The Fifty-Ninth: Medical Reform

After sitting through the lesson, Yuehua Ai had to admit that Yamazaki Kazuna was a very capable instructor.

Tsunade was hailed as Konoha's best medical ninja, and as her close friend, Yamazaki Kazuna naturally had an impressive level of skill as well.

Although he had come to this field halfway through his life, Yuehua Ai had a foundation from his previous life, so he could understand about seventy percent of what she taught. Of the remaining thirty percent, ten percent went over his head because some technical terms differed slightly from those in his previous life. The other twenty percent involved how chakra interacted with cells. Since he had missed her earlier lessons, he lacked the foundational knowledge. After all, this was one of the unique aspects of the Naruto World's medical system.

These unique aspects were all related to the existence of chakra. For instance, how did chakra transformed into different types of energy stimulate cells? How did cells respond to chakra of varying densities? He knew nothing about the way chakra interacted with cells. After all, what on earth had there been called chakra back on Earth in his previous life?

Even though there were things he didn't understand, that didn't stop Yuehua Ai from writing down his questions. He had prepared well before coming here to report for duty, so despite having many questions, he could still keep a clear head. With the books he had borrowed from the library, he was confident he could find the answers soon even without his instructor Yamazaki giving him extra lessons.

The Medical Study Class Yuehua Ai was now attending was quite different from the institutions that had previously trained ordinary medical ninja.

In the past, the village's medical ninja had all worked at Konoha Hospital. Even during wartime, the village had protected them closely. Their duty was to treat the wounded brought back from the front lines.

But now, after the Second Shinobi World War, the way medical ninja were trained had changed. Although many departments still specifically trained medical personnel to serve at Konoha Hospital, Yuehua Ai's class was meant to train battlefield medics.

As it happened, the reason medical ninja training had been divided this way was Tsunade's proposal.

Before the Second Shinobi World War ended, medical ninja had never gone onto the battlefield.

Their unique ability to heal could greatly reduce the death rate among ninja. As a branch of the ninja force, medical ninja therefore played an irreplaceable strategic role in every era. But medical ninja had generally lacked combat skills and the ability to protect themselves in battle, so they hadn't been allowed on the battlefield. Even in Konoha, they had always been kept under close protection.

But after the Second Shinobi World War, Tsunade lost her beloved younger brother, Senju Nawaki, along with many of her comrades. At last, she came to a realization.

She believed that if medical ninja could accompany ninja teams on missions, it would not only increase their chances of success but also improve the ninja's survival rate, preventing tragedies as much as possible.

So, at an important meeting during the war, Tsunade submitted a proposal to Konoha's High Command to send medical ninja onto the battlefield. It also included reforms to the medical ninja training system and three principles medical ninja would have to follow.

At the meeting, Tsunade proposed assigning one medical ninja to every mission squad. To make it possible for medical ninja to go to the battlefield, she also put forward two practical recommendations.

First, establish specialized medical ninja training classes to teach them how to survive on the battlefield. The medical ninja would be divided into "frontline combat medics" and "rear-area combat medics," with different training methods suited to their respective environments.

The so-called "frontline combat medics" would be created by selecting some sensory-type ninja and training them as support medics. They could sense and evade danger, provide emergency treatment for wounds, and then hand the stabilized casualties over to professional "rear-area combat medics" for further care. This would prevent cases where delays in treatment led to death.

Second, Konoha's Logistics Department could prepare special "Ninjutsu Scrolls" for "frontline combat medics" to use as secret weapons to save their lives. For example, defensive or restraining techniques could be sealed inside the scrolls, then released by infusing them with chakra when needed.

This would effectively improve medical ninja's ability to protect themselves and also let them support mission ninja in combat. Imagine an enemy attack-type ninja targeting one of our medical ninja. Our medic might not know any offensive techniques, but once chakra was infused into the scroll, a Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique could sweep the enemy away. That would not only ease the pressure on the mission ninja but also buy them time to protect the medic.

Both recommendations—or requirements—were based on reforming the medical ninja training system. But for medical ninja themselves, the most important thing was the three principles that applied to them personally.

First: A medical ninja must never abandon treatment before a teammate's life had run out.

Second: A medical ninja must never be at the very front of the battlefield.

Third: A medical ninja must never die before every other member of the squad.

These three principles weren't merely requirements for medical ninja; they also offered them the most important protection.

Whether it was the two recommendations or the three principles, the deeper meaning behind Tsunade's proposals was truly ahead of its time. Every recommendation in them deserved to be regarded as a guiding principle.

At the meeting, Dan Katō had been the strongest supporter of Tsunade's proposal. Having just lost his younger sister in the war, he shared feelings similar to Tsunade's. It was thanks to Dan Katō's support that he and Tsunade met, and that became the beginning of their relationship, which had since grown into romance.

Konoha's High Command had agreed in principle with the great innovations in Tsunade's proposals, but unfortunately, such idealistic plans didn't suit the circumstances at the time. The Second Shinobi World War was raging, and when it came to reforming medical care, Konoha couldn't meet the theoretical standards in either manpower or technology, despite being the strongest ninja village. So after discussion, the Third ultimately rejected Tsunade's proposal.

Of course, even if a proposal like this was rejected for a time, people wouldn't simply forget it. After the Second Shinobi World War ended, Tsunade raised the matter again. This time, the Third didn't turn her down. Instead, he gave her full authority to put the plan into action.

That was how the Medical Study Class came to be. Every part of the training here was meant to prepare medical ninja to go to the front lines.

The plan to establish the class officially began two years ago, and it took Tsunade a full year to complete. During that year, she not only recruited medical ninja with some battlefield experience but also organized specialized medical knowledge into a systematic curriculum.

After a year of preparation, the Medical Study Class finally began accepting its first students last year. Its target recruits were outstanding Genin who had just graduated from the Ninja Academy.

This year, the first class of battlefield medical ninja had graduated. Among the newly graduated medics was a young girl named Nohara Rin, who had already joined a team of mission ninja as a medical ninja.

This was the Medical Study Class's second year, and Yuehua Ai and the others belonged to the second class since the medical reforms.