Changes in Chakra

Happy times are always fleeting. A few days later, Kanna returned to his monotonous life.

Perhaps to outsiders, Kanna looked no different from a shut-in, but he found unique joy in the study of ninjutsu. In the process of cracking one difficult problem after another, he could enjoy a sense of sublimation, much like solving a complex math problem after hours of effort in his past life.

And now, he had discovered a new topic of inquiry.

As everyone knows, chakra is the foundation of all things, possessing two types of changes: shape transformation and nature transformation. So, the question arises: shape transformation is easy to understand, but what exactly is nature transformation?

Is it merely raising the temperature of flames? Increasing water pressure? Making wind blades faster and sharper? Is chakra nature transformation really just that?

Kanna was certain that nature transformation was by no means so simple, but he could not articulate it; he could only begin to analyze it through enumeration.

To look no further than the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms Kanna had just acquired: Kanna had experimented on plants. By using the Pulse-Sealing Style along the grain of a tree trunk, he could break the bark and see the internal veins completely necrotic. By using the Vibration Style, he could see the surface layers inside the trunk pulverized. Regardless of which variation was used, he could feel residual chakra scattered at the necrotic points of the trunk.

At a glance, this might seem like the result of force penetration, but that was not the case.

In the past, Kanna had pondered: ninjutsu could enhance its power through chakra shape and nature transformation, but what about taijutsu? Taijutsu seemed to require neither shape nor nature transformation. If so, was the only advantage of taijutsu—a system parallel to ninjutsu and genjutsu—merely high speed, high power, and low consumption?

Then why did the samurai system decline? One must know that looking back from the Warring States period, the most powerful combat system in the entire world was the samurai! In close-quarters combat, samurai were even superior.

Now, Kanna had a realization: high-level taijutsu actually involves the nature transformation of chakra.

Everything must start with what chakra nature transformation truly is.

Nature transformation does not just strengthen the power of elemental jutsu; it also involves various unconventional changes. Typical examples include the explosions of Explosion Release, the high-concentration acid of Boil Release, and the disintegration of Dust Release—all Kekkei Genkai. Less typical examples include the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms: when a finger strikes, the chakra can remain solidified in the target's pressure points for a long time, obstructing the flow of their chakra rather than dissipating naturally. This is nature transformation.

From the ultimate development of ninjutsu, chakra nature transformation is half a step stronger than shape transformation, because the former eventually develops into various bloodlines and the top-tier Yin-Yang Release. Of course, the highest-level ninjutsu cannot do without shape transformation. For instance, the Tailed Beast Ball and Planetary Devastation require stable spherical transformation; shape transformation controls the formation of the sphere, while nature transformation controls its stability and mutation. In the original work, Naruto's failed attempts at the Tailed Beast Ball were due to poor control over nature transformation, causing the spherical chakra to form and then rapidly collapse.

Understanding this principle, Kanna also discovered a secret: among the two changes of chakra, the most fundamental are spherical shape transformation and steady-state nature transformation.

The Fireball Jutsu is spherical, the Phoenix Sage Fire Jutsu is spherical, the Water Cannon Jutsu is spherical, the Rasengan is spherical, Shinra Tensei is spherical, Planetary Devastation is spherical, and the Tailed Beast Ball is also spherical.

As for steady-state transformation, it is the foundation for the existence of many more ninjutsu. Low-level ninjutsu are fine; with the aid of hand seals, they can naturally condense and stabilize. However, slightly higher-level ninjutsu often defy the laws of physics, so they require the user to stabilize them personally. There are far too many such ninjutsu, but there is one slightly special example.

The Yin Seal! This jutsu was created by Tsunade to collect and store chakra. Because chakra is formed by the fusion of physical and spiritual energy, the use of the Yin Seal is equivalent to storing a person's life force, which can indirectly extend one's lifespan. But there is a problem here: chakra storage is not infinite. Generally, after refining enough chakra, one needs to return it to the body to nourish the physical and spiritual energy for the next round of refinement, in a continuous cycle. Yet, the Yin Seal achieves the limit of steady-state nature transformation! This jutsu can forcibly seal the refined chakra, greatly reducing its loss. It is equivalent to a human "stripping away" energy after consuming it and storing it within the body. Conceptually, it is not hard to understand, but in terms of human physiology, it is almost a miracle.

When the Fourth Hokage stripped half of the Nine-Tails' chakra and fused it into himself during the battle to seal the beast, he said, "My whole body cannot move; such heavy chakra." This shows that everyone has an upper limit to the amount of chakra they can bear. One does not need to guess that the amount of chakra Tsunade stored over many years was terrifyingly large—otherwise, it would not have been enough to support her using Cherry Blossom Clash as a standard combat tactic. Yet, she could move freely? With almost no impact?

The Yin Seal must have its own unique methodology. In Kanna's eyes, the Yin Seal had become the perfect ninjutsu for analyzing chakra nature transformation.

Kanna had already reached the realm of chakra shape transformation, and with the help of hand seals—the fixed operational patterns of chakra—he could achieve preliminary nature transformation. Of course, this was only the most basic level, much like how a water droplet naturally tends toward a spherical shape as it falls. To defy the laws of physics, there was still a long road ahead.

"Spherical shape transformation is the simplest; there is no difficulty in achieving it. But to manipulate water flow without hand seals... unless I draw a typical hand-seal-less Water Style and experience it personally, it is truly difficult to manage."

In the living room, Kanna rested his chin on one hand while the other lay flat on the table, lost in thought. Above his palm, a round water droplet bobbed up and down, suspended in the air.

This was the result of Kanna absorbing the moisture in the room after learning a basic Water Style jutsu.

"And if I want to manipulate the water droplet into a planar shape..."

Kanna frowned, took a breath, and blew sharply at the droplet.

Ripples spread across the surface of the droplet, and the next moment, with a pop, Kanna could no longer maintain its form, causing the water column to burst instantly.

"Sigh, still the same as last time," Kanna said helplessly.

"You've already made progress," Morishita Mai comforted him gently from the side. "You didn't use any hand seals. If you had, the stability of the ninjutsu would be greatly enhanced."

"Not enough," Kanna shook his head. "It's still far from enough. The reason ninjas still need weapons and armor is that in many situations, there is no opportunity to form hand seals, so close-quarters combat is necessary. Especially in our village, where water sources are everywhere, if one could achieve true seal-less casting, it would be equivalent to occupying a massive advantage, and combat power could be elevated to an entirely different level."

The nature transformation involved in Water Style is relatively less complex; it generally involves stabilization and compression. Therefore, if fighting in an environment rich in water, a Water Style ninja can exert power far beyond their usual level. Take the A-rank ninjutsu Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu, for example—it requires seventeen hand seals. In an environment without water, its power is mediocre, but if used in places like lakes or rivers, it can directly wash away a forest, like a mountain flood, almost unstoppable by human power.

One can imagine the sandstorm flood that covered a grassland when Gaara and Kimimaro fought; the Great Waterfall Jutsu is absolutely not inferior to it in terms of scale!

The number of hand seals for this jutsu is only average. Look at Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu—it is a lower grade than the Great Waterfall Jutsu, only a B-rank ninjutsu, but it requires forty-four hand seals! And the power?

Compression! Compression! And more compression! The Water Dragon Jutsu is practically a high-pressure water gun. Dozens or hundreds of tons of water are condensed into the shape of a dragon. Unless you are a powerhouse like the Third Raikage who dares to engage in hand-to-hand combat with a Tailed Beast, you would definitely not escape death if hit.

But forty-four hand seals! Forty-four! Even a super-expert like Itachi, whose hand seals are too fast for normal people to see, would still need a few seconds. For an ordinary person, daring to use this jutsu in battle is equivalent to handing the enemy a perfect opportunity!

Kanna did not feel he was some super genius. Although he had some talent, it wasn't that high. Therefore, with Kanna in hand, he would absolutely not learn these ninjutsu that were powerful but complex to cast. Even if he drew them in a lottery, he would at most transplant them to Kanna to use.

"Still need to learn more..." Kanna sighed, pressed his palms together to form four seals, and then pinched his right hand. The water droplets that had splashed onto the table earlier condensed out of thin air, gathering into a water column in his palm. Then, he flicked his finger.

Bang! The water column instantly struck the teacup, cracking its surface.

By relying on hand seals, the water droplet Kanna created could withstand the force of a flick without collapsing. But without seals?

He was still a long way from the realm Kanna wanted to reach.

(PS: Baidu Baike mentions that the Three-Tails Jinchuriki Yagura seems to be forty years old because his appearance does not age, but Yagura is also mentioned multiple times in the Databook as "young" or "at a young age." It is contradictory, so I will follow the official Databook—Yagura is currently still a youth, around thirteen or fourteen.)