Chakra Natures (
Official Version)
Chakra can be transformed to give it the characteristics of one of the five elements; fire, wind, lightning, earth and water. It changes the chakra's nature so that it acts in the same way the normal element would act.
Fire: Chakra as hot as fire, with the power to burn anything it touches. It can turn its target into flames and, like wind, is especially suited to offensive attacks. It is strong against wind and weak against water.
Wind: Chakra as sharp as a blade which can cut and tear anything in its path. It is used for speciality ninja weapons and jutsu and is most effective in short to mid-range distances. It is strong against lightning and weak against fire.
Lightning: Chakra that electrocutes, diffuses easily and is compatible with mid-to-long distance jutsu. Adding it to metal weapons makes them more lethal and increases the electrical shock. It is strong against earth and weak against wind.
Earth: Chakra that increases the solidity and composition of all things. A master can make steel unbreakable and clay more pliable. It can be applied to jutsu and other things. It is strong against water and weak against lightning.
Water: Chakra that is compatible with the multiple-faceted shape transformation. As in creating fog to camouflage oneself, or a tsunami wave to obstruct something, it is effective for defensive purposes. It is strong against fire and weak against earth.
Ying and Yang
Yin and Yang are chakra natures that exist outside of the five elements.
Whereas the five elements are created by changing the characteristics of chakra, these two elements are created by changing its composition. Chakra is made by mixing together physical energy and spiritual energy in equal amounts which serves as the fuel for most ninjutsu so by changing the ratio of the energies being mixed together, it can create a different kind of chakra altogether.
Yin Release is created from chakra that is two parts spiritual energy and one part physical energy. It uses imagination and manipulates the spirit, creating form from nothingness to give shape to that which has none. Genjutsu is an example of Yin Release. It uses yin chakra to manipulate the chakra flow of the target's cerebral nervous system, allowing them to control the five senses and alter their perceptions with illusions of all kinds.
Yang Release is created from chakra that is two parts spiritual energy and one part physical energy. It governs vitality and manipulates the body, breathing life into form to animate that which lacks life of its own. Medical ninjutsu is example of Yang Release. It uses yang chakra to stimulate the natural healing process of the body when channeled into the target's cells, allowing them to heal from injuries at an accelerated rate.
It is fairly common for ninja clans to have their hiden ninjutsu based on Yin Release or Yang Release, separating them from other clans with distinctive fighting styles and unique training methods.
For instance, the Yamanaka Clan use Yin Release to project their consciousness from their own bodies and delve into the minds of others, and the Nara Clan use it to give their shadows a physical presence and even take on a three-dimensional shape. The Akimichi Clan use Yang Release to increase the mass of their bodies to multiply their size several times over, and the Inuzuka Clan use it to enhance their enhance body to grant them a bestial strength and senses.
It's possible for the creation or Yin and Yang chakra to be taken to extremes where the chakra is composed almost entirely of either physical or spiritual energy, causing it to become unstable and independently seek out its opposite form of energy to attain some balance. This is typically just a mistake made during training but some individuals have developed jutsu which use this as the main function such as Tayuya's Revolt of the Demon World.
Nature Transformation
Elemental ninjutsu can be learned and cast like any other with the correct hand-seal sequence and exact amount of chakra. Some are D-rank jutsu simple enough that they are expected to be learned even by rookie genin such as the Hidden Mist Jutsu in Kiri and the Practice Brick Jutsu in Iwa, Others are S-rank jutsu of such difficulty that even the most talented of geniuses would struggle to use them such as Naruto's Wind Release: Rasen Shuriken.
The main difference between this kind of ninjutsu and the rest is that each element has a corresponding hand-seal. These specific hand-seals are what transform a ninja's chakra into that nature to release the jutsu such as the Tiger seal for Fire Relase or the Snake seal for Earth Release. The more advanced the ninjutsu then the more times the elemental hand-seal is likely to appear in its sequence, as well as having a long string of hand-seals altogether. Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet, for instance, has a grand total of forty-four hand-seals when it is only a B-rank jutsu.
But these hand-seals are not a necessity for casting elemental ninjutsu. Instead a ninja can learn nature transformation.
Nature transformation is a type of chakra manipulation where a ninja gives their chakra the characteristics of one of the five elements. The greater their mastery over an element, the more efficient and powerful their elemental ninjutsu are. Everyone is attuned to one of the five elements which they would have the most talent for, making it easier for them to master its nature transformation and learn jutsu of that element.
An individual's affinity can learned by using paper made from trees that were infused with chakra as a seed to make them sensitive to its energy when grown. With the touch of a person's chakra, the paper is changed to reflect their chakra nature. Wind cuts the paper, lightning wrinkles it, water soaks it, earth crumbles it and fire burns it. It is often the mistaken belief that the depth of an individual's affinity for an element can be judged by how much the paper is affected. In truth, if the chakra paper, for instance, is shredded to pieces then it just means that they gave more chakra to it. An individual's affinity is almost always the first nature transformation they will learn and will be the one they have the most jutsu for.
Training nature transformation can be broken down into three levels. The first level is to strengthen the chakra nature by sustaining its effect on a material object. This process usually takes around half a year for the average shinobi, though the training can be accelerated by using visualizing that helps capture the essence of the element in question.
The second level is to increase the speed and scale of the transformation by magnifying the ability to release large amounts of transformed chakra in an instant. Like learning to instinctively gather chakra as fast as possible to be more combat effective, it allows them to cast elemental ninjutsu efficiently.
And the third level is to merge nature transformation with a jutsu, either consciously transforming their chakra themselves when casting an elemental ninjutsu or by introducing the effect with a non-elemental ninjutsu to grant it additional properties.
Mastering an element usually takes a couple of years for the average shinobi even with an affinity. Practically every shinobi will choose to master at least one and learn others to some degree, if only to improve their jutsu casting. Most shinobi of jounin-level will have mastered two or more. A shinobi who has mastered all chakra natures is a rare thing given the many years of dedicated training it would require.
When nature transformation is taken to the highest level possible, the chakra nature gains unique properties. The chakra turns pitch-black and the respective properties of the element are taken to the absolute extreme.
Black Fire is capable of burning for seven days and nights without ever being extinguished. Black Lightning can move at speeds closer to true lightning and sear the target's nervous system to potentially cause permanent damage. Black Wind is the sharpest substance in existence and even the gentlest of breezes carries terrible destructive force. Black Earth is equally the toughest, unbreakable and unbendable to all except its creator's will. And Black Water is the most versatile as its volume far outstrips the energy used to make it and even more adaptable in shape and form.
Controlling the Elements
Elemental ninjutsu can be made of chakra itself or by controlling an existing substance with elemental chakra.
The first method transforms the ninja's chakra into an element, shapes it and releases it in that state. It means that they can cast the jutsu at practically any time in any location but the effect or substances it creates will eventually break down once when the chakra dies out. An example of this method in practice is by
spitting out a mass of earth from the ninja's body which rises up into a wall for Earth Release: Earth Style Wall.
The second method creates the elemental chakra and channels it preexisting mass of the corresponding element, then shapes and releases that. It requires less chakra because the substance is already available but can only be used when the natural element is within reach of the user's chakra. When an elemental ninjutsu is created using a preexisting element, the jutsu's effects will remain even when the chakra dissipates. An example of this method in practice is by
controlling the ground beneath the ninja to make it rise up into a wall for Earth Release: Earth Style Wall.
Fire and lightning jutsu almost exclusively uses the first method because of their lack of abundance in nature. Wind jutsu almost exclusively uses the second method because air can be found practically everywhere. And earth and water jutsu are mix of the two because their elements can be found in large expanses but aren't always available.
However, it's possible to use both methods at the same time such as by controlling a pre-existing mass of earth but also increasing its quantity with more chakra. Such as with
Earth Release: Earth-Style Rampart which raises a section of the ground while creating new quantities of earth to build a large cliff.
Advanced Natures
These chakra natures belong to a higher tier that cannot be created by transforming one's chakra alone. The ninja must create and release at least two different chakra natures simultaneously to combine them into one, new nature.
In its most basic form, it is used by gathering the chakra of one element in one hand, the chakra of another element in the other hand and then bringing them together in a hand-seal to draw out the combined element. Said element possesses the properties belonging to its composite elements but manifests them in an entirely new form.
Advanced chakra natures are not an ability that anyone can learn, not even the most talented or hardworking. They belong solely to the realm of kekkei genkai, abilities that are inherited through a bloodline.
Those with this type of bloodline limit have the instinctive ability to transform their chakra into different natures and combine them. This means that the only necessary part of the nature transformation training they require is increasing the amount of elemental chakra they can produce in an instant. The main focus is for them is shape transformation as the different shapes they give to their combined element govern the versatility of their style.
