Venom? No! Magnetic Fluid!

The forest.

Pale golden chains tightly coiled around Namikaze Mirai's body, binding both his arms and legs! He was wrapped up like a rice dumpling, without a single gap!

"Stop resisting. This is a Sealing Boundary Method specially designed for you!"

"It combines Sealing Jutsu and Barrier Jutsu."

"In your current state, you can't possibly mobilize Chakra. You can't even move a finger!"

The Root Leader's voice brimmed with confidence.

Namikaze Mirai was no ordinary enemy, not an opponent who could be dealt with through numbers alone.

Countless battles during the Third Great Ninja War had proven that.

No one knew his limits. He was a truly terrifying enemy.

So, they chose the clever route.

They used a targeted Secret Sealing Art to eliminate his abilities at the source.

That way, no matter what methods he possessed, he would never be able to use them again!

Even though Namikaze Mirai had already been sealed and reduced to a lamb awaiting slaughter,

the Root members around him still had lingering fear in their eyes.

A perfect battle plan, thorough research into his intelligence, and countless private rehearsals.

They had even taken advantage of Namikaze Mirai's arrogance to set up a Sealing Barrier in this forest beforehand.

But even so,

at the very start of the battle, two Jonin-level Root members had been brutally killed, leaving no bodies behind!

What kind of terrifying enemy was this? Every movement he made carried a suffocating pressure.

Fortunately, Lord Danzo was wise! The tactic had succeeded.

Everything was over.

"Heh!"

A scornful laugh suddenly rang out. Though it was not loud, it sounded exceptionally grating to the Root members around him.

"Why are you laughing?"

The Root members could not understand it at all. He was clearly already in such a desperate situation.

Yet Namikaze Mirai still had the mood to laugh? Had his brain gone bad?

"I'm merely appreciating your performance."

His expression was calm, devoid of any tension or worry. The faint upward curve of his lips even gave him a trace of pleasure.

"Using a Sealing Formula to stop my abilities—nice idea. In return..."

"I'll get a little more serious too!"

The instant his words fell, the expressions of the four Root members maintaining the Sealing Formula suddenly changed drastically.

"Th-the Sealing Jutsu is being corroded?! How is that possible?! He shouldn't be able to mobilize Chakra!"

"Look! What is that?!"

From the gaps between the golden chains binding Namikaze Mirai's body, viscous Silver Fluid seeped out like tentacles, corroding and devouring the surrounding chains in an eerie manner.

"Damn it! What the hell is that?!"

In a mere moment, the seeping fluid slithered and spread along the chains like Silver Serpents, already right before them! The four Root members maintaining the Sealing Formula sensed an intense threat. A crisis of death suddenly descended upon them, and their faces changed as they hastily retreated.

But it was too late! The Silver Fluid transformed into silver pellets and shot forth. In an instant, a terrifying attack like a Metal Storm engulfed the forest.

Trees as thick as a man's embrace were pierced through in an instant.

Those Root members' bodies were as fragile as paper.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

The sounds of flesh and trees being pierced, the roar of the Metal Storm, the Root members' miserable screams...

Like an elegant symphony, its switch had been flipped amid bloodshed and slaughter.

The more distant Root members fled in horror. Some immediately used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to block it, but it was pierced through by the Metal Storm in an instant.

Finally,

when it came to a stop,

it was a scene of utter devastation! Nothing but devastation!

The four Root members had been completely wiped out. They had not even had time to run, leaving no bodies behind!

The mush-like mixture of blood, flesh, and wood chips was the only proof they had ever existed.

The Root members who had narrowly escaped swallowed with pale faces. Though they had undergone brutal training and long since extinguished their emotions,

the bloody sight still instinctively stirred nausea in their bellies, their stomach acid churning.

How had this guy done it?!

He had clearly been suppressed by the Sealing Formula. He should not have been able to move! Namikaze Mirai looked at them calmly. Perhaps it had been too long since he last killed, for a trace of a smile lingered in his eyes.

Amid soft rustling, silver pellets shot out from the forest and turned into drops of silver liquid. They shed the bloodstains and flowed toward him, gathering around his body.

The Silver Fluid coiled around him like tentacles—savage, writhing, twisting...

Venom?

No! Magnetic Fluid!

Magnetic solid particles with nanometer-scale diameters mixed with a carrier fluid to form a stable colloidal fluid.

It possessed both the fluidity of liquid and the magnetism of magnetic materials.

Under the influence of Namikaze Mirai's Electromagnetic Force, this trait had been pushed to its limits! Ordinarily, this Magnetic Fluid hid beneath his clothing, forming a layer of high-strength armor under the effects of Electromagnetic Force.

Even Sensory Ninjutsu could not detect this armor formed purely from condensed metal.

During battle, the Magnetic Fluid could transform into any weapon he desired under the effects of Electromagnetic Force.

It was also because of this layer of Magnetic Fluid that Namikaze Mirai could apply Electromagnetic Propulsion to himself with extremely high efficiency.

At short and medium distances, it could even rival Space-Time Ninjutsu.

His horrified enemies called it...

the Blue Flash!

Amid the writhing Magnetic Fluid tentacles, a trace of melancholy suddenly appeared in Namikaze Mirai's azure eyes.

Sealed memories surged forth like a tide.

Three years ago, he had still been unable to properly control nanometer-scale Magnetic Fluid.

Magnetic particles with micrometer-scale diameters had nearly been his limit.

Until that day...

"Minato, I'm heading out for a while. It'll probably take around three months. If all goes well, my abilities will improve significantly."

"Really? Kushina's due date is also three months from now. That means you'll make it just in time for Naruto's birth. If you're late, Naruto might refuse to acknowledge you as his Uncle!"

"Hahaha, I can't wait to see what Naruto looks like. This Uncle hasn't even held him yet!"

The Land of Wind.

The Dragon Vein.

Gazing at that expanse of purple ocean, delight appeared in Namikaze Mirai's azure eyes.

"So this is the source of that enormous energy? If I can absorb it, the Electromagnetic Tree might be able to advance to LV4."

"Three months is enough."

Namikaze Mirai closed his eyes, and a glimmer of moisture unexpectedly appeared at their corners.

He had misjudged it.

The Dragon Vein contained the power to disrupt time.

He had been trapped in chaotic time. By the time he returned, three years had already passed.

When he opened his eyes again, the chill within them seemed almost tangible.

The temperature in the forest suddenly dropped.

Under that gaze, every remaining Root member in the forest shuddered, coldness running down their spines.

"You are very unfortunate. You stirred up some bad memories."