Slam Dunk : Sakuragi's Rebirth

It was 6 AM in the morning. The sun was rising lazily, casting warmth upon the kanagawa Prefecture. One man was sitting in the nearby basketball court holding the orange ball between the palms of his hands.

He was staring at the ball in deep thought. This man was Hanamichi Sakuragi, The power forward for the rising high school basketball team, Shohoku High. He was the self-proclaimed Tensai of the team. He was gifted and incredibly athletic. He was 189 cm tall and had a well built body due to his constant fights in his past. He had an incredible knack for the game, picking up things far quicker than any other player. The most prominent feature was his fiery red hair. But he was overconfident and arrogant. He always acted like an idiot on the court and during practice.

Hanamichi had just been released from rehabilitation. He was in rehab for a few weeks following his back injury in the infamous Sannoh game, in which a no name high school team made of trouble makers pushed the undisputed kings of Japanese high school basketball and finally beat them in a heart clenching moment.

Hanamichi was not allowed to play basketball until he was fully recovered. Though he resented not being able to play basketball, he was happy about the attention he received from the kind and motherly Doctor who presided over his sessions.

He was knocked out of his reverie by the ever so familiar sound of basketball being dribbled. Sighing once more, He took a look at the court beside which he was contemplating on what to do. He saw man in his mid 30's. The man was bouncing the basketball with his right hand while giving Hanamichi a questioning look. The man was pretty tall. He even towered over Hanamichi by a good margin. Hanamichi estimated him to be around 199 cm. The man had black hair which he kept in a buzz cut. He had brown eyes which showed a ton of experience. He was well built for a man of his age.

The man who was staring at Hanamichi decided to break the silence. He cleared his throat and spoke,

"What are you doing son? I was watching you for quite a while, but you were just sitting there and staring at the ball."

Hanamichi was about to retort in his usual manner but thought about all the time he had acted arrogant which hadn't ended well. He shut his mouth before he said something stupid and put on his happy go lucky face.

"It's nothing, Ojii-san. This tensai…." He thumped his chest to emphasize the point, "was just wondering how to get my team into the nationals this year."

The man was surprised by Hanamichi's sudden change in demeanor, but he kept a straight face and looked at Hanamichi.

"Genius..?" he questioned.

Hanamichi immediately went through his routine of exaggerated details and told the man how he was the rebound king of Kanagawa and how he could have been the rebound king at the nationals, if he hadn't been injured.

The man had a sudden look of realization on his face. He pointed at Hanamichi and Said..

"Oh, you're from Shohoku, The team that beat Sannoh in the nationals."

Hanamichi looked proud of the fact but suddenly remembered the embarrassing defeat at the hands of Aiwa gakuen.

"It's true we beat Sannoh but people think it was luck as we just won by a single point. That thought was further cemented when we were humiliated by Aiwa Gakuen."

The old man just kept listening to Hanamichi. He had seen the young man in front of him play. He had seen those crucial offensive rebounds and the blocks that Hanamichi had gotten throughout the game. It was a shame to see him get injured. The man wanted to see this unpredictable kid and his team further in the tournament.

"So what's been bothering you..?", the old man questioned Hanamichi.

"It's just that, our Captain Gori…. I mean Takenori Akagi, graduated this year and though he was giant gorilla, he taught me everything about basketball. He's gone and I don't know how we will manage without him under the basket."

Suddenly Hanamichi realized that he was talking to a totally unknown person.

"Hey, Who are you ? Are you spying on this genius for Ryonan? Maybe that Old man from Kainan.. ?"

The man burst out laughing on hearing Hanamichi's question. He placated Hanamichi by telling him that he wasn't involved with any of the high schools. Hanamichi still had a look in his eye warning the man.

"What's your name kid ?"

The question took Hanamichi by surprise but he recovered quickly.

"I'm Hanamichi Sakuragi of Shohoku High basketball team."

"Hanamichi….." The man recited the name before introducing himself.

"I'm Kazuhiko Shun."

"So tell me Hanamichi, Why are you worried about Akagi-kun's absence ?"

Hanamichi didn't have to think to answer that.

"Gori….. He was the driving force of Shohoku, The king of the underbasket. Moreover he was the pillar of Shohoku. Not that I doubt Ryo-chin's ability as the new captain but he doesn't have the fire equivalent to that of Akagi."

Hanamichi suddenly realized that Kazuhiko wouldn't have known all his team mates. He apologized for rambling on, but Kazuhiko stopped him by raising his hand and waving off Hanamichi's apology.

"I'm Familiar with Shohoku's basketball team. I'm a former player myself, so I tend keep eyes on the game to see if anyone good pops up. Last year had so many good players in the nationals. It was a shame that you couldn't go further."

Discovering their common ground of Basketball made their interaction easier. Hanamichi reflected on his thoughts of filling Akagi's shoes since he was the only player with the length to play the center position. Kazuhiko was beginning to understand Hanamichi's dilemma.

"You're worried if you can match Akagi-kun, Aren't you ?"

Hanamichi knew Kazuhiko had hit the nail on the head. From Kazuhiko's smile, he knew his face must have shown it.

"You really shouldn't think thoughts like this. Akagi-kun was an amazing player, no doubt in my mind. But you shouldn't beat yourself up on things that can or cannot happen. Just remember what happened in the Sannoh game. Akagi-kun was so rattled by Masashi's skills that it hurt his game and nearly brought Shohoku to the ground."

Hanamichi listened carefully. The way Kazuhiko was talking showed that he was a veteran in the sport Hanamichi loved so much.

"You should worry about improving your game rather than worry if you will be able to match someone who played totally different. Akagi-kun worked hard to reach the level he played at and you should do the same. Right now, you should focus on your basics. You can never be too good at the fundamentals."

Kazuhiko got up, dusting his pants and prepared to leave. Hanamichi was sitting in the same place with a thoughtful look on his face. Just as he turned the corner of the entrance leading to the court, kazuhiko looked over his shoulders,

"Although if you wanna get better, I could give you a few tips. I'll be here every morning in case you decide to become better than the Hanamichi Sakuragi of the sannoh game."

With those parting words, Kazuhiko left the court. Hanamichi knew that he had to get better if wished to beat Rukawa. He knew that Rukawa was better than him and he had to accept the fact after Rukawa thrashed him in their one-on-one. He then remembered Sendoh, Eiji and finally another Rookie just like himself, Hiroshi Morishige.

He knew that he had to get infinitely better if he wanted to beat all the people on his list. This day was the day that Hanamichi Sakuragi, "Tensai Basketto-man" will be reborn.