Naruto : Sage Mode!!

Sage Mode is the result of using natural energy along with a ninja’s normal chakra in perfect balance to increase a ninja’s abilities.

Senjutsu (Sage Techniques) refers to a specialized field of jutsu that allows the user to sense and then gather the natural energy around a person. Senjutsu practitioners can then learn to draw the energy of nature inside of them, blend it with their own chakra, as well as energy from nature, this results in the creation of “senjutsu chakra”.

This new chakra enables the user to enter a state called Sage Mode, which can then drastically increase the strength of all ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. A person who is able to use senjutsu is called a sage (sennin). It would seem that it stems from the toads of Myobokuzan, as only Shima, Fukasaku, Jiraiya and Naruto can use it. Gamakichi and Gamabunta also seems to be familiar with it.

advantages

• The user’s physical strength, speed, and durability drastically increases.
• The user’s ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu become more powerful.
• The user can have the natural energy surrounding them become an extension of their body, increasing the reach of their attacks.
• They gains the ability to sense the chakra around them.

disadvantages

• Because the user is moving, the Sage chakra cannot be replenished, which means the user can’t stay in this mode for extended periods of time.
• The user must remain perfectly still in order to gather enough natural energy to initiate the transformation into Sage Mode.
• After Sage Mode has ended, the user appears to experience exhaustion.
• The two former weaknesses can be bypassed through the Sage Art: Amphibian Technique, where one Sage gathers chakra for another or as in Naruto’s case, shadow clones can be used for the same purpose.

Imperfect Sage Mode

Jiraiya was not able to properly balance his own chakra with natural energy, resulting in him using an imperfect form of Sage Mode. So, whenever Jiraiya was using Sage Mode, he drew additional lines on his cheeks. Jiraiya would summon the two Toad Elders, Shima and Fukasaku to assist him in using Sage Mode. The Toad Elders fused to Jiraiya’s shoulders with Sage Art: Amphibian Technique, gathering natural energy from their stationary positions for Jiraiya’s use.

The imperfect nature of his transformation makes Jiraiya took a number of toad-like traits when using Sage Mode.He has a bigger nose, a goatee, and toad-like eyes. Further transformational attributes includes him taking on a toad-like stature, his hands and feet also became that of a toad and the lines on his face become much thicker, taking over each side of his face.

True Sage Mode

Unlike Jiraiya, Naruto is able to perfectly balance the natural energy with his own chakra. This allows him to use the true Sage Mode, which retains all of his usual physical characteristics except for toad-like eyes. A true sage would still suffer from the weaknesses of Sage Mode, requiring that they use Sage Art: Amphibian Technique in a battle situation. Because of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox sealed within Naruto, however, Shima and Fukasaku were rejected whenever they tried to fuse with him.

As a workaround, Naruto has some of his shadow clones gather natural energy elsewhere while he fights. Once he has run out of his own senjutsu chakra, he has one of the clones disperse, giving him the clone’s natural energy and allowing him to enter Sage Mode again. This method limits the maximum number of shadow clones that Naruto can create to five for as long as the clones are gathering natural energy, as anything more would interfere with their focus. To make sure he has enough shadow clones for use in battle, Naruto has only two shadow clones gather senjutsu chakra, allowing him to enter Sage Mode a total of three times.

Sharingan

The Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye) is a special type of eye that naturally appears in some of the members of the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan allows the user a number of abilities and is a dojutsu (pupil technique). One of the things Sharingan can do is that it can percieve and copy ninjutsu (ninja techniques), genjutsu (illusionary techniques), and taijutsu (hand-to-hand techniques) with perfect accuracy and allow the user to use the techniques, as long as they have the necessary resources (like chakra) to do so. Second, it is capable of a unique brand of hypnosis that involves suggesting actions and thoughts to the opponent. Third, it can see through genjutsu, the level of which is possibly dependent on the user’s skill. Fourth, it has the ability to predict an opponent’s movement as well as allowing sight of fast moving objects with great clarity.

The weakness of the Sharingan, in Kakashi’s case, is that it drains chakra quickly. In order to copy a jutsu, one has to have the physical ability to perform the technique. For example, they have to have the needed amount of chakra, stamina, agility, and/or strength in order to perform said technique. In addition to physical skill, the Sharingan cannot copy any other bloodline abilities or summon a creature the user has not made a contract with because the user of the sharingan has to have the same blood of the other summoning user. In Itachi’s and Sasuke’s case, their chakra is still drained, but incredibly more slowly, due to the fact that they have the actual Kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan.

The Sharingan does not automatically appear from birth in a user; instead, it will usually appear when the user is in a life threatening situation, where the power of the Sharingan will save the user. After this first appearance, the user can then call up the Sharingan any time he or she pleases. (Due to its unique nature, Kakashi’s Sharingan seems to be "permanently on", and thus he covers it except during heated battles, to conserve chakra.) Interestingly enough, it is possible to transplant Sharingan eyes from one person to another, as is the case with Kakashi and his deceased comrade Obito Uchiha. However, transplanted eyes do not work as well without an Uchiha body, causing much more strain on the user. The power of the Sharingan is judged through the number of tomoe in the person’s eye. Below are the types of Sharingan one can have.