His "Lightning Style: Guided Shuriken Lightning Conduction Technique" might be simple, but it was incredibly practical.
Against opponents with no taijutsu training or armor, a single hit could tear open flesh.
And even those with strong bodies, trained in taijutsu, and capable of coating themselves in chakra for defense—this technique could still inflict enough paralysis to break their rhythm.
In battle, a single moment of hesitation can decide the outcome.
"But just channeling plain Lightning chakra… the output is still too low," Kiyohara muttered, rubbing his chin.
There's a reason ninjutsu exists—to maximize the destructive potential of chakra's elemental nature.
If raw chakra output was enough, people would just throw their elemental chakra around and call it a day. Who needs jutsu?
"Hm… and it's kinda hot to the touch."
Kiyohara winced a little.
He couldn't understand how Sasuke managed to use Dragon Fire Jutsu without feeling the heat from the steel wire.
With how conductive steel is, you'd think his fingers would fry instantly.
"Guess I'll have to apply chakra to my fingertips each time."
Fortunately, it wasn't too hard. The hands were among the easiest places to gather chakra. Only the soles of the feet were trickier.
"Hey, got any jutsu like this in your memory bank?" he asked Rogue Kiyohara.
So far, Rogue Kiyohara had only passed down two Lightning techniques: Lightning Style: Ground Walk, and Lightning Style: Pillar of Radiance.
Strictly speaking, Pillar of Radiance wasn't even a pure Lightning jutsu—it bordered on genjutsu.
The user would turn into a flash of light, using intense visual flare to momentarily blind the opponent, then lure them into a genjutsu trap.
While Ground Walk was a common basic technique across the elemental nations, Pillar of Radiance was more commonly seen among Cloud ninja.
Which is why Kiyohara chose to learn Ground Walk. He had no ties to the Cloud Village and couldn't explain away his knowledge of their exclusive techniques.
"Nope," Rogue Kiyohara said, shaking his head.
If he'd had those kinds of resources, why would he have defected in the first place?
Even working under Orochimaru didn't get him much in the way of jutsu. The lab was too crowded. Unless your body was special, or your brain was sharp like Kabuto's, you didn't get access to the good stuff.
"Well, what I have now is enough for the moment."
Kiyohara nodded.
His strongest technique at present was still Wind Style: Great Breakthrough—a powerful blast inherited directly from Rogue Kiyohara when he completed his first will.
His mastery was at a Jōnin level. He just didn't have enough chakra to match.
"…Wait, what about Kakashi?"
Kiyohara paused.
If Kakashi developed Chidori, there was no way he didn't know other Lightning techniques too.
It was precisely because of his deep foundational knowledge that he was able to develop new jutsu so quickly.
You don't just conjure a technique out of thin air.
Even Minato took three whole years to refine Rasengan, and he had the Tailed Beast Ball as a blueprint!
Night fell, and under the moonlight, Kiyohara continued training alone.
A faint ghostly figure hovered nearby, silently watching.
The Next Morning
Kakashi came to find him.
"Morning, Kakashi."
Kiyohara smiled widely as he greeted him.
"Morning."
Kakashi nodded slightly.
Same black undershirt, same black face mask. Only his silver-white hair remained exposed.
"You not using a sword anymore?" Kiyohara asked, noticing that Kakashi's back was empty.
Surely the Hatake household had more than one short sword lying around.
If Kakashi wanted to pursue kenjutsu seriously, he couldn't do it without a blade.
But there was something Kiyohara couldn't wrap his head around.
Sakumo Hatake's blade had seen countless battles and built the legend of the "White Fang of Konoha." It had never once broken.
And yet in Kakashi's hands, it shattered after only a short time…
Just goes to show: a good marriage—or sword—is only as strong as the one wielding it.
That poor short sword… really drew the short straw.
"I'm planning to use the fragments as a memorial. For Father."
Kakashi's voice was calm.
That last battle had clarified the path he would take moving forward:
Sharingan + Chidori — a combo that maximized his personal combat output.
The Sharingan's superior dynamic vision helped with taijutsu and kenjutsu too, sure. But nothing he currently had came close to matching Chidori in terms of piercing or cutting power.
"…I see."
Kiyohara's expression twitched.
He remembered how, in canon, Kakashi died during Pain's assault on the village—completely drained of chakra.
His soul had floated all the way to the Pure Land.
And there, in the crack between this world and the next, he encountered Sakumo Hatake—still unable to pass on.
Father and son had one last heart-to-heart in the afterlife.
Kiyohara couldn't help but imagine Sakumo's face upon seeing how his son had treated his sword…
"Anyway," Kakashi continued, "I wanted to talk more about Lightning ninjutsu with you."
Kiyohara nodded and shared the details of the technique he'd created last night—Guided Shuriken Lightning Conduction.
The technique wasn't hard to learn. All it required was basic Shuriken Control Technique, some Lightning chakra, and a length of copper wire.
"Very clever."
Kakashi nodded in approval.
"But I also know a good one that might interest you."
He then described another Lightning-style technique he'd learned.
Kakashi didn't mind sharing his knowledge. Honestly, he figured most people wouldn't follow his ramblings anyway.
Kiyohara, in his mind, was just being polite—listening to comfort him.
After all, the Kiyohara he used to know barely talked at all. Kakashi had even worried he might defect someday.
But now? That idea was long gone.
Kiyohara was clearly the dependable, righteous type. No way he'd ever betray the village.
"Come in. Let's chat properly."
Kiyohara led Kakashi inside and poured him a glass of plain boiled water.
By rights, he should've brewed tea. But his house had been picked clean before he ever left for the front lines.
"…Thanks."
Kakashi scanned the room.
One bed. One table. One pot. One toilet. One wardrobe.
No fan, no extra furniture, not even decorations.
Just… nothing.
He wasn't even sure where to sit.
"I personally prefer minimalist aesthetics," Kiyohara said with a straight face.
"Ah… minimalist style."
Kakashi nodded solemnly, as if understanding had dawned.
He'd heard that kind of interior design was all about less is more, after all.
"Go on," Kiyohara said, dragging out the only chair from the kitchen and offering it to Kakashi.