Practiced behind a shroud of secrecy and the veil of darkness, ninjutsu is an esoteric Martial Art whose techniques were long considered myth at worse and over-exaggeration at best. Only recently have this style's intricacies come to light, letting it be understood as a legitimate martial art. Some clans, such as the Kameko, have passed down texts containing their training method, techniques and Code of Honor. The contributions ninjutsu has made to the Star Army of Yamatai are innumerable, if sometimes purposefully unknown or classified, and the ninja that have contributed to its history from the shadows are indisputably important.
With little regime or rank structure, the ninja are usually clan and family based but have some organizations outside of family structure. The ninja will employ seemingly outside influences to their advantage in order to overcome an enemy. Ninja are experienced masters of using nature to aid their escape and concealment. They use special running methods to cover long distances, walk over floors quietly, and especially staying in the shadows while moving about. A ninja locates and recruits spies through use of disguise, impersonation, and deception. They will also employ zealously studied military strategies to better attain their goal of sparing their own lives and destroying those of the enemy. Members are formed around the clan's family members, close contacts, and hand-picked recruits.
The ninja of Yamatai Star Empire are capable beyond measure and are able to accomplish feats by way of their characteristic Neko bodies with feline-like agility, computational skills, and other specialized abilities. A Neko that practices ninjutsu will use all of their natural strengths to oppose their enemy, such as gravity manipulation, volumetric displays, hemosynthetic weaponry if the model of Neko allows it, such as the NH-7, and use of enhanced senses such as hearing and eyesight.
Sprouting from a need to protect one's clan and family over the years of war faced by the Yamatai Star Empire, the ways of being silent among stillness and the deadliest of those around them became the motive of the secretive ninja that developed their skills and patterns of deceit and subterfuge. Samurai groups like the Shadow Vipers took influence from ninjutsu during this period. The teachings of ninjutsu began to become more transparent as they seeped into the war efforts of the Star Army. Only in YE 38 did this ancient style become popularly known, as a fully developed and precise system was laid out in an umbrella text covering nearly all of the ninja's nuances and intricacies.
Neko ninja use every technique available to them to evade the enemy and take them down.
In addition to the use of gravity manipulation Neko are capable of, ninja will know to use this ability in unique ways that inhibit their enemies and help them. They may add extra force to thrown weapons or even a blow. They will also use their gravity manipulation to avoid attacks, pursue assailants and enemies, and move in ways other species cannot.
More specifically, ninja use grav manipulation to help them disappear. Instead of full-on jumping or flying, ninja learn to silently cling to and slide along surfaces like a snake.
Neko have the uncanny ability to use their skin-based holographic optic camouflage displays to blend in completely with their environments by creating holograms close to the Neko's skin, but not over clothing, leading to why many Neko ninja forego clothing. A Neko can project the image on the opposite side of their body, effectively becoming transparent, as well as projecting images on their skin. They can don a new face or body shape to avoid capture or infiltrate an area by use of their volumetric displays.
Many ninja will study a particular environment to learn its many surfaces and their textures so they can blend into it. People who have seen ninja use this tactic describe their volumetric camouflage effortlessly switching from background to background without being detected.
Knowing such things as where to deliver specific blows to the body to do the most harm and damage, how to split bones, tear apart nerves, or make someone unconscious are paramount to a ninja's knowledge of physical harm. They must also have a working knowledge of the area they are operating in including geography, languages, customs, and the like.
The hand-to-hand combat aspect of ninjutsu is Taijutsu, which relies on natural Neko abilities and is similar to other forms of martial arts that employs open hand techniques. It focuses on foot and hand motions.
These are the following areas of training in taijutsu:
The shipudon or Neko ninja will use many different weapons to their advantage, all that double as multiple implements. Certain Neko models will be able to create them via hemosynthetic nanomachines, whom they are predominantly used by.
The weapons they use include but are not limited to those listed here: