Yamanaka Yuta's strength had already been proven during last year's Nationals.
Facing a physically imposing guard, he'd broken his opponent down within minutes using his explosive first step alone.
However, against someone like Tendou Kageyoshi—whose speed could match him, and whose basketball experience clearly exceeded his age—Yamanaka's straightforward style became a glaring weakness.
Tendou reached from behind like a ghostly claw, cleanly swiping the ball out of Yamanaka's control.
Immediately afterward, Tendou shoved past him and sprinted downcourt.
"Pass it here, Kuroko!"
Kuroko, who'd luckily secured the ball, was still contemplating his next move when Tendou had already bolted past mid-court.
Without hesitation, Kuroko hurled the ball forward.
One of the second-stringers had anticipated this and quickly dropped back for defense.
It was now a one-on-one showdown at the frontcourt.
This time, Tendou skipped the elegant fadeaway and decisively accelerated toward the rim.
He faked a strong move to the right, then swiftly shifted direction to his left.
With one shake and drive, the defender was completely left behind.
This move clearly showcased Tendou's excellent body balance and coordination.
Players lacking agility couldn't perform such sharp directional changes—any attempted fake would be easily exposed.
"Swish!"
Facing an open basket, Tendou safely chose a reliable layup off the backboard.
Sure, he could dunk—but attempting it in this scenario risked an embarrassing failure, reminiscent of Steph Curry's infamous slip-ups.
The gap narrowed to just six points!
...
Kubo Jun was a sports reporter for Tokyo Sports, specializing in youth basketball coverage. Around this time every year, he'd visit various middle schools to gather information and write season previews.
Prestigious schools like Teiko naturally became his prime targets.
When news reached him that the towering prodigy Murasakibara Atsushi had enrolled at Teiko, Kubo immediately made Teiko his first stop.
He was eager to see if Murasakibara could replicate his dominant elementary school performance at this higher level.
If so, Teiko would receive an immense boost.
They already had a star player in Nijimura Shuuzo, who'd emerged as a prominent figure even in his freshman year.
If Teiko added a reliable frontcourt presence, their inside game would instantly become one of the best nationally.
And indeed—
Murasakibara hadn't disappointed. Even against Teiko's second-string squad, his rim protection remained decisive.
Under his defense, the paint was virtually impenetrable, enabling a rookie-filled team to defeat the second-stringers comfortably.
Though his scoring techniques near the basket were still crude—either dunks or two-handed slams—his extraordinary physical talent allowed him to dominate the interior anyway.
With this formidable center joining them, Teiko would undoubtedly be a powerful contender in this year's Nationals.
However—
Just when Kubo assumed Teiko's surprises had ended there, he noticed a commotion on another court:
Yamanaka Yuta, Teiko's fierce second-string scorer, was being utterly destroyed by someone else.
"This jumping ability, this speed, this court awareness, these steals… Good grief!"
Seeing Tendou steal from Yamanaka three times in succession, Kubo sharply inhaled in shock.
Yamanaka wasn't some nameless nobody—last year, he averaged 16.3 points at Nationals, becoming Teiko's most important bench scorer.
His crowning performance came during the qualifiers, where he'd repeatedly torched the opposing star guard for 30 points, securing Teiko's Nationals ticket.
Yet now, this elite scorer had lost the ball three consecutive times—no, make that four—against a mere freshman.
"This kid is an elite perimeter defender with scoring potential—an absolute menace!"
Offense wins applause, defense wins championships.
This philosophy was already deeply embedded in the minds of contemporary basketball fans.
Teiko now had Murasakibara's prodigious inside presence, paired with Tendou Kageyoshi—a defensive menace reminiscent of a spider—on the perimeter.
With these two stabilizing defense, Nijimura Shuuzo could confidently invest more energy in offense.
If these rookies maintained their current form into Nationals…
Even just imagining it made Kubo shudder at how terrifying Teiko would become.
Kubo's thoughts mirrored Coach Shirogane's exactly.
As a former national player himself, Shirogane understood defense's paramount importance.
Without defense, a team's consistency plummeted. Upsets became commonplace.
In single-elimination tournaments like Nationals, poor defense was fatal.
And Tendou wasn't merely a defensive specialist—he possessed exceptional counterattack instincts and impressive shooting form.
Sure, he'd missed his first shot, but that graceful shooting form clearly resulted from countless hours of practice—and plenty of bricks.
As long as his shooting didn't fall below a pitiful 40%, his defense, shooting, and transition scoring would be more than enough.
Watching Tendou confidently gesture at teammates to calm down after scoring—indicating it was just routine—Shirogane already envisioned Teiko's future starting lineup clearly:
Murasakibara and Tendou anchoring the defense, with Nijimura—the most versatile power forward—leading offensively.
A perfect fusion of offense and defense!
...
On court—
The second-stringers were overwhelmed by the freshmen's sudden offensive surge.
With their primary scorer, Yamanaka, effectively locked down, the rest struggled to find solutions.
Yamanaka himself stubbornly insisted on challenging Tendou head-on, desperately trying to score through him.
But before Yamanaka even stepped inside the three-point line, Tendou pressed close again, leaving him no room to start his drive.
Forced to pivot, Yamanaka tried shielding the ball while looking for opportunities to break free.
Yet, shockingly, Tendou's physicality completely surpassed his.
How was this scientifically possible?
Realizing his stubbornness was rapidly eroding the team's hard-earned lead, Yamanaka reluctantly decided to pass.
He glanced toward the right side, simultaneously gripping the ball, clearly telegraphing a pass there.
But at the last second, he swiftly switched directions, passing to his left instead.
Though his breakthrough lacked finesse, this fake-out pass was certainly convincing.
However…
BAM!
The basketball was violently slapped onto the floor once more, rebounding loudly upward.
"Impossible!" Yamanaka's pupils trembled. All he could see was Tendou's golden-ratio arm fully extended in front of him.
This terrifying steal even shook Nijimura Shuuzo, making him seriously wonder: would even he have been able to avoid being stripped in that situation?
The answer—he realized—wasn't certain.
He'd clearly seen Yamanaka pass the ball first. But in the blink of an eye, Tendou's right arm blurred, smacking the ball away instantly.
That speed was terrifyingly reminiscent of a swift sword-draw technique—precise, ruthless, and lightning-fast.
The bullet comments exploded:
『What the hell?!』
『Boring. Just close it already!』
『100% cheat-level steals. How's anyone supposed to play?』
『By the way, does anyone know what that weird 'Cleave' thing he keeps saying means?』