Night had fallen over the young settlement.
The golden statue continued to glow faintly, bathing the small plaza in warm light.
Noel sat on a stone platform nearby, looking over his tiny nation.
Fourteen residents.
One Geo Vision bearer.
A few buildings.
An oasis.
It wasn’t much.
But Noel was satisfied.
Then—
A strange sensation suddenly appeared inside his mind.
Shukaku.
Noel’s eyes widened.
“…What?”
The voice wasn’t coming from anywhere around him.
It was inside his mind.
Shukaku.
Noel immediately recognized it.
Another Tailed Beast.
Noel closed his eyes.
“…So this is the connection.”
The moment he focused on it, the world around him seemed to fade.
He found himself standing in a strange mental space.
Several enormous chakra presences surrounded him.
He looked around.
“…Oh.”
There they were.
The other Tailed Beasts.
Kurama.
Matatabi.
Isobu.
Son Gokū.
Kokuō.
Saiken.
Chōmei.
Gyūki.
And himself.
Nine siblings.
Nine enormous chakra beings.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Kurama narrowed his eyes.
Shukaku.
Noel looked at him.
Kurama.
Kurama’s expression became suspicious.
You’ve been unusually quiet lately.
Noel blinked.
“Have I?”
Yes.
Gyūki folded his arms.
We can sense your chakra, but you’ve been staying in one place for a long time.
Son Gokū tilted his head.
What exactly are you doing?
Noel smiled.
Building something.
Matatabi’s ears twitched.
Building what?
Noel proudly answered:
A nation.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Even Chōmei stopped moving.
Kurama stared.
A…
nation?
Yes.
Gyūki raised an eyebrow.
You’re serious?
Very.
Son Gokū laughed.
Hahahaha!
Since when did Shukaku become interested in humans?
Noel shrugged.
They’re interesting.
Kurama’s expression remained skeptical.
Humans are troublesome.
Noel smiled.
So are you.
Kurama’s eye twitched.
…
Matatabi covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Gyūki chuckled.
He’s got you there.
Kurama grumbled.
Whatever.
The Question
Isobu suddenly spoke.
Why build a nation?
Noel’s expression became thoughtful.
He remembered waking up alone in the desert.
He remembered the tiny spring.
The first twelve people.
The first house.
The statue.
Aran receiving his Geo Vision.
“I wanted somewhere people could live safely.”
The other Tailed Beasts listened.
Noel continued.
There’s so much empty land.
Why not make something out of it?
Son Gokū smiled.
That’s surprisingly thoughtful for you.
Noel frowned.
We’ve barely talked.
Exactly.
“…”
Noel sighed.
Anyway.
He crossed his arms.
I’m building a civilization.
Kurama snorted.
And how many people live there?
Noel paused.
“…Fourteen.”
There was silence.
Then—
Gyūki laughed.
Fourteen?!
Son Gokū burst out laughing.
Matatabi covered her face.
Even Kurama looked amused.
You call that a nation?
Noel’s eyebrow twitched.
It’s a beginning.
It’s a village.
It’s going to become a nation.
Kurama smirked.
If you say so.
Noel pointed at him.
When it becomes a major civilization, don’t come asking me for citizenship.
Kurama’s expression immediately changed.
Who said I wanted citizenship?
Noel smiled.
You just sounded interested.
I did not!
😂
A Secret
Before the connection ended, Gyūki suddenly became serious.
Shukaku.
Noel looked at him.
What?
Be careful.
The playful atmosphere disappeared.
Humans are changing.
Noel frowned.
What do you mean?
Gyūki looked toward the darkness.
The world isn’t going to remain this peaceful forever.
Son Gokū nodded.
Groups of humans are becoming stronger.
Matatabi added:
They’re gathering under powerful leaders.
Kurama’s voice was quieter.
Eventually, they’ll fight over land.
Noel didn’t answer immediately.
He already knew what would eventually happen.
Clans.
Wars.
Shinobi.
Villages.
The future he’d seen in Naruto.
But this era was still young.
Very young.
Noel opened his eyes.
Then I’ll make sure my people are ready.
Kurama looked at him for a moment.
You’re really serious about this.
Noel smiled.
Yes.
The connection began fading.
Before disappearing completely, Noel heard Kurama’s voice.
Shukaku.
What?
…Don’t let your humans make you boring.
Noel laughed.
No promises.
The mental connection disappeared.
Back in the Oasis
Noel opened his eyes.
The moon was high above him.
He looked toward the golden statue.
Then toward the small houses.
Fourteen people were sleeping peacefully.
Noel smiled.
“So my siblings are watching.”
He stood.
“Good.”
He looked toward the endless desert.
“Maybe someday…”
“…I’ll invite them over.”
The system suddenly appeared.
[New objective detected.]
[Develop diplomatic relations with the Nine Tailed Beasts.]
Noel stared at it.
“…You could’ve told me that before I started insulting Kurama.”
[Objective remains active.]
Noel sighed.
“Too late.”
Then another notification appeared.
[Morax Template Synchronization: 1.2%]
Noel’s eyes widened.
“Already?”
He looked at the golden statue.
The Geo Vision bearer.
The growing oasis.
His tiny population.
His first connection with his siblings.
Everything was slowly becoming connected.
Noel smiled.
“Alright.”
He walked toward his unfinished palace.
“Tomorrow, we build more.”
Behind him, the golden statue continued to glow.
And somewhere far away, eight Tailed Beasts were already discussing the strangest thing they had ever heard from their brother:
Shukaku was building a country.
😂
To be continued…