Crescent Moon

As night deepened, the faint sound of Hashirama and Itama laughing and playing drifted in from the courtyard. Utsusemi and Tobirama leaned against a vermilion-lacquered veranda pillar, drinking together.

Slightly tipsy, Tobirama Senju finally asked the question that had long been on his mind. "Your eyes... what Dōjutsu are they, exactly?"

"Huh? You really don't know?" Utsusemi stopped swirling her half-empty cup.

She realized with a start that she had never explained her eyes to the Senju brothers, just as they never pressed her about where she came from, her surname, or why she always disappeared at night.

"This is the Tenseigan, an ultimate Dōjutsu said to be on par with the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan." Utsusemi paused subtly. "The Sharingan's final stage is its transformation into the Rinnegan, while the Byakugan's final stage is..."

"The Tenseigan?" Tobirama's hesitant expression was reflected in her eyes.

Utsusemi tipped her head back and drained the sake remaining in her cup. "I'm not of Hyūga blood. My home... is farther away than the moon."

Memories of modern Earth cast a note of sorrow over her voice.

Utsusemi gazed at Tobirama. "Three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision is only the foundation. Manipulating gravity lets me replicate Limitless... and there are so many more possibilities left to explore."

"Want to work together to explore the Tenseigan's potential?" Hazy with drink, she hooked an arm around Tobirama's shoulders. "For example... bending gravity to jump through space?"

Tobirama Senju let her lean against him, his gaze never leaving those magnificent eyes. "The key to defeating Madara was...?"

"That was Six Paths Mode~" Utsusemi drew out the last syllable with a smile in her voice. "Want a closer look at the Tenseigan?"

Noticing Tobirama's inquisitive gaze, Utsusemi leaned forward of her own accord.

With her permission, Tobirama cradled her porcelain-white face. Utsusemi obediently tipped her head up and let him examine her.

"What's the maximum range of your three-hundred-and-sixty-degree vision?" Tobirama touched her temple lightly, then slowly traced his finger to the corner of her eye, brushing her long lashes with his fingertip.

"Abilities that the Byakugan has to activate deliberately are as natural as breathing to the Tenseigan." She blinked lightly as he touched her lashes. "The Tenseigan can do what a microscope does, too."

As his index finger slowly approached the eyelid around her iris, not even Utsusemi's eyelashes trembled. "You can touch it directly, but don't probe it with Chakra... that would trigger its defense mechanism."

Tobirama Senju's fingertip paused half an inch from the surface of her iris. Only after confirming that it carried no energy did he gently touch it.

Her absolute composure, contrary to a ninja's physiological instincts, made even the normally unflappable Tobirama raise an eyebrow. "You can actually suppress the biological blink reflex completely."

A rare look of surprise crossed his face. He knew better than anyone that the stronger a ninja's Dōjutsu, the more sensitive the protective mechanisms of their eyes.

An ordinary person would reflexively close their eyes at a mere brush of air, yet the Tenseigan dared to face an attack without flinching or dodging.

"I have Madara to thank for that." Utsusemi brushed a hand lightly over her eyes. "If not for my experience fighting him, I'd still be a coward who closed her eyes whenever she was attacked."

She turned her gaze to the distant sky. "The Tenseigan lets me clearly see birds ten thousand meters away, and it can see the microscopic world too. That's why I was able to take part in developing Flying Thunder God."

The light in her eyes grew brighter. "At full power, it can unlock even more abilities... legend says it can summon meteorites, split the moon, and so on..."

Her voice gradually dropped. "Of course, that's only a legend."

"Not necessarily." Tobirama studied her eyes thoughtfully. "Legends often have a basis."

"But the price is a sharp rise in body temperature." Utsusemi tapped her temple. "It could burn this out and cause a disturbance similar to being dead drunk."

She smiled faintly. "Fortunately, I have Medical Ninjutsu to fall back on. At worst, I still have Yin-Yang Release to keep me alive."

She kept to herself the Tenseigan's major flaw: it could overload and shut down when her emotions spiraled out of control.

"So when you lost your senses from a high fever while developing Flying Thunder God..." Tobirama's gaze sharpened. "And your frequent exhaustion lately..."

"Medical Ninjutsu can repair damage to the body, but mental exhaustion..." She cupped her chin. "That's not so simple. Sleep helps me recover somewhat."

Tobirama Senju formed Hand Seals and used a probing Ninjutsu, which returned astonishing data: the precision of these eyes surpassed the Sharingan, the Uchiha's greatest pride.

"Did you just think of the Sharingan?" A sly glint danced in Utsusemi's eyes. "Your microexpressions can't fool my eyes."

She blinked lazily. "Even Madara's Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan can't match how complete these eyes are, unless he can awaken the Sage of Six Paths' Rinnegan."

Noticing Utsusemi's breathing gradually grow softer, Tobirama gently let go of her.

Drowsy, Utsusemi nestled her cheek into his fluffy collar and looked at the moon. "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"

Tobirama Senju gave her a questioning look, and she explained, "The people where I studied abroad... are very shy. They don't say 'I love you.' People always hide their deepest feelings in the beauty of nature and use 'the moon is beautiful' as the most subtle declaration of love."

Utsusemi's laughter startled the night sparrows beneath the eaves into flight, but she didn't see the silver-haired ninja's ears turn red at the tips.

"Utsusemi is Utsusemi..." She rubbed against the warm fur like a cat. "I don't want to take anyone's surname..." Her fading words gave way to steady breathing.

When Hashirama Senju appeared around the corner of the veranda carrying a sleeping Itama, Tobirama had already noticed him and raised an index finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

He moved the tea set beside him to make room for his older brother, and Hashirama sat down soundlessly.

"Satisfied now?" Hashirama asked in an almost inaudible murmur.

Tobirama Senju gazed at Utsusemi in his arms. Her chest rose and fell with her breathing, each steady breath especially clear in the quiet night.

"You went out of your way to create this opportunity, brother." He curled a lock of Utsusemi's hair around his finger. "Weren't you waiting for me to ask?"

Displeasure colored Hashirama Senju's deep voice. "If I let you keep probing her, my patience will run out."

He held Itama a little closer, feeling his youngest brother's steady heartbeat.

He patted Tobirama on the shoulder, his gaze lingering tenderly on the sleeping Utsusemi.

Slightly tipsy, Utsusemi breathed evenly, her flushed cheeks the color of peaches.

The sight brought a ripple of tenderness to Hashirama's eyes, and he smiled. "Utsusemi has been so open with you. Why must you always probe her indirectly?"

He gazed at his suspicious younger brother. "Utsusemi trusts you. Don't betray that trust!"

The lights of the distant clan compound cast starlike glimmers in his eyes. "Wouldn't it be nice for the four of us to go on living happily like this?" His words were full of hope for the future.

Tobirama Senju answered with silence. In truth, he had long since accepted Utsusemi; it was only his instinctive thirst for knowledge that kept driving him to investigate unanswered questions.

The questions lingering on the tip of his tongue no longer seemed so urgent. Perhaps his brother was right: some answers were not as real as the warmth in his arms.

Now Tobirama silently tightened his arms around Utsusemi, letting her rest more securely against him.

Hashirama Senju gazed lovingly at the three before him, then opened his arms and gently gathered his younger brothers and Utsusemi into an embrace, as carefully as if they were fragile treasures.

This time, he paid particular attention to how tightly he held them, neither squeezing too hard nor seeming distant.

He could feel Tobirama's stiff back gradually relax, while Itama unconsciously nuzzled closer into his arms in his sleep, without disturbing Utsusemi's peaceful slumber.

He understood well that the head of a household had to know when to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear. Some secrets did not need to be pursued; cherishing the warmth before him was enough.

Ninja, of all people, should understand that in an age ravaged by war, only the present was truly theirs to hold.

A beeping alarm pierced the silence of the late night. Eyes closed, Utsusemi fumbled beside her until her fingers touched cool metal.

Tobirama Senju's well-defined hand hovered in midair, still held out with the pocket watch.

She forced her eyelids open. The digits "00:00" stood out clearly in her blurred vision.

"February twentieth... Itama's birthday is here." Instantly awake, she straightened up from Tobirama's shoulder and saw Itama waking in Hashirama's arms.

"Happy birthday, Itama! Happy eighth birthday." Awakened by the noise, Itama was rubbing his eyes when Utsusemi wished him a happy birthday and handed him a gift.

The child's lingering sleepiness immediately turned to delight, and Itama broke into an excited smile. "Thank you, big sister! This is the first birthday present I've received!"

Itama unwrapped the present to find a set of carefully adapted picture books.

Utsusemi had repeatedly reviewed every page, removing modern elements that did not fit the Warring States era and correcting anachronistic expressions, turning them into precious reading material that could circulate in the Senju Clan Compound.

The Senju brothers swallowed in unison. Their youngest brother should have remained seven forever.

The child who should have died at seven was turning the pages with living fingers. It was Utsusemi who had rewritten the course of fate.

Hashirama Senju unfolded the set of light armor as though presenting a treasure. "Infuse it with Chakra, and it'll adapt as your body grows."

Tobirama Senju knelt on one knee and offered him a short sword. "There are two Flying Thunder God Kunai hidden in the hilt." They watched their youngest brother try on the armor and equip his weapon.

"Thank you, big brother and second brother. Now I can protect big sister too, right?" Itama swung the sword in a silver arc, its blade whistling through the air.

Utsusemi suddenly caught his wrist. "A strategic retreat is more important than a reckless charge. If I can't win, you have to be the first to retreat."

Tobirama Senju cut in. "Learning the Flying Thunder God Formula and using reverse summoning to bring help is the best solution."

Hashirama Senju had already wrapped both of them in his arms. "Remember, my world of trees will always flourish for you. If you run into trouble, come to your big brother!"

Itama pressed his cheek against his eldest brother's warm, broad chest, listening to his steady, peaceful heartbeat. As he nodded, his hair brushed Tobirama's lips before he had finished speaking. "Yeah, I'll make Flying Thunder God's blue light the last nightmare our enemies ever see."

Tobirama Senju urged everyone to get some rest, and an exhausted Utsusemi lay down in the familiar guest room.

Nothing seemed to have changed here. Even the bed where Itama slept peacefully and the spot where she lay were exactly the same.

Through the Tenseigan, she could still see the Chakra flowing through the Senju settlement, those faint points of light flickering in and out.

Now there was no more anxiety in her heart. The strongest mass of Chakra had become a reassuring presence to her.

The pulsing signs of life of the Senju tribespeople became the most reassuring lullaby.

Outside the door, Tobirama sensed her steady breathing and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. He remembered the long night she had spent tossing and turning when she first stayed over. This peace was the best reward for their bond.