Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 317 Sakuragi's Growth Story

Not long after, Sakuragi finally completed his pupa-like transformation.

After taking off the mascot costume, Sakuragi was drenched in sweat and panting heavily.

"So tiring, I'll never be a pupae maker again!"

Sakuragi, tongue lolling out, was exhausted and feeling suffocated in the sweltering heat, wearing a thick, airtight mascot costume.

At that moment, Akagi's voice rang out with surprise and uncertainty: "Huh, Sakuragi, you seem to have grown taller?"

Akagi's gaze was fixed on Sakuragi, who seemed almost as tall as Kogure.

"really?"

Upon hearing that he had grown taller, Sakuragi immediately showed a surprised expression, his voice filled with anticipation and excitement.

The other Shohoku players gathered around, curiously examining him.

Mitsui even stood in front of Sakuragi, compared his height with his, and then said enviously, "You've definitely grown taller!"

No wonder Mitsui is so envious. Thinking back to the first time he met Sakuragi, the two were about the same height, but now Sakuragi is taller than him.

"Then let's go measure it!"

The group led Sakuragi to the height measurement machine, where he took off his shoes and began to have his height measured.

"190 centimeters!"

After the measurement was completed, an electronic voice announced the data.

Naito couldn't help but exclaim, "I remember Sakuragi was only 187 centimeters tall last month, but he grew three centimeters in just one month!"

Mitsui's thought process is a bit different from normal people: resting his chin on his hand, he said, "Maybe he can become the next Masashi Kawata, growing 25 centimeters taller in a year!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Akagi vehemently rejected the idea, saying that if Sakuragi grew 25 centimeters in a year, he would exceed 210 centimeters, which seemed highly unlikely.

As we all know, the taller a person is, the smaller their growth rate will be.

The reason why Dahetian can grow 25 centimeters in a year is because his starting point is small, so he has a lot of room to grow.

To give another example, the real GOAT, Michael Jordan, was only 175 cm tall in his freshman year of high school and was even rejected by the school team at one point.

In his autobiography, Jordan mentioned that he used to hang himself in the air every day in the hope that gravity would help him grow taller.

Later, he grew to 1.92 meters tall in nearly a year and a half.

While the others were discussing the matter, Kogure did not join the debate.

He was thinking about something: Sakuragi was taller than he was in the main story!

As is well known, Sakuragi's height was 188 cm when he joined the team in the story, and he grew to 189 cm after the prefectural tournament.

This is likely related to Sakuragi's exposure to basketball a year earlier than expected.

In addition, it is also related to nutritious meals!

Since the Shohoku team won the national championship, the school has invested heavily in hiring a professional nutritionist to further enhance the team's overall strength, injecting new vitality into the team's logistical support.

After becoming members of the Shohoku team, the nutritionist conducted a comprehensive assessment of the players' physical condition.

This includes Sakuragi and Rukawa, two players who have not yet joined Shohoku High School.

Based on the players' training intensity, match requirements, and personal taste preferences, the nutritionist has developed different nutritional meals for them.

In just over a month, the Shohoku players not only performed better on the court, but also improved their physical fitness, mental attitude, and even competitive state.

It is precisely because of these factors that Sakuragi's height was able to surpass that of the characters in the story.

Suddenly, Ayako's voice rang out: "Actually, Rukawa Kaede has grown taller too!"

The group immediately stopped arguing and hurriedly pushed Rukawa Kaede onto the machine for measurement.

"189 centimeters!"

Like Sakuragi, Rukawa's height is also higher than the level in the storyline.

Furthermore, Rukawa is still just one centimeter shorter than Sakuragi.

Rukawa's situation is different from Sakuragi's. His training intensity is very high, which may be related to the balance between work and rest, in addition to the nutritional meals.

After being persuaded by Kogure again, Rukawa Kaede has given up his habit of practicing late at night.

"Haha, I'm one centimeter taller than Rukawa Kaede!"

Upon learning Rukawa's height, Sakuragi couldn't help but feel smug. He put his hands on his hips and laughed heartily, instantly dispelling the frustration he felt after being defeated by Rukawa.

"You big idiot!"

Rukawa glanced at Sakuragi sideways, then slowly walked up to Kogure.

"Senior, could you teach me defensive techniques?"

Rukawa Kaede's voice was deep and powerful, and his eyes were firm and focused beneath his slightly long bangs.

He desperately wants to improve his defensive abilities!
After a 5-3 score against Sakuragi, Rukawa felt a sense of urgency.

If this continues, Sakuragi will catch up quickly, and might even surpass him.

So, he panicked!

"Sure! But which area would you like to learn?"

Kogure, of course, couldn't refuse free labor.

"Death Coil!"

Rukawa Kaede vividly remembers Kogure's tenacious, sticky defense.

Both he and Mitsui were utterly defeated by such a defense, and had almost no chance to fight back.

Rukawa decides to learn the Death Binding technique from Kogure and then use it on Sakuragi!
"Wow, you cunning fox, you're so despicable! Kogure-senpai, I want to learn Death Coil too!"

Sakuragi's shouting voice rang out from the side.

"Teaching one is teaching, teaching two is also teaching, so let's learn together!"

Kogure knew Sakuragi's personality well; if he didn't agree, Sakuragi would definitely eavesdrop openly. During the Xiangling practice match in the story, Sakuragi did just that.

Rather than doing that, it's better to teach them together, which will save us some effort later.

"Once I learn Death Coil, I will definitely beat you!"

Sakuragi stared intently at Rukawa, his eyes sharp and menacing.

Rukawa did not back down, responding to Sakuragi's gaze with a calm and profound look, without blinking either.

Where their eyes met, it was as if invisible sparks were flashing, creating an indescribable tension.

All the surrounding sounds seemed to disappear, leaving only the invisible contest between them.

The two remained locked in this stalemate. Soon, Sakuragi's eyes began to sting, and his eyelids were drooping wildly, but he still tried his best to persevere.

The more he tried to hold on, the more his eyes strained, until finally Sakuragi couldn't take it anymore and blinked first.

"Lost again!"

Sakuragi grabbed his hair with both hands, making a sound of exasperation.

"You big idiot!"

Rukawa Kaede feigned aloofness and turned to walk onto the field.

Unbeknownst to everyone, as he turned away, Rukawa Kaede blinked hard, his eyes stinging with tears.

In fact, he was also nearing the end of his rope.

Kogure noticed this.

"These two guys are a real headache!"

Kogure shook his head and spread his hands.

Soon, Kogure began to explain the key points of Death Binding to the two in detail.

From footwork to physical confrontation, and judging the opponent's offensive intentions, etc.

Rukawa listened intently, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge, directly grasping the essence of the Death's Entanglement.

He nodded from time to time or asked some specific questions.

In order to defeat Rukawa Kaede, Sakuragi is also studying hard.

The difference is that Sakuragi appears serious on the surface, but in reality, his mind is involuntarily occupied with fantasies, his mind filled with various scenes of defeating Rukawa and being pursued by beautiful women.

Overcome with excitement, Sakuragi couldn't help but reveal a lewd smile.

slap~
Ayako woke Sakuragi up with a fan, then put her hands on her hips, looking at him with a disappointed expression.

"Sakuragi, concentrate! This is Kogure-senpai's secret technique. If you don't seize this opportunity, you'll regret it later!"

Ayako knew very well just how strong Kogure was.

To put it bluntly, if Kogure had gone to university, he would most likely have been the top university student in the country.

This can be seen from the attitude of Kazuo Karasawa, the coach of Fukasawa Sports University, towards Kogure.

In an effort to recruit Kogure, he even promised that if Kogure joined Fukasawa Sports University, he could replace Sugiyama Shota and become the team's ace.

It's worth noting that Shota Sugiyama has become the national team's starting center this year.

This demonstrates just how powerful Kogure is.

Not far away, Mitsui, who was practicing his shooting, quipped, "Sakuragi, you don't want to be defeated by Rukawa again, do you?"

"You mistress, you should mind your own business first!"

Sakuragi protested verbally, but his actions betrayed him; he instantly focused his attention.

If he can learn Death Coil faster than Rukawa, he will have a chance to defeat Rukawa.

The thought of this energized Sakuragi, after all, it was Kogure's closely guarded secret.

Hmm, like a secret weapon!
After Sakuragi focused, Kogure continued to explain the techniques of Death Coil.

Under Kogure's guidance, Rukawa and Sakuragi began practicing, with Kogure as their defensive target.

Like Yuwen Chengdu, Mu Mu dislikes waste and enjoys queuing.

With such good free labor, and two of them at once, he naturally couldn't waste them.

During the practical exercises, Kogure frequently pointed out the shortcomings of the two.

Soon, Sakuragi seemed to be hit hard.

Even with their best efforts, they couldn't stop a single ball.

Unlike Sakuragi, Rukawa's expression remained unchanged, maintaining his focus throughout.

He knew very well that only through relentless effort could he truly grasp the essence of Death Coil.

As time went on, Rukawa's defensive skills improved to some extent.

He used to fight Kogure one-on-one, so he naturally knew a lot about Death Coil.

With Kogure's guidance, his previous knowledge has gradually turned into experience, rapidly improving his understanding of Death Coil.

Sakuragi is likely to be disappointed, because it won't be long before Rukawa's Death Coil is successfully mastered.

Despite his amazing athletic talent, Sakuragi Hanamichi is not as pure as Rukawa Kaede, who devotes all his energy and passion to basketball.

Rukawa Kaede is undoubtedly the purest player in Slam Dunk. His life almost revolves around basketball, and he is a typical example of someone who only has basketball in his eyes.

Sakuragi, on the other hand, has a wider range of interests, including a fondness for women!

He pursued 50 girls throughout his three years of junior high school, but without success with any of them.

In addition, Sakuragi is a person with a rich extracurricular life, who likes free fighting sports with no rules or routines, as well as pachinko.

Nevertheless, Sakuragi's talent and progress in basketball are obvious.

Although he didn't dedicate himself to basketball as wholeheartedly as Rukawa Kaede, his progress was probably even greater than Rukawa Kaede's.

This is talent!
(End of this chapter)