Summary
- Creation Rebirth is a powerful regeneration technique used by Tsunade and Sakura in Naruto.
- The technique forces cells to divide rapidly to heal severe injuries, but shortens lifespan.
- Medical Ninjutsu requires advanced chakra control and medical knowledge, making it difficult to master.
While Naruto is filled with exciting battles, not all ninjas specialize in “fighting jutsu.” There is an entire branch of ninjutsu for those who want to perform a more supportive role in combat — medical jutsu.
Tsunade is one of the most powerful shinobi Naruto‘s lore who specializes in this area. And as the series progressed, fans witnessed Sakura’s journey as her disciple, learning many techniques that come in handy during the battles. One of the most powerful ones, even considered the “pinnacle of medical ninjutsu”, is the Creation Rebirth.
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What Is Creation Rebirth?
Also known as Mitotic Regeneration, Creation Rebirth is a regeneration technique invented by Tsunade. It is introduced in Volume 19 of the manga and in episode 95 of Naruto (not Naruto Shippuden), and is used to protect oneself and allies.
The user releases a huge amount of chackra at once, forcing their cells to divide (the natural process of mitosis) — this way, they can heal even the most severe injuries. It is a high-level medical technique, even considered the most powerful regeneration jutsu. Tsunade stores her chakra on her forehead using the Byakugo Seal (also known as Reserve Seal, The Hundred Healings Mark and Strength of a Hundred Seal).
While Creation Rebirth is active, the user cannot die, as long as they have chakra to keep it active. However, since the technique doesn’t regenerate cells (it only speeds up the creation of new ones), and there is a limit to how many times each cell can split (the real Hayflick limit), Tsunade or anyone else who may use Creation Rebirth actually shortens their lifespan a bit every time they do it.
Who Can Use Creation Rebirth?
Tsunade and Sakura Haruno are the only characters that use this technique during the series. However, like other jutsu, one could potentially learn how to do it and master the technique. So it could still be somehow featured in Boruto or any eventual new spin-off of the franchise.
Creation Rebirth is considered the ultimate regeneration technique, but there is an even more powerful version of this jutsu, called Ninja Art Creation Rebirth — Strength of a Hundred Technique (also known as Ninja Art: Mitotic Regeneration: One Hundred Healings and Mitotic Regeneration: The Hundred Healings), which can be performed without a hand seal.
What Is Medical Ninjutsu?
Medical ninjutsu is a form of ninjutsu focused on healing and related topics. It is usually used by shinobi who are “medical-nin” (medical ninjas), but could potentially be used by anyone who trains for it.
However, medical ninjutsu is generally composed of advanced techniques that require not only advanced chakra control, but also knowledge associated with medicine — like human anatomy, poison, remedies, herbs and such. Thus, learning medical ninjutsu is hard, and generally those who use it are specialized in this branch of ninjutsu.
Tsunade is one of the most renowned medical-nin in the series, and Sakura later becomes her apprentice. She is also credited for creating some sort of ethics and rules among medical-nin.
There are other medical ninjas, like Shinno (from Naruto: Bonds), and we know that the First Hokage could also use medical jutsu — he could also use senjutsu and powerful defensive jutsu techniques. No wonder he is dubbed “the God of Shinobi”.
Other Regeneration Jutsu in Naruto
As expected, there are many other regeneration techniques featured in Naruto. Powerful ones include the Body Revival Technique (used by Shinno) and Orochimaru’s Body Replacement Technique.
In the anime, Sakura is able to perform a technique called Regenerative Healing Jutsu, that can treat severe injuries.
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are available to stream on Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, Prime Video and several other services.
