----How to Be a True Ninja---- 1. Relax and reflect inward (meditate). Decide upon a series of ideas, morals and philosophies that you truly can live by. If your philosophy is limited or overly sensitive, being a ninja might not be right with you, ninja often lied, stole, killed and did many other amoral acts. 2. Research the ninja's role throughout history; this will help you decide if you consider if Ninjutsu is the right art for you. Refer to Masaaki Hatsumi's books. There are 18 different ninjutsu (note that samurai and shinobi (ninja) use the same techniques sometimes): 1. Seishin-teki ky,,y,, (spiritual refinement) 2. Taijutsu (unarmed combat, using one's body as the only weapon) 3. Kenjutsu (sword fighting) 4. B,,jutsu (stick and staff fighting) 5. Shurikenjutsu (throwing blades) 6. S,,jutsu (spear fighting) 7. Naginatajutsu (naginata fighting) 8. Kusarigamajutsu (chain and sickle weapon) 9. Kayakujutsu (pyrotechnics and explosives) 10. Hens,,jutsu (disguise & impersonation) 11. Shinobi-iri (stealth and entering methods) 12. Bajutsu (horsemanship) 13. Sui-ren (water training) 14. B,,ryaku (military strategy) 15. Ch,,h,, (espionage) 16. Intonjutsu (escaping and concealment) 17. Tenmon (meteorology) 18. Chi-mon (geography) 3. Mastering all of these can help you become a better shinobi (ninja). But remember that ninjutsu is the way to endure and be invisible, this usually means acting to achieve. 4. Be honest to yourself. However, control over your emotions is important. Only act when it will aid in completing a goal, or setting the stage for a future operation. 5. Learn to control people and manipulate events not by force, but by words and actions, so that you can obtain a goal without having to resort to any manner of violence. Use people's desires, needs and wants against them. Humans need security, wealth, pride, strength and to have their lust satisfied. 6. Learn how to move stealthily. Become adept at social and physical invisibility and silence. Learn the appropriate clothes for the appropriate times, wearing all white in a snow storm might be a good idea unless your in a large city full of people. 7. Study Japanese martial arts, and learn all aspects of ninjutsu, (it's important to remember that ninjutsu isn't just a martial art but a skill set that is meant to provide the necessary skills to complete missions of espionage and assassination in a feudal setting). 8. Learn to use martial arts weapons. These include, but are not limited to sais, shurikens, katanas, knife, the steel fan, and the ninja-to. It's also important to learn to use modern weapons and concealed weapons, ninjutsu is about effectiveness and ninja do not limit themselves to older weapons when more effective ones exist. 9. Run a mile or more every day to build up your endurance. Run with lightweight clothing in colder weather and heavier clothing in warmer weather, in effort to help you endure different ranges of temperature. 10. Do exercises to make sure you stay in shape, and to keep your skills sharp. Focus your training on stealth/infiltration, endurance, agility, martial skill, tradecraft (espionage skills), and various other skills that will make you seem like a normal person with a normal job (store clerk, real estate etc). Train to increase your skills, try going faster and more quietly every time.