Namikaze Minato smiled and said, "I guess I'm up next."
Same old routine—Sakuragi Hanamichi, responsible for stealing the ball, intercepted it once the opponents crossed half-court and passed it to Namikaze Minato.
The moment Minato caught the ball, screams erupted from every girl in the gymnasium.
In the next second, a golden flash streaked across the court. By the time anyone could react, Minato was already hanging from Mitsui's basket with one hand.
Su Xiaoqi chuckled. "Truly the fastest man in the shinobi world."
"Beeeeep—!"
Just then, the referee's whistle blew again, signaling another no-basket call.
The girls in the stands immediately protested, shouting, "Yondaime, you were too fast just now! Do it again!"
"Yondaime!"
"Yondaime!"
"Yondaime!"
Minato scratched his head and smiled. "It's someone else's turn next. I'll slow down a bit later."
His sunny grin sent the girls into another round of high-pitched screams.
Su Xiaoqi glanced at Sakata Gintoki. "You or me next?"
Gintoki huffed. "Gin-san won't let you hog the spotlight this time. Gin-san is the grand finale."
Su Xiaoqi nodded and turned to Sakuragi. "I'll steal the ball myself this time."
By now, the thoroughly demoralized Mitsui players saw a different man standing in front of them—the very one who had started their nightmare. Their eyes burned with fury.
Mitsui's No. 4 passed the ball to Naitou Tetsuya and growled, "Naitou, ram into him! Even if you get ejected, I don't care!"
Naitou nodded, dribbling straight toward Su Xiaoqi with full force.
Seeing the charging giant, Su Xiaoqi smirked and crouched slightly at the free-throw line, adopting a defensive stance.
As Naitou closed in, he shifted into a football tackle, slamming his body into Su Xiaoqi.
"Die!"
In the stands, spectators gasped. Some even shut their eyes, unable to watch.
Even if Shohoku's No. 9 could shatter a backboard, the sheer size difference was staggering.
On Shohoku's bench, Miyagi Ryota and Mitsui muttered under their breaths, "Please don't let anyone die, please don't let anyone die…"
Kawai Mari shouted anxiously, "Su Xiaoqi, dodge!"
Akagi Haruko giggled at her panic. "Relax, big bro will be fine. That No. 9 from Mitsui is the one who's done for."
"BOOM—!"
A deafening crash echoed through the gym. When everyone looked back, Shohoku's No. 9 stood completely unharmed.
As for Mitsui's No. 9…
Wait, where was he?
After scanning the court, they finally spotted him—lying beneath Mitsui's basket, foaming at the mouth, unconscious.
"Beeeeep—!"
The referee blew his whistle. "Black No. 9, flagrant foul. Ejected."
The crowd erupted in applause. Mitsui's No. 9 had brought this on himself.
The foul gave Shohoku two free throws and possession. Su Xiaoqi sank both shots, then on the ensuing play, with no flashy moves, he stormed down the court for a tomahawk dunk.
"Su Xiaoqi, smash the backboard!"
"Or at least the rim!"
"Don't worry about the cost—we'll pay for it!"
"Su Xiaoqi, I love you!"
The same girls who had swooned over Minato now shifted their affections to Su Xiaoqi.
They loved sunny, handsome men, but they also adored rugged, domineering ones.
Kawai Mari wasn't having it. She jumped to her feet and yelled, "Dream on! Su Xiaoqi is mine!"
"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Gintoki bellowed, glaring at the crowd. "Now it's Gin-san's turn to show you what real basketball looks like!"
But before Sakuragi could steal the ball and pass it to him for more than three seconds—
"Beeeeep—!"
"Red No. 13, traveling."
*THUD.* Everyone in the gym—except Gintoki and the referee—faceplanted.
Furious, Gintoki stormed up to the ref, ball in hand. "Where was that a travel, huh? Do you play basketball without moving your feet?!"
"Gin-san's been thinking—you've got it out for me! Did Mitsui bribe you or something?!"
The referee had enough. "Red No. 13, technical foul."
"WHAT?!"
Gintoki snapped. He hurled the ball aside and jabbed a finger at the ref.
"Go ahead, blow that whistle again! See if Gin-san doesn't pluck your eyes out and shove 'em up your—"
"Red No. 13, ejected."
"OH, YOU MOTHER—Gin-san's ending you today, you crooked ref!"
Just as Gintoki lunged, Su Xiaoqi appeared behind him in a flash and knocked him out with a chop to the neck.
Turning to the ref with an apologetic smile, he said, "Ignore him. He got bitten by a stray dog on the way here—must be rabies. I'll have someone take him to the hospital for shots."
He barked at the bench, "What are you idiots waiting for? Get this moron to the ER, now!"
As the substitutes scrambled to carry Gintoki out, Su Xiaoqi turned back to the ref. "He's gone. Can we resume?"
The ref studied him for a long moment. "One more incident like this, and Shohoku is disqualified."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Su Xiaoqi assured him.
With Gintoki gone, Su Xiaoqi called a timeout. He subbed in "Emperor Kakuta," the team's No. 8, as both an apology for taking his jersey number and to continue his own undefeated legend.
"Sakuragi, Minato—tone it down a notch. If you're gonna mess with them, be subtle."
Sakuragi grinned. "Got it, boss."
Minato nodded. "No problem."
Kawai Mari hurried over with a towel. "Su Xiaoqi, you must be exhausted. Let me wipe your sweat."
Su Xiaoqi deadpanned, "Do I look like I've broken a sweat?"
Undeterred, she held out a water bottle. "Then are you thirsty? Let me feed you."
Su Xiaoqi massaged his temples. "Haruko, Ayako—take her for a rabies shot too."
When play resumed, Mitsui scored their first—and only—point of the second half via free throws.
From then on, Su Xiaoqi and the others mostly let Sakuragi shine. He showed off every move from the "Generation of Miracles," dazzling the crowd.
Su Xiaoqi made sure Kakuta got his moments too, setting him up for a few baskets—though the man never once opened his eyes.
As for Mitsui, resigned to defeat, they played dirty, aiming to injure as many opponents as possible.
Bad move. Between Su Xiaoqi, Sakuragi, and Minato, Mitsui's entire 12-man roster was whittled down to just five by the final 30 seconds.
Su Xiaoqi whispered to Sakuragi, "Last play—lob it high. I'll take out all five at once."
Sakuragi grinned. "You got it."
As Sakuragi tossed the ball skyward, Su Xiaoqi leaped, caught it, and slammed it through the net with enough force to shatter the backboard—and send Mitsui's last five players flying.
The gym reached its peak frenzy as the final score flashed: **175-25.**
Shohoku became legends in a single game. Mitsui became the laughingstock of Kanagawa.
Over at Ryonan, Coach Taoka addressed his team solemnly. "This year, our goal is to advance as the second seed."
The same scene unfolded at Kainan. Maki Shinichi told Fujima Kenji, "Kainan will aim for second. As for you guys… just try to lose by less."
Back in Shohoku's locker room, Kawai Mari searched frantically for Su Xiaoqi before cornering Sakuragi. "Where is he?!"
Sakuragi rubbed his neck. "Uh… Boss said his cat's giving birth. Went home early."
"That liar!" Mari stomped her foot, glaring at Su Xiaoqi's empty seat. "I won't give up. Kawai Mari will make you mine!"