This technique allows the user's spirit to materialise and leave their body, which is then able to take possession of a target, enabling them to freely manipulate the victim's body at will. As a result of being possessed by this jutsu-user, the host body decays from the inside-out.[1] Dan Katō noted that this technique had been used to kill a great number of shinobi during his lifetime.[2] The only known way to counteract the technique is to trap the user within a barrier, such as the Four Violet Flames Formation, before they can activate it.[3]
With the release of the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation technique, a reincarnated Dan was capable of taking control of his ascending spirit for a short period of time using this technique. It crossed a vast distance and was still able to manipulate a person's body as well as transfer chakra to them.[4]
Trivia
- Dan's ability to cause his soul to exit his body makes him reminiscent of an "ikiryō" (生霊, literally meaning: living ghost), from Japanese folklore. An ikiryō is a person whose soul can dwell outside his or her body.
- Tobirama Senju is capable of using a similar technique, where he can send his soul into another person's body if they were still alive, but unlike this technique, it is labelled a kinjutsu.[5]