body can only replicate so many times. I would encourage you not to intentionally scar yourself for any reason.

How useful is medical jutsu outside the ninja world?
Very. Most humans possess at least a base-line amount of chakra which can be induced to speed healing. Furthermore, basic medical knowledge includes traditional as well as ninjutsu based healing. I would encourage everyone to learn at least a bit of the former. It can save lives. If you are interested, I can post information on the basics of CPR, Chakra Healing and first Aid as taught by the Sound.

Do ninja's have to eat more than regular people?
Using ninjutsu uses energy similar to that of regular exercise. The more you exercise, the more you need to eat. Similarly, the more you practice ninjutsu, the more calories you will need to consume. This is equally applicable to both male and female ninja. Starving yourself for any reason is idiotic and can lead to health complications which can negatively effect ones abilities. I recommend eating a balanced but varied diet, to ensure that you are receiving the appropriate amounts of micro-nutrients as well as calories.

Are condoms uncomfortable?
No. If your significant other uses this as an excuse to not wear them, they are lying and should be dealt with accordingly. Alternatively, if your find your preferred method of protection uncomfortable, it is likely that you are using the incorrect size. Please be safe when engaging in intercourse. The Sound already has too many orphans.

And because this is distressingly common -
I cut off my finger/hand/arm/head. Is it possible to reattach it?
Please do not do this. While an experienced medical professional can reattach and ocassionally regrow limbs, every surgery has its dangers. At the moment, I have a jar on my desk full of glass eyes and an entire sewing kit of sutures specifically for re-attaching fingertips. If you are a teacher or parent of a young ninja, for the love of all things holywatch your children while they are training. Just because doctors can reattach limbs, doesn't mean we should be asked to do so on a daily basis!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There's no name or mark to determine who is sending the question, but the writing is sharp and crisp, written with slashing strokes and a kind of violent elegance.]

I've always wondered about drowning. What can you tell me about that manner of death?

Well, that would depend on what you wish to know.

The basics: Drowning is when one's lungs fill with liquid and prevent them from taking in air. This can happen with any kind of liquid, from both internal and external sources, though the latter is generally what we think of. Yet plenty of ninjas have drowned on their own blood due to internal hemorrhaging. And there are stories of ingenious seals or jutsus that directly transfer liquid to the lungs...but I'm getting off topic.

Drowning can happen in any body of water that covers the mouth and nose. The body's instinctive reaction is to struggle for air, but when unconscious this instinct does not activate. Push an unconscious man face-first into a puddle, and he will die just as surely as if you dumped him in the ocean.

When deprived of oxygen, the body can take as few as ten seconds to fall unconscious, so drowning can happen quite suddenly. Victims, preoccupied with nothing more than keeping their head above water, rarely flail, and are unable to call for help. Generally they do not float, even when unconscious, though obviously someone face-down in the water will quickly drown.

According to accounts, it is a terrifying way to die, as the body and mind panic but are unable to reach out for aid, and desperation only kills the body quicker. A struggle to breath and remain conscious, but then failure and the certain knowledge that the loss of consciousness will result in death.

But all that is rather morbid. What interests me, personally, is the effects of cold water drowning, and the rare instance where the body can be put into a kind of hibernation if the water is at just the right temperature. Fascinating!

Was there anything more specific you would like to know?

I admit, I've always wondered about the different causes for death and how they compare to each other. The ways a Water Release might be worse, or perhaps even better, for the target than another kind of justu, for example. The end is the same, either way, but there's that old saying about the journey being the important part.

Cold water drowning is an interesting thing, but I can't say I've got personal experience on either side of that.

I suspect that a simple death is preferable to the many ways a genjutsu can toy with one's mind and incorporate torture in with something as simple as drowning. It rather depends upon the purpose of the death - to make someone suffer, to kill them quickly or silently, or to discover information. Drowning does not easily fit in many of these categories, partially because ninjas have protections that civilians do not, and can save themselves easier. But apparently it is quite useful for ninjas involved in interrogation. Even the civilians have a name for it; water-boarding. Though I daresay the various villages have come up with some interesting additions to the simple threat of drowning.

I've undergone a simulate drowning experience a few times, and I must admit cold-water drowning is...peaceful, surprisingly. The body is too cold to really panic, after the first few seconds of immersion, and as a result the senses are heightened yet calm. Not nearly as terrifying as being immersed repeatedly for information.

Water has a versatility that some other elements lack, and I am well aware of its uses in interrogation. It was in the heat of battle that I was most interested in discovering more of.

You are a brave man to let someone else get that close to killing you more than once, but I find myself agreeing to the idea of submersion being peaceful.

Hmm. For your purposes, drowning might not be the best option. Unless you have a way of summoning water, or luring enemies into water-traps, of course. In most circumstances, fully filling a person's lungs with water simply takes too long and relies too much on circumstance. If you've imobilized someone so much that they drown, in most cases the fight is already over.

As a doctor, it is important to understand the experiences a patient has gone through. Of course, I was in no real danger at the time, so perhaps that helped me relax. Once the fear is gone...one can truely realize how calming water can be. [translation: Kabuto cannot, in good concious, expect a subject to go through a procedure he has not tested. After all, he's more likely to survive.]

Circumstance is easy enough to arrange, if you’ve studied it enough, but I agree, most die from the blunt force of the Water Release than drowning in particular.

I will agree with you on the calming properties of water too. I’ve found partial submersion excellent for chakra meditation exercises.

[Technically, he usually uses full immersion but that would probably give him away.]

True. And if one is an expert on Water Release there are many, many was to kill beyond drowning. Have you ever seen one die from pressure or the lack thereof? Facinating.

Perhaps those who meditate in waterfalls have the right idea. Strange how such a phenominal force can be calming as well as deadly.

I have. It's very interesting to watch.

Water, in whatever form it is, gives us life, and can take it away so easily. There's something in that to respect, and if you respect it, you'll get something in return.

Indeed. Dying from their own blood betraying them. Chilling, but effective, and almost nothing can reverse the process once it begins.

Mmm. Though I, for one, am happy enough with the water in my teacup not trying to kill me on a regular basis.

A useful fact, if you can't stay around to make sure they really do die.

Where's the challenge in that? But tea is an excellent way to enjoy the benefits water gives us.

Indeed. Not something any ninja should count on.

Hah! You must be far more confident in your water release than I!

But it’s always better to make sure they’re not pulling a clever trick, of course.

And I should be; water is one of my primary affinities.

Ninja are unfortunately good at tricks, its true.

I must admit, despite how it would assist in my own passions, Water does not come easy to me. Are there any tips you could give to a novice user?

Learn it.

[There is a visual space that Kisame uses in place of a verbal pause for effect.]

And not just the hand seals for the jutsu. Learn water in all it’s forms and locations. Experience the ocean, rivers, lakes, rain, and every other kind you can get access to. Immerse your senses in it, and your body too, of course! Once you’ve done that, water will come easier, even if you have the hurdle of a conflicting natural affinity.

And if you’ve done that and still can’t master water, try harder.

Hah! Good advice, indeed.

Of course it is.

Unsealed: Posted to General Missive Network

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