

When Jiraiya used Rasengan on a tree, it shredded part of it and trees are not
soft. They are so much harder than human flesh. However, the first time
Jiraiya used it on a gangster, he didn't die.

Why is that? He should have been torn to shreds.


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naruto
How does Rasengan do so less damage?


Chakra is an energy, meaning that it may appear that in both cases Rasengan is
the same but not the same amount of chakra. Apart from this, the tree is
grounded and can't move, and when a Rasengan hits a person (basically Rasengan
is a rotating chakra), the person moves and the impact is not full.

It's explained in
[Physics.SE](https://physics.stackexchange.com/a/55959/58352)

> Well, force will be a function of time.
>

>> [![Force is a function of
time](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMIja.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/JMIja.gif)

>
> So, while we can't find the force (a meaningless quantity), we can find how
> the force varies over time. For example, if the body the object crashes into
> obeys Hooke's law/Young's modulus (and the object is rigid), we can
> calculate force by solving:
>

>> [![Second force
equation](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uR9kG.gif)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/uR9kG.gif)

>
> [![illustration of
> force](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cy2pp.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Cy2pp.jpg)


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When the [Rasengan](http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Rasengan) makes impact, there
are two effects that take place

The first effect is

> On contact, the Rasengan grinds into its target, propels them along the
> Rasengan's trajectory - either away from the user or into the ground beneath
> them

When Jiraiya used the Rasengan against the gangsters, this what we saw.

The second effect is

> and at some point bursts, causing severe damage at the point of contact.

The burst is what truly deals the damage. Jiraiya mastered the technique of
the Rasengan and more than likely had control over it for it to not burst.

Anyways, he was trying to make a point and get the gangsters off of his back -
there was no need to kill them. [Jiraiya even
says](https://youtu.be/Zr3PFfh3Uw4?t=60)

> And I was holding back. You guys are hardly worth the trouble


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Naruto hasnt taken the full amount of time to gather the energy needed in
order to fully hand out the highest amount of damage possible with his
Rasengan. As he progresses through his practices he grows stronger because hes
learning how to fully use his Rasengan. The more he learns, the easier and
stronger it becomes.


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