Shiori was on her way through the land of fire. She had to go North and pass by Taki. There was a small mountain range northeast of Taki, but it wasn't part of their country.
Based on the map Tsunade gave her, there was a temple on the highest mountain where she needed to go. She didn't know what to expect since Tsunade insisted on not ruining the surprise.
She was a little mad about it, but not much could be done. She was currently in the last village she needed to stay in the land of fire. She had to restock some supplies since she didn't want to stop in Taki or any of their villages.
She hoped to stay on the road until she reached her destination, which would take her four days. It wasn't the longest time she had been on the road, but she had to ensure enough food and water.
So, as she reached the village, she made a mental list of all the items she would need.
It took her a few hours to gather everything. Some of the food was not up to her quality since this was just a tiny village. Their only visitors were merchants and shinobi, who needed a night of rest before returning to the road.
Shiori still had some time to spare, so she visited the small medic shack. They didn't have a healer or a medic—just an old lady with some basic knowledge due to being a nurse in the capital when she was younger.
They sent their sick and injured, who were beyond her abilities, to one of the bigger villages, which were a few hours of cart ride away.
Their case resembled most other small villages, so Shiori wasn't surprised. She quickly got to work. She had already notified the village chief about her presence. Soon, people would come by.
Shiori checked on the patient with stomach flu, who was resting on one of the room's two beds. She took stock of the medicine available and unsealed some of her own to make the prescriptions.
The nurse was named Aki and was quick to follow her lead. Shiori prepared the medicine and wrote down a description of how often and how much he should use it. It was an herbal mix that should be taken in the form of tea.
She then told Aki to call the next patient in. A little girl walked in with a cast. Her mother was right behind her. The girl had brown curly hair and hazel eyes. She looked just like her mother.
Shiori motioned for them to sit on the bed. The mother helped her daughter up. "How can I help you today?" Shiori asked in her professional voice.
"Well, you see, she broke her arm when she fell from a tree three weeks ago. We had to take her Mosami to get the cast. They told us it could take up to a month. I was wondering if it is possible to check on the state of the arm. To see if it's healing correctly. You know how mothers can be." The woman said nervously.
Shiori smiled reassuringly. "Of course, it wouldn't be a problem." She turned toward the little girl. "Wanna see something cool?" Shiori said. The girl nodded with a giggle.
Shiori's hand started glowing green with the diagnostic jutsu. "See this magical light? It can help me see how your arm is doing. And look, it won't even hurt. It just feels a little warm." Shiori brought her glowing hand to her arm and held it out for the girl to touch.
"Now it's time for your cast," Shiori said as she brought her glowing hand to the cast. It was always easier to work with children when they knew what to expect, so Shiori tried to be as quick as possible.
"Everything seems fine. The arm is mostly healed, but I also recommend keeping it on for the remaining week. Then, take it easy for a few more weeks. She can do light exercises to regain mobility, but it would be a full recovery." Shiori then showed the mother and child the exercises she needed to do after taking the cast off.
After being sure they knew what to do, Shiori gave the girl a lollipop and bid them goodbye. She motioned for Aki to send the next patient.
A large farmer man entered the room. He seemed to be in his mid-thirties. Shiori motioned for him to sit. "What seems to be the problem?" Shiori asked.
"Well, you see, there is this mole on my back that seems to be growing. It first appeared…." The man started.
Shiori worked well into the night, but there seemed to be an increasing number of people. She was sleepy at this point, so with a promise of coming back tomorrow, she headed to the only inn in the village.
The owner was the same woman who was suffering from back pain due to an injured disc. She needed a little healing, some painkillers, and instruction on how to use household objects to make herself a back brace.
Shiori didn't carry braces with her, and she wasn't about to make the woman purchase one when she could make one from some scarves or sturdy fabric.
She noticed Shiori and promptly offered her the best room available for free. Shiori couldn't accept it and offered her some herbal tea, which helped with sleeping and melatonin.
It was time for a bath to wash out the dirt from the road and a good night of sleep. Her traveling plan had to be postponed for a day, but there was no rush, and she always enjoyed helping people.
The next day went much the same. People came to her with all sorts of problems and concerns. Traveling to another city for medical care was impossible for everyone in non-emergency situations.
This was what Shiori loved about her job. She could help these types of people. And give them an easier life. She made sure to listen to them and take all concerns seriously.
She worked well into the evening, but she was finally done. When she came out, Aki was waiting for her with a large basket full of medicinal flowers and some dried meat and vegetables.
"Everyone in the village wanted to thank you. You did not take money from most of us, so everyone worked together to put together this basket. The flowers are called Oriental Lily, and they have anti-inflammatory properties. You won't find many regions with this flower, so it's our specialty. We also got some food for when you are on the road. Please accept these gifts." Aki handed her the basket.
"Thank you so much. I will make sure to treasure it." Shiori said. Her personal policy wouldn't allow her to accept money from those who cannot afford it, but she didn't want to make her work seem like a charity.
She didn't want people to feel indebted to her, so she accepted the gifts and kind gestures. She remembered once when she healed a newborn baby who had respiratory problems and was on the verge of death.
The family couldn't afford doctors, and after Shiori healed the baby boy, the mother asked to wash and iron all her clothes as a thank you. Shiori never put the effort into ironing her own clothes, and it felt very nice.
Another time, a seamstress sewed all the holes and tears in her clothing. Once, a guy made him a basket, which she now used when she was collecting herbs. All the little gifts and trinkets she collected were part of the memories she made.
If she ever decided to own a house in the future, she would decorate it with all these items.
Shiori bid Aki goodbye and headed to the inn for another night of sleep. Tomorrow, she had to go.
Shiori was on the road again, walking at a leisurely pace—not as slow as civilians but definitely not as fast as a shinobi. She didn't want to strain her legs by using constant chakra.
Plus, she never knew when she would need to make a run for it, so wasting chakra was not wise. She could also read some of her textbooks this way. She recently came across a writer who published books in smaller sizes, as handbooks that can be easily carried around.
The author was a medic who noticed that many medics who work in hospitals are often on the move, and it was hard to find time to read. So he decided to turn important text he could find into these small books.
They had less material than an average book since they were content-specific, but they were suitable for when she was on the road. The books were also very light since they didn't have a hardcover, and she could hold them for a very long time.
She was sensing around her periodically in case she came across bandits or shinobi. She didn't want any confrontations if they were not necessary.
Traveling medics usually wore an armband, so it was clear to everyone that they were medics in case help was needed, but most of the time, people would ask for their documents to confirm this.
It mainly was a sign so they wouldn't get attacked on sight. Shiori always made sure to wear hers. Not many people would even suspect her to be a medic based on looks.
She made sure to walk confidently, holding her head high. She wasn't going to make herself look like an easy target.
It made her uneasy to walk outside of fire country. The trees here were more sparse, and the terrain was unfamiliar. She didn't know where to expect the attacks from or how to avoid people if she came across them.
Where would she even camp out? She had so many questions, but she knew she would find her answers when it was time. For now, it was still noon, so she had some distance to go.
In the end, she managed to find an area with denser trees, which was also a little dented in the ground for the night. She set up security seals and traps and took out her sleeping bag.
She didn't want to set out a tent in case she needed to make a run, and the height of the tent made it more visible. It was cold outside, but she had a heating seal that should help for the night.
It would feed on her chakra, but it would be around 20 percent of it by the morning. She could replenish it with some food later. She took some dried meat and fruit and ate them for now. It was dangerous to light a fire.
It was the next day, and Shiori felt stiff and grumpy. Sleeping on the ground was not bad, but the sleeping bag was purposefully small so it would keep more heat, and it made her sleep in an awkward position.
She made herself a warm breakfast. It was daytime, so she could have a fire safely. After finishing her breakfast and saving some of the food in a container for a leisurely lunch, she was on her way.
She climbed a tree and could see the mountain range she sought. Two days to reach the mountains and probably two more to find and climb the mountain she was looking for.
She took out her book and set on her way.