Around six months after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sakura Haruno proposed the idea to open a branch within the Konoha Hospital to treat children.
• In chapter 1 (p.20), Sakura Haruno and her best friend, Ino Yamanaka, leave a conference inside the Konoha Hospital held by a younger medical ninja who is participating in this project.
This conference is about the development of the clinic within a year and about policies and plans.
In page 21, it is mentioned that Sakura came up with the idea of the Clinic.
"...Sakura proposed to the upper ranks the creation of a department [...] specializing in the care of children's hearts and minds".
Sakura had been treating the wounded after the War ended.
However, even if children did not directly participate in the War, many lost their parents and were mentally scared due to its consequences.
So, after thinking thoroughly of this detail, starts investigating about the possible scars the War could have had in children in page 22.
She comes empty handed about physical damage done to them. However, this does not stop her.
She turns to her teacher, Tsunade Senju, about the idea she had come up with.
Tsunade agrees with it and supports the idea:
"I think it’s a good idea. […] Take the lead on this, Sakura, and move forward with it."
Here we see that it is, indeed, Sakura, the one who leads this plan. She has Tsunade supporting her from the very start.
Then Ino Yamanaka is mentioned.
Here it is stated that once Sakura had sorted out everything, Ino helped her in the process.
She supported her and assisted her, all of this is referenced later in the novel.
But Sakura has too much to do on her own. Ino comments on this specifically.
Then, the clarification comes in the following paragraph:
"With Ino's help... Sakura managed to open the children's therapy center".
The previous extract is what confirms that Sakura is the lead.
Ino helped with bureaucracy. But she is not credited in the foundation of the Clinic.
“They soon started to see steady and strong results".
Ino helps Sakura throughout the tedious process of the foundation of the Clinic.
It’s all because of your help, Ino. Thanks.”
Ino is credited in the bureaucracy department. It is said and implied that she help with paperwork. But she is NOT the Co-founder/Co-director of the Clinic.
Ino helped more as Sakura’s assistant and support.
• In chapter 1 (p. 24), there are more evidences about Sakura being the promoter from Kakashi Hatake, the current Hokage of Konohagakure.
"Sakura, Suna’s […] ready whenever we are".
This extract displays that Kakashi is also supporting her idea. As saying “we” he shows is totally committed in this project as the village's leader.
She offers Sakura to go to Sunagakure and get the details about the upcoming opening from the medics there.
Ino helped Sakura with her project. It is only fair that she goes as well.
• In chapter 1 (p. 29), Sakura and her master meet in a restaurant to say goodbye before her departure.
The narrative confirms that Tsunade pushed Sakura to carry out her idea:
It is also mentioned that Sakura just founded the Clinic, but she does NOT work there.
It is unknown if she holds the title of Head or Director. Thus, her position in that hierarchy is unknown. However, the Boruto anime confirms that Sakura eventually became the Head of the Konoha Hospital.
The Clinic is a branch within the Konoha Hospital, so Sakura holds the title as Director and Founder.
This debunks a statement highly misunderstood by Ino’s fans:
Ino does NOT work in this Clinic.
In the first place, Ino is a medic-ninja for battle. She is not a doctor/medic as a profession.
Because of this, it is impossible for her to practice as a medic/doctor.
I want to point out that Sakura, a professionalmedic/doctor, does NOT work in this Clinic either.
"The ones actually working with the children are specialists"
• In chapter 2 (p. 51), now in Sunagakure, Sakura leads the conference about the Clinic she opened in Konoha.
She is nervous to speak in front of a large audience. Ino steps in from time to time to offer additional information, she provided support throughout Sakura’s speech.
This is Sakura's Clinic and, so, she leads.
• In chapter 3 (p.61), we get more confirmation about Sakura and her project from Kakashi.
"Haruno Sakura proposed and launched the children's therapy center".
Kakashi, as the Hokage, is the person that presents this project to the village's higher-ups and supports it by creating a budget plan.
Koharu asks for Sakura to get more information from her directly.
"[Sakura] wanted to... exchange ideas with them".
Sakura wants to know the details about the project from Sunagakure.
Once more, Ino goes with her, as mentioned earlier, for support.
However, there is something important about Tsunade that might explain why she is not more directly involved in the project.
• In chapter 4 (p. 94), Tsunade and Sakura meet again to talk about DNA stemmed from the problem of Sasuke’s alleged clone and the chakra cloak.
This could imply why Tsunade did not have a more active part in Sakura’s project or why she does not stand by her supporting her directly, knowing that it was the Sannin the person who pushed her student and knowing that she is a medic as well.
However, this is just a thought.
Ino fills her role wonderfully as Sakura's best friend.
• In chapter 8 (p.173), Kakashi reminisces about Kido’s situation as a child.
He is explicitly involved in the project.
Later, in the same page, Sakura talks to Ino and Sai after their mission.
“We”.
Tsunade as her mentor, Kakashi as her sensei and Hokage and Ino as the person who stood with her and helped her with paperwork.
She came up with the idea and had 3 people supporting her back.
Right after, a group of medics approach the group in the next page (p. 174).
The medic approach the group but they intent to speak with Sakura, the leader of the project.
Sakura is quick to accompany them and answer their questions
"I'll come too?".
Ino, once again, offers her help with the matter. But Sakura refuses.
End.
This is all evidences that say Sakura is indeed the only creator of the Clinic and rights are reserved to her and her name.
She had 3 people supporting her, not only Ino, but Tsunade and Kakashi as well. The only difference is that Ino went to all the meetings and assisted with the paperwork.
The novel deliberately and explicitly says that “Sakura opened the Clinic” or “Sakura managed to open the Clinic”.
As for Sakura’s role, I have seen people saying she dismissed the project because she doesn’t work there, as well as others saying Ino works there because she specializes in mind techniques. This is completely false.
I can’t see Ino fixing children’s problems by performing the Mind Body Switch jutsu and giving them a talk.
Ino never got any development as a medic or a doctor. She is a medic-nin, for platoons, but not a doctor as a proffesion and she’s not qualified to work as one.
The manga doesn’t place Ino as a medic in the Konoha hierarchy because she already covers her own role.
Furthermore, I don’t see how she would specialize as a psychologist or psychiatrist, considering she transfers minds, to generalize the concept.
Sakura doesn’t seem to work directly in the clinic, but she is the founder and director.
Besides, the title of Director of the Clinic is redundant. Sakura became the Head of the Medical Department, that means everything related to medicine inside Konoha. Since this Clinic is a branch inside the Hospital, she directs it as well. Sakura can hold the title of Founder.
Besides, I don’t understand where people got the information about Ino working in that Clinic.
In the Boruto anime, she works in the Yamanaka flower shop and is the Leader of the Barrier (again, she holds her own role in the hierarchy as a sensor ninja).
This proves that people haven’t actually read the novel. And, I reiterate, Sakura doesn’t work in it either, she said that professionals are taking care of the children. I reaffirm: professionals.
In fact, Ino does not even hold the title of Co-founder, assistant director or Co-director either. This information is displayed no where.
The meaning of co-founder or cofound is “build an institution jointly”.
Sakura had already started with her project and had everything sorted out by the time Ino joined her.
In short, Ino’s role was supportive. She assisted Sakura but she did NOT open the clinic with her friend. She stood with Sakura when Tsunade didn’t (maybe because she’s retired) and Kakashi was busy being Hokage (he doesn’t have anything to do in the world of medicine).
That doesn’t take credits away from Ino either. She helped Sakura a lot. It is in the novel how much she took care of the project. As for others like Shizune, she is in the conference with Koharu, Kido and Kakashi as a senior medic.
Konoha Children’s Mental Healthcare Clinic is a project of Sakura. She thought, developed and succeeded with it. She is the sole founder and she had 3 of her most important friends backing her up. Without them, she couldn’t have achieved her goal.
To finish this post, I would like to highlight that some Sakura haters actually claim that the Clinic was Ino’s idea and not Sakura’s, or that Ino works in it because she works with mind techniques. Again, there is no solid ground to back this argument and there are no official references. I understand that you can dislike a character but that doesn’t mean you can remove the credit from a person and confer it to another. People that claim the last two sentences as true have actually not read the novel.
And saying that Ino works multiple jobs doesn’t make her better than any other character, and it shows how little you understand her character or like her just as it was created. Adding more qualities to her character shows that you don’t actually like how she is portrayed and also hints a little bit of disappointment with her.
Taking qualities from one character and give it to your favorite is toxic and people do it to bring down said character and create a hostile situation. Sakura and Ino are best friends that started with good terms, developed a rather toxic rivalry, and ended the best of friends. There is no need to bring each other down.