The desert weather was hostile, in every sense of the word. The first thing that comes to mind for most people is the heat, but in reality, that is only the beginning.
Consider the scarcity of water, the consequences of wearing light clothing, and the exhaustion caused by walking on loose sand.
Wild gusts of wind that dried out your eyes, an endless barrage of tiny grains of sand that, when combined, become unbearable.
Traveling through the desert is not an easy task, and that was why Takeshi left Yumi and Karin behind, on the borders of the Country of Rivers, with Kimiko ensuring their safety.
The woman threw a fit at the idea of separating from Takeshi, but a couple of nights of affection and comfort resolved the problem, for now.
If he wasn't careful, their strange and twisted family dynamic could go to hell as soon as he returned. Takeshi had no doubt that if something happened, or if he took too long, that crazy woman would cross a forbidden line as soon as they met again.
He shook his head slightly, pushing those sinful thoughts aside. He had to be alert, as you never know when the treacherous card of fate would appear.
His brown eyes discreetly studied the Sunagakure shinobi who were escorting him, while they themselves were keeping an eye on him.
This was the third time this had happened, but both sides never stopped distrusting the other. For a shinobi, it was natural, and in this case, it was essential to always maintain one's guard.
Because this matter was delicate.
Suna distrusted Takeshi, fearing it was a trap by Kirigakure to spy on them, while Takeshi distrusted the entire village, for the mere fact of being a Ninja village.
After a few days of running, the high walls of the village were visible in the distance and the group slowed down.
Takeshi noticed the presence of some patrols, a cordon forming around him, but showed no change in his relaxed expression.
This was almost protocol by now. However, he prepared to unleash chaos and run if they made a suspicious move.
The Suna-Nin escorting him from the front slightly changed course, veering a little away from the village and approaching a rocky surface where a giant hole was waiting for him.
Tents were erected near the pit, where Takeshi would stay for the next week, while carrying out his task.
—You may begin whenever you like, Takeshi-Dono— said the Ninja leading the group, his face impassive with the lower half covered by cloth.
This man was Baki, albeit a few years younger than when he appeared in the original work.
—Thank you, Baki-San. I'll start right away, so, if you don't mind, prepare some good juice with these beauties here— Takeshi said as he pulled out a bag full of sweet grapes, a strange and unique fruit of this world.
Although the surrounding shinobi tried to remain cold and indifferent, their eyes shone with excitement and their posture relaxed.
—Take positions!— Baki ordered after a nod, and several Ninjas stood around Takeshi.
The young man wove hand signs unhurriedly, making sure not to alarm the Suna-Nin.
A large amount of chakra mobilized in his stomach and was expelled around him, condensing into the nature transformation he needed.
A whirlpool of water swirled around him, forming a tunnel that moved toward the hole, falling like a waterfall.
Inside the whirlpool, Takeshi opened his mouth, his cheeks puffed, and expelled an uninterrupted torrent of water.
A group of Suna-Nin stood around the pit, each with giant scrolls the size of an adult man that Takeshi himself had brought.
As they unrolled them, massive torrents of water were deposited into the pit, adding to the young man's efforts.
For two minutes, the scrolls spat out water without stopping once, and Takeshi continued to expel chakra from his body and transform it into water.
At the third minute, the shinobi changed scrolls in unison, continuing the operation, while a wave of chakra flowed out of the aquatic vortex, reaching the Suna-Nin whom Baki ordered to prepare.
The wave of chakra enveloped them, and the Sunagakure shinobi felt their strength abandoning them, their chakra being drained. They did not resist, as this was their part of the job.
The taken chakra returned to the whirlpool and the session continued for another 10 minutes, until the Suna-Nin reached their safety limit.
The process stopped, the scrolls having been exhausted a while ago.
Takeshi ceased his chakra extraction and sighed, turning to the exhausted shinobi with a smile on his face.
—Good job, guys. Time to drink something, what do you say?
The pale faces of the Suna-Nin shone once more, and some smiles appeared on their previously serious faces.
Baki, who had overseen the entire procedure, couldn't help but be surprised by the boy's abilities, who was only a few years younger than himself.
He had already seen him in action once, while part of the ANBU, but that was done stealthily. This time, he was close enough to feel the density of the young man's chakra.
It was quite a lot. Not monstrous like a Bijū's, but certainly not insignificant. At the very least, it was ten times vaster than his own.
And it didn't end there.
The young Takeshi walked to a large pot, where a dark purple nectar had been deposited. This was the juice extracted from the grapes he brought.
A one-handed hand sign woven by the boy created dozens of ice cubes the size of a human foot and casually tossed them into the juice.
He also created an ice box, gesturing with a nod to some shinobi from his village.
Baki couldn't help but swallow as some bottles were taken out by his men and placed inside the ice box.
Sake was one thing, but cold sake in Sunagakure was a complete luxury.
But Baki ignored the cold alcohol. His eyes drilled into Takeshi... No, into Yuki Takeshi, a possessor of two Kekkei Genkai.
Despite never having directly faced the Yuki clan, Baki knew about Ice Release, as Sunagakure had already fought the Village of the Mist in the past.
But that did not explain that absurd ability to take chakra. A unique and strange gift that has rarely appeared in the Ninja world.
The mysterious Dark Release.
Baki knew nothing about it, save for the fact that it could absorb chakra, and that was because the Kazekage himself spread the information to everyone involved in this operation. Perhaps the higher-ups had more information, but it shouldn't be much.
Dark Release is a Kekkei Genkai that is too elusive, and there are no real records of how it works. Under other circumstances, the Kazekage would have ordered the brat's arrest and his study.
They would have subdued him and forced him to have offspring to give Suna both Kekkei Genkai.
But it was the lack of information about the true capabilities of Dark Release, coupled with Yuki Takeshi's incredible chakra, that stayed Rasa's hand. That's what Baki thought.
The strength of Takeshi himself also had to be considered.
Baki was not aware of everything that happened back then, but one thing was certain: Yuki Takeshi was very, very strong.