Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 387 Hanagata: The glasses finally shattered!

The game on the court continued, but it was clear to everyone that Xiangyang had fallen into a complete disadvantage, with their scoring efficiency dropping to less than 40%.

For a team that employs a run-and-gun offense, such efficiency is undoubtedly quite dangerous.

Soon, it was Shohoku's turn to attack again.

In a series of passes, Kishimoto once again received a pass from his teammate.

Kishimoto was furious when he remembered being farted at in the last round, and he wanted to give Sakuragi an unforgettable lesson.

The next moment, Kishimoto switched to singles mode.

Sakuragi was on high alert, his gaze sharp as a cheetah, intently watching Kishimoto's every move.

In the matchup, Kishimoto tried various offensive tactics, but none could shake off Sakuragi's defense.

Sakuragi is agile, excellent in physical duels, and possesses superb defensive skills and a keen sense of defense, making every attempt by Kishimoto futile.

Under Sakuragi's pressure, Kishimoto unknowingly began to approach the sideline.

In this situation, Kishimoto did not choose to pass the ball, but quickly turned around, using the spinning top to create shooting space for himself, and shot the ball towards the basket.

At crucial moments, Sakuragi displayed astonishing reaction speed and jumping ability.

His feet were like springs, and he leaped up from the ground with astonishing speed.

The basketball had barely left Kishimoto's hand when it was accurately swatted away by Sakuragi's right hand.

Sakuragi's powerful block caused the basketball to deviate from its trajectory, signaling the failure of this attack.

The basketball bounced off the floor and flew straight out of bounds.

"Little braid, I've seen through your moves!"

Sakuragi stood with his hands on his hips, beaming with pride, and casually gave Kishimoto the nickname "Little Braid".

"Don't get cocky, you redhead!"

Kishimoto appeared to be furious, but in reality, he was thinking to himself, "Why is this guy so difficult to deal with? Is he really a freshman?"

In his matchup against Sakuragi, Kishimoto gained no advantage whatsoever; on the contrary, he was subtly at a disadvantage.

Keep in mind, he's a third-year player, and he's ranked among the top players in the country.

Before Naito burst onto the scene, Kishimoto was even a top contender for the best power forward in the country.

Unexpectedly, Naito surpassed him to take the position last year, and this year another red-haired boy has emerged.

Both Naito and Sakuragi have one thing in common: they are both players from Shohoku High School.

For a moment, Kishimoto began to question the meaning of life.

"Kishimoto, focus!"

Suddenly, the voice of his best friend Nan Lie rang out, as resounding as a great bell, successfully waking Kishimoto.

"Kishimoto, which move should we use!"

Nan Lie gave An Ben a wink.

Ke Zhen'e: Watch my eyes and act accordingly!

Kishimoto immediately understood; this was the tacit understanding between him and Nan Lie.

At this point, Hanagata begins serving the ball from the sideline.

With Kishimoto providing cover, Minami received the ball smoothly and immediately charged towards the basket.

Rukawa Kaede kept up, and in the blink of an eye, he was running alongside Nan Lie.

During this process, Rukawa intensified his resistance.

His defense was taught by Kogure, so he naturally knows how to utilize his physical advantages.

"Is this really a first-grader?"

In his confrontation with Rukawa Kaede, Nan Lie was shocked to find himself at a disadvantage.

In the blink of an eye, the two of them stepped into the paint area together.

However, Nan Lie did not force a layup, but instead tossed the ball behind him.

If nothing unexpected happens, Kishimoto will definitely appear there.

As soon as Kishimoto received the pass, he shot the basketball with lightning speed.

Sakuragi was caught off guard and had no time to react.

shuh~
The basketball swished through the net, creating a splash of white.

Kishimoto pointed at Sakuragi and said arrogantly, "Red-haired kid, you can't beat me! You have the Kogure Link, and we have the Minami Kishi Link!"

The so-called "South Bank Connection" naturally refers to the way Nan Lie and Kishimoto cooperate.

"hateful!"

Sakuragi glared at Kishimoto through gritted teeth, unconsciously using his eyes to kill.

Under Sakuragi's gaze, Kishimoto felt like prey being stared at by a ferocious beast, his hair standing on end.

What a terrible look!

"Hmph! Red-haired brat, I hope you have good luck."

Kishimoto used a cold snort to mask his inner fear, then turned around and went back to defend.

"Sakuragi, do you need any help?"

At that moment, Mitsui's voice rang out.

Among the Shohoku players, Mitsui had the easiest task, since his defensive target was Ito Taku.

"No need, I'm a genius, the same tricks won't work on me!"

Sakuragi waved his hand, declining Mitsui's offer.

Offense and defense reversed!

Just after dribbling the ball past half-court, Kogure spotted an opportunity.

Taking advantage of his height and wingspan, Kogure casually tossed the ball toward the basket.

Fujima thought Kogure would slow down, but he was caught off guard.

Naito made an aerial relay, attempting to block the flower shape.

Hanagata stubbornly tried to stop him, but was instead knocked off course by Naito.

Bang~
Naito slammed the ball in with both hands, the powerful impact causing the rim to bend slightly.

Suddenly, Fujima ran up to Hanagata and asked anxiously, "Hanagata, are you alright?"

Hanagata sat on the floor, clutching her broken glasses in her right hand, the once clear world now blurred.

Because of the angle at which he fell, his glasses were crushed.

Fujima stood in front of Hanagata, carefully examining his condition.

He noticed a small wound on the forehead of the flower-shaped figure, from which thin streams of blood slowly seeped, sliding down the flower-shaped figure's cheek, making him look somewhat ferocious.

It was clearly scratched by a broken piece of glass.

At this point, the referee had already stopped the game.

Seeing that Hanagata was about to stand up, Fujima immediately stopped him, saying, "Hanagata, don't move yet. We'll talk about everything after the wound is treated."

As Fujima spoke, he made a gesture toward the bench.

At Fujima's signal, two substitute players immediately came onto the field to help Hanagata off.

Kishimoto was truly courageous; he grabbed Naito's jersey and yelled, "Kid, are you doing this on purpose?"

slap~
Naito casually slapped Kishimoto's hand away and then strode towards Hanagata.

Naito had a fierce appearance, a tall and strong build, and bulging muscles all over his body. He also had a shaved head, so he looked like a big bad guy no matter how you looked at him.

For a moment, the Shohoku players were on high alert, and Fujima even stood in front of Hanagata.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Unexpectedly, Naito bowed deeply to Hanagata in apology.

“I know, because you don’t need to at all.”

Hanagata accepted Naito's apology and then walked off the field, clutching his wound.

Suddenly, Hanagata stopped and turned to Naito, saying, "Let me treat my wounds, and then we'll have our match."

Like Kogure, Hanagata's appearance has improved considerably without glasses.

Sure enough, the glasses sealed away the handsome guy's good looks.

"Then I'll wait and see!"

Naito responded.

In this match, although Naito performed better than Hanagata, Hanagata was not without a fighting chance.

"When it rains, it pours!"

On the Shohoku bench, Coach Kitano sighed softly.

"Takano, come on!"

"Yes, Coach!"

At Coach Kitano's signal, Takano entered the field with a serious expression.

Hanagata sat on the bench, letting the basketball manager treat his wound.

"Let me treat your wound first. It will hurt a little, but please bear with it!"

The basketball manager gently wiped the flower-shaped wound and began to disinfect it.

Hanagata felt a sharp pain, but he gritted his teeth and didn't make a sound. "By the way, what about your glasses?"

To distract the flower-shaped figure, the basketball manager took the initiative to start a conversation.

He noticed that Hanagata's glasses were completely broken and realized that Hanagata needed a new pair of glasses to see things clearly.

Otherwise, the strength of the flower shape would be greatly reduced.

"Luckily, I was prepared and kept a spare pair of glasses."

For players who wear glasses, it is essential to have spare glasses on hand.

The game then restarted.

With Hanagata's departure from the game, Shohoku became even weaker.

Compared to Hanagata, Takano is undoubtedly much inferior.

To paraphrase what the Ryonan seniors said to Uozumi, he's a player who has no strengths other than his height.

In this way, Shohoku's inside game has gained an overwhelming advantage.

Kogure naturally wouldn't let such a good opportunity pass him by, and began to give Naito a lot of possession of the ball.

Despite Takano's best efforts in defense, the gap between the two was too large to form a strong defense.

In addition, Shohoku's offensive rebounding percentage remained consistently high.

Besides Naito and Sakuragi, Kogure and Rukawa also joined the fight for rebounds.

All four of them are over 190 cm tall and have explosive physical attributes, so their ability to grab offensive rebounds is self-evident.

Under these circumstances, Shohoku's lead rapidly widened.

At that moment, the players of Xiangyang felt utterly disheartened.

If we can't stop Naito from scoring, we might not even have a chance to play the second half.

As for the offensive end, Shohoku can also score by utilizing the 'South Bank Connection'.

Sakuragi ultimately boasted. Nan Lie and Kishimoto were more than brothers, their teamwork was extremely smooth, and they were the type to seize any opportunity.

Therefore, Sakuragi didn't have a very good solution.

Of course, this is also related to the relationship between Sakuragi and Rukawa.

Although Sakuragi no longer likes to drag Rukawa down as he used to, he can't let go of his pride.

Suddenly, Kogure said to Sakuragi, "Sakuragi, Akagi is warming up. If you can't limit Kishimoto's performance, the coach might substitute you out of the game."

Sakuragi subconsciously glanced at the Shohoku bench and noticed that Akagi was indeed warming up.

Sakuragi stubbornly retorted, "Maybe it's Rukawa Kaede?"

"Rukawa's performance is better than yours, you are the player most likely to be substituted!"

Mitsui couldn't help but mutter a complaint from the side.

"No! What should we do?"

Sakuragi tensed up instantly; he didn't want to be substituted off the field.

"Idiot, if you team up with Rukawa to limit the performance of the 'South Bank Connection', I believe the coach will definitely rescind his order."

Kogure provided a timely solution.

"Makes sense!"

In order to stay on the field, Sakuragi swallowed his pride and walked towards Rukawa.

Kogure and Mitsui exchanged a glance, their unspoken understanding unspoken.

"Rukawa, shall we cooperate?"

"Well, but don't you dare hold us back!"

Rukawa Kaede immediately agreed.

Sakuragi said angrily, "Damn it, I can't be the one who's dragging you down!"

"I hope you can keep your word."

Rukawa Kaede spread his hands and sighed softly.

Unlike the steady Rukawa, Sakuragi is too impulsive and often makes mistakes.

In short, it's unreliable!
Of course, Sakuragi can be reliable sometimes.

Not long after, Xiangyang launched another offensive.

With Kishimoto providing cover, Minami received the pass.

Just as the 'South Bank Connection' decided to make another push, Sakuragi and Rukawa were also taking action.

The two players immediately switched positions.

Sakuragi rushed towards Minami, while Rukawa followed closely behind Kishimoto.

With the two locked in a struggle, the 'South Shore Connection' was rendered speechless for a time.

Just as Kishimoto was about to receive the ball, Sakuragi immediately abandoned Minami and teamed up with Rukawa to double-team Kishimoto.

Under the entanglement of the two, Kishimoto was in a sorry state and couldn't even pass the ball.

slap~
Suddenly, Rukawa Kaede seized the opportunity and successfully made a steal.

Sakuragi quickly started moving and rushed towards the frontcourt.

At that moment, Sakuragi seemed to be possessed by GOat, waving his arms wildly and running away as fast as he could.

Kishimoto wanted to stop Rukawa, but Rukawa easily broke through his defenses.

Rukawa Kaede throws the ball with great force, and the basketball speeds towards the frontcourt.

Although Rukawa's passing skills are not yet at the top level, he can still guarantee the general direction of the pass.

Sakuragi pulled ahead of everyone else, catching the basketball and jumping to dunk.

Bang~
With a loud thud, Sakuragi slammed the ball into the basket and scored.

"Cool!"

At this moment, Sakuragi felt a surge of joy, as if he had finally released the pent-up frustration in his heart.

When they returned to defend, he and Rukawa Kaede exchanged a glance and gave each other a high five as if in tacit agreement.

slap~
This slap brought their relationship to a new level.

"This should be the biggest takeaway from this match!"

Seeing this, Kogure smiled and gave Coach Anzai an OK sign.

Coach Anzai let out his signature laugh, but he didn't let Akagi skip the warm-up.

Sakuragi will be very serious whenever Akagi is warming up on the sidelines.

This is the catfish effect!
Nan Lie and Kishimoto did not give up; they believed it was just a coincidence.

So they launched another offensive.

slap~
This time, the moment Nan Lie passed the ball, Sakuragi dove out and successfully intercepted the pass.

"Rukawa!"

Sakuragi fell to the ground, but still managed to pass the ball to Rukawa.

Rukawa Kaede grabbed the basketball and drove to the basket, with Takano and Kishimoto chasing after him.

Unfortunately, Rukawa's ball control was exceptional, and the two couldn't catch up, forced to watch helplessly as he dunked and scored.

After that play, Sakuragi and Rukawa's teamwork became even more seamless.

For a time, the efficiency of the 'South Bank Connection' began to decline significantly, with a hit rate of less than 40%.

Before the end of the first half, Shohoku launched a relentless offensive, giving their opponents no chance to breathe.

By the end of the first half, Shohoku had extended their lead to more than thirty points.

For Xiangyang, this is a devastating number.

In the second half, with the help of the basketball manager, Hanagata's wound finally stopped bleeding.

This means that Hanagata can return to the game!

However, Coach Kitano did not arrange for him to play.

Not only Hanagata, but also key players like Fujima and Minami did not continue playing.

Seeing that Fujima and the others wanted to speak, Coach Kitano sighed and said, "Do you want to play in the national tournament? If not, then I'll make you play the entire game!"

With just one sentence, Coach Kitano successfully persuaded Fujima and the others.

They naturally understood what was more important and wouldn't risk missing out on the national tournament just to fight for personal feelings.

Because they saw absolutely no hope of winning this match.

With Shohoku surrendering, Shohoku won the game without firing a shot.

After the match, in the corridor, Morishige Hiroshi said to Moroboshi Dai and the others, "Wait here for me, I'm going to the restroom!"

Before they could speak, Morishige Hiroshi turned and left.

"That doesn't look like the direction of the toilet!"

Amu raised his eyebrows; he was very familiar with this stadium.

However, they didn't pay any attention to it.

Soon, Morishige Hiroshi found the Shohoku group who were about to leave and walked towards Naito.

(End of this chapter)