Mount Myōboku Zoo

[Thank you, Fenghe Qingkong, for the gift! (*๓´╰╯`๓)♡]

The passage of time

Nearly several decades had passed since that earth-shattering battle.

A lot had changed in the world over those decades.

The most remarkable change was that Sage Manji had become the world's orthodox, mainstream faith!

There was no other reason. Before that battle, the common folk who had survived had begun evacuating only because they had heeded Sage Manji's divine oracle.

What happened afterward only strengthened ordinary people's faith in Sage Manji!

The villagers who had followed Manji's oracle had escaped the aftermath of that battle.

Manji Temples grew larger and more numerous, spreading across the whole world!

On top of that, with the disappearance of the God Tree faith and the faith in the Goddess Kaguya, Manji's faith naturally became the world's mainstream.

The Manji Religion even came into being.

Of course, Hagoromo had also played a significant part.

Over the years, Hagoromo often displayed divine power in public and spread a message of kindness. As Manji's disciple, Hagoromo also introduced himself as a direct disciple of Sage Manji.

This gave Manji's faith another boost.

When an old faith died, it meant a new one would emerge.

With the god Kaguya gone, Manji had taken her place.

"You stinking fox! How dare you laugh at my sand and call it ugly? I'll flatten you!"

"Don't think having more tails means you're the strongest. I may be the One-Tail, but I'm not afraid of you!!!"

Sand burst from Shukaku's body, forming a sand fist more than ten meters tall that swung toward Kurama's head.

"Hmph, it's true! Just look at your sand—it's as rough as the skin on Gamamaru's feet.

"My nine tails, on the other hand, are fluffy and soft. They're clearly top-quality fur!"

With that, Kurama nimbly dodged to the side.

"You're asking for it!"

"I'll show you the power of the great Shukaku!"

Shukaku flew into a rage, and his sand release ran wild. Several sand walls rose from the ground, surrounding Kurama, with spikes bristling across them!

Kurama sneered disdainfully. Chakra surged through his body, and he smashed the sand to pieces with one swipe of his paw. "That's all you've got? Watch me blast your pathetic sand into dust!"

"Stop fighting, stop fighting! Lord Manji's going to get angry!"

Gyūki rushed over, waving his tentacles as he tried to pull the two apart. But one of Shukaku's sand spikes scraped his tentacle, making him howl in pain.

"Ow! Don't drag me into your fight!"

Gyūki hurriedly rolled off to one side.

Matatabi perched in a nearby tree, flicking her flaming tail as she watched. Every now and then, she offered a comment: "Shukaku's sand release is slower again. Kurama's claws are too sluggish. Boring."

Son Gokū cradled a wine gourd, drinking as he shook his head. "We're all Tailed Beasts. Instead of wasting our time like this, we should have a few drinks and talk about life."

Five-Tails Kokuō, Six-Tails Saiken, Seven-Tails Chōmei, and Three-Tails Isobu gathered in a circle to watch the show. Isobu even clapped his paws now and then, splashing water everywhere.

Shukaku and Kurama had gotten into a fight, and the outcome was obvious: Shukaku would lose.

"Kurama, you're finished! I'm telling Teacher Manji!"

With that, Shukaku bolted toward Manji's room!

"Shukaku! You're such a sore loser!"

At that, Kurama's expression changed, and he hurried to stop Shukaku.

"Heh heh, scared now?"

Shukaku jeered at Kurama as he ran, soon reaching Manji's door.

Just as the two were still trading insults,

Gamamaru emerged from Manji's room.

"Both of you, stop!"

In an instant, everything fell quiet.

Gamamaru looked over the Tailed Beasts, then pointed to the room behind him where Manji was and spoke fiercely:

"The big boss of Mount Myōboku is taking a nap in there. Which Tailed Beast isn't afraid of dying and wants to take one step forward!?"

At that, the Tailed Beasts immediately settled down.

They both respected and feared Manji.

They thought they were strong, but in Manji's hands, they were no better than babies.

Suddenly, the door opened.

"Who wakes first from the great dream? I alone know..."

Manji, who had just woken up, slowly stepped outside in his blue robes.

The moment he looked up, he saw the Nine Tailed Beasts.

A thought flickered through his mind.

For the past few years, he had been teaching these Tailed Beasts. Just like in the original story, he had given them names and become their teacher.

Sigh, Mount Myōboku's practically turned into a zoo. It's got every kind of creature...

Manji glanced over the Nine Tailed Beasts.

A tanuki, a nine-tailed fox, an octopus, a turtle, a bug, a great ape... Good grief, he could open a Mount Myōboku zoo.

"Teacher Manji!"

When Manji appeared, Kurama and Shukaku called out in unison, then immediately began accusing each other.

"Teacher Manji, that stinking fox started it!" It said my sand was ugly and called me a sand-covered bumpkin!"

Shukaku spoke first, his voice full of grievance.

"Nonsense! I didn't!" Kurama immediately protested. "I was just telling the truth. Your sand really is rough! And you were the one who attacked me with sand release!"

"I was defending myself!"

"You laughed at me, so of course I had to teach you a lesson!"

Shukaku stuck out his neck.

"You're the one who's so petty!"

Kurama wasn't about to back down either. "I only said one honest thing, and you flew into a rage. You're like an explosive sandbag!"

"You're one to talk! Your tails look like a mop, and you still have the nerve to criticize me!"

"You pile of sand! You think you're fit to talk about my tails?"

The two started arguing again, spitting as they shouted. The other Tailed Beasts hurriedly backed away, afraid of getting caught in the crossfire.

Manji's head started to ache as he listened, and he struggled to keep a straight face.

Only because he had lived so long and had grown so calm at heart did he keep from getting angry.

What was it with Kurama and Shukaku? They'd acted like this in the original story, and they were still at it now.

Gamamaru crouched beside Manji, cracking sunflower seeds. "Master, look at those two. They haven't changed in decades. Every time they meet, they start fighting like a pair of little kids."

Manji rubbed his temples helplessly and looked at them. "You two, tell me what happened."

Shukaku lowered his head in grievance. "Lord Manji, I was just trying to shape my sand into something nice today. Then Kurama passed by and laughed at how ugly it was. I got mad and argued with him, and then he provoked me. That's why I attacked."

"I didn't provoke him!"

"I just casually said, 'Your sand really isn't much to look at,' and he immediately attacked me with sand release. I couldn't just stand there and let him hit me, could I?"

Kurama retorted.

"That tone of yours was mocking me!"

"I wasn't!"

"You were!"

"I wasn't!"

The two started arguing again. Manji's brow furrowed tighter and tighter as he looked at the Tailed Beasts' size.

"Let's see... isn't it about time I sent them out into the world?"

Manji counted on his fingers, deciding that the time was about right.