His "Lightning Release: Manipulated Shuriken Lightning Conduction Technique" was simple, but very practical.
Any ninja without serious taijutsu training or armor would be left with skin split and bleeding if they took a hit.
And against those who did train their bodies, knew how to reinforce themselves with chakra, and had good taijutsu, it could still deliver a solid numbing effect.
In a fight, one brief moment of distraction at the wrong time could decide everything.
"But just flooding it with Lightning chakra isn't strong enough yet," Kiyohara muttered, rubbing his chin.
The reason ninjutsu existed in the first place was because they could maximize the power of nature transformation. Otherwise, everyone could just release raw elemental chakra—no need to learn techniques.
"Mm… but it does get a bit hot."
He couldn't understand how Sasuke never seemed to burn his fingers using Dragon Fire along steel wires. With that kind of conductivity, he should feel the heat instantly.
"So I'll have to coat my fingers in a layer of chakra each time," he decided.
That, at least, he could do. Hands were one of the easiest places to gather chakra—only the soles were really troublesome.
"Got anything similar?" he asked Rogue Kiyohara.
So far, Rogue Kiyohara had only passed on two Lightning techniques: Lightning Release: Electromagnetic Murder and Lightning Release: Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar.
Strictly speaking, Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar wasn't a pure Lightning jutsu; it was also a type of genjutsu. The user's body became moving lightning, generating intense flashes to temporarily blind the target, then luring them into misjudgment and a genjutsu trap.
Compared to the ubiquitous Electromagnetic Murder, which every village's shinobi seemed to use, Lightning Illusion Flash of Lightning Pillar was more of a Kumogakure specialty.
That's why Kiyohara chose Electromagnetic Murder. Otherwise, with no history of clashing with Kumo, it'd be hard to explain how he knew their jutsu.
"Nope," Rogue Kiyohara said, shaking his head.
If he'd had access to more techniques, why would he have needed to defect?
Running with Orochimaru hadn't exactly showered him with ninjutsu. Too many people around—unless your body was special or you had a brain like Kabuto and could serve as an assistant, you didn't get far.
"Fine. It's enough for now," Kiyohara nodded.
His most polished technique was still Wind Release: Great Breakthrough.
Thanks to fulfilling Rogue Kiyohara's first wish, he'd inherited the man's full experience with it, so his control over the jutsu was jōnin-level—he just lacked the chakra pool to match.
"No—almost forgot about Kakashi," Kiyohara suddenly thought.
If Kakashi could develop Chidori, there was no way he only knew one Lightning technique. His foundations had to be deep—otherwise he wouldn't have developed it so fast.
As for creating something from nothing? Minato had needed three full years to go from the template of a Tailed Beast Bomb to the finished Rasengan.
Night deepened. Only Kiyohara's figure moved in the moonlit yard—along with a translucent spirit quietly watching him.
...
The next morning.
Kakashi came looking for him.
"Morning, Kakashi," Kiyohara mumbled around his toothbrush.
"Morning," Kakashi nodded.
He still wore his black undershirt and mask; only his hair was white.
"You're not using a blade anymore?" Kiyohara asked, noticing his empty back.
The Hatake family shouldn't have only one short sword. If you plan to pursue kenjutsu, you can't be short on blades.
There was also something else Kiyohara didn't quite get.
Even if Sakumo's short sword had shattered, it was still a remarkable weapon. Sakumo had used it to fight countless battles and build the terror of "White Fang"—and it had never broken.
In Kakashi's hands, though, it hadn't lasted long before getting smashed.
Sometimes life really does depend on who you end up with.
That sword had died in Kakashi's care.
"Yeah. I'm going to use the fragments to honor my father's spirit," Kakashi said.
After that battle, he'd finally understood what kind of fighting style he wanted: the combination of Sharingan and Chidori.
That was how he could fully unleash his strength.
Sure, Sharingan's dynamic vision was great for kenjutsu too—but the cutting power just didn't compare.
Of all the jutsu Kakashi currently knew, none could match his homebrewed Lightning technique in piercing and cutting power.
"I see…" Kiyohara's expression twisted a bit.
He remembered how Kakashi had even died once in the original—during Pain's invasion, using up every last drop of chakra and collapsing.
His soul drifted straight toward the Pure Land… and in the gap before entering, he ran into Hatake Sakumo, who'd been stuck there, unable to move on.
Father and son had a full-on conversation in the underworld before Sakumo finally let go and passed on.
Who knew what face he'd made when he saw how his son had handled his inheritance.
"Yeah. So I came to talk more about Lightning Release," Kakashi said.
Kiyohara then explained the Lightning Shuriken Conduction technique he'd developed the previous night.
It was easy to learn—just Manipulated Shuriken plus Lightning chakra and the cost of a copper wire.
"Good idea," Kakashi nodded. "As for Lightning Release, there is one other good jutsu I know."
He shared one of his own Lightning techniques.
He didn't care about "leaking" it. In his mind, he probably monologued too much; Kiyohara was just being polite by listening.
He'd once doubted Kiyohara might defect someday—the guy had been so quiet. Now he'd tossed that thought away.
How could someone this righteous and "heroic" ever betray the village?
"Here, have some water and go on," Kiyohara said, bringing Kakashi inside and pouring him a glass of plain hot water.
Proper etiquette said he should be serving tea, but his place was so bare he'd pawned everything worth anything before heading to the front.
"Thanks," Kakashi said.
He couldn't help noticing how spotless the place was—and how empty. One glance showed only a bed, a table, a pot, a toilet, and a wardrobe.
Not even a fan.
For a moment, Kakashi didn't even know where to sit.
"I'm a big fan of minimalist style," Kiyohara said.
"So it's minimalist, huh…" Kakashi nodded, suddenly enlightened. He'd heard that with that style, the emptier the better.
"Go on," Kiyohara said, dragging out the only chair from the kitchen and setting it down for Kakashi.
~~~
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