Naka River

One dawn, amid a haze of spring rain, Utsusemi suddenly saw through the fog clouding her perception. Her Tenseigan, which could see through the darkness, had made her overlook the most basic problem of lighting.

Every night, Utsusemi returned to the brightly lit Spacetime Tower, where the motion-sensor lights came on automatically.

Accustomed to modern lighting and equipped with the Tenseigan's night vision, Utsusemi had instinctively overlooked the problem.

Once the lights of Spacetime Tower became muscle memory, the darkness of the Warring States era became a blind spot she failed to notice.

A few electric lights could be found in the nobles' mansions in the Land of Hot Water, while torches flickered in the drafts sweeping through the Senju Clan Compound.

What shook her most was the Uchiha training ground. Children hurled Shuriken with precision in the courtyard, the Tomoe spinning in their irises brighter than the fish-oil lamps used for illumination.

Utsusemi immediately began investigating power generation, rushing into Spacetime Tower's quantum computer center.

She ruled out thermal power for its destructive impact on the forests, and solar power for its limitations due to the weather and technology.

The swift current of the Naka River came into view, and the markings on the hydrological map sent ripples of excitement through her Tenseigan.

At dusk, after the Ninjutsu theory class ended, Utsusemi specifically invited Tobirama to survey the site with her. The two made their way along moss-covered river rocks.

Utsusemi gently swung a modern lantern. "Tobirama, look at this design..."

She held up the hydroelectric power diagram, the turbine cross-section clearly visible in the light. "The nights of the future shouldn't be swallowed by darkness."

Tobirama Senju bent down to examine the plans in Utsusemi's hands, resting a hand on her shoulder. "The layout of these pipes... it really is more efficient than our existing channels."

When they reached Tobirama's usual fishing spot, the Tenseigan pierced the surface of the water.

Amid the scattered white bones on the riverbed, several incomplete skeletons were slowly calcifying in the current.

The ceasefire agreement had sent the schools of piranhas away. Only glowing microorganisms clung to the eerie bones, like a flowing galaxy.

Utsusemi deliberately avoided the brutality that only the Tenseigan could perceive. Pointing instead at the glimmers in the water, she said, "Look at this bioluminescent algae. If it were cultivated in specially made tanks, it might serve as natural nighttime indicator lights."

The faintest hint of a smile curved Tobirama Senju's lips. "That idea... is certainly interesting."

As they surveyed the waterfall and the barrier lake, Tobirama took precise measurements of the difference in water levels.

The churning spray soaked his silvery-white hair, leaving strands plastered to his straight back, which was clad in a black turtleneck sweater.

He briskly shook the droplets from his hair, his Adam's apple moving as he spoke. "The plan is feasible, but it will have to wait until the village is built."

The rushing water was reflected in his crimson eyes, and a focused intensity gathered between his brows.

The Tenseigan instinctively followed the movement as he brushed back his wet hair, his slender fingers sweeping the silver strands away.

Droplets slid from the tips of his hair, refracting flecks of light in the setting sun.

Utsusemi held back her Tenseigan from operating at full power, but she couldn't look away.

Tobirama Senju suddenly turned and pointed to a spot on the plans. "Deploying power-generating equipment now..."

A wary, cold light flashed in his red eyes. "Would only create a strategic resource for the clans to fight over."

A drop of water ran down the high bridge of his nose and fell onto the plans, spreading into a small dark stain.

Utsusemi swallowed hard, forcing back the praise that had nearly escaped her lips.

She calmly handed him the plans. "Take a look at these improvements. What do you think?"

When Tobirama Senju leaned closer to the plans, Utsusemi could smell the distinctive blend of moisture and soap on him.

His red eyes widened with excitement. "This turbine design... brilliant!"

He suddenly looked up, bringing their noses so close they almost touched. Utsusemi nearly jumped.

Had it not been for her ninja training, through which she had learned to better control her emotions...

Tobirama Senju continued explaining the hydraulic data, completely oblivious, while the Tenseigan's gaze remained fixed on his moving lips and bobbing Adam's apple.

Utsusemi lamented countless times in her heart that this damn white-hair-and-red-eyes combination was the ultimate critical hit to the DNA of Chinese people.

As the last rays of the sun turned bloodred, Utsusemi and Tobirama stood side by side on the bank of the rushing river.

Tobirama pointed to the opposite bank. "That would be a good place to build a waterwheel workshop."

Following the direction of his finger, the Tenseigan pierced the rippling water and saw the outline of a future waterwheel. Intricate gears and wooden spokes turned in Tobirama's red eyes.

"Look at the drop in the water level..." The stream of data from the measuring instrument was reflected in his red pupils, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "Enough to drive three sets of turbines."

Utsusemi's gaze followed his bobbing Adam's apple. The corners of his stern mouth rose at the discovery of an ideal site, and even his flying strands of hair seemed to dance with joy.

Utsusemi seemed to see countless visions of the future flickering in the golden waves: the silhouette of a waterwheel workshop, the blue glow of a Chakra power grid...

The images shimmered with the water, like a prophecy that the long night would soon be illuminated by light bulbs.

Awakened from her dreamy reverie, Utsusemi curled up on a river rock, hugging her knees. She buried her face in her arms and sighed softly.

Noticing that something was wrong, Tobirama Senju asked gently, "Are you feeling unwell?"

She avoided his searching gaze. "It's time to go to the Uchiha residence to treat Izuna."

Tobirama Senju frowned. "The ceasefire has been..."

Utsusemi merely moved the corners of her mouth. "I'm so tired."

Fate was like the current of the Naka River, pushing her ever onward.

She could feel Tobirama's concerned gaze, but her own passed beyond the riverbank and settled on the distant Uchiha Clan Compound.

How much longer would the repeated treatments have to continue?

Utsusemi stood and managed a smile. "I should go see Izuna. I'll be right back."

Her retreating figure gradually blended into the night as she headed toward the Uchiha Clan Compound.

Tobirama Senju instinctively wanted to ask her to stay, but his raised hand stopped in midair.

He quietly watched her receding figure until she vanished entirely from sight.

Utsusemi returned late that night and pushed open the door. Tobirama and Itama looked up at the sound.

Utsusemi forced a smile and unrolled the scroll of hydraulic engineering materials.

After Itama left, the candle flame, stirred by the night breeze, cast a halo of light across the table.

Tobirama Senju's silver hair shimmered in the firelight. His red eyes were like two pomegranate seeds steeped in ice, and his skin resembled a snowy field in winter.

The almost sacred combination reminded her of Kaworu Nagisa's angelic features and Gintoki's moonlit hair, silver-haired characters she had sketched countless times.

Tobirama Senju suddenly looked up under her gaze. "What exactly are you looking at?"

Utsusemi smiled. "It's just that all your colors are beautiful. They remind me of what I admired as a child."

Her voice was soft, for fear of disturbing the quiet night.

Candlelight gilded Tobirama's features with a dreamlike halo, making him look like a snow-night deity who had stepped out of an art book.

Utsusemi propped up her chin, recalling memories of modern times that were recent yet felt like a lifetime ago.

It really was true that white hair was a Chinese fetish. The candlelight made the white-haired, red-eyed beauty look even more handsome.

Utsusemi lay across the table, gazing at the silver-haired ninja with a complex expression of nostalgia, longing, and melancholy, as though her gaze pierced reality to look upon a distant dream.

Tobirama Senju forced himself to concentrate on the materials, but he couldn't get his eyes to focus on the numbers on the page.

When he finally concentrated and finished reading, he looked up in satisfaction to find that Utsusemi had fallen asleep from exhaustion.

Her loose black hair spread across the plans like ink, blending with the lines and figures.

This time, he didn't withdraw his hand. The silver-haired ninja's fingers passed through her hair, as gently as though touching a fragile treasure.

The night breeze carried the sound of the Naka River. The candle burned quietly between them, preserving the moment in a piece of warm amber amid the long Warring States night.