Only Tsunade & Sakura Using 100 Healing Jutsu: Why?

Only Tsunade & Sakura Using 100 Healing Jutsu: Why?

By Theresa McDonough

Here’s why only Tsunade and Sakura can use the 100 healing jutsu:

There are a few reasons why only Tsunade and Sakura ever use the 100 healing jutsu.

For starters, Tsunade invented the jutsu and only ever taught it to Sakura, so they’re the only two who know how.

They’re probably also the only two capable of using the technique as it requires extraordinary chakra control.

So if you want to learn all about why the 100 healing jutsu was only ever used by Tsunade and Sakura, then this article is for you.

Let’s jump right into it!

Only Tsunade & Sakura Using 100 Healing Jutsu: Why?

Who Is Tsunade?

Tsunade is actually the inventor of the 100 healing jutsu, so it’s important that we talk about her a bit.

Before I really get into it, allow me to give you a formal spoiler warning.

Answering this question will require me to spoil major plot points in the Naruto manga.

Since the Naruto anime series are both based on the manga, I’ll be spoiling them too.

If you’re not caught up on the story and want to avoid spoilers, stop here.

As a side note, nothing in this discussion will constitute a spoiler for Boruto (the sequel to Naruto).

If you’re not caught up on Boruto, you’re fine.

These spoilers only apply to Naruto.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about Tsunade.

Tsunade is a legendary ninja.

She’s actually a member of the legendary Sanin—three ninjas who distinguished themselves in the Third Great Ninja War.

She was an innovator in all things related to medical ninjutsu.

She invented many techniques and pioneered the idea of having medics become standard members of ninja squads.

Because of her legend, she eventually became the Fifth Hokage (leader of the Leaf Village), and she served with distinction for several years.

On top of all of her accomplishments, Tsunade is also the granddaughter of Hashirama.

He was the First Hokage and one of the founders of the Leaf Village.

Tsunade clearly inherited some of her grandfather’s greatness, and she acquitted herself well as a great ninja and leader.

In addition to all of this, she was also Sakura’s mentor and taught Sakura pretty much everything she knew.

Who Is Sakura?

This is a great moment to start talking about Sakura.

Sakura was a member of the legendary Team 7.

Alongside her teammates, she helped to save the world from the evil deity, Kaguya.

I’ll skip the details on that part, but Sakura’s contributions in that battle made her one of the ultimate legends in all of Naruto ninja history.

As a young ninja, Sakura studied directly under Tsunade to learn medical ninjutsu.

She quickly distinguished herself as the most talented and promising of all of Tsunade’s students.

Sakura mastered all medical techniques at a young age, and she was only the second ninja in history to master the 100 healing jutsu.

What Is the 100 Healing Jutsu?

The 100 healing jutsu is a special technique that was invented by Tsunade.

We see her use it two times for sure in the original manga.

We also see Sakura use it in the 4th Great Ninja War.

The technique is quite different from anything else in the Naruto universe.

It primarily works by storing chakra in a focal point of a ninja’s body.

In the case of both Tsunade and Sakura, they perform the technique by storing chakra in their foreheads.

This is not a simple or quick process.

The technique is a matter of continuously siphoning off chakra, a little at a time, to that focal point.

Over years, the practitioner can build up an absolutely massive chakra reserve and use it to unleash the 100 healing jutsu.

When released, the jutsu allows for rapid and intense healing.

It’s used a few different ways in the manga.

The first time we see it, Tsunade unleashes it to protect the Leaf Village from Pain’s attack.

Pain unleashes an absolutely devastating attack that basically levels the whole village.

In response to the attack, Tsunade releases the 100 healing jutsu, and she’s able to simultaneously heal everyone in the village fast enough that they all survive Pain’s attack.

It’s an impressive feat, and it taxes Tsunade so hard that she falls into a coma. 

Later, Tsunade uses it to fight against Madara.

This time around, she isn’t protecting a whole village, so all of the healing is focused on her own body.

As a result, it makes her basically immortal until the chakra reserve runs out.

During the fight, she is severely wounded multiple times and basically heals in an instant.

She is even literally cut in half and still bounces back because of the jutsu.

Sakura uses it in a similar fashion in the 4th Great Ninja War.

She’s able to tank severe damage again and again.

Basically, the jutsu allows her to stay in the fight long after the entire allied ninja army is defeated.

Here’s the big thing about this jutsu.

Since the practitioner has to consistently store chakra away over time, it requires a ridiculous level of focus, concentration, and precise chakra control.

If the practitioner slips up for a single moment, the stored chakra will be released unintentionally.

This means that Tsunade and Sakura are controlling their chakra at all moments while preparing the technique.

That includes while they perform medical techniques, while they fight, and even while they sleep.

It’s safe to say that mastering this technique is extremely difficult.

Why Can Only Tsunade and Sakura Use the 100 Healing Jutsu? (3 Reasons)

Now that I’ve explained the 100 healing jutsu, you can already begin to imagine why so few characters use it.

It’s a hard jutsu to use, and it requires specialized knowledge and skills.

That’s going to weed out most of the potential practitioners.

But, there are actually only two ninjas in the history of the Naruto world who use the technique.

Why is that the case?

Well, it’s really a combination of factors.

The difficulty of the jutsu is a major contributor, and I’ll explain in more detail just why so few ninjas are even capable of using the technique.

Beyond that, there are issues with the storyline and the mere opportunity to learn the technique that prohibits even more ninjas from ever even having a chance to use it.

Basically, only Tsunade and Sakura use the technique because they’re the only ones who can use it.

Let me explain the details of why that is the case.

#1 Chakra Control

The primary reason only Tsunade and Sakura use this technique is that it requires unparalleled levels of chakra control and precision.

Even among the legendary Team 7, only Sakura has enough chakra control for this technique.

In fact, she clearly has the most precise chakra control of the group, and that’s true pretty much from the start.

That control gap grows over time.

Keep in mind that at the end of the series, Naruto and Sasuke are the two strongest ninjas in the world, and Kakashi is probably number three.

Sakura has significantly better chakra control and precision than any of those three at that point in the story.

That’s how hard it is to use the 100 healing jutsu.

It’s possible that in the whole history of the ninja world, there might be a handful of ninjas who could have pulled off the 100 healing jutsu.

Among those, only Tsunade and Sakura ever actually learn it.

Keep in mind that Tsunade’s best students were genuinely incapable of pulling off the technique.

It’s just too hard.

So, the reason only two ninjas ever learn it is because it requires such extraordinary talent in precise chakra control that they’re the only ninjas who could learn it.

#2 Timeline

There’s also an issue with timing and the Naruto timeline.

Tsunade invented the jutsu.

Clearly, no one before her time could have ever done it because it didn’t exist.

How, exactly, is a ninja supposed to do a technique that doesn’t exist yet?

That means that only ninjas who exist after Tsunade invents the jutsu have a chance of learning it.

Among those ninjas, a vanishingly small percentage have the raw talent to learn it.

We only know for sure that Sakura is capable of learning it, and we do know that everyone else Tsunade ever taught was incapable of learning it.

So, you have a very small pool of ninjas who might have the raw capability of pulling off the jutsu.

In order to learn it, they would have to come into contact with Tsunade (or Sakura after she learns it).

That ninja would then have to be taught the jutsu by one of the two practitioners.

The timeline simply doesn’t allow for this.

That’s why it doesn’t happen, and there are only ever two ninjas who do the 100 healing jutsu.

#3 Trust

With all of that said, there’s also the issue of trust.

Let’s say that the best medical ninja from another village was capable of learning the jutsu.

That ninja then came into contact with Tsunade.

Tsunade isn’t going to teach the jutsu to someone just because they’re capable.

This is Tsunade’s most powerful technique and ultimate trump card.

She’s not just going to put up fliers and teach it to anyone who comes by.

She’s only going to teach it to someone she deeply trusts.

Sakura isn’t just the only one of Tsunade’s students who have the talent to master the technique.

She’s also on a very short list of students Tsunade trusts enough to teach them.

Basically, only Sakura and Shizune ever learn how the jutsu works.

That’s two ninjas.

It means that Tsunade does not take this lightly and does not trust easily—at least not for this one technique.

Following those footsteps, we can reasonably assume that Sakura will guard the knowledge of the technique just as closely.

She’s certainly capable of teaching it to a worthy student, but only after she finds such a student.

She’s not going to teach the jutsu just because she can.

It would require a capable student who also earned the highest levels of Sakura’s trust.

Author

  • Theresa McDonough

    Tech entrepreneur and founder of Tech Medic, who has become a prominent advocate for the Right to Repair movement. She has testified before the US Federal Trade Commission and been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, helping influence change within the tech industry.

    View all posts