Chakra Basics

[Chie Masami]

Chakra Basics

Simply, everything you need to know about Chakra and Jutsus before beginning to perform them!
This is sponsored by NinjAcademy ®™!

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Continent:

• About Chakra
  
• Chakra Control
  
• Ninjutsu
  
• Genjutsu
  
• Taijutsu
  
• Nature Transformation

All credit is given to Naruto Wikia.

[Chie Masami]

Chakra is essential to even the most basic jutsu; it is a mixture of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the spiritual energy gained from exercise and experience. Once mixed, it can be channeled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points (called tenketsu) in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire or creating illusions.

Chakra is the resulting form of energy when two other forms of energy are mixed together. The two energies are referred to as "physical energy" and "spiritual energy". Physical energy is collected from the body's cells and can be increased through training, stimulants, and exercise. Spiritual energy is derived from the mind's consciousness (i.e. the soul) and can be increased through studying, meditation, and experience. Having these two energies become more powerful will in-turn make the created chakra more powerful. Therefore, practicing a jutsu repeatedly will build-up experience, building up one's spiritual energy, and thus allowing more chakra to be created. As a result, the ninja is able to do that same jutsu with more power. This same cycle applies for physical energy, except this time, instead of doing things like meditation, the ninja could, say, do push-ups.

[Chie Masami]

Chakra, as said, takes time and a great deal of training to gradually build up; thus, the key is not actually having chakra, but being able to sufficiently control and conserve it. Everyone has chakra, but only skilled ninja can correctly "mould" and "manipulate" it to its fullest extent.

Molding chakra involves the extraction of energies from both the body's cells and the mind's consciousness, then mixing them together within the individual. The amount of each energy will differ based on the type of technique the ninja wishes to execute. In other words, a ninja could create too much or too little chakra for a given jutsu, resulting in the chakra being used inefficiently. In addition, even if a ninja is able to mould the correct amount of chakra, if they cannot manipulate the chakra properly, the desired jutsu will not be as effective or will not execute at all. Wasting energy will also create weaknesses like early exhaustion, which would hinder the ninja's capacity to fight long term battles. General training methods for improving one's moulding and manipulation of chakra are the Leaf Concentration, Tree Climbing, and Water Walking exercises.

As an in-between stage, some ninja can partially control their chakra. This means they can use their chakra, but not effectively control it, which results in a poorly executed jutsu. To manipulate their chakra more easily, hand seals can be used. With these hand seals, users can control their chakra with higher efficiency, allowing them to execute their jutsu more effectively. Different jutsu require different hand seals. The general term for the exact moulding and proper manipulation of chakra is called "chakra control". People with skilled chakra control are usually Medical-nin or Sensor-types, both of which requires extreme control over chakra to be effective. A good way to build up chakra in the body is to spin it into a tight spiral. Whether to spin the chakra left or right is dependent on the way the user's hair grows, either to the right or left.

[Chie Masami]

Ninjutsu refers to any technique that utilizes chakra and allows the user to perform actions that a normal person otherwise would be incapable of doing. It is said that the Sage of the Six Paths was the first to explain the mysteries of chakra, traveling throughout the world to spread his ideas and religion, the Ninshū. The teachings were meant to give people a better understanding of themselves, as well as others, and lead the world into an era of peace. However, as time wore on, ninshū would eventually come to be known as ninjutsu, a more weaponized version of the Sage's teachings.

Unlike genjutsu, which causes the opponent to experience illusions, the effects of ninjutsu are real and physical in most cases. Ninjutsu relies on chakra and, most of the time, hand seals to be effective. The hands are put in sequential positions that moulds and manipulates chakra in the necessary manner to perform a jutsu. This is not always needed, however, and some jutsu become second nature to experienced ninja, after which they can perform them at will.

When creating a ninjutsu, the two methods of manipulating chakra are referred to as Shape Transformation and Nature Transformation:

• Shape Transformation deals with controlling the form, movement, and potency of chakra.
  
• Nature Transformation usually deals with changing the physical properties of chakra into an element.

These two methods can be implemented separately or together in order to create a ninjutsu.

[Chie Masami]

Genjutsu are techniques that are employed in the same fashion as ninjutsu, requiring chakra and hand seals. However, the primary difference between the two is that the effects of genjutsu are illusory; instead of attacking the victim's body, like taijutsu or ninjutsu, genjutsu techniques manipulate the flow of chakra in the victim's brain, thus causing a disruption in their senses.

Genjutsu is created when a ninja extends their chakra flow through the cerebral nervous system of their opponent to control their mind's chakra, thereby affecting their five senses. Those with special abilities like the Uchiha clan's Sharingan or with high intelligence have an easier time executing and countering genjutsu, as attention to detail is key.

To combat the effects of genjutsu, there are several options:

The first option is for the ninja to stop the flow of chakra in their body, and then apply an even stronger power to disrupt the flow of the caster's chakra; this is called Genjutsu Release. This can also be done by an unaffected ninja by applying a sudden surge of chakra into the affected person.

The second option is through intense pain not caused by the genjutsu and utilizing the resulting pain to bring their senses back in order (of the first two options, the latter seems more effective in most situations, or at least is the easiest).

There is a third option, though the one only being available to those of the Uchiha Clan, ones that have extreme control over their bloodline ability: the Sharingan.

Finally, one can prevent a person from casting genjutsu using obstructive techniques to prevent one from seeing the opponent in the first place. In other words, preventing a person from casting Genjutsu simply by hiding the target.

In spite of these methods, some forms of genjutsu may not be broken easily, either due to their near-instant effect like the former, or their ability to render one unconscious and paralysed altogether like the latter. In addition, one must realize that he or she is under the effects of genjutsu before attempting to break out of it. However, noticing the effects of a Genjutsu are not easily done and only a few (from which, several Sensor-type Ninja) can notice the flow of Chakra changing, thus noticing.

[Chie Masami]

Taijutsu is a basic form of jutsu that typically does not require chakra, but chakra may be used to enhance techniques. Taijutsu generally require no hand seals to perform and are much quicker to use than ninjutsu or genjutsu. Taijutsu is simply put, hand-to-hand combat.

Although it is used by nearly all ninja, some fighters use taijutsu almost exclusively, and are experts of many taijutsu techniques. Example of taijutsu techniques are Dynamic Entry and Leaf Whirlwind. The Hyūga clan's Gentle Fist, however, makes extensive use of chakra and demands great skill in its control. The taijutsu techniques are the right choices for those that want to save their time and chakra, or for those who rely on their physical attributes. It can also be used in collaboration with ninjutsu.

[Chie Masami]

Nature Transformation is an advanced form of chakra control and a technique that is pivotal for the manipulation of chakra and the creation of new jutsu. While Shape Transformation changes the shape and movement of chakra, elemental nature transformation changes the actual nature of the chakra, altering its properties and characteristics. It is notable that few shinobi can use both shape manipulation and nature manipulation.

Nature Manipulation entails the moulding and defining of one's chakra into a innate type of chakra nature.

There are five basic types into which the nature of chakra can be transformed, called the Five Elements Nature Transformations . These five types are also called elements and are not only the origin of the names of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, but also the foundation of all elemental ninjutsu.



Basically, this means that if an elemental jutsu is put against an elemental jutsu of the same level, but of a stronger nature, then the jutsu with the superior nature will prevail. However, a jutsu with a weaker nature can overpower a jutsu with a stronger nature if the former is of a higher level.

In general, every person has chakra that has an affinity towards one of these types, a characteristic that seems to be genetic, since whole clans sometimes share the same affinity. Most members of the Uchiha clan, for example, had an affinity towards the Fire nature. This affinity makes it easier to learn how to create and control the nature in question, although even with an affinity this process will usually take any number of years. Shinobi are not limited to the nature they have an affinity to, though. By the time they reach the rank of Jōnin, most shinobi have mastered two natures. However, because of the difficulty of mastering a nature and the time required to learn it, it is almost impossible to master all five natures.