My Techniques are a bit off

[Second World – Near the Allied Shinobi Forces Base, Tailed Beast Workstation]

"Hmm?"

The Two-Tails, Matatabi—on duty that day—suddenly sensed a somewhat familiar chakra. Looking down, she spotted a small boy acting rather suspiciously.

"!"

Her feline face showed a look of astonishment.

A human who looks so much like the Old Man (the Sage of Six Paths)?

No, that chakra felt just as familiar—

"I'm Shukaku," announced the little boy, who bore a strong resemblance to the Sage of Six Paths.

"Huh?" Matatabi blinked, half amused. "You're clearly human. Even if your chakra is…?" Then she remembered the unique quality of Shukaku's chakra. It was practically identical.

The newly human Shukaku #1 went on at length, rattling off all sorts of details from when the Tailed Beasts were first created, how they lived alongside the Old Man in the beginning, watched him grow old and suffer, unable to move freely… then followed Asura after the Old Man passed, and so on.

Matatabi's expression shifted from disbelief to hesitation, and finally to surprise. "They actually managed to turn you into a human? But wait—"

She carefully extended her senses. According to the Web Net forums, "Shukaku" was currently surfing the net, chatting with others about which Tailed Beast was strongest.

"I'm the One-Tails from the Main World," explained Shukaku #1. "I was just removed from my jinchūriki's body not too long ago."

Oh, so that's it.

Matatabi recalled hearing something about that. The Shukaku #2 on duty at the time had mentioned it:

"That loser got himself sealed in a jinchūriki, hahaha!"

"Uh-huh. So how'd you end up in a human form?" she asked, skipping over her rather impolite memory. She was genuinely curious.

All the Tailed Beasts had lived since the Sage of Six Paths' time—ancient as they were, they'd gleaned plenty from humanity over the years, especially after being sealed in humans, learning all sorts of things just by hearing and seeing. But never had they encountered a Tailed Beast turned into a human.

As Matatabi asked, she also sent a quick message in her own little Web Net group.

Within seconds, the Eight-Tails from that group forwarded it to another Tailed Beast group, and so on. Two-Shukaku soon got wind, and then multiple Web Net portals appeared nearby—

The peanut gallery had arrived.

(So… that's how huge I used to be?)

Shukaku #1 peered up at his bigger Tailed Beast counterpart—Shukaku #2—who bent down to stare at the little boy version from every angle.

"What're you lookin' at?!" Shukaku #1 snapped, unmoved by the giant version of himself.

"Heh-heh… it's definitely the same guy," Shukaku #2 said with a disconcerting grin.

Not long ago, Shukaku #2 and Shukaku #1 had crossed paths briefly. Now, with Shukaku #1 no longer stuck inside a jinchūriki, if he'd been reincarnated as a human… maybe Shukaku #2 could just bite—

"What do you think you're doing?!"

Uchiha Shisui, on guard duty, sprang onto a nearby rooftop, glaring at the Tailed Beasts crowding around an unfamiliar human boy.

It wasn't that he looked down on Tailed Beasts—more that, from the perspective of a Mangekyō Sharingan user, Tailed Beasts weren't so different from chickens in a coop. Especially when it came to Shisui, skilled in genjutsu.

The Tailed Beasts went silent on the outside, though in their Web Net chat they griped that humans meddled too much. They were all chakra incarnations and could use Web Net as easily as breathing, so no one would ever catch them at it.

Shukaku #2 got a little nervous, slowly backing away. Times had changed, and humans were on top now. If Tailed Beasts got killed in the old days, well, eventually they'd resurrect. But now it was far more complicated—Link, that horrifying little brat, had countless ways to torment them. They could end up like livestock, with pieces chopped off every so often. Or they might face a fate like the Main World's Six-Tails, apparently sliced into near oblivion and forced into hibernation. Even now, it had only just reawakened and still had to feign sleep—so cruel.

"All right, what's going on here?" Shisui demanded, relaxing his stance just a bit. He was mild-mannered, not one of those "humans-are-superior" types; he could tolerate other species, given that they were all working toward the Alliance's peace.

The Tailed Beasts glanced at one another. How to explain…?

Shisui recalled some recent announcements. "About the new Web Net portal stations—no need to worry too much. Even if you guys don't end up staffing those portals, the Alliance will find other work for you."

Word was that the trial runs for the new "bio-computers" had been going well. So they no longer needed Tailed Beasts to keep the portals active around the clock—just people to supply some chakra to the machines at regular intervals. Compared to Tailed Beasts, who needed breaks and had to be monitored, the bio-computers were far more convenient. But from the Alliance's perspective, Tailed Beasts were still valuable and would be assigned to new roles—Tobirama had apparently lined something up for them. Shisui figured he could reassure them.

He hesitated.

"What?!"

The Tailed Beasts looked downright alarmed—especially Matatabi, Shukaku #2, and both versions of the Eight-Tails. They suddenly seemed anxious.

They were about to lose their jobs?

No way. Not only did it feel great being respected by humans for once, but leaving the Alliance meant getting kicked off Web Net—unthinkable. Recall how the Four-Tails, Son Gokū, had initially planned to return to the Flower-Fruit Mountain—then discovered Web Net and snuck back to apply for a job anyway. The world of Web Net was too enticing to give up.

"No, you gotta explain this better!"

"What new station?"

"So we're getting new jobs—?"

The Tailed Beasts all chattered in alarm.

"Hey! Hey!" Shukaku #1 yelled, voice cracking. His small human throat went hoarse, easily drowned out by the loud Tailed Beasts. His cheeks puffed in frustration, and he shot Shisui a hostile glare.

He'd originally come looking for someone to help him run away, but everything got derailed. Damn it, are they all under human control already?

Swish!

Main-World Sasuke landed nearby, nodded to the troubled Shisui, then turned to Shukaku #1: "Next time you run off, I won't go so easy on you."

"Who's that?" Shisui picked up on the ominous tone in his words.

Sasuke shook his head. The specifics of a Tailed Beast being reincarnated as a human were still classified. They couldn't decide how to handle it until Link woke up. The Anbu assigned to guard Shukaku #1 had never expected a Tailed Beast-turned-human could be so adept at ninjutsu—using sand clones and Earth Release to break out.

"Come on, let's go," Sasuke ordered, leaving no room to negotiate.

Shukaku #1 glanced around at the other Tailed Beasts, silently pleading for help. But they all conveniently turned away, pretending not to notice.

No one was stupid enough to confront two sets of Mangekyō Sharingan.

(Damn it!)

He stewed inwardly. If he didn't escape soon, once that terrifying brat Link woke up and realized all the Tailed Beast memories still existed in the chakra—none of it truly erased—he'd be finished!

~~~

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