Chakra

Essential to even the most basic Jutsu, chakra is a mixture of the 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.

By mixing different ratios of the two energies, new types of chakra can be formed. The most common product is elemental chakra, which is used to perform elemental jutsu. Most ninja have a natural affinity to one type of chakra, but they have the capacity to create elemental chakra apart from their own affinity. There are six basic elements, each stronger and weaker to another; their relations, weaknesses, and strengths to each other are all explored. In addition to these six elements, certain Kekkei Genkai can mix elemental chakra to form new elements, such as ice, (wind and water), wood (earth and water) and lava (earth and fire). While many ninjas can use more than one type of chakra, they cannot use them simultaneously, unless they are extremely skilled.

It is said that the Sage of the Six Paths was the first to unravel the mysteries of chakra.

Normal Chakra
Normal chakra is a form of energy all living individuals naturally produce to some degree. Contained in the "chakra coils" that mainly surround and connect to each chakra-producing organ, the energy circulates throughout the body in a network called the "Chakra Circulatory System" (similar to the cardiovascular system). Certain groups, such as Ninja, have learned to generate more chakra and release it outside their bodies through their "chakra points" (Tenketsu) in order to perform special techniques (Jutsu). Chakra is not normally visible to the human eye, though chakra can be seen in situations where a person releases as much of their chakra as possible. This is rarely seen due to the restrictions of certain chakra points (Eight Gates), limiting the amount of chakra an individual can release at a single given time. Chakra can also be visible when doing a specific jutsu (such as the Rasengan and the Chidori) which take a high degree of chakra control to perform.

Out of the many different types of jutsu, Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Dōjutsu, and so on, all require the use of chakra. However, Taijutsu is different, usually requiring no chakra use whatsoever. Stamina is all that is needed. While the ninja still needs a set amount of chakra to live (i.e. life force energy), regular taijutsu doesn't require any active molding or manipulation of chakra (with few exceptions). A standard attack like a punch or kick falls into this jutsu category.

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.

The general term for the source of chakra, the overall physical and spiritual energy a person has is "total stamina". The maximum amount of chakra an individual can create and retain at a given time is called their "chakra level."

Chakra Control
Chakra takes time and lots of training to gradually build up. So what's really the key is not actually having chakra, but being able to sufficiently control it. Everyone has chakra, but only skilled ninja can correctly "mold" and "manipulate" it to its fullest extent.

Molding chakra means to extract 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 from 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, and the chakra cannot be used efficiently. In addition, even if a ninja is able to mold the correct amount of chakra, if they aren't able to manipulate the chakra properly, the desired jutsu won't be as effective or not executed at all. Wasting energy will create a weakness of not being able to fight for a long period of time. General training methods for improving one's molding and manipulation of chakra are the Leaf Concentration, Tree Climbing Practice, 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.

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. (There is also the Nature Transformation of Yin and Yang, but little is known about this)

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

The general term for the exact molding and proper manipulation of chakra is "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.

Shape of Chakra

 * Main article: Shape Transformation

Most jutsu take a certain shape that is usually precisely controlled from one hand to another, through chakra. A good example of this is the Rasengan. The ninja performing this jutsu uses one of his hands to control chakra, and moves it over the other in a circular motion, which eventually creates a sphere of chakra.

Elemental Chakra

 * Main article: Nature Transformation

Based on which Ninjutsu the ninja uses, the amount of chakra will be different, as would the element the ninja employs. The five main elemental types are also the names for the Five Great Shinobi Nations: Fire Release, Wind Release, Lightning Release, Earth Release and Water Release. Each ninja has the potential to better utilize one of these styles and potentially more. Rinnegan possessors somehow have the ability to control all five elements.

Advanced elements such as Wood Release and Ice Release are created of combining different elemental chakra types, doing this is usually on seen in those that possess a Kekkei Genkai, giving them an extreme affinity for these specializerd releases. However, it is known that shinobi of specific origins are capable of utilizing these special elements. For example, shinobi of the Land of Snow are able to perform Ice Release techniques without a bloodline by manipulating the ice around them, having developed this naturally from being surrounded by ice their entire lives, and their ancestors also being surrounded by ice.

Trivia

 * Although chakra is usually invisible, those with certain Dōjutsu, like the Sharingan or Byakugan, can see the color of someone's chakra. Each person apparently has a differently colored chakra.