Chapter 25 - Preparing for the attack

Ryu and Daisuke trailed the man down the dimly lit hallway, approaching Akina's room. As they neared, the muffled sound of raised voices filtered through the door, hinting at a heated argument within.

As they entered, they found Arakan standing over Akina, his brow furrowed and his hands clenched in concern. "Akina, this is strange. You shouldn't be up and about just yet," he insisted, his voice edged with worry.

Akina, however, seemed unperturbed as she paced around the room, a determined expression on her face. "I'm fine, Arakan," she replied, her tone firm. "The pain vanished like it was never there, and even your Medical Ninjutsu confirmed that my body has returned to its normal state. I can continue working safely for now." Her words left Arakan with little room for further argument.

Daisuke and Ryu exchanged glances before Daisuke stepped forward, his expression a mix of confusion and relief. "Oh, you're feeling better? Someone just came to us and said the opposite..."

Akina nodded, her eyes reflecting a mixture of frustration and determination. "Yes, my body is back to normal, but we haven't yet figured out what caused this phenomenon in the first place."

Daisuke's eyes twinkled mischievously, and a sly smirk spread across his face. "If you feel fine, then that mystery can wait. I have some rather absurd news to share with you."

---

"Are you serious?!" Akina gasped, her eyes widening in shock as Daisuke finished his story. "I told you she'd freak out!" Daisuke chuckled, while Arakan stood there, momentarily stunned by the revelation.

Arakan's eyes flashed with anger as he snapped out of his daze, slamming his hands down on a nearby desk. "This is insane! Do you have any idea how dangerous you are right now?!" he shouted, glaring at Ryu.

"You're a wanted criminal of the highest order, and the Mist will stop at nothing to capture or eliminate you. Yet you chose to stay in a clinic?! If they discover you're here, they won't hesitate to harm everyone in this place to get to you, including the patients! Daisuke and the others can only do so much to cover our tracks. If they're truly sending every available person after you, as Daisuke reported, they're bound to find us. We could have handled the situation if it were just us, but with you here, we're all in immediate danger!"

Akina stepped in, her voice firm but measured. "Arakan, calm down! He didn't do this on purpose. And even if he did, would you just throw him out? Especially after the help he's given us?"

Arakan sighed, his shoulders slumping. "I know, but that doesn't excuse his actions," he grumbled.

Akina shook her head. "There's no use dwelling on it now. We need to deal with the situation at hand. Daisuke, how close are the current patrols to this place?"

Daisuke's expression turned somber. "Well, given the current situation, the Mist Shinobi on our payroll can't do anything to redirect the patrols from this place like they usually do, due to the search orders. But I recently received even worse news. Apparently, the fact that none of the patrols passed here has been discovered. Not only is there an investigation going on, but they're also starting to focus on this area heavily. They don't know that Ryu is here, but they know something is amiss."

"Should we evacuate the patients?" Arakan asked, worry etched on his face.

"No, this is the safest place for them right now," Akina replied. "What we need to do is fortify this place in case the Shinobi pick up on the artificial hill trick. Considering the team pursuing Ryu is full of experienced Jonin and Anbu, we should assume that the worst outcome is possible."

"I'll get the blueprints of the clinic so we can plan some modifications," Daisuke said before disappearing to fetch them. In the meantime, Akina turned to Ryu, her expression serious. "While he's searching for those, we need to have a little talk, don't we?" She gestured for Ryu to join her in a secluded corner of the lobby.

Ryu followed, his brow damp with perspiration. Akina didn't waste any time. "Listen, Ryu, you owe us big time for this, and I won't just accept an IOU. At least not a regular one. I want to hear if you have a deal to offer before I tell you what I had in mind."

Ryu maintained a poker face. "I've thought about this, actually, and I do have a deal prepared. I'm headed to the Hidden Leaf, where I'll inevitably become a high-level figure with my skill and background. As such, I'll supply you with quality resources and help set up clinics in the Land of Fire to expand your information network."

Akina sighed, shaking her head. "Ryu, I don't think you understand our purpose. We're not interested in expanding our clinic or information network. We only want to help as many people as we can. Trust me, we wouldn't be running a clinic with just two doctors if we didn't have that goal in mind.

I know you'll become a high-level figure in the Leaf, and what I want you to do is help us bring our clinic into the light. We can do so much more that way. Once you have enough influence, I want you to be our sponsor and give us the option to step into the light. That is what I ask of you in return for allowing you to take refuge here," Akina explained.

"Do I get a staff discount?" Ryu asked jokingly.

"That was the discount, take it or leave it," Akina replied with a smirk.

"I'm fine with that, I'll make it happen," Ryu assured her. "I'm counting on you, Ryu. Now, let's look at the blueprints Daisuke is bringing," Akina said as Daisuke reappeared near the reception table.

"Alright, take a look at this," Daisuke began, pointing to various areas on the blueprints. "There's a spot near the entrance where we can set up an ambush. But we'll be vulnerable after that since the lobby is quite open. On the third floor, there are a couple of storage rooms we could convert into bunkers for our Shinobi to use ranged Ninjutsu from. We can also set traps around the clinic's perimeter; there's plenty of available space. However, I think we should consider rigging the fake hill to collapse on the attackers, while we'll use earth pillars to support the part above us," Daisuke suggested several ideas in quick succession.

"Rigging the hill? Are you crazy? That's our only camouflage tool. Do you know how much effort we put into that? And what will we do after the attack, move the clinic? We have no other bases, and we have nowhere to move the patients!" Arakan exclaimed.

"I understand your concern, and we'll use it strictly as a last resort. But we do need that card up our sleeve," Daisuke argued.

Akina cursed under her breath. Ryu chimed in, "If what's bothering you is the rebuilding of the hill, if you show me the blueprints, I can take care of that."

"How?" Akina inquired.

"Call it a secret Kajiya technique," Ryu replied with a smirk.

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Sorry for the long break, I'll release another chapter in a bit as compensation. Next chapter the action will begin, so stay tuned.