Summary
Aside from the standard fare of offensive ninjutsu inNaruto, there is anentire world of techniques which go beyondthis categorization, rendering a host of abilities that offer shinobi some versatility in their arsenal. This includes the entire spectrum of summoning, sealing, chakra absorption, and defensive techniques, which can prove useful in virtually any combat situation once honed to a high level of proficiency.
One such category is that of barrier ninjutsu, which covers the realm of creating physical structures or force fields made of a user’s chakra, to seal and contain targets or defend against incoming attacks. Such techniques have been widely used by some of themost prominent charactersinNaruto, due to the wide variety of applications they lend themselves to. In many cases, they have been used to contain both tailed beasts and their attacks, which are difficult to neutralize without devastating the surrounding environment.
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What Is Barrier Ninjutsu?
More often than not, barrier ninjutsu entails the creation of a distinct territory within a force field composed of chakra, or an actual physical construct, which either serves to defend the user against attacks, contain a target, track the movement of individuals through a space, or prevent the execution of certain techniques within its bounds. The barrier can take form around the user or a selected targetdepending on the nature of the jutsu involved, and can be of virtually any size or shape, with hemispherical domes being the most commonly observed ones.
Most barriers take the form of aninvisible or translucent force field surrounding the useror a designated target. They can either be deployed with the aid of tags placed around the permieter of a certain area, or directly by the user themselves. In some cases, as with the Earth Release Barrier: Earth Prison Dome of Magnificent Nothingness, the barrier may possess a physical form produced by a Nature Transformation.
Other types of barriers may be linked to a space-time ninjutsu, where the domain of a barrier exists in another dimension or another world, as in the case of the Toad Gourd Prison, where the target is confined inside the stomach of a Gourd Toad, which is a space far larger than what it may initially appear to be from the outside. Similarly,Kamui, the Mangekyo Sharingan ability of Obito Uchiha, transports a target or the user themselves to Kamui’s dimension.
In a similar vein, the Flying Thunder God: Guiding Thunder, is a space-time ninjutsu that erects a barrier which transports anything it interacts with to a designated target marked with the jutsu formula. Its first appearancewas when Minato Namikaze used it to transporta Tailed Beast Ball during the Nine-Tails' attack on Konoha.
How Are Barriers Used By Ninja?
One of the mostprominent applications of barrier ninjutsuis seen in the Sensing Barrier which surrounds the entire village of Konohagakure. When combined with a Sensing Water Sphere, it tracks the movement of shinobi who enter and exit the village, to detect unauthorized infiltration whenever it occurs. The barrier is not visible to the naked eye but can be seen with certain dojutsu.
The Five-Seal Barrier serves a similar purpose, where it prevents those inside the barrier from leaving its confines, much like the String Light Formation. Some barriers can be used for offensive maneuvers, as traps to confine an adversary, with techniques such as the Barrier Method Formation. They couldalso be used to neutralize specific shinobi, as was seen in how the Four Violet Flames Formation was used to restrain a reincarnated Dan Kato’s Spirit Transformation Technique during the Fourth Shinobi World War.
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Some of the higher level barriers in the series can only be cast by elite level shinobi cooperating with one another, due to the volumes of chakra involved as well as the complexity of the technique itself. For instance,the Self-Repairing Barrier can be usedto contain a single jinchuriki or tailed beast, and requires a cohort of shinobi to activate it.
At higher levels, the Four Red Yang Formation is one of the most powerful barriers in the series, and can only be cast by four shinobi at the level of a Kage. It was used to restrain the Ten-Tails during the Fourth Shinobi World War and was capable of withstanding a direct assault from a Tailed Beast Ball. Beyond this, the Six Red Yang Formation is the most powerful barrier in history, and can only be activated by someone in possession of the Rinnegan and Six Paths Power. It covers a much larger area than the Four Red Yang Formation,and requires a Truth-Seeking Ball to be cast.
Countermeasures Against Barriers
Those who possess knowledge of a barrier’s formula can slip through it by creating openings for themselves and others. Itachi Uchihaused this method to enter Konohagakurewithout being hindered by the Sensing Barrier, as did Deidara when he temporarily dispelled the Five-Seal Barrier to enter its bounds. Additionally, other barriers can be broken through with raw power, as in the case of Naruto Uzumaki and Killer B, who were able to force their way through the Self-Repairing Barrier.
Regardless of a barrier’s strength, the only surefire means to bypass its defensesis with the aid of space-time ninjutsu. This is due to the fact that such techniques allow users to travel to a separate dimension and emerge on the opposing side of a barrier without encountering any resistance from the barrier itself. The most prominent demonstration of this occurred when Minato Namikaze used the Flying Thuder God to transport a portion of the Allied Shinobi Forces outside the Six Red Yang Formation during the Fourth Shinobi War, highlighting the main vulnerability of barrier ninjutsu.
