Chapter Five
Quick chapter that sets up the next one, enjoy!
It was the day after his game against the Clippers and Naruto was in Oracle Arena working on his jump shot. He had to play a game against the Warriors in a matter of hours and he wanted to get his shot warmed up after his performance the night before.
"That's right Naruto, work on that money maker."
Naruto smiled as Shikamaru stepped on the court.
"You just mad cause I'm better than you."
Shikamaru took a ball off of the rack and drained a three pointer.
"Still got it."
Naruto shook his head. "What you doing here Shika? I thought you would be with Temari, chilling on the beach watching the clouds are something."
Shikamaru sighed. "My cloud watching days are sadly behind me. Can't have a lazy agent now can you."
Naruto took another shot. "So what you doing here?"
"I got a few opportunities for you. Remember how you have that large following you have in Japan?"
Naruto nodded as he knocked down another shot. "Yeah, I had to set my phone so I can tweet in Japanese as well as English."
"Well a big-time company in Japan wants to sign you to a big deal. I'm talking way bigger than Under Armour. Money we never thought we could ever see."
"Who's offering this kind of money?"
"That would be me."
Naruto turned around and saw a Japanese man in his mid fifties wearing a business suit.
"And just who might you be?"
The man smiled. "My name is Kazuo Hirai and I am the president and CEO of Sony."
Naruto nodded. "Well it's nice to meet mister Hirai. But if you don't mind me asking how much money are we talking?"
Kazuo smiled. "I don't want to make you nervous mister Uzumaki. You have a big game tonight against Stephen Curry, another candidate we were considering before we locked in on you. How about we have dinner. Me, you and mister Nara here. There's a great ramen bar not to far from here. I hear your a big ramen fan Naruto."
Naruto nodded. "Yeah I am."
Kazuo smiled. "Well tonight you will have the best ramen you've had in your entire life."
Lakers vs Warriors: 2nd game
Naruto sighed as he touched the names on his sneakers before leaning against the scorers table. On games where Nina wasn't there for their little pre game ritual he took to saying a small prayer before doing his infamous superman taunt.
"Lets go!"
He beat his chest and smiled when the fans in Oracle Arena booed him.
He got into position for tipoff and he looked across the court to see the baby faced assassin, Stephen Curry, who casually chewed on his mouth guard.
Naruto liked to describe his own play style as something similar to Kyrie Irving but a lot of people found similarities between him and Curry.
First both of them constantly chewed on their mouth guards, a habit Naruto could never break.
Second they both were great three point shooters. While Curry was better in this category the degree of difficulty in which Naruto made his three's put him up there with Steph.
And finally was there playmaking skills. Naruto definitely outclassed Steph but Steph showed many times that he could make a play just as good as Naruto.
Naruto looked up to one of the boxes where he knew Shikamaru was watching with Kazuo Hirai.
The tip went to the Warriors and Curry quickly got an assist off a two by Thompson. Naruto brought the ball up the court and watched as Markieff cut through the paint and Naruto have him the ball and he hit a mid range jumper.
On defense Curry missed a three and Whiteside grabbed the rebound. He gave it to Naruto who allowed everyone to get up the court.
The Lakers moved the ball around before Naruto decided to drive. He drew in Thompson which allowed him to pass to Butler for a three.
The Lakers defense stayed strong as Whiteside denied Draymond Green at the rim. Naruto brought the ball up the court and called out to Whiteside.
"Back to the basket!"
Whiteside nodded and posted up on Bogut. Naruto gave him the ball and he gave a quick shoulder fake before putting up a post hook shot.
With the score 7-2 Curry ran up the court and shot a three. On offense Naruto passed to Carter who hit a open midrange shot.
After Carter's shot Curry brought the ball up and had Bogut set a screen on Naruto. Naruto got stuck on the screen and Curry drove to the basket getting a easy layup.
Naruto looked at Whiteside.
"When I get stuck like that I need you to grab mine."
Hassan nodded and inbounded the ball to Naruto.
Naruto walked up the court and called for Whiteside to set the screen. He used the pick to drive to the basket and the defense collapsed in on him. When he went up for his layup Naruto simply passed the ball out to Markieff who hit a three.
Golden state called for a timeout and Naruto sat on the bench. With the season just starting his coach wanted to run a healthy rotation between him, Nash and Livingston.
The rookie came back in with two minutes left in the first and the score at 20-17 with LA winning.
They were inbounding the ball from the corner and Naruto had Gobert set a screen for him but while Curry went one way Naruto went back and was rewarded with the ball, and he hit a open three pointer.
"And Uzumaki is On the score board with that three pointer."
Curry walked up the court and handed the ball off to Green who took a three but missed it. Whiteside tipped the ball to Naruto who raced up the court. He didn't meet resistance until Andre Iguodala got in front of him in front of the basket.
That didn't stop Naruto for going for the layup which he made with the foul.
"And look at that! The little guy taking it coast to coast and finishing with the and one."
Naruto went to the free throw line and looked out past the basket and at the hundreds of fans trying to distract him. He took a deep breath, thinking back to a few hours earlier where it was just him in the gym and shit the ball.
Swish
The was a collective sigh of disappointment from the fans as the Lakers set up for defense but they couldn't stop the midrange shot by Iguodala.
Naruto sighed as he brought the ball up and decided to drive. He got to the paint but kicked it out to Young.
Young decided not to shoot and watched as Naruto ran out of the paint and passed the ball to him. Naruto wasted no time shooting the three, watching it go in again.
"And Uzumaki is quickly heating up. Three shots up, three shots down for the rookie."
Curry walked up the court and tried to pass to the center but Naruto caught the pass. He was in no rush getting the ball up and let the shot clock run down with just 32 seconds left in the first quarter.
With eight seconds left in the shot clock Naruto looked at Gobert who set a screen for him. After using the screen He was double teamed but that didn't stop him from going to a layup. He ended up getting fouled.
After making both free throws Curry ended the quarter with a three.
After the first quarter the game was dominated by Naruto and Curry. By the time the forth quarter started both had twenty six points. Naruto had managed to knocked down five three pointers while Curry hit seven.
The fourth quarter was about to start and Naruto was finishing off his Gatorade when he saw Shikamaru and Kazuo sit down behind the bench.
"What y'all doing down here?"
Kazuo smiled at him. "We wanted a closer view of the action. This game is quite entertaining."
Naruto nodded. "Alright well wish me luck."
He waved to Shikamaru before joining his teammates on the court.
"Ladies and gentlemen we are witnessing a battle between Naruto Uzumaki and Stephen Curry. These two have thrown everything at each other and with the Warriors up nine this game looks to get exciting with the skill that Naruto possesses as we come down the stretch."
For the first few minutes of the of the quarter Naruto took over scoring thirteen points in seven minutes, five of those points coming from the free throw line making him 10-10 at the charity stripe.
Curry managed to score five points but as the final five minutes came up both players knew what had to be done.
Curry brought the ball up the court. He called for a screen and as soon as he used it he threw up a three and watched as it went in.
The fans cheered as Golden state went back up by two. Naruto brought the ball up the court and looked Curry in the eyes before pulling up and knocking down the three, putting the Lakers up by one.
Naruto turned around and saw his bench going crazy, waving their towels and t-shirts. Naruto smiled and held up three fingers.
"Lets go!"
On defense Naruto stopped Curry from getting a layup and grabbed the rebound. He raced up the court and Curry got in front of him at halfcout. Naruto watched as Curry put his hand out to steal the ball and Naruto quickly spinned past him and pulled up for a three, five feet beyond the line.
As soon as the ball left his hand Naruto turned around and spread out his arms just as the ball went through the hoop, giving Los Angeles a four point lead.
The Warriors stared in disbelief, except for Curry who gave a nod of respect as the Warriors called for a timeout and Naruto was rushed at by his teammates.
"That's what I do!"
After the timeout Curry got the ball and called for a screen. When he went to it Naruto went around Bogut but Curry went the other way and hit a open three pointer cutting the lead back to one.
"And look at that! Curry gave Naruto that look after that one. He's daring him to come back. We've got ourselves a challenge here!"
Naruto looked at Steph and nodded. He took the ball up the court and called for a screen. He dribbled towards it. He looked at Whiteside and held up his finger and made a twirling motion. Whiteside nodded and when Curry got close he tapped Curry on the shoulder before moving his body to other side.
As soon as Hassan tapped Curry's shoulder Naruto quickly dribbled the ball behind his back, making it look like he was about to drive. Curry had to go around the screen and looked behind him thinking Naruto drove to the basket.
As soon as Curry turned his head Naruto stepped back and hit a three.
"Ohhh! Someone tell me which way did he go, cause Curry doesn't know! Lakers back up by four!"
Naruto walked up the court with a blank look on his face because he knew Curry wouldn't take that one laying down.
Curry brought the ball up and Naruto met him at halfcout. Curry dribbled the ball slowly and Naruto decided to reach for it. Curry watched his eyes and whipped the ball behind his back and ran forward.
Curry stopped five feet behind the three-point line and went to shoot. Naruto saw this and jumped trying to block the shot from behind but it was only a pump fake and Curry didn't shoot until he saw Naruto go past him. Naruto tried to get a hand in Curry's face as he flew past but ended up hitting him and drawing a whistle as the ball went through the hoop.
"And it's good! Steph Curry with a chance at four points and to tie the game up!"
Naruto slid his mouth guard out of his mouth and began chewing on it as he got in position for Curry's free throw.
"This is what we want Naruto."
Naruto looked to the side and saw his coach.
"We need you to stay aggressive and lead our offensive. You have free reign to do what has to be done. I want the ball in your hand."
Naruto nodded as Curry made the free throw.
Naruto walked the ball up the court and looked at Curry. He dribbled behind his back and then between his legs before pulling up for a three and knocking it down.
"And Naruto responds with his nineth three of the game! Mister fourth quarter crossing t's and taking leads!"
Golden state used their final timeout with forty seconds left and Rick Pitino broke down the plan for his team.
"I don't won't Curry getting any clean looks at the basket. Pressure him as much as you can, I don't care what you do as long as you don't foul him. Got it!"
Everyone nodded and left the bench and went back on the court.
Curry got the ball and held it. He watched as a few seconds ticked off the clock before trying to drive. Naruto quickly swiped at the ball and knocked it out of his hands. Curry quickly ran into the backcourt to retrieve the ball and since Naruto got it it wasn't a violation.
The shot clock was winding down and Naruto, Butler and Morris quickly surrounded Curry as he picked up the ball.
Butler dove for it but missed as Curry picked it up. He got past halfcout and dribbled behind his back to avoid the steal from Morris but bumped into Naruto and began to lose his balance. Thinking he was going to be fouled Curry threw up a thirty foot shot just as he fell to the floor and the shot clock expired.
Naruto saw this and put his hands up to show the refs that he didn't touch him but was surprised when the shot when in.
"And he banked it in! Curry had no intention on making that shot except for the fact that he thought he was fouled. Naruto's crossing t's and Curry's dotting i's! We're all tied up at ninety six."
The Lakers used their final timeout with sixteen seconds left and Rick put his faith in Naruto once again.
"Don't hold. They don't have a timeout and neither do we. We gotta get the shot up as quick as possible."
Naruto nodded and took a sip of his Gatorade.
Thanks to the timout they were able to advance the ball up to the halfcout. As soon as Naruto got the ball he attacked. Morris set a screen for him but Naruto met Green. Naruto tried to snap the ball between his legs but it hit the inside of his foot and stopped bouncing.
Naruto quickly slapped it back up and drove past Green who reached for the ball and made a layup.
"That's just not fair! Having handled like that should be illegal! Lakers lead by two with seven seconds left."
With no timeouts the Warriors had to inbound the ball quick so Naruto couldn't celebrate his shot.
The ball was inbounded to Curry and Naruto made the mistake of backpedaling allowing him to get to halfcout.
Curry took a few steps past the halfcout line and quickly squared up to shot. Naruto saw this and put a hand up to contest it but Curry quickly fired away and everyone in Oracle Arena watched in shock as the ball went through the hoop.
"Bang! Bang! What a shot by Curry! With six tenths of a second remaining! The brilliant shooting of Stephen Curry continues as he ties the record for most three's in a game."
The Warriors celebrated as Naruto decided to pass the ball in. With just a few ticks left on the clock the four Lakers players ran around in the front court trying to get open.
Naruto ended up taking to long and Naruto ended up with a five second throw in violation promptly turning the ball over.
Naruto simply threw the ball to the side and apparently the refs didn't like it and gave him a technical foul.
Naruto but his tongue as Curry made his free throw giving him forty eight points.
The Warriors inbounded the ball and the buzzer quickly sounded as the game ended with the Warriors winning 100-98.
Top Performers
Naruto Uzumaki: 53 points (16-36 fg, 9-15 3pt, 10-10 FT), 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
Stephen Curry: 48 points (14-24 fg, 12-16 3pt, 8-8 FT), 6 assists, 3 rebounds 2 steals
Naruto hung his head and was about to head to the locker room but someone called him.
"Yo good game man. You had me worried for a minute."
Naruto nodded at Curry. "Thanks man."
"Look don't worry about tonight. You put on a great game and hopefully you can carry this momentum to your next game. But also when you get in that locker room find out when's the next time we play cause I know I will."
Naruto smirked. "I'm looking forward to it."
Curry smiled and the two parted ways.
After the game
When Naruto wrapped up his post game interview he left the arena and found a car waiting for him.
It drive him a few blocks away from the arena to a small restaurant named Ichiraku's.
Naruto entered the ramen bar and found Kazuo and Shikamaru sitting at the bar watching his highlights on the screen.
"Naruto glad you could join us! Order anything you want, it's on me."
Naruto nodded and took a seat before ordering a bowl of pork ramen.
"Excellent game out there. Your exactly who we're looking for to be the head of our sports division. I've already planned it out. Commercials, appearances you shall be the face of just about everything Sony."
Shikamaru smiled. "Tell him how much your offering."
Kazuo smiled. "Well not only an I offering you accesses to all of our products and we plan on replacing everything in your home with Sony products. But we are also offering you a hefty sum of money for the next four years."
Naruto eyed the man. "How much?"
"One hundred and twenty million dollars. That's a yearly salary of thirty million dollars."
Naruto's jaw dropped and Shikamaru laughed.
"Are you serious!"
Kazuo nodded. "Very. We will spare no expense when it comes to securing top tier talent. So what do you say Naruto, you in."
Naruto shook his head. "This is crazy. When I first had this dream I just wanted to hear thousands of people scream my name and cheer for me. I knew about all of the clothes and cars and money but to actually be experiencing it is just crazy."
"So is that a yes?"
Naruto smirked. "As long as it doesn't interfere in my practices and games then I'm in."
"I assure you mister Uzumaki we wouldn't dream of interrupting you while you are hard at work. Now how about we celebrate with some ramen."
Three large bowls of ramen were placed in front of them. They were about to dig in but Kazuo's phone went off.
He gave it a quick glance before sighing in disappointment.
"It appears I am needed else where. I will fax the paperwork to your agent here and you'll receive your money shortly after. I apologize I was quite looking forward to this. Hopefully we could do this again sometime."
Naruto nodded and Kazuo put some money on the counter before leaving.
"Forty five million dollars."
Naruto smiled at Shikamaru.
"Looks like it."
Shika shook his head in disbelief.
"So what's your plan for this much money?"
Naruto thought for a moment. "Those other apartments in the building still available?"
Shikamaru nodded. "Yup and I know where your going with this and I'll get one the phone with the real estate lady as soon as we get back to L.A.. Any other plans?"
"How much do you think it'll cost to redo the locker room at our high school?"
Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't know but you have more than enough. But right now I'm talking bout you."
Naruto shrugged and looked at the lock screen on his phone. It was a picture of him and his parents.
"As a matter fact if I'm treating myself I do have one thing for you to do for me. Look at the ATV laws in L.A. for me. Oh and look into this for me."
Naruto slid over his phone and and Shikamaru smiled at the images on the screen.
"Shana drew these?"
Naruto nodded and Shikamaru smirked.
"Alright well I guess I have a lot of work to do. I miss my cloud watching days."
And Done!
I have decided on the pairing. You guys voted and the winner is Scarlett Johansson. This gave me a great idea and I can't wait for you guys to see it.
Just cause the final pairing is doesn't mean he can't go on dates with other people. Don't bank on this cause I'm not really sure but I will try.
As always read, favorite, follow and review. Like seriously I love your guys reviews!
Duces!