Fire: Fire is the most healing-focused element, as it will do the most amount of healing while having absolutely no buffing effects. The fire will catch onto a person, like any regular fire, but will basically do the opposite effect. While it exists on them, it will heal any surface wounds slowly and over time, with higher ranks speeding this process heightening the healing potential. It persists until its duration is out, even if the person is completely healed.

Water: Water is best acknowledged for its dampening effects. The best way to represent the function of water is to imagine a bubble around a target. Any elemental attack that is targeted at the person will have its effect dampened, depending on the rank of the jutsu and the water. This applies to all elements, not just fire, and lightning does not ignore the water. The water also has some healing potential, but only heals minor wounds upon being placed on a person, which is much less potent than any other element.

Lightning: Lightning could be considered the middle point between buffing and healing when it comes to the elements. Lightning both heals and invigorates, but not as much as elements doing strictly one or the other. Generally, lightning will stimulate the nerves to increase speed and reaction time, while healing internal injuries and nullifying lower ranked poisons in the bloodstream.

Earth: Earth is quite easily the element known for its buffing capabilities. Otherwise known as "Strength of Earth", it is used to temporarily enhance muscle mass to increase strength, or increase resilience to poisons and such. It is also known to allow one to ignore pain, but this can of course be dangerous. All in all, it is used to make allies more durable, but does not affect speed.

Wind: Wind is the element that enhances mobility while also having healing capabilities. It is often either confused with or used instead of lightning. Wind is generally used to increase acrobatic abilities of allies by giving them the aid of the air. In a way they become lighter, making flips and spins much easier to perform. This is not the same as lightning in that it does not increase speed, but simple maneuverability. As for healing, it is used as a sort of damage prevention. When an ally is hit by a damaging attack, the wound is "blown away" so to speak. This works in terms of rank however, and whether or not all or some of the wound is healed depends on the rank of the jutsu and the attack. The amount of times the wind will negate an attack also depends on the jutsu itself.

The Osotsu clan were, at first, just a band of scientists. In truth, they weren't even a clan or family, but rather a group of friends who worked together in a medical facility. They were good people who were determined to create a more sufficient or flexible form of healing, one that could be used on the battle field actively and with ease. In short they, through genetic engineering, successfully gained the ability to fuse medical and elemental chakra together. At first, it didn't do much, but they were proud of what they had accomplished. The initial group was diverse enough that everybody married within it, and taught their children in medical practices and encouraged them to continue their work. It continued like this for only a few generations before the Kekkei Genkai the clan is known for now was born.

By this time, the family of friends had become more of a clan, but they were all still somewhat distantly related, however the Kekkei Genkai was strong in each of them. This was the beginning of the clan itself. It basically began to expand like this through each individual family with no other important points of development, though diversity was apparent. The two differing personalities the clan is known for occured because of two different families, who became the main two to have the Kekkei Genkai. These two families were those of, of course, selfish aristocrats and one of selfless laborers. This personality streak was one that could be traced all the way back to the original group of friends, though they were much less subtle about it.