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

Kakuta hastily wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.

He lowered his head, his tone revealing a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Just now, we weren't playing basketball at all."

"That was practically hand-to-hand combat with a grizzly bear!"

Kakuta shook his head with a wry smile.

"That guy named Nobe Masahiro has an absolutely terrifying core strength."

"No matter how much I lowered my center of gravity or how hard I pushed, he didn't budge."

"On the contrary, as soon as he exerts even a little force, I'm like a paper doll, forced out of the restricted area by him!"

"My CPU is about to overheat!"

Hearing Kakuta's description, Kogure and the others on the bench couldn't help but gasp.

"It's impossible to box out, let alone grab rebounds or perform other technical moves."

Kakuta gasped for breath and looked up.

His gaze turned to the red figure on the field with mixed feelings.

"Just trying to gain a foothold in the penalty area and secure a position has completely depleted my stamina bar."

"That Sakuragi guy..."

Kakuta's hands clenched slightly.

"He is indeed a complete monster."

"He's far more effective than me in this regard."

Inside the penalty area of ​​the stadium.

Sannoh Industrial's power forward, Masahiro Nobe, looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi, who was standing in front of him again.

He raised his eyebrows high.

"Oh? You're on stage again?"

Nobe glanced at the wad of tissue paper in Sakuragi's nostril.

His face was full of undisguised mockery.

Sakuragi Hanamichi bent his legs slightly and lowered his center of gravity.

His signature wicked grin spread across his face.

"Hmph, what's wrong?"

"Are you so scared your legs are cramping at the sight of this genius reappearing?"

"Fear?"

Nobe seemed to have heard some huge joke.

His rugged face tensed, like an unbreakable wall of flesh.

"Come on, red-headed monk!"

"Let me see just how capable your so-called 'genius' really is!"

On the sidelines, a completely exhausted Kakuta silently prayed.

It's up to you, Sakuragi!

We must stop him!

……

The game continues, and Shohoku has possession of the ball.

Ryota Miyagi received the ball at the baseline and took a deep breath.

He just dribbled the ball up past half-court.

The captain of Sannoh Industrial, the expressionless Kazunari Fukatsu, approached like a dark shadow.

"Sannoh Industrial! Defense!"

"Get back on defense! Get back on defense now!"

"Don't give them a chance to breathe! Keep going!"

The Sannoh cheerleaders in the stands erupted in deafening cheers once again.

They attempted to use this terrifying atmosphere of being the enemy of the entire court to directly overwhelm Shohoku's point guard.

Fukatsu lowered his center of gravity.

The long arms aggressively disrupted Miyagi's dribbling rhythm.

Even the slightest mistake by Miyagi.

Those hands, like iron clamps, would definitely make a steal immediately.

"This guy's intimidating aura is infuriating..."

Miyagi gritted his teeth.

While skillfully dribbling behind his back to protect the basketball, he quickly looked up and scanned the entire court.

Just then, Miyagi's gaze pierced through the layers of defenses.

Suddenly, it landed on the left flank not far away.

That's Rukawa Kaede.

Even though Sawakita Eiji had just overtaken him in a way that was almost humiliating.

But at this moment, Rukawa Kaede showed no signs of dejection whatsoever.

Instead, it exudes a chilling and dangerous aura.

Miyagi made a keen observation.

In Rukawa Kaede's eyes, which were fixed intently on Sawakita, it seemed as if a scarlet flame was truly burning fiercely!

Even if they are separated by half a court.

Miyagi could feel the palpable killing intent emanating from the opponent, a intent that seemed intent on tearing him apart.

This kid has completely turned red!

"hey-hey……"

Miyagi grinned, revealing a wild smile.

"His eyes are already burning."

"This kid is one of those guys who absolutely refuses to admit defeat!"

Without any hesitation.

Miyagi Ryota suddenly jerked his wrist.

The basketball flew like a cannonball, skimming the floor.

It pierced through the defensive gaps of Fukatsu Kazunari and Ichinokura Satoshi at an extremely tricky angle.

Heading straight for the left flank!

"Snapped!"

A crisp sound of the ball being struck rang out.

Rukawa Kaede caught the ball steadily.

There were no unnecessary adjustments.

He suddenly lowered his body, adopting a highly aggressive triple threat stance.

And standing in front of him, arms outstretched, ready for battle.

It is none other than the nation's top high school student, Eiji Sawakita!

The two faced off again.

The air in the entire stadium seemed to be completely sucked out at that moment.

"Look! It's number 11!"

"He's facing off against Sawakita again!"

"This kid performed quite well in his fight against Toyotama!"

"Isn't he only in first grade?"

"They actually dare to confront Zebei head-on like this?"

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell from the audience.

Hainan stands.

Kiyota Nobunaga looked at Rukawa Kaede, who was holding the ball, and couldn't help but sneer.

"Hey, this stinky fox really doesn't learn its lesson."

"That person is Eiji Sawakita."

"His high-speed breakthrough, which he was so proud of just now, was completely useless against Zebei!"

Amu, standing to the side, still held his arms tightly to his chest.

His gaze was as deep as the sea, and he interrupted Kiyota's mockery in a deep voice.

"No... it can't be said to be completely useless."

Amu's voice carried an extremely solemn expectation.

"Unless... he uses 'that' right now."

Qingtian was stunned.

Suddenly, the terrifying state that Rukawa Kaede entered after closing his eyes and losing his sight during the Toyotama battle flashed through his mind.

A bead of cold sweat immediately appeared on his forehead.

In the press box.

Aida Yayoi was so excited that she stood up abruptly, gripping the microphone tightly in her hand.

Is it coming?

"Rukawa Kaede, the super rookie of Shohoku High School, faces off against Sawakita Eiji, the number one high school student in Japan?!"

Ayako, standing on the sidelines, cupped her hands into a trumpet shape.

He roared loudly at the stadium, disregarding his image.

"Rukawa Kaede! Don't be afraid!"

"Give him a good beating! Just do it!"

……

The stadium was completely silent.

The noise from the outside world was rapidly fading away in Rukawa Kaede's ears.

In this life-or-death moment of confrontation.

Suddenly, the scene before he set off for the national competition flashed uncontrollably through his mind.

In the basketball court late at night.

Coach Anzai's usually kind and gentle face now showed an unprecedented seriousness.

The gaze behind the glasses seemed to see right through Rukawa Kaede's soul.

The deep, resonant voice echoed in my mind.

"Rukawa Kaede-kun..."

"We cannot run away from the difficulties we face."

"Because the opponent you are about to face is the person who stands at the pinnacle of high school students in this country..."

The scene changes.

In the night breeze.

Nan Lie, the ace player of Fengyu High School, handed him the bottle of medicine and looked at him with a complicated expression.

"He is the nation's top high school basketball player..."

Nan Lie's voice carried a hint of reluctance and a plea for help.

"Perhaps...on this field."

"Only you and that guy named Lin Bei have a chance... to defeat Sawakita Eiji of Sannoh!"

Memories shattered like glass.

It transformed into countless beams of light and shadow, merging into Rukawa Kaede's body.

boom! boom! boom!

My heart was pounding violently in my chest.

Each pump of blood felt like injecting scalding magma into every part of the body.

Rukawa Kaede slowly raised his head.

Those eyes, which were already sharp as knives, were completely replaced by a ferocious crimson at this moment.

boom!

It looked like a visible red lightning bolt.

It flashed across his eyes with a deafening roar, tearing through the void before him!

The red fox, dormant within, has fully bared its fangs!

"The top high school student?"

Rukawa Kaede's thin lips parted slightly.

The sound was like an ice storm blowing from the depths of an extremely cold hell.

It carries an absolute arrogance that freezes everything in its path.

"I'm the one who beat you!"

"Rukawa Kaede!!"