After making up their minds, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen immediately changed direction and sprinted northeast. This route led toward Konoha headquarters and was completely different from the direction in which the Mist Ninja had landed.
The Seven Ninja Swordsmen's sudden change in direction significantly shortened the distance between them and the Konoha Shinobi Army behind them.
At that moment, the blue figure at the very front of the Konoha Shinobi Army suddenly flickered, crossing several dozen meters in an instant and directly catching up to the Seven Ninja Swordsmen.
As Jūzō Biwa sprinted at top speed, he caught sight of that figure vanishing from the corner of his eye. A powerful sense of danger rose in his heart, and he immediately raised his hand, drew the Kubikiribōchō from his back, and swung a fierce slash toward his side on instinct.
In a flash, a blue blade-light collided fiercely with the swiftly swinging Kubikiribōchō.
"Clang, clang, clang..." In that brief instant, the two sides exchanged countless violent blows. Blue and white blade-lights filled the surrounding space, leaving only a dazzling blur of afterimages.
Jūzō Biwa desperately swung his great blade to block, but he was soon unable to hold on. Borrowing the force of his opponent's attacks, he retreated more than a dozen steps before opening up some distance. Having realized they were under attack, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen all slowed their sprinting pace and turned to look at the incoming figure.
The newcomer was tall and slender, his entire body flickering with blue light. He held a white short blade in his hand and wore striking silver-gray short hair. With such distinctive features, the Seven Ninja Swordsmen recognized him at a glance.
"White Fang of Konoha!"
It turned out that the White Fang, who had just led the troops alongside