Yo, here's the next chapter for you guys. I appreciate those who are enjoying the story and give feedback on what you'd like to see, yall the real MVPs. Also, a lot of people seemed to like the idea of Naruto x Alexandra so if that's what you want I'll be more than happy to oblige. Another question I've been asked is what's gonna happen after the winter cup, I'm thinking I'll take the story into the NBA. If you guys wanna see that let me know.
Lastly, feel free to pull up to the discord server if you wanna talk fics, lewds, or just bullshit with some cool people. Invite code is UBUWKvMe just don't be weird or soft and we'll have a good time.
Naruto had seen Murasakibara on the tapes the team had seen, but standing close to him really displayed the height difference between him and everyone else on the court. It was obvious the large player was used to being the tallest and in some way, the best player on the court. He looked completely calm, hell he'd say even bored, as he got the ball and easily scored over Wakamatsu.
The purple haired teen didn't even need to jump all that much to reach the rim, giving him a huge advantage. Naruto got the ball and dribbled down the court, taking note of where everyone was and how much space he had. The sandy hair colored defender in front of him seemed bored as if he expected Naruto to pass him.
'Murasakibara has crazy defensive range' Naruto thought to himself as he dribbled the ball between his legs once. There was an easy path to the basket on his right hand side but he knew it wouldn't work. 'Once I make it through, the purple tree will swat it out of the air. At least I can test something.'
He dribbled to the left and cut back to the right quickly. As he thought, the tall player in front of him didn't seem at all bothered that he'd been crossed. He ran forward and faked a layup. As soon as his arm went up with the ball, a large shadow fell over him. Glancing upwards he saw Murasakibara up in the air, ready to block his shot.
In response he bounced the ball under their center's legs in order to get the ball to Wakamatsu, who leaped into the air ready to give them their first points. Naruto shouldn't have been surprised but the man's speed was faster than the tapes had shown.
In a split second, Murasakibara was once again in the air with his right hand outstretched. The sound of a palm meeting the ball resonated through the gym. The larger center came down with the ball in his hand and he quickly tossed it down the court to one of his teammates.
"That was a nice try but you're too small to do that." The giant told Wakamatsu. He then turned his attention to Naruto who was staring back at him. "You're lucky you passed, otherwise I'd probably have crushed you."
Naruto narrowed his eyes but didn't reply, instead making his way down the court to continue observing their offense. He was no stranger to trash talk, having done it and taken it, but something about the way the younger man said it got under his skin.
He got on defense against the one he heard the call Fukui and kept a loose stance in front of him. The man held the ball with both hands, his eyes darting around trying to find the best course of action. The blond saw his opponents eyes dart back and forth quickly and he knew what was going to happen.
Fukui used his size to his advantage and lightly bumped Naruto in the chest with his shoulder and went left. Having seen this move before back in the states, Naruto pretended to take the bait and went left. The moment he did so he retracted and quickly extended his arm as far to the right as he could.
The audience roared in excitement as the ball collided with Naruto's outstretched arm. The blond saw that Murasakibara had already made his way near the basket and was staring at him with that same bored look on his face.
'He's basically able to guard anything within the three point line from one side of the court to the other.' He thought as he stopped a few feet short of the three point line. His teammates soon swarmed the field, each being guarded by their respective mark.
Dribbling with his right hand he slowly made his way forward but still far behind the three point line, Fukui still on him.
"Even if you get through me, you know no one can score on Murasakibara right?" Fukui taunted. His words sounded different than that of their centers. Where Murasakibara said it in a condescending tone, Fukui said it in one of absolute confidence, fully believing his words.
"You guys haven't given up a single point in two games, I'm not gonna lie, that's pretty impressive. Even if it was against two scrub teams." Naruto quickly took a side step to the right and launched the ball from about 8 feet behind the three point line. Everyone's heads looked up and followed the ball as it soared through the air.
Swish
"The Shield of Aegis has been pierced!" Some random fan in the crowd yelled when the scoreboard read 3-2.
Naruto smirked as the purple haired center's eyes narrowed at him from his position. Not bothering to give him any more attention Naruto quickly jogged backwards getting ready to play defense once again.
"Nice shot Naruto." Imayoshi said, patting his shoulder as he passed him.
The blond nodded but didn't take his eyes off Fukui who once again came dribbling down the court. This time he actually looked serious, probably not appreciating their perfect streak being ended because of him.
Fukui dashed forward and tossed the ball to Okamura, making sure to toss the ball high into the air.
Naruto stuck by his mark but made sure to keep his eye on Aomine who was guarding their power forward with the ball. Okamura tried to overpower the blue haired teen with his size but Aomine was firmly planted on the ground.
Seeing that he wasn't making progress, the man quickly passed the ball to Himuro who'd managed to get free and into the mid range area. Even Naruto couldn't keep his amazement hidden as Himuro did one of the most beautiful pump fakes he'd seen. It really looked like he was going to pull up for a jumper, but instead he took two steps forward and let off a small floater that easily went down.
"Damn." He muttered as he got the ball and ran down the court. Wakamatsu was on his right and nodded to him. The older blond ran to the right with Fukui still hot on his trail. Once he was close enough, Wakamatsu pushed off his defender and quickly stood next to Naruto using his large body as a screen.
The sound of a loud 'oof' from Fukui was satisfying to him as he ran into his center at almost full speed. Naruto had a clear path to the basket with the only obstacle being their purple haired center who was waiting for his chance to get the block. Naruto's eyes met Aomine's and the two had what seemed to be a quick conversation with just the glance alone.
He dashed forward and propelled off his left leg. The crowd went crazy as they watched him try to dunk on a man much taller than him. As expected Murasakibara jumped, his hand high in the air ready to reject the shot.
To Yosen's surprise, Naruto didn't dunk and instead brought the ball behind his back as he came down and tossed it up backwards. The noise from those watching was deafening as Aomine caught the ball and slammed it down, making sure to hang from the rim for a few seconds for some flare.
Naruto smirked, "I knew you'd know what to do." He commented as he smacked the younger man's back on the way back on defense.
"Hm." Was all his teammate said. While the two of them were running back on defense, neither noticed the large center staring at them with narrowed eyes and slightly grit teeth.
The next few plays were run in a similar fashion, deep threes outside Murasakibara's range, combinations between Naruto and Aomine putting the center in an impossible to stop situation, and taking advantage of their speed.
By the time the first quarter ended, Touou had a solid 33-28 lead.
At the start of the second quarter Naruto ran alongside Aomine as they prepared to attack once again.
"Your former teammate looks like he's mad." Naruto commented. Everyone could see that the longer the game went on the more aggressive the center seemed to play on offense. Almost as if them competing got on his nerves.
"Not yet he's not." Aomine replied as he stayed dribbling just past half court. "If we keep this up though…" He trailed off. Naruto was going to ask 'what' but stopped when he saw the focused look in his teammates eyes when Okamura stepped up to him again.
The ace easily crossed their forward with a simple jab step left before going right straight to where Murasakibara was waiting. To say he felt a bit of pride at what Aomine was doing was an understatement. Rather than the flashy streetball moves he'd been using up until now, he saw Aomine get a little low and turn his body away slightly.
'Let's see what you can do' Naruto thought to himself. He didn't bother trying to shake his defender, he had full confidence Aomine would pull something off.
"Hmmmmm. What do you think you're doing Minechin?" Murasakibara asked somewhat angrily as he looked down at his former teammate.
"Don't ask stupid questions Murasakibara" Aomine retorted, still dribbling with his right hand. Suddenly, he spun around and jumped back into a fadeaway. Predictably his defender jumped to stop it but was off the mark as the ball easily passed over his hand by well over a foot.
Swish
'He faded away but made sure to bring his right knee up in front of him.' Naruto thought to himself as he replayed the shot in his mind. 'After bringing it up, he extended his leg and created a gap about 2 ½ feet long between them. Combining that with the fade away and the height of his jump, that shot is almost unstopabble.'
Aomine must have been practicing by himself at some point because Naruto had never seen him attempt anything like that. It made him wonder, if the boy would've applied himself earlier, how much better would he be by now?
Yosen managed to get an easy bucket courtesy of Himuro faking out three people and quickly got back on defense. It seemed they were finally taking them seriously.
Naruto exhaled and raised his hand up so Imayoshi could toss him the ball. While everyone on the team had scored the other seemed to have no problem letting their two aces let loose. Once the rock was in his hands he sprinted down the court. Yosen seemed to be trying something new by switching marks and having Himuro on Naruto.
That didn't bother the blond one bit. Crossing half court he hopped and made a behind the back motion while looking at Imayoshi.
Himuro quickly stepped aside to intercept the pass, only for it never to come. The blond had instead dribbled it back to him and taken three steps forward before he pulled up for a three pointer.
Knowing that shot was good he turned around and began running back on defense before the ball had even hit the net.
On defense Naruto felt a change in the area. Murasakibara had called for the ball immediately and made his way down the court like he was a guard. He knew the man had no intention of passing as he forced his way through.
Imayoshi, Susa, and Wakamatsu all met him under the basket. They jumped up, Wakamatsu managing to touch the ball, but were no match for the strength he had. Murasakibara easily disregarded the trio as he forced the ball into the net, even hanging slightly like Aomine had before.
Dropping down, Murasakibara stared at the three players and scowled. "I don't know why you even bothered trying." He commented loud enough for everyone to hear. "So you got a few points and thought you had a chance. Nothing pisses me off more than people continuing to try even though it's pointless."
Naruto glared up at the center as he passed by him and had to resist the urge to shit talk back. Still, even though he wasn't going to say something to him now didn't mean he was going to just let that go.
"Everyone." He called out to the team as he requested the ball. "Get ready to play at your best because I'm gonna piss that asshole off very shortly."
Himuro was quick to try and stick to him but another screen created an opening for him. Naruto didn't look anywhere else but at the center who was making his way over to him. It was clear to everyone that Murasakibara wanted to take Naruto down, evident by the fact that he was glaring at him.
The blond got up close and went left, before flicking his wrist to the right. Naruto went right, following the ball that had gone through the giant's legs and took a step forward. That wasn't enough to get through, but he wasn't done. The moment Murasakibara followed him he instantly crossed left.
Yosen, Touou, the fans, and the other members of the generation of miracles looked on wide eyed as the giant stumbled on his feet and fell backwards landing in a sitting position. Naruto didn't stop his attack and jumped with the ball in his right hand. While Naruto did dislike him, he gave the center credit for quickly getting back up and trying to stop him.
The purple haired first year jumped up but was far too late. Naruto ignored the hand that hit his wrist, as well as the whistle that followed and continued moving forward in the air. His body collided with Yosen's center but didn't stop, instead his defender found the world around him seemingly tilting as he came down.
So engrossed in the play, Naruto didn't notice the flashes of hundreds of phones going on as he posterized the largest man on the court.
Forcing the ball through the basket, the blond dropped down and stared condescendingly at the arrogant first year.
Defensive foul. White. Number nine. Basket counts. One free throw.
Naruto smirked at the enraged face Murasakibara made and turned around to head to the free throw line. He quickly high fived Imayoshi and Susa before taking his place. Taking two dribbles and a spin in his hands he sunk the free throw and ran back with his team.
The two proceeded to trade buckets back and forth consisting of mostly dunks and mid range jumpers.
Imayoshi shot him the ball but Naruto quickly tossed it to Aomine. The blue haired teen didn't mind one bit and made his way down the court.
"Imayoshi. You saw how mad Murasakibara got when he got dunked on right?"
The bespectacled captain nodded.
"He got more angry at the fact that he got a foul to go with it." Naruto told him in a cheery tone. Imayoshi smirked deviously knowing what their newest member was getting at. If there was one thing Naruto had learned about Imayoshi, it was that he was the best at doing what pissed other people off.
Aomine was able to easily score and even managed a defensive play by stopping an inbound pass. Fortunately, he didn't try and streetball his way through Murasakibara and instead passed to the captain who was open for a three.
Imayoshi went to shoot and as they expected Murasakibara was in the air in front of him. To Yosen's dismay however, Imayoshi didn't jump right away. He waited until the last second and jumped forward while lobbing the ball.
A whistle went off.
Defensive foul. White. Number nine. 3 free throws.
"Looks like ya fouled me big guy." Imayoshi teased. Naruto tensed up when he saw Murasakibara clench his hand into a fist at the taunting and was about to make his way over. Luckily for Yosen, Himuro could see what was going on and quickly moved their center away.
Naruto stood next to Himuro, arms extended outwards ready for the opportunity to score in case the captain missed the third shot. "If you wanna win you're going to have to try harder than that." He commented to the black haired man.
Himuro stared back at him but didn't respond, instead bent his knees ready for the last shot. The Touou captain had easily drained the first two but there was always the chance he could miss the last one. He didn't.
The ball was instantly inbounded to Himuro who jogged down the court and made his way in front of Naruto. They hit the ISO and let him try his hand against the blond.
Himuro went left, at least that's what it looked like to everyone else. Like his earlier shot, that too was a clean fake and went right. Unlike normal players Naruto was still on him as he pulled up for the jumper.
Naruto's hand went up and to everyone's shock the ball seemed to pass through his hand and into the basket. The blond came down and stared at the basket before frowning at his hand.
"Mirage shot." Himuro told him with a smirk of his own. "You wanted us to try harder right?" He said as he went back on defense.
"We're playing against David Blaine or some shit?" Naruto asked out loud. To his confusion no one seemed to be surprised that the ball seemingly became translucent and went through his hand.
Looking up at the clock he saw there was only one minute left in the half and they were still up 60-54.
Aomine got the ball and ran down the court but didn't drive. Instead he stayed near the half court line dribbling the ball slowly, letting the shot clock get as low as possible. He was learning, had this been the same player from the Seirin game he was sure he'd have tried to force his way in and score.
When the shot clock reached 3 seconds he struck. He quickly crossed through two players and jumped away from the basket with the ball in his right hand. He tossed the ball with no proper form to the backboard where it then landed in the basket just as the shot clock went off.
Yosen took possession of the ball and ran down the timer as well, intentionally hitting the rim and getting the offensive board so the shot clock could disappear and leave them with the ball for the rest of the quarter. As the time ran down Himuro once again put off another 'Mirage shot' over Susa.
Score at the half was 62-56 in Touou's favor.
After putting on a shirt over his jersey the blond made his way out of the locker room and headed to the restroom.
Once he'd taken care of his business, rather than go back to the team he decided to step outside and get a little fresh air. He sat down on one of the benches available and pulled out his phone to see he had a couple notifications. Just as he was about to put it away it began vibrating rapidly and a name appeared on the screen.
"What the hell?" Naruto said happily to himself.
"Nash, isn't it like 2am for you guys?" He asked, speaking in English.
"Yeah but this is the only time I knew I'd be able to catch you." That was a good point. With the time difference between him and them now it was almost impossible to communicate. Plus, he could hear music in the background so it was safe to say Jabberwock was probably partying somewhere right now. "Anyway I'm just giving you a heads up. In a few months we'll be heading over to Tokyo for a small tour and some exhibition games."
"No shit? Well keep me updated, I wanna hoop with you guys again soon."
"Yeah we'll be there for about a month or so. Are you still committed to the blue devils?" Nash asked.
"Yup. Once I finish the year here that's where I'm headed."
"Alright, I'll see you there too." The line went silent for a second, and Naruto was sure he heard the voice of a woman speaking softly on the line before Nash spoke again. "Well, I just wanted to let you know what was going down. I'll call you again right before we leave for Japan. I got something important I need to do right now."
Naruto chuckled and said goodbye. So Jabberwock was going to be here. He wondered who they'd set games up against, and more importantly, how much had the others grown?
Seeing that he only had about two minutes left before they had to be back on the court, Naruto made his way back inside the building. As he walked to the locker room he saw a group of guys walking in the opposite direction, towards him.
Four rather tall players and one shorter one. His eyes were immediately drawn to the small name on the side of their uniforms. Rakuzan.
The shortest of the group had red hair and mismatched eyes, one being yellow and the other a bright red. He stared at him as they got closer and Naruto was tempted to kneel down and stare back but he didn't have that kind of time on his hands.
Instead he nodded once and continued on his way. He was sure that was one of the 'Generation of Miracles.' He noticed one trait they all had in common was bright colored hair that no one else seemed to have.
Upon entering the locker room he quickly took his shirt off leaving him once again in his jersey. He took a deep breath and a quick drink of water before heading back with everyone for the second half.
"I think this is the hardest I've seen you play up until now." Imayoshi commented, walking side by side with him.
Naruto shrugged. "Murasakibara pissed me off so I had to teach him a lesson. I want to see what Himuro is fully capable of more than anything. I got a lot riding on this game and want to make sure I win with no excuses."
The two didn't get the chance to continue talking as they exited the tunnel and were once again in the spotlight on the court. The two teams got into positions. The whistle went off and the second half of the game began.