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Minato understood the desperate need to prove himself and the craving for power. After all, he had gone through something similar—when he learned that Kushina would become the next Nine-Tails jinchuriki.
But he also knew that this kind of anxious, self-doubting obsession, when taken to extremes and without balance, was like a bowstring pulled too tight. It might produce incredible tension in the short term, but it could snap at any unexpected moment, hurting the user and potentially leading them down the wrong path.
Looking at Kakashi's current state, Minato could see the boy had locked himself inside a narrow cage called "getting stronger."
With a quiet sigh in his heart, Minato spoke up, his voice still gentle.
"Kakashi, I've noticed you've been trying to develop a new Lightning Release technique lately, right?"
Kakashi hesitated for a second, then gave a small nod. He didn't deny it.
These past few weeks, whenever there was even a short break between missions, he would slip away by himself, open his palm, and try to condense, compress, and infuse Lightning-nature chakra with a specific shape and vibration frequency.
The sharp, high-pitched noise—like the chirping of a thousand birds—had already been glimpsed or heard by the rest of Team 10 at one point or another. There was no point hiding it.
The idea for this technique hadn't started this month either.
It had begun early last year, when he heard that during the Academy's opening ceremony, Shinichi Higashino had demonstrated a brand-new, seal-less A-rank ninjutsu—the Rasengan—in front of the entire school and the Third Hokage.
A fierce wave of unwillingness and rivalry had surged inside him like wildfire.
That guy who had beaten him in the Academy practical exam wasn't just ahead in taijutsu and swordsmanship—he had already created his own high-level ninjutsu?
The refusal to accept defeat, combined with his thirst for real power, planted a single thought in his mind:
He would create his own technique—one that could rival the Rasengan.
For the past year, during mission downtime and late-night training sessions, that idea had never faded. He had gone through countless cycles of planning, experimenting, failing, and adjusting… but progress always felt just out of reach, like a thin sheet of paper he couldn't quite break through.
Seeing Kakashi admit it, Minato took two steps closer. His voice remained soft, but carried a serious weight.
"While I'm not a Lightning Release specialist, as an observer I can roughly see where you're heading. You're trying to condense and activate Lightning-nature chakra to stimulate and wrap around your arm—or even your legs and cakra path. In theory, once completed, this technique should give the user extreme piercing power and breakthrough speed. Am I right?"
Kakashi's eyes flickered. He nodded, inwardly shocked.
Minato-sensei figured out the core principle just from watching scattered fragments of my practice?
"It's a brilliant concept," Minato said first, giving genuine praise. "Pushing Lightning Release's activation and stimulation properties to the limit, chasing extreme speed and penetration."
Then his tone shifted, becoming especially serious.
"But Kakashi, have you considered this? A technique that pushes speed to the absolute limit is an extremely dangerous double-edged sword. The first—and biggest—problem isn't the chakra shape or nature transformation. I believe with your talent, you'll eventually solve that. The real difficulty lies in…"
He paused, then spoke clearly, word by word:
"…whether your reaction nerves can keep up with that speed. Whether your dynamic vision and battlefield awareness can still accurately lock onto targets, distinguish friend from foe, and avoid obstacles at such high velocity."
"Otherwise, even if you successfully activate the technique and gain speed that surpasses the enemy's reaction limit, what happens? The enemy might not be able to react in time… but neither can you."
"You'll become like a thrown kunai that's lost control. You won't be able to make precise tactical decisions in that split second of lightning. The result could be mutual destruction, crashing headfirst into a fatal trap, or even accidentally injuring your comrades."
The words hit Kakashi like cold water. He had been vaguely aware of the problem, but Minato had laid it out so clearly, striking straight at the core.
He had been obsessed with making the Lightning Release more condensed, more violent, faster, and more piercing—never stopping to ask whether he could actually control that speed.
Seeing the flash of realization and gravity in Kakashi's eyes, Minato's face softened back into that reassuring, gentle smile. He pointed at his own eyes.
"Luckily for you, Kakashi, when it comes to nerve reaction speed, dynamic vision, and situational awareness in high-speed combat… your teacher here has picked up a few insights and experiences over the years."
"So, how about this?"
Minato's tone was completely natural, as if he were suggesting the simplest thing in the world:
"During dinner later, we can chat while we eat—about your technique, and about reaction and control. It might help you find the right direction faster than training alone."
With that, Minato said no more. He simply stood quietly, watching Kakashi and patiently waiting for his decision.
Beside him, Rin clasped her hands in front of her, her gentle face filled with quiet hope as she carefully observed Kakashi, afraid to make even the slightest sound. Obito still looked a bit sulky, but for once he kept his mouth shut.
Time seemed to stretch for a few long seconds.
Kakashi could feel all three pairs of eyes on him—concern, expectation, and maybe a little of Obito's lingering annoyance. But most of all, there was Minato-sensei's calm, steady patience.
Under that gaze, he felt something inside him shift.
He slowly lifted his head and met Minato's clear blue eyes—eyes that seemed able to accept everything yet remained firm and kind.
There was no pressure. No lecture. Only understanding and support.
As if gently nudged by that look, Kakashi gave a tiny, almost imperceptible nod.
"I understand, Minato-sensei."
And just like that, under Minato's skillful, traceless guidance, Team 7 finally walked into the now-lively Ajino Takumi together.
Meanwhile, the person at the center of it all—Shinichi Higashino—had no idea that his existence and actions had already prompted Kakashi to start developing Chidori early, nor that Minato had stepped in to help.
Right now, he was focused on something else entirely: learning the monstrous strength technique that Tsunade had begun teaching him.