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Hand Seals GuideJutsu, or skills/techniques, are the mystical arts a ninja will utilize in battle. To perform a jutsu, the ninja

will manipulate their chakra and may use some form of hand seal. Some techniques like Taijutsu do not requirehand seals, however the ninja may use them to focus their chakra to certain areas of their body. Also some

Ninjutsu like Rasengan and various weapon utilizations do not require any hand seal use .

By forming hand seals, the ninja is able to mold their chakra and manifest the desired jutsu. Because of the

extensive number of hand seals and different combinations, there are thousands of potential jutsu to be discovered andused. The hand seals themselves come from the twelve signs of the Chinese Zodiac. The appearance of the seals stemfrom Hindu and Buddhist iconography, and are called "Mudra" meaning "seal" or "sign" in Sanskrit. These handgestures helped identify the nature and function of the deity who used them. Over time the positions and traditionschanged as they were adopted and moved from country to country.

In addition to these hand seals, certain jutsu have their own unique hand and finger positions, such as the gesturesused in Kage Bunshin, Shintenshin, etc.. Every ninja in the series save for one has used both hands to form seals.Haku used one-handed seals in his Hyouton bloodline limit techniques. It is unknown if this was a skill unique to thewhole of the bloodline or merely Haku himself. Note this is different than the one handed chakra focusing gesture onesees a lot of ninja use.

Ne - RatNe is the First sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Rat. It is associated

with North and the month of November.Note: Rat is used in the Nara clan's shadow manipulation.

Ushi - Ox/Cow

Ushi is the Second sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Ox. It isassociated with North-Northeast and the month of December.

Tora TigerTora is the Third sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Tiger. It isassociated with East-Northeast and the month of January.

Note: Tiger has been associated with Fire Element manipulation.

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U - Rabbit/HareU is the Fourth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Rabbit. It isassociated with East and the month of February.

Tatsu DragonTatsu is the Fifth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Dragon. It isassociated with East-Southeast and the month of March.

Mi - Snake/Serpent

Mi is the Sixth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Snake. It isassociated with South-Southeast and the month of April.

Note: Snake has been associated with Earth Elementmanipulation.

Uma HorseUma is the Seventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Horse. It isassociated with South and the month of May.

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Hitsuji RamHitsuji is the Eigth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Sheep. It isassociated with South-Southwest and the month of June.

Note: Ram has been officially depicted in the manga as havingeither the right thumb or index finger extended upwards.

Saru MonkeySaru is the Ninth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Monkey. It isassociated with West-Southwest and the month of July.

Tori BirdTori is the Tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Rooster. It isassociated with West and the month of August.

Inu Dog

Inu is the Eleventh sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Dog. It isassociated with West-Northwest and the month of September.

I - Boar/Hog

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I is the Twelfth sign of the Chinese zodiac, the Pig. It is associatedwith North-Northwest and the month of October.

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