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

"ha!"

Mitsui was overjoyed and patted Sakuragi on the shoulder.

"Hahaha! He really is a genius!"

"You have a sharp eye! I told you you didn't cross the line!"

Rukawa's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, staring intently at Sakuragi:

"You did this on purpose, didn't you...?"

"You big idiot."

Upon hearing this, Sakuragi instantly flew into a rage.

He flung Mitsui's hand away and moved closer to Rukawa.

Their foreheads touched, sparks flying.

"Who are you calling an idiot?! You damned fox!"

"How dare you question the impartial and fair judgment of this genius?!"

"I said it's three points, so it's three points!"

Sakuragi's eyes burned with intense jealousy, but what he was thinking was...

That bastard Rukawa Kaede, how dare he ignore this genius's challenge!

Want to win? Dream on! Hehehe!

"Since you're not convinced..."

"Then it's my turn to test my skills against you!"

Rukawa Kaede ignored Sakuragi Hanamichi's provocation.

He grabbed the ball with one hand, tucked it under his arm, and turned to leave.

"cut."

A soft hum escaped from Rukawa Kaede's nose.

He didn't have time to play house with this red-haired layman.

"Stop right there, you sly fox!"

Sakuragi Hanamichi's anger surged to the top of his head, and he rushed forward, standing like a thick wall in front of Rukawa Kaede.

"Trying to escape?"

"Are you afraid of this genius?"

Rukawa Kaede paused, not even lifting his eyelids, his narrow eyes filled with impatience.

"What did you say?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling aura that sent shivers down one's spine.

Instead of backing down, Sakuragi brought his shiny head even closer, his nose almost touching Rukawa's face.

Sparks flew as their gazes met.

"We haven't had a proper match yet, have we?"

Sakuragi abandoned his usual joking and deadpan demeanor, his eyes becoming more serious than ever before.

It even carried a hint of near-obsessive fanaticism.

He jabbed his thumb hard into his chest:

"No matter what rookie king you are, can you confidently say you'll beat me?"

"I'm the man who pushed open 'that door'."

"And you?"

That door.

Upon hearing these three words, Lin Bei, who was sitting with his legs crossed watching the show, raised an eyebrow.

Rukawa Kaede's eye twitched slightly.

In that instant, my memory was forcibly pulled back to the Hainan battle.

That astonishing dunk, the oppressive aura emanating from Sakuragi at that moment that even made him feel a chill.

That belongs to the realm of "God".

It was also the forbidden zone he longed to enter day and night, but always fell short of it.

The air seemed to freeze.

Ryota Miyagi and Hisashi Mitsui exchanged a glance and put away their amused smiles.

The atmosphere has changed.

It's no longer the noisy squabbles of elementary school students pulling each other's hair.

Instead, it was two male creatures baring their fangs in a struggle for territory.

Rukawa Kaede slowly put down the basketball.

"Bang."

The ball landed, bounced, and landed steadily back in my palm.

He slowly raised his head.

Those dead fish eyes were now frighteningly bright, their fighting spirit exploding like oil being poured on a raging fire.

"I couldn't have gotten it."

……

Meanwhile, at the Akagi family's residence.

The air pressure in the living room was so low it was suffocating, as if even the oxygen had been sucked out.

The old-fashioned wall clock ticked away at a leisurely pace, each tick like a hammer blow to Takenori Akagi's heart.

Akagi sat on the sofa.

His hands gripped his thighs tightly, his knuckles turning pale from the excessive force.

He tried his best to maintain a calm demeanor, but his heart was in turmoil.

Shenze Sports University.

That is the overlord, that is the holy land.

It is the highest hall of fame that no high school player can even dream of.

And now, the university's coach and star center are sitting right across from him.

They even held an olive branch right under his nose.

He's taken a liking to me... he actually took a liking to me...

Akagi's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously, and sweat slid down his resolute chin.

Haruko, standing to the side, was so nervous that she almost tore the hem of her clothes to shreds.

But those big eyes were brimming with undisguised pride.

"Brother, you're amazing!"

"That's Fukasawa Tai-dai!"

opposite.

Coach Tang Ze picked up his teacup, took a sip, and moved with elegance and composure.

He calmly scrutinized Akagi through his glasses, as if assessing a commodity waiting to be sold.

"Akagi-kun, your talent is outstanding."

"But to the rest of the country, you are still a nobody."

These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the half-ignited flame in Akagi's heart.

Akagi suddenly looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

"Just some nobody..."

His lips moved as if he wanted to refute, but no sound came out.

This is a fact.

For the past two years, Shohoku has failed to even get past the first round of the county tournament.

Although we won the county championship this year.

However, on the national map, the name Akagi Takenori is indeed a blank sheet of paper.

"Hehe, don't be so nervous."

Shota Sugiyama, who was standing next to him, laughed and leaned back, causing the sofa to creak under the weight.

"I only made it to the national competition in my senior year of high school, which is similar to you."

Sugiyama looked at Akagi with the magnanimity of someone who had been through it all.

"Back then, we were also a 'one-man team,' with me being the only one who could play."

"But even so, we still managed to fight our way into the quarterfinals."

At this point, Sugiyama's eyes suddenly sharpened, and his tone revealed an air of arrogance:

"My life truly began from that moment on."

"Only by standing on that stage do you deserve to be seen and recognized."

Coach Tang Ze picked up the conversation, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound:

"To silence the school board, and to prove that our judgment was correct..."

"You must prove yourself with results in the national competition."

Tang Ze leaned forward, and the oppressive aura of someone accustomed to a high position instantly enveloped Akagi:

"Akagi-kun, let's make it to the quarterfinals!"

The top eight.

These two words, like a military order, slammed heavily onto the coffee table.

Haruko covered her mouth, almost gasping out in surprise.

Top 8 in the country?

For a team that consistently gets eliminated in the first round, this is simply a pipe dream!

The living room fell into a deathly silence.

Takenori Akagi lowered his head, staring intently at the wood grain on the floor.

silence.

A suffocating silence.

Sugiyama and Tang Ze exchanged a glance, thinking that the harsh conditions had scared off the young man.

After all, there's a huge gap between an unknown player and a top eight in the country.

However, they didn't see it.

In Akagi's lowered eyes, the once flickering flame had now coalesced into a raging inferno.

He slowly raised his head.

There was no fear on that rock-hard face.

Instead, it possessed an unprecedented wildness.

"Mr. Sugiyama, Coach Karasawa."

Akagi's voice was deep and resonant, echoing in the small living room.

"Excuse my bluntness, but Shohoku has never been a 'one-man team'."

Sugiyama was stunned, his hand, which was pushing up his glasses, froze in mid-air.

Akagi stood tall and straight, like a majestic mountain peak.

"I have the best teammates in the country."

"Rukawa Kaede, the rookie king of the first year, his potential is unfathomable."

"Ryota Miyagi, he is the best point guard in Kanagawa, bar none."

"Mitsui Hisashi, a former MVP, now a three-point killer."

At this point, Akagi paused.

The image of that always lazy, yet monstrous figure came to mind.

A smile involuntarily curved the corners of his lips:

"There's another guy named Lin Bei..."

"Soon, fans across the country will know what kind of team Shohoku really is."

Tang Ze and Sugiyama raised their eyebrows in surprise.

"Oh?"

So arrogant?

Haruko looked at her brother's broad back, her eyes welling up with tears.

The towering figure in my heart shone even brighter at that moment.

Akagi took a deep breath, his gaze sharp, and stared directly at the two sports giants, speaking slowly and deliberately:

"Moreover, our goal has never been to reach the quarterfinals."

Akagi clenched his fist tightly, his voice booming:

"We will... dominate the entire nation!"