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primnroses · 7 months

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— Explaining Konohagakure’s Medical Department from Naruto to Boruto:

The information presented in this post has been checked and revised. My aim is not to hate or to discredit any of the characters mentioned. Please read about me for further information.

This post will contain evidence in picture format directly from the manga Naruto (1999 - 2014) created by Masashi Kishimoto and published by Shueisha in 1999. I will also use information from the official databooks.

This informative post will explain the role and utility of the Medical Department from its debut in Naruto to its development and role in Boruto. I will use information present in the novels and the Boruto manga because it includes character development within canon compliance.

This meta will be crossposted in AO3.

I give my permission to use or share this thread with informative purposes as long as you credit me.

I do not support the anime or the work of Studio Pierrot in regards to Naruto because I consider it over exaggerated and beyond biased. Furthermore, these fillers include some actions that these characters are unable to do in the canon according to official sources and they also generate unnecessary debate.

This meta does contain anime scenes from Boruto because it is a monthly manga draft that depends heavily on anime for context.

Please, take this into consideration.

This meta will include a small discussion from my own point of view about the Medical Department and its members. There will be strong criticism and complaints, comparisons with other characters, previous leaders, etc.

HISTORY:

The Medical Department ( 医療部門, Iryō-Bumon), also known or previously known as Medic Corps (医療部隊, Iryō-Butai) is one of the three main departmental divisions of Konohagakure. They are organized in the medical-ninja from Konoha Hospital (木ノ葉病院, Konoha Byōin) and they are in charge of providing medical care within the village and in the battlefield by the training of field medical-ninja.

Their members also work in developing medical items such as medicines, ninjutsu, etc. Some time after the global conflict, the Medical Department has seen the development of new medical branches and facilities; it is also supervised by Sakura Uchiha as department head, hailed as the world’s best medical-ninja.

Konohagakure's official department organization according to the first fanbook.

It is unknown when the organization itself started or when Konoha Hospital came to exist, but the concept of medical-ninjas has existed since the era of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Around the second conflict, Tsunade advocated for the inclusion of one medical-ninja per team to palliate the effects of the conflict.

Tsunade advocates for medical-ninjas to be included in every team to increase the survival rate of each member and the mission.

This department and all of their divisions wear their own unique crest with the kanji for "medicine" or "healing" (医, ishi). This crest is the symbol of Konoha Hospital and the uniforms of the Medic Corps; these uniforms consist of white overalls for the doctors with hats and ear protectors, and skirts for the nurses, both with the crest in red on their backs.

After Naruto, the crest changes places, now adorning the left side of the uniform.

The uniform of the Medic Corps during Naruto.

Naruto:

During the era of the Third and Fifth Hokage, the Medical Department was simply known as Medic Corps, and with the first fanbook, we learn that the Medic Corps are medical-ninja from Konoha Hospital; as well as being the only healthcare organization known at the time. In turn, Konoha Hospital is a building located not too far from the Hokage Residence in the center of the village. It was never specified who was running the hospital during this era.

The Medic Corps debuted in chapter 64 mentioned by Hiruzen when referring to Kabuto Yakushi. It was said that a jōnin of the Medic Corps had saved him (his adoptive mother Nonō Yakushi). However, they were seen for the first time two chapters later, when the hospital staff, the Medic Corps, took Sasuke Uchiha to heal his wounds.

(I want to add that the term medical-ninja did not exist around this time, so Hiruzen saying Nonō was a Medic Corps is a mistake in the continuity of the story; he would likely say medical-ninja if the term existed. The Medic Corps were later rewritten as those medical-ninja from Konoha Hospital.)

Konoha Hospital before Pain's invasion.

As soon as Tsunade was introduced into the story and after her fight against Kabuto Yakushi, we learn about medical ninjutsu and that medical-ninjas are also those shinobi that learn healing techniques and are sent to teams to aid their comrades in battle. They use medical ninjutsu (医療忍術, Iryō-Ninjutsu), like the generic Mystical Palm Technique, to heal wounds.

Therefore, medical-ninjas are divided into two types:

Konoha Hospital’s Medic Corps medical ninja

Field medical ninja.

According to the first fanbook, the Medic Corps are those professional medical-ninjas that are fully dedicated to healing, developing medicine, researching diseases and performing ninjutsu focused on healing. In order to do that, they require very advanced chakra control, as well as extensive knowledge of herbs, medicines, the human body and even poisons to develop said medicines and antidotes.

They are also divided by ranks and skills, with the story revealing that not all Medic Corps are able to use healing techniques due to the high precision of chakra control they must possess. They also include nurses among the staff.

The Medic Corps according to the first fanbook.

Meanwhile, field medical-ninjas vary in skill and knowledge. They range from just identifying the condition of a patient and using medical ninjutsu as a Chakra Transfer Technique, such as Ino Yamanaka; using healing techniques to aid in battle, like Rin Nohara; or being on par or superior in knowledge and skill as the Medic Corps like Sakura Haruno, Shizune, Tsunade and Kabuto Yakushi.

Sakura Haruno is an example of a field medical-ninja that also actively works in Konoha Hospital as a member of the Medic Corps. Shizune too.

Medical ninja must be the last member of their teams to perish, therefore, they must never join the battle, making them support-types. This however, does not apply to Sakura Haruno, Tsunade and Kabuto Yakushi, who use medical ninjutsu variants as fighting techniques. Medical-ninja are the most valuable members of their squad and it is a priority to protect them in battle.

Yamato guarding Sakura Haruno, the only medical.ninja of the team.

I explain all about medical ninjutsu and medical ninjas here.

We can consider the Medic Corps and Konoha Hospital as the same organization, since the Medic Corps are exclusive to Konoha Hospital.

Based on some parts of the story, the Medic Corps send relief teams to special events such as the Chūnin Exams and treat patients in separate rooms outside Konoha Hospital. They also send other smaller groups of Medic Corps on smaller teams to retrieve patients. These teams are called Medical Teams (医療班, Iryō-Han).

Medical Teams from the Medic Corps sent to participate in events or rescue patients. We also see the change of the uniform's design.

Specialized medical-ninja are needed in Konoha Hospital in case of emergency. Examples include Shizune, Sakura Haruno and Tsunade; the two latter kunoichis being fighters as well as a medical-ninja and boasting a jutsu that grant them regenerative abilities.

Medical-ninjas are pivotal in a shinobi village or when winning big battles, as they are the only people able to maintain a full village healthy and ready to keep fighting. The Medic Corps and Sakura Haruno had their hands full during Pain’s invasion, as well as Tsunade through Katsuyu, who was able to save everyone from Pain’s Shinra Tensei explosion.

The Logistical Support & Medical Division of the Allied Shinobi Forces was also the main target of the enemy, especially their most skilled medics, the jōnin rank medics. It was thanks to Sakura Haruno leaving the Third Division and joining the Medical Division that she could stop the White Zetsu. She also healed countless shinobi in the division; as well as healing hundreds of members of the Allied Shinobi Forces with Katsuyu in the midst of battle.

Sakura Haruno in the hospital and Tsunade with Katsuyu healing countless civilians; Sakura Haruno and Shizune in the Medical Division. Sakura Haruno healing the entire Allied Shinobi Forces.

Blank Period:

The next time the Medic Corps and Konoha Hospital appear is mainly Sakura Hiden, this novel including one of Konoha Hospital’s major medical developments; although there are mentions in other novels too:

Six months after Kaguya Ōtsutsuki was defeated, Sakura Haruno started preparations to create a Therapy Center, a mental health branch for children who are indirect victims of the shinobi world.

Two years later, Sakura Haruno successfully founded the first ever mental healthcare institution inside Konoha Hospital; and other villages like Sunagakure also followed her example. Indirectly, it is also revealed that Shizune is representing the Medic Corps and Konoha Hospital during this time.

According to the novel, she is the “Executive/Manager of the Medical Team” (医療班の幹部 Iryō-Han no kanbu) and sits with the other three top officials of the Konoha Council and the daimyō to discuss matters pertaining the village.

Sakura Haruno opens the first mental Therapy Center in the world.

Boruto:

By the era of the Seventh Hokage, the Medic Corps rebranded, now called the Medical Department; their supervisor, Sakura Uchiha, now called “Head of the Medical Department” (医療部門の責任者, Iryō bumon no sekininsha), in contrast to Naruto’s non-existent hierarchical title. Overall, it has continued to function the same was as before, with the exception that it is now divided in two branches:

KONOHA HOSPITAL:

One of the most notable changes is the reconstruction of Konoha Hospital into a more modern building. The inside of the hospital looks much more modern and solid, in comparison to the building before Pain’s invasion, which had cracks everywhere (more noticeable in the manga).

The hospital in Boruto: Naruto the Movie and manga are more similar to the design in Naruto, while the anime changed the design to a more modern building.

Konoha Hospital in the anime and manga.

The hospital is directed by Sakura Uchiha, who also does some bureaucratic work from her own office. The building is also significantly more prepared than before, with various surgery rooms, intensive care, the off-screened therapy center, modernized patient rooms, labs and a classroom to train genin in medical ninjutsu.

So far, Konoha Hospital remains as the center of all healthcare in Konoha and the source of all medical knowledge of the village.

The director's office. One of the surgery rooms, the classroom, patient rooms and lab.

The Medic Corps still wear their white uniform with the crest in the back, although they changed the helmet for a bandana with Konoha’s symbol in it. Other uniforms include a blue robe with matching pants for Sakura and Shizune.

Another notable change is the presence of more discernible medical staff among their ranks. The Medical Teams sent on specific missions now wear the standard chūnin vest with the medical crest on their backs; while medical relief can be seen wearing a red armband with the medical crest.

The different types of medical-ninja in emergencies.

In addition to the new staff, Konoha Hospital has also started to give individual classes to genin that wish to become future field medical-ninja.

According to Boruto Uzumaki and Mitsuki, the Ninja Academy imparts classes about medical ninjutsu, but not real training enough to become a battlefield healer. For genin, it is compulsory that at least one member of the team trains in medical ninjutsu.

These classes are imparted by the head of department herself. Sakura Uchiha trains Sarada Uchiha for Team 7 and Inojin Yamanaka for Team 10, among others. Although according to Mitsuki’s own character profile, he is the actual medical-ninja of Team 7, which means he must have also trained with Sakura.

The new medical training explained by Boruto Uzumaki and Mitsuki. Sakura Uchiha begins the special class for genin.

MEDICAL OFFICE:

Other than Konoha Hospital with its new branches, there is also a healthcare facility inside the Hokage Residence called Medical Office or Medical Department (医務室, Imu-shitsu), controlled by the Medical Department.

Inside it, some of the Medic Corps work in important cases that need the direct supervision of the Hokage. The room is also used to attend to other healthcare cases, like the Scientific Ninja Weapons fixing Kawaki’s artificial arm. Sakura Uchiha and other staff also wear a different uniform more similar to the coat the staff of the Logistical Support & Medical Division used to wear.

Inside the room there is a single bed and several medical and technological instruments, as well as cabinets and a sink. In the manga, the room resembles a normal hospital room.

The Medical Office in the anime and manga.

Contrary to other teams that have been completely automated and made self sufficient, the Medical Department does not make use of the technology Konoha currently boasts of. Instead, they keep using shinobi for healthcare and medical ninjutsu, rather than adding machines.

Sakura Uchiha’s presence in Konoha Hospital to perform her medical duties is not unusual, and we always see her take care of patients in the village. Although it is not the same for Shizune, Sakura’s former mentor now assistant, Sakura Uchiha is always at the scene when anybody is in need of medical treatment.

Compared to the amount of times the Medic Corps appear and medical ninjutsu is used in Naruto, Ukyō Kodachi has drastically diminished the role of medical-ninja to the point of disappearance. In addition to that, the anime has demolished what it meant to train in medical ninjutsu; while it now takes a few hours to learn, it took the best medical ninja in the world 3 months to make advancements.

How does the Medical Department work and what is their role?

Gather professional medics in Konoha Hospital to heal people, study diseases, create medicines and develop healing ninjutsu.

Dispatch Medical Teams to special missions and include one field medical-ninja on teams for support.

Train future Medic Corps and medical-ninja.

DISCUSSION:

How important is the Medical Department?

The Medical Department has experienced a decrease of utility in Boruto compared to Naruto. However, being written out of the story does not equal being less important.

Unlike other teams, the Medical Department debuted fairly early into the story and it is considered as one of the major Konoha branches with ANBU and Shinobi Forces; it is the main and major support system of the village too. Some of the best examples include the Chūnin Exams when the Medic Corps heal the participants after a fight to continue training, or Pain’s invasion when Konoha citizens and shinobi were attacked by summons or in the midst of fighting the Paths.

The equivalent of the Medic Corps at the time of the battle against Madara and Obito Uchiha, the Logistical Support & Medical Division, was also the most important support system during the conflict. It is natural that the enemy would want to take down the source of energy of a platoon, but they were also pivotal in battle by pumping the Allied Shinobi Forces full of chakra to boost their own ninjutsu, as well as Sakura and Shizune performing the autopsy on White Zetsu to discover the uses of Hashirama Senju’s cells.

Sakura Haruno of the Medical Division uses medical ninjutsu to power up ninjutsu. A medical-ninja from the Medical Division explains why they are essential.

The Medical Department is essential to secure a successful mission, be it by healing the members of the team, creating items such as poison and medical ointments to use in battle by non medics, healing shinobi after missions and also providing healthcare to the rest of citizens.

So far, almost every Konoha shinobi, and non-Konoha shinobi, has required medical care in the hospital and member of the Medic Corps: Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Kakashi Hatake, Chōji Akimichi, Neji Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka, Rock Lee and Konoha civilians in Naruto, Ino Yamanaka, Kumogakure and Kirigakure shinobi and children in the Blank Period, Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Boruto Uzumaki, Kawaki and Hinata Hyūga in Boruto; as well as Karin, Hinata Hyūga, Kankurō, Naruto Uzumaki, Temari, Jiji and Granny Chiyo by Sakura Haruno as a Medic Corps on the battlefield.

Some examples of treatment at Konoha Hospital.

The current problem of the Medical Department:

In Boruto, the Medical Department suffered a downgrade compared to previous appearances, although not in abilities or competency. Konoha Hospital has remained one of the most successful in terms of workforce, so far never needing anyone to step in for Sakura to perform healing or save a life, and not being relegated to an automated system either. The Medical Department still relies on humans rather than machines, very unlike the sensing system for example.

The downgrade is in relevance.

We used to see the Medic Corps, or, rather, Sakura Haruno, since more than half of the story happened outside Konoha; Sakura represented medicine and took on roles that went beyond simple healing. From elaborating antidotes for poison, creating medicines based on clan’s medical encyclopedias, using poison against enemies or using elaborate techniques other than the repetitive Mystical Palm Technique.

Sakura Haruno creates an antidote. Tsunade creates prosthetic arms.

The role of a medic has been simplified, just using the basic healing technique by default, the Mystical Palm Technique, to heal anything they get their hands into, rather than identifying different pathologies and applying different methods for each; like Kankurō needing specific healing to remove poison, for example. Now, we see Sakura using the same jutsu on every patient.

There is no space for elaborate medicine crafting either, or, at least, do not let Sakura and her medical team do it. The concept of creating antidotes, poisons, artificial arms, studying body pathologies and using different ninjutsu has been given to Amado Sanzu and Katasuke Tōnō, rather than have Sakura, a poison expert, botanist, scientist and medic, do the job. It is a big aspect that has been taken away from the Medical Department.

Sakura Haruno using the same jutsu in every patient.

The Medical Department in itself is not a failure, nor do their ranks fail at doing their job or need other people to step in for them. The failure comes with the writing quality in the sequel compared to Naruto, rather than the organization itself.

Could they be redeemed?

The Medical Department does not need to be redeemed or rewritten, the problem lies in how they are projected in the sequel.

Their functionality is perfect. They have the world's best medical-ninja as their leader, several members of the staff, a great emergency response and a board of teachers.

Some of the things they could do are:

Use more elaborated techniques rather than basic healing ninjutsu.

Make use of their botanists and poison experts, elaborate pills and other substances that are currently needed in plot.

There is no need to erase the Scientific Ninja Tools to make prosthetic arms, just allow them to collaborate with the Medical Department for better results and more possibilities.

Allow them to investigate seals and ninjutsu that are capable of regenerating, such as Kawaki's and Boruto's.

Considering Konoha is the most powerful shinobi village and Konoha Hospital has two of the top medical-ninja in the world, the usage of their staff leaves much to be desired in the script.

Note: The Fourth Shinobi World W4r has been replaced by global conflict to avoid mature content flags.