Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

Chapter 105 Sakuragi and Rukawa's Second One-on-One Battle

The doors to the Shohoku basketball gym were open after school on Wednesday afternoon.

Yohei Mito, Nozomi Takamiya, Yuji Oonan, and Tadashi Noma stood at the entrance, staring in disbelief at the basketball court.

An intra-squad scrimmage is underway on the court. Sakuragi Hanamichi and Rukawa Kaede are on opposite sides, their red and black figures darting back and forth across the court.

Sakuragi had just received the ball beyond the three-point line when Rukawa was already close behind, his weight shifted below his knees, his black hair whipping in an arc under the lights.

Sakuragi didn't pass or drive; instead, he pulled up for a three-pointer. Rukawa's fingers were just a hair's breadth away from the ball as it flew past his fingertips. Swish. The net flipped.

In the next possession, Rukawa had the ball, personally guarded by Sakuragi. Rukawa pushed off with his right foot, his explosive first step tearing through the defense and cutting to the free-throw line. Facing Akagi's help defense, he pulled up for a jump shot. The ball banked in.

The two players drove from the baseline to the top of the arc, and then drove back to the basket.

Breakthroughs, pull-up jumpers, blocks, help defense, physical confrontations—the muffled thuds of muscles colliding and the whistling of sneakers scraping the ground echoed one after another.

Ever since Rukawa visited Coach Anzai, he has been holding a grudge.

The coach said he was not as good as Sendoh or Sakuragi, so he worked hard to train and prove himself in the national tournament, surpassing Sendoh and Sakuragi.

After returning from Akita, Sakuragi Hanamichi had only one thing on his mind: the title of the best high school student in all of Japan.

He wanted to snatch the title of "Yan" from that insignificant little monk and wear it on his own head.

In the match, Sakuragi excelled on both offense and defense.

On offense, he relentlessly shot from beyond the three-point line, from the top of the key, from the wing, from catch-and-shoot, and even after taking a step.

On the defensive end, he swept around the paint, blocking Akagi's spin move from the side and swatting away Kakuta's layup from behind.

Rukawa's offense relies mainly on drives and mid-range shots. Facing Sakuragi's defense, he has to exert all his strength to squeeze past him every time he starts a shot. He is already sticking to Sakuragi's defense tightly enough, but Sakuragi's hang time when he jumps is a little longer than his.

Coach Anzai sat on a folding chair by the sidelines, watching the two players battle it out. His eyes, behind his glasses, grew brighter and brighter as he watched.

Especially after seeing Sakuragi suddenly throwing down three-pointers like crazy, it makes me think of the possibility that a Japanese player could make his NBA debut as an outside player.

Mitsui Hisashi sat on a bench wiping his sweat, the water bottle in his hand hovering near his lips. He watched Sakuragi throw another three-pointer from beyond the arc, catching the ball, jumping, and releasing it—the movements were fluid and the arc of the shot was breathtakingly beautiful.

This made Mitsui feel a huge sense of crisis.

After the sparring session ended, Rukawa Kaede leaned on his knees, panting heavily, sweat dripping from his black hair onto the floor.

Sakuragi walked to the sidelines, took the water bottle from Yanai, tilted his head back and gulped down half of it, then sat obediently in a chair, letting Yanai wipe the sweat from his red buzz cut with a towel.

Mitsui turned to Sakuragi with a surprised look: "Why have you started shooting three-pointers like crazy lately? Didn't you used to like driving in and dunking?"

Sakuragi grinned with his signature smile: "After winning the prefectural championship, this genius's next goal is to win the national championship. I'll dominate the nation and become the number one high school player in all of Japan."

The moment the words "Japan's No. 1 high school student" were uttered, the air in the entire gymnasium seemed to pause for a moment.

Mitsui paused for a moment, then couldn't help but retort, "Want to become the number one high school student in all of Japan? You're still too green."

Miyagi immediately chimed in, "That's right, that's right. You're already very strong, but you're still not good enough to be number one in all of Japan."

On the sidelines, Coach Anzai watched as Sakuragi arrogantly declared that he would become the number one high school student in all of Japan.

The old man didn't speak. But he knew that with Sakuragi Hanamichi's physical talent and the speed at which his basketball IQ was developing, becoming the number one high school player in all of Japan wouldn't be difficult at all.

As night fell, the basketball court lights became the only source of light, and Yanai and Akagi had already gone home.

The sound of running water filled the bathroom for a while, then the door was pushed open, revealing water droplets still clinging to Sakuragi's buzz cut.

Rukawa stood at the locker room door for a moment, then walked up to Sakuragi and stared straight at him.

"Come and fight me one-on-one."

Sakuragi paused, draping a towel around his neck: "Again? Didn't you get enough of the competition today?"

Rukawa Kaede nodded.

Seeing the two about to have a one-on-one fight, their teammates quickly gathered around. The team's two star rookies going head-to-head—this is going to be entertaining.

Mitsui sat down next to Miyagi, crossed his legs, rested his elbows on his knees, and looked on with a smug expression: "Who do you think will win? I've never seen Rukawa and Sakuragi have a one-on-one fight before."

Miyagi said confidently, "Sakuragi! They had a one-on-one match before, and Sakuragi won that time."

There was something he didn't say: Sakuragi had challenged him and Rukawa one-on-one in succession, and won both times by crushing defeat.

Mitsui raised an eyebrow. He hadn't seen that one-on-one match, but he had seen Sakuragi completely dominate Rukawa during today's scrimmage.

The bullfight begins.

Rukawa took the first attack, holding the ball at the top of the arc, his center of gravity low, his eyes fixed on Sakuragi's shoulder. He took a step forward with his right foot, changed direction, accelerated, and his speed was already at its maximum. His feints were the best he could do.

His shoulder almost brushed past Sakuragi's chest as he jumped and lobbed the basket.

When the ball went into the basket, he didn't celebrate. Instead, he looked back at Sakuragi and realized that he would have to use 120% of his explosive power to break through his defense.

It was Sakuragi's turn to attack. Rukawa lowered his center of gravity and moved closer, focusing on defending against drives but not shots. He was waiting for Sakuragi to back down, waiting for him to use his body to crush him in.

But Sakuragi didn't. He took a step back and pulled up for a three-pointer from beyond the arc.

Rukawa's fingers precisely blocked the shot, but Sakuragi paused in mid-air, only releasing the ball the instant Rukawa's body began to fall. The ball flew over his fingertips and swish—into the basket.

Sakuragi's offense mainly consisted of three-pointers, while Rukawa's defense was always in place and his blocking timing was perfect. However, Sakuragi's hang time was just a tiny bit longer than Rukawa's, and then he would make the shot.

The one-on-one match ended, and Sakuragi narrowly won because he only shot three-pointers. He flicked his right wrist and grinned smugly at Rukawa.

Rukawa Kaede stood there, looking down at the floor, breathing heavily.

He knew in his heart that this time, Sakuragi's offense only involved three-pointers, and he didn't use any back-to-the-basket moves or rely on physical confrontation to overpower his opponents.

All those weapons were sheathed today. So, in terms of strength, he had fallen behind again.

After training, the Shohoku teammates said goodbye and went home.

Night had fallen, and the streetlights at the school gate cast dim yellow spots of light on the stone pavement. Mitsui Hisashi and Miyagi Ryota walked side by side on their way home.

Mitsui suddenly spoke, his voice tinged with a rare hint of emotion: "This time, we should be able to go quite far in the national tournament, right?"

With his hands in his pockets, Miyagi's curly hair swayed in the night breeze, and his confident expression was particularly clear under the streetlights: "Absolutely. This year, our basketball team has those two super freaks, Sakuragi and Rukawa. It's hard not to go far."

Mitsui glanced at Miyagi, his tone suddenly shifting from感慨 (gǎnkǎi, a feeling of deep emotion) to sarcasm: "Then you'd better train hard. Otherwise, you'll become a weakness to be exploited again when the national tournament comes around."

Miyagi immediately exploded, abruptly stopping in his tracks. He turned and glared at Mitsui: "How dare you talk to me like that? With your weak physique and poor stamina! You were so weak you couldn't even stand up against Shohoku, and your legs gave way against Ryonan. Who's the weak link here?"

Mitsui's face turned red, and he opened his mouth briefly before closing it again.

The two stared at each other for two seconds, then simultaneously snorted and turned their faces away.

Under the same night sky.

Akagi Takenori stood alone on the balcony of his second-floor bedroom, then he looked up and roared out everything he had been holding back: "Awooo! Awooo!"

'

The night sky trembled slightly from his roar, and the neighbor's dog started barking wildly.

Just now, just now, Kazuo Tangze, the basketball coach of Fukasawa Sports University, and Shota Sugiyama, the team's starting center, were sitting in his living room.

Tang Ze's promise was still in his mind: "Akagi-kun, as long as Shohoku makes it into the top eight of the national tournament, Fukasawa Sports University will give you a special admission spot."

At the time, Takenori Akagi confidently stated that his goal was to dominate the entire country.

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