Countless trees rushed past him continuously. Although his legs were trembling slightly at this point, Neji still gritted his teeth and leaped forward without stopping.
He had also pushed his Byakugan to its absolute limit. Neji was doing this not only to guard against the people of Konohagakure, but more importantly, to search for the people from Kirigakure coming to extract him.
Relying solely on his own strength, it would be impossible to escape under the pursuit of Konoha shinobi. Therefore, Neji surmised that someone must definitely be coming to meet him.
Drops of sweat flew backward from Neji's forehead. To conserve stamina, Neji tried to avoid any unnecessary movements, even the small action of wiping away sweat.
The sound of heavy breathing echoed continuously in Neji's ears, causing his mind to feel slightly dazed.
However, in the next moment, Neji suddenly felt his body turn cold, and his entire frame froze instantly in place.
He saw that, unbeknownst to him, two figures were sitting quietly on the trunk of a large tree not far ahead, watching him.
How is this possible! A trace of horror and disbelief appeared on Neji's face.
Even if he was fatigued and lacked focus, the power of the Byakugan was no joke. This distance wasn't far; it could even be said to be quite close.
Yet, under these circumstances, his Byakugan still hadn't detected them? Neji's originally stiff body took a slight step back.
However, when Neji saw the forehead protectors bearing the symbol of Kirigakure on the two of them, a look of joy quickly flashed through his eyes.
"Oh, is this the person Lord Yuto told us to wait for?" Ringo Ameyuri narrowed her eyes slightly, sizing up Neji, who wore a look of nervousness in the distance.
"That's right, that's right! I've seen him before!" Ranmaru revealed a happy expression on his face and nodded hurriedly.
Accompanying the sound of their voices, Neji also clearly saw the appearance of the two. One was a red-haired girl who was slightly older than him, and the other was a kid who in Konoha had probably just entered the Ninja Academy.
Wait, this kid looks a bit familiar! Neji's expression froze for a moment as he quickly recalled Ranmaru, whom he had seen in the waiting room during the Chunin Exams.
He looked like a mere child, yet a terrifying power was hidden within his body. The scene of him thoroughly defeating Hyuga Hiashi still surfaced in Neji's mind from time to time.
Moreover, Neji had guessed correctly; the young man beside this kid back then was indeed the legendary First Mizukage, Yuto.
If that were the case, then this red-haired girl, who looked to be only a few years older than him, likely possessed absolutely formidable strength as well.
While Neji was thinking, Ringo Ameyuri and Ranmaru jumped down from the large tree and walked towards him with leisurely expressions.
Seeing this scene, although he knew these two were here to extract him, Neji still couldn't help but feel somewhat tense.
No one in this world would help you for no reason, especially if they were from another shinobi village.
Neji swallowed, forcing himself to appear calm. After all, the only thing on his body of real value was this pair of Byakugan.
If they had really wanted the Byakugan, they would have made their move back in the waiting room during the Chunin Exams.
Ranmaru hopped and skipped over, a happy expression on his face, and said proudly: "Did I scare you just now? My Red Eyes are very amazing."
Red Eyes? Neji paused, looking at the faint red glow emanating from Ranmaru's eyes.
Neji had had his suspicions back then. As expected, these eyes had a significant suppressing effect on the Byakugan.
"Lord Yuto seems to value you greatly. I hope you can live up to Lord Yuto's regard!" Ringo Ameyuri sized Neji up slightly, and suddenly a burst of killing intent erupted from her, shrouding Neji.
However, this killing intent appeared as quickly as it vanished. If it weren't for the chill on Neji's back, he would have thought it was just an illusion.
Ranmaru, who was next to Ringo Ameyuri, shrunk his neck back slightly; he had always been very afraid of Ringo Ameyuri.
A smile suddenly surfaced on Ringo Ameyuri's face. She pulled a strangely shaped ninja sword from behind and threw it to Neji.
Neji hurriedly caught the ninja sword. It was an extremely long blade, and connected to the back of the hilt was a thin wire made of special materials, seemingly able to be pulled out endlessly from the hilt.
"Lord Yuto knows what you are worried about; this ninja sword is a sign of his regard for you. This is one of the Seven Ninja Swords, the Longsword Nuibari."
"In Kirigakure, this sword represents not only strength but also status. Your Hyuga clan is skilled in precise chakra control, so using this ninja sword shouldn't be too difficult for you."
Ringo Ameyuri introduced the sword to Neji in a soft voice.
Glancing at the smile on Ringo Ameyuri's face, Neji nodded blankly. Neji felt that the smile on Ringo Ameyuri's face wasn't directed at him, but at the ninja sword in his hand.
Ringo Ameyuri's smile suddenly vanished. She narrowed her eyes slightly, looking at Neji: "I hope you can live up to the status of this sword!"
As expected, I guessed right. Hearing Ringo Ameyuri's words, Neji thought to himself with a hint of wryness.
"My name is Ranmaru, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Explosive Blade Shibuki." Ranmaru giggled as he introduced himself to Neji.
"Ringo Ameyuri, one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, wielder of the Lightning Swords Kiba." Ringo Ameyuri introduced herself indifferently.
"Hyuga Neji." Neji also hurriedly introduced his name.
"Let's go, let's not keep Lord Yuto waiting." Ringo Ameyuri turned around and walked forward. Ranmaru and Neji hurriedly followed.
In the forest a significant distance behind Neji and the others, dozens of figures were leaping rapidly forward.
The stamina and endurance of these jonin were far superior to Neji, who was merely a genin.
"Lord Tokuma, have you still not discovered Neji's specific location?" Might Guy asked, a trace of anxiety on his face, speaking to a Hyuga clan jonin beside him.
Hyuga Tokuma shook his head gently; his Byakugan continued to scan the front, and the distance his Byakugan could perceive far exceeded that of other ordinary Hyuga jonin.
Meanwhile, Ranmaru, who was heading in the direction of Kirigakure, suddenly paused.
"Eh? Their speed is actually this fast." Ranmaru revealed a surprised expression, speaking in a low voice.
"What is it? Have they already caught up? That is much faster than expected." Ringo Ameyuri frowned, asking suspiciously.
"Mm, but it doesn't matter. I used my ability to change their direction a little." Ranmaru nodded, speaking nonchalantly.
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