The Prince of Tennis: My tennis skills come from Naruto

Chapter 169 I too should shine!

"call-

'

After the referee's decision was announced, Sengoku Kiyosumi wiped away a lot of sweat, trying to briefly dispel the dual exhaustion from his physical and mental state.

Well, it wasn't easy. Although we won 6-0, this match was truly difficult.

Because Sengoku Kiyosumi knew perfectly well that if Akutsu hadn't had his last-minute outburst, the outcome of this match would have been very uncertain. Although he had begun to try to combine boxing and tennis, the initial result of this fusion was still a bit lacking when facing a strong team like Rokkaku, second only to Rikkai, in the Kanto Tournament. If he couldn't even score against Rokkaku, wouldn't he be even worse off against Rikkai? *facepalm*

(In the opposite half of the bracket, Yamabuki and Rikkai are going to have a big match. Hyotei fans all assume that Rikkai will win the tournament because Rikkai has two national-level players, while Yamabuki's strongest player's family is still in Germany.)

No, absolutely not!

Sengoku clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

A strong sense of responsibility mixed with resentment was burning in his chest.

Akutsu was giving it his all—how could I be the one holding them back?! How could I become the other teams' weak point?!

"What I find most infuriating is how could I possibly point the finger at Akutsu to score?! This is doubles! On this court, in this doubles match, I should be the one shining!" With this thought in mind, Sengoku secretly decided that after the match against Rokkaku, he must train like crazy this week, and he absolutely cannot be so powerless when the national tournament begins!

Soon, the match point between Hyotei and Rokkaku, the singles match of the third, began. Hyotei sent out Mori Jusaburo, and under his command, Rokkaku's strongest third-year student was completely powerless to fight back!

Even the strongest student at Rokkaku Middle School is still some distance from the national level, so they would be no match for the national-level Mori.

Before the incredulous eyes of the Rokkaku members, their strongest member was slaughtered by Mori 6 as easily as a melon being chopped up.

They were shut out 0-0, just like the previous doubles match, failing to score a single point.

"Game, Hyotei Academy, Mori Jusaburo, 6-0!"

After shaking hands, the referee rang the final bell of the match.

"Match Ended! Hyotei Academy emerges victorious in the upper bracket of the Kanto Tournament semifinals! Overall Score: 3-

0! "

"oh!"

"Hyotei is the winner!"

"Hyotei has won!"

Cheers and shouts rang out again, and smiles graced the faces of every Hyotei member. Meanwhile, spectators outside the arena expressed that they thoroughly enjoyed watching Hyotei's three matches. "It was worth it! Hyotei's performance was amazing! It was definitely worth the long trip I made."

"Hyotei is 3-0 again, but unfortunately, they dropped a few points in the first game, so this perfect shutout couldn't continue."

"Hey, a perfect shutout? How could something like that happen? I think it's a miracle that Hyotei has been able to maintain this record for so long!"

"The main reason for this expectation is that Hyotei's previous performance was too mythical. However, now that they have finally been scored on by other schools, it feels strangely real."

I agree.

""

On one side, Hyotei ended the match with a three-game winning streak, while on the other side, Yukimura Seiichi stood proudly on the court, his school uniform draped over his shoulders without a single wrinkle. "Yamabuki Middle School, Fuji Syusuke, incapacitated!"

"I hereby declare the match over! The winner of this match is Seiichi Yukimura of Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School!"

"Fuji, Fuji." Over there, the group from Yamabuki Middle School, led by Inui Sadaharu, hurriedly entered the court. "Sorry everyone, I lost." Holding his racket, Fuji Syusuke, who could only stand still because he couldn't see, looked towards the direction of his teammates' voices, his face filled with regret.

His voice also revealed a subtle weakness and powerlessness.

"It's alright, Fuji, you've done your best." Inui Sadaharu felt a pang of sadness watching this scene and immediately comforted him. Meanwhile, the referee asked Fuji Syusuke if he wanted to cancel the post-match handshake. Fuji Syusuke shook his head and, with the help of his teammates, moved to the net and grasped Yukimura Seiichi's left hand.

"Yukimura-kun, your ability to eliminate the five senses is very strong. I was outmatched in this match," Fuji Syusuke said frankly, with a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Fuji, your moves are also amazing. As expected of Yamabuki's genius. The creativity and variation of those techniques are truly impressive."

He paused, his tone still gentle, yet like the most precise scalpel, piercing straight into Fuji Syusuke's heart, "However, the strength and stability of these techniques still need improvement."

Upon hearing this, Fuji Syusuke could only manage a forced smile. Involuntarily, the image of Kamiya You, who had recently lost to Hyotei in the finals of the tournament, echoed in his mind. Kamiya You had also uttered those cold and blunt words during the post-match handshake: "You are just a genius, not a strong one."

At this moment, Yukimura's assessment and Kamiya's assertion seemed to coincide.

Fuji lowered his hand, and at the same time, he couldn't help but think to himself with a self-deprecating smile: the halo of genius always seems fragile and thin in front of a true "strongman".

Then, after the handshake ceremony, the referee announced the verdict as expected: "Match Ended! Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School wins the second half of the Kanto Tournament semifinals! Overall Score: 3-0!"

"oh!!"

Cheers also erupted from the Rikkai area, though not as outgoing as Hyotei's, sounding somewhat shy. Less than ten minutes had passed between the two semi-final matches in the upper and lower brackets, so just as the Hyotei team boarded their return bus and it pulled out of the parking lot, Taro received a text message from the tournament committee. After quickly memorizing the key information, Taro stood up again, saying, "Everyone."

The bus fell silent again, and everyone's eyes were once again focused on Taro.

「就在刚刚，立海大附属中学也以一局6—2，一局6—1，一局把对手打到战斗不能的成绩获得了3—0。」

"That means our opponent in the final of this Kanto Tournament is Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School."

Upon hearing this answer, the Hyotei members all wore expressions of expectation, "Just as I thought—"

"I knew it would turn out like this."

"Yamabuki University really couldn't beat Rikkai University."

Over there, Taro's voice suddenly rose an octave, "Everyone, don't let your guard down this week! Let's make a final push!"

As he spoke, his gaze swept across the carriage like a searchlight, focusing particularly on Mori Jusaburo and Akutagawa Jiro.

"Yes!" came a firm reply.