There was a time when Takeshi and Kimiko barely managed to make a living between alleyways and nature. Ragged clothes, dirty bodies, an empty stomach, and dry throats were the norm for mother and son.
That was until Takeshi learned to use chakra at a decent level. When his body could handle the energy and when he learned to expel it.
It was inefficient, nonetheless.
Without a specific movement pattern, without specific seals for a specific technique, what Takeshi called Ice Release was nothing more than a raw expulsion of chakra that froze everything it touched.
As a result, a lot of energy was wasted in the process. The good thing was that he had quite decent reserves. The bad thing was that it wasn't at the Bijū level.
For some time he had seriously considered experimenting and developing his own techniques, but it turned out to be much more dangerous than he gave it credit for.
For now, he was focusing on the basic seals that helped him concentrate his chakra better, slightly reducing the waste of energy every time he used his variant of Hyōton.
His eyes scanned the modest palace of the Daimyō of this small Nation, barely protected by people who in no way qualified as elites.
With a shrug and a second of silence for those poor souls, Takeshi made his chakra move in his body, stirring it according to his instinct to get the desired effect.
Under the cover of night, the young Yuki formed a seal with both hands, slowly expelling the chakra from his body and stealthily directing it towards the poor unfortunates who stood in his way.
The difference between Ice Release and Cold Release lay in their scope. Not in distance, but in influence.
Hyōton could freeze many things, even human bodies, but that operated on the principle that it first had to form ice around them.
Reiton ($冷遁$) does not need to create ice to enclose and freeze its victims. The mere fact of its manifestation, even in a pure state, forces everything around it to slow down its movement, calming molecular vibrations and resulting in a temperature drop like no other.
That's what Takeshi thought, if one considered how temperature worked in scientific terms. However, this world was anything but normal, so he couldn't affirm or deny anything.
The guards, a mix of low-quality shinobi and a few Samurai, were hit by a sudden icy air that made their skin crawl.
Some narrowed their eyes and clung to their weapons, fearing a surprise attack by bandits or something else.
But it was too late. They had already been surrounded by Takeshi's chakra, and there wasn't a single Sensor Ninja among their ranks.
Takeshi utilized his Reiton, which triggered a progressive and quite rapid drop in temperature.
As if they were suddenly thrown into the middle of a frozen mountain, the cold crept into the bodies of the palace guards, disconcerting them for a couple of seconds. Those precious seconds were their doom.
The Reiton not only froze their surroundings but also affected their bodies.
Skin cooled, muscles stiffened, body heat vanished, blood ran slower and slower.
Color left their bodies, blue patches decorating their lips and a sudden sense of exhaustion, a product of heat and therefore energy loss.
A slight layer of frost formed on the ground, stirred by the bodies falling one after another, while an efficient Kimiko stabbed their chests and packaged the corpses into scrolls.
They couldn't afford to leave any clues about the Reiton.
Takeshi didn't mind Suna knowing his secret as a dual Kekkei Genkai bearer, but he would never reveal the existence of his unique application of Hyōton.
That's why Takeshi rarely used that ability alone, choosing to use the classic Ice Release in conjunction to confuse opponents, just as he did with Rasa.
None of the Suna-Nin were killed with the Reiton, and Takeshi even stole the sand he had frozen. If Pain and Sasori were screwed due to information, then he wasn't going to be so arrogant as to go around leaving clues.
Once the few guards were dealt with, mother and son ventured into the palace without killing anyone else, searching and looting the Noble's treasury.
There was good money, gold bars, minerals and precious stones, as well as exquisitely designed vases and necklaces.
Takeshi took all the cash and only left some precious stones so the Daimyō could recover a little in the future.
He didn't need to be so cruel, as he only required money to continue his journey. Besides, there wasn't much point in impoverishing a poor Nation.
Satisfied with the loot, he signaled to Kimiko that it was time to leave, and both snuck out of the palace, their course set on the gates on the other side of the city, through which Karin and Yumi had already left the capital several hours ago.
But as their figures moved through the alleys and were about to reach the main street, a figure wrapped in a distinctive cloak cut them off from the front, while a second descended from the rooftop behind them.
Red eyes with green pupils looked coldly at Takeshi, evaluating him and nodding approvingly at the bag full of scrolls the Yuki was carrying.
—It's good to see that today's youth still keep their priorities straight— the Jiongu user commented.
—Well, no matter the era, money is still money— Takeshi agreed, looking over his shoulder at the Akatsuki beauty, besides the second Animal Path.
—But I must say it's unexpected to find you here, Mister Kakuzu. Since you're here... Would you accept a drink with me? You can bring your partner. My treat— he smiled in Kakuzu's direction.
—Yuki Takeshi. Your abilities have already captured the attention of one of the major Five Ninja Villages. For now, you believe you are safe, relying on anonymity and nomadism, but that won't last much longer— Konan began, interrupting the trivial chat between Kakuzu and Takeshi.
—Tell me... Don't you hate the circumstances that you, your mother, and those Uzumaki live in? Don't you hate the injustice that caused the fall of Uzushiogakure and consequently, the fate of Uzumaki Yumi and Uzumaki Karin in Kusagakure?
Don't you hate the way Kirigakure hunted down your clan, forcing you and your mother to wander aimlessly?— Konan continued with a quite persuasive tone, but one that was lost on Takeshi given the serious lack of information.
—Akatsuki is the organization that Kakuzu and I belong to. One whose goal is to achieve peace... True Peace in the Ninja World— she dramatically extended a hand toward Takeshi, but her personal charm made the young Yuki not want to interrupt her.
In his mind, some anime soundtrack added more drama to the scene.
—Join Akatsuki, Yuki Takeshi. With us as your backup, no Village will lay a hand on you. You won't have to run anymore— the kunoichi concluded, the night wind slightly tousling her hair in a gust that Takeshi swore looked pre-planned.
However, the young man did not respond immediately. Beyond the internal jokes and the misunderstanding about his situation with the Yuki Clan, Takeshi would be lying if he said the idea of joining Akatsuki wasn't appealing.
Not only because wearing that cloak and playing the fool with such mythical characters would be very, very fun and cool, but because it would allow him to secure two crucial objectives:
First, he would have a safe place for Karin and Yumi. What better place than the city, or better yet, the Tower of God himself? In the process, perhaps the presence of little Karin would warm poor Nagato's heart a little.
The biggest problem with that would be the presence of Obito and Zetsu. Takeshi felt he could trust Nagato a bit, but he definitely couldn't do the same with those two.
But Akatsuki already knew about the existence of the Uzumaki girls, probably because of White Zetsu. One way or another, these guys knew one of his weak points.
Aside from the Uzumaki girls, there was the other matter that interested Takeshi: experience and information.
Specifically, the walking fossil that was Kakuzu and the genius that was Orochimaru, who might have already joined, or was close to doing so.
With guys who had seen so many things or whose talent for development was monstrous, Takeshi could refine the use of his Cold Release. Perhaps even create a couple of techniques that wouldn't force him to expel raw chakra and throw it in his opponents' faces, like a monkey throwing excrement.
But everything had a risk. Everything had a consequence.
His eyes briefly shifted to his mother, whose forehead was soaked with sweat due to the imposing presence of both Akatsuki members. For her, whose strength was mediocre, this meeting must have been quite tense.
—Hmm, I insist that we drink and eat something. I can think about it a little better if I swallow something delicious. What do you say?— Takeshi proposed again.
—I wouldn't recommend eating, brat. You might vomit it up anyway— Kakuzu shook his head before lunging at the Yuki.
—Of course, the skill test. I had forgotten about that— Takeshi complained in his heart.