Slam Dunk: Sakuragi learned from Kawamura Eiki's experience

In the transition between offense and defense, Fujima dribbled the ball across half-court, once again shook off Miyagi's defense, and jumped to shoot, but Rukawa rushed over from the side to block the shot.

After being interfered with, the ball bounced off the rim, but Sakuragi, relying on his keen sense of rebounding, grabbed the defensive rebound.

The moment Sakuragi Hanamichi landed after grabbing the rebound, he launched a long pass that landed smoothly in Miyagi Ryota's hands.

"Quick attack!"

The moment Miyagi received the ball, he had already turned around, and he charged towards the front like an arrow released from a bow.

The speed at which the Xiangyang players returned to defense was ridiculously fast. Fujima Kenji was the first to catch up, bending down and sticking close to him, his hand reaching out to Miyagi's line of sight, clinging to him like a piece of chewing gum.

Gongcheng didn't rush in; his peripheral vision caught a glimpse to his right.

Rukawa Kaede was cutting in from the sideline. His positioning was clever; instead of going straight to the basket, he cut along the three-point line in an arc, just enough to avoid Nagano Mitsuru who was returning to defend.

Miyagi passed the ball out with a quick, flat bounce. The ball bounced once on the floor and landed precisely in Rukawa's hands.

The moment Rukawa received the ball, he had already stepped into the three-point line, dribbled once, took a second step into the free-throw line, gathered the ball, and jumped.

"Don't even think about it!"

Hasegawa Kazushi and Nagano Mitsuru had retreated to the basket. The two jumped at the same time, raising their arms to block Rukawa Kaede's layup route.

Rukawa Kaede's body contracted slightly in mid-air.

His core strength was on full display at that moment. He pulled his body to the right, switched the ball from his right hand to his left hand, and made a backhand motion, dodging Hasegawa and Nagano's hands.

Then, with a gentle toss of his left hand, the ball was launched and landed on the basket.

The ball bounced off the rim and rolled in.

The score was 16-7, and the deficit was reduced to single digits.

The audience erupted in cheers, a tidal wave of gasps emanating from the entire stands.

"That... lever?"

"They even switched hands in mid-air?"

"This number 11... isn't that outrageous?"

On the left side of the stands, Rukawa Kaede's three-person cheerleading squad sprang up from their seats and began kicking and waving.

"Ah... Lukawa... Lukawa..." The three girls screamed at the same time, their voices so sharp they could shatter glass. Their voices were so uniform, like three cats whose tails had been stepped on taking turns howling.

The four members of Sakuragi's gang, sitting not far from them, were startled by the sudden scream and all swayed to the side.

A few rows away, Haruko Akagi sat in the stands, her hands covering her cheeks, her fingers spread open, revealing two bright, sparkling eyes.

Her eyes turned into hearts, her expression clearly showing she was mesmerized. Her mouth was slightly open, her cheeks flushed a light pink, and she stared at Rukawa Kaede on the field as if frozen in place.

"So strong!" Kiyota Nobunaga from Hainan swallowed hard, he was also taken aback by Rukawa Kaede's attack.

I couldn't help but recall the final of last year's junior high basketball tournament, and how horrifying it was to be dominated by this guy.

"Hmph! You stinking fox..."

Seeing Rukawa's beautiful attack cause a sensation, Sakuragi felt a little annoyed.

As the game transitioned from offense to defense, Fujima dribbled the ball across half-court. This time, Miyagi's defense was very tight, so he didn't attack himself. Instead, he glanced at the inside, where Hanagata Toru had secured his position in the low post.

At the same time, Takano Shoichi also learned his lesson and deliberately positioned himself in the path between Sakuragi Hanamichi and Hanagata, with his body turned to the side and one arm across Sakuragi's chest, preventing him from coming over to help defend from the weak side.

Hanagata catches the ball, bumps Akagi with his back, turns and jumps, and shoots a fadeaway jump shot.

His movements remained as fluid as ever: toes touching the ground, body leaning back, wrist flicking.

Takenori Akagi lunged at the ball from the front, this time his timing was perfect, his arm outstretched, his palm like a fan aimed at the ball.

"Smack!" The ball was sent flying by a slap.

Another gasp rippled through the stands.

"Yay! It's here, the gorilla swatting the fly..." The atmosphere-building group on the Shohoku bench continued to cheer.

The ball that flew out was retrieved by Nagano Mitsuru on the sidelines and passed to Takano. Takano Shoichi caught the ball and immediately jumped for a mid-range shot.

However, Sakuragi Hanamichi pounced from the side, jumped up, raised his right hand high, and delivered another slap.

"Smack!" The second block, the ball was swatted away again.

Aida Hikoichi almost dropped his camera; the lens wobbled. His eyes were glued to the viewfinder, his mouth agape, filled with barely suppressed excitement: "The inside combination of Akagi and Sakuragi, their defensive intensity is off the charts! They're not afraid of Shohoku's big men at all!"

The ball was swatted away to the three-point line. Miyagi Ryota and Fujima rushed to the landing point to fight for it. Miyagi was a step faster and grabbed the ball first. He shook off Fujima, turned around, and dribbled forward.

Shohoku's fast break and defense were still very fast. Fujima quickly caught up and blocked and pressed Miyagi. Miyagi flicked the ball behind him and made a behind-the-back pass. The ball bounced past Fujima's side and landed precisely in the hands of Sakuragi Hanamichi who was following up behind.

"Stop him!" Fujima roared.

After receiving the ball, Sakuragi continued to rush towards the basket, dribbling and driving to the three-point line. He then took three large steps, jumped a big step in front of the free-throw line, and soared into the air, his body fully extended in the air, holding the ball above his head with his right hand.

"Don't even think about it!"

Hanagata Toru and Nagano Mitsuru had already retreated to the basket. Seeing Sakuragi jump, they jumped at the same time, their four hands reaching out to block the ball in Sakuragi's hands.

Sakuragi, instead of using the lever like Rukawa did last time, crashed straight into the air.

The collision of their bodies in mid-air produced a muffled thud. Hanagata and Nagano were jolted simultaneously, their centers of gravity shifting in the air, and their arms were knocked off course.

Sakuragi's right hand passed between the two men's arms, gripped the basketball tightly, and slammed it down towards the rim for a powerful dunk.

"Bang!" The rim made a loud noise, and the entire basket frame shook violently back and forth.

The ball was slammed into the basket, and Sakuragi hung on the rim with one hand, his body swinging in a small arc below the rim.

He glanced down at his feet and saw that Hanagata and Nagano had fallen to the floor, one lying on his back and the other curled up on his side, their faces clearly showing "What just happened?"

The stadium was silent for a second, then erupted.

The entire stands seemed to be ablaze, with screams, applause, whistles, and exclamations all mixed together, like a pot of boiling water overflowing from a cauldron.

"Dunk over two people...?"

"Is this a high school student?"

"Number 10! Shohoku's number 10!"

"That redhead guy, he actually dunked over two people!"

"Am I seeing things? He jumped from just outside the free-throw line and dunked over two people?"

In the stands, the four members of Sakuragi's gang were acting like madmen.

Gao Gongwang jumped up from his seat, his round face trembling, his hands raised above his head and waving wildly, howling as loudly as a pig being slaughtered.

Da Nan was leaning over the railing, with half of her upper body sticking out. She almost fell off, but Noma grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back.

After Noma pulled Da Nan away, he lost his balance and stumbled back two steps, bumping into the audience behind him.

Yohei was also staring at Sakuragi on the field in disbelief.

The visual impact is simply too strong.

"Unbelievable!"

Yan Yi excitedly shouted, "As expected of Xiangbei's rookie ace, so strong, so amazing!"

Watching Sakuragi dunk over both of them, Taoka Shigeichi felt his heart ache even more, and he had an urge to cry. This was the talent he had first recognized...

Why can't he come to Ryonan? The school board is so useless! He wanted to cry.

The Shohoku bench erupted, with everyone standing up and cheering. A dunk over two players—that's a classic moment.

Sitting on the chair next to the bench, Yuri Yanai, who had also stood up, was pounding her heart, her heart pounding so fast it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat.

The moment Sakuragi took off, her breath caught in her throat. The scene was so powerful; Sakuragi soared into the air, knocking two people aside and slamming the ball into the basket.

That power, that aura, made her body go weak. Her knees felt like something had drained their strength. She bit her lip, and her nails dug several shallow red marks into her arm.

His eyes were fixed on the red figure falling from the basket, his pupils reflecting the way the figure landed—bending to cushion the impact, his feet landing firmly on the floor, his red jersey still swaying slightly.

Yanai took a deep breath. Her heart was still racing, but the feeling of weakness in her body slowly subsided, replaced by something she couldn't describe, something indescribable that wanted to burst out of her body.