Anyway, Sakuragi and the others on the field could see it clearly.
This is clearly aimed at people!
If the referee doesn't call the foul soon, there's definitely something fishy going on in this game.
The referee quickly proved his innocence.
Offensive foul!
Kishimoto chuckled and readily raised his hand to accept the punishment.
Takenori Akagi instantly broke out in a cold sweat, clutching his stomach, and knelt down on one knee.
"Captain!" " Gorilla!"
The Shohoku team immediately rushed over.
"You did that on purpose, didn't you!"
Sakuragi jumped up and pointed at Kishimoto, yelling.
Kishimoto grinned and spread his hands, saying, "What's the rush? He couldn't handle it himself, and I got the foul. Who can I complain to?"
That face was so infuriating that Sakuragi's temper flared up, and he was about to rush over when Akagi grabbed his wrist.
"Don't do anything rash," Akagi frowned as he stood up, his lower abdomen still throbbing, but his voice was steady, "I'm fine."
He needs to keep things under control.
If anyone gets carried away at this point and gets sent off by the referee, the game could be in serious trouble.
" Akagi!" Kogure shouted anxiously from the sidelines, and everyone on the bench stood up.
Akagi shook his head at them, indicating that he could handle it.
"That braid is really cunning!" Miyagi gritted his teeth and glared at Kishimoto.
Akagi patted him on the back. "Don't fall for his tricks, he's just trying to provoke us. We're here to win, don't forget."
He had to keep these hotheads in check, otherwise, if any of them made the first move, the whole team would be in trouble.
Compared to that, the blow I took was nothing.
"Keep an eye on things," Shirasawa said finally, his tone as casual as if he were chatting about dinner. "Just let some of the balls go; leave the rest to me."
These words sound light and airy, but upon closer examination, they carry a certain unsettling flavor.
" Xiao Bai, don't do anything rash!" Akagi's heart tightened.
Anyone can go down, except Shirasawa.
Shirasawa just smiled, gave an "OK" sign, and turned to walk towards the front.
Honestly, Akagi is starting to panic.
Shohoku launches an attack.
Shirasawa received the ball in the backcourt and rushed across the center line in a few steps.
As soon as Itakura stepped forward, Shirasawa shrugged and charged forward, relying solely on speed and strength to overpower him!
Itakura winced in pain from the impact.
"Oh, so they're going to fight back." Sendoh smiled, his eyes narrowing, from the sidelines.
"Huh? Why not?" Hikoichi Aida didn't understand. Given Shirasawa's usual personality, he should have tolerated it...
" Shirasawa, calm down." Uozumi became worried instead, he and Akagi were thinking the same thing: if their ace is fouled out, how can Shohoku fight this game?
Shirasawa nimbly bypassed Itakura, but didn't immediately head towards the basket.
He took two steps to the side, switching places with Sakuragi and facing Sakuragi at a 45-degree Kishimoto to his left.
Sakuragi paused for a moment, then suddenly realized—
This is revenge.
As the team's ace, there are some things I have to do.
Even if Coach Anzai were here, he wouldn't be able to say anything.
Of course, there's a method to revenge. Shirasawa wouldn't be so foolish as to just physically assault someone and then watch his team lose.
However... if Toyotama pulls another trick, then things might get complicated.
Shirasawa leaned against Kishimoto with his back turned.
"What, getting revenge for Akagi?" Kishimoto's words were barbed. "Pretty loyal, huh? But aren't you afraid—"
Before he could finish speaking, Shirasawa suddenly sat back!
Kishimoto's second half of the sentence was so badly swallowed that his internal organs shuddered.
foul?
No.
It was purely a matter of overwhelming power.
The second one followed immediately!
Kishimoto was forced back several steps by the force of the impact. He tried to retreat, but Shirasawa gave him no chance.
He chased after him and rammed into him hard on the third time!
This is really going to be a disaster.
Kishimoto felt a bitter taste in his throat, as if he had been hit by a truck, and he lost all his strength, falling unsteadily to the side.
The referee's whistle still didn't blow.
The movements were clean; it was purely due to a huge difference in strength.
It's probably like a scene where Uozumi and beats Miyamasu?
Of course, if Kishimoto hold his ground, Shirasawa might actually be called for an offensive foul.
Unfortunately, Shirasawa didn't give him that chance.
From the very first impact, Kishimoto panicked.
He just couldn't understand it—where did a point guard get such brute force?
I'm a power forward, an inside player, for goodness' sake!
Aren't you, Shirasawa, a point guard?
What the hell?!
Point guard backing down power forward in the low post?
Kishimoto felt this world was too magical...
Even after he fell to the ground, his mind was still blank.
Shirasawa rose to his feet and slammed the ball down with both hands while hanging over the rim!
Clang!
The basketball hoop shook violently.
Shirasawa let go and landed on the ground, glancing at Kishimoto who was still sitting on the ground.
"Are you alright?" he asked casually. "I didn't expect you to be so fragile."
So fragile!
Kishimoto was furious—or maybe he wasn't so much angry, but rather from the impact.
"Damn it... that bastard!" he spat out through gritted teeth.
The entire stadium erupted in cheers from Shohoku supporters, the roar almost lifting the roof off.
Shirasawa's impact sent Kishimoto staggering backward, before he slammed home a clean and decisive dunk. His teammates from Shohoku immediately surrounded him, giving him high-fives.
Takenori Akagi walked over, slapped Shirasawa on the back, and laughed, " Xiao Bai, well done!" The slap was quite powerful, and Shirasawa couldn't help but grin.
Kishimoto collapsed to the ground, Toyotama's Mitsuaki Iwata and Kyohei quickly helped him up. Kishimoto shook them off and said fiercely, "It's nothing... Shohoku is too arrogant, we need to increase the intensity of the game!"
Tsuyoshi Minami nodded beside him and simply said, "Let's go."
In the stands, Hikoichi Aida jumped up excitedly and shouted, "Wow! Shirasawa's counterattack was so fierce, it was the most powerful response ever!" He looked at Bai Ze with admiration, his eyes almost shining.
Sendoh, watching the match, said with great interest, "This guy's strength is indeed frightening, but Toyotama suffered a loss and certainly won't give up. The next match will be quite a spectacle."
On the court, Itakura dribbled the ball across half-court. Kishimoto pushed Sakuragi inside, using the momentum to get to the high post to receive the ball. Hanamichi Sakuragi's temples throbbed, and he tensed all his muscles to meet the pass.
"Damn it! Come on!" Sakuragi roared, staring intently at Kishimoto from above.
The match was filled with profanity and insults. However, the fan section was much quieter today, as Toyotama's blond-haired gang had been thoroughly beaten into submission.
Six men against three, and they still lost? Yellow Hair cursed inwardly. Yohei Mito was no human; he beat them so badly they couldn't even sit up straight.
Yohei even forced them to go back to watch the game. The blond-haired guy thought helplessly, "My eyes are so swollen I can't even open them, what the hell am I supposed to watch!"
Under Yohei's intimidation, the group slunk back to their seats, a sight that even Toyotama fans shook their heads at. Their miserable state also silenced Toyotama supporters; with their leader beaten like that, who would dare to cause trouble?
On the court, Kishimoto made a probing step to break through, using his elbow to clear a path for Sakuragi. Sakuragi tensed his muscles, not giving an inch. When they reached the three-second area, Kishimoto suddenly stopped the ball, then pretended to pass it, before violently swinging his elbow at Sakuragi.
Sakuragi instinctively dodged to the side, thanks to his extensive fighting experience. Otherwise, he would have been seriously injured. In a panic, Sakuragi shoved Kishimoto aside.
The referee's whistle blew immediately; Sakuragi had clearly committed a foul. Kishimoto grinned wickedly; getting pushed and getting a foul in return was worth it.
Takenori Akagi scolded, " Sakuragi! Calm down! You've already committed three fouls!" He knew it wasn't entirely Sakuragi's fault, but he had to control the situation.
Shirasawa smiled slightly and said to Sakuragi, "Don't make any big moves, just handle it discreetly." At this point in the match, there's no point in hesitating; we have to do what we need to do, otherwise the opponent will only push their luck.
Toyotama inbounds the ball, Tsuyoshi Minami, using Kyohei's screen, circles out to the three-point line, catches the ball, and shoots, sinking the three-pointer. So far, Tsuyoshi Minami hasn't actually taken a shot—not referring to a regular shot.
In the transition between offense and defense, Shirasawa broke through Itakura again and then passed the ball to Hisashi Mitsui on the outside. Mitsui received the ball and took a three-point shot, Tsuyoshi Minami made a desperate effort to help defend.
Tsuyoshi Minami's defense is among the best in the country; his awareness and physique are both excellent. Mitsui's shot was interfered with, and the ball bounced off the rim.
Takenori Akagi took off from under the basket and grabbed the backboard.
The opportunity was right in front of him, but the next second, Akagi was forcibly pulled down from the air by two people!
Mitsuaki Iwata and Kyohei jumped at the same time, but they didn't aim for the ball at all; instead, they were both heading straight for the players. Kyohei hooked Akagi's wrist from behind, while Mitsuaki Iwata's jump was aimed directly at Akagi's head.
The basketball slipped from his grasp, Takenori Akagi crashed heavily to the floor.
This defense made it clear to everyone that Toyotama's success today is not solely due to Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto.
The referee blew his whistle decisively, ruling that Kyohei had committed a foul.
The gunpowder miso on the field instantly flared up.
Akagi grunted, stood up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot, and strode towards Mitsuaki Iwata.
That gesture definitely wasn't meant to be a handshake or a greeting.
Takenori Akagi, who had been urging everyone to stay calm and consider the bigger picture, was truly enraged this time! His intimidating aura forced Mitsuaki Iwata to keep retreating.
Miyagi and Sakuragi were stunned, unsure whether they should stop them.
Haruko, watching from the stands, gaped in astonishment. She had never seen her brother so angry. Or rather, she had never seen a match like this before—it was like a war even before the opening whistle.
"Stop Akagi!" Hisashi Mitsui shouted urgently.
Reason finally prevailed. Toyotama had only two purposes for playing this game: first, to scare them into playing it safe and making Shohoku hesitant on offense; second, to hope that Shohoku would take action so that he could foul them out, taking them out one by one.
Akagi understood this perfectly well, and he had tolerated the previous assaults. But perhaps the tension in the last few rounds had gotten too high, and he lost his temper. Plus, it seemed like Mitsuaki Iwata really hit his head with that blow, and his mind went blank. He didn't care about anything else anymore!
Actually, Shirasawa thought it was fine to let Akagi unleash his power; the worst that could happen was that he'd suffer the consequences. He felt that even without Akagi, as long as he was present, taking down Toyotama wouldn't be a problem. However, since Mitsui had stopped him, he decided to let it go.
Akagi gradually calmed down, rubbed his heavy head, and glared fiercely at Mitsuaki Iwata.
The game has finally quieted down for a while.
Coach Anzai sat back down on the bench. If Mitsui hadn't stopped him, he would have called a timeout too. He believed Akagi would have calmed down upon hearing his voice. The old man had seen it all in all his years of playing. He knew exactly what to do with whoever he was dealing with, like Shirasawa, and that retaliating in kind was perfectly acceptable as long as he could win.
As for Shirasawa's little scheme, he saw through it, but just chuckled and cursed inwardly, "That rascal..."
Coach Jinpei on the other side was trembling with anger. But... in the end, he was still a selfish person. Since it had already happened, if it could really bring him a chance to win, then... it didn't seem like a bad thing?