Slam dunk, hit 100% of the three-pointers at the beginning!

Everyone froze when they saw Sakuragi make a steal.

No one expected that this loudmouth could pull off such a move.

But before they could fully react—

Kogure quickly caught up.

Seeing someone closing in, Sakuragi panicked and tried to dribble toward the frontcourt. But then—

The ball slipped out of his hands.

Kogure seized the opportunity and snatched it back.

"This guy…"

Everyone watching sighed and facepalmed.

As expected, Sakuragi wasn't reliable.

"Kogure!"

With the ball in his hands, Kogure hurled it hard toward Akagi.

The next second—

Bam!

Akagi caught it and followed up with his signature gorilla dunk, electrifying the gym.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, you're a hundred years too early to score!"

Akagi walked up to Sakuragi, his words dripping with mockery, before jogging back to defense.

Kogure sighed helplessly at the two, knowing trouble was brewing again.

Hearing Akagi's taunt, Sakuragi's forehead veins bulged in anger.

"Damn gorilla! How dare you look down on me!"

He was about to lose his cool when—

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, calm down. I'll pass the ball to you later," Ryu said, trying to soothe him.

Hearing this, Sakuragi's anger subsided a little.

He looked at Ryu with gratitude.

"Ryu, you're the best. Don't worry, I won't mess up again."

Then, glaring fiercely at Akagi, he added, "Gorilla, just you wait!"

The Game Resumes

"Watch out for Ryu's three-pointer!"

Akagi warned Miyagi, who immediately tightened his defense on Ryu, sticking close to him to prevent any long shots.

After all, Miyagi had experienced Ryu's shooting firsthand—it was almost magical.

Even Kogure, who was guarding Sakuragi, couldn't help but shift slightly toward Ryu.

This left Sakuragi completely unguarded.

"They're going to double-team him?!"

"Does this mean Shōhoku's ace isn't Rukawa Kaede but Ryu?"

"Write this down! Write this down!"

From the sidelines, Hikoichi was stunned, furiously scribbling notes.

Double-teaming was a defensive strategy used to limit a player's scoring potential.

And now, it wasn't being used on Rukawa but on Ryu.

As the double-team closed in—

"Ryu, pass it to Sakuragi Hanamichi!"

Ishii called out urgently from the sidelines.

At that moment, Sakuragi was completely open, with no defenders near him.

Akagi was glued to Rukawa, giving him no room to move.

"Pass it to me!" Sakuragi shouted, waving his arms wildly.

All eyes turned to Ryu, the star scorer.

What would he do now?

Facing the encroaching double-team, Ryu smirked.

"Wow, senpais, you really respect me, don't you? Two defenders just for me?"

But inside, he was fired up. Still, now wasn't the time to show off in a one-on-two situation.

"Ryu, against a guy like you, we can't take any risks," Kogure said, his glasses gleaming with determination. He now saw Ryu as a dangerous first-year player.

Miyagi didn't say anything, but he agreed wholeheartedly.

Standing a full ten centimeters shorter than Ryu, Miyagi knew it would be tough to stop him. He waited, curious to see Ryu's next move.

Then, something unexpected happened.

"Sakuragi Hanamichi, catch!"

Grinning slightly, Ryu passed the ball toward the wide-open Sakuragi.

It was the perfect setup.

Sakuragi caught the ball effortlessly.

"Ryu, just like you said! Now watch me, the genius Sakuragi Hanamichi, dunk this!"

Without Kogure defending him, Sakuragi felt unstoppable. Thanking Ryu with a glance, he grabbed the ball and charged toward the hoop.

Everyone watching finally understood: Ryu had set this up to give Sakuragi a chance to score.

But would passing to Sakuragi really work?

Akagi, seeing Sakuragi leap toward the basket, barked a warning.

"Kid, you're a hundred years too early for a dunk!"

Akagi knew Sakuragi's personality all too well. There was no way Sakuragi would pass to Rukawa. Since that was the case, Akagi decided to teach him a lesson.

He jumped up to block the dunk.

The entire court held its breath. The intensity felt like a wild beast charging—pure chaos.

Bam!

Sakuragi's dunk didn't slam into the hoop.

Instead, it landed squarely on Akagi's head.

"Argh!"

Even someone as strong as Akagi couldn't withstand the force of Sakuragi's misguided dunk. He fell hard to the ground, groaning in pain.

Everyone was stunned.

"What kind of grudge do these two have against each other?"

"Captain Akagi!"

"Captain!"

Kogure and the others rushed over, shouting in concern.

Sakuragi froze in shock as Akagi slowly got up, his face dark with rage.

"You idiot! I'm going to teach you a lesson!"

Before Sakuragi could explain, Akagi grabbed him by the neck, squeezing tightly and leaving him gasping for air.

Kogure and the rest hurried over to break up the fight.

The scene descended into utter chaos.

And so, thanks to Sakuragi's antics, the game ended early.

From the sidelines, Coach Anzai half-closed his eyes, smiling faintly as he watched the chaos unfold.

Despite the disorder, each player had shown their potential.

In Ryu, the coach saw a unique spark—a bright future for Shōhoku.