Just as Sakuragi Hanamichi's flaming red head rose to eye level with the rim—
A towering mass of flesh exploded upward from the ground.
Uozumi Jun.
Ryonan's monstrous center had completely lost sight of the ball.
The humiliation of being toyed with by Makino Juro…
the fury of being ignored by Akagi…
All of it had been compressed into his taut, bulging muscles.
He wasn't thinking about blocking the shot anymore.
He just wanted to destroy.
Arms spread wide like a predatory brown bear,
he lunged at Sakuragi midair with a brutal, all-or-nothing momentum—
"Get… DOWN!!!"
BOOM!!!
A sickening, bone-rattling impact.
The entire arena's heart seemed to seize at once.
Against such overwhelming mass, Sakuragi's proud leaping ability became a death sentence.
Like a kite slamming into a speeding truck, he lost all balance midair—
his body sent flying sideways.
Thud!
His back smashed hard against the floor.
The impact was so heavy it felt like the entire court trembled with it.
The basketball rolled aimlessly toward the sideline,
coming to a stop at the referee's feet—painfully conspicuous.
And that red-haired boy—
who was always shouting, always brimming with energy...
now lay sprawled on the floor.
Completely motionless.
Silence.
The arena, boiling just a second ago, was suddenly muted—as if someone had hit a switch.
Only Uozumi's ragged, bellows-like breathing echoed across the court, sending chills down everyone's spine.
"BEEP!!!"
The referee's shrill whistle tore through the frozen air.
Defensive foul!
Flagrant contact!
But Uozumi didn't even glance at the referee.
He stood there, chest heaving violently, sweat dripping from his chin.
His bloodshot eyes locked onto Sakuragi's unmoving body—
and a twisted, savage satisfaction crept onto his face.
A foul?
Didn't matter.
As long as he could crush that arrogant momentum—
As long as he could strangle Shohoku's comeback.
Even getting ejected would be worth it.
This was war.
Only those still standing had the right to speak.
"This…"
In the Shoyo stands, Hanagata Toru froze mid-motion, his hand still adjusting his glasses.
His pupils trembled behind the lenses.
"That kind of strength… he's like a beast completely out of control."
"If it were me…"
Beside him, Fujima Kenji crossed his arms.
Even his usually calm, calculating eyes rippled with unease.
He looked at Uozumi, feral and menacing—
then instinctively turned his gaze toward the Shohoku bench.
Toward that figure wrapped in a jacket.
Makino Juro.
Fujima swallowed hard.
"Hanagata… did you notice?"
"Notice what?"
"That kind of power… even Akagi has to avoid it. Even Sakuragi—with his freakish physicality—was blown away."
Fujima took a slow breath, his voice tinged with a chilling realization.
"But don't forget…"
"Just a few minutes ago...."
"Makino Juro… was pressing that same rampaging Uozumi to the ground with one hand."
Hanagata fell silent.
A cold shiver shot up his spine.
Without this brutal contrast, they never would've understood just what kind of existence Makino Juro truly was.
Something beyond a "monster"
Something… closer to a god.
On the Kainan side.
Kiyota Nobunaga clutched the railing, shouting in disbelief:
"Hey—hey! You've gotta be kidding me?!"
"That red-haired monkey… he's not dead, is he?!"
Maki Shinichi frowned deeply, his expression heavy as iron.
As the king of Kanagawa, he knew exactly how devastating that kind of foul could be.
Uozumi was gambling—
Trading his own foul for the collapse of Shohoku's interior.
"Sakuragi…" Maki murmured.
On the court.
"Sakuragi!!"
"Hey! Hanamichi! You okay?!"
Miyagi Ryota was the first to rush over, his usual cocky grin gone—replaced by raw panic.
He dropped to his knees, reaching out to help—
but froze halfway.
Damn it… if something happened to this guy…
Ayako threw aside her clipboard and sprinted onto the court, clutching a spray can tightly in her hand, her face pale as paper.
Even the referee crouched immediately to check on him.
But...
no matter how they called out.
Sakuragi Hanamichi lay there like a corpse.
No groan.
No cry of pain.
Not even a twitch of a finger.
Only suffocating silence.
Uozumi strode forward heavily, his massive shadow swallowing Akagi whole.
"Huff… huff…"
Looking down at him, Uozumi's eyes gleamed with provocation.
"Well, Akagi?"
"Is this the result you wanted?"
"Relying on a complete amateur to stir things up—this is how it ends."
He was declaring dominance.
Announcing it to the world:
The paint—
was his hunting ground.
Akagi Takenori didn't look at Sakuragi.
Didn't look at the panicking Miyagi either.
He slowly raised his head, meeting Uozumi's oppressive gaze.
To Uozumi's surprise...
there was no anger on Akagi's face.
No panic.
Those eyes that had once wavered because of his injury—
were now deep and still, like an ancient well.
"Uozumi."
"Do you really think… you've won?"
His voice was calm.
Calm enough to make one's heart tremble.
Uozumi paused—then sneered.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Look at your teammate. Look at that useless leg of yours—"
"You're wrong."
Akagi cut him off, a cold curve forming at his lips.
"Your solo show—"
"is over."
"What?" Uozumi's pupils shrank violently.
Nearby, Mitsui Hisashi stood with hands on his hips, watching Akagi's broad back—
and suddenly smiled.
He knew Akagi too well.
The man called "Kanagawa's No.1 Center."
The iron-willed gorilla—
had fully awakened.
That reckless foul from Uozumi…
hadn't broken Akagi.
It had shattered the final chain binding his heart.
At the end of fear...
lay absolute anger.
And absolute calm.
In a corner of the stands.
"Sakuragi-kun…"
Akagi Haruko covered her mouth.
"Yōhei! Look—quick!"
"Sakuragi, he…"
Her voice trembled as she turned to the Sakuragi Army for help.
But to her shock...
Mito Yōhei, Takamiya Nozomi, Ohkusu Yūji, and Noma Chuichiro—
weren't worried at all.
Instead, they were leaning against the railing…
with strangely amused expressions.
Almost… sympathetic?
"Well, well… now this is trouble."
Mito Yōhei rested his chin on one hand, his tone dripping with poorly concealed schadenfreude.
"Yeah, that 'Monkey Boss' guy…"
Takamiya stuffed a handful of popcorn into his mouth, mumbling:
"He's done for. Completely done."
Haruko blinked in confusion.
"Huh?"
"What are you talking about? Sakuragi fainted—"
"Fainted?"
Ohkusu burst out laughing as if she'd told a joke.
Pointing at the court, he said:
"Miss Haruko, you still don't understand Hanamichi's body at all."
"That kind of hit?"
"To him, it's basically a scratch."
Noma adjusted imaginary glasses, speaking with mock seriousness:
"Compared to Sakuragi's condition…"
"I think what we should really be worried about right now…"
"is Monkey Boss's personal safety."
END OF CHAPTER
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