"Third Brother!"
From outside, there was no way to see Mingye's condition. Only after Izuna rushed into the mist did he discover that the dark purple fog was burning Mingye's body, leaving behind nothing but a skeletal frame. His mangled body resembled a thousand-year-old corpse. Izuna was horrified and abruptly reached out, but the instant he touched the purple mist, it flew toward him as though it had found its home. Even Susanoo could not resist it. Before long, it had completely merged into Izuna's body and vanished without a trace.
At the same time, without the erosion of the purple mist, Mingye's body rapidly recovered with the aid of the blood pool's energy. Opening his eyes, Mingye saw Izuna before him. He waved a hand and lifted the barrier's restriction, causing the blood giant to cease attacking Izuna. Then he smiled at Izuna and said, "Congratulations, Second Brother!"
"Yo! Rat! This is our first meeting!"
Beneath the blood-stained sky, the black clouds and mist gradually dispersed. A golden light appeared before Mingye. With one hand braced against his body, the figure leaned forward and met Mingye's gaze with a wicked grin.
The same face, the same hair color, the same familiar body—the person staring back at him was like his reflection in a mirror. Mingye smiled as well and muttered, "Are you testing me? You actually placed the real restriction on Naruto, a baby!"
Spreading his hands, his future self appeared utterly relaxed. He gave Mingye an unconcerned explanation.
"Hahaha! If you couldn't even see through that, then dying wouldn't be such a bad thing!"
"Too?!"
The other man's words made Mingye frown deeply. That word made him extremely uncomfortable. Future Mingye remained as calm as ever and explained again.
"The endlessly repeating future had long since made me