The late cherry blossoms at the Daimyo Mansion in the Land of Water were withering, and pinkish-white petals drifted onto Shun's shoulders.
He gazed at his four pregnant wives in the courtyard.
Sāra was weaving baby swaddling clothes with Chakra threads, while Mikoto's fingertips caressed her slightly bulging abdomen.
Yukari and Chie were arguing about parenting. The former said to train a Fuinjutsu genius, while the latter insisted the child should learn Ice Release first.
This should have been a cause for celebration, yet Shun's thoughts drifted to a distant place.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he could see through the mists of time to the red-haired youth who had not yet entered the world.
"Gaara will be born on January 19th next year." He murmured softly, his voice echoing in the air with a hint of emotion.
That name, like a key, gently turned and opened the floodgates of his memory. It was a red-haired youth, regarded as a "monster" by the people of Sunagakure, suffering from fear and rejection. His eyes were filled with violence and despair, as if the whole world was against him.
Shun's lips curled slightly, a hint of playfulness flashing in his eyes.
'A Gaara without mother's protection might be more interesting?'
Just as he was immersed in his own imagination, another thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
'What if I save his mother, Karura, what would Gaara's future be like?'
This thought, like a bolt of lightning, cut through his otherwise calm thoughts.
He couldn't help but wonder, if Gaara's mother had not died so early, would the life trajectory of that lonely youth have changed because of it?
Shun's brows furrowed slightly as he fell into deep thought.
This question, like a riddle, became more interesting the more he thought about it.
As soon as the thought occurred to him, Shun flew near Sunagakure in Seraph mode.
The scorching desert sun baked the stone walls of Sunagakure, and sandstorms swept through the streets, sending pedestrians scurrying for cover.
Shun stood on high ground, activating Divine Eye, his gaze piercing through layers of buildings to accurately locate a blonde woman.
Karura's eyes were as gentle as water, and she was quietly gazing at her bulging abdomen. Her right hand gently caressed it, as if she could feel the heartbeat of the fetus within her womb.
"Target acquired."
Before he finished speaking, Shun's figure, like a ghost, instantly vanished into thin air, as if he had never appeared.
Seeing the shuriken flying over, Karura thought someone was attacking and quickly dodged to the side. But she suddenly felt a blur before her eyes, and the surrounding scenery instantly changed.
The familiar stone houses of Sunagakure instantly transformed into a boundless desert.
"Space-time Ninjutsu…"
Her pupils instantly contracted, and she instinctively formed hand signs, only to see countless grains of sand rapidly converge, forming dozens of sharp spears.
These sand spears, carrying a fierce aura, shot straight towards the man who had suddenly appeared.
However, facing this sudden attack, the man appeared unusually calm. He merely dodged with ease, and the sand spears grazed his clothes, flying into the distance and kicking up a cloud of dust.
Shun said calmly, "Calm down, I am not your enemy."
Karura's voice grew sterner. "You trespassed into Sunagakure, kidnapped the Kazekage's wife, and you still dare to say you're not an enemy?"
Her hands quickly gathered Chakra, clearly not letting down her guard because of his words.
Shun sighed helplessly. "I really just came to help you."
Karura sneered, "Help me? Sunagakure's affairs don't need outsiders to interfere."
Before she finished speaking, she suddenly slammed her hand on the ground.
Sand Binding Coffin!
With her action, the formerly calm desert seemed to be enraged, instantly erupting. Countless grains of sand, like a huge sand wave, swept overwhelmingly towards Shun.
Shun's Mangekyo Sharingan rotated in his eyes.
Susanoo.
Sharingan: Genjutsu.
Karura's attack instantly disintegrated.
Her expression changed, and just as she was about to form hand signs again, she found herself caught in Susanoo's hand. Then, she fell under a Genjutsu, and dark chains extended, binding her tightly.
Karura cried out in fear. "You are Shun, why are you doing this to me?"
Shun brought her before him, his finger gently caressing her abdomen. "I'm sorry, I'll explain to you in a moment."
The next second, his consciousness directly invaded the seal space.
In the dark cage, a giant tanuki lay quietly. It opened its eyes, staring intently at the uninvited guest, and let out a deafening roar.
"Sharingan brat! Get out of here!"
Facing Shukaku's roar, Shun merely curled his lips slightly, as if he didn't take Shukaku's threat seriously at all.
He said calmly, "Don't be so agitated, I just want to borrow a little bit of your Chakra."
"Rawwr… you bastard… die…" Shukaku roared again, struggling desperately, trying to break free from its binds.
However, Shun's ocular power continuously suppressed it, making it completely unable to move. As his ocular power continued to grow, Shukaku's body began to tremble violently. Its Chakra was being forcefully extracted by a powerful force. It continuously flowed into a black tomoe below Shun's neck.
Shukaku's Chakra, after all, could not compare to Nine-Tails. In just a moment, 90% of its Chakra was drained, making it extremely weak. Finally, it could only collapse powerlessly to the ground, without even the strength to roar.
Shun looked at Shukaku lying on the ground and said with a smile, "Alright, for the next few months, you'll just stay here quietly."
His consciousness returned to reality, and Karura slumped to the ground, her back soaked in cold sweat.
"What exactly did you do?"
Shun said with a smile, "When a female Jinchuriki gives birth, the seal weakens, and the Tailed Beast will rampage, leading to the death of the female Jinchuriki."
He pointed to her abdomen and said, "I weakened Shukaku's power, but there are still a few months until the delivery day, so you still need to be careful."
Karura froze, a hint of complexity flashing in her eyes.
"Why help me?"
Shun smiled slightly. "Because my wife is also pregnant, so I don't want to see a child lose its mother at birth."
Before he finished speaking, Karura's figure returned to her original spot.