Kuroko's Basketball template: the king of slacking off, Shohoku's strongest sixth man.

Sakuragi froze instantly.

It was as if the person had been frozen in place.

He mechanically turned his head, and the fierce look on his face instantly turned into a silly, idiotic grin.

"Haru...Miss Haruko..."

Haruko took a step closer, her tone firm and serious:

"My brother once said that whoever can control the rebounds can control the whole game."

"Sakuragi-kun managing to steal the ball from so many tall guys is simply..."

Haruko took a deep breath and said loudly:

"He's simply the king of rebounds!"

boom--!

These three words exploded in Sakuragi Hanamichi's mind like a nuclear bomb.

Steam billowed from his head, and he instantly transformed into a red steam locomotive.

"The...rebounding king?!"

Sakuragi's nostrils flared, his breathing became rapid, and his face turned as red as a monkey's bottom.

"I'm... the rebounding king?"

"Miss Haruko said I'm the rebounding king?!"

"That's right!"

"Sakuragi-kun is Shohoku's savior!" Haruko continued to encourage him.

"Hahahaha!!"

"Did you hear that?! This genius is the rebounding king!!"

"That substitute Lin Bei! And that dead fox Rukawa Kaede! You two get out of my way, this genius!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood with his hands on his hips, looking up at the sky and laughing wildly, his laughter so loud it shook the ceiling and caused dust to fall.

Seeing Sakuragi instantly revived and even in a berserk state, Lin Bei helplessly sat back down on the bench.

"Alright..."

Lin Bei unscrewed the water bottle, took a sip, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Now that the 'secret weapon' is fully charged, I'll take a break for a while longer."

……

"beep--!"

The second half of the game has begun.

Shohoku has possession of the ball.

As Miyagi Ryota dribbled past half-court, he clearly sensed a change in the atmosphere on the court.

That red-haired guy is frantically trying to gain position in the penalty area.

Give me the ball!

Sakuragi Hanamichi raised his hand and shouted while pressing his butt against Hanagata Toru.

Hanagata pushed up his glasses, his brows furrowed.

"How did this guy become so strong?"

Although Sakuragi possessed explosive physical abilities in the first half, he was still a novice when it came to positioning techniques.

But now, this guy is like a runaway bull, brute forcefully taking over space without any reason.

Miyagi didn't pass the ball to Sakuragi; instead, he passed it to Akagi.

Akagi catches the ball, turns, and hooks it.

"collapse!"

The ball missed and bounced off the rim.

"mine!!"

Before the elders of Xiangyang could react, a red figure had already been launched into the air.

That's incredibly fast!

Just as Hanagata was about to jump, he felt a darkness descend upon him.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stretched his body in the air, his hands gripping the basketball tightly like pincers.

Land, then rise again.

This time, instead of shooting randomly, he passed the ball to Miyagi on the outside.

Miyagi reorganized and sent it to Akagi again.

Akagi didn't waste the opportunity this time, and scored with a powerful dunk!

24: 31.

"nice shot!!"

Before the cheers from the stands had even subsided, Xiangyang launched another attack.

Ito Taku missed his three-point shot.

"rebound!"

Toru Hanagata, Shoichi Takano, and Mitsuru Nagano all jumped at the same time.

This is Xiangyang's proud "Green Great Wall".

But in that green forest, a splash of red stood out starkly.

Sakuragi Hanamichi seized the opportunity, tensing his thigh muscles, and displayed his explosive power to the fullest.

"Drink it!!"

He arrived late but arrived early, managing to snatch the ball right off the heads of all three people!

"What?!"

The flower fell to the ground, and looking at her empty hand, her eyes were filled with shock.

"How can this kid's jumping speed be so fast?"

"And his ability to jump consecutively... is simply monstrous!"

In the stands.

Taoka Shigeichi of Ryonan gripped the railing tightly with both hands, his knuckles turning white.

"really……"

"That rebound at the end of the first half wasn't just luck."

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, his talent has been fully awakened at this moment."

Taoka's voice was somewhat hoarse.

"For a team like Shohoku that relies on height, a high-jumping guy who can relentlessly grab rebounds is a nightmare."

"Because of that rebound, Shohoku's momentum... completely changed."

The situation on the field suddenly changed.

With Sakuragi Hanamichi dominating the paint, Shohoku's shooters dared to take bolder shots.

Mitsui Hisashi hits a three-pointer.

Rukawa Kaede scores with a pull-up jump shot.

Ryota Miyagi steals the ball and scores a layup on the fast break.

On the other hand, Xiangyang's offense became hesitant and timid after losing the defensive rebound.

The score is rapidly closing in.

28: 31.

30: 33.

When the scoreboard shows 34:35.

The entire stadium was so excited it felt like the roof was about to be lifted off.

"Just one point away!!"

"Shohoku is too strong!"

"How many rebounds did that red-haired number 10 grab?"

"Eight? Or ten?"

Sidelines.

Kenji Fujima sat on the bench, his expression growing increasingly serious.

The hands that were originally clasped in front of her chest had somehow been lowered.

"Hanagata..."

Fujima murmured softly.

On the field.

Akagi Takenori patted Sakuragi on the shoulder and solemnly instructed him:

"Sakuragi! Listen up!"

"We absolutely must win this ball!"

"Whoever dominates the rebounds dominates the game!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi is currently in a state of extreme excitement.

Upon hearing the word "dominate," he snorted loudly.

"Leave it to this genius, you gorilla!"

Shohoku launches an attack.

When number 7, Mitsuru Nagano, received the ball, he felt a chill run down his spine as he faced Rukawa's oppressive defense.

"Damn it... why are there Shohoku people everywhere?"

In haste, he chose to take action by force.

The posture was distorted, and the force was insufficient.

"Too short!"

The basketball hit the front edge of the rim.

"Rebound!!"

Hanagata Toru gritted her teeth and jumped with all her might.

"I absolutely cannot let you take it this time!"

He used his body to block the position, and Akagi was also blocked behind Takano.

Just when Hua thought the ball was a sure thing.

"Wow!!"

A strange scream came from behind me.

Sakuragi Hanamichi lost his advantageous position completely.

Using its terrifying core strength, it managed to glide for a distance in the air.

Then, the large hand reached over Akagi's head and over Hanagata's fingertips.

Under everyone's watchful eyes.

He caught the ball in his arms with one hand!

"What?!"

Hanagata was completely stunned.

Haruko, watching from the stands, couldn't help but gasp in surprise.

She covered her mouth with both hands, tears welling up in her eyes:

"That's...that's amazing! Sakuragi-kun!"

Coach Anzai adjusted his glasses, a satisfied smile appearing on his lips.

He turned to Lin Bei beside him and said:

"Did you see that?"

"Sakuragi's talent for rebounding is starting to show."

"This is a rough gem, and now, it's finally starting to shine."

Lin Bei glanced at the smug red-haired man on the field.

A smile of relief:

"Yes, yes, it's glowing, and it's so bright it's blinding."