[For the first time, Haruki ate strawberries mouth-to-mouth with his girlfriend Tsunade and received the first thirty volumes of the comic [One Piece] as a reward.]
One Piece?
What does this have to do with [One Piece]?
And why doesn't your system reward the complete edition?
Has that guy Oda not drawn the ending yet?
He's really good at dragging it out!
With a strong urge to complain, Haruki entered the Ninja Academy and saw Tomomi Koki.
He was directing a group of people to renovate the square.
Many students were gathered around them, watching.
But soon, when they realized that they were building a basketball court, there was quite a stir.
Recently, [Slam Dunk] had been extremely popular among these kids. However, they suffered from the lack of a proper venue and special basketballs, so they couldn't enjoy playing to the fullest.
Haruki specifically asked Tomomi Koki to choose hard materials for the basketball hoops and balls, requiring them to withstand at least an A-rank [Ninjutsu] attack.
Although the cost was relatively high, after all, this was a ninja world.
They weren't playing brotherly basketball but superpowered basketball.
"Hello, Teacher!"
"Hello, Principal!"
As the students noticed Haruki, two different greetings rang out.
Those who called him teacher were his students, while those who called him principal were from other classes.
Because of his various reforms in the school, Haruki's name was almost remembered by all the students.
Not necessarily in a good light, though.
Haruki greeted them back.
"Principal, are we going to hold a basketball game?" a little boy with the Byakugan ability asked excitedly.
"Yes," Haruki nodded and said, "There'll be a basketball game for Class A, Grade One seven days from now. Everyone, get familiar with the rules and gameplay first. There will be a school-wide game soon."
"Yeah!" Cheers erupted across the square.
This is the trend sparked by a popular piece of work.
Not everyone liked basketball, but once a trend formed, the herd mentality would come into play. Even if you didn't like it, you'd unconsciously pay attention, lest you have nothing to talk about with your friends.
Just like yo-yos and radio-controlled racing cars in his previous life, they were extremely popular for a while.
Almost everyone had a yo-yo and a racing car.
It was the same with basketball now.
"Sir Haruki, it'll be done in about two hours," Tomomi Koki, who had naturally noticed the commotion caused by Haruki, walked over to report the progress.
"Good. The popularity has been high these days. Make as many basketballs as possible while the iron is hot. We should be able to make a profit."
As Haruki spoke, he observed the half-built basketball court.
It was a very standard rectangular court.
It was 28 meters long and 15 meters wide.
Since there was no plastic, they used a [Chakra]-reinforced ground, for which they specifically found a [Jonin] who could use [Earth Release].
The sideline, endline, midline, free-throw line, etc., demarcated several major areas.
The shooting area, restricted area, free-throw area, and team area.
When he compared it with his memory, it was basically identical.
In the afternoon,
Haruki brought the teams led by Asuma Sarutobi and Kakashi Hatake to the basketball court.
"Not bad. You guys are full of spirit,"
Feeling the tense atmosphere at the scene, Haruki couldn't help but smile.
Even Kakashi, who was usually cold, was very serious at this time.
No matter how indifferent one was, when it came to honor and face, no one wanted to admit defeat.
"From now on, your group classes will be changed to physical education classes. The content of the classes will be various sports similar to basketball. Of course, there is only basketball for now, but more will be added gradually."
Haruki clapped his hands to attract the attention of the two teams.
"You basically understand the rules of basketball, but I still have to emphasize a few points. First, never act on impulse. You must listen to the captain's commands. Second, never use large - scale lethal Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. Only auxiliary Taijutsu and Ninjutsu are allowed. Third, physical contact is allowed, but no fighting. Basketball is the goal you're competing for. Got it?"
"Got it!"
"Please have the starting players of both sides stay, and the substitutes leave."
A few seconds later, Haruki looked at the players on the court. Well, they were almost all familiar faces.
Team Kinoto consisted of Asuma Sarutobi, Kurenai Yuhi, Mizuki, Aoba Yamashiro, and Genma Shiranui.
Team Otsu had Kakashi Hatake, Obito Uchiha, Rin Nohara, Ibiki Morino, and Murakumo Kurama.
"Start!"
Haruki threw the basketball into the air and then stepped back.
Kakashi directly used the Shifting Body Technique to catch up with the basketball and won the jump ball.
Asuma was a bit annoyed.
It wasn't that he couldn't use the Shifting Body Technique, but his Hand Seal speed wasn't as fast as Kakashi's.
Haruki watched the game outside the court with great interest.
Compared to *Slam Dunk*, it might be more appropriate to call it *Kuroko's Basketball*.
All the players were flashy.
It wasn't a proper basketball game at all.
After four quarters, Kakashi's team won by a narrow margin of nine points.
Generally speaking, their strengths were about the same. Although Kakashi was a genius, the restrictions of basketball didn't allow him to fully display his true strength.
"Asuma, keep working hard. You were just a little short."
Haruki patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.
On the other side, Kakashi was hugged by Obito and the others. Surrounded by all kinds of scents, he was looking utterly miserable.
In this game, Kakashi scored points and was the key to their victory.
"I understand, Teacher." Asuma clenched his small fist and nodded reluctantly.
"If you want to beat Kakashi, you have to understand the power of the team. Didn't you notice that your desire to score goals actually affected your teammates' performance?"
Asuma was suddenly stunned when he heard this.
He really did want to outperform Kakashi, so he tried his best to show off during the game.
But the more he did so, the more unnecessary mistakes he made.
He seemed to have become a Lone Wolf.
"Even the basketball god needs his teammates."
Haruki looked at Asuma, who was deep in thought.
This guy's tragedy might be that the identity as the son of the Hokage made him fail to recognize his own talents.
"I understand, Teacher."
Asuma said the same thing again, but this time there was less reluctance and more thought and planning in his words.
"Kakashi, let's go. Teacher will take you guys to have barbecue."
Haruki waved to Kakashi's team.
Kakashi instantly showed a look of being saved and broke free from the teammates surrounding him.
Led by Haruki, the group came to a barbecue restaurant.
"Obito, mind your manners. You've gone back to your old ways these days," Haruki couldn't help reminding Obito and said, looking at the grinning Obito.
Obito immediately composed himself and put on a faint smile.
After the meal, because they were on the same way, Obito followed Haruki.
"Teacher, I've got a question I've been wanting to ask you for ages," Obito hesitated for a long time and finally couldn't hold it back.
"What's the question?"
"Why are you so nice to me?"
"I'm nice to every student," Haruki smiled and replied.
"But you're different to me," Obito said in a definite tone. Even if he was stupid, he could feel Haruki's special attitude.
"Actually, it's quite simple," Haruki stopped and looked at him. "Because the future belongs to you."
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