Kuroko no Basket: Honored One

Kise thought Tendou was just using trash talk to shake his mental state.

But that wasn't entirely true—he had only guessed half right.

Tendou's understanding of basketball, influenced by professional league culture, was completely different from Kuroko's and the others'.

What he'd said earlier—about basking in glory and shouldering pressure—was only one part of it.

There was another side.

Building strong bonds with your teammates could certainly increase team cohesion…

But this world isn't short on headstrong players who act out because they feel entitled.

You could treat every teammate like a brother—there's nothing wrong with that. But you still had to understand who comes first.

Just like Kirisaki Daiichi right now—

If Tendou didn't have the strength to enforce his leadership, how could he keep these guys in check?

On the very first day, Hanamiya Makoto elbowed him so hard he almost ran home crying to his mom.

If Akashi didn't have a firm grip, how could the three Uncrowned Kings at Rakuzan obediently follow his lead?

Even Aomine—when he was in a bad mood and Wakamatsu started mouthing off—he'd knock him flat.

Without iron-fisted authority, if you let others kick you around, you weren't a team captain—you were a doormat.

Kuroko, Kise, even Midorima—

All of them had chosen paths different from his own.

This match wasn't just about winning or losing—

It was a collision of beliefs.

...

The game resumed.

Kaijō had possession.

At this point, all offensive responsibility had been handed over to Kise.

Because let's face it—even skilled players like Kasamatsu Yukio were a tier below the Generation of Miracles.

But this time, Kise didn't insist on going one-on-one with Tendou.

With Tendou's eyes tracking him, Kise signaled for Kobori to come set a screen on the perimeter.

"A screen?"

Choosing Kobori Kōji—who had shooting range—over Hayakawa Mitsuhiro did indeed add a real threat after the pick.

"But it's all a feint."

With 360-degree court awareness and near-omniscient spatial judgment, nothing escaped Tendou's vision.

The drive after the screen?

A decoy.

The roll after the pick?

Another fake.

The real goal—was Moriyama Yoshitaka, running off-ball toward the open corner.

Tendou's eyes glinted.

The moment Kobori came up to screen, he burst toward the sideline.

It caught Kaijō completely off guard.

They had never faced someone who could neutralize a screen this efficiently.

Those eyes… were unreal.

But Kise seemed to have anticipated it all along.

Without any hesitation, after a few feinting moves, he suddenly passed the ball—right toward the spot where Moriyama was curling out.

"A pass?!"

"So… Kise's giving up on his duel with Tendou? Admitting defeat?"

"More like—if he kept going one-on-one, Kaijō had an 80-90% chance of losing. He had no choice."

Seirin might not always win on the court, but their analysis was top-tier.

Unnoticed, the point differential had once again widened to 23 points.

Kise and Tendou's duel had become so intense that actual scoring was hard to come by.

But for Kaijō, with time slipping away, continuing this one-on-one battle was as good as slow death.

They didn't want to lose.

So they had to change the game.

"It doesn't matter who wins individually. I just want to win the game—with my teammates. That's all I care about now."

That was Kise's truest thought.

"The question is—can you win it?"

Tendou extended one long arm.

At the very moment Kise made the pass, he accelerated and intercepted it.

Kise's heart sank.

He could feel it—Tendou had unlocked himself.

Just like during the match against Tōō.

"He's broken the 80% limiter… This guy really can adjust his state at will." Aomine sucked in a cold breath.

Even he couldn't do that.

He had to be pushed to the limit by a powerful opponent before he could naturally level up.

But Tendou—

He could boost himself whenever he felt like it.

Through his Six Eyes, he pushed his body past the 80% ceiling.

And when he reached 90%, he could step into the Zone and unlock 100%.

That kind of self-adjustment wasn't something most players had.

It was an ability typically reserved for NBA superstars.

But Tendou—at only a teenager—already had full control.

He had broken through 80%, and now he was ramping up toward 90%.

Kise, on the other hand, was starting to feel the drain.

At their level, even a 5% gap was palpable.

If you couldn't upgrade fast enough, you'd be left behind again.

Kise gritted his teeth and chased.

His brain spun wildly, scanning through thousands of skills for something that could counter.

But nothing worked.

Because standing in front of him now was the strongest firepower in the country.

"Bang!"

The ball pounded the floor like a roaring lion, echoing through the gym.

Kise held on for a few moments—

But Tendou blasted past him, wind whipping through his hair as he shot forward like a storm.

"Even after copying all the Miracles… I still can't beat him?"

A collective sigh echoed through the gym.

It wasn't that Kise wasn't strong enough.

It was that his opponent… was a monster.

The true leader of the Generation of Miracles.

Arguably the strongest high school player in Japan.

...

Tendou scored again.

The lead stretched even further.

Kaijō had the ball again.

Kise still took the lead.

But the deficit had ballooned to 25 points.

A comeback now seemed nearly impossible.

Still—Kise didn't give up.

None of Kaijō did.

At this point, even the slimmest chance was something to fight for.

Like a drowning man clutching at straw, they gave it their all.

But…

Tendou glanced up.

Half the third quarter had already passed.

Kise had been going head-to-head with him using perfect imitation for five straight minutes.

"Sorry, Kise."

"You guys have no chance of winning anymore."

Tendou declared Kaijō's fate.

"Time's still left. My hands and feet still move. It's not over."

"Soon they won't. Get off the court. It's for your own good."

For my own good?

Kise assumed Tendou was just trying to mess with his head.

To prove otherwise, he launched into his strongest offensive technique:

Thunder Dribbling + Chaotic Rhythm

A combo second only to Tendou's high-speed breakthroughs.

Even if it didn't break through—doing nothing would be even more disgraceful.

But just as he took his third step, pain shot through his ankle.

Tendou's eyes glinted.

He immediately closed in and stripped the ball.

Kirisaki Daiichi triggered the fast break.

And in that moment—Kise finally understood what Tendou's words meant.

He knew exactly what was happening.

But even so—there was no turning back.

He couldn't let himself, or his teammates, become losers again.

They had to win.

He clenched his teeth and pushed through the pain.

The golden light around him still burned as he chased Tendou's silhouette down the court.

"You stubborn brat."

"Bang—!"

Tendou didn't hold back.

He charged into the paint.

So fast that Kise's brain couldn't even process what he'd do next.

He could only react based on what his eyes could see.

But could the body really outpace the brain?

Kise quickly discovered—his body couldn't keep up anymore.

He was out of sync.

"Thud!"

Like a puppet whose strings were cut, Kise suddenly collapsed—

Tripping over his own feet, falling to the floor unexpectedly.

"Kise?!"

"Kise—!!"

...

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