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 13

It was the calm before the storm. Everyone who happened to look at him in that moment knew without a doubt that something special was about to occur. Externally, nothing would lead you to believe that at that moment was as maelstrom waiting to be unleashed. He was the epitome of poise and calm; body language giving off nothing but a look of indifference. No, you would have to gaze into his eyes to find out what was really going on.

His eyes, so intense that one would say they belonged on that of an animal instead of a human, was focused entirely on Westbrook. Every step taken, every movement made, was studied with such intensity that it was scary for anyone who knew what it meant.

Anyone who kept up with basketball knew that Westbrook held nothing back when going up against someone. The obvious glares being thrown between Naruto and Westbrook left to imagination. With less than 2 minutes to go in the 3rd quarter, it was plain for everyone to see.

The 4th quarter would no longer be a match between two teams…

… it would be a bloodbath between two players wanting nothing more than to utterly obliterate the other.

"Okay gents, Naruto will be handling the ball most of this quarter so on court you will follow his directions. Through sheer stubbornness and determination we have managed to keep the gap in the single digits. I know most of you are tired right now but I need you to find that last bit of strength to support him."

All the players nodded at this, all of them knew that when Naruto was in this state of mind there was almost no one able to match him. It spoke of his character and charisma that the team already considered him to be there go to man in tough situations while Kobe was out of action.

Naruto was sitting quietly on the bench waiting for the buzzer to sound. He hardly heard anything around him. All the voices and noise mashed together to create a sort of background noise that he comforting. He was barely able to keep himself in check. He could feel himself almost vibrate in anticipation.

Bzzzzzzzzzt

Silence.

He heard nothing as he stood up.

He heard nothing as he took off his tracksuit.

He heard nothing as he stepped onto the court.

He heard nothing as he waiting for the inbound.

He heard everything as soon as the ball landed in his hands.

This was different. Russell Westbrook was different compared to everyone else he had ever faced before. Kobe was past his prime. The blazing inferno that once raged inside him, compelling him to destroy any and everyone in his path, had died down, as he got older. Everyone else in the league was playing this new modern style of basketball. The style which Naruto often at times heard the older generation call soft.

As he dribbled the ball up court he knew, he knew with absolute certainty that Westbrook would be able to give him the battle he so dearly craved. Both Naruto and Westbrook stare each other down, excitement and bloodlust spilling over in spades as they finally find the same intensity mirrored in the other's eyes.

Naruto explodes left, aiming to drive past Westbrook who steps in his way. He throws the ball through his legs into his right hand and explodes right only to once again be met by Westbrook. He shows Westbrook his back and posts him up, fakes left and takes a huge back step as he turns his body around for a fade-away from mid-range.

Naruto receives no time to relish his shot as Westbrook receives the quick inbound and explodes down the court at full sprint. Naruto manages to catch up and gets himself in front of the charging Westbrook but is unable to get his body to turn at the speed his going as Westbrook switches direction at a lightening pace before jumping in the lane for a monstrous jam.

The whole sequence of events takes less than 20 seconds as both players stare each other down again. The crowed, finally noticing the intense battle between the two PG's, rise to their feet cheering and chanting for more.

Naruto is dribbling the ball just past half-court with Westbrook once again in front of him. He sees Kyle step up and sets a screen. Naruto drives to the right, watches as Westbrook spins around Kyle, pivots on his left foot as he spins back the other way and performs another fade-away as Westbrook is unable to reach it in time again.

Westbrook drives left with Naruto sticking as close as possible to him. He uses his right arm to covertly nudge Naruto a step back and lays it up for another basket.

Both teams, understanding that the best chance at scoring lies with their PG, allow Naruto and Westbrook to duel it out. No one even thinks of stopping them, not even the coaches who contemplate calling a time-out to allow players to rest. Naruto and Westbrook were playing at such an intense pace that everyone else on the court could barely keep up.

Westbrook receives the ball in the left corner and drives towards the basket just as Naruto steps up to meet him. Both players jump in the air. Naruto jumps with his arms up, blocking the way to the basket. Westbrook uses his momentum to get him past Naruto and just barely dunks it through the hoop.

Naruto calls for the quick inbound after seeing Westbrook stumble to the ground. He races down the court towards the Thunder's hoop. Just as he gets in the lane Kevin Durant steps in his way and spreads out his long arms, blocking off any route he might have taken. Naruto, riding off of the adrenalin from his duel with Westbrook, jumps from the free-throw line and throws the ball down over Durant for a meteor jam.

The crowed surged to its feet in applause as a time-out was finally called for. Everyone wanted to see more of the amazing duel taking place on the court. Such a display was rarely seen in an NBA game that whenever it occurred it was watched with rapt attention.

"Okay we are doing good. They are extending the lead but at the same time," the coach glances at Naruto, "Naruto we need you to start closing that gap. I know you are doing your best right now but we need that extra push."

Naruto gulps down his energy drink as he nods along to what the coach is saying. Right now he knew that he was evenly matched with Westbrook. He needed something to get him over the line; something that would enable him to close the gap a basket at a time. Even though it was a single digit lead, with the way him and Westbrook were scoring, it would be enough to hand the Thunder a victory.

Westbrook drives easily pass Naruto only for Naruto to snap his arm back and knock the ball out of his hands. Kyle grabs the free ball and throws it down court for Naruto to chase. Naruto manages to grab the ball just as it reaches the 3-point line. Instead of taking it to the basket he quickly jumps into the air, sets his sights, and releases the ball, which bounces off the backboard and into the net.

He jogs back down the court contemplating what to do next. To the surprise of everyone around him he lets Westbrook drive past him without putting up a fight, basically giving him a free basket. He receives the inbound and catches the eye of Kyle, who upon recognising the unsaid message nods his head.

Naruto dribbles the ball on the left side of the court waiting for an opening to drive past Westbrook. He dashes left and performs a crossover to get rid of Westbrook only to be met Durant. He tries to muscle his way through but Durant sticks with him.

"Top!"

Naruto, without looking, instinctively throws the ball to where the shout came from. He turns his head just as Kyle releases the ball for a quick catch and shoot.

He watches Westbrook rush for the ball and without thinking he turns around to sprint back to defend. In front of him he sees Durant turn around to catch the touchdown pass that Westbrook throws down court. Naruto angles himself to be between Durant and where he guesses the ball to be coming from. When Durant jerk his head to the right Naruto twists his body around and uses his right foot to jump as high in the high as he possibly could. He stretches out his right arm and blindly catches the ball before swinging his arm back around and throwing a laser pass towards a surprised Pau Gasol, who scores a quick lay-up out of reflex alone.

Due to the momentum used to jump in the air Naruto stumbles as he lands and slides on his side only to bang straight into the post of the backboard.

The crowd gasps as the referees quickly blow their whistles and signal for the medics to take the court. The try and look over Naruto only for him to roughly push them away with his right hand. He stumbles to his feet and shakes his head clear of the cobwebs. He quickly shuffles over to the Laker's bench, holding his left hand to his chest al the way.

"Kinda dislocated my ring finger. It hurts, a lot. Like its fucking sore!" he exclaims in a calm voice to Kobe who is try his best not to laugh at the kid standing in front of him.

"That was probably one of the best plays I have ever seen in my life, Kid! Give me your hand." The crowd cringes at the sight of Naruto's ring finger bent at a peculiar angle. Kobe gently takes it in his hands to inspect it. "Okay it doesn't look too bad. We'll go to the med room and have a doctor quickly check it-"

"No! Just set it back in place quickly. The game is almost over anyway."

Kobe shakes his head and takes hold of the offending finger.

"On three. One, two-"

"Motherfucker! What happened to three?"

"-three." Kobe answers with a grin.

"Glad my pain amuses you." Naruto rolls his eyes as he tries to ease the pain around his finger by gently shaking it. He joined the rest of the team as the coach went over the game plan for the remaining minutes of the game.

"Okay gents, here we go. We are going to take a big risk here. Naruto, I'm moving you to SF with Nash taking over as PG. we need you to slow down Westbrook. Keep the Thunder from scoring beyond the arc. When it's our possession then create space for Naruto and Kyle to rain them down. I don't want any more fouls so give them the easy buckets if you feel the need. We are sacrificing defense for offense."

"Run and gun." Naruto and Kyle say at the same time, both of them sharing matching grins with each other.

Just like the coach instructed them, they came out scoring. The only problem was the Thunder matching them basket for basket. Durant started demanding the ball more and since Naruto was on Westbrook, there was no one on the court that could really bother him. Westbrook was still defending Naruto so the ball was given to other players in hopes of scoring easier.

It all came down to the last seconds. The Lakers needed a 3-pointer to win the game.

Rushing towards Nash Naruto calls for the ball with Westbrook right on his heals. As he catches it he quickly spins back the opposite way, making sure to keep his body between Westbrook and the ball. Using the momentum of the spin he steps back with his pivot foot to get enough space from Westbrook and jumps up to take the shot. Just as the ball leaves his hands Durant comes out of nowhere, swinging his arm down to swat the ball down the court.

The Lakers team could do nothing but watch helpless has Westbrook grab the ball over the halfcourt. Instead of going for the basket he made his way to the corner to run out the clock. With no Laker's player near him there was no fear of him being fouled.

Bzzzzzzzzzzzt

The team were relaxing in the locker room after the game. Each of them tired beyond belief from the performance they just put on. None of them spoke as soft music played in the background, helping to ease the atmosphere in the room

Naruto gets up from his spot in front of his locker and makes his way to the middle of the room. Everyone moved there eyes towards him as he started rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry." Shocked silence greets his statement as his teammates can't believe he would blame himself for their loss today. "We had a real chance of winning. If I hadn't duelled it out with Westbrook for so long and just passed he ball off to others who were open then we would've won today. I'm sorry. I was entrusted with winning the game today and I blew it." Naruto finishes with a bow of his head.

Suddenly a hand comes down to smack the back of his head. He stumbles forward in surprise from the hit. He looks behind him to see Steve Nash shaking his head in amusement.

"Win as a team. Lose as a team. The only reason we got that close to a win was because we all played a part in it, especially you. No one, probably not even Kobe could have kept up with Westbrook today yet you went toe-to-toe with him. In fact, if it were a pure fight between PG's, you would have won since we closed the gap in the last quarter. You can't win them all kid." He waves his arm around the room. The rest of their teammates are nodding their heads in agreement, smiles on their faces of at the antics of their rookie. "In case you haven't noticed we are on the track to making it to the play-offs. That's all because of you. You are livening up the team. Our record wouldn't have been as good as it is right now if you weren't here with us."

The rest of the team voice their agreement. Naruto looks around at all the smiling faces, happy that he chose to be a part of this franchise.

Naruto was the last one out of the locker room. He took advantage of the empty room to gather his thoughts on the match he just played, especially his duel with Westbrook. Walking out of the locker room he was surprised to see the subject of his thoughts casually leaning against the wall as if he were waiting for someone.

The two once again had a stand-off except this time Naruto could feel that the tension was higher than ever.

"Great game you had out there, Rookie. You are one of the few that managed to keep up with me." Westbrook steps closer to him and holds out his hand for a shake. As soon as their hands connect Westbrook pulls Naruto towards him. "Don't make the mistake of thinking you will be able to keep up with me like that again. You and your team aren't anywhere near my level."

Westbrook slams his shoulder into Naruto's as he walks down the empty tunnel. Naruto walks off in the opposite direction with his head bowed. If one were to look close enough, they would just be able to make out the bloodthirsty grin that adorned his face.

"So he think he can play with a kitsune…"

"And joining us today on First Take is none other than the Black Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant."

"Thanks for having me here guys." Kobe says with a small smile on his face.

"Kobe, going back to last night's game, do you really think that its right for the Laker's to base the whole team around this young player? It is only his rookie season after all." Skip Bayless questions in disbelief.

"Well, I believe that we are making the right choice. He is the number 1 overall pick from this year's draft. He is absolutely the best player to build the franchise around since all he really needs are the right type of young support players and a little bit of time to adjust to the level of play, which he is doing a brilliant job of if his stats are anything to go by."

"And you aren't worried about fitting into the team once you are fit to play?"

"The thing is, me and him gel really well on the court. Yes, once I'm back then he wont play as many roles as the team is currently asking to but that can only be a good thing since he won't have to focus on as many things."

"Mr Mamba," Stephen A. Smith begins, "you once said that Russell Westbrook was the only player in the league with your DNA in him. Do you still believe that to be true after witnessing the amazing duel between Russell Westbrook and Naruto Namikaze last night?"

"Oh, absolutely." Kobe says instantly. "Russell is definitely competitive just like I was in my prime. You could go on to say that he almost has a MJ mind-set when it comes to beating everyone on the court. Naruto however, is something on a completely different level."

"You can't be serious! We are rating him too high too fast!"

"Now hold on a minute. I wasn't done. Not a lot of people have seen what I have seen when it comes to this kid. He is really something else. His growth rate and learning curve are so steep that I have no doubt we would have won a championship together by now if he joined the Laker's straight out of high school."

"That is an extremely big statement to make."

"Yet make it I did. What you have to understand is that right now he is still in the process of acclimating himself to the league. Once he is fully settled in, then you'll see just what he can really do."

"What are your thoughts on the Laker's once you retire? You think Naruto Namikaze can handle all of that pressure?"

"Right now, he is just playing basketball for the fun of it and finding his place in the pecking order of things. I'll let you in on a little secretly. Naruto truly terrifies me." Kobe says to the shock of the commentators around him.

"What do you mean by that?"

"He doesn't have a reason for playing basketball right now other than he loves it and he wants to be the best. The thing that scares me the most is that he is already this good without a reason. No chip on the shoulder; no one that angered him; nothing like that at all. For the likes of me and MJ, we came into the league with that chip on our shoulders and it took us at least two or three season before we were as good as Naruto is right now. Yes, MJ had amazing stats but if you look at his win-loss record, it wasn't anything to brag about."

"So, what you are saying is… what exactly?"

"Once someone takes a shot at him, creates that chip on his shoulder, I promise you this, we will all witness probably one of, if not the best player to ever play the game."

"Last question. Do you think he can match-up against the other PG's in the league?"

"This season? Probably towards the end off it. I predict that it'll be next season when he'll make his bid for the best PG in the league."

She was waiting on the pier for him, excitement building up inside of her. They hadn't spoken in a few weeks due to both of them travelling so much due to their careers.

She's suddenly tackled to the ground by a much bigger Kurama who proceeds to give her a tongue bath.

"Hello to you too, Kurama." She giggles in greeting. "I missed you too Furball. Where's Naruto today?"

Kurama wags his tails before running away from her only to come back a minute later with a cute little girl riding on his back. The little girl was probably the cutest she had ever seen.

"Hi there," she greets with a warm smile at the awe struck girl, "you must be Himawari. Your dad talks about you all the time."

Himawari points a shaky finger at her and tries to say something, anything, to the young woman standing before her.

"You are the girl that dad likes!" she suddenly exclaims in excitement.

"I wouldn't go that far." She answers sheepishly. "We are just really good friends."

"Nope." Himawari replies with a warm smile. "Aunt Sakura is a really good friend to Tou-san. When he speaks of you he has the same look on his face as when he speaks of Kaa-san."

She's taken aback by this statement. After spending so much time with Naruto she managed to pick up on a few basic Japanese words.

"Your mother? You think he cares about me that much?" she questions nervously, almost afraid of the answer.

"Yup. Definitely." Himawari nods her head with absolute certainty. "He really does. I'm glad to finally meet you, not because you are famous or anything, but because you make Tou-san happy again." Kurama yips at her. "Plus, Kurama likes you. He is a really good judge of character."

She can't help but walk over to the little angel in front of her and wrap her up in a big hug. She feels the little girl's arms wrap around her neck and hug her back.

"Thank you, Little One. You have no idea how much that means to me." She says tearfully.

"That's okay. Everyone needs someone there for them. Uncle Kakashi says that family is important. So, I will be your family and be there for you." Himawari states with utter sincerity.

"Has anyone told you that you are smart and wise beyond your years?" She lets out a cute little laugh at the girl in her arms.

"Yup, Iruka-sensei says they have to move me up a few grades because I am at a higher level than everyone else around me." Himawari answers dejectedly.

"What's wrong with that?" she asks Himawari with a concerned frown, already feeling very protective of the little girl in her arms.

"I never made any friends before they told me I was going to a bigger grade. Now, most of the big kids know that Tou-san is a famous basketball player. They only wanna be my friend to meet Tou-san." Himawari tells her with tears in her eyes.

She holds Himawari tighter against her and sits down on the ground. Kurama curls around them in a protective gesture. Closing them off to the outside world as best as he could.

"Don't you worry about them at all. You have your dad and family there for you. Right now, you have Kurama and me here with you. Kurama will always be your protector and I will do my best to always be you friend Himawari." She places a soft kiss on the crown of Himawari's head. "I won't let you go through what I went through okay?"

Himawari nods her head and snuggles closer into the embrace, feeling something build up inside her that she knew she was missing but could never place.

They both enjoy the silence that surrounds them. No one interrupting them due to it being so early in the morning.

"You should head on home before they start worrying about you." She says softly to the child in her arms.

"I don't wanna go. I like being here with you." Himawari answers in a voice that lets her know that she really is just a child no matter how smart she is.

"Well then here." She writes on a piece of paper and hands it to Himawari. "This is the number to my personal phone. Very few people have it. Call me or message me whenever you want and I promise to message right back as soon as I can."

"But I don't have a cellphone."

"Well then," she replies mischievously, "I guess you'll just have to bug your dad to get you one." Both girls giggle at the idea of annoying Naruto.

Himawari gets up and gives her one more hug before climbing onto Kurama's back.

"Thank you Alex. I can't wait to see you again."

"Alex?"

"I can't call you by your real name silly." Himawari giggles. "Tou-san is supposed to find out by himself."

She smiles and waves to Himawari as Kurama casually trots away. She's ecstatic that she finally met Naruto's daughter and made a real friend.

okay so review and let me know. i decided to put in himawari meeting with naruto's love interest. it'll make sense later on in the story but don't go expecting to figure everything out in the next 2 or 3 chapters. i will be accelerating the basketball season a bit since theres no need to really focus on most of the matches. in either the next chapter or the one after that, i will let Naruto meet lebrun