While he was still alive, he was part of the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Ten years before the start of the series, when six of the members tried a coup d'etat, he alongside Asuma Sarutobi, Chiriku, Nauma, Tōu, and Seito fought against them, only to be killed by Kazuma when Kitane and the three other lightning users tried to use Limelight on Kazuma.
He along with Nauma, Tōu, and Seito were known as the greatest lightning-chakra masters of their time. Like Asuma, his battle style revolved around combining superb taijutsu skill with his elemental affinity through a unique weapon. He used a three-parted metal staff to fight with, that is also able to conduct his lightning based attacks. Kitane could send lightning through the ground to attack by striking his staff into the ground. When separating his staff into three pieces he can use his jutsu Lightning Release: Thunder Binding to form a barrier around a target. When in one of the four cardinal directions, he along with Nauma, Tōu, and Seito could use a jutsu called Limelight to destroy everything within that area to ash.