[FFML] [Naruto] Memories Lie chapters 3-4

[Juho Saarikko]

Aaron Nowack wrote:
> Juho Saarikko wrote:
>   
>> Coming to think of it, if Naruto tranformed into a dog and a shuriken, 
>> then I answered my own earlier question: neither mass nor basic shape 
>> are conserved. So either the transformation is purely an illusion - so 
>> turning into a hawk wouldn't give Naruto an ability to fly - or he 
>> simply didn't think of it.
>>     
>
> Oh boy!  Jutsu-babble time!  I love jutsu-babble  :)
>
> With the lack of limitations shown in canon, an "actual complete
> physical shapeshift" answer to "what exactly does Henge do?" makes that
> jutsu obscenely powerful, to the point that it really does harm the
> coherence of the setting.  (After all, it's supposed to be one of the
> three simplest and easiest jutsu...)
>
>   

Not really. Take the shapechanging pig and cat from Dragon Ball for 
comparison. While they could change into anything, this didn't give them 
any extra strength, so it wasn't useful iforcombat, just for 
intimidation and transportation.

It's largely the same thing in Naruto world. While being able to change 
your hands into blades (for example) might give a slight advantage, it 
is largely negated by the neverending supply or kunai and/or bizarre 
special weapons each ninja seem to be carrying. Add the fact that the 
transformation needs time and uses chakra, and it becomes an outright 
foolish move to use in combat, unless of course the ninja in question 
has a clever plan.

So no, it's not obscenely powerful, but it is _extremely_ useful for a 
ninja who's actually trying to get things done with a little more 
subletly than a tactical nuke.
> It is classified as a ninjutsu, and not a genjutsu, so it isn't just an
> illusion.  (And, more importantly, IIRC there's a couple of instances
> where we do see henge-d things interact physically in ways their "real"
> forms wouldn't be able to.)
>
> So, basically, it's one of several areas that it doesn't seem Kishimoto
> thought through all the way.
>
> Since most of the cases where we see "weird stuff" get done with Henge
> are from Naruto, we can limit it a bit by postulating that it takes
> obscene amounts of chakra to do that sort of thing.  Although canon
> doesn't really support this, it doesn't contradict this either.
>   
Of course, since we're discussing Naruto, with the demon fox and Real 
Ultimate Power inside, this doesn't really answer the question :(.
> (In One Hundred Days, the primary limitation I used was that any sort of
> physical stress - of which flying would definitely count - would dispel
> the transformation.)
>
>   
Flying doesn't cause any more stress than walking. It simply shifts the 
weight-supporting structure from feet into arms (wings). Some forms of 
flying use more energy, while some use almost nothing (eagle gliding on 
rising currents).