Kagami stomped into school with an irritated scowl, his usual fiery energy amplified by sheer frustration. He hadn't slept a wink last night—not out of worry, but pure, unfiltered excitement. His mind had been replaying his brief bout with Kise over and over again, and the fact that he lost had him itching to settle the score.
Naruto, ever the instigator, walked beside him with a lazy grin."Damn, Kagami, you look worse than when you ate expired ramen. You sure you didn't wake up at 3 AM to practice free throws in your sleep?"
Kuroko, the master of well-timed commentary, added,"It would explain why he shot bricks yesterday."
Kagami twitched. "Oi, shut up, both of you!" He swung an arm at Naruto, who casually dodged with a chuckle. Kuroko had already disappeared from his sight, probably to avoid the inevitable outburst.
By the time they arrived at the court where they would face Kaijou, the rest of the Seirin team had already gathered. The atmosphere was tense yet electric—this wasn't just a practice match. It was a chance to prove themselves.
And, of course, right on cue, Kise Ryouta made his grand entrance.
"Yo, Naruto-chi! Kuroko-chi! It's been a while!" Kise greeted them with his usual dazzling smile. His excitement was evident, but the sharp glint in his eyes showed that he wasn't just here to chat.
"Yeah, yeah, save the flirting for after the match," Naruto teased, throwing an arm around Kuroko, who simply nodded in agreement. Kise whined dramatically before giving Kagami a once-over.
"Kagamichi, I hope you're ready. I won't go easy on you!"
Kagami smirked. "Funny, I was about to say the same thing."
As the teams warmed up, Seirin got a shock—they were only given a small section of the court to practice on. The Kaijou coach stood off to the side, smugly watching them struggle with limited space.
Naruto, Kuroko, and Kagami huddled together, whispering.
"Man, these guys are looking down on us," Kagami growled.
"Then we'll make them regret it," Naruto grinned.
Kuroko, as unreadable as ever, nodded. "What's the plan?"
Naruto smirked. "Simple. Kagami, how do you think they'll react if, hypothetically, someone were to—oh, I don't know—break the hoop?"
Kagami's eyes widened before his face split into a toothy grin. "Oh-ho, I like that."
Kuroko sighed. "I hope the school has the budget for another hoop replacement."
Kise, still on the bench, watched the trio whispering and immediately felt a chill run down his spine. I do not like this. I do NOT like this at all. He had known Naruto and Kuroko for years—whenever they wore that look, something was about to go terribly wrong.
Still, his coach had decided to bench him at the start, believing that Kaijou could handle Seirin without him. Kise internally sighed in relief. At least I won't be the one suffering... right?
The whistle blew.
Kagami soared into the air for the tip-off, winning possession easily. As the ball came down, he sent a fast pass straight to Naruto, who was already being triple-teamed by Kaijou defenders.
Most players would have panicked.Naruto? He thrived in moments like this.
He took a step forward, baiting one of the defenders. The instant they reacted, he cut sharply to the right—then feinted, shifting left. The defenders stumbled, and just as he looked ready to shoot a three-pointer, the ball flew higher.
Kise, despite being on the bench, instantly knew what was coming. "Oh no..."
Kaijou's coach gasped. "An alley-oop?!"
Up in the air, Kagami snatched the ball mid-flight. A brave Kaijou defender leaped with him, desperate to stop the dunk.
Naruto and Kuroko clasped their hands together in mock prayer. Kise, from the bench, mirrored their action.
"Rest in peace, brave soldier."
BOOM.
Kagami posterized the poor defender, slamming the ball through the hoop with enough force to shatter the rim. The glass backboard cracked, then collapsed in spectacular fashion.
The court went dead silent.
A long beat passed.
Then, Kaijou's coach screamed.
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Naruto, Kuroko, and Kagami casually high-fived.
"Welp," Naruto said cheerfully. "Guess we need a full court now."
With the hoop destroyed, Kaijou had no choice but to allow Seirin full access to the court. And just like that, Kise was subbed in.
Kise, who had been happily not dealing with Naruto and Kagami, now had to face both of them at the same time. He sighed dramatically.
"I knew you guys were planning something!"
Naruto smirked. "C'mon, Kise. It wouldn't be fun if we just let you win, right?"
The whistle blew again, marking the start of the real match.
And for all of Kise's talent—his uncanny ability to copy any move he saw—it simply wasn't enough.
Between Naruto's lightning-fast reflexes, Kagami's sheer power, and Kuroko's deceptive passing, Kaijou's defense crumbled. Even with Kise's best efforts, Seirin ran circles around them.
The scoreboard told the whole story: 80-38.
And to make things even worse for Kaijou... Kuroko—Seirin's invisible player—was somehow their third top scorer.
"How?!" Kise cried dramatically, pointing at Kuroko. "You weren't even THERE half the time!"
Kuroko simply blinked. "I was."
Kise fell to his knees. "This is so unfair..."
Kagami, meanwhile, was thriving. The pace of the match, the sheer competitiveness—it was exhilarating. Every second spent playing against Naruto and Kuroko forced him to evolve, to adapt, to improve.
And as the game came to an end, he grinned.
"Next time, Kise... I'm dunking over you."
Kise groaned. "Not if I can help it..."
Naruto just threw an arm over his shoulders, laughing. "Better start training, Pretty Boy."
Kise sighed. "I hate you guys."
Kuroko, in the most deadpan voice imaginable: "No, you don't."
The blond grumbled. "...No, I don't."
AN: How y'all like this way of writing the game, should I do it differently? Tell me please in the comments below.