Kiyohara's Tent.
"Finally... I can relax."
Kiyohara let out a long breath, collapsing onto his bedroll.
For the past few days at Kannabi Bridge, his nerves had been taut as piano wire.
The Missing-nin could warn him of enemies, but he couldn't detect pre-buried traps.
In this world, stepping on the wrong patch of dirt meant death. Even the mighty Senju Nawaki—Tsunade's brother—had been reduced to red mist by an explosive tag trap. Not even Orochimaru could save him then.
So, Kiyohara wasn't surprised that his future self had died to a landmine. It was a statistical probability.
"Orochimaru is in charge of this outpost, huh?"
The spirit of the Missing-nin floated out, his expression complicated.
"That snake... he was my direct superior for twenty years."
"By the way," Kiyohara asked, sitting up. "Did Orochimaru ever give you a Cursed Seal? I remember even small-fry like Mizuki got one."
Orochimaru's followers usually bore the mark. It was his brand of ownership and his method of empowerment.
"I have the formula," the Missing-nin admitted. "But do you think your body can withstand it?"
He glanced at Kiyohara critically.
"When I possess you, I can feel the shackles. Your hardware is limited."
"Many jutsu are locked behind 'Physical Talent.' Take the Rasengan. The concept is simple: condense chakra into a spinning ball. Did only Minato Namikaze think of it in a thousand years? No. But without the perfect chakra control and physical resilience, your hand would explode."
"What Cursed Seal do you know?" Kiyohara pressed. "If we fuse, maybe my durability will increase?"
"The Earth Cursed Seal," the spirit said. "But it requires Jūgo's Cells as a medium."
"That works."
Kiyohara pulled out a blank scroll. "Dictate the formula. I'll record it for later."
At this point in the timeline, Orochimaru's research was still in the beta phase. The seals given to Anko were prototypes. But having the theoretical framework was valuable.
Thump, thump.
A knock on the tent frame interrupted them.
Kiyohara quickly rolled up the scroll. "Come in."
The flap lifted. A boy with silver hair and a black mask stepped inside.
Kakashi.
His headband was pulled down over his left eye, covering the newly implanted Sharingan. Despite his small stature, he already carried the aura of the future "Copy Ninja."
"It's late, Kakashi. Is something wrong?"
"I... I want to discuss Lightning Release with you."
Kakashi's voice was hoarse. He sounded lost.
In their squad, only Kiyohara understood elemental nature transformation. Minato was a Space-Time specialist; Rin was a medic; Kurenai used Genjutsu.
Kiyohara was the only peer he could talk shop with.
"Lightning Release?"
Kiyohara glanced at the crude clock hanging on the pole. 10:00 PM.
'Ten o'clock at night is a delicate time,' Kiyohara mused.
'It's usually the time for lovers to meet. Or for single dogs to cry into their pillows. It is not usually the time for a melancholic boy to enter another boy's tent to "discuss ninjutsu."'
'If Rin walked in right now, I'd be thrilled. But Kakashi? Does Konoha have its own genre of Boy's Love literature I don't know about?'
He glanced at the Missing-nin. The ghost was hovering in the corner, his face twisted in an effort not to laugh.
"Is it too late?" Kakashi blinked, realizing the time. "I... I've been thinking about Obito. I lost track."
"It's fine," Kiyohara waved a hand. "Sit down. Let's talk."
He knew Kakashi wasn't interested in him. The boy just needed a distraction from his grief.
"I think the Chidori is incomplete," Kakashi began, sitting cross-legged. "But with Obito's Sharingan, the tunnel vision flaw is... manageable."
He started to explain his theory. How the eye processed visual data. How the lightning stimulated the nervous system. How the thrust required total commitment.
Kiyohara listened intently, nodding along.
'Keep talking, genius,' he thought greedily. 'Spill your secrets.'
Kakashi was pouring his heart out, analyzing his own technique to cope with the trauma. To Kiyohara, this was a free seminar on A-Rank Ninjutsu mechanics.
"So, Kiyohara," Kakashi asked after a long monologue. "Are you also interested in Lightning Release?"
"Of course."
"Most ninja think Wind Release has the highest destructive power," Kiyohara said, channeling his inner scientist. "But that's simplistic. Lightning has infinite potential."
"Electricity generates magnetism. Magnetism generates electricity. It touches on the fundamental forces of the universe."
"If you master Electromagnetic Force," Kiyohara theorized, "you could theoretically create a Railgun. Use a magnetic field to accelerate a projectile to hypersonic speeds."
Of course, Kiyohara couldn't do that yet. But the theory was sound.
"Railgun..." Kakashi muttered the word. "Interesting."
He stood up, looking lighter.
"Thank you, Kiyohara. Discussing it helped me organize my thoughts."
"Anytime."
Kakashi left the tent.
Kiyohara watched him go, stroking his chin.
'Fusing with the Missing-nin will boost my stats,' he calculated.
'The Third Raikage didn't have a Sharingan, yet he was faster than lightning. If my physical stats are high enough... maybe I won't need the eye to perceive the speed of the Chidori.'
'Maybe I can just run faster than the tunnel vision.'
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