Chapter 3

Seirin versus Seiho

After the first game of the tournament, the second team Jitsuzen were trounced. What was unusual was that neither Kuroko nor Sasuke was needed on the court at all. Following that game, was the third round of the Inter-High Tournament which put Seirin against Kinga High. Despite being in the top sixteen last year, they were swiftly defeated once again. Riko noted that both Sasuke and Kuroko were finding it hard to keep still as they watched the others play.

Now, Seirin was up to play their fourth game…

Kuroko, Kagami, and Sasuke were all within the same area warming up when the door to the gym had opened up and in came a few familiar faces.

"Seirin, huh? This will literally be a walk in the park. Too easy!" the player in front said as he finally decided to turn his head to face his opponents.

He flinched and had beads of sweat begin to form on his forehead as he recognized the three players from before.

Sasuke spared the punks an indifferent glance before continuing to warm up for apparently no reason since he won't be playing at all.

"Yo, we meet again," Kagami said.

"Hello," Kuroko greeted.

Every single one of them was twitching, shaking, and fearing for their already wounded egos. They had a considerable lecture from their coach because a few of them tried to quit the game and leave with excuses that they weren't feeling good. Some of them were actually being serious and threw up on the court. However, the coach still hounded them for being pansies.

"Wow, we're actually getting through this much easier than I thought!" Furihata exclaimed.

"The championship league is pretty much within sight now," Fukuda agreed.

"Don't be so laid back! The championship league is actually much harder than you would think," Izuki said.

"What do you mean?" Kawahara asked.

"For the last ten years, the same three schools have made it to the championship league. Since they're all pretty even skilled, the winners were never the same twice in a row. So, they try to keep new schools from taking their place making them the three undisputed kings of Tokyo," Hyuuga explained.

"But, you guys made it to the championship league last year, right?"

"We were utterly crushed, yes. We didn't stand a chance at all...our main worry is going to be Shutoku high since we are most likely to face them. They've even managed to acquire a Miracle on their team, Midorima Shintarou."

"The three kings, huh?" Kagami mumbled.

"Oh, they're here," Hyuga said.

"It's better to see something for yourself than hear about it," Riko said.

Walking in with a palpable sense of confidence were the regulars followed by the second and third string players. It was clear to everyone which one was Midorima.

"I'm gonna go say hi," Kagami said.

After their little encounter, as well as Kuroko butting in to give his two cents, Midorima had an eerie feeling as he turned to see the rest of Seirin heading up to the second floor to spectate the game.

'Strange. We've adapted to Kuroko, yet he…' Midorima thought as an unsettling feeling continued to get worse inside him.

Once the game had started, Sasuke was busy studying the level of play that this team would have. As usual, everyone was oblivious to him except for Kuroko.

Shutoku had kicked things off with their strong inside game, and their outside game was next to non-existent. This must've been a strategic approach to pressure their opponents to play zone because it would've left Midorima with a chance to score from the outside much easier with team plays.

"How foolish. That is why you'll never win," Midorima said as he shot his high-projectile three.

Hyuga was wide-eyed at how high the shot had gone up. The arc was merely ridiculous.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes slightly at the first shot of the ace.

Shot after shot, Midorima continued to amaze the audience.

Once the game was over, Midorima continued walking until he turned his line of sight to Seirin. His eyes only met Kuroko and Kagami's however.

He flinched very slightly when he caught sight of Sasuke who had a fixated stare the whole time. Then, after a few seconds of staring him down, he continued walking as did the rest of his team.

"We have another game today?" Kagami asked which earned him a bonk to the head.

"Check the bracket properly next time!" Riko shouted as she pointed at the sheet. "It's at 6 pm, so we have to be prepared."

"Two games in one day is taxing. We can recover, but we're still tired," Kuroko said.

Sasuke was listening to their conversation as he was leaning back on the wall with his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed.

Kagami glanced at him before walking over. "Hey, why do you seem so depressed, huh?"

"Quit yelling," Sasuke said.

"I agree with Kagami-kun Sasuke-kun, you should really cheer up since we're on a winning streak," Kuroko insisted.

Sasuke opened his eyes before silently taking a look at everyone smiling at him. "Maybe."

Hyuga chuckled as he wrapped one arm around Sasuke's neck. "Alright! That's more I like it, rookie!" Hyuga gushed.

Sasuke had a displeased look on his face. "Stop, captain."

"What was that?" Hyuga snapped.

Sasuke sighed. "Nothing at all."

"That's what I thought. Now, let's go!"

The next day, Kagami and Kuroko were eating lunch together in their classroom when Riko had walked by. "Perfect timing you two. Could you help me carry these boxes?" she asked panting.

"So why are you having us carry these boxes again?" Kagami asked.

"Oh please, would you really have me carry all of this by myself. Well, it's the recordings of Seiho and Shutoku's previous games. I thought it would be a great start for tomorrow's practice to learn our opponent before we play them."

"Seirin is not going to last against them. Looks like we're playing them in the finals. Right, Shin-chan?"

Midorima nodded as he gave an affirmative "Ah".

Sasuke was practicing at the very same basketball court where he met Kuroko and Kagami. A few people were enjoying games of streetball, but thankfully Sasuke had a full court to himself while they all played half court on the other side.

Sasuke remembered Midorima's shots he made before he dribbled the ball to half court.

He then took a shooting stance before taking his shot and releasing the ball from half court.

The shot went in clean without touching the rim or backboard.

Everyone's attention was now on him as he grabbed the ball with a blank look on his face before going back and performing another half-court shot.

"No way," one of them whispered.

"That's his fifth shot in a row," one of them said before he started fumbling with his phone to take a video.

Sasuke noticed the crowd he gathered and that some of them were planning on taking videos. "Tch." Sasuke sucked his teeth before picking up his ball and heading back to his apartment for a much-needed shower and rest.

After hopping in the shower, eating, and brushing his teeth, Sasuke jumped into bed and within minutes fell straight into a deep slumber.

Sasuke walked past the school gates with his usual aloof demeanor while many of the girls started fixing their skirts and fixing their hair while admiring his mere presence.

One girl, in particular, had the gall to run up to him and bowed down while admitting she likes him and asking him to go out with her.

Sasuke just looked at her before sighing. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested," he said with a cringe as he noted she started sobbing before bursting out into tears and running away.

"Grr, what a fucking stuck-up pretty boy. Doesn't he realize how grateful he should be that he does not have to try and get a girlfriend? All he has to do is breathe!" one student of Seirin cried in frustration, banging his fist on the bench he was sitting on.

His friends did not add to the complaint but just nodded in agreement with slightly less aggravated looks since they have accepted their reality long ago.

Sasuke made it to his locker before changing his shoes and heading up to his homeroom.

Throughout the day, Sasuke could not get out of his head the thought of going up against the Generation of Miracles. He also thought what it would be like to go up against them if they were still in a team together. He figured he would need their help as well as Naruto's to take them down if there are even stronger guys than Kise.

Soon enough the end of the school day arrived, and Sasuke made his way to the meeting before practice.

"Damn, Seiho is going to one tough team to go up against," Izuki mused as he put a hand under his chin.

Hyuga looked around at all of them. "I actually have an idea. Well, I'd be hard pressed to call it a strategy, but it's definitely something that we could try against them," Hyuga said, pushing his glasses up.

The following day was the day of the semifinals that would determine who goes up against Shutoku high school.

Seirin and Seiho were both warming up for their games as was Shutoku high. Kagami went in for a dunk and afterward glared at Midorima who in response cast a glare toward Kagami. They both stood and stared at each other for a while.

"You're staring down the wrong person, idiot!" Hyuga shouted as he grabbed Kagami's head and turned it toward Seiho's starters.

Everyone gathered around the two as all of them looked at the other team. "It seems Iwamura, their captain, is looking stronger than ever."

Izuki nodded. "Kasuga is the playmaker of the team. They're both third years, and they hold the team together and make it one of the strongest in Tokyo."

"Oh! You have super, red hair!" Tsugawa says as he runs up to Kagami.

"What?" Kagami asked annoyed as he turned to look at Tsugawa.

"Hey, Captain! Seirin's weak but they have one strong guy on their team!" Tsugawa yelled out.

Riko was once again raging hard while muttering threats at the baldy while everyone else had their own opinions on the loud mouth's insult.

Seiho's captain, Iwamura, punched Tsugawa in the head. "Sorry about this guy. He just doesn't know how to shut his mouth sometimes and not be rude."

"It's no problem, but I do hope you don't think we are the same as before. Don't look down on us," Hyuga said.

"We're not looking down on you. You were just too weak before to win, that's all. The same will happen this year, so good luck with that," Iwamura said before dragging Tsugawa back.

"Captain, what you said was just as rude as what I said!" he shouted as he flailed.

"Idiot! I just don't sugarcoat my words," he said.

Sasuke was bouncing the ball before he stopped and returned to his seat on the bench. "Let's get this game over with," he whispered to no one in particular.

"Looks like someone is in a rush," Koganei noted as he gave Sasuke a surprised look.

Sasuke placed his elbows on his knees and folded his hands in front of his face. "I'm not."

Koganei just chuckled softly before turning his attention back to the court.

While all of this was happening, Kise and Kasamatsu were already making their way towards the stadium. "You mean that Generation of Miracles kid?" Kasamatsu asked Kise.

Kise nodded, but suddenly his expression shifted from jovial to downright dangerous. "Though, I still don't know how Midorimacchi will fare against Seirin with Sasukecchi on their team."

"Wait, who is that?" he asked once again.

"Oh, you might not have noticed before, but he is that guy that made passes like Kurokocchi. However, he's much more versatile overall and can stand up to us on his own," Kise explained.

"Don't tell me you're going to give up that easily or else…" Kasamatsu threatened with an intense look.

"I know, I know! But seriously, you'll know what I am talking about when you've seen him actually play offense. It reminded me a lot of my former captain, Akashicchi."

Kasamatsu didn't give a response but instead looked over at Kise glued to his phone. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, this? I'm looking at the Oha Asa that Midorimacchi uses all the time to see how he and Kurokocchi will do."

"Really? What's it say?"

Kise gave Kasamatsu a good view of the phone. "Well, Kurokocchi's an Aquarius…"

"What is it?" Kasamatsu asked.

Kise turned around with a forlorn expression. "This is bad."

Seirin was heading towards the locker rooms when Kuroko stopped Kagami. "Kagami-kun."

"Huh?" he muttered while turning in response.

"Was there ever a time when you hated Basketball?" he asked.

Kagami just stared at him for a moment. "No, I've never hated the game."

Kuroko continued. "I have, and although it was a different reason I understand where our senpai our coming from. That's why I really want to win this game."

Sasuke was listening in on them without them knowing. As they both turned to head towards the locker room, he closed his eyes and proceeded to follow the duo.

After Riko tried to motivate the team through certain means, and the overall meeting was done and over with, Seirin finally headed out towards the court where the showdown with Seiho would finally begin.

Sasuke sighed as he already knew he would be on the bench starting off. Unless they were in a real pinch, he would not be entering any time soon.

Kuroko, Kagami, Izuki, Hyuga, and Mitobe all lined up across their opponents to bow and prepare for the tip-off.

Once the formalities were dealt with, both teams got ready for the commencement of the first quarter.

One of the referees of the game raised his hand before he shouted out, "Let the Semi-final match of Block A begin!"

He then approached the middle of the court before signaling both players to prepare themselves to jump. Mitobe was up against Iwamura.

After blowing the whistle, he tossed the ball up which sprung both players into action who attempted to slap the ball towards one of their team members.

Mitobe lost the battle by just a small bit and immediately was on his man.

Kasuga ended up with the ball and began dribbling past half court and towards his team's basket.

He scanned the court before acting accordingly and passed to Tsugawa who caught the ball and attempted to drive forward.

Just in time, Kagami stopped Tsugawa who tried to dribble in from the right side of the basket. Bouncing the ball for a bit, he smirked before attempting a crossover to the left.

His attempt was futile as Kagami managed to keep up, but was not prepared for the sudden pass to the inside.

Yoshikasu Omuro, who was Seiho's Power Forward, received and went ahead and put the ball up scoring two points for their team.

Now it was Seirin's turn to go on the offensive, and Izuki started off with the ball as he dribbled down the court.

As he was getting ready to make a play, he was unable to determine a player to pass to due to how well covered his teammates were. "This is unreal…" Izuki mumbled as he noticed Kuroko running in behind him.

Understanding the plan, Izuki dribbled towards him and tossed him the ball while Kuroko was getting ready for a fast pass but noticed immediately that he could not pull it off.

Realizing his only option was to hold onto the ball, Kuroko was forced to continually search for an opening while he stood there helpless.

On the sidelines, Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "Interesting," he said as he sat up.

Riko turned her head towards him before sighing tiredly. "I really don't want to have to put Sasuke in."

Kuroko saw Kagami get past Tsugawa just a tiny bit and instantly threw the ball his direction.

He caught the ball but was immediately pressured and could not get past Tsugawa's defense. He tried to go left, and he also tried to get past to his right. It proved to be a fruitless effort when he realized he could not move freely.

He cursed before he charged forward, earning himself his first foul of the game.

"Shit," he mumbled when the referee made the signal.

"That idiot," Riko whispered before casting a nervous glance towards Sasuke who looked very ready to play. "At this rate…"

Once again, Kagami had the ball, but this time Izuki demanded Kagami get rid of the ball since he was holding onto it too long.

Kagami passed to Izuki, who went in for a layup only for it to be blocked. "What?" Izuki said shocked.

Once he had the ball again, Kagami still couldn't find a way to get past Tsugawa's defense.

"Man, and here I thought you'd be stronger than this. Oh well, looks like it'll be an easy win," Tsugawa boasted and mocked Kagami.

"What the fuck did you say?" Kagami growled as he once again charged straight into Tsugawa earning him another foul, his second one of the game.

Kise and Kasamatsu finally walked in and were taken aback by the fact that Seirin was being shut down so quickly and that they had yet to even score.

"No way," Kise muttered wide-eyed.

"They're off to a dreadful start," Kasamatsu said as they both found somewhere to sit.

"I thought they would've put him in by now then," Kise said.

"Well, now that I think about it it makes sense. They don't want to risk showing off that guy's playstyle even a little bit, so they have the advantage. Even so, with the situation they're in now, if they don't do something, there would have been no point."

"But still, the fact that Seiho is strong enough to keep them from even scoring is baffling."

"Their defense is just that strong. It's a man-to-man, but unlike most man-to-man, theirs put enormous pressure by staying on each man the entire time. No matter how good you are at passing, if no one is open you are playing at half-power," he explained thoroughly.

With that, the first quarter ended as the referee blew his whistle.

Riko was kneeling down while everyone was breathing hard, hydrating, and sweating a river. "Seiho is incorporating Old Martial Arts Techniques into their defense."

"Old Martial Arts?" Kagami asked as he mimicked a karate chop while trying to imitate the same sounds that martial artists make. "You mean this kind of thing?"

"That's not Old Martial Arts," Riko said as she shook her head. "To be more precise, they use movements from old martial arts. "One of the techniques they use is called 'Namba Running'. Typically, your arms and legs move in opposite directions when running, but when Namba running your arms and legs move in the same direction."

Kasamatsu was also explaining the same exact thing to Kise. "Apparently, not twisting your body reduces the strain on your body and the energy used."

"You sure know a lot about this," Kise pointed out.

"They're an unusual team. They have been interviewed by Basketball Monthly, too."

Kise just kept silent as he turned his attention back to Tsugawa.

"However, they're normal high school students just like you guys. It's not like they can fly or disappear. They can be caught off guard just like anyone else. You can win as long as you play like you usually do. There's still a chance!" Riko said as she finished her speech.

Riko sat down and looked at Sasuke apologetically. "I'm sorry for keeping you out all this time, but I have a good reason. Until we really need to, I won't be putting you in just yet."

Sasuke nodded. "I understand."

Riko smiled before she returned her gaze to the court.

With Shutoku, Midorima was busy shooting his three-pointers as usual. He stopped shooting however and returned to his bench.

His coach gave him an expectant look. "Well?"

"Yes, it looks I've got a feel for it," Midorima said pushing up his glasses and nodding slightly with a serious glint in his eyes.

"Mm," his coach said as he motioned for a member change.

Midorima walked towards his intended team member and gave him a high five before returning to his place on the bench.

"Huh? It looks like they are benching Midorimacchi," Kise exclaimed confusedly as he scratched his head.

"That makes sense. The opposing team is just a middle-tier team, and Midorima determined that with what little time he played in the first quarter," Kasamatsu revealed while returning his line of sight to Seirin.

Currently, Seirin was on defense against Seiho and were watching warily as they began passing at an astoundingly fast pace.

One, two, three, four, times the ball was passed around before Otsubo dribbled intending for a shot.

He then stopped abruptly yet smoothly and passed the ball to Tsugawa while said player attempts a layup.

Kagami jumps in to block the shot but unsurprisingly fouls Tsugawa in the process. Kagami just gave Tsugawa a royally irked expression as they both landed.

Tsugawa just looked up with an obsessed, hysterical look on his face which tempted Kagami, even more, to completely obliterate "bald-headed nuisance".

Sasuke shook his head at Kagami's repeated mistake.

"The thing about Seiho is that they're not only strong on defense but offense as well. They don't use Old Martial Arts Techniques just with defense but in the offense as well. In short, they're a well-balanced team that should not be taken lightly when they have possession."

"I figured that would be the case," Kise quipped as he smirked.

"While most teams have players of prodigies, Seiho consists of a team of experts."

Kise kept the smirk he wore on his face and if anything it grew. "Seirin has an expert of their own," he stated while staring at Kuroko with his chin resting on the back of his hands.

"Woah," Tsugawa grunted while he looked startled by Kuroko's presence.

"Sorry," Kuroko apologized.

…

"What the heck! Where did you come from? Where you in the game this whole time?" Tsugawa asked loudly.

"Yes, I've been playing the entire time. I'm Kuroko Tetsuya."

Kagami and Hyuga both had flabbergasted looks as they continued to watch the current exchange between the two first-years.

"Oh yeah, did you know? Last year, we finished the first quarter against your team with a twenty-nine point lead. That's why this time I want to make it thirty, but I guess I had nothing to worry about. Well, don't let it get you down!" Tsugawa mocked with fake innocence and cheerfulness as he jogged away.

"I understand. I will make sure that I am not disappointed," Kuroko seethed while his bangs shadowed his eyes.

Sasuke looked a bit more interested as undoubtedly took notice of the rising anger within Kuroko. "Looks like it's about to get serious," Sasuke mumbled.

Izuki was holding onto the ball looking for an opening when he bounced the ball towards the opposing team.

Before anyone had a chance to even react, Kuroko swooped in, grabbed the ball and spun while passing the ball to Mitobe who scored two points for the team.

Gasps and Whoops soon followed at the long-awaited retaliation.

Kasuga dribbles down to the other side of the court where he approached and managed to handle his way past Izuki.

Once he got past, he sets up for a three-pointer, but once he released the ball, Kagami had all but jumped up and blocked the shot. Back and forth, the other team continues to get the edge on one another regularly.

Now Seirin was only three points behind and the first quarter was soon coming to a close.

Tsugawa has the ball in hand and doesn't even get to do anything before the ball gets stole by Kuroko who tips it to Hyuuga.

Hyuga sets up and goes for the three-pointer which leaves both teams tied at the end of the first quarter.

Both teams return back to the bench for the intermission.

Sasuke had his elbows resting on his knees with his hands folded in front of him once again and was beginning to feel an urge to play. He, of course, kept his cool, and it has gone unnoticed by the team, but they all know how he must feel at the moment.

"Man, this shit pisses me off! It was all for nothing. I really wanted to get a huge lead, dammit," Tsugawa complained as he threw his hands up in the air.

"Tsugawa, that's enough of your disrespect. Shut your mouth if you know what's good for you," Iwamura ordered harshly.

Tsugawa blanched before nodding sadly. "Alright, alright."

"They were able to catch up simply because they are skilled. This is not the same team from last year. Seirin's strong. Do not underestimate them!" he shouted aggressively while giving them all hard looks.

"Hai!" they all responded, returning an equally determined look.

Catching their breaths with towels on the backs of their necks and heads while taking squirts of their water was Seirin.

Izuki cast a disappointed look to Kagami. "Kagami, you ought to be more careful when you're up against Tsugawa. Your fouls keep piling up, and soon we will have to bench you if you're not careful you know."

Kagami looked embarrassed at first but turned to Izuki with mild desperation. "I know that, but it's hard to avoid it once I've been tricked!"

"Haaa? What about that time you deliberately fouled baldy by charging into him because of his obvious provocation?" Hyuga asked, giving Kagami a scary look.

"Well…"

"Hey, why don't we put in Sasuke since Kagami is fouling so much?" Kawahara suggested while he was busy helping everyone get comfortable and get hydrated.

"We could, but that would just make sitting him out all these times pointless. Unless we're in a real bad pinch, I am not going to put Sasuke in. Besides, if we need to conserve Kagami's strength in the third or fourth quarter we'll put Sasuke in then," Riko explained.

Hyuga sighed sternly before he straightened his back and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Well, what's done is done," Hyuga said as he looked at Kagami, "Just don't commit any more fouls idiot. We just have to do what we have to do. Let's win!"

"Right!" they all responded in unison.

Although Sasuke was stuck sitting his ass on the bench, he wasn't just dozing off and counting fucking sheep. In reality, Sasuke was actually studying the other team almost obsessively.

He cast a glance towards Shutoku who was on defense and watched their team captain, Otsubo, completely smack the ball out of one of the player's hands who was going in for a layup.

He wasn't in any way fazed by the show of athleticism and kept an impassive look on his face.

Once Seirin returned to the game for the start of the second quarter the difference was hardly undetectable.

Seiho had tightened up their defense and seemed to be more severe than they were in the first quarter.

Kagami had the ball in hand and was dribbling back and forth before he approached the first defender and bounced the ball between his legs and after Kuroko would bounce the ball right back. This would continue on for the next defenders until Kagami got close enough to the hoop to where he could dunk it. Once Kuroko bounced the ball down he did so with more force and tapped the ball hard enough to get it high enough for an alley-oop.

Cheers ran throughout the crowd at the spectacular offensive play shown by the Light and Shadow of Seirin.

"Wh-What? They can do that?" Tsugawa uttered wide-eyed.

"Woah," Kise whispered.

"That was nothing short of extraordinary, but hey...isn't that a bit too much sweat?" Kasamatsu pointed out.

Seiho's point-guard passed the ball, but it was stolen by Kuroko however, who in turn gave it to Kagami.

Tsugawa stepped up to block Kagami, who went in for a lay-up and managed to draw a shooting foul on Kagami who had just gained his fourth one. Not only that, but he was breathing heavily as he rested on one knee.

Riko shook her head in frustration as she stood up and headed to the scorekeepers. "Excuse me, I'd like to make a member change," she said.

Kagami heard and instantly runs up to his coach. "I'm fine! Look, I'll make sure not to foul anymore, but you have to let me stay in the game!" he begged as he gave her a desperate look.

"No, I'm sorry Kagami-kun, but we can't risk you committing your fifth foul.

"But-!"

"This is perfect timing," Hyuga interjected. "We were planning on subbing you and Kuroko out anyway," he finished as Kagami once again was flabbergasted and helpless.

"Me too?" Kuroko asked, pointing to himself.

"Listen, you can't take me out of the game!" Kagami all but shouted.

Sasuke sighed as he stood up,

"Look, as much as you may not like it, this is something we have decided, and it's for the best."

"But you-"

"Be quiet and follow orders," Sasuke spat venomously with his Sharingan active.

Kagami was left speechless as he stared at Sasuke incredulously.

"Well don't worry and trust in your seniors you damn rookie!" Hyuga stated as he ruffled Kagami's hair who had calmed down some.

Kagami had nodded and returned to the bench as well as Kuroko who smiled at Sasuke who was back to his original position.

All the first years and second years were giving Sasuke nervous looks. "Scary," they all whispered.

Both Tsuchida and Koganei were being subbed in for Kuroko and Kagami.

"Man, it's been a while since I've played in a game," Tsuchida beamed with a smile on his face.

"Let's show them what we can do as well," Koganei said.

"Oh man. I was really hoping for a challenge, and then they go and bench the star players. How boring. Oh well, I'll just make up for it by widening the gap," Tsugawa insulted.

Iwamura leveled Hyuga with his usual aloof yet heated stare. "You're underestimating us for taking those two out you know," he said. "You won't be able to beat Shutoku anyway."

Hyuga turned his head with his hand resting on his hip. "Oh, while we did indeed bench them for that reason, it's more personal than you think," he said with a lazy raise of his hand. "Us second years are here to get revenge for last year. That's all."

Iwamura was slightly taken aback for just a second before returning to his usual bland expression. "I accept your challenge. Bring it on."

It was Seirin's ball.

Hyuga received the ball from Izuki and managed to get past one of the defenders before going in for a lay-up.

He was forced to pass the ball to Mitobe in response to the center's block.

Mitobe dunked the ball in earning them two more points.

"Don't get ahead of yourselves now. We're about to score right back at you!" Kasuga declared as he was about to shoot a three-pointer.

He was suddenly face-to-face with the captain of Seirin who blocked the shot which led to Kuroko's pass to Mitobe.

Iwamura was blocking against a possible lay-up but was surprised when Mitobe entered a different form and executed a hook shot.

He turned to look from the basket to Mitobe while wiping the sweat with his shirt. "You've come up with a new move I see. You have been working hard this past year, huh?"

Mitobe just nodded as the sweat was dripping from his face.

Kasuga smirked right before he dribbled past Izuki, and went in for a lay-up unusually far away from the lay-up range of the basket. This was what is called a "scoop shot."

Once Seirin had the ball again, Izuki was dribbling before holding up his finger. "Let's get one more!" he shouted, holding up his finger.

Riko was breaking down the starting second years of Seirin while they were busy executing their plays.

Izuki's pupils dilated while he used his eagle eye to come up with a smart play that would work well against their opponents.

Finally finding an opening, Izuki goes ahead and passes to Koganei and moves in a specific way.

Grunting, two players from Seiho move in response to the play, but end up running into each other due to the unawareness of each other's positioning.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow slightly at what he witnessed. "That's…"

Play after play, shot after shot, Seirin and Seiho continue to clash, and neither team has given up, nor gotten carried away with their playing.

Eventually, the ball was smacked away and was quickly approaching the out-of-bounds area.

But, with quite the desperation evident on his face, Koganei rushes in to save the ball. While he successfully does so, he ends up not being able to stop himself and completely trips over the Seirin bench.

"Koganei-kun!" Riko shouts. "Are you alright?" she asked nervously.

He wasn't able to respond and just continued to make groaning sounds while unconscious.

"He's definitely got a concussion," Riko stated. "We're gonna have to sub him out."

Kagami jumps up eagerly as his shoes made definite squeaks. "Coach, you have to put me in now! There's no way you'll be able to defeat them as you are!"

"No, we are not putting you in Bakagami!" Riko barked.

"Coach!"

Kuroko plastered his had onto Kagami's cheek in an almost hilarious manner. "The guy with four fouls should just sit down on the bench," Kuroko declared earning a vicious glare from Kagami.

"Kuroko-teme!"

Riko sighed as she crossed her arms. "Sasuke-kun!" Riko bellowed as she turned to Sasuke who in turn unfolded his hands and stood up slowly. "I'm subbing you in for Koganei-kun."

"I understand," Sasuke said as his hands twitched slightly before he inhaled through his nose slowly before exhaling just as slow.

Kagami was about to retort, but one glare from Sasuke was enough to shut him up.

"Seiring, member change!" one of the announcers stated as Sasuke walked up the court.

Both Midorima and Kise were showing interest in their faces as they watched Sasuke stand up and walk.

"He's finally playing," Kise noted as his interest in the game shot through the roof.

Midorima just kept his attention on Sasuke with a glint in his eye. "Let's see what you can do."

Furihata perked up in realization before turning his attention to Kuroko. "Say Kuroko, how is it we were able to notice Sasuke? Before he was just like you, but now it's as if he's just a normal player."

Kuroko just kept his stare on Sasuke's back before blinking a couple of times. "This is just a presumption of mine, but I think Sasuke-kun is actually able to manipulate his presence at will. I've realized that he just naturally is able to misdirect people's attention but what he really utilizes is his ability to manipulate his presence."

Kawahara cocked his head sideways in confusion. "Are you saying you can't do that?"

Kuroko shook his head. "I just don't have much presence, that's all."

"Sasuke-kun, I'm putting you up against Tsugawa alright?" she said as he nodded before walking up to his assigned player.

Tsugawa was too busy looking around trying to find who he was up against when he suddenly got a chill down his spine.

"Yo," Sasuke muttered.

He shrieked as he turned around and noticed a player from Seirin around his height standing in front of him. 'Where the hell did you come from?"

Sasuke responded with silence as he could feel the excitement of crushing an opponent rushing throughout his body.

With the blow of the whistle, it was now Seirin's ball, and Hyuga was busy trying to find an opening once again when he noticed Sasuke lose his man and immediately threw him the ball.

Seeing Mitobe open, Sasuke tapped the ball in his direction which gave him the opportunity to lay the ball up.

The audience, as usual, cheered and was going crazy about the curving pass, but only two players were taken entirely by surprise.

Kise rose up from his seat. "But, that's…"

Midorima pushed his glasses up. "To think he has the same playstyle as Kuroko. Interesting."

"Alright! Let's keep it up!" Hyuga shouted, clenching his fist victoriously.

It was now Seiho's ball, and they were at a loss for words. "There's another player who can do what number eleven does?" Sakamoto asked incredulously.

He passed the ball to Kasuga who had a frustrated expression on his face. "Don't let it get to you!" he shouted.

Once he passed the center line, he couldn't feel the ball in his hands as Sasuke had utterly ripped it out.

He smirked as he picked up the ball and started dribbling towards the hoop. 'I don't even need to use my eyes to steal the ball. He was practically letting me take it!'

Sasuke was making his way down the court when every player noticed something very wrong.

"How is he all the way down there already?" they all shouted internally.

"Who is he?" Kasamatsu probed as narrowed his eyes.

Kise chuckled drawing his captain's eyes. "He's the guy who completely kicked my ass one-on-one. But to think he was hiding this all along…"

"Wait, are you saying he's on the same level as the Generation of Miracles?"

Kise shook his head. "If anything, he's at least as skilled as the former captain of the Generation of Miracles."

Kasamatsu's eyes widened. "He's that good?"

Kise nodded. "I wonder how Midorima will do against him?"

Sasuke jumped and laid the ball up.

"No way…" Tsugawa whispered in slight awe.

It was Seiho's ball once again, and now they were more cautious than ever of Sasuke stealing the ball.

Once they felt as if they could make a pass Seiho did and were pleased to see that they were not getting stolen.

Sasuke was keeping track, purposefully letting them think they were in the clear.

Once Kasuga received the ball once again, he went to take a shot not wanting to risk getting the ball stolen, but was not prepared to be blocked by Hyuga who threw the ball down to Sasuke who was making his way down when Iwamura stepped in front of him. "You're not going anywhere."

Sasuke sighed before he activated his Sharingan and did a crossover before crossing the ball under his legs and effectively breaking Iwamura's ankles leaving him baffled as he fell on the floor while Sasuke set up for a shot and released the ball earning Seirin two more points.

Midorima's eyes widened. "It can't be. Is this…?"

Kise released a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Looks like he's finally used it again," Kise noted.

Kasamatsu looked confused as fuck.

"Uh...I thought he wasn't going to use it?" Izuki questioned Hyuga who shook his head.

"Well, so did the rest of us," Hyuga noted before he felt something was off with Sasuke who was clutching his head.

Sasuke was grunting as he was struggling to keep his head together.

When he opened his eyes, his left eye was flickering from red to purple with ripples going through.

'Let...me...out!' Yami Sasuke snarled.

'Stay the fuck out of this. You're an eyesore, and you'll only make things worse in the future!'

Sasuke's eye was flickering before he managed to regain complete control, but his breathing had gotten out of control.

"Sasuke, you alright?" Izuki asked.

Sasuke nodded before returning to his position on defense.

Seiho was back on offense, and before the could even try to shoot, the ball was stolen from them once again, but this time from Izuki.

"Habits?" Kise asked.

"Yes, while Seiho is definitely a team of experts, they will always have developed habits that show in their play."

Riko put her hand under her chin. "For example, when someone runs they shift their whole body in the general direction they're are going in. However, they are trained to only point their toes in that direction instead of their entire body."

"Oh, I get it! So by paying attention to that small detail, those guys are able to counter their offense," Kagami exclaimed.

"Exactly, and for the record, it was Sasuke who revealed all of this to me while we were on the bench."

"Awesome," Kawahara said.

Sasuke assisted with another pass allowing Seirin to score even more.

Kagami was in awe watching Sasuke's passes. "Amazing. Kuroko, I never really got to see you guys in action from the bench."

Kuroko nodded as he continued to watch Sasuke. "Hai."

Iwamura was busy contemplating his options before he gained a fierce look on his face. "Kasuga, pass me the ball!" he ordered.

"But-"

"Just do it!"

Complying, Kasuga gave Iwamura the ball who charged in and weaved in and out of the defense before jumping and dunking the ball. "It's a hundred years too early for you to be challenging us!" he bellowed.

Now that Seirin was on offense, Seiho was playing aggressive man-to-man defense.

Seirin was tied with Seiho at this point in time, and they were trying their best to put as much pressure as they could.

"Izuki," Sasuke shouted as Izuki cast him a glance before smiling and passing him the ball.

"No, you don't!" Tsugawa shouted.

Sasuke bounced the ball in between Tsugawa's legs and dribbled past him before he was met with the everyone rushing in to block him.

He smirked before Izuki yelled "hey" to him and looked in his general direction.

Everyone turned their attention to him, but Sasuke faked and without even looking passed it to Hyuuga who shot a three wide-open and scored with a three-point lead to end the game 94-91.

Everyone shouted as they all crowded around one another to celebrate their victory. "We did it!"

"Not bad," Kise stated.

Sasuke smirked as he high-fived Kagami and Kuroko.

Once everyone lined up and thanked each other for a good game, Seirin and Shutoku were all returning to their locker rooms to get ready for the next upcoming game of the Inter-High tournament.

Midorima stood up and stared at Sasuke who gave stared right back at him.

Without even having said a single word to each other, they both couldn't help the urge to go up against one another that was welling up inside them.

Chapter end