Shirasawa himself jumped up and delivered it!
You jumped so high, you probably didn't notice the "gift" prepared for you on the ground.
Tsuyoshi Minami still had that shocked expression on his face, but his right foot quietly took a small half step forward.
They were getting closer and closer to Shirasawa's landing point.
The entire audience was still reeling from his exaggerated hat-removal, and almost no one noticed the little movement he made with his feet.
Besides, the two were already close together, and their movements were extremely discreet.
But he never expected that,
Shirasawa saw it!
Shirasawa deliberately marked Tsuyoshi Minami in the second half, intending to give Fujima a "gift".
This gesture, of course, is an eye for an eye.
What goes around comes around.
Shirasawa now has another identity: he is Fujima's captain.
Fujima never had the chance to remove the thorn in his heart.
Then Shirasawa will avenge him!
This is a small perk for the hardworking vice-captain.
Therefore, Shirasawa kept a close eye on Tsuyoshi Minami's every move.
He was waiting too.
He would wait for Tsuyoshi Minami to make the first move, and then he would naturally retaliate.
This way, they won't face severe penalties, nor will it affect the outcome of the game.
Of course,
If Tsuyoshi Minami remains inactive, Shirasawa wouldn't mind taking the initiative to "have a chat" with him once the outcome is decided.
Let this Ace Killer taste the pain.
Let him understand what it means for good and evil to be rewarded in the end.
Given the tension between the two teams, nothing would be surprising.
The things Toyotama did to Shohoku were orchestrated by Minami Tsuyoshi Minami.
We'll settle both the old and new scores; you can't run away!
The two of them each had their own thoughts and plans.
They both wanted to retaliate severely...
It can only be said that Shirasawa predicted Tsuyoshi Minami's prediction this time.
That bastard actually tried to cripple me?!
His anger surged to the top of his head!
But Shirasawa couldn't risk his ankle, so he could only respond in mid-air.
He seemed to suddenly lose his balance.
His body swayed in mid-air, and he threw the ball haphazardly, simultaneously lifting his knee—
Bang!!!
A solid knee strike landed squarely on Tsuyoshi Minami's chin!
Tsuyoshi Minami's mind went blank, his vision went completely white, he staggered back two steps, and fell straight backward.
Shirasawa, who had "lost his balance," landed on the ground, flailing his arms and legs, and stumbled several steps backward, looking as if he had just escaped a disaster...
The entire incident on the field happened in just one or two seconds.
Tsuyoshi Minami took a step back and hit a three-pointer, Shirasawa jumped to block it.
He took off his hat! Then, losing control of his body, he accidentally... bumped into Tsuyoshi Minami.
To be honest, no one could find fault with it.
Because Shirasawa was clearly aiming for the ball, and that block was the best proof of that!
Of course, there are people who understand this.
For example, Shinichi Maki kept a close eye on Tsuyoshi Minami the whole time, and no slightest movement escaped his notice.
Just as his heart leaped into his throat, Shirasawa's response arrived.
A knowing smile instantly spread across Shinichi Maki's serious face.
The two veteran coaches Anzai and Kitano, also got a clear view of what was happening on the field.
However, they noticed Shirasawa's changed movements first, and then they discovered Tsuyoshi Minami's outstretched foot.
An average person might not notice anything amiss, but these two had spent most of their lives on the court, and they immediately recognized something was wrong.
The two old men's hearts skipped a beat, and they almost broke out in a cold sweat.
If Shirasawa hadn't reacted in time and had stepped on it solidly, then everything would have been over!
This is absolutely a devastating blow to Shohoku and Shirasawa himself.
So when they saw Shirasawa's knee strike, the two of them instinctively exclaimed in their hearts: Serves him right!
Kitano had no intention of protecting his own; besides, Tsuyoshi Minami wasn't really his "weak point."
This action, however, only made Kitano feel a pang of disappointment.
He had mentored Tsuyoshi Minami and Kishimoto for a while before.
Kishimoto's talent was just so-so, but Tsuyoshi Minami was different.
Kitano always felt that this kid had the potential to become a top player.
Tsuyoshi Minami has indeed made a name for himself in the past two years, but unfortunately... he doesn't put his mind on the right path!
If this continues, you'll ruin yourself sooner or later.
Kitano shook his head, looking as if he had aged several years in an instant.
On the field, Akagi and the others rushed to Shirasawa's side immediately, asking him all at once if he was alright.
Shirasawa was naturally fine; in fact, he was overjoyed.
It felt like my Ren and Du meridians had been opened up by that one blow.
Looking at Toyotama's side, Kishimoto and the others were getting anxious and all surrounded Tsuyoshi Minami Lie.
Tsuyoshi Minami shook his head, finally regaining some clarity. His lip was cut by his teeth, and blood was flowing down the corner of his mouth, making him look quite disheveled.
That was quite a blow. Tsuyoshi Minami is considered to be in good physical condition; if it were someone else, they'd probably still be lying on the ground groaning.
" Tsuyoshi Minami! How are you? Is it serious?" Kishimoto squatted down beside him, his voice trembling.
Honestly, even he didn't think Shirasawa did it on purpose...
But whether it was intentional or not, this matter is not over!
After confirming that Tsuyoshi Minami was alright, Kishimoto suddenly stood up, turned around, and rushed towards Shohoku.
Seeing this, Mitsuaki Iwata and Kyohei quickly rushed over and blocked him from the middle.
"You've already committed four fouls! One more and you're out of the game!" Iwata grabbed his arm tightly.
Kishimoto abruptly stopped, his face trembling with anger.
"Damn it... I'm going to kill him!"
He glared fiercely at Shirasawa, but Shirasawa looked back at him with a relaxed expression, and then... slowly raised his middle finger.
Kishimoto clenched his back teeth, making a grinding sound.
The referee then rushed over and cut between the two teams.
"You all better watch yourselves! If you cause any more trouble, you'll all get technical fouls!"
The referee also had a headache off this game; there were too many fouls, and he was almost losing his grip on the rules.
But he was certain that the play was an accident and that Shirasawa couldn't be called for a foul.
Tsuyoshi Minami... he's just unlucky.
Because of Tsuyoshi Minami's actions, the match was forced to pause.
In the first half, Kishimoto was helped off the field, but in the second half, it was Tsuyoshi Minami, making Toyotama seem like the one being bullied.
Shirasawa returned to the bench, and Coach Anzai stood up and patted him on the shoulder.
He didn't say anything, but Shirasawa could sense his worry.
On Toyotama's side, Tsuyoshi Minami sat in a chair, stretching his neck, wincing in pain.
But just then, Coach Jinpei suddenly spoke up. His voice wasn't loud, but everyone could hear him clearly:
" Tsuyoshi Minami, you should really reflect on your actions."
Upon hearing this, Kishimoto immediately exploded.
Tsuyoshi Minami is a victim, and you still want him to reflect on his actions?
He grabbed Jinpei by the collar and practically yelled, "What nonsense are you spouting! Shut up!"
Anger flashed in Jinpei's eyes.
I've put up with you for so long!
Jinpei has indeed not fared very well in the past two years, but he was once a famous young marshal.
In terms of ability, he is quite confident.
The most important thing for a coach is to see all the details on the field and make adjustments as needed.
They especially need to keep a close eye on their own teammates.
So he saw Tsuyoshi Minami's foot-stepping maneuver perfectly clearly.
Could it be that you're going to cushion someone's fall? Are you worried the floor is too hard and you'll end up as a human cushion?
Bah! If he can't even see that, he shouldn't be a coach.
Tsuyoshi Minami clearly wanted to cripple Shirasawa!
Jinpei still has a bottom line.
He had previously tacitly approved of Tsuyoshi Minami's underhanded tactics, but never of something as dirty as tripping someone up.
Shirasawa's counterattack made him and the two veteran coaches think the same thing: Well done! He deserved it!
To put it bluntly, this is practically playing with other people's careers!
Shirasawa escaped this time, but what about next time? What if it's someone else?
If this matter is simply brushed aside, something terrible will happen sooner or later!
Jinpei felt that since he was sitting on the coach's bench, he couldn't pretend not to see it.
He had been quite polite, only asking Tsuyoshi Minami to "reflect" without explicitly stating his intentions, which was already giving him plenty of face.
But who would have thought that even after he humbled himself so much, it still wouldn't work!
And... Kishimoto actually grabbed him by the collar in public!
With so many spectators and reporters present, how will he save face afterward?
This time, Jinpei was truly desperate.
When an honest person is pushed to the limit, their outburst can be more frightening than anyone else's.
"I've put up with you long enough!"
Jinpei practically spat out those words through gritted teeth, leaving Kishimoto momentarily stunned.
Before he could even grasp the meaning behind those words, a fist was already hurtling towards his face, and it kept getting bigger and bigger!
Jinpei really couldn't hold it in any longer this time!
Forget about rules and decorum, forget about swallowing your pride! Forget about it all now!
Two years' worth of pent-up anger exploded all at once!
The punch landed Minori Kishimoto's face.
Not hitting his eyes was his last act of restraint.
A muffled thud!
Minori Kishimoto felt that today was absolutely the worst day of her life.
The punch was quite powerful, knocking him back onto the bench.
Kishimoto covered his face, completely stunned.
He had considered who might make the move, but Jinpei wasn't on the list at all!
However, Jinpei wasn't over yet.
He lunged forward angrily, raising his arm to deliver a second blow!
The entire Toyotama team was dumbfounded, each one staring in disbelief.
What's going on? Why are our own people fighting first?
"Quick, grab him!!"
Tsuyoshi Minami was the first to react, shouting as he rushed over.
Several people grabbed Jinpei and dragged him away from Kishimoto.
Until this point,
Kishimoto slowly stood up.
He still couldn't believe that Jinpei had actually laid a hand on him.
However, taking that punch actually calmed his burning anger down quite a bit.
Of course, I only calmed down for a short while.
Once Kishimoto had fully recovered, that anger flared up again!
"Damn it! You dare hit me?!"
He was about to grab the bench next to him when he said that.
The teammates quickly split up into another group and held Kishimoto down tightly.
Toyotama's bench erupted into chaos!
In the blink of an eye, he became the most eye-catching sight in the entire venue!
The referees, security guards, and members of the organizing committee all rushed over.
The people on the Shohoku were all stunned.
How did they start fighting amongst themselves?
Could that coach be an undercover agent we sent in?...
Anyway, it was pretty satisfying to watch...
Miyagi and Sakuragi even wanted to join in the fun, and almost couldn't resist shouting "Go for it!" a couple of times...
Coach Kitano, who was in the media section, stood up and then sat down again.
Then he stood up again.
His eyes struggled as he looked towards Toyotama.
Finally, he let out a long sigh, turned around, and left the stadium.
His back looked a little hunched.
He just made one last struggle for Toyotama.
If he were to step in now, perhaps he could stop this farce.
But after much hesitation, he gave up.
This turn was his final farewell to Toyotama.
In Old Kitano's heart, Toyotama was like his own child; his departure was simply because the child had grown up and no longer needed him.