Kaijo quickly discovered that Fukuda Sogo's defense was formidable, leaving them breathless in their attempts to break through.
Attempts to penetrate from the shooting guard position were persistently thwarted by Mochizuki's unwavering defense.This forced Moriyama to often pass the ball to either Kasamatsu or Kise.
The pattern repeated on Kaijo's side, with players frequently resorting to passing to Kasamatsu or Kise.
As the ball found its way into Kasamatsu's hands, he often succumbed to Tsuna's relentless defense, ultimately passing it to Kise.
Amidst the fervent cheers from the audience, Midorima's eyes flashed with understanding as he adjusted his glasses.
Glancing at Kasamatsu's figure on the court, Midorima thought, "...He should've realized it sooner."
He shook his head in mild disapproval and continued to calmly observe the ongoing game.
As the game progressed, the focus remained on Haizaki and Kise, with Kise attempting moves he had copied from the past, only for Haizaki to consistently steal and counter them.
Kasamatsu gritted his teeth annoyedly as he carefully dribbled the ball in his hand, with Tsuna closing in.
Taking a deep breath, Kasamatsu altered his pace, dribbling the ball behind his back to the left. Simultaneously adjusting his body weight to the front, he accelerated, once again maneuvering the ball between his legs with Tsuna in close pursuit.
Sensing the opportune moment, Kasamatsu's eyes glinted with a fierce light. "Good timing!" he thought.
In a swift move, he spun his body right in front of Tsuna, masking his intention to pierce through Tsuna's defense. The dribble aimed right between his legs, intricately connected to Tsuna's legs as well.
As the ball passed through his legs, Kasamatsu's expression brightened, realizing it had also slipped through Tsuna's defense.
He burst forward with agility, ready to snatch the ball once again.
However, Tsuna, sporting a light smirk, instantly stepped back. With his left hand, he effortlessly grabbed the ball that had slipped behind him, seamlessly dribbling it behind his back to his right hand.
In a burst of speed, Tsuna left Kasamatsu trailing behind, who cursed in disbelief, "Fuck, he lured me into it..."
With the game's momentum unexpectedly shifting, Kaijo hurriedly scrambled to catch up, their players chasing after Tsuna, who swiftly advanced toward their basket. Among them, Kise reacted the fastest, leaving Haizaki behind to pursue Tsuna.
"What a fool!" Haizaki exclaimed. He immediately chased after them to get in a good position.
"Kazamacchi!"
Kise shouted excitedly, fully committing to the chase.
With remarkable speed, he closed the distance between him and Tsuna, surprising even Tsuna himself. Kise forcefully slowed down, his feet adjusting in a way that made his muscles tingle with discomfort.
However, the important thing was that Kise had caught up with Tsuna.
Gritting his teeth, Kise opened his arms, adopting a solid defensive form to halt Tsuna's advance.
Displaying calm composure, Tsuna eased his pace, deftly dribbling the ball as Kise closed in.
Casually glancing at the timer, Tsuna realized there was just a minute left in the first quarter and thought, "Hmm, this is not what I was expecting."
The game seemed to be dragging a bit, prompting Tsuna to recognize the need to expedite their progress.
"...Then, I'll give you a bit more pressure, Ryota," Tsuna mumbled with a light smile, causing Kise's hair to stand on end.
Kise's eyes sharpened as he sensed Tsuna about to make a move.
As expected, Tsuna suddenly altered the pace of his dribble, prompting Kise's widened eyes as he silently thought, "...This is his specialty!"
Haizaki, too, widened his eyes, realizing Tsuna wasn't planning to pass the ball as expected.
He thought, "What? This isn't like him. Is he planning something?"
Haizaki couldn't help but click his tongue as Kaijo's captain closed in on him, understanding that even if Tsuna changed his mind mid-action, passing to him wouldn't be guaranteed.
In their clash, Kise struggled to keep pace with Tsuna's speedy dribbling. He closely followed Tsuna, knowing that relaxing his defense could leave him vulnerable.
"I won't let you slip by, Kazamacchi!"
Gritting his teeth, Kise focused on avoiding whatever trap Tsuna might be setting.
Tsuna's lightning-fast dribbling moves left Kise almost breathless. The ball danced between Tsuna's legs, behind him, and even in front with such speed that Kise struggled to keep up.
Then came the moment Kise anticipated.
Suddenly, Tsuna crossed over to the left, and Kise's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He treaded carefully, expecting Tsuna to change direction abruptly.
"...This is his ankle break, but I've already expected that so---" Kise's triumphant thought was abruptly halted as Tsuna's figure appeared to grow even taller.
A confused voice escaped Kise, "...What?"
As if by magic, Tsuna's lightning-fast dribble vanished. He was calmly dribbling the ball, nonchalantly looking down at Kise, who had fallen to the ground with a bewildered expression.
The gymnasium erupted into chaos as Tsuna's ankle-breaking move left the crowd in a frenzy of excitement and disbelief.
"Holy cow! Kise just got owned!"
Expressions of shock and awe were plastered across the faces of the spectators.
"What the heck! Call an ambulance!" someone urgently suggested, prompting a bewildered response from another attendee. "Huh? Why are you calling an ambulance?"
A scoff followed, accompanied by an incredulous retort, "Are you seriously asking that right now? Of course, because Kise had his legs broken, you dumbass!"
Meanwhile, Kise remained in a confused state, grappling with how he fell for a move he anticipated.
"I thought you were confident because you had something under your sleeve, but it seems like I was mistaken..."
Tsuna's cold words served as a harsh reality check. Kise turned to look at Tsuna, whose expression remained nonchalant, but genuine disappointment emanated from him, silencing Kise.
"..."
Helplessly, Kise watched Tsuna from below as the icy gaze seemed to pierce through his soul, making it difficult to breathe.
Shaking his head, Tsuna smoothly transitioned into his shooting motion. With calm precision, he released the ball, and it soared through the air without a hint of deviation. The net echoed with a satisfying swish as the ball effortlessly found its mark.
Yet, Tsuna didn't spare a glance at the ball. Instead, he turned back to Kise and uttered, "Ryota, I was expecting more but this is quite disappointing..."
These cold words proved more frustrating to Kise than the defeat he experienced back when they played together in Tsuna's residence.
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