Chapter 3: The Promise

Seeing your own moves turned against you brought a weird sensation to your heart. Naruto didn't know if he should be flattered, or annoyed. Well, he was definitely annoyed. But there was something else beyond that annoyance too. He couldn't quite describe what it was, though.

Excitement?

Delight?

No, that wasn't quite right either. It was more like…...hunger. Yes, that's it. Hunger. A hunger to prove himself further.

"You alright?" Moriyama asked and patted him on the back. "I know Kise copying your moves for the first time is jarring, but don't let that stop you."

Naruto's face turned feral, his whisker marks on his cheeks darkening. "It's not like that at all. If anything, this is how it should be."

Moriyama was taken back by this and was unable to respond. But that was obvious. What could he say when someone had a look like this on their faces?

Naruto ignored the shooting guard and look over to Kise, who was already back with his team.

'That's right, Kise…...if you couldn't do this much, I would have been greatly disappointed.'

The ball was thrown in by the unnamed second string member, who tossed it straight to Naruto.

Kise saw this and began to smirk. "Want revenge that badly-"

He stopped when he took notice of the look on Naruto's face. It was almost like he was looking at a different person now. The best way to describe it was…...an unsatiated beast. The aura around him was potent, everyone else could sense it too.

"You're not the only one who laid out the groundwork for this match," Naruto told him, looking at Kise straight in the eyes. "I've been looking into your abilities too. You and your Generation of Miracles buddies. I'll admit it was Yuki who did the research, but because of that I'm able to face you more prepared today."

Yuki? Kise glanced at the girl for a second, surprised to hear that. He never would have guessed she had that side to her. Now wasn't the time for that, though, which Naruto proved as he suddenly dashed right past Kise without the taller blond being able to react in time.

'This is-!'

Leaving a gaping Kise behind, Naruto was met by Kasamatsu next, the captain deciding to face Naruto head-on this time. Naruto merely smiled as he passed the ball over to Moriyama, who was now open for his special move.

The Unorthodox shot.

Kasamatsu silently cursed when he saw the ball go in, right as it was intended. He had been too hasty back there, going after Naruto without thinking about the consequences. Not that he could be faulted for that too much. He had assumed that Naruto wouldn't bother to pass, much like Kise rarely did. Until recently anyway. That had been a bad judgement call on his part.

More importantly…..

"Was he moving faster just now, or was that me?" Kobori asked, voicing everyone's question.

Kise already knew the answer to that. "So that's your move…..."

Naruto stared back at him and offered the boy a small grin. "Your whole gimmick is that you can copy moves, right? I had a feeling you'd try that. That's why I've been practicing hard too. To show you that I still have another level. Don't think my skills are so cheap that you can borrow them without really working for them, Kise."

So that's how it was going to be then.

Kise returned the grin. "Fine by me. It would be boring if it were that easy anyway."

At least they had an understanding.

Yuki watched the two boys from the sideline, not knowing how she was supposed to react now. Trying to understand the two of them was going to be hard, she was beginning to understand that much at least.

And so, the practice match continued.

Kasamatsu had to watch how the practice match evolved into something of a slug fest between Naruto and Kise as the two continued to face off against one another, time after time. As much as he and the others wanted to join in, they understood very clearly that this was a fight that none of them could hope to compete in.

Not against these two behemoths.

"You're trailing behind, Kise!" Naruto shouted as he dunked through his fellow blond.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Uzumakicchi!" Kise responded in kind with a double clutch dunk, showing off his own power in comparison to Naruto.

"This is insane," Yuki muttered, unable to take her eyes off the continuous moves the two boys kept pulling out. She could barely keep track of them too. It was like they were always getting faster and faster.

"Heh, so it's just like I assumed," the coach said from where he sat next to her. "Naruto's growth is forcing Kise to grow as well. But I wasn't expecting this level of blooming from Kise. He's shattered all of my expectations."

Not that that was a bad thing, mind you. Quite the opposite in fact. The coach couldn't be happier.

Yuki could sort of see that. Even with Naruto raising the stakes, Kise kept meeting them head on with his abilities.

'The Generation of Miracles…...I understand why everyone is so impressed with them now.'

If it meant keeping up with Naruto, who had always been the strongest person around, then Yuki was definitely impressed.

The blow-by-blow between Naruto and Kise continued with Naruto constantly upping his speed as Kise continued to follow. The whiskered blond once again got past Kise's defenses and went for the dunk, Kobori and Kasamatsu unable to stop the blond either.

Panting, Kise felt his frustration start to rise. 'Dammit…...dammit! There's no limit to this guy…...!'

Sweat was pouring down his face, but it was at an amount not normal for only the second quarter. It was obvious why, though. Continuously copying Naruto's moves like this…...they drained him faster than anything else.

'But if I'm going to win…..I can't stop here!'

He just couldn't.

The ball was live again, and it was tossed to Kasamatsu. With Kobori mostly in defense, Kasamatsu was the current best offensive choice other than Kise. That, and the captain had great dribbling and passing skills too. That's what made him so effective as the point guard.

Nakamura was facing him, ready to stop him. It was the best driver against the best defender. Who would come out on top here? The answer was obvious, which is why Nakamura made sure to stay close to Kasamatsu at all costs. A tight defense was the best way to deal with the captain's drive. Without enough space, he couldn't get it started.

That was his mistake.

Drives weren't the only thing Kasamatsu excelled at. He did a quick spin, which caught Nakamura off guard. With the spin, he was able to position himself at a great spot to shoot for a three.

Which he did, until Naruto arrived with a jump to slam the ball back down and onto Nakamura's hands.

Kasamatsu's eyes widened. 'Dammit, he was able to get into a blocking position so fast!'

Other than Kise, there was no way any of them could react to Naruto's speed in time. No, that wasn't entirely true, as Kise was still trying to keep up, but Naruto still had the edge in terms of speed.

Nakamura headed for the counter right away, but Kise came in with a quick steal, knocking the ball out of his hands before he could pass to Moriyama.

'We're even now, Uzumakicchi,' Kise thought as he went for his own counterattack.

Naruto was soon upon him, and the two settled into another one-on-one between them. Or so it seemed at first, until Kise went in with a fake shooting position. But in actually, he was aiming for a pass toward Kasamatsu, who quickly fired a three-pointer and shot it in successfully this time.

The court exploded into cheers, and even some bystanders were drawn in from the outside. Not that it mattered to either Naruto and Kise who were still eyeing each other down.

"You're not the only who can rely on his teammates, Uzumakicchi," Kise said through his pants. "Remember that."

Naruto smirked somewhat. "Eh? I gotta say, that surprises me a little. From what Yuki told me, you guys all preferred to rely on yourselves and no one else."

"I've had a recent change of heart."

Naruto was glad to hear that.

The ball was quickly brought back into the court as the match resumed, with the second quarter almost at its end. The score was 55-51, in Naruto's favor. It wasn't a huge lead, though, and it wouldn't take long for Kise to switch things around if given the opportunity.

Naruto wasn't going to let that happen.

Nakamura led the charge for their team in what was basically the last play for the first half. They needed to make this count.

"Don't let them score!" Kasamatsu shouted. Letting the point difference be any higher than it was would only be a pain in the ass for them in the second half of the match.

The two nameless second string members charged for Nakamura to meet him head on, hoping to stop him before he could make a play for his team. A double team against Nakamura would work well, since his dribbling skills were far from the best in the team.

'Shit, leave it to the captain to exploit my weakness like this…...'

They were seriously gunning for the stop right here and now.

Thinking fast, Nakamura managed to get the pass out to Moriyama, who was open. Catching the ball, the shooting guard made to shoot another one of his weird shots. That plan was quickly shot down when Kobori suddenly appeared in front of him, ready for the block.

"I'm not letting you do it!" the center shouted at the top of his lungs, ready to stop his friend.

Moriyama couldn't help but smirk. 'So quick…...you're serious about this too, huh, Kobori?'

Then they had to step it up as well.

Moriyama acted fast too and threw the ball for a pass to his right, just in time for Naruto to catch it. Said blond was already by the free throw line. Only Kasamatsu stood in his way to make the shot, and the two boys knew that Naruto was more than capable of getting past him, no problem.

Except Kasamatsu wasn't alone as Kise joined the play at the last second, looking more than ready to stop Naruto in his tracks.

"You're not getting through, Uzumakicchi!"

It was two against one, and in these circumstances Kise and Kasamatsu had the advantage. Naruto was not dunking through them.

They won the battle.

Only things didn't go that way either. Kise's eyes widened when he saw the small grin on Naruto's face. He understood right away what that meant.

'This guy…...he's not going to dunk…..!'

Kise instinctively jumped for the block while Kasamatsu was too slow to react to any of this. Naruto jumped as well, pulling his arm back. Kise's eyes lit up in recognition.

There was no doubt about it. He was going to use that move.

Naruto flung his arm forward a second later, throwing the ball to the basket. His form was anything but normal, but it was still balanced. The basketball shot past Kise's fingers, the taller blond unable to stop it. The ball hit the rim, and for a second it looked like it wasn't going in. That made Kise a little hopeful, but that hope evaporated as the ball managed to roll into the net at the last second.

Yeah, it was clumsier than Aomine's, but it was still the same move. A Formless Shot. Naruto had just performed a Formless Shot.

The second quarter came to an end right then and there, but Kise was too excited to care. He looked at Naruto as more sweat dripped down his face.

"You're too crazy, Uzumakicchi. To think you could pull off one of those…..."

Naruto smirked. "Like I said, you're not the only one who's been practicing hard this past week. We're going up against your buddies in the Generation of Miracles, right? That's why I'll need more than just instinct to win."

Is that so?

"But right now, crushing you is more important. I'm sure you understand."

Kise did. Because he felt the same way.

"You're too crazy, Naruto-kun! You said you hadn't completed that training yet! What if you had missed!?"

"Eh, but I didn't. So it's all fine now."

"No, it isn't. You're always being reckless! Can't you think before you act? It would really help a lot."

"But Yuki-"

"But nothing! I don't even want to give you your snack now."

"Don't do this to me! I promise I'll be good! Just give me the precious!"

"Oh, fine. But only because you need your energy for the second half."

"Hehehe."

Moriyama was ready to pounce on Naruto, feeling jealous from all the attention he was getting from Yuki. Not just that, but he was also resting his head on her lap while she fed him lemon slices soaked in honey.

How was this fair!? This world was just a cruel and lonely place!

Yuki turned to them with a smile as she took out another plastic container filled with more lemon slices.

"Here you go, guys. I brought more than enough for everybody."

Nakamura accepted the container, surprised. "How did you know we would need these today?"

"I didn't. I was doing some research into what was best for athletes to eat to get their energy back without feeling bloated afterwards. And this turned up. I was gonna ask you guys what you thought, but then all of this happened." Yuki sighed and smiled, trailing her hand through Naruto's spiky hair. "You can never predict these things, I guess."

"We accept your gift regardless!" Moriyama managed to perk up after hearing that they could eat Yuki's cooking too. She might not feed it to them, but it was still better than nothing.

Nakamura sighed as Moriyama practically snatched the container from his hands. "One track mind, I swear."

"We s(t)ill need to w(i)n our match!" Hayakawa suddenly screamed. "Also, Uzumaki! I h(a)ven't been (a)ble to ca(t)ch any (r)ebounds b(e)cause of you! It's n(o)t fair!"

"…..did anyone else catch that?" Naruto said, struggling to understand what the boy was saying.

"Nada."

"No."

Naruto nodded as Yuki fed him another lemon slice. "Got it."

Hayakawa grumbled. He needed to catch more rebounds dammit! It's what he lived for! But with Naruto scoring from the inside and Moriyama making his three's, there was no room for him! It sucked.

Nakamura was more pleased with their performance, though, taking note on how well Naruto and Moriyama played off one another, even though they probably didn't realize it. Their offensive was solid thanks to the two of them.

'We can totally win this thing!' Being able to beat Kise...Nakamura couldn't ask for anything sweeter than that.

"Are you sure you can keep this up for the last two quarters?" Yuki asked Naruto with worry. "I know you were expecting this, but I thought Kise wasn't supposed to be able to keep up with you. At least, not yet."

"Then you've underestimated him too much, Yuki," Naruto said. He would shrug if he could too. "With a name like the Generation of Miracles, expecting this much from Kise should have been obvious. Otherwise, where's the fun?"

Yuki rolled her eyes at this. Leave it to Naruto to find amusement out of something like this. But still…...it was a nice sight. He was actually trying for once, and he was really enjoying himself. This was exactly what Yuki had been waiting to see for so long now.

"Well, just make sure you win, okay?" Yuki urged him on and poked him in the cheek. "If you win, I'll prepare your favorite tonight."

That was all the motivation he needed. He was totally winning this thing!

The others all nearly choked on their saliva when they heard this, though. Did Naruto and Yuki…...live together!? What the hell kind of romantic situation was that!?

'So not fair!' And of course, Moriyama was already crying his eyes out, cursing the gods for presenting such a horrific sight to him.

On the other side, with Kise and his team, the conversation among them was a tad more serious. They were facing an uphill battle here, after all.

"You sure you can keep doing this?" It was Kasamatsu who asked Kise straight up. There was no beating around the bush here. "You look like you're about to pass out."

True enough, Kise hadn't sweat this much in a long time. Probably not since his early days in Teikō. Or whenever he'd challenged Aomine to a one-on-one.

"I'm not about to let this match have an uncool ending like that," Kise said through his smile. That smile then fell a little. "Although, if I'm being honest, I underestimated him. I didn't think he would be this prepared."

And Yuki too. That girl had dug info on him and the others without telling anyone else on the team about it. That was just dirty right there. It only made Kise like her more, though.

"You're not the only one." Kasamatsu hadn't been expecting Naruto to get this good. That rang double for Kise, though. Having Naruto here had been a great boost to their team overall. That couldn't be denied. Naruto and Moriyama working well together was another surprise. These were only positives that would help their team in the Inter-High. Kasamatsu still wanted to win right now, though.

The coach sat in silence. He wasn't going to side with anyone in this match, which meant that he wasn't giving tips to anyone. He was still pleased with everything he was seeing, though.

Another whistle came, and the third quarter was about to begin.

Both Naruto and Kise stood up at the same time, the two ready to play once more.

The ball was thrown in, and the match resumed. This only excited those that were watching, club members and regular students alike. Neither Naruto nor Kise had noticed the ever growing crowd, though, too busy staring each other down. It made Yuki want to slap them really.

'Heh, well, we expected this,' Kasamatsu thought as he managed to sneak the ball through Nakamura's legs and finally get through his defenses. 'Kise has always been popular like this.'

Nakamura gritted his teeth in frustration but went right after his captain, keeping up the pressure. In these circumstances, Kasamatsu would go for the three, which he did. But Nakamura's tight defense prevented him from keeping his cool, and so the three missed.

"REBOUND!" Hayakawa was ecstatic as he jumped for the ball and caught it, finally getting the chance to do what he loved best. He did it despite the two unnamed second string members going for it too.

No one was surprised by this showing really.

With a grand shout, Hayakawa threw the ball all the way to the mid court line, right where Moriyama was.

'Again with this!' With a shout of his own, Kobori went for the jump to block Moriyama's shot right as the third year reached the three-point line.

"Calm yourself, Kobori!" Kasamatsu yelled out in warning, but it was too late. Moriyama performed a fake on the center perfectly, instead going for a pass and handing the ball to Naruto, who was able to get closer to the basket and jump for the dunk.

"Don't be thinking it's that easy, Uzumakicchi!" Kise was, of course, right there for the block, ready to prevent Naruto's dunk.

Naruto only smirked at this and brought his arm back, throwing the ball over his shoulders from behind. Kise's block was unable to stop this shot, with the arch being too high for him to reach.

The ball went right into the basket.

The two landed while still staring at the other.

"Looks like dunks aren't the only thing you can do, huh?" Kise said, although his face wasn't as bright as before. In fact, he was almost full on glaring at Naruto.

The Uzumaki took this in stride. Why? Because he already knew. Kise was double-faced. To those he respected, he was all friendly and bubbly. But to those he didn't, he had a habit of looking down on them. According to Moriyama, he used to be worse than how he was now, with Kise not really showing much respect to even those in the first string. Kasamatsu was the sort-of exception. Kise's habit was still inside him despite his recent change. In game, though, Naruto suspected that Kise's darker side was bound to come out, even if he was facing against someone he had come to respect.

It looked like he was right.

There was more cheering as the match continued, with Kise and Naruto facing off against one another multiple times throughout the third quarter. It was during this second half that Naruto unveiled his true love for dunks.

Kobori was knocked back in multiple occasions as Naruto continued to score despite his defenses, pulling off different kinds of dunks like the windmill and the double clutch.

"H(o)w am I s(u)pp(o)sed to c(a)tch reb(o)unds if you ke(e)p making th(o)se dunks!?" Hayakawa was not pleased by any of this.

"Idiot, let it go," Nakamura said, actually understanding the overly excited teen for once. "We're winning. Besides, less rebounds for us means more shots in. It's a win."

But…..the rebounds….

Still, this wasn't easy. Moriyama could already feel his legs wobbling. Trying to keep up with Naruto and Kise was one of the most difficult things he'd ever had to do. Those two were like unstoppable behemoths right now. No matter what they did on defense, they still made their shots. And the way they kept glaring at one another…..it just made everything else seem irrelevant.

'This guy has to be running on empty, though,' Kasamatsu thought as he looked at Naruto. 'He's been pulling dunk after dunk. His legs must be feeling the pressure right about now.'

Naruto didn't seem to be struggling at all, however. He was panting, but he didn't look like he was about to fall over.

The same couldn't be said of Kise, though. He could already tell. His body was very close to its limit. No, that wasn't exactly correct. His body had reached its limit. He was running on willpower alone right now.

The ball came back on court, with it going over to Kise as Naruto positioned himself in front of him. This was like a never-ending battle between them, just the way they liked it.

Except…..that wasn't exactly the truth.

Kise charged forward, copying Naruto's speed again. The ball seemed to almost disappear to the onlookers, but Naruto could see it as plain as day.

Kise…...was slower than before.

With this weakness exposed, Naruto was able to slam the ball out of his hands, stealing it before Kise could react.

Kise's eyes widened in complete shock. 'No-!'

With the ball in his possession, Naruto charged with the counter as the rest tried to stop him. It was Kasamatsu who stood against him again, but instead of trying to get past him, Naruto simply tossed the ball over his shoulder and into Moriyama's hands. The shooting guard went with his Unorthodox Shot again, scoring another three points for them. Moriyama had no idea how many of those shots he could still take, but seeing Naruto and Kise going at it gave him the motivation he needed not to care.

He would keep making these shots until the end of the game if need be.

Naruto and Moriyama high-fived one another before heading back.

Kasamatsu was more concerned with Kise, though, whose right leg seemed to be twitching.

"Oi….."

Kise ground his teeth together in frustration, mentally cursing. This couldn't be his limit, could it? Not right now. But it was the unmistakable truth. His body just wasn't used to handling Naruto's level of speed and power yet. He was still too weak for that.

Fuck.

"Don't go thinking like that, idiot." Kasamatsu smacked the blond on the back of the head, nearly making Kise lose his balance.

"What was that for, senpai!?" the model cried out in pain.

"For being an idiot." Kasamatsu scowled and pointed at the blond. "How long do you think you've been copying Uzumaki's moves for? Just about the whole game, but you've kept at it. If you think that makes you weak, then maybe you need another kick to change your mind."

Kise quickly shook his head. "Y-Yeah, I think I'm good."

But having someone try to cheer him up…...Kise felt like kicking himself for that actually. It just wasn't like him. Getting down like this…...

A new wave of determination washed over him.

'I'll keep going to the end…..even if it kills me!'

Losing here just wasn't an option.

Kasamatsu eyed the score. It was 80 to 77. They were still down three points. Without Kise, there was no way they would be able to catch up. That's why he couldn't be allowed to doubt himself. Not right now.

It would all come to a head in the fourth quarter.

The third quarter came to an end soon after, and the two minute break followed. Naruto allowed himself a moment to relax as he sat next to Yuki who was looking at him with sunshines and rainbows around her.

"W-What's with you?" Naruto asked, feeling a bit freaked out by her mannerisms right now.

"Nothing~ I'm just so happy seeing you working so hard. That's all~"

That's all, she said. Sheesh.

Naruto was able to smile at this. "That's true. It's the first time I'm able to let loose like this."

Kise was a worthy opponent. Giving it everything he had was the only way to go.

"Are you sure you can keep keep going to the end of the game, though?" Moriyama asked him, still concerned with the way Naruto was pushing himself. "You've been in high gear nearly the whole game."

Naruto leaned back on the bench. "Don't worry about me. Above all else, I trust my stamina. I won't fall down from this."

He said that, but Naruto knew that he was already winded. Keeping Kise at bay all this time had done that to him. Taking it easy all these months had done its damage on him.

'Looks like I'm gonna need to increase my training after this.'

That worked just fine for him anyway.

"We should be more worried about Kise if you ask me," Nakamura said as Yuki handed him a towel. "From that last play, it doesn't look like he can keep going to the fourth quarter. That means Uzumaki is free to score as much as he wants now, right?"

"No." Naruto eyed Kise who had his head bowed for the moment. "We shouldn't be thinking like that. If anything, I have a feeling it's going to be the opposite."

"The opposite?"

"Yeah….." Naruto faced forward. "He's going to be more dangerous than before in the last quarter."

Nakamura didn't look convinced, but there was no more time for talk as the two minute break concluded.

The fourth quarter was finally here.

There were many girls from the school who were all waving and giggling at Kise, but the model paid them no mind. Not this time. He was more focused on his opponent right now. The two minute break had done little to recharge his body, but that couldn't be helped.

The last ten minutes would decide everything.

The ball was live and quickly in Kise's possession. Some would think this was a bad idea. Having Kise start playing right from the beginning of the quarter would only drain what little energy he had faster.

Kasamatsu wasn't one of those people, though.

'Just go ahead and crush him already.'

That was an order too.

Kise had to laugh softly at this before he erupted into a level of speed far surpassing anything he had shown so far. It was at a level that caught even Naruto off guard, which made him slow to catch up.

This gave Kise the opportunity he needed to go for the basket, even with Hayakawa set up for a block. Kise didn't go for the dunk this time, though. He showed his flexibility in his skills by aiming for a three, Kasamatsu-style.

The ball went in perfectly, thus making it a tie game now.

"I won't lose," Kise stated as he turned to face Naruto. His eyes were narrowed, full of focus. "I won't lose," he repeated. "Not again."

'This guy…...' Nakamura nearly cursed. This level of strength was just crazy. Naruto had said he was still dangerous, but this went beyond that.

Naruto on the other hand started to laugh. "Hahahaha! You're willing to bet everything in this game, aren't you?"

Kise was taking a big risk by pushing his body like this, but that didn't seem to affect him in the slightest.

"It's like I said in the beginning." Kise clenched his fists. "You're the one person I won't lose to."

Naruto tilted his head in respect. "Then I can't let you show me off, huh?"

On the sidelines, the coach had his eyes narrowed. He could tell that Kise was pushing his body far beyond its limits here. Letting him play like this could pose a problem for the team. If he got himself injured just for a practice match, it wouldn't do them any good. But still, he also knew that trying to take Kise out from this would be almost impossible. Not with that look in his eyes. Everyone else was also benefiting from the match too. Once they faced the other Generation of Miracles, he knew that they would be up against similar situations.

In the end, keeping quiet was all he could do right now. Things weren't in the red yet, so he could still afford to do that much.

'Kise, Uzumaki…..show me what you two can really do.'

The match was still in the air, but one thing was certain. Kise was stronger than ever before. It was a fact Nakamura, Hayakawa, and Moriyama all had to face as Kise quite literally ran circles around them. He was just too fast for them to do anything.

Kise made for the basket again, shooting for a dunk. The ball was slapped out of his hands at the last second by Naruto, who was once again looking more feral than normal.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Kise!"

Kise nearly growled but focused more on getting the ball back, as did Naruto who was right behind him. What happened after that was a repeat of the first quarter. The two went into a one-on-one against the other, without relying on any of their teammates. There was no need to by this point. They would only get in the way.

It was a fact Kasamatsu was forced to accept as he bore witness to the intense match-up between Naruto and Kise.

'Goddammit…...even if I want to join in, it's just impossible!'

He cursed his weakness, but also spurred Kise on.

"We're just getting started, Kise!" Naruto shouted as he performed another double clutch dunk on the model.

"I'm not done dealing with you yet, Uzumakicchi!" Kise returned the favor, pulling the exact same move perfectly.

It really was like they were two Naruto's on the court right now.

Yuki watched this on the edge of her seat, unable to take her eyes off the two boys. Even during team practice, they were goofy and laid back most of the time. But this…..it was like they were different people right now.

'No….maybe this is just who they really are….'

Did it scare her? A little, yes. There was no denying that. They were both intimidating, after all. But Yuki also believed in them too. She didn't know why. It was understandable to think that way about Naruto, but Kise? She had only known Kise for a week. That wasn't enough time to develop trust in someone.

Right?

'But even so, I still feel this way…...'

Yuki didn't know why, but she still supported the two of them.

"Kise!" Naruto slammed another dunk through Kise.

"Uzumakicchi!" Kise followed it with a dunk of his own, the two boys glaring heatedly at one another. It was almost like sparks were shooting between them.

Just how would this match end?

Kuroko Tetsuya looked up at the sunny sky over him. He was quite sweaty, but that was to be expected after another day of hard practice. Since he loved basketball, he didn't mind being sweaty. It was just something else that came with the sport, after all.

"What's with you? You look more quiet than usual, and that's saying something."

Kuroko's eyes traveled down to the other teen with him. He was much taller, and had a different hair color from him. It was Kagami Taiga, the new ace for Seirin High. It was through his help that Kuroko was finally able to defeat Kise for the first time, even if it had just been in a practice match.

"It's nothing. I just suddenly wondering what Kise-kun was up to."

"Kise?" Kagami wiped some sweat from his face with his t-shirt. He had come out here to get his face soaked in the water fountains to cool off. Kuroko had decided to tag along since practice was done for the day. "What made you think about him?"

"Hmm…..." Kuroko tilted his head in confusion. Why indeed? "I don't think I have an answer for that. It just happened."

Kagami twitched. This guy…...he still couldn't understand him all that much.

"Well, it doesn't matter, does it? We'll be seeing that guy in the Inter-High again, right? We can crush him there again."

Along with the rest of the Generation of Miracles. Then they could become the best in all of Japan.

Kuroko smiled and closed his eyes. It wasn't just about becoming the best, but also to get the others to acknowledge his style of basketball as well. Not just against Kise, but the other four too.

That time was nearly here.

There were probably enough onlookers in the gym to fill a small court as the practice match settled into its final plays. Seriously, where did all these people come from? It wasn't nearly this bad during their practice match against Seirin.

Kasamatsu allowed himself to smile a little. 'Not that I can blame them…..'

The way Naruto and Kise were playing right now…..it was almost like a beautiful performance was taking place in front of them. It still pissed him off that he was useless against such skills, though.

The fourth quarter was already down to its last minute, and the score was 96-96, still a tie game. This hadn't changed from the start of the quarter as Naruto and Kise kept budding heads with one another. If anyone else tried to make a shot, it was blocked. That's how crazy these two were going at it right now.

That being the case, Kise was ready to fall over, his body far passed its limit. His stubborn refusal to lose this match was the only thing keeping him standing now.

Naruto was also sweating a lot more than he had for the last three quarters. That's how hard he was going at it. Kise kept responding to every challenge he threw at him, though. Breaking him was no easy task.

Kise could say the same about Naruto.

The final minute of the game progressed.

In a surprising twist, Kise failed to connect with his dunk as Naruto managed to block the ball and stop it from going in.

"It's m(i)ne!" Hayakawa jumped into the air and grabbed the ball before Kobori had the chance to. It wasn't exactly a rebound, but he would take it.

"Counter!" Kasamatsu yelled as Hayakawa stormed for the basket. Dribbling wasn't his best skill, though, so many of the others were able to catch up and get in defensive positions, namely Kise. But as he got there, he winced as a terrible pain shot through his body, freezing him for a second or two. This gave Hayakawa the opening he needed to throw the ball over Kise's head and to the basket, where Naruto was already in the air to catch the ball.

"An alley-oop!?" Kasamatsu shouted in surprise.

Kise was just able to look up in time to see Naruto dunking the ball, all the while gritting his teeth in frustration.

Naruto made the play, and the score was now 98-96, in favor of Naruto and his team. There were only ten seconds left in the clock too. Just enough for one final play. Could Kise make a comeback? His body was telling him no, but his spirit was singing a different tune altogether.

"It looks like you haven't given up yet," Kasamatsu said as he stood next to Kise.

"No way. Even if every cell in my body is screaming in pain, I'll still move." Kise narrowed his eyes. "It's the only thing I can do."

Kasamatsu t'ched. "Then go ahead and do that already, idiot. It's now or never."

Kise could only nod.

"They're coming for the counterattack!" Nakamura said, pushing his glasses back up his nose to keep them from falling over. "We need to stop them!"

That much was obvious. Letting Kise score now would just be the worst.

As tired as they were, both offense and defense were ready for the final play of the match. There was no overtime. One way or another, this was the end. They drowned out the excited chants and screams from the onlookers, focused solely on each other.

If Kise wanted to win this, then there was only one course of action he could take.

Kasamatsu threw the ball in, right at Kise's hands. Kise lunged forward, scurrying right for the basket.

'So straightforward!' Moriyama thought, but if this was how they wanted to do it, then so be it.

Naruto rushed to defend and stopped Kise before he could get past the free throw line.

Kise made for the drive but stopped at the last moment. His legs weren't responsive anymore. They had failed him at the last possible second.

But still. He wouldn't lose!

Naruto looked as Kise brought his hand back and made a pass instead of a shot at the basket, with the ball heading straight for Kasamatsu again.

'So that's how it is!'

They were going for a three.

Kasamatsu was poised to take the shot when Nakamura suddenly lunged in the air with a shout.

"I won't let you!"

Kasamatsu was too late to stop himself from shooting, though, and the ball left his hands. As it turns out, Nakamura was just in time to touch the airborne ball with the tips of fingers. It wasn't much, but it accomplished more than enough. Kasamatsu scowled in frustration when he saw this.

There was only one outcome for his shot now.

The ball hit the rim, missing its mark. It was a rebound.

Hayakawa was more than happy to scoop it up as he jumped for it, but right as his hands converged around the ball, Kise snatched it from his grasp.

"Wha-!" Hayakawa was flabbergasted at this. He rarely if ever lost rebound battles. But Kise had just bested him. And the others could see why.

Kise was copying Hayakawa's moves now. Kise's whole body was screaming in pain, telling him to stop. But he couldn't. Not just yet. He still had one last thing to do.

With a great shout, Kise jumped back up for the dunk, only it was Naruto who came up right behind him, ready to put a stop to the whole thing. The two clashed in midair, each trying to take control of the ball from the other.

It all came down to one last battle of strength, and it was a battle Kise already knew he couldn't win. Not with his weakened body.

That's what his bluff was all about.

Kise smiled as he pulled his arm back, ball still in hand. Naruto was not expecting this, nor was he expecting for Kise to pull out a different move in his arsenal.

It was Naruto's move, the one he had used earlier to trick Kise in the second half. Now, it was Kise's turn to use it to trick him.

With his arm behind him, Kise tossed the ball over his shoulder and right over Naruto's arms where the Uzumaki was unable to block it. Naruto had explosive power, which he could use to jump higher than someone from his stature would usually be able to. However, he didn't have the air time needed to stay in the air to block this kind of shot.

It was the same way for Kise, which is why the shot went in, just right as the buzzer went off. The points counted, and the score was 98-98.

The game ended the same way the second half had started. It was a draw.

There was an air of excitement still hanging in the air as the crowd of students began to disperse from the gym. Even though the practice match had ended in a draw, they were still more than satisfied with everything they had seen.

It had truly been an intense game.

Inside the gym, both Naruto and Kise were sprawled out on the floor, both exhausted. Kise more so, but Naruto was still feeling a wave of exhaustion from going all out since the first quarter.

"Jeez, you two are ridiculous," Kasamatsu said as he and the others stood over the two tired blonds. "Going that hard for the whole game would have killed anyone else, ya know."

Naruto chuckled. "It's a good thing we're not other people then."

Smartass.

Yuki knelt next to Naruto and patted him on the head. She didn't mind how sweaty he was. She was too happy with today's performance for that.

"Good job, Naruto-kun."

The blond simply blushed a little and closed his eyes. Being congratulated like this…...it felt good.

Kise pouted when he noticed this. "Now that's not nice, Sugawaracchi. I tried hard too!"

Sugawaracchi?

Yuki sent him a smile. "Of course, I'm proud of you too, Kise-san. It was a great game!"

The model beamed. "Aaahhh, it feels good to be congratulated like this."

Naruto t'ched and nearly started cursing at Kise. People always wanted Yuki's attention. It wasn't fair dammit! And no, he wasn't jealous. He was just...protective, that's all.

"It was indeed a spectacular game," the coach said as he joined his team. He looked down at his two best players. "Kise. Uzumaki. You both performed beyond my expectations. If you play this well in the Inter-High, there's no way we can't win."

Naruto gave the man a thumbs up as well as a large grin.

"You got it, coach!"

Kise grinned too. "We won't let you down!"

Moriyama chuckled. "Not very convincing when you're both on the floor like that."

"Yeah, they look like worms or something," Nakamura said while Kobori looked amused. Even Hayakawa seemed to get behind that description.

Both Naruto and Kise glanced at one another, feeling betrayed.

Their team was harsh.

Yuki simply smiled and giggled softly. In her mind, this was already a good team.

It's where she and Naruto belonged.

"But man, I still can't believe we tied. I was totally serious about crushing you today. I was looking forward to it all week! Not only that, but it was another 98 point game. That's the same scored I had when I faced Kurokocchi and Kagamicchi. Is that number haunting me or something?"

"How should I know? More importantly, why are you following us? Don't you have something else to do?"

"Naruto-kun! That's rude!"

Kise laughed it off. "Still blunt, huh." He then shook his head. "But I'm serious! Don't you feel dissatisfied with today's result?"

The three teens were walking down the street now that the practice match was finally over. Naruto and Yuki were heading straight home since the girl had promised to cook Naruto's favorite meal tonight. His stomach was already growling in anticipation for the meal to come.

Kise had decided to tag along with them for whatever reason, much to Naruto's annoyance. He needed food, and he needed it right now dammit! Delaying it any further would just kill him!

Still, he decided to humor the model and said, "While I was serious about crushing you too, it can't be helped. It just means I'll have to try harder to beat you next time."

Get faster and stronger…...heh, that was a piece of cake.

"That's how I feel too," Kise admitted with a smile. "But I think that's going to have to wait a while. The next stage of our battles will be at the Inter-High, where we're going to be meeting the others. Doesn't that make you excited!?"

It did. There was also this Kuroko and Kagami to consider. Kagami wasn't part of the Generation of Miracles, but apparently he and Kuroko had managed to pull a win on Kise and the others in the first-string. According to Kasamatsu, though, Kise was now a completely different player from then. He probably wouldn't lose to Kagami or Kuroko now, unless those two were many times stronger than a week ago.

"The Inter-High," Yuki said softly. "It will be a tough competition, won't it?"

She already knew what the other Generation of Miracles could do from magazine articles and hearsay from other people who had watched them play in the past. But they were bound to be a lot different than they were in middle school. Kise's growth proved this to be true.

"It's no big deal," Kise said as he turned to look at Naruto. "It's just like the coach said. We'll win, and then we'll be number one, right?"

Naruto smirked. "Damn straight. I don't care about any fancy titles. I'll be sure to defeat them all, no matter who they are. That's a promise."

Kise raised his fist bump toward Naruto while smirking. "Yeah, it's a promise."

Without thinking about it, Naruto returned it, striking his fist against Kise's.

Yuki watched this silently and just smiled. Her fears were pretty much gone now. When she saw Naruto and Kise together like this, it just filled her heart with ease.

They were definitely going to win, and that's that.

All the support the last chapter received spurred me to finish this chapter before New Year's. Is that great or what? Totally great.

I'm sure everyone's already noticed it by now, but Naruto won't be OP in this story. You can say he's even weaker than his normal base form in the war because he hasn't been training all these months, and it's come back to bite him in the ass. While he will definitely get stronger, he won't get so strong that no one can pose a challenge for him. That would be boring. He's already enough of a threat to the other Generation of Miracles as it is, so trying to make him indefinitely stronger would just be ridiculous.

Kise is also much stronger than he was in canon at this point of the story. That's because, as explained, having Naruto around caused him to bloom faster. To me, it only felt right to include that.

That's pretty much all I got. Hopefully I didn't make any major mistakes, but if I did, I'll be sure to fix that in the future.