Although the theory was outrageous, Shikamaru felt he had probably guessed right.
"Oh, right, Xiao Ling!"
Naruto froze for a moment at Shikamaru's question, then turned and called out to the well-behaved Zero-Tails, who was being lectured by the Nine-Tails nearby.
The circular wound the Truth-Seeking Orb had blasted into its body was already gone.
Earlier, the Zero-Tails had been deeply concerned about that wound, but Naruto had no idea how to treat it on the spot. After all, as the highest level of Yin-Yang Release ninjutsu, the Truth-Seeking Orb's destructive power had a special effect on bodies structured from chakra.
After landing an exceptionally effective attack on the Zero-Tails, he had no immediate way to restore its body.
At least, that was what Naruto had thought before.
No matter what, the Zero-Tails had once appeared before him as an enemy. That fact could not be changed.
So even if he really had left a wound on its body, what did it matter?
Once it understood Naruto's attitude, the Zero-Tails fell into despair.
But the Nine-Tails soon stepped in.
This was one of the rare occasions when its approach differed from Naruto's: it treated the Zero-Tails.
As the highest-level formula of Yin-Yang Release, the Truth-Seeking Orb erased chakra on impact, and that chakra would never return.
Like the tailed beasts, the Zero-Tails had a body and life composed of chakra. Having part of its body erased was actually much like having part of its lifespan erased.
Humans could not understand what it meant for a chakra lifeform to be erased, just as chakra lifeforms could not understand the physiology of animals like humans.
The Nine-Tails understood this all too well.
Chakra lifeforms differed from ordinary creatures. They did not need to forage for food and lacked the organs and physiological