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

Yohei nodded.

Looking at Uozumi, who was still oblivious to his fate and swaggering in front of Akagi, he saw...

His eyes were filled with pity:

"I finally got a chance to dunk and show off, but I got slammed into this huge block..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, if it were the old-fashioned flower arrangement..."

Yohei's mind drifted back to his junior high school days.

The scene depicts Sakuragi, sporting bright red hair, single-handedly defeating ten delinquents and leaving them utterly humiliated.

That was the man known as the "nightmare of Wako Middle School".

"By this time, that big guy should already be on his way to the ICU."

The four exchanged a glance, and with perfect understanding, focused their energy in their dantian and roared in unison:

"Hey—! You monkey boss—!"

"Run! Run!"

"Before that red-haired devil wakes up!"

"Let's buy a plane ticket and escape abroad right now—!!"

……

The sudden shout sounded particularly mesmerizing in the quiet stadium.

The entire audience was stunned.

Are these people Shohoku's cheerleaders or haters?

What are you yelling about?

Uozumi, who was on the field, was also startled by the shout and subconsciously looked up.

Just then.

Sakuragi Hanamichi, who had been lying motionless on the ground, suddenly twitched his finger.

Followed by.

A chillingly oppressive atmosphere emanated from the red head, instantly spreading throughout the entire area.

Ryota Miyagi, who was lying next to him, felt a chill on the back of his neck and instinctively jumped back two steps.

Sakuragi Hanamichi slowly and mechanically pushed himself up from the ground.

His movements were so stiff, like a zombie in a horror movie.

But the aura emanating from him was ten thousand times more terrifying than that of a zombie.

That was pure, humiliating rage.

"pain……"

"This is excruciating pain for this genius..."

Sakuragi lowered his head, his face obscured by shadow, and his voice sounded like it was being squeezed out from between his teeth.

Uozumi felt a sudden unease as he watched Sakuragi stand up again.

Is this kid... a carbon-based life form?

How could someone get up as if nothing happened after such a hard impact?

Sakuragi suddenly looked up!

Those eyes burned with a fierce fire, fixed intently on Uozumi in front of them.

No tears, no fear.

Only the fierce light that could tear this giant in front of you apart.

"You..."

Sakuragi clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking.

"Damn monkey boss!!!"

"How dare you ruin this genius's dunk!!!"

The roar was like thunder, making Yu Zhu's eardrums ache.

The next second, Sakuragi Hanamichi moved.

But he wasn't going to fight.

To everyone's astonishment, their jaws practically dislocated, the red-haired boy suddenly charged towards... the referee?

"Hey! Old man!"

Sakuragi grabbed the referee by the collar and spat in his face.

That expression was more ferocious than that of a demon:

"Hey! That last shot counted, right?!"

"This genius flew so high! It must have been factored in, right?!"

"If you dare say you didn't get in, I'll..."

The referee was so startled he almost dropped his whistle.

"Foul... Free throws... Two shots..."

"ha?!"

Sakuragi was struck dumb, frozen in place, the background seemingly turning gray and white.

"A...free throw?"

"That kind of stuff only sissies play?"

"My dunk... my genius dunk..."

Sakuragi released the referee, buried his face in his hands, and let out a desperate wail:

"Unforgivable!!!"

Seeing this, the entire audience fell silent once again.

Then, a burst of uproarious laughter erupted, as if the roof had been blown off.

"Hahaha! What the hell is this kid?!"

"After being hit by a dump truck, my first thought when I got up was whether the ball went in or not?"

"Is this Shohoku's secret weapon? That's hilarious!"

The tense atmosphere collapsed instantly.

Only Jun Uozumi stood still, his face alternating between pale and flushed.

Looking at Sakuragi, who was jumping around and throwing a tantrum at the referee, he suddenly felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

This is a complete monster!

"Alright, you idiot."

Akagi stepped forward and slapped Sakuragi on the back of the head.

"Don't embarrass yourself."

"Since you're not dead, get to the free throw line."

His voice was stern, but a barely perceptible hint of satisfaction flashed deep in his eyes.

Fortunately, this kid is tough enough.

Sakuragi covered his head, about to lash out, but met Akagi's firm and calm eyes.

That was the captain's gaze, a gaze of trust.

"Tch...that gorilla is so long-winded."

Sakuragi pursed his lips, picked up the basketball from the ground, and walked towards the free throw line.

As Sakuragi passed by Uozumi, he stopped.

He turned his head and said coldly in a voice only the two of them could hear:

"Boss Monkey"

You've messed with the wrong person.

"Next, I will turn your prized inside game into my playground."

After saying that, Sakuragi walked to the free throw line without looking back.

Only Uozumi remained, his fingertips trembling slightly in the inexplicable chill.

On the bench.

Coach Anzai looked at Lin Bei.

"Lin Bei, classmate."

"In the second half, Sendoh..."

Before Coach Anzai could finish speaking, Lin Bei interrupted:

"Don't worry, leave it to me."

At the end of the Shohoku bench.

The bespectacled man, Kiminobu Kogure, gripped the towel tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the force.

His glasses were fogged up, but he didn't wipe them.

My heart was pounding in my chest, making my eardrums buzz.

"Huff... huff..."

Kogure stared at the red-haired figure at the free-throw line, his vision blurring.

My mind is filled with the bitter tears of the past three years.

The echo of Akagi practicing alone in the empty stadium.

The heartbreaking sight of Mitsui's departing figure.

There were countless moments of despair as we were eliminated in the first round of the county tournament.

"Let's win this time... Lin Bei, Sakuragi, Rukawa..."

Kogure roared silently in his heart, his voice trembling:

"I'm already in third grade."

"This is the last summer."

"If we can't get into IH this year, Akagi's dream, our youth... will really be over."

We absolutely have to win!

……

On the field.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood at the free-throw line, as if the whole world had been muted.

He looked down at the basketball in his hand.

The sweat on my palms rubbed against the textured surface of the basketball, creating an incredibly realistic sensation.

"call--"

Sakuragi took a deep breath, his chest bulging like a bellows.

My back is burning from that collision.

But the pain actually excited his nerves like never before.

"Tch, just a free throw."

Sakuragi grinned, revealing his signature arrogant smile.

He remembered the "secret trick" that Lin Bei had taught him.

Although the pose was a bit ugly, that dead fox laughed at it eight hundred times.

But as long as we can score a goal, as long as we can beat that monkey boss...

This genius fears nothing!

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Sakuragi Hanamichi moved.

But he didn't raise the ball overhead like a normal person would.

But...

With his knees bent outwards and his buttocks lowered, he squatted down like a big toad.

Two large hands, one on the left and one on the right, held the basketball between his legs as if carrying a full basin of foot-washing water.

The entire room fell silent.