The beginning of a new Era.

The coach stated the following day, after the game, at the end of training.

"We have a change in the starting lineup. Yagami Hiro, the Shot-Maker of Kamiya, will be playing as a starter on the first-string team as a small forward. His position is a small forward, but he will work with Utada to make plays. That will be all, dismissed." The Coach declared.

There was a storm of compliments and envious looks that followed, but Hiro was delighted.

The club activities ended there, but not before cleaning the gym.

...

When Hiro returned home, he informed his parents about his day, and Hiro's mother promised him that she would make something a little less healthy for lunch on the weekend, as dinner/supper at the Yagami family didn't allow for fatty foods.

Hiro spent days training at the gym to strengthen his skills and playing as a regular starter in practise matches.

The Nationals - Middle School Division was the next event on Hiro's schedule. In contrast to high school, which had two big tournaments: Inter-high and Winter Cup, middle school has only one significant competition.

Japan has 43 proper prefectures, two urban prefectures (Osaka and Kyoto), one territory (Hokkaido), and one metropolitan area (Tokyo). There are a total of forty-seven prefectures that send out forty-nine schools (Two from Hokkaido because of its massive size and two from Tokyo because of the number of schools in Tokyo).

Because Kamiya Middle School is located in the Tokyo metropolitan region, and Tokyo is allowed to send two schools, the pattern for many years has been for at least Kamiya or Haranishi to be included in the two seats. Kamiya won the entire National Tournament last year.

Preliminaries for Tokyo are divided into two blocks (A and B). Each block's winner receives a trip to the Nationals. Each block consists of three preliminary rounds, semi-finals, and finals.

The top eight teams from the previous preliminaries are seeded and skip the first round. As usual, Kamiya and Haranishi were among the seeded schools.

Because of the forthcoming preliminaries, practice and drills got a little more difficult, and Hiro could see that all noticeable members had developed something special for it.

...

Chiba's timing at leaping for rebounds improved.

Arai learnt to strike a balance between muscling in and driving in quickly depending on the situation.

Outside shot accuracy and shot placement increased for Utada.

Most significantly, Arai had finally mastered his special shot, a high fade-away jumper, and was even hinting at his Ground shot, shooting while earning a foul.

Hiro also worked hard to develop his post moves so he could play in the paint with ease. Post manoeuvres were becoming less common in modern basketball as guard positions began to dominate scoring.

When Hiro replicated a move, he imagined it as a illustration in his rough note, and he took out and replaced the pieces that might be improved, forming a superior structure.

Seeing his tactics, his buddies and upperclassmen frequently inquire, "Hey you! Are you a Naruto reincarnation or something?" with a belly laugh

Hiro, like doujutsu, has his own specific sight and techniques that he develops. In some ways, he does resemble a ninja, huh!

Haranishi was changing at the same time as Hiro and his teammates. For the first time in Haranishi history, the starting lineup featured only one second-year player and no third-year players.

Shinzo Yukimura, second-year power forward and captain.

Shogo Izuhara is a first-year point guard.

Kase Toshi is a first-year shooting guard.

Adachi Akio is a first-year small forward.

Sotaro Hashimoto, First-year, Center.

In addition to Soda Hideki, a first-year small forward, and Tanaka Yusuke, a first-year passing specialist.

The news spread about the starting lineup, and Haranishi's reserve bench was suddenly dominated by first-years. Their peers laughed at them at first for making such a decision, but following a streak of triumphs in practice games, no one could say anything.

There were even allegations that Haranishi's offensive line was so good that the defending could only stand there and watch as the ball was scored in their basket before they realised it.

A few days later, the preliminary bracket arrived, with Kamiya as the top seed in bracket A and Haranishi as the top seed in bracket B.

The Japanese Middle School basketball scene was creating a tempest, and just now was the calm before the storm.

Hiro could sense that this National championship was going to be epic, as well as he was excited to compete against the best that the country had to offer.

It marked the beginning of a new era.

.....

Meanwhile, in Haranishi's Basket Ball court, a black-haired guy, who appeared to be only 173 cm tall, and another person with brown hair, who appeared to be somewhat taller than him, were talking to each other while dribbling two Basket Balls and making shots.

"Hey! Shogo-San! Are you all set for the tournament?" Kase Toshi inquired, a smirk on his face.

Shogo Izuhara exclaimed with a smile, "Yes, obviously! Let us demonstrate to the elite Kamiyas', Toshi! Let us show them what we have got! Okay!"

"Mm! Lets!"