As the team captain, Takenori Akagi was naturally aware of Hanamichi Sakuragi's recent training progress.

So when Sakuragi Hanamichi stood at the free throw line, Akagi Takenori comforted him, saying, "Sakuragi, don't be nervous, just shoot, it'll be fine."

Mitsui Hisashi smiled and struck a shooting pose. "Sakuragi, look, shoot like this, try it."

Ryota Miyagi and Kaede Rukawa also gave them encouraging looks.

Sakuragi Hanamichi felt very comfortable with everyone's attitude.

As a newcomer, you should receive care and support from experienced drivers!

Sakuragi Hanamichi gave everyone a bright smile and said, "Okay, okay, I'll do my best."

Although he said that, what he was really thinking was, "Hehehe, you guys probably don't know, but I've already started practicing my mid-range shot... I'm going to work hard quietly like this, and then amaze everyone... Well, the success rate of making the shot is indeed not particularly high."

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood at the free-throw line, took a deep breath, gripped the basketball tightly in his arms, and stared intently at the hoop.

"call"

Sakuragi Hanamichi exhaled a breath.

At this moment, he tried hard to recall the shooting motion that he had practiced many times before.

Sakuragi Hanamichi stood facing the basketball hoop, his feet naturally apart, his left hand on the side of the basketball, and his right hand gripping the back of the basketball.

He bent his arm at a 90-degree angle, and when he straightened his arm, he used his wrist to drive his right hand, while simultaneously using his index and middle fingers to push the basketball out steadily.

I must say, the posture is indeed very standard.

Akagi Takenori was dumbfounded, his mind filled with questions: "Who taught him his free throw technique? How is it so perfect?"

Sakuragi Hanamichi's shooting motion was executed in one smooth motion.

A perfect arc appeared as the basketball flew towards the hoop.

But,

It didn't go in!

The basketball hit the edge of the hoop and bounced away.

Sakuragi Hanamichi sighed inwardly, "Uh, my accuracy is still not high enough!"

Seeing this, Murasame Kengo even clapped and praised, "Sakuragi Hanamichi, although you didn't make the shot, your technique was really good."

A weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken has ulterior motives.

Kengo Murasame is using reverse sarcasm.

Sakuragi Hanamichi had already cursed Murasame Kengo a thousand times in his heart. "You despicable bastard! If it weren't for you, I would have already made an amazing alley-oop dunk... What's worse, you even fouled me maliciously! You just wait, I'll show you how I'm going to make you pay..."

Immediately afterwards, Sakuragi Hanamichi prepared to take the second penalty.

At this moment, Takenori Akagi and Kaede Rukawa were ready to grab the rebound.

Sakuragi Hanamichi quickly calmed himself down and took another deep breath.

I repeated the same set of movements as before.

Another perfect arc!

With a "whoosh" sound!

Basketball in the net!

Sakuragi Hanamichi smirked, "Heh heh heh, see that? I can shoot free throws."

At that moment, a glint flashed in Coach Anzai's eyes from the sidelines.

As a former national team player and now a renowned coach, Coach Anzai knows all too well how much effort and dedication a basketball beginner needs to put in to reach the level of Sakuragi Hanamichi.

It's fair to say that Sakuragi Hanamichi's current level truly deserves the title of "genius player".

In just a few weeks, less than a month, he transformed from a delinquent youth who only knew how to fight into a key player who could rebound, dunk, drive to the basket, and even shoot free throws.

This is something that not just anyone can do!

A true genius player!

At the same time, Akagi Takenori and others ran over to Sakuragi Hanamichi and patted him on the shoulder to encourage him.

From the audience, Yohei Mito and others shouted, "Hanamichi, well done! Hanamichi..."

However, Takamiya Nozomi said with a smile, "Yohei, have you been practicing with Hanamichi lately?"

Yohei Mito was taken aback for a moment, then smiled calmly and said, "You misunderstood. I didn't accompany Hanamichi to practice. As far as I know, it should be Haruko Akagi accompanying Hanamichi to practice every morning."

After thinking for a moment, Takamiya Nozomi said, "Oh, I see. I thought you couldn't resist and started playing basketball again."

Upon hearing this, Yuji Oonan immediately said, "That's right, Yohei, your basketball skills are also very good. You could consider joining the Shohoku basketball team!"

Chuichiro Noma chimed in, "Yeah! It would be amazing to see Hanamichi and Yohei playing side-by-side on the court."

His brothers' words made Yohei Mito suddenly lose his composure.

Previously, Yohei Mito was the only member of Sakuragi's gang who liked playing basketball, but he didn't play regular games on the school basketball team; instead, he played street basketball.

Street basketball differs from regular basketball games; street basketball only requires half a basketball court for a 3v3 match.

Moreover, Yohei Mito played a style of street basketball that leaned towards fancy moves!

In the bustling downtown area, half a basketball court was packed with spectators. Accompanied by deafeningly loud, energetic music and dazzling basketball skills, the audience erupted in screams every now and then.

Most importantly, the circle that Yohei Mito belongs to plays the kind of games with stakes.

Before each match, both sides agree on the betting amount and hand over the money to a neutral person.

For a long time, Yohei Mito was obsessed with it.

Until one day, Yohei Mito discovered that a man known as "Cannon" had actually committed illegal acts because of this.

Da Pao's family was very poor and they didn't have much money for living expenses. If it was just small bets, it wouldn't matter and wouldn't cause them serious financial losses.

But the circle of kids that Yohei Mito played ball with consisted of children from wealthy families. They weren't short of money, and in order to show off their superiority, they gambled heavily.

Of course, this so-called big bet varies from person to person. For Mito Yohei, it was just an ordinary amount, only a week's allowance.

But for most people their age, that's a year's worth of pocket money!

So, if two people are not in the same circle, they shouldn't force themselves into each other's circles, because they are destined not to get along.

Although we all live in the same world, the world is different in everyone's eyes, and the people we come into contact with are also different.

There is no good or bad, no high or low, no noble or lowly among them.

The rich have their sorrows, and the poor have their joys.

Different people have different ways of living.

In essence, we are all human beings, with joy, anger, sorrow, and fear, and with all seven emotions and six desires. We all come into this world naked and leave it naked.

So just live your own life well.

Dapao and Mito Yohei were not from the same circle. In fact, he could have easily played street basketball without gambling, or at least street basketball with lower stakes.

However, the place where Mito Yohei and others played was so lively that it was always crowded with people. You could see all kinds of handsome men and beautiful women there, and all the most stylish people of their age were gathered around that place.

That place is just so attractive!

Driven by vanity and a competitive spirit, and also because he possessed considerable basketball skills, he asked his friends to pool their money to play against Mito Yohei and others.

In any game involving money, there's always this mysterious phenomenon: you always seem to win at the start.

The team led by Da Pao defeated Mito Yohei and others in the first match.

For a time, Da Pao was riding high, gaining both fame and fortune.

But not long after, Yohei Mito and his group discovered the weaknesses of the cannon team and devised corresponding tactics, replacing them with stronger teammates.

As a result, the cannon lost.

But Da Pao was unwilling to accept defeat. He believed that his team was definitely the strongest, and the reason they lost this match was simply because they were not in good form. He was confident that once they adjusted their form, they would be able to defeat Mito Yohei and the others again.

As a result, Da Pao lost several more games in a row, and he ended up giving back all the money he had earned from playing streetball.

Profit and loss come from the same source!

The most painful thing in life is letting a large sum of money slip through your fingers without you being able to hold onto it.

Desperate after losing so much, Da Pao is desperately trying to raise money and make one last gamble to win back his losses and turn things around!

Because Da Pao had indeed won many games and made a lot of money, there were still people willing to lend him money.

However, that final match plunged the cannon into an endless abyss.

In that match, Da Pao's mentality was completely off. He was like a gambler who had lost everything, and he was too emotional while playing. He couldn't even perform at 60% of his normal level.

Moreover, because he was too impatient, he was prone to fighting with the other party at the slightest mistake, and the scene became very tense at one point.

Being acquainted with the ways of the world, Mito Yohei and the others had long noticed the cannon's unusual state, and they also knew the reason behind it.

The more urgently the cannons fired, the more steadily Mito Yohei and the others fired.

So, unsurprisingly, Cannon lost the final match. He not only lost all his savings but also incurred a huge debt.

This amount of money wasn't a large sum for people like Mito Yohei, but for someone like Daipao, who had no income and came from a poor family, it was a huge sum.

The most devastating blow was psychological. After that match, Da Pao was like a soulless cripple, living a life of emptiness and ultimately turning to theft and robbery.

That day, Yohei Mito learned about the cannon by chance, and this incident had a great impact on him.

Although he and Da Pao were rivals, and although they weren't very close, Da Pao's skill level was definitely among the top in that basketball circle.

Upon hearing that Dapao had been arrested, Yohei Mito recalled the triumphant scene when Dapao first achieved victory.

It must be said that Dapao was a spirited and ambitious young man back then!

Unexpectedly, he lost money playing basketball and eventually turned to crime.

At that moment, Yohei Mito suddenly felt that this kind of street basketball with high stakes seemed like a deadly sword that could destroy many young people with dreams.

With a single thought, one can traverse mountains and rivers; with a single thought, one feels a great weight lifted from their shoulders.

From that day on, Yohei Mito gave up his beloved street basketball and rarely touched a basketball again.

At this moment, in the stands of the game between Shohoku and Miura Dai, Mito Yohei was filled with emotion when he heard Takamiya Nozomi and the other two talking about their past basketball experiences.

Yohei Mito gave a very modest smile, waved his hand, and said, "My basketball skills are far from good enough; I'm just playing for fun."

Then, Yohei Mito looked at Sakuragi Hanamichi on the court.

When Yohei Mito heard that Hanamichi Sakuragi actually wanted to join the Shohoku basketball team, he was quite shocked.

What shocked him even more was that he always felt that his good friend Sakuragi Hanamichi was different from before. For example, Sakuragi Hanamichi was not discouraged by being rejected by 50 girls. Furthermore, Sakuragi Hanamichi had transformed from a simple-minded person who did not understand girls' feelings into a master of romance, and even successfully won over Akagi Haruko.

There's also the matter of drinking.

Of course, most importantly, Sakuragi Hanamichi seems to have no recollection of his good friend Mito Yohei ever playing street basketball.

However, on the other hand, Yohei Mito was very happy for his good friend Hanamichi Sakuragi, who found a girlfriend he loved and set his goal as making it to the national tournament and dominating the country.

At this moment, the match between Miura Dai and Shohoku was still in progress, but Sakuragi Hanamichi was completely unaware of the conversation between Mito Yohei and others in the audience.

Under the basket, Sakuragi Hanamichi and Akagi Takenori were actively positioning themselves.

However, Kengo Murasame moved closer to Hanamichi Sakuragi.

Kengo Murasame first positioned himself in the referee's line of sight, then made a pushing motion, shoving Sakuragi Hanamichi hard.

Sakuragi Hanamichi was almost overthrown.

Sakuragi Hanamichi turned around and glared angrily at Murasame Kengo, yelling, "You bastard! What are you doing?"

Kengo Murasame looked completely innocent and said, "Huh? What are you talking about? I don't understand."

Then, Kengo Murasame sneered, "I heard you're a basketball beginner, right? If you don't understand the rules of basketball, go ask your coach first, see what the rules are, and learn which moves are illegal and against the rules."

The cunning Sakuragi Hanamichi saw through Murasame Kengo's intentions at a glance; Murasame Kengo clearly wanted to mess with his mentality.

Just as Sakuragi Hanamichi was about to retaliate against Murasame Kengo, a figure suddenly rushed over.

The figure cleverly blocked the referee's view and suddenly grabbed Murasame Kengo under the armpit.

"Ah!" Kengo Murasame couldn't help but let out a cry of pain.

The person who made the move was none other than Mitsui Hisashi!

Mitsui Hisashi looked at Murasame Kengo with a smile and asked, "Hey? Are you alright? Why are you yelling like that?"

This scene immediately made Sakuragi Hanamichi laugh.

I never expected Mitsui to be this kind of person.

What shocked Sakuragi Hanamichi even more was what Mitsui Hisashi said next.

Mitsui Hisashi said to Sakuragi Hanamichi, "Hanamichi, you're a beginner in basketball and don't have much experience. Some people like to use underhanded tricks behind people's backs. I'll have Tokuo and the others teach you later; they're very good at those kinds of tricks."

Sakuragi Hanamichi was completely dumbfounded and asked, "What? Horita Tokuo?"

Before the game, Sakuragi Hanamichi heard Mitsui mention Horita Tokuo once. Mitsui's exact words at the time seemed to be, "Yasuda and the others are not as good as Tokuo!"

Hearing Mitsui mention Horita Tokuo again, Sakuragi Hanamichi's head buzzed!

He felt like he had come to the wrong place!

This isn't the Slam Dunk world he's familiar with!

Mitsui Hisashi said in a serious tone, "That's right! We joined the Shohoku basketball team together. Tokuo was actually quite good at basketball, but after I left the Shohoku basketball team, he left with me. After that, Tokuo preferred to play pickup basketball and some street basketball."

Suddenly, Mitsui Hisashi seemed to remember something and said in a puzzled tone, "By the way, didn't your good brother Mito Yohei like to play street basketball? You could ask him to teach you some ways to counter violent basketball."

Upon hearing this, Sakuragi Hanamichi was completely dumbfounded. "What? Mito Yohei? He plays basketball too?"