I do not own any of the Naruto or Kuroko no Basuke characters. Their ownership resides solely with Masashi Kishimoto and Tadatoshi Fujimaki.

Normal speech - "Kurama"

Flashback – kurama

Sound effects – kurama

Chapter 4

Naruto roaring in pain slowly became the only sound heard in the arena. As more and more people turned their gaze to him, they realized that something was indeed very wrong. Naruto was on the floor, lying down on his right side with his right hand clutching left shoulder, writhing in pain.

The refs blew the whistle to indicate that the game clock must be stopped as the injury looked quite serious. UCLA's medical team came on court to try and help Naruto but he shouted at them instead.

"Get Tsunade out here!"

Tsunade, hearing hear godson call out for her, quickly made her way down onto the court. Getting to him, she knelt down and tried to sit him up gently. When he was sitting up as comfortably as possible, she began doing checks the best she could in the situation. Naruto would shout every now and then.

"Well, besides the obvious dislocation, it appears that a few nerves have been caught in the socket. We have to get you to my office to make sure we can pop it back in without any complications. Sorry kiddo but your season is over." Tsunade informed Naruto solemnly.

The news hit Naruto like a ton of bricks. Never before has he been so injured that he has had to miss out a game. He couldn't believe this was happening to him so close to the finals.

Suddenly he heard a sound that nearly broke the control he had on his emotions. Looking down the court he saw the North Carolina team congratulating the player that took Naruto out. It looked like he wasn't the only one who heard them as he saw Daiki, and surprisingly Shintaro, go over to confront them. Soon there was a scuffle and both Shintaro and Daiki got hit with a technical foul. This meant that Daiki was kicked out of the game.

The crowd, finally getting information and understanding what was happening on the court, started booing North Carolina for such dirty play. No one could believe that they would go so far as to injure a player just to win the match.

As Obito was yelling frantic instructions to the team now that they lost both Daiki and Naruto, looked around and noticed that absolutely no one was listening to him. Turning to ask Kakashi what was going on, he paused in shock as he saw that Kakashi wasn't reading his book like he normally was, he was staring at something on the court. Turning his attention to the court, his breath left his lungs in scock as he finally saw what was grabbing everyone's attention.

Standing at the free-throw line waiting to take his two shots, keeping his dislocated left shoulder as still as possible, was Naruto Namikaze. Pain was clearly written on his face. Everyone that tried to talk him out of taking the shots were promptly given a death stare. Finally Tsunade, knowing that he would be stubborn to the end, walked up beside him.

"As a doctor, I can only allow you to take these last two shots before we have to rush to the office. Make it count kiddo." Naruto gives her a look of gratitude as she ushers all the non players of the court to stand on the side.

The crowd starts whispering and mumbling in awe of the courage being shown by Naruto. No player has done such an act before.

Naruto, who doesn't even pay attention to the crowd, turns rage filled eyes towards North Carolina who freeze in fear, unable to believe that even though they took him out of the game they still couldn't break his spirit.

The ref passes the ball to Naruto and indicates that its his first throw. Naruto catches the ball awkwardly with one hand before bouncing it three times. On the last bounce he brings his hand under the ball and performs a modified scoop shot…

Swish

The crowd goes insane at the amazing skill and determination before becoming silent at what is being shown on the big screen. A camera has zoomed in on Naruto's face and tears can clearly be seen running down his cheeks, yet he doesn't scream out in what everyone can tell must be tremendous pain. He waves off his teammates that try to help him and stares at the ball in the ref's hands.

The ball is passed to him again. He performs the same procedure as before and produces the same result. After he scores, he just stands there clutching his shoulder.

Shintaro, being the first to understand what has to happen, quickly fouls a North Carolina player so that a time out could be called.

As Tsunade is slowly helping him off the court, he lifts his good arm in the air and waves at the crowd, thanking them for their support. After he has entered the tunnel, Shika turns to the rest of the friends and family that came to support Naruto. He sees Rin and Shizune trying to calm down a frantic Himawari. The poor girl is distraught due to seeing her dad so badly injured. Heaving a huge sigh, he turns his gaze towards the North Carolina bench.

"Troublesome… you are saw that look in his eyes right?"

"Hn, those were the eyes he had when he saw Hinata in tears."

"Yeah, the exact same look he had before he destroyed West Philadelphia."

"North Carolina will definitely come to regret their decision of turning the ire of the Kitsune onto them."

In the studio of ESPN First Take, Stephen A. Smith was explaining what he thought of the latest NCAA season.

"We need to look at the facts and the stats people. The Naruto Namikaze could go on to become the next big thing. He managed to score exactly 20 points in every single game he played, without fail. The only reason he never scored more was because of the strategic move played by the coach of the team. When he was allowed to play without restrictions, he still scored over 40 points in both the first two games of the play-offs, and then even somehow managing to get 34 points in the game against North Carolina. A game in which he dislocated his shoulder so badly that he had to be rushed off to the emergency room. But, lets not focus entirely on the amount of points this kid scores, lets look at his other stats per game. Adding to the 20 points he was restricted to, he managed to average 16.7 assists and 12.3 steals per game. The basically means he had to score a triple-double for at least a quarter of all his games. I am will to bet my money on it here and now: next year's NCAA Champions will be UCLA lead by one Naruto 'Kitsune' Namikaze."

Naurto was sitting in a chair making funny faces at Himawari. Said girl was giggling at her father for acting silly. She was excited cause they were going to Hiruzen-Jiji today. She hasn't seen him in a long time and she misses the stories he would always tell her.

The door to the office opens and in walks Tsunade and Shizune, who both walk over and give HImawari a kiss hello. Tsunade sits at her desk and takes a folder from Shizune. After looking over the contents, she nods her head and looks at Naruto.

You are all cleared for training kiddo. Its been three weeks since the dislocation and your shoulder is back at full strength. You might still feel a bit of stiffness but its nothing stretching before and after practice wont fix."

"Thanks Baa-chan. I was getting bored just sitting at home all day. Even though Himawari is great company, I miss playing ball."

"Yeah, thanks Baa-chan! Daddy isn't fun when he is being all moody like Sasuke-kyoufu." Tsunade and Shizune laugh at Naruto's expense while he rubs the back off his head sheepishly.

Walking outside with Himawari sitting on his shoulders, Naruto spots Kakashi leaning against the wall.

"Yo, kakashi-nii. What are you doing here?"

"I was actually looking for you." Kakashi takes Himawari off of Naruto and puts her on his back. "I have a way to strengthen your body so that it'll be harder for you just get injured again. Plus, it'll be a great way to learn self-defense."

"That's great and all Kaka-nii, but I was going to take Hima-hime to go see Jiji. She really misses him."

Kakashi gives Naruto his famous closed eye smile and walks off with Himawari laughing happily on his back.

"I know. You will be training at his gym again. I managed to call in a favor from an old time friend. He's a bit eccentric but he is honestly the best in the business when it comes to teaching and coach Mixed Martial Arts."

Later that night, Himawari runs into Tsubade's house tell tell her grandma about her day. Kakashi follows her inside at his usual lazy pace.

"-and then the funny green man had daddy run around carrying big heavy bags and then he shouted at daddy cause daddy fell down on his face and then daddy crawled to the corner and then daddy started crying and then Jiji told me stories and the-"

Kakashi left Tsunade to deal with a hyperactive Himawari and went into the kitchen to greet Shizune. After kissing his wife on the cheek he sat at the table while they spoke about how their day went when all of a sudden Naruto comes stumbling into the kitchen before collapsing on the table.

"Kakashi-nii, why do you hate me? Is it cause of all the pranks I pulled on you when I was younger? I'm sorry, I won't do it ever again. Please don't make me go back there!" Naruto exclaims in tears.

"Don't be such a big baby about things Naruto. MMA will help strengthen your body better than anything else ever could. Plus, Guy will be able to help you out with your speed. You may be fast compared to everyone else in collage but if you want a real edge in the NBA, you will need Guy's help."

"-and then the weird man gave me this green suit and then he said I was youthful and then I asked about his bushy eyebrows and then he said I was unyouthful and then-"

"Although, it might be a good idea to keep Hima-hime away from him and Lee…" Kakashi pauses in his speech as HImawari walks into the kitchen and sits at the table dressed in a green jumpsuit. "…two months Naruto. You just need to endure for two months."

Having to deal with both Guy and Lee after he was finished with classes for the day was pure torture for Naruto. Every day they would have him doing a different set of exercises that would work on a different aspect of his playing style. At the end of the two months, Naruto could run and dribble faster than ever before. His passes also became more accurate and could be unleashed at a moments notice. He could also jump higher than before. In fact, because his legs now had so much explosive power contained in them, he could now dunk whenever he wanted, not just when he was on fire during a game. He hardly gained any weight, just strengthened the muscles he already had.

When asked what improved the most during the two months of training, Naruto would answer that the release time on his shots had now shortened to a time he was happy with. Without losing any of the accuracy he spent hours honing, Naruto now had a quick-fire shot that would be very hard to guard against.

The impressive training didn't come without any drawbacks however. For some particular reason that had Naruto and Kakashi praying to almost every single deity they knew of, and everyone else laughing at their predicament, Himawari absolutely adored they green suit given to her by Guy. The only thing she changed was the colour. It was now indigo to match her hair. Try as they might, they just could not get her to give it up.

Luckily for them, Kurama absolutely hated the jumpsuit and would run away every time Himawari tried to hug him. Eventually she gave the jumpsuit up, preferring to have Kurama with her.

On the day of the first practice of the season, the first years were all standing around awkwardly while the older team members were playing around waiting for their three key players, as well as Kakashi and Obito. Everyone turned to look at the doors as three figures appeared.

The first figure was walking with a lazy strolling, yawning every couple of steps as if he just got out of bed. The second figure was taking off the tape around his fingers. The third, and shortest, figure was listening to music, bobbing his head along to whatever song he was listening to.

Just as they were about to be greeted, everyone except Naruto, who just continued listening to music, heard a terrified scream. Suddenly Obito came running through the gym's door, screaming his head off, followed by a happily running Kurama. For some reason, Obito has always been afraid of Kurama who just loved to scare him.

Obito ran up to Naruto and jumped on his back, ripping out his earbuds so Naruto could hear him.

"Naruto! Get that demon away from me!"

Naruto glanced down at his feet and saw Kurama sitting there, wagging his tail. Throwing Obito off his back, Naruto picked up Kurama and put him on his head before facing the rest of the team.

"Yo, how was break for everyone?" everyone, besides the first years who stood in shock at what just occurred, gave him a reply.

Soon Kakashi came in carrying Himawari on his shoulders. As he walked past everyone to the ball cart Himawari happily waved at them. Again, only the first years found this strange. Kakashi placed Himawari in the cart, glanced at a sulking Obito, turned to the team and started taking roll call. When he was finished, he called Naruto up to talk to everyone.

"Yo, for the first years and new members, I'm Naruto Namikaze, your captain. Welcome to the UCLA basketball team. If you have any questions or problems, don't hesitate to ask me or any of the older members for help… except for Daiki. Never ask Daiki for help with anything." Naruto only received a loud snore in reply. "Now, like we did last year, the team's positions will all be scrapped and we'll start with a freshmen vs senior game, to see where the new players are at in terms of skill. Don't worry if you don't make the team. Everyone WILL play. Our goal is to win the championship this year which means a rotation of players will be key so everyone is well rested and risk of injury is lowered. Any questions?"

"Yeah, what's with the dog on your head and that kid in the cart?"

"Well, the kid in the cart is my daughter Himawari, she basically comes to all the home game and practices, and the fox on my head is called Kurama and goes wherever Himawari goes. Anything else? No? Awesome!" Naruto takes Kurama off his head and puts hime the the cart with Himawari. "Lets get started."

Due to the incredible come back season they had last year, and basically fielding the same team as well, UCLA were rated in the top 4 best collage basketball team in the nation. Everyone was expecting them to make it to the play-offs and at least the semi-finals again. The team didn't lets down their fans.

Due to the team improving so much last year, the Trio of aces didn't have to carry everyone as much as they did the previous season. In fact, they rarely ever played in the same quarter.

The team's confidence was at an all time high because of the amazing season they were having. It was one month until the play-offs and they were at the top of the table. Their next match was something everyone was looking forward to: North Carolina. Due to the dirty match played in last season's semi-finals, a rivalry had started to form up between the two teams, with both teams making comments about the other in interviews leading up to the match.

The day of the match was soon upon them. Tension was high in the locker room. The game was getting more media coverage than any other regular season game due to everyone wanting to see the re-match between the two. However, what everyone got was not what any of them expected.

In the locker room before the game, the second and third years approached Naruto, Shintaro, and Daiki.

"We know we are asking a lot from the three of you, but we want you three to sit out this match." Daiki and Shintaro were in shock. In what could probably be the biggest game of the season, their teammates asked them to sit out. Naruto was the only who stayed calm.

"I think I might already know what's going on but please explain it so that I know for certain. Why don't you want us to play this match?"

"With play-offs right around the corner, no one wants one of you to risk injury. Plus this is a matter of pride. We want to show that we can compete with the best out their, even if you three aren't playing. What better way to do that than against the team that ended things for us last season?"

Naruto didn't give them an answer. He looked at each second and third year player before standing up and getting dressed. Just as he finished, Obito walked in and took a step back in surprise at the tension in the room. Naruto walk toward the door before turning to the team.

"I trust you guys to play your best. Win or lose, know that I'm glad to be on this team."

Naruto walked out the door soon followed by Daiki and Shintaro, all three content with letting their teammates have the spotlight for once.

They walked out the tunnel to the cheers of the crowd, which quickly turned to gasps of surprise and then mumbling of confusion when they walked straight past the team bench and went to join their friends and family in the bleaches reserved for them.

The game started out very slowly but soon picked up when the crowd, following the Trio of Ace's lead, began cheering for UCLA. The more the fans cheered for them, the more hyped up the team got. The lead of the match was changing hands quite regularly. The second and third years were surprising everyone except their three star players. They weren't just keeping up with North Carolina, they were actually playing on even footing with them. This match was proving to everyone that UCLA was more than just three players.

The game eventually ended with UCLA losing by one point. Before the team could drop their heads in defeat, the crowd gave them a standing ovation, many people that came to watch the game understood what the team tried to accomplish and let them know that they had everyone's respect.

The press conference after the game put a damper on things though, and just added more intensity to the rivalry. North Carolina's coach, embarrassed at almost being beaten by what he perceived to be a second rate team made his opinions known.

"Of course we won the game! Anyone would have after playing against such a weak team. We beat them last year as well. We are the reigning and defending champions. No second rate team will be able to beat us!"

The conference room erupted after that statement, everyone wanting to be heard over everyone else. Things suddenly became quiet when the sound of a clearing throat was heard through a mic. Everyone looked towards Naruto. Even though he had a smile on his face, they could all practically feel the anger radiating off of him.

"You say my team is weak? They just pushed the supposed best team in the country into an OT game without their top three players. Lets not forgot that you only won last year's semi-finals by fouling out one star player and then injuring another. You think my team has just forgotten what you did? The team wanted to prove that they can compete with the best, even when Daiki, Shintaro, and myself aren't playing. I'd like to think that's exactly what they did tonight. Next month the play-offs begin. I can promise you this here and now. UCLA will not just win this year's championship, we will double the score of every single opponent we face!" everyone was shocked beyond belief after that proclamation. To promise such a thing is so unheard of that if it were to actually happen, it would go down as one of the greatest NCAA moments of all time. "And if we once again face-off against North Carolina, we will more than triple their score, with myself not taking a single shot."

Naruto got up and walked out the room, followed by a smiling Kakashi and a laughing Obito.

In the gym during last practice before the play-offs began, the entire team besides Naruto and Shintaro were experiencing true fear running through them. Daiki Aomine was giving everyone a heartfelt, genuine smile. Something none of them have seen before.

"Oi captain, can you explain that one more time please?"

Naruto sighed in annoyance. He had already explained it three times but it seems Daiki was too overcome with excitement to fully understand what he had said.

"For the last time, because I lost control of my anger at the press conference, the three of us will no longer be holding back. I am given you permission to go wild. No more holding back until we win this championship. I want there to be no doubt in anyone's mind just who the best in the country is."

Daiki didn't say a word as he picked up a ball and left the gym, the smile never leaving his face.

"Urm… shouldn't someone stop him?"

It was Shintaro that answered.

"No, he is too excited to train properly with anyone right now. When he gets like this, its best to stay out of his way." Turning to Naruto, he voiced something that was on his mind. "Captain, in the first game, it would be wise to send the ball to Aomine as much as possible."

"I already planned to."

Sitting on the bench before the first game of the play-offs game listening to Obito go through the game plan, Naruto take a glance at Daiki. Seeing something odd, he looked closer. It was like there was a flickering of lightning in Daiki's eyes. Immediately turning to Obito after realizing what this meant, Naruto interrupted.

"Daiki, is getting the ball the entire game." Silence met him. Normally Naruto would never question or go against Obito or Kakashi when it came to strategy but the few times he did proved to be good calls.

Kakashi, having seen what Naruto saw, agreed with him instantly.

"Shintaro will be sitting out this match. I have a feeling we will need him in the next match since Daiki will be still be recovering from this one."

Shintaro looked over at Daiki and gave him a nod before putting his tracksuit back on. The crowd reacted to this by whispering and commenting, wondering what was going on.

Just before the match began, Daiki walked over to Shintaro and gave him a proper Japanese bow of gratitude. He then walked onto the court without saying a word.

Daiki absolutely dominated the match from the get go. After winning the tip-off and passing the ball to Naruto, he sprinted to the hoop and jumped into the air. Just as he was coming down, the ball landed in his hand and he slammed it down with authority. The crowd went wild seeing such a play right at the beginning of the match.

For the rest of the match Daiki would be scoring from normal jumpers while performing one or two trick shots a quarter. He was keeping things very basic but because of his speed, level of concentration, and Naruto passing to him at the right moment, the defenders just couldn't handle him.

In the fourth quarter Daiki started playing streetball. He would taunt his defender and make him look silly in front of everyone. He crossed the ball through his legs to his right while leaning his body to the left. As the defender reached in to grab the ball, Daiki reacted quicker and grabbed it with his right hand before driving to the hoop for a dunk.

The game finished with UCLA more than doubling their opponent's score, Daiki scoring 68 points, and Naruto picking up another 17 assists by providing passes for Daiki.

Due to Daiki going all out in the first game of the play-offs, Obito had to bench him for the second game. He was perfectly okay with this as he was fast asleep in the team's locker room while the match was going on.

Naruto was making use of simple screens to get away from his defender before driving to the hoop or passing to an open teammate. By half time, UCLA had a considerable lead, it was now just a matter of making sure that their score was double that of their opponents.

After half-time Shintaro really came alive. By receiving amazingly pin-point accurate passes from Naruto, he was able to find his rhythm much easier than usual and was shooting from further beyond the three-point line as the match went on. He ended the game by setting a new NCAA record for most three points in a game: 17 shots. Breaking Keith Veney's record that stood since 1996.

After the match the crowd gave Shintaro a standing ovation as they had just seen probably the best three-point display ever.

Going into the quarter-finals the main talk of the tournament was the UCLA team. Most people had written off what Naruto said at the press conference but the team was sticking to his word and seemed to be gaining momentum because of it. The only difference between this year and last year was that Naruto hadn't been taking a lot of shots. He was more focused on making assists and defending.

Naruto used the quarter-final match as a showcase for his passing skills. He performed a variety of no look passes as well as flicks of the wrist passes. The defenders didn't know which way to go as he would switch playing styles from streetball to playing professionally and back again.

The game ended with the team once again doubling their opponent's score. Heads were starting to turn. It had been a very long time since one team dominated the rest of the field in such a way. More attention was being put upon them than ever before. They were now everyone's favorite to win the championship this season and to do it all again next season since the team would remain relatively in tact.

The team they played in the semi-finals tried to shut down Naruto with a double team. It was a good idea but Naruto was just playing at too high a level to be stopped by their efforts. If anything, it showed just how far ahead he was compared to their opponents. After scoring 20 points, he stopped taking shots to just focus on passing and dribbling again.

As the clock was running down to the end of the game, Naruto was dribbling the ball through his legs in front of a defender. Throwing the ball against the defenders head, he caught it and took the three pointer, making the shot just as the buzzer went off.

Everyone watching went insane after seeing what he just did. Normally they would only see such skills if they went to watch a street ball tournament but here was a guy playing in the NCAA who could use both a professional and a street ball style of play.

The day of the final was here. Everyone couldn't wait for the match to begin. A lot of people were thinking that this match would finally prove who the best team in the NCAA really was. No one had forgotten the statements made by Naruto either. They all wanted to see if he would stick to his word or not.

Before the game, as the team was going through their normal warm-up routine, everyone witnessed that Naruto wasn't even attempting to make a basket. He was either doing elaborate passes or practicing his dribbling skills, the look of utmost concentration on his face.

When the starting members were being announced, Naruto picked up Himawari and put her onto the announcers' table. As the UCLA members walked past her, they all gave her a high five. She had really become the team's lucky charm. When it was Naruto's turn, they hit their right hands together, then their left hands, before finishing things off by dabbing in the opposite direction.

Many of the girls in the crowd found this to be extremely adorable. Many at UCLA had tried to get a date out of Naruto but he would always reject them as gently as possible, adding to his charm even more. Naruto just wasn't ready to move on from Hinata yet.

Stepping onto the court, the UCLA team and supporters were string at their three star players. All three of them were looking more serious than ever before, going through none of their pre-game jokes or antics. All three of them were looking at North Carolina as a predator would look at its prey. Finally, the nation would see what these three amazing players could do when they were playing all out at the same time.

The ball was tipped-off with Carolina winning it. Before they could react, Shintaro hit the ball at of the PG's hands and Naruto caught it. Faster than the defenders could react, Naruto ran towards the hoop before jumping and throwing the ball against the backboard. Daiki, who was running behind Naruto, jumped and slammed the ball down hard.

Without even acknowledging the amazing dunk, both players ran back and prepared the defense. Carolina missed the shot and Naruto go the rebound. H e dribbled the ball up the caught before he saw Daiki run past him. Thinking that Daiki would get the pass, the defenders al ran to cover him. Naruto through the ball straight at Daiki's feet and watched it bounce between his legs and straight into Shintaro's hands, who sent the ball flying for a three.

The rest of the half followed in a similar fashion. Daiki and Shintaro scoring most of the team's baskets while Naruto kept gaining more assists. By the end of the second quarter he had managed to gain 14 assists. UCLA had more than doubled Carolina's score: 78 – 36.

The three star players were benched for most of the third quarter. However, that did not help Carolina at all. The rest of the team, having gained confidence from their previous game against Carolina, proved that they had improved drastically thanks to the confidence boost. They increased the lead during the minutes their three star players rested.

The Carolina coach was shouting at his players to do something that would help. Nothing they did seem to be working. The crowd were against them as well, preferring to hype up the UCLA team. The feeling of dread in their stomachs just increased as the crowd renewed their cheering at the sight of the three star players.

At the end of the third quarter the score was close to being tripled and Naruto was on 20 assists for the game. Obito wasn't saying a word, just allowing his team to rest as he knew that they would be winning this game.

With the final quarter of the season about to begin, Naruto, Daiki, and Shintaro decided they were going really show-off their skills. After receiving a pass from Naruto, Daiki raced towards the free-throw line before jumping up and leaning his body backwards. The crowd watched in amazement as Daiki never let the ball go until his body was exactly perpendicular to the ground.

On the next play Naruto threw the ball at Shintaro who was already in the air going through his shooting motion. Shintaro received the ball just as he flicked his wrist, sending the ball into a beautiful arc that saw it hit nothing but net. The crowd reacted in astonishment at the passing accuracy of Naruto and the complete trust between teammates to pull off such a difficult move.

The game ended with Naruto catching a rebound and dribbling the ball up court before throwing it in the air at the sound of the buzzer.

UCLA 156 – 47 North Carolina

The UCLA fans erupted into cheers at finally winning the championship after so many years of losing. The team all ran onto the court and had one huge group hug before starting to chant UCLA. Confetti shot out of nowhere and covered the entire floor.

While a stand was being set up in the middle of the floor, Naruto went to go search for his daughter. Finding her with Tsunade, he picked her up and placed her on his shoulders before going back to the team. When they saw Himawari they renewed their cheers and got her one of the T-shirts that they had to wear for being champs. One was quickly placed over her head along with a cap.

The team had to pose for photos while the trophy was being presented to them. When the photographers asked for Himawari to leave the podium the team refused to take anymore until she was back with them.

"And now, awarding the MVP trophy to the player voted to have played the best this season, Naruto 'Kitsune' Namikaze! The first player to win MVP witout scoring a single point in the final match and setting another new record of 27 assists in a single game."

sorry for the wait. anyway, i can say that naruto will be paired up again. Himawari will be going to school next chapter. the nab draft will also be happening next chapter. please leave your comments and suggestions