Ryou then asked Chiyo, "Old woman, does the Ones Own Life Reincarnation use chakra to create a soul or to summon one?"
Chiyo replied, "If applied to a puppet, it uses chakra to create an artificial soul; if applied to a person, it maintains the connection between the deceased's soul and body."
Maintaining the connection between a deceased's soul and body is essentially summoning the soul.
In the original work, Chiyo's revival of Gaara didn't involve converting chakra into Gaara's soul.
A soul converted in that manner wouldn't be the deceased Gaara's soul, but rather a soul created by Chiyo using chakra.
Creating a soul involves Yin-Yang Release; it is even more taboo than reviving a person, as it is truly creating life.
In the original work, the only one capable of creating life out of thin air with a technique was the Sage of Six Paths.
White Zetsu aren't even considered true life.
Ryou asked again, "Giving a puppet a soul must be difficult, right?"
Chiyo didn't answer, but Ebizo chimed in to assert his presence: "It is extremely difficult. Giving a puppet a soul and life is completely fantastical."
"The Sunagakure high-ups banned research into the Ones Own Life Reincarnation back then because the development of this technique exhausted a vast amount of the Puppet Brigade's resources without making any progress."
In the original work, the greatest utility of the Ones Own Life Reincarnation was reviving Gaara. Wanting to give life to a puppet?
To be honest, it's even harder than reviving a person.
Because in the Shinobi World, there are far too many Secret Techniques that can revive people; the boundary between life and death is not so insurmountable.
Take the Rinne Rebirth technique, for instance; Nagato could revive a whole crowd at once.
If the Pure Land had a King Yama, he would definitely be angry enough to cut someone down.
The world of the dead is quite crude, essentially a makeshift operation.
Tobirama's Edo Tensei can summon a person's soul from the Pure Land by sacrificing a single tribute.
The boundary between life and death isn't that clear-cut; there are too many loopholes to exploit.
But giving a puppet life and a soul?
That is essentially creating a brand-new human being.
This is not a realm that humans can touch.
Ryou felt that the Puppet Brigade's direction had gone astray.
The puppets they wanted to develop were modeled after themselves—puppets that could think and fight autonomously just like they did.
This was creating life that could replace them in battle.
Such a goal was too ambitious and impractical; they should look toward the puppets of the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon.
The Ōtsutsuki Clan's puppets don't require chakra strings to operate; they rely on the energy provided by the Giant Tenseigan.
Even when not being controlled, they possess a certain level of autonomous judgment, capable of taking care of Toneri's daily life, cleaning, and maintaining the lunar castle.
They can also execute complex tactics, infiltrate, kidnap children, and bolt when things get dicey...
Though called puppets, they are actually intelligent robots in puppet skin.
Ryou felt that the intelligent puppets the Puppet Brigade desired were just like those of the Ōtsutsuki Clan on the moon.
He then shared the concept of these intelligent puppets and some of his own thoughts with Chiyo.
Chiyo didn't care much at first, but the more she heard, the more shocked she became, wishing she could find a notebook to write it all down.
Ryou's ideas weren't particularly profound; on the contrary, they were somewhat crude compared to the Puppet Brigade's taboo concept of giving puppets life.
His idea was to use Sasori's regeneration core technology to create an energy core for the puppet and seal one's own chakra inside it, thereby obtaining an intelligent puppet.
The energy is provided by the chakra in the regeneration core, but where does the intelligence come from?
Also from chakra.
Because chakra carries the Shinobi's will, similar to the concept of clones; a Shadow Clone is formed from a mass of chakra.
Because chakra contains the host's spiritual energy, it possesses the capacity for self-judgment.
This is even more advanced than an algorithm.
Ryou and Chiyo found themselves in increasing agreement, and the previously tense atmosphere gradually dissipated.
Nekomata brought over tea and poured it for everyone.
Ebizo watched Ryou while sipping his tea.
Come to think of it, has Ryou ever killed anyone in Sunagakure?
Ebizo didn't know, but looking at him, he didn't seem like the type to slaughter innocents.
In contrast, his great-grandson, Sasori, was bloodthirsty and ruthless, taking lives at the slightest provocation.
Two generations of Kazekage died by his hand.
People from the Land of Fire are so peace-loving; even a rogue Shinobi is so kind.
After hearing Ryou's concept, Chiyo looked at the character for "Sasori" on Sasori's abdomen.
The core of Ryou's idea was Sasori's core, integrating chakra pathways into a tiny core.
Sasori became an autonomous Human Puppet by relying on the core; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Sasori an intelligent puppet.
Chiyo suddenly thought, "If we could obtain the chakra of Sasori's parents, wouldn't we be able to create their cores and let 'Father' and 'Mother' possess their consciousness?"
Ryou nodded, "Based on this concept, it is possible, but how would you get the chakra of Sasori's parents?"
"They have been dead for a long time. To get their chakra, you would likely have to summon their souls from the Pure Land."
Chiyo clenched her hand, as if seeing a glimmer of hope. "There must be a way. It's just chakra; there must be a way."
Chiyo also delved into the realm of souls; currently in the Shinobi World, among Shinobi, her understanding of souls was the deepest, second only to Orochimaru.
Chakra can exist for a long time; for example, Minato and Kushina's chakra could stay inside Naruto's body for over a decade.
Asura and Indra's chakra has existed for a millennium, constantly reincarnating and possessing hosts.
But Sasori's parents didn't leave any chakra behind. They died unexpectedly; with a flash of the White Fang's blade, they were gone.
Where would they have had the time to leave chakra or settle their affairs?
Chiyo couldn't obtain the chakra of Sasori's parents in the physical world, so she could only look for a way through their souls.
Souls and chakra are deeply intertwined. A soul is not the same as spiritual energy, but it is the source of spiritual energy.
The stronger the soul, the stronger the spiritual energy.
That is why children cannot refine chakra immediately upon birth; they must wait until a certain age when their soul has grown strong enough and their spiritual energy can withstand the depletion before they can train.
Spiritual energy is the outward manifestation of a person's soul; the soul is the core.
A person's strength depends on the strength of their soul.
Chakra is the product of combining spiritual energy and physical energy.
Why does an Edo Tensei possess infinite chakra?
The soul of the Edo Tensei body is already dead, so the consequence of exhausting spiritual power no longer occurs.
Combined with the immortality of the Edo Tensei body, physical strength never runs out, and both spiritual and physical energy are eternal; thus, the chakra of an Edo Tensei body is eternal.
Alternatively, the deceased's soul is constant, retaining the full amount and attributes of the chakra they had in life within the Pure Land.
Perhaps the latter explanation is more accurate.
In the original work, after Kabuto released the Edo Tensei, Kato Dan used the Spirit Transformation Technique to see Tsunade, transferring his chakra to her to restore her reserves and combat effectiveness.
This proves that a Shinobi's soul can carry chakra.
Then how should Chiyo summon the souls of Sasori's parents and escape the pull of the Pure Land to obtain their chakra?