Chakra

"Chakra is essential to even the most basic techniques. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals. Chakra can be controlled and manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire, or creating illusions. Chakra is ordinarily not visible to the unaided eye unless it is highly concentrated or manifested in large amounts. This is rarely seen due to the restrictions of eight specific tenketsu known as the Eight Gates, which limit the amount of chakra an individual can release at a single given time."

## Origin

"Chakra originally belonged to God Trees. When Kaguya Ootsutsuki ate the fruit the God Tree bore, she became the first person in Earth's history to wield chakra. With her new-found power, she ended all the wars that plagued the lands. Her sons, Hagoromo and Hamura, were the first people to be born with chakra. Hagoromo spread chakra to others through a practice called ninshuu, intending to create peace by using the chakra to connect people's spiritual energy so that they would understand one another without even talking. However, the people did not use chakra in the way Hagoromo hoped, instead using it to connect their inner spiritual and physical energies. They kneaded their inner chakra to amplify and weaponize it, creating what is now known as ninjutsu."

## Overview

"Since being spread by Hagoromo, better known as the Sage of Six Paths, chakra has become a form of life energy that all individuals produce to some degree; those who run out of chakra will die. Produced within 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 pathway system, which is similar to the cardiovascular system. Certain groups, such as shinobi, have learned to generate more chakra and release it outside their bodies through pressure points called tenketsu in order to perform jutsu.

Chakra is created when two other forms of energy, known collectively as one's "stamina", are molded together. Physical energy is collected from each and every one of the body's cells and can be increased through training, stimulants, and exercise. Spiritual energy is derived from the mind's consciousness and can be increased through studying, meditation, and experience. These two energies becoming more powerful will in turn make the created chakra more powerful. Therefore, practicing a technique repeatedly will build up experience, increasing one's spiritual energy, and thus allowing more chakra to be created. As a result, the ninja is able to do that same technique with more power. This same cycle applies for physical energy, except the ninja needs to increase their endurance instead. Some unique individuals have substantial potential that enable them to exponentially increase their chakra reserves in a relatively short amount of time.

At any given time, a ninja will have a "maximum" amount of chakra that they can form and use before it runs out and they need to rest to replenish it. With practice this maximum can be increased, but to a certain extent as they are limited to the quantity and strength of chakra that their genetics grants them. For instance, Hayato Nara has average chakra reserves, but no amount of training can grant him the same amount of chakra as Teruko Senju, who noticeably has more chakra than himself.

Each person's chakra is different and as such gives off a unique chakra signature, which sensor ninja are able to detect. Chakra signatures are passed genetically, allowing a person's clan to be identified by their chakra; over time, entire populations can have perceptibly different chakra. One's chakra signature can be altered by absorbing DNA from multiple people, mixing various chakra signatures together to become a whole new one. In the anime, chakra signatures that are similar to each other (such as that of a parent and child) are suggested to resonate when near each other. Each person's chakra also has a unique "color" that can be seen by those with dojutsu (the Naruto anime tends to color all normal chakra light blue). Even if they are separated, changes made in the chakra signature of the original will result in the separated chakra mimicking those changes.

While practically all types of jutsu require chakra to be performed, taijutsu does not; stamina is all that is needed. While the ninja still needs a set amount of chakra to live, 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 technique category.

## Chakra Control

Because chakra takes time and a great deal of training to gradually build up, the key to its use is not actually having large amounts of chakra but instead being able to sufficiently control and conserve it. This is called chakra control. In order to have good chakra control, a ninja should only mold as much chakra as they need to perform a given ability. If they mold more chakra than is needed, the excess chakra is wasted and they will tire out faster from its loss. If they don't mold enough chakra, a technique will not be performed effectively, if at all, likely creating problems in a combat situation.

General training methods for improving one's molding and manipulation of chakra are the Tree Climbing and Water Surface Walking exercises. 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. Hand seals are often used to manipulate chakra more easily, allowing shinobi to execute their techniques faster and more effectively. Shinobi who are extremely skilled at chakra control often specialise in genjutsu or become medical-nin.

Chakra can also be used for general performance enhancement. By molding the chakra into key points of the body, usually the hands or feet, it will greatly augment their physical prowess. Certain shinobi are able rely on this skill to improve natural endurance, improve general awareness, and even perform superhuman strength. As shown in the anime, it is shown that molding one's chakra can also improve mental prowess, able to process information more efficiently.

When creating a technique, the two methods of manipulating chakra are referred to as shape transformation and nature tranfromation:

* Shape transformation deals with controlling the form, movement, and potency of chakra.
* Nature transformation deals with changing the physical properties of chakra into an element. There is also the nature transformation of Yin and Yang, which deals with changing the ratio of spiritual and physical energies within chakra.

These two methods can be implemented separately or together in order to create a technique, though ninja who can use both simultaneously are said to be rare.

## Types of Chakra

### Tailed Beast Chakra

The tailed beasts, sometimes referred to as chakra monsters, are the ten titanic living forms of chakra created by the Sage of Six Paths out of the chakra from the Ten-Tails. They are differentiated by the number of tails they have, ranging from one to nine, and eleven. A tailed beast's chakra is colored red.

### Senjutsu Chakra

Senjutsu are a specialized field of jutsu that involve the use of natural energy. Senjutsu practitioners, known as sages, learn to draw natural energy inside their bodies, blending it with their own chakra to create senjutsu chakra**.** This chakra adds a new dimension of power to the user's techniques, while also allowing for the use of techniques that would not otherwise be possible.

### Absorption Chakra

Absorption Chakra is produced by the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path, and can be released from its mouth in the form of phantom dragons. Any chakra that touches these dragons sticks to them, which allows them to kill human beings in an instant. The Sealing Technique: Phantom Dragons Nine Consuming Seals utilizes nine of these dragons to extract tailed beast chakra from a jinchūriki or directly seal the beast into the statue, though sealing such a large amount of chakra requires several days.

### Six Paths Chakra

Six Pathschakra is the unique chakra of Hagoromo Ootsutsuki. Six Paths chakra can be acquired from Hagoromo, by combining the chakra of Hagoromo's sons — Indra and Asura— to form the Rinnegan, or by becoming the jinchuuriki of the Ten Tails. What exactly this special chakra is or how it works is unclear, but it dramatically improves the strength of the user's jutsu.

### Hamura's Chakra

Like Hagoromo's, Hamura's chakra has special properties and is essentially the same as Six Paths Chakra, passed through the bloodlines of the Ootsutsuki and Hyuuga clans. Only those with Hamura's chakra can touch (and thus destroy) the Tenseigan and are immune to its effects. Interestingly, when using the chakra she received from Hamura, Hinata's chakra turned a dark purple in color.

### Gift of the Hermit Group

The Gift of the Hermit Group is a special kind of chakra used by the ninja monks of the Fire Temple. It requires daily, unrelenting training to master. This chakra is required to unseal the Sealed Iron Wall granting access to the Fire Temple. It is also required for the technique Welcoming Approach: Thousand-Armed Murder.

### Star Chakra

Seen in the anime, shinobi from Hoshigakure can manipulate their chakra into a wide variety of skills by using the chakra-enhancing meteorite, albeit at the cost of extreme damage to their bodies. Hoshigakure's method gets its name, Mysterious Peacock, from the chakra's raw manifestation as pinkish-purple chakra tails similar to a peacock's tail feathers.

### Negative Chakra

Negative Chakra is used as nourishment for Nue to explode.

### Dark Chakra

Seen in *Naruto Shipuuden the Movie: Bonds*, Dark Chakra is a special chakra formed from the negative emotions of the heart. Created by the Zero-Tails as it feeds on the negative emotions of the people around it, it is shown to be extremely powerful, being used to power the Land of the Sky's Ancor Vantian and grants Shinno powerful techniques with seemingly no drawbacks. However, it requires proper chakra control to use, and disruption in the control can cause a damaging backlash, as Shinnō's body heavily deteriorated when his control was sabotaged.

### Priestess Chakra

Seen in *Naruto Shippuuden the Movie*, Priestess Chakra has a bright and unique aspect. It can send pink rays of severing light at the user, Shion's opponents, create a light barrier to shield her from darkness, and transform her into an angelic form. She also used the mystical chakra of the bell to create a protective sphere around a designated target, as she did for Naruto Uzumaki, and use the chakra with Naruto to form the Super Chakra Rasengan. Miroku feared that if Shion is corrupted, her powers would be deadlier than a gigantic demon's.

### Ryūmyaku Chakra

Seen in Naruto Shippuuden the Movie: the Lost Tower, the Ryūmyaku is an ancient source of chakra that flows under Rouran, granting anyone who harnesses it infinite chakra reserves. Only the heirs of the kingdom's royal bloodline can open or close the flow, but after it's opened, anyone can use it.

### Teruko's Chakra

Teruko Senju is basically the reincarnation of Kaguya Ootsutsuki, having both Hagoromo's and Hamura's chakra. Her chakra is noted to be quite unique by Kano, as Teruko received Hamura's chakra through Nyoko's necklace and inherited her father's chakra reserves. She is also the first ninja to have Byaku-Sharingan, which gives her Byaku- Sharingan mode within the Eternal Mangekyou stage. Her descendants obtain her chakra and her dōjutsu.

### Tōtoi Clan Chakra

Ootsutsuki are believed to be the branch part of this clan, but little is known. One of three space hailing clans in the Summer Country (aka Land of Summer) they are the creators of dōjutsu, especially the Bōkyakugan.

Most of this information came from Narutopedia, so credit to them for all of their hard work. I changed the words around a little. I also added information for my fanfiction that you guys might want to reference!!

-aizawasleepsagain, Admin