"Ah, another dunk!"
"How many does that make!?"
"No one can stop this guy!"
"Looks like this is it for Ōnita!"
Yuki heard many comments being shouted from the audience seats, but frankly she couldn't give them the time of day. She was far too engrossed in watching Naruto dunk right through another two defenders, one of which was supposed to be one of the best point guards and overall players in all of Japan outside of the Generation of Miracles.
His name was Kobayashi Keisuke. Despite his good skills, though, he wasn't able to put up too much of a fight as Naruto and Kise made short work of his offense and passes. They had made it to the semifinals, but the difference in skill was plain to see for everyone who was watching.
It still wasn't normal, though, the way Naruto was going after them. If she didn't know any better, Yuki would think Naruto had some sort of vendetta against them.
'Naruto-kun….'
On the court, the others were thinking along the same lines as they watched Naruto score again and again.
"I didn't think Uzumaki would be this angry about what happened earlier," Moriyama said. It was the last minute of the final quarter. With their lead, victory was pretty much theirs. That didn't mean they would stop playing, though. Not a chance.
Kasamatsu frowned. He wasn't convinced that the interrupted match with Murasakibara was enough to make Naruto this angry. He hadn't been this frustrated earlier either. Only after his bathroom break did the blond seem more ticked off than usual.
Kise was thinking the same thing, but now wasn't the time for questions. They had a match to win.
Up in the audience seats, Aomine and Momoi watched the last couple of seconds tick down. The match ended with a simple three from Moriyama, but by that point no one in Ōnita had any fighting spirit left. They had been utterly crushed by Naruto's and Kise's double team.
"So they won after all," Momoi gushed as the buzzer went off.
Aomine wasn't surprised at all. If anything, he would have been slightly pissed off if he saw any less than this. That said, he could also tell that Naruto was in a bad mood right now.
"I guess it's just as we thought." Momoi's voice softened as both teams began to lineup before they returned to their locker rooms. "It'll be Kaijō versus Rakuzan in the finals."
Rakuzan had managed to gain their victory against Yōsen earlier. Neither Akashi nor Murasakibara ever set foot on the court, both honoring the deal they had between them.
Aomine had a similar reaction to Naruto when he heard the news. It was more than just enraging. It was an insult, especially towards their promise.
'But Murasakibara has always been one to listen to Akashi.'
Akashi was the only one who could order him around. The fact that they were now on different teams hadn't changed that it seemed.
Whatever. Aomine didn't approve, but he knew he could do nothing about it. It was done, and Rakuzan was moving on to the finals. Regardless of how it happened, Aomine knew that tomorrow's match was going to be an interesting one.
"Let's go, Satsuki."
Momoi looked surprised as Aomine stood up from his seat.
"H-Huh? We're going? Didn't Ki-chan text you about something?"
"I can answer it later. Let's go."
Aomine started to walk away, and Momoi had no choice but to run after him.
"Wait for me, you idiot!"
Aomine took one final glance to the court below, where Kaijō was getting ready to return to their locker room.
'You better not let me down, Uzumaki.'
"What was that all about, Uzumakicchi?"
"What?" Naruto looked up from his bag to see Kise standing over him. He wasn't alone. Yuki was next to him, her face filled with worry.
The others in the locker room were glancing their way, probably curious to find out why he was in such a bad mood.
"You played harsher than usual," Yuki explained, her hands fiddling with her skirt out of worry. "Did something happen?"
Putting his water bottle down, Naruto sighed. He hadn't really noticed that he was doing anything different than usual, but he also didn't remember much of the game just now. His head was filled with only one thing at the moment.
"I'm just agitated, about tomorrow's game."
Kise frowned. "Are you scared?"
Naruto threw his water bottle at Kise, which smacked the model right in the face.
"What the-! That hurt, Uzumakicchi!"
"Then don't be an idiot. I'm not scared. I'm just pissed off." Naruto scowled heavily. "I had the pleasure of meeting your former captain earlier. I already knew he was going to be a dick, but he still managed to surprise me. Go figure."
Kise, still rubbing his sore forehead, now understood.
"I had a feeling you wouldn't get along well with him."
Naruto and subordination didn't mesh well together, after all. And Akashi was nothing if not forceful with his command. If you weren't with him, then he would not hesitate to destroy you, by any means necessary. No, even if you followed him, you weren't totally safe. Not if you failed him.
"Is that it?" Yuki asked, wanting to be sure there was nothing else going on.
"Yeah, I just wanted to vent some." Naruto looked down, his face now filled with hunger. But not for food. "But that wasn't enough. I need a bigger challenge."
"H'mph, then you're in luck." Takeuchi got everyone's attention as he stepped forward. "We might have had it easy today, but tomorrow is a different story. We're going up against the Rakuzan. And this year, it's said they have their strongest roster ever."
That didn't come as a surprise to anyone. The former captain of the Generation of Miracles and three of the Uncrowned Kings? That was enough to make anyone think twice about going up against them.
Naruto and Kise weren't like that, though. The same could be said for the others in the team. Call it idiocy, but they were more than ready to take on such a big challenge.
Yuki knew this perfectly well, which is why all she could do was support them with everything she had.
Tomorrow was going to decide everything.
Everyone made sure to get a good night's rest. They knew they were going to need every ounce of energy they had for the game. Even so, sleep did not come easy. Not when such a momentous occasion was hanging over them. They were in the finals, after all. It was going to be one of the most important games in their high school career.
Kasamatsu felt this weight more than the others. He might have failed last year, but he was back now. And not just at the starting point either. He had managed to reach the finish line.
'No, we've managed to do it.'
It had been a team effort. Kasamatsu knew he couldn't have done this alone. Which is why he was more than ready to keep supporting this team with everything he had. They were all idiots and annoyed the hell out of him more often than not. But it was still his team, and he would stand by them.
And in order to correct the mistakes from last year, they were going to have to win.
His motive was far more noble than anything Naruto had going on his mind. To the blond, this was all about victory.
To Kise, this was about keeping the promise he had made with the others, but with some altercations.
"I really want to win with this team."
Naruto looked at his fellow blond. The two of them were sitting out by the pool provided by their hotel. Neither of them could sleep no matter how much they tried. The blood was pumping in their veins, their muscles twitching with anticipation at what was to come. In this state, there was no way they could fall asleep.
"Is that why you're fighting so hard?"
"Of course it is!" Kise looked at his reflection on the pool. "Basketball stopped being fun for me at some point in Teikō. I can't really explain it. I just did it because I felt I had to. It also felt like none of us were friends anymore. That promise I told you about, it was the only thing holding us together. That, and our instinct to win."
"Sounds like it was a terrible time."
But that was already obvious for Naruto. Having met Aomine, Midorima, and Murasakibara had all but confirmed it to him.
"Yeah. Kurokocchi didn't think we were a team, and after playing with you guys I'm starting to agree with him. All we ever cared about was victory, but we didn't seek it either. It just came to us. It wasn't anything glamorous."
"Hmm, that so?" Naruto hummed a little. Kise's past in Teikō didn't concern him. This disinterest didn't come from a bad place. It was simply the past. The past didn't exist to chain you down. No, what Naruto cared about was the future and their time together in Kaijō.
"I can't fully understand that, but I do get your lack of motivation and connection. That's pretty much what I've been trying to solve for a while now."
Kise raised his head, looking curious. "What does that mean?"
Naruto grinned, but the grin didn't quite reach his eyes. "Maybe I'll tell you about it one day."
His amnesia, and his time before Kaijō. It was something he'd rather forget. Now that he was here, he only wanted to worry about what came next.
"That's just mean, Uzumakicchi. After I opened up to you!"
"Yeah, and that was your fault. Don't look at me like I'm the bad guy."
"But you totally are! Always making jokes at my expense….."
"You're a big boy. You can take it."
"That's not the point!"
There was silence before the two started to laugh. It was pointless really, but that's what made it so refreshing.
"Akashicchi probably doesn't understand this, but there's more to basketball than winning," Kise said after his laugh died down. "That's the principle he lives by. He's never lost before. That's why he claims he's always right."
"What kind of bullshit is that?" Naruto scoffed. "If he hasn't lost, then that just means we have to be the ones to make him understand."
Kise chuckled. "You make things sound so easy. But I'm sure you know some of what he's capable of. Sugawaracchi should have already told you."
Yeah, Naruto knew some of the details but not all. Kise probably knew more, having been on the same team and all.
"I've never experienced it myself, but his eyes are something else." Kise almost grimaced just thinking about it. "He defeated Murasakibaracchi that way and made it look easy. I'm sure he won't hesitate to use them tomorrow. In front of him, any bluffs or tricks are completely useless. When he can see the future, that sort of stuff is pretty much pointless."
Facing someone with powerful eyes…..for some reason, that made Naruto feel nostalgic. But he had no idea why.
Still, it didn't change anything for him. Nothing ever did. The goal was always the same.
"We still need to win."
Kise grinned. "But of course. I'll follow you anywhere."
Without thinking about it, the two shared a fist bump while basking in the comfort of knowing that they were going to fight together.
And not just the two of them either. They had a whole team they could count on. It didn't get any better than that.
'Naruto-kun, Kise-san…..good luck.'
Yuki merely passed on her good wishes to the two boys as she watched them from the door that connected the pool to the hotel.
She knew they could do it if they were together.
The night went and came, and before anyone knew it the time for the Inter-High finals was here. This drew in a bigger crowd than any game before it. Everyone was excited to see the Generation of Miracles clash with one another, and the buzz of a third player that could compete with the famous group was also making people more excited to come see the game in person.
Midorima was one such spectator. It was frustrating that he wasn't a part of the match, but that was neither here nor there. He would have to be satisfied with watching two of his former teammates compete tonight.
"Looks like you aren't wearing those stupid glasses today, Shin-chan."
Midorima wasn't surprised to see Takao waiting for him by the entrance of the building. A ton of other people were making their way inside, but it wasn't hard for Takao to notice him. Not with that green hair of his.
Takao shot him a grin. "Come on, the rest of the team is waiting for us."
So everyone had come tonight? Well, Midorima should have expected that. This wasn't a game anyone wanted to miss, after all.
'Kise….what will you show tonight?'
Midorima was curious to find the answer to his question. His curiosity extended to Naruto as well, not that he would admit to this.
He was dishonest like that.
"Jeez, I can't believe Aomine-kun is this late!"
Midorima and his team weren't the only ones here tonight. Momoi, along with the rest of Tōō, had kept their promise and were here to see the Inter-High to the end.
"That guy is always pissing me off," Wakamatsu said, darn near ready to curse Aomine out. "Why is he late this time?"
"I think he said he had something to do before the game," Sakurai meekly explained. "That's what he said before leaving the hotel."
Imayoshi chuckled. "Now, now. Let's just be patient. We all know Aomine can't miss this."
Almost like he was a fortune teller, Aomine emerged from the crowd as he made his way over to them.
"See? What did I tell you?" Right on the money again, Imayoshi.
Aomine raised an eyebrow as he joined them. "What the hell? Why haven't you guys gone inside yet?"
"Because of your tardy ass!" Wakamatsu pointed at him while scowling. "Why can't you ever be punctual for once!? Do you have something attached to your body that stops you from showing up on time!?"
Imayoshi shot Wakamatsu a dejected look. "Why do you always have to scream?"
"Why can't you be more like Kaijō's center?" Susa asked with the same dejected look. "Guy is always so quiet and laid back. You could learn a thing or two from him."
"H-Hey…..!"
Wakamatsu sputtered. That was hurtful!
Aomine ignored their bickering and the group started to make its way inside. Momoi was still curious about his tardiness, though. She knew it wasn't his usual "I don't care" attitude.
"Where were you, Aomine-kun? Did something happen?"
"You could say that." Aomine began to smirk. "I just had something to teach real quick. It's no big deal."
But that sounded like a huge deal! Aomine wasn't one to go out of his way to help someone. This was definitely big news!
However, Momoi knew she wasn't going to be able to get anything else from her childhood friend. He was stingy like that. She was going to have to figure this out on her own.
"Who do you think is going to win tonight, Aomine-kun?" Momoi asked a different question instead, one just as important.
Aomine's eyes narrowed a little. "Isn't that what we're here to see?"
Yes, it's why they had all come.
Tonight was more than just exciting. It was going to be the ultimate showdown.
It was like night and day, the way the finals were received compared to other games. Naruto already thought the crowds were huge when they started playing in the actual Inter-High, but this was something else entirely.
So many rows of people, so many cameras, and so much cheering.
"Hold your heads high!" Takeuchi exclaimed as he turned to them with a huge grin. "You've earned this reception tonight."
The cheering only increased when Naruto and the others in Kaijō started to walk out from their locker room and onto the court. The excitement and anticipation were clear.
Everyone was expecting a good game tonight.
"Ah, there they are!"
"It's the rising force, Kaijō High!"
"How many points will their duo ace score tonight!?"
"Oh man, I'm getting excited just thinking about it!"
Yuki had to chuckle weakly as she heard all the shouting. "We've gotten popular, huh?"
"What do you mean, Sugawara-chan?" Moriyama flipped his hair back in what he considered to be a "sexy move." "We've always been popular."
"No one is talking about you, though," Nakamura muttered, delivering a powerful diss without anyone knowing about it.
Shame.
They started to get everything set up when the shouting started to increase further. There could only be one reason for that.
Naruto and Kise turned to the other entrance into the court, and sure enough Rakuzan was trickling in.
"They're here! The strongest high school. The emperor since the beginning of time, Rakuzan High!"
"And the captain of the Generation of Miracles, Akashi Seijūrō!"
Akashi was the very definition of stoic as he led his team onto the court. It was almost like he lived for this. Like this was his nourishment, as if it was only natural that he would be surrounded by this much attention.
"Huh, no surprises there. Dude is mister cool alright." Naruto smirked. "I can't wait to break that."
Kise sweatdropped. "You say some questionable things sometimes, Uzumakicchi. Are you a sadist? Is that what this is? You're awakening to your true self?"
"I think we're past that point, Kise-san." Yuki sighed and shook her head. "You should already know what kind of character he is."
"I can slap both of you, right here and now."
Yuki pouted. "That's not how you treat a lady, Naruto-kun."
Oh please, she already knew he was kidding. He could never hit her. Kise was fair game, though.
"I feel like I'm being discriminated against here," Kise said under his breath, unsure of what to make of this feeling.
"T'ch, look at them having their little moment." Moriyama felt another cloud of despair wash over him. "Why can't I have a moment like that?"
Nakamura groaned. "Is this gonna be a thing with you now? You're always going to get depressed at the beginning of every game because Sugawara isn't giving you any attention?"
Nakamura's blunt words only sent Moriyama into another spiral of depression as he collapsed to the floor with Hayakawa rushing to his side to try and revive him.
"I think he couldn't handle the truth you presented to him," Kobori said with an embarrassed sigh.
Kasamatsu just watched all of this go down with a murderous look.
"You fools…..do you have any idea what time it is…? Playing around like this….I outta kill you all myself!"
"That's a bit harsh, captain." Naruto started to poke the downed Moriyama with his foot like he would do a corpse. "This guy here just needs to find a cute girl in the audience to get his motivation back, right?"
"He should be motivated without that!"
"Yeah, well. He's a pervert. What can you do?"
"I'm down, not dead." Moriyama raised his head to look at Naruto with a twitching eyebrow. "I can hear you loud and clear."
"That's the point."
"Urgh."
Yuki felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment. "This team is going to be the death of me."
Funnily enough, Kasamatsu felt the same way.
Kise just laughed. "You know you love it, Sugawaracchi. You're one of us, after all."
Being labeled like that…..well, it wasn't so bad.
After all, idiots they may be, but they were still all important idiots to her. Especially the one arguing with the corpse-looking idiot.
Yes, it was just their normal routine. And Yuki was fine with that.
"Naruto-kun." Said blond turned to her. She smiled at him. "Good luck out there, okay? I'll be cheering for you."
It's all the reassurance Naruto needed. But just to be safe, Naruto took her by the arm and pulled her closer to him.
Yuki was confused, with her face heating up. "W-What-"
"For extra good luck."
Yuki wasn't able to respond as Naruto leaned down to kiss her. It was a bold move, one that had Kise whistling.
"Smooth move, Uzumakicchi."
And he meant it too.
Moriyama looked as if he wanted to turn to ash and just blow away with the wind right then and there, while Kobori and Kasamatsu could only blush.
'Darn it, you fool.' Kasamatsu would kick him later. He didn't need to be feeling this embarrassed before a match.
As for Yuki, as surprised as she was, she still gave in and melted to the kiss.
It was definitely the best good luck charm she could give.
"Look at them, Akashi! They're pretty strong, right! They totally look strong!"
Hayama Kotarō, the small forward for Rakuzan, was bouncing with a child-like excitement as he pointed to Kaijō from their side of the the court.
"Yes, they are indeed strong." Akashi had no problems admitting to this fact as he tied his shoelaces, looking ready to step on the court and play.
"Oh, this is definitely rare." Nebuya Eikichi, the center for the team, looked at his captain with a large grin. "So you're playing right from the beginning, huh?"
"Of course. We can't underestimate them." Akashi stood up and smiled. "I already have the coach's approval."
"Heh, sounds good to me. All of our matches so far have been too easy." Their last match had been more of a challenge, but Nebuya was looking for more than that. He started to rub his stomach. "Maybe I should have eaten more."
"T'ch, you're already filthy enough." Mibuchi Reo held his nose and backed away from the more imposing looking teen. He was the shooting guard for Rakuzan. "If you eat anymore, I'm sure you'll explode."
"Ahahahaha, thanks! I'll take those words to heart!"
"They weren't supposed to be a compliment!"
These three were the Uncrowned Kings. It was almost unbelievable that three players such as them had come to the same school and for the same team. It was just stacking the odds against any opponent who dared to oppose them. And worse still, to be led by the former captain of the Generation of Miracles...
It shouldn't be understated how scary of a combination this was.
Akashi continued to smile as he took a few steps forward.
"Shall we get started?"
Kasamatsu didn't look surprised when he saw Akashi wearing the number four jersey, but it was still incredible. For a first year to already be the captain of his team…...it was practically unheard of.
'And the Uncrowned Kings are just going along with it…..t'ch, this is already making me feel uneasy.'
Kise merely looked on. He already knew the type of person Akashi was, so him being the captain was only natural in his mind.
Both teams had their starting players announced onto the court. It was a tradition that only happened during the finals. It was during this time that Naruto took notice of the fifth player in Rakuzan's roster.
'Mayuzumi Chihiro….'
He was the only third year in the team, but he didn't stand out at all unlike the others. If it wasn't for the announcer calling him out, Naruto probably wouldn't have noticed him.
How strange.
Kise had a similar feeling, and it only made him more uneasy about an already troublesome situation.
"It's good to see you again, Ryōta." Akashi stepped to the center line, as did both Naruto and Kise. The latter were in their blue and white uniforms today to contrast Rakuzan's white and pale blue colors.
"Akashicchi," Kise said in return, making sure to mask any and all emotions from his face.
"If I'm being perfectly honest, I didn't think I would be facing you today," Akashi said, his voice utterly calm. "The possibility was one of the lowest in my calculations. But I suppose this has been a surprising tournament, hasn't it?"
In more ways than one.
"Is that all you have to say?" Naruto stepped forward with a glare. "You better not have forgotten about our talk yesterday."
"There is no way I could forget, Uzumaki Naruto." Akashi's face didn't change, but it was clear from his tone that he was not pleased. "But be warned. I don't allow those who stand against me to look down on me. Not even my parents."
"You sure have a way of hyping yourself up." Naruto scowled. "I'll be more than happy to fix that for you."
"Sorry, but there is no need for that." A smile broke out on Akashi's face, only this one looked more deranged than anything else. "Like I said, I am the absolute. My words are always right because I always win. That's how it works in this world."
"There's a first time for everything." Naruto cracked his neck. "There's no need to worry. I don't mind teaching you."
Kise said nothing. There was nothing for him to add. Not just that, but he already knew what this would accomplish.
"Is that so?" Akashi turned back to his team. "Then come and show me what 'defeat' is. If you can."
Nothing. It was going to accomplish nothing. It would come down to basketball, and who the winner was.
That's why Kise was determined to win.
The cheering increased for a third time as Naruto and Nebuya took their spots in the center circle, ready for the tip-off. Everyone else got to their positions as well.
Nebuya seemed excited by this. "So it's true, what Akashi said. You really like to play it rough, don't you?"
"Something like that, yeah." Naruto pointed at him. "You're not my target, but your captain has put me in a bad mood. Right now, I'm ready to crush through anyone. You better not underestimate me."
"Ha, I wouldn't dream of it." Nebuya smirked. "Not you."
Akashi must have told them about him then, or maybe they already knew. Either way, it didn't make much difference to Naruto.
But he wasn't the only one who was excited about starting the game. Hayama already knew that his mark was Naruto, and he was excited to see what the blond could do in person.
Mibuchi didn't mind his opponent for today either, shooting Moriyama a wink.
"Don't worry, I'll treat you just nice for today, Moriyama-chan."
Moriyama shuddered but still said, "T-Thanks?"
What else was he supposed to say to that?
Most of all, Kasamatsu and Akashi were having a small stare down of their own. As point guards, they were going to clash first. But anything could happen in this game, and Kasamatsu knew that Akashi wouldn't hesitate to change marks if need be.
Only Kise was having trouble finding his motivation against his immediate opponent.
'I don't get this guy's deal….'
He was of course talking about Mayuzumi. Kise didn't know why, but he felt like he had met the guy before. Or at the very least that he was very familiar.
But why?
There was no more time for thinking as the referee joined them, the ball in hand.
"Now, the Inter-High's final game between Kaijō High and Rakuzan High will now begin!"
The cheering only got louder.
It had been a long day of practice for Kuroko and the others at Seirin. They had just returned from their training camp, but after seeing the Kaijō/Tōō match, they had all been motivated to train further and harder. They all knew they needed to catch up if they were going to win, and they couldn't do that by taking it easy.
Kagami especially, although he said he had an announcement to make to them later. Even Kuroko didn't know what he was planning, but they would find out sooner or later.
Still, Kuroko was a bit on edge tonight. Not because of practice or anything like that. No, it was because he knew that the Inter-High finals was taking place tonight.
Who was taking part? Did Akashi win against Murasakibara, or did the reverse happen? And what about Kise and Naruto? Did they manage to defeat their opponent too?
Kuroko had many questions, but unfortunately he wasn't there to see them answered. Not that it would make much of a difference. Regardless of what happens, he wasn't a part of it.
'But this winter….'
He vowed to change that. As he stepped out into the night, he made that promise to himself with all the shining stars present.
His curiosity remained, though. Who would win the Inter-High?
Kuroko wouldn't get his answer until much later.
The tip-off was underway, and with it the match finally began.
Both Naruto and Nebuya took to the air with impeccable timing, with the latter screaming as loud as he could to further motivate himself.
'So loud.' Naruto resisted the urge to turn away from the screaming Nebuya, which was a very hard thing to do. The guy was even louder than Wakamatsu, a feat which wasn't easy to pull off.
The two touched the ball at the same time, and under normal circumstances this would result in the ball flying randomly as it was smacked from two different sides.
But Nebuya was looking for the win here and he expected it too. Imagine his surprise when Naruto managed to overpower his push on the ball. This had the ball spinning straight to Kise, who happily caught it.
'How the hell-!?'
Nebuya couldn't hide his disbelief. Contrary to what he had said earlier, fact of the matter was that he had been looking down on Naruto. This was because Naruto didn't seem to have any strong muscles on him. At least, nothing compared to what Nebuya was packing. That's why he had been expecting to easily overpower the blond, chalking up all the talks about Naruto's supposed incredible strength as nothing more than silly rumors.
He was regretting that right now.
With the ball in his possession, Kise quickly took down the court, easily bypassing the silent Mayuzumi.
"A fast break already!"
"Looks like Kaijō is going to score the first points!"
Kise was thinking the same thing too, since the hoop was totally undefended. But then Hayama arrived at the last second for the defense, grinning widely.
"Alright, a one-on-one!" he exclaimed loudly, his snaggletooth happily sticking out from the right corner of his mouth.
Kise debated just going right through the guy, but he played it safe and passed over his shoulder.
'Huh?' Hayama was confused by the pass. He was sure there was no one there.
But in the blink of an eye, Naruto was in the right spot to catch the pass and shoot straight for the hoop.
"Not going to let you!" Remarkably, Nebuya managed to catch up and jump just in time to try and stop Naruto from dunking.
Unlike Kise, Naruto didn't bother with niceties and did exactly what he said he would.
Nebuya found himself pushed aside as Naruto dunked right through his defense, with the crowd loving every second of it.
"There it is, the first dunk!"
"It's totally unstoppable!"
If Nebuya was surprised before, now he was just ticked off. Twice in a row the blond was able to defeat him with strength alone.
'How can he have so much raw strength?'
It was unbelievable that someone with Naruto's built had defeated him like this, but it happened.
"I told you, you're not my target but I have no problems crushing you either." Naruto turned to the bigger player with cold eyes. "I'm very angry right now."
Nebuya felt his heart stop for a second. Naruto was different from the average player. That very fact was engraved into his very soul at that moment.
"Well, well." Unlike Nebuya, Akashi was calm and collected. "He's already giving it his all, isn't he?"
It was just the way Akashi wanted it.
And like that, the Inter-High finals were underway. It was Kaijō versus Rakuzan. Who would win?
This match was only just starting.