The Era of Bloodshed

Within the many villages and countries that host shinobi are various types of combat styles and techniques. Below is a list of the most commonly used styles of combat with an exception or two. These are the basic categories a ninja's style of combat will usually fall under.

Chakra

Body Energy (身体エネルギー, Shintai Enerugi) is a vital force generated within the cells of living organisms. Combined with Spiritual Energy (精神エネルギー, Seishin Enerugi), or force of will and mental fortitude, it can be harnessed to a variety of uses, such as the production of the superhuman stamina used in taijutsu. It can also be used for formation of the energy known as chakra (チャクラ, chakura^?), essential to the use of even the most basic of jutsu.

Once created, chakra moves about the body to any of its release (Chakra) points, utilizing a network of passages not unlike the circulatory system. By various means (handseals being the most common), it can then be manipulated to the end materializing effects otherwise impossible under the laws of nature, such as walking on water or breathing fire. In the context of oriental martial arts philosophy, chakra is indistinguishable from Qi (Chi).

The five basic kinds of nature manipulations are Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Lightning. Each element is stronger than the next, but weaker than the previous, with Lightning looping back into Earth. For example, a lightning based attack would be very effective against an earth based defense, but easily countered by a wind user. Additionally, elemental techniques can be countered by techniques of the same element, provided the technique being countered is of equal or lesser power.

Generally, everyone has a natural affinity to one of these elements. People with an affinity for Earth will have an easier time learning Doton (土遁, "Earth Release"^?) jutsu then any other elemental techniques. The same goes for Water and Suiton (水遁, "Water Release"^?), Fire and Katon (火遁, "Fire Release"^?), Wind and Fūton (風遁, "Wind Release"^?), and Lightning and Raiton (雷遁, "Lightning Release"^?). However, having an affinity for one element does not mean that one cannot learn how to use other elements. Most Jōnin are able to use two different elements.

Hand seals

The twelve basic seals, from left to right: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig

The most common way to manipulate chakra to perform jutsu is through the use of hand seals. While there are numerous specialized hand seals for other techniques, there are twelve basic seals used.^[10] When put into specific sequences, these seals are used to perform various jutsu. The origin lies in traditional Iengei or mundra, which are part of Taoist and Buddhist religious, and mystical practices. These hand seals consist of a combination of twelve-animal symbols that derive from the Chinese zodiac. Seals are most often used to release the elemental seal within the realm or domain of the elemental technique being performed.

Ninjutsu

Ninjutsu (忍術, Ninjutsu^? "Ninja Techniques") is a vague term referring to almost any technique that uses chakra and allows the user to do something that they otherwise would be incapable of doing. Unlike genjutsu, which makes the opponent see illusions, the effects of ninjutsu are quite real. Ninjutsu relies on chakra and, most of the time, hand seals (each hand seal showing a different animal in the Chinese zodiac) to be effective. The hands are put in sequential positions that mold chakra in the necessary manner to perform a jutsu. This is not always consistent, however, and some of the simpler jutsu seem to become second nature to experienced ninja, after which they can perform them at will. Additionally, some ninjutsu can be classified as an elemental jutsu, in those cases where a specific element (earth, fire, lightning, water, wind) is used. The phrase "Ninja Art" (Ninpō) is occasionally added to the beginning of the jutsu. The pictures shown here are an example of a shinobi performing a powerful technique using the fire element.

Sealing jutsu

Sealing jutsu (封印術, Fūin jutsu^?) are jutsu that seal something inside objects or living beings. The most common application of this is sealing weapons or other objects within scrolls to efficiently carry a large number of items. Sealing jutsu are also utilized to restrict access to things, such as chakra or entry to a building.

Taijutsu

Taijutsu (体術, Taijutsu^? "Body Techniques" or "hand-to-hand combat") refers to any techniques involving the martial arts or the optimization of natural human abilities in general. In other words, taijutsu is executed by accessing the user's stamina directly, rather than converting the user's stamina to chakra in order to execute a ninjutsu or genjutsu technique, meaning that taijutsu is much quicker to execute than (though not always as powerful as) ninjutsu and genjutsu. In some cases, chakra is used to enhance the techniques, particularly in the Hyuga clan's Gentle Fist style where the user sends small bursts of chakra into the persons body to attack the chakra system or chakra points. Generally speaking, however, most taijutsu users rarely use chakra in their attacks.

Cursed Seal jutsu

Cursed Seal jutsu (呪印術, juin jutsu^?, lit. "cursed seal techniques" or "Technique of the Accursed Mark") are jutsu that use a special "cursed seal" to put someone under the control of the user or elicit an unnatural effect in the one they are placed on. They can be used to cause either pain (including death if the pain is large enough) or invoking various mutations in the recipient.

Genjutsu

Genjutsu (幻術, Genjutsu^? "Illusion Techniques") are techniques that use the chakra in the victim's nervous system to create illusions; basically an advanced intellectual ninjutsu. Those with special abilities like the Uchiha clan's Sharingan or those with high intelligence have an easier time executing and countering genjutsu, as attention to detail is key. The most commonly seen genjutsu is the simple creation of phantasms – causing the targeted person(s) to hear, see, smell, taste and/or feel sensations that are not actually there in order to manipulate them. In other words, genjutsu affects the five senses, though other applications of genjutsu exist. Those under the influence of genjutsu either freeze in place or lose consciousness, depending on how capable they are in recognizing and defending against it.

There are several ways to counter genjutsu. Because it uses the victim's own chakra against them, the target can cancel the genjutsu by disrupting their own chakra flow. This is called Genjutsu Cancel (幻術解, Genjutsu Kai^?). Alternatively, should they fail to cancel the genjutsu, intense pain (though not that caused by the genjutsu) can snap them out of it. Finally, someone else can disrupt their chakra flow for them through forcing their own chakra into the recipients body, breaking the chakra flow and thus the genjutsu.

There is one other category of techniques which is reffered to as forbidden techniques. These techniques generally revolve around the user causing some type of great physical (or mental) damage to themselves such as the eight gates.