Venom? No! It's magnetorheological fluid!

Forest.

Pale golden chains tightly bound Namikaze Mirai's body, wrapping his arms and legs completely. The whole man was trussed up like a dumpling—airtight and impenetrable.

"Stop struggling. This is a Sealing Barrier specially crafted for you."

"It combines sealing techniques with Barrier Jutsu."

"Right now, you can't possibly mobilize any Chakra, not even move a single finger."

The Root leader's voice brimmed with unwavering confidence.

Namikaze Mirai was no ordinary enemy—not the kind that could be overwhelmed by numbers alone.

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

No one knew his limits. He was a terrifying foe.

So they had chosen the path of cunning.

Using a targeted Secret Sealing Art, they would strangle his abilities at the source.

That way, no matter what tricks he had, he could never use them again.

Even though Namikaze Mirai was already sealed, reduced to a lamb for slaughter.

The surrounding Root shinobi still looked at him with lingering unease in their eyes.

A flawless battle plan. Thorough intelligence on him. Countless private drills.

They had even exploited Namikaze Mirai's arrogance, laying the Sealing Barrier in advance within this forest.

But even so.

When the battle erupted, it was still devastatingly brutal—two Jonin-level Root operatives were cruelly killed, their bodies obliterated without a trace!

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

Fortunately, Lord Danzo was wise. The tactic succeeded.

It was all over.

"Tch."

A contemptuous laugh suddenly rang out. Though quiet, it grated harshly in the ears of the surrounding Root.

"Why are you laughing?"

These Root operatives couldn't understand. He was in such a critical moment of crisis.

How could Namikaze Mirai still be in the mood to laugh? Had he lost his mind?

"I'm just... enjoying your performance."

His expression was calm, devoid of any tension or worry. The slight upturn at the corners of his mouth even gave him an air of faint amusement.

"Using Sealing Formulas to block my abilities—not a bad idea. As a reward..."

"I'll get a little serious too!"

The moment his voice fell, the four Root operatives maintaining the sealing technique suddenly changed expressions.

"The... the seal is being corroded?! How is that possible?! He shouldn't be able to mobilize Chakra!"

"Look! What is that!?"

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

"Damn it! What the hell is this thing!?"

In an instant, the seeping fluid turned into silver serpents, slithering and spreading along the chains, already closing in! The four Root operatives maintaining the seal felt a thick threat, a deadly crisis suddenly descending. Faces twisting in alarm, they leaped back.

But too late! The Silver Fluid transformed into countless silver pellets, bursting outward. In a flash, a terrifying attack like a Metal Storm engulfed the forest.

Trees as thick as an arm span were pierced through in an instant.

The bodies of those Root operatives were as fragile as paper.

"AAAAHHHH!!!"

The sound of flesh and wood being punctured, the roar of the Metal Storm, the agonized screams of Root...

It was like an elegant symphony, its switch flipped amid blood and slaughter.

Root operatives farther away recoiled in horror, dodging. One immediately used Earth Release: Earth-Style Wall to block, but it was pierced through in an instant by the Metal Storm.

Finally.

When it subsided.

Carnage. Utter carnage!

Four Root operatives were wiped out, not even time to flee—bodies obliterated without a trace!

Pulp-like flesh mixed with wood shavings was all the proof of their existence.

The Root operatives who narrowly escaped swallowed dryly, their pale throats bobbing. Even though they had undergone brutal training and had long since suppressed their emotions.

Faced with this bloody scene, a wave of nausea instinctively rose in their guts, stomach acid churning.

How did this guy manage that?!

Suppressed by the Sealing Formula, he shouldn't be able to move at all! Namikaze Mirai watched them calmly. Perhaps it had been too long since he last killed, for a hint of a smile lingered in his eyes.

Amidst rustling sounds, silver bullets shot out from the forest, transforming into droplets of silver liquid. After shedding the bloodstains, they flowed and converged around his body.

The Silver Fluid coiled like tentacles around his form—twisted, writhing, contorting...

Poison?

No! It was Magnetic Fluid!

Magnetic solid particles on a nanometer scale, mixed with a carrier liquid to form a stable colloidal fluid.

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

Under the influence of Namikaze Mirai's Electromagnetic Force, this property was pushed to its extreme! Normally, this Magnetic Fluid lay hidden beneath his clothes, forming a high-strength armor under the Electromagnetic Force's effect.

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

When battle came, the Magnetic Fluid would transform into any weapon he desired under the Electromagnetic Force's influence.

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

At medium to short range, it could even rival Space-Time Ninjutsu.

His terrified enemies called him...

The Blue Flash!

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

Memories sealed in the past surged forth like a tide.

Three years ago, he still couldn't control the nanometer-scale Magnetic Fluid well.

Micrometer-diameter magnetic particles were almost his limit.

Until that day...

"Minato, I'm going out for a while. About three months. If things go smoothly, my abilities will improve significantly."

"Is that so? Kushina's due date is also in three months. In that case, you'll just make it in time for Naruto's birth. If you're late, Naruto won't recognize you as his uncle!"

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

The Land of Wind.

The Dragon Vein.

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

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

"Three months is enough."

Namikaze Mirai closed his eyes. A trace of moisture appeared at their corners.

He had misjudged.

The Dragon Vein contained the power to disrupt time.

He had fallen into a chaotic flow of time. By the time he returned, three years had passed.

When he opened his eyes again, the chill in them was almost tangible.

The temperature in the forest dropped sharply.

Caught in that gaze, every Root member remaining in the woods shuddered, a chill running down their spines.

"You're unlucky. You've stirred up some bad memories."