Shukaku's Recognition and Settlement

Shukaku sank into the sea of sand, but did not flee far away at once.

His massive body hid beneath the scorching grains, leaving only a sliver of consciousness quietly spreading out like an undercurrent lying in wait, silently observing everything happening at the desert's edge. He needed time to process the humiliation and shock of that crushing defeat, and even more time to consider Shaye's astonishing prophecy about Akatsuki and the Ten-Tails.

Several days passed quietly.

He "saw" the trade routes destroyed by the Sandstorm he had inadvertently stirred up being cleared and repaired at an astonishing speed through the efforts of the Infrastructure Puppets and ninjas dispatched by Sunagakure. Massive transport puppets rumbled past, carrying supplies into the distance.

He "sensed" the vigorous life force of the distant region known as East Sea Bay Oasis, standing out like a torch in the night. Water was abundant there, crops flourished, and humans and livestock lived in peace and prosperity—utterly unlike the barren, desolate Land of Wind he knew. And sustaining all of it were those strangely shaped Ecological Puppets containing chakra and another kind of power he now understood to be natural energy.

He could even vaguely "hear" the sounds drifting on the wind from Sunagakure's direction. They were no longer the dull, oppressive sounds born of material shortages, but a lively clamor—the chants of construction workers, children's laughter, the bustle of markets. An air of "hope," something he had never felt in this country before, was spreading.

All of this was closely tied to that human brat named Shaye. His power, his creations, and his ideals were truly changing this land.

For the first time, Shukaku's simple, brutish mind fell into complicated contemplation.

He had witnessed strength. That steel giant infused with natural energy had utterly overturned his