Nagato and "Madara"

In a forest, Minamoto Takuya lowered his head and stared at the dark green mass of chakra sealed within a Sealing Formula in his hand: Six-Tails Saiken.

An indescribable silence hung over his face.

Everything that had happened before him had gone far more smoothly than he had imagined.

Utakata, the Six-Tails Jinchuriki, had always been laid-back by nature, disliked conflict, and was remarkably "sensible" in his dealings.

But Minamoto Takuya had never expected him to be sensible to such an absurd extent!

Utakata had not only believed his promise that he could keep him alive after extracting the Tailed Beast, but had accepted it without the slightest reservation.

Minamoto Takuya's gaze shifted between the Tailed Beast Chakra in his hand and Utakata.

It felt like some unreal joke.

After all, throughout the long history of the Shinobi World, it was practically unheard of for a Jinchuriki to survive after having their Tailed Beast forcibly extracted.

Even though Kushina Uzumaki had already broken that precedent, the information had long since been completely suppressed and remained unknown to the world.

All he could say was that Utakata was indeed an "interesting" fellow.

At that moment, however, Utakata's heart was utterly calm.

His reasoning was simple. Resist? Against the overwhelming strength Minamoto Takuya had displayed, even fighting to the death would not save him. It might only make him die faster and in greater pain.

What if he did not resist? If he chose to trust that unknown promise, there was at least a sliver of hope. What if the other man was telling the truth?

On the scales between life and death, there was no need to hesitate over this choice.

With the simplest and most direct logic, he had gambled for a chance to live.

And so, he was still