Zhou Hao first stepped back.
Then, in the very next instant...
He stepped forward.
With that single stride, the outside pitch that had initially been difficult to reach was pulled directly into his hitting zone.
The entire Yakushi dugout froze.
Just moments earlier, their ace had accidentally hit Kominato Ryosuke with a pitch.
That kind of mistake usually weighed heavily on a pitcher.
Yet Sanada hadn't let it affect him in the slightest.
Instead, he boldly challenged Zhou Hao with another inside pitch.
When Zhou Hao backed away from the plate, everyone naturally reached the same conclusion.
He had chosen to compromise.
Even Seido's players thought so.
To them, there was nothing shameful about it.
On the contrary, it was the smartest decision.
Seido still controlled the game.
There was no reason for their ace to risk an injury over a single at-bat.
If backing away from the inside corner increased the team's chances of winning, then it was a perfectly reasonable choice.
That was what everyone believed.
But just as Yakushi's players and supporters convinced themselves that Zhou Hao had backed down...
He suddenly made his move.
The instant Sanada threw to the outside corner—
Zhou Hao took a huge step forward.
The distance between himself and the baseball disappeared in an instant.
"Damn it!"
"We've been fooled!"
"It was a trap from the very beginning!"
"The number one player in the country actually played mind games with us!"
The Yakushi players and supporters weren't fools.
By now, they understood exactly what had happened.
Everything had been part of Zhou Hao's plan.
From beginning to end...
He had been baiting Sanada.
The Yakushi players had been extremely cautious before facing him.
After all, their opponent was Zhou Hao.
They had prepared themselves for every possible scenario.
Yet once the duel actually began...
Neither Sanada nor the rest of Yakushi's players remembered that resolve.
Every one of them had been unconsciously led by Zhou Hao's actions.
When he stepped back...
They instinctively assumed he had been intimidated.
Exactly as Zhou Hao intended.
Only now did they realize they had danced to his tune the entire time.
Their baseball skills weren't enough to match him.
Even their thoughts had been manipulated.
The realization left everyone feeling utterly humiliated.
Now...
There was only one thing left to hope for.
A mis-hit.
Or at least a routine fly ball.
No matter how brilliant the setup had been...
Baseball was ultimately decided by results.
As long as Zhou Hao failed to drive the ball safely into the outfield—or better yet, over the fence—
Yakushi would still have a chance.
Every pair of eyes in the stadium followed the baseball.
Oddly enough, Yakushi's supporters were watching even more intently than Seido's fans.
No one wanted to miss what happened next.
Boom!
Crack!
The bat tore through the air before smashing squarely into the baseball.
The explosive sound echoed throughout the stadium.
Under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of spectators, the white ball soared high into the sky.
Ninety meters...
Then farther still.
As it finally began to descend, Yakushi's outfielder's eyes lit up.
Good thing I started retreating early.
It's Zhou Hao we're talking about.
If I hadn't positioned myself deep enough beforehand, this would've been impossible to catch.
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
Now, however...
He was convinced this catch would become the biggest defensive play of the game.
If I make this catch...
Coach has to treat me to barbecue!
Just as the thought crossed his mind—
His expression suddenly froze.
The baseball didn't fall as expected.
Instead...
It continued carrying forward.
"What?"
"Isn't that Sanada's Cutter?"
The Yakushi players couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Normally, even if a batter managed to connect with Sanada's Cutter, the movement on the pitch would make solid contact extremely difficult.
Mishits were the norm.
Sanada's signature pitch was supposed to overpower hitters.
No one had ever imagined it would be crushed this cleanly.
The players and supporters who had always placed their faith in Sanada stared in disbelief.
The ace they admired so much...
Had just watched his best pitch disappear into the distance.
Thud!
The baseball landed deep in the stands before bouncing several more times.
Yakushi's outfielder stood rooted to the spot, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Only moments earlier...
He had been convinced he would catch it.
Instead...
The ball sailed effortlessly over his head and into the crowd.
"It's gone!"
"A two-run home run for Seido High School!"
"The score is now 3–0!"
The Seido supporters immediately erupted into thunderous cheers.
The anxiety they had carried since the start of the game finally melted away.
By now, everyone understood.
Yakushi wasn't an ordinary opponent.
Whether it was their batting...
Their defense...
Or their relentless fighting spirit...
They had already reached the level of the nation's elite teams.
More importantly...
They possessed something even many powerhouse schools lacked.
No matter how difficult the situation became...
They refused to give up.
Had Yakushi not possessed that unwavering determination, Seido would never have been forced into such a tense battle.
After all, it had taken until the third inning just to score their first run.
For most teams, that would already be an excellent performance.
But for Seido...
It wasn't enough.
They were the reigning national champions.
A team destined to compete for another title.
How could they allow an upstart dark horse to stand in their way?
Fortunately...
At the decisive moment...
Their ace stepped up once again.
With one mighty swing...
Zhou Hao blasted the baseball into the stands.
Everyone watched in stunned silence.
They had already witnessed Sanada's incredible ability.
Even on the national stage, he was unquestionably an outstanding pitcher.
Yet against Zhou Hao...
He had no answer.
Not even his best pitch could stop him.
The Yakushi players and supporters felt cold sweat trickling down their backs.
A single question echoed through everyone's mind.
Can we really hold on against a monster like this?
"Zhou Hao has never let us down!"
The Seido supporters' familiar chant echoed throughout the stadium.
Ironically...
Those same words resurfaced in the minds of Yakushi's players and supporters.
Just moments ago, they had already recorded two outs.
They were only one batter away from escaping the inning.
Had they done so, a 1–0 deficit after three innings would have been perfectly acceptable.
After all...
Their opponent was Seido High School.
No one would have criticized Yakushi for trailing by a single run.
But now...
Everything had changed.
The scoreboard read 3–0.
Only three innings had been played, yet the gap already felt enormous.
More importantly...
Seido's offensive momentum showed no signs of slowing down.
Zhou Hao's towering two-run homer had completely ignited the entire team.
The expressions on Seido's players told the story.
Their eyes burned with confidence.
Like wolves that had finally smelled blood.
Every batter stepped to the plate with only one thought in mind—
Drive the ball.
Keep the offense alive.
Across the field, Yakushi's players unconsciously turned toward their ace.
Can Sanada really hold on?
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Seido's dugout couldn't have been more different.
As Zhou Hao and Kominato Ryosuke returned, they were greeted with cheers from every direction.
"Beautiful!"
"That's our ace!"
"I knew Zhou Hao would deliver!"
"That Cutter had incredible movement, and you still crushed it!"
Ryosuke smiled modestly.
"I only reached base because Zhou Hao finished the job."
"If he hadn't hit that home run, my hit-by-pitch wouldn't have meant much."
Although he said so...
Everyone understood the truth.
His trip to first base had been crucial.
Otherwise, Zhou Hao would never have come to the plate with a runner aboard.
Ironically...
The person least interested in the two runs was Zhou Hao himself.
Sitting quietly on the bench, he stared blankly into space.
His attention wasn't on the game at all.
Instead...
His mind was focused on the notification echoing inside his head.
[Congratulations, Host.]
[Mission Complete.]
[Two-run Home Run achieved.]
[Batting Ability has increased by one level.]
The system...
Had quietly finished another stage of its correction.
Zhou Hao remembered everything clearly.
When he first awakened the system, its prompts had been completely absurd.
According to its records...
He had supposedly just entered the Ninja World.
Because of that misunderstanding, the system had rewarded him with the Sharingan.
As time passed, however, those strange notifications gradually disappeared.
Instead...
The system slowly corrected itself.
Eventually, a proper status panel appeared in his mind.
His Batting Ability had risen from 6 to 7.
The more Zhou Hao thought about it...
The more convinced he became.
The system hadn't malfunctioned.
It had simply been undergoing continuous calibration.
If that was true...
Then what would happen after the debugging process was finally complete?
A sharp light flashed across Zhou Hao's narrowed eyes.
He already had a vague idea.
And that possibility...
Was enough to make even him feel excited.
The game continued.
After scoring two runs in one swing, Seido's morale had reached an entirely new level.
On the mound...
Yakushi's new ace quickly regained his composure.
Although Zhou Hao's home run had shaken him...
He refused to let it affect his pitching.
Without hesitation, Sanada fired another Jet Ball.
Whoosh!
The baseball shot toward the plate like a rifle bullet.
Inside Seido's dugout, several players frowned.
Honestly...
Sanada's mental toughness exceeded all of their expectations.
He had already surrendered three runs.
He had just watched Zhou Hao blast his best pitch into the stands.
Against most pitchers—
Even the aces of national powerhouse teams—
That kind of blow would inevitably leave a mark.
The loss of confidence would eventually appear in their pitches.
Many Seido players had expected Sanada to collapse.
Instead...
His pitches remained every bit as sharp as before.
If anything...
They seemed even more dangerous.
"Where did this guy come from?"
"His pitches are incredible..."
"But his mentality is even scarier."
Normally...
That level of composure could only be found on veteran teams accustomed to winning championships.
Yet somehow...
Sanada possessed it as well.
Watching from Yakushi's dugout, even Coach Todoroki Raizo was beginning to lose his composure.
"What a wasted opportunity..."
"I handed it to you on a silver platter."
"Why couldn't you capitalize on it?"
Just as he muttered those words—
Yuki Tetsuya suddenly exploded into action.
Until that moment, he had stood motionless.
Like an ancient volcano waiting to erupt.
Then...
Boom!
The instant he swung, it was as if molten lava burst from the earth.
Crack!
Sanada's inside Jet Ball was forcefully driven into play.
"He hit that?"
"Generating power on an inside pitch like that is incredibly difficult."
"How did he manage it?"
The spectators stared in astonishment.
Before anyone could recover—
The baseball had already cleared the third baseman's head and dropped into left field.
Thud!
With his speed, Yuki reached second base without difficulty.
Two outs. Runner on second.
Despite already scoring twice that inning...
Seido wasn't satisfied.
Not even close.
They wanted more.
Across the diamond, Yakushi's players had gone numb.
It wasn't that they had given up.
They simply didn't know what else they could do.
"How..."
"How is the gap this big?"
"Even if they're a national powerhouse..."
"It shouldn't be this overwhelming..."
Just then...
Seido's fifth batter stepped into the batter's box.
Isashiki Jun adjusted his helmet before raising his bat.
"I can't let the third-years be outdone."
The underclassmen had already performed brilliantly.
Their captain, Yuki Tetsuya, had also reached scoring position.
As Seido's vice-captain...
And one of the leaders of the third-year class...
Isashiki felt it was his responsibility to keep the inning alive.
His eyes locked onto Sanada with unwavering intensity.
As though he had already found the pitcher's weakness.
Standing atop the mound...
Sanada had never felt pressure like this before.
Yakushi's offense was built around fearless aggression.
Especially the three extraordinary first-years on their roster.
During practice, Sanada had faced those three countless times.
Aside from Todoroki Raichi...
He had usually managed to suppress the other two.
Even then...
Pitching had never been easy.
But now...
Facing Seido's relentless lineup...
That pressure had multiplied over and over again.
Standing on the mound felt as though he were confronting an enormous mountain.
No matter how hard he searched...
He simply couldn't see a path to victory.
"Huff..."