Inside Kiyohara's tent—
"Finally… I can relax a little."
Kiyohara exhaled deeply.
Back at Kannabi Bridge, his nerves had been strung taut the entire time.
Rogue Kiyohara could help him watch for approaching enemies, but pre-set traps? Those were nearly impossible to spot.
Step on one, and even the Legendary Sannin wouldn't be able to save you.
Take Tsunade's younger brother, Nawaki—Orochimaru was standing right there, yet the next second, he got blown to bits by Explosive Tags. Not even a full corpse left.
So the fact that any future version of him died to an Explosive Tag didn't surprise Kiyohara at all.
"So Orochimaru's in charge of this outpost, huh."
Rogue Kiyohara's spirit drifted out, his tone a little nostalgic.
After all, Orochimaru had been his boss for decades.
"Say… did he ever give you one of those Cursed Seals?"
Kiyohara suddenly asked, curious.
Orochimaru's subordinates were known for one thing: uniformly cursed.
In fact, when it came to Cursed Seal development, Orochimaru was decades ahead of the rest of the ninja world.
"He did, but… you really think your body could handle it?"
Rogue Kiyohara glanced at him with a raised brow. Not to belittle, but having possessed him a few times, he knew this body had limits.
Many techniques aren't held back by knowledge—they're held back by raw physical potential.
Take the Rasengan, for example. It's not that no one thought of compressing chakra into a high-density, multi-directional spin—it's that almost no one could pull it off.
If your body couldn't handle it, no amount of theory mattered.
"So… what Cursed Seal did you get?"
Kiyohara pressed.
He probably couldn't use it now, but once he fused with Rogue Kiyohara, maybe he could withstand it.
"The Cursed Seal of Earth. But it requires Jūgo cells as a medium."
Rogue Kiyohara explained.
All of Orochimaru's Cursed Seal systems traced back to one base principle: Jūgo's body, which naturally absorbed nature energy.
"Huh. Alright then."
Kiyohara nodded and had him dictate the technique, recording it onto a scroll.
At this point in time, Orochimaru probably hadn't fully developed the Curse Marks yet. The version he gave to Anko Mitarashi was still a prototype—couldn't even activate the second state.
Knock knock.
Just as Kiyohara finished storing the scroll, the tent's flap rustled with a knock.
"Come in."
The flap lifted—revealing a face partially hidden behind a black mask.
It was Kakashi.
"This late? What's up, Kakashi?"
Kiyohara asked.
Kakashi had lowered his headband to cover his left eye—the newly transplanted Sharingan.
If he were a little taller, he'd practically be the Kakashi of the future: the infamous Copy Ninja.
"I… wanted to talk about Lightning Style jutsu."
Kakashi's voice was a little hoarse. Or maybe he just had no one to talk to.
In the squad, he realized only Kiyohara used Lightning Style.
Minato used Flying Thunder God. Rin practiced Medical Ninjutsu. Kurenai specialized in Genjutsu. Genma liked throwing Senbon.
Only Kiyohara had demonstrated both Earth and Lightning.
So whenever they had downtime, Kakashi came to talk.
"This late? You sure that's a good idea…?"
Kiyohara glanced at the clock hanging in the tent. 10 PM.
10 PM was… a strange time.
Perfect for lonely men to practice one-handed hand seals.
Perfect for couples to whisper about their future.
But not ideal for another man to show up with a somber expression and ask to discuss ninjutsu.
If Rin showed up at this hour, Kiyohara would have nobly sacrificed himself in the name of justice.
But Kakashi?
Was Konoha… developing its own brand of substitution literature?
Kiyohara glanced at Rogue Kiyohara floating nearby, who looked like he was holding in laughter, his face twisted like a meme.
"It's that late already?"
Kakashi paused, surprised.
His mind had been full of thoughts about Obito. He hadn't noticed the time.
"Then… I'll come back tomorrow."
He turned to leave.
"No need. Sit down—we'll talk."
Kiyohara waved a hand.
Of course, he knew Kakashi was normal. His mind had just wandered.
"I think Chidori is an incomplete jutsu… but with Obito's Sharingan, its flaws are much easier to manage."
Kakashi started explaining his thoughts on Lightning Release.
Kiyohara nodded occasionally.
Your Chidori is fast. But your Sharingan tracks even faster—it cancels the drawback.
Kakashi's understanding of Lightning Style far exceeded Kiyohara's. But what he needed now wasn't feedback—he needed someone to listen.
And Kiyohara was more than happy to oblige.
After all, this was a rare opportunity to learn how a genius thinks.
Piece by piece, as Kakashi talked, Kiyohara realized… if this kept going, he might actually be able to piece together how to train Chidori.
Right now, he was secretly wishing Kakashi would keep talking.
"So… you're interested in Lightning Style too, Kiyohara?"
"Of course."
Kiyohara nodded.
Some old-school shinobi believed Wind Release had the highest destructive power of the five elements.
But that was just idealism.
Compared to Wind, Lightning offered far more possibilities. Electromagnetism, for one. The electromagnetic force was even one of the four fundamental forces of the universe.
If he could figure that out, he might be able to manipulate magnetic fields and fire off an actual railgun.
...Well, that was still a dream. Right now, he couldn't do any of that.
But it didn't change the fact: Lightning Release had a bright future.
"Then let's train together sometime."
Kakashi nodded slightly.
After talking it out, his mood really had improved—and he'd mentally sorted through his own Lightning Style techniques.
What surprised him, though, was that while Kiyohara mostly just listened, the few questions he did ask were always creative.
"Thanks, Kiyohara."
Kakashi said, then stood and left the tent.
Kiyohara watched his back and stroked his chin.
Once he fused with Rogue Kiyohara, his innate stats and talent would improve.
And if his baseline was high enough… maybe he wouldn't even need a Sharingan to keep up with Chidori's speed.