Seeing Shukaku fall into a silent stupor, Simu pushed his glasses up and said with a faint smile, "If you have no way to protect yourself, Mr. Shukaku, then I have no choice but to hand you over to the leader. Even though you are a very good partner of mine, the leader's authority is not something I can resist."
Simu's tone was filled with regret.
Shukaku knew Simu was being hypocritical, but it was truly anxious! It had absolutely no desire to be squeezed back into that shell with that bastard Kurama!
Watching the shifting expressions on the beast's face, Simu remained patient. It would be best if Shukaku could find a way to deceive Nagato while preserving itself. If that failed, he would simply carve off a piece for research and hand the main body over to Nagato. Regardless, Simu would never fall out with his "brother" Nagato for the sake of his "friend" Shukaku.
"Brat, how can I prove whether your words are true or false?"
Shukaku finally spoke. It seemed to have undergone a massive internal struggle, and its expression was quite unsightly.
Simu scratched his head and pulled a grayish-white fragment from his pocket.
"The only thing that can prove my identity is this. If you don't believe it, there's nothing I can do."
As the fragment touched Gaara's body through the Blood Pool, a familiar aura rapidly transmitted to Shukaku, causing it to freeze instantly. It was an aura it knew all too well. This brat was not lying!
"Brat, why do you have a fragment of the Divine Tree?"
Shukaku stared deathly at Simu. It was truly afraid now. As a creature of chakra, Shukaku didn't worry about being killed. Even if it died, as long as chakra existed in the shinobi world, creatures like them would never truly perish. Given enough time, any Tailed Beast could be resurrected.
However, being sealed back into the Divine Tree was different. In that case, it would lose its individual consciousness, merge with the other Tailed Beasts, and become a brand-new... beast. It wouldn't be itself anymore. Furthermore, Shukaku didn't think this new "Sage of Six Paths" would be kind enough to split the Ten-Tails back into nine after experiencing its power.
In other words, if it were sealed this time, it would likely lose its freedom forever. Shukaku was panicking.
Meanwhile, Simu captured a key term for the second time.
'Divine Tree'.
He had clearly held a piece of the Gedo Mazo's shell, yet Shukaku called it the Divine Tree. This meant that in Shukaku's view, the Gedo Mazo and the Divine Tree were essentially the same thing. Combining this with the plant-like genes and the genetic locks he had found in his research, Simu formed a bold hypothesis. The Gedo Mazo and the Divine Tree were likely different forms of the same entity!
Despite his inner speculation, Simu's face remained calm.
"Mr. Shukaku, I believe this fragment of the Divine Tree proves I am telling the truth. If you're ready, you can tell me your plan."
Simu followed along with the term "Divine Tree." His implication was clear: if Shukaku had a way to trick Nagato, Simu wouldn't mind helping. If not, he would just have to watch Mr. Shukaku be sealed away.
This time, Shukaku deliberated for a long while.
"I have a method..."
It looked up and stared at Simu with suspicion. "The prerequisite is that you truly guarantee my safety!"
A smile appeared on Simu's face as he nodded without hesitation. "Of course. I am very willing to guarantee your safety, Mr. Shukaku."
If he could truly deceive Nagato, Simu wouldn't mind keeping Shukaku as a permanent test subject. Who else could use a Tailed Beast as a lab rat? Perhaps Shukaku could even serve as a guardian beast for the religion in the future!
After weighing the options, Shukaku decided to trust Simu. It had no other choice.
"The only way to deceive the Rinnegan is to use sealing jutsu to split my body and soul!"
Shukaku said through gritted teeth. Using such a method to hide was incredibly humiliating for a Tailed Beast. Simu's immediate interest only added to that humiliation.
"Be more specific."
Shukaku endured the discomfort and explained, "You should know about Yin-Yang Style, right?"
Simu nodded.
"Actually, we Tailed Beasts are composed of Yin-Yang Style chakra and the will—or soul—contained within that chakra."
Simu listened with great interest. Few people ever heard a Tailed Beast analyze its own essence like this. Even so-called "Perfect Jinchuriki" rarely bothered to understand a Tailed Beast's structure.
Shukaku straightened its posture.
"The split I mentioned involves using sealing jutsu to separate my body's Yin-Yang Style chakra from the will within it. You can take a portion of my body to hand over, and keep the rest..."
Shukaku glanced at Simu, clearly worried about whether he would keep his word.
Simu pushed his glasses up and promised, "Rest assured. Once I have analyzed your chakra, you will lose your significance to me. I will naturally let you go."
This was not a lie. While Tailed Beasts were a fatal temptation to others, they held limited appeal for Simu. He didn't lack destructive power or massive chakra. His attitude was one of curiosity over desire. Once his research was satisfied, he had no intention of keeping Shukaku. Perhaps he could even create Tailed Beasts from the Blood Pool by then.
"A jutsu capable of separating and sealing a soul is extremely rare, but I happen to know one..."
"However, performing this jutsu is incredibly difficult. The user must possess extremely high mastery of Yin-Yang Style and sealing jutsu."
Shukaku left one thing unsaid: if the jutsu failed, the subject—itself—could die. But death for Shukaku was just a new beginning. If Simu failed, it could escape through death and be free again in a few decades.