A-rank

A-rank is one of the six classifications. It is preceded by B-rank and followed by S-rank. It is typically used when classifying techniques intended for ninja of the Kage and jōnin level. A-rank techniques are often very useful, but need extensive training before they can be mastered. Some A-rank techniques also pose a risk to the user, resulting in their classification as kinjutsu.

There are also A-rank missions. These missions relate to what is in a village or country's personal interests and are extremely difficult or dangerous to compete, usually assigned to jōnin. In Part I, Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno, and Shikamaru Nara three genin are given the A-rank task of stopping Sasuke Uchiha from pursuing Gaara. A-rank missions pay between 150,000 and 1,000,000 ryō.