1. Chakra is essential to even the most basic technique; it is the moulding of the physical energy present in every cell of the body and the gained from exercise and experience. Once moulded, it can be channelled through the chakra circulatory system, which is to chakra as the regular circulatory system is to blood, to any of the 361 chakra points in the body. Through various methods, the most common of which is hand seals, the chakra can then be controlled and manipulated to create an effect that would not be possible otherwise, such as walking on water, exhaling fire or creating illusions.
2. Normal Chakra, Spiritual Energy, Life Energy, and Physical Energy.
3. Nature Transformation is an advanced form of chakra control. It entails the moulding and defining of one's chakra into an innate type of chakra nature, altering its properties and characteristics. Nature transformation is one of two necessary techniques for creating a technique, its counterpart being shape transformation. Few shinobi can use both shape manipulation and nature manipulation.