The next day, the first rays of morning sunlight fell upon the two individuals sleeping in each other's arms.
Shun slowly opened his eyes, the Chakra in his body had mostly recovered.
Last night's intimate act with Yukari had fully nourished his depleted Chakra pathways, and even his golden Rinnegan had stabilized considerably.
He gently brushed aside Yukari's hair from her cheek, his fingertips tracing her soft brow and eyes.
Yukari's eyelashes fluttered, her eyes still hazy from sleep. "Honey, you're awake so early. Do you feel better?"
Shun leaned down for a light kiss and said, "Much better. With your Chakra's nourishment, I've recovered faster than expected. Get up quickly, it's almost time for breakfast."
Yukari raised a hand and pinched his cheek. "Whose fault is it? You were so wild last night, wearing me out until I almost fell apart."
...
After washing up, the two walked hand-in-hand to the palace dining hall.
At this time, the dining hall was already bustling, with nine children making quite a joyous commotion.
Sasuke, the child of Shun and Mikoto, was over seven years old this year, his personality reflecting the Uchiha clan's stubbornness and pride.
He was currently resting his chin on one hand, having only taken two bites of the fried fish in front of him. His gaze constantly drifted towards Seishin across the table, with a hint of smugness.
He had already awakened his Sharingan at six years old last year, and now at seven, he had activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.
Yesterday, when the two competed, he easily "defeated" his older brother, Seishin.
"Papa! Mama!"
Karin, wearing a pink dress and with two buns in her hair, immediately jumped off her chair when she saw her father and mother enter.
Her leather shoes pattered as she ran over, hugging Shun's leg and shaking it. "Yesterday, you said you'd build a sandcastle with me. Are we going today?"
Shun bent down, picked up Karin, and weighed her in his arms, smiling as he playfully tapped her little nose. "Of course, papa always keeps his word."
He carried Karin to the dining table and sat down, his gaze sweeping over Seishin. He saw that Seishin was bowing his head, stirring his porridge bowl, not even touching his favorite grilled fish.
Shun asked, "Seishin, why aren't you eating the fried fish? The kitchen made it with a special secret recipe. Didn't you say you really wanted to eat it before?"
Seishin looked up, his face showing clear disappointment, his eyes a little red, and shook his head. "Papa, I'll eat it later."
After speaking, he quickly lowered his head again, his fingers tightly clutching the corner of his clothes, his eyes secretly glancing at Sasuke.
Just now, Sasuke had deliberately tapped his bowl with his chopsticks and quietly mumbled, "Brother Seishin is so useless. His Ninjutsu isn't as good as mine, and neither is his Taijutsu."
Shun didn't expose him on the spot, he just picked up a piece of boneless fried fish and placed it in Seishin's bowl. "Eat a little, you'll need energy to build a sandcastle later. You can't do it on an empty stomach."
As breakfast was nearing its end, Sasuke suddenly put down his chopsticks and deliberately raised his voice, saying, "Papa, yesterday, brother Seishin and I competed in Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. I easily defeated him with my Sharingan."
As he spoke, he proudly raised an eyebrow, as if waiting for praise.
Mikoto quickly pulled on Sasuke's sleeve and whispered, "Sasuke, you're not allowed to talk about your brother like that."
But Sasuke pulled away from her hand, still looking at his father, his eyes full of expectation.
Every time he displayed the power of his Sharingan, his father would praise him for being amazing, and this time would surely be no exception.
Unexpectedly, Shun merely nodded faintly. His gaze fell on Seishin, and he said softly, "Seishin, I know you work very hard. It's just that you haven't yet unleashed your talent."
Sasuke's smile instantly froze. He pouted slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He had clearly won, so why was father praising Seishin instead?
...
After breakfast, the children ran out to play in the courtyard. Karin excitedly planned the sandcastle project.
Shun found an opportunity to pull Seishin aside to the pavilion, preparing to have a good talk with him.
As soon as Seishin stood still, his eyes immediately turned red, saying in a tearful voice, "Papa, am I very stupid? Sasuke already has a two-tomoe Sharingan, but I can't even activate my Sharingan. I also lost to him in the competition yesterday, and he even said I was useless."
Shun gently wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, his tone exceptionally serious. "Seishin , you are an unparalleled genius, a rare find in a hundred years. It's just that your talent requires 'accumulating knowledge and experience before making a big impact.' Like a sapling buried in the soil, it needs to slowly take root and absorb nutrients. In the future, your power will be able to defeat a hundred Sasukes."
Seishin suddenly looked up, his previously dim eyes instantly brightening like lit stars, grabbing Shun's hand in disbelief. "Papa, is that true? Can I really be stronger than Sasuke?"
Shun ruffled his hair, his tone serious. "Of course it's true. When has papa ever lied to you? This is your unique talent, it just hasn't been displayed yet."
Seishin clutched Shun's hand tightly, the disappointment on his face completely swept away, replaced by abundant enthusiasm.
"Then I will definitely train diligently from now on. In the future, I will protect mama, protect big sister Karin, and help papa protect the Ninja World."
Seeing Shun pull Seishin aside alone, Sasuke felt indignant and quietly followed them.
When he heard his father say that Seishin could defeat a hundred of him, he immediately walked out from behind the tree.
He stood in front of the two with his hands on his hips, his eyes full of grievance and defiance. "Papa! You're playing favorites! I'm clearly the strongest! I activated my Sharingan at six years old, and now I have a two-tomoe Sharingan. How can brother Seishin be stronger than me when he doesn't even have a Sharingan? You just like brother Seishin and don't like me."
As he spoke, Sasuke's eyes reddened. What he cared about most was his father's approval, but Shun had said in front of Seishin that Seishin could defeat a hundred of him, which made him feel especially wronged.
Shun looked at Sasuke's agitated appearance and beckoned him over. "Sasuke, come here, papa wants to talk to you."
Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but still pouted and walked over, yet deliberately stood a bit farther away, clearly still sulking.
Shun reached out and pulled him close, stroking his head. "Papa isn't playing favorites. Sasuke, your Sharingan is very powerful, that's a fact, and papa has always been proud of you. But you need to know that everyone's talent is different. Seishin's strength lies in 'accumulating knowledge and experience before making a big impact,' and that is his advantage."
Watching Sasuke's expression gradually soften, he paused and continued, "Moreover, true strength isn't about showing off, but about continuously striving to become stronger. Just because you're stronger than Seishin now doesn't mean you'll always be stronger than him."
"And just because Seishin isn't as good as you now doesn't mean he won't be in the future. You are brothers, you should learn from each other, not compare yourselves and belittle each other, understand?"
Sasuke lowered his head, kicked the ground, and mumbled softly, "But... I just think I'm stronger than brother Seishin..."
Shun smiled slightly. "Papa knows you're very strong, but you can't be arrogant."