Slam Dunk: Muguro

Chapter 389 Rukawa Kaede VS Matsumoto Minoru

"This is a headache!"

Sendoh stared at Kogure's retreating figure, his hands unconsciously shrug, a sense of helplessness welling up inside him.

Kogure's tennis skills are like a bottomless pit, so deep that no one can see the bottom of it, and it is unfathomable.

Sendoh was well aware of the gap between himself and Kogure; he was no match for Kogure at all.

The thought of facing Kogure for the entire match filled Sendoh with a sense of desolation.

Nevertheless, Xiandao did not give up.

Although Kogure put immense pressure on him, it was precisely this pressure that further fueled his fighting spirit.

After receiving a pass from his teammate, Sendoh dribbled the ball while extending his right index finger.

Let's score the first goal!

"it is good!"

Ryonan's players responded quickly, starting to make moves on the court, with Uozumi even stepping forward to set screens for Sendoh.

With Uozumi providing cover, Sendoh dribbles past his opponent.

Kogure quickly bypassed Uozumi and sped after Sendoh.

However, Akagi was a beat too slow.

Sendoh immediately passed the ball to Uozumi, who did not cut to the basket but instead provided support in the low post, passing the ball to Ikegami outside the three-point line.

At this moment, Ikegami successfully shook off Sakuragi.

However, Sakuragi was extremely fast and rushed up in the blink of an eye.

Ikegami made a shooting fake, and perhaps eager to show off, Sakuragi jumped up without thinking.

Ikegami did not take the opportunity to break through, but waited for Sakuragi to fall.

The moment Sakuragi landed, Ikegami smiled, leaped up, and fired a three-pointer.

However, he seemed to have underestimated Sakuragi's ability to jump continuously.

Sakuragi landed on the ground, then his legs springed up again.

His speed was extremely fast, and he jumped to the highest point in an instant. Then, under the dumbfounded gaze of the pool, he delivered a volleyball block.

pop~
The basketball bounced off the floor and flew directly out of bounds.

"Amazing!"

Despite it not being their first encounter, Ikegami was still surprised by Sakuragi's jumping ability.

Even Kiyota, who is the best jumper on their team, doesn't have such an exaggerated jumping speed. He can only compete with Sakuragi in terms of jumping height.

Here's the problem: Sakuragi weighs over 80 kilograms, while Kiyota only weighs 65 kilograms.

If the two are the same height and weight, Kiyota's jumping ability is definitely not as good as Sakuragi's.

That's the difference between the two!

"Oh dear, I'm not as good as you say!"

Sakuragi accepted the praise without hesitation.

It was at this moment that Naito gave Sakuragi a hard slap on the butt and said with dissatisfaction, "Sakuragi, don't keep hitting the basketball out of bounds!"

When Sakuragi blocked the shot, Naito was already prepared for a fast break, but he was a step too late, and the basketball flew out of bounds first.

Sakuragi replied with feigned seriousness, "Bald guy, if your explosive power were a bit stronger, you wouldn't have flown out of bounds."

Upon hearing the words "bald guy," Naito became furious, and a 'well' shape even appeared on his forehead.

"You bastard, how dare you talk to your senior like that!"

Naito, having reached his limit, decided to follow Akagi's example and delivered a punch that seemed to fall from the sky.

噹～
"Ouch, what are you doing!"

Sakuragi crouched on the ground, clutching his head in pain with both hands.

"If I hear you call me 'bald guy' again, I'll teach you a lesson."

Naito snorted coldly, revealing a ferocious smile, feeling a sense of exhilaration.

At that moment, he finally understood why Akagi liked to hit Sakuragi on the head.

This feels amazing!

You can tell from the sound that it's a good head!
"Red Team players #9 and #10, please watch your behavior!"

Without hesitation, the referee immediately warned both players.

"I'm so sorry, sir, for causing you trouble!"

Naito quickly raised his hand to apologize in order to avoid the referee giving him special treatment in the later matches.

Naito's ability to take things in stride is also a sign of his intelligence.

Sakuragi didn't shout; he silently stood up from the ground.

Because Naito's punches were clearly more powerful than Akagi's.

That punch almost brought him to the sight of his deceased great-grandmother.

After this incident, Ryonan began serving the ball inbounds.

Immediately, Sendoh swiftly took Kogure away.

Soon, Uozumi passed the ball to Matsumoto Minoru.

Facing Rukawa's tight defense, Matsumoto Minoru caught the ball with both hands and assumed the standard triple threat stance.

He lowered his center of gravity slightly, ready to make decisions such as driving to the basket, passing the ball, or shooting at any time.

Rukawa Kaede dared not slacken his efforts in the slightest, keeping a close eye on Matsumoto Minoru's every move.

The next moment, Matsumoto Minoru first feinted, causing Rukawa Kaede's center of gravity to shift slightly.

Immediately afterwards, Minoru Matsumoto quickly broke through with the ball.

Rukawa Kaede quickly shifted his feet to the side, attempting to cut off Matsumoto Minoru's breakthrough route.

However, Minoru Matsumoto was not easily stopped.

In the instant the two clashed, Matsumoto Minoru executed a back-to-the-basket dribble, quickly changing his direction of attack.

Rukawa tried to stop him, but it was too late.

Because of his transfer to Ryonan High School, Minoru Matsumoto's strength is much greater than in the original work, at least not as overestimated as in the original story.

After completing the breakthrough, Matsumoto Minoru did not attack the basket, but instead opted for a pull-up jump shot.

Chi~
With the sound of his shoes scraping against the floor, Minoru Matsumoto leaped up, flicked his wrist slightly, and threw the basketball.

The basketball traced a high parabola through the air and finally pierced the rim accurately.

"Matsumoto, great pitch!"

"As expected of Matsumoto-senpai, he's really amazing."

……

The Ryonan players rushed forward to congratulate them; anyone who didn't know better would have thought Ryonan had won.

Rukawa Kaede looked at Matsumoto Minoru; the strength of his opponent ignited his desire to score.

Kogure stood in front of Rukawa and said, "Rukawa, Matsumoto is a good opponent. You'll have to work hard from now on."

"Captain, I will definitely live up to your expectations!"

Rukawa Kaede's voice was filled with solemnity.

For him, Kogure was the most respected person on the Shohoku team.

Therefore, no matter what, he must defeat Matsumoto Minoru and live up to Kogure's trust.

I believe in you!

Kogure patted Rukawa on the shoulder, then continued playing.

Soon, Kogure dribbled the ball past midfield.

He was willing to help others and passed the ball to Rukawa Kaede immediately.

Rukawa catches the ball with both hands, also assuming a triple threat stance.

The next moment, Rukawa Kaede moved, using an attack method almost identical to that of Matsumoto Minoru just now.

Matsumoto Minoru was caught off guard, his center of gravity shifted, and he was subsequently broken through by Rukawa Kaede.

Rukawa Kaede also pulled up for a jump shot.

sigh~
The basketball hits the net!

Matsumoto Minoru couldn't help but look at Rukawa Kaede with surprise.

Goodness, this has turned into an imitation show.

"interesting!"

Rukawa's counterattack gave Matsumoto Minoru a long-lost sense of excitement. At that moment, Sendoh's voice rang out: "Matsumoto, continue?"

"Keep going, I'm going to beat that brat to a pulp!"

"You'd better not underestimate him; his strength is no less than yours or mine."

Sendoh was well aware of Rukawa's strength, after all, he had trained at Shohoku for a period of time.

During this period, perhaps due to their similar playing styles, he often sparred with Rukawa Kaede.

As for the result, more losses than wins!

Under Kogure's tutelage, Rukawa Kaede has already surpassed the level of a sage.

Of course, this only applies to one-on-one matches!

Sendoh also possesses excellent strategic vision and organizational skills, which is something Rukawa Kaede cannot match for the time being.

In terms of contribution to the team, Sendoh may even surpass Rukawa.

Not long after, Sendoh dribbled the ball past midfield and immediately passed it to Matsumoto Minoru.

At this moment, the audience watched Rukawa Kaede and Matsumoto Minoru with expectant eyes.

The duel between the two was undoubtedly the first highlight of the match.

This time, Rukawa Kaede adopted a close-range defense and immediately used Death Coil.

For a moment, Matsumoto Minoru was quite uncomfortable being pestered.

Unfortunately, Rukawa's physical abilities, experience, and skills are inferior to Kogure's, so he cannot completely limit Matsumoto's performance.

After initially adapting to Rukawa's defense, Matsumoto Minoru discovered an opening and broke through in an unconventional manner.

Rukawa Kaede quickly turned around and chased after him, but Matsumoto Minoru finished with a throw.

sigh~
Seeing the basketball go into the net again, Minoru Matsumoto smiled more.

"I scored two points more than you!"

Rukawa Kaede did not reply, staring coldly at Matsumoto Minoru with a serious look in his eyes.

Soon, Rukawa received another pass from Kogure.

"bring it on!"

Minoru Matsumoto spread his arms wide, ready for battle.

In this round, Rukawa Kaede dribbled between his legs repeatedly.

The next moment, Rukawa Kaede made a move to break through with the ball.

Rukawa's deceptive nature was so great that Matsumoto Minoru subconsciously thought Rukawa was going to drive to the basket and instinctively took a step back.

However, instead of breaking through, Rukawa Kaede leaped high and hit a three-pointer.

Matsumoto Minoru only managed to reach out his hand briefly, and there was nothing he could do.

sigh~
The basketball went straight through the rim!
"I have one more point than you now!"

After hitting the three-pointer, Rukawa responded by turning around and returning to defense.

"Are all first-graders this amazing these days?"

Matsumoto Minoru couldn't help but sigh to Uozumi.

He and Uozumi were players from the same year!
Uozumi shrugged and said, "Matsumoto, compared to our generation, what are the current first-year players?"

"You're right!"

Minoru Matsumoto couldn't help but slap his forehead.

It's worth noting that his class produced many outstanding players.

Besides Kogure, who is known as the greatest high school student in history, there are also Mitsui, Akagi, Moroboshi Dai, Fujima, Maki Shinichi, Uozumi, Hanagata, Mikoshiba, Minami Retsu, Kishimoto, Tsuchiya Jun, Fukatsu Kazunari, Kawata Masashi, Matsumoto Minoru, and others.

These players all have the potential to become the core of a team!

As for Rukawa Kaede's class, only Rukawa Kaede, Sakuragi, Morishige Hiroshi, Nango, Kiyota Nobunaga, Kawata Mikio, and Katsumi Ichiro remain.

As for Oda Ryusei, his potential and strength were ultimately lacking.

Compared to their class, this year's freshmen are still far behind.

"That's enough, let's focus on the game!"

Minoru Matsumoto focused his attention; he didn't want to be defeated by a player two years his junior.

Therefore, he dared not take it lightly in the slightest.

On the court, the duel between the two has reached a fever pitch.

Both players gave it their all in every attack.

The two players took turns scoring, neither giving an inch, and their game was on the verge of exploding.

The audience instinctively held their breath, watching their every move intently. Some fans even held back their urge to urinate, not wanting to miss a single exciting moment.

"Rukawa, Rukawa!"

"Matsumoto, Matsumoto!"

Immediately, the audience began calling out the names of the two.

As the match progressed, both players became increasingly exhausted, but their fighting spirit remained undiminished.

Neither of them was willing to give in easily during their contest.

Ten minutes later, the two began to breathe heavily.

In just ten minutes, the two scored 20 points each, demonstrating their explosive scoring ability.

As a result, both of them quickly depleted their physical strength.

If this continues, the two of them won't even get to play the entire game.

As for Kogure, Sendoh, and the others, they would occasionally take action, but they mostly left the opportunities to the two of them.

Soon, Minoru Matsumoto launched another attack.

Due to the loss of stamina, the two slowed down slightly compared to before.

Rukawa Kaede activated Death Coil again, quickly binding Matsumoto Minoru.

During the matchup, both players quickly familiarized themselves with each other's styles.

At this moment, Rukawa Kaede's Death Coil technique became increasingly skillful.

Indeed, it is in competition that players' potential is better unleashed.

Under Rukawa's persistent pressure, Matsumoto Minoru's ball control changed.

For a master, this would undoubtedly be fatal.

"not good!"

Matsumoto Minoru tried to control the basketball, but Rukawa Kaede closed in on him, swung his right hand, and stole the ball first.

slap~
The basketball flew towards the sidelines!
Sakuragi sprinted towards the basketball and, before it went out of bounds, slapped it to Rukawa.

"Rukawa Kaede!"

The moment the basketball was passed, Sakuragi fell to the ground in a sorry state.

However, he acted as if nothing had happened and immediately jumped up from the ground, rushing towards the front of the field.

The moment he received the basketball, Rukawa Kaede immediately grabbed it and launched a fast break.

In the blink of an eye, Matsumoto Minoru and Rukawa Kaede were walking side by side.

During the struggle, Matsumoto Minoru took the initiative to engage in physical confrontation with Rukawa Kaede in an attempt to regain possession of the ball.

Surprisingly, Rukawa's center of gravity was stable, and his fighting ability was in no way inferior to Rukawa's.

"Is this guy really a first-year player? He seems just as good as Sawakita was back then!"

At this moment, Matsumoto Minoru couldn't help but think of Sawakita from last year.

Compared to Sawakita, Rukawa's defense is somewhat inferior, but his overall strategic vision is better and he is more composed.

In the blink of an eye, the two rushed towards the basket side by side.

At the crucial moment, Rukawa Kaede used the Euro step, which shifted Matsumoto Minoru's center of gravity, almost causing him to lose his balance.

In this situation, Matsumoto Minoru had no choice but to stop, allowing Rukawa Kaede to break through by crouching down.

In the end, Rukawa Kaede ended the attack with a graceful tomahawk dunk.

Rukawa Kaede scores two more points!
"I scored two more points than you!"

Hearing Rukawa Kaede say that, Matsumoto Minoru shrugged helplessly.

In fact, he knew very well that he had lost.

Not to mention that Rukawa scored two more points than him, the key point is that he is two years older than Rukawa!

If they were the same age, he definitely wouldn't be a match for Rukawa Kaede.
Thinking about this, Matsumoto Minoru couldn't help but feel helpless.

(End of this chapter)