The moment he said it, his expression changed.
A Shadow Clone was not a flesh-and-blood life-form.
It had no real brain.
Nor did it have a soul of its own.
Yet a Shadow Clone could think and make independent judgments as circumstances changed. Even when it was far from its creator, they did not need to maintain a constant mental connection.
In other words, chakra itself could carry thought and will.
"You mean the mind doesn't necessarily need a body to exist?"
Orochimaru leaned forward slightly.
He seemed to have forgotten all about the exhaustion left by their earlier battle.
Lie Yang still gave him no answer.
"What about Tailed Beasts?"
"They're life-forms made from gathered chakra."
Orochimaru's eyes grew increasingly thoughtful.
"Tailed Beasts have no flesh and blood in the ordinary sense. Even if they're killed, their chakra gathers again and eventually restores them to their original forms."
"What remains when a Tailed Beast's chakra enters a ninja's body?"
Lie Yang spoke again.
Orochimaru's fingers slowly curled.
That question was no harder to answer.
"The Tailed Beast's presence."
"And its will."
He had studied Jinchūriki.
He had also seen Tailed Beast chakra erode a host with his own eyes.
That erosion had never been merely physical.
The more Tailed Beast chakra a ninja used, the more easily the beast influenced his emotions. Savagery, hatred, and the urge to kill seeped into his consciousness through the chakra, sometimes even suppressing the Jinchūriki's original personality.
Chakra possessed more than attributes.
It could also carry the deepest traits of a living being's mind.
Orochimaru looked up.
"The Shadow Clone Technique proves chakra can carry thought."
"Tailed Beasts prove chakra can preserve an independent will for a long time."
"Even separated from the body, chakra can continue to exist."
By now, his breathing