Chapter 14: Kneeling To The Destroyer

Chapter 14 - Kneeling To The DestroyerAs the game progressed, a Hanaka player sent a sharp pass to Shino, who collected it before bursting into a sprint towards the nets. A few players tried to intercept but their feeble efforts allowed Shino to glide past them with ease. Quickly scanning the field, Shino spotted Toru who was already surrounded by defenders, refusing to give him any space. Frustrated, Shino scanned the field but didn't find any reliable player... Making a quick decision he boosted his sprint towards the nets, dribbling past players on his way with amazing skills. The Hanaka crowds let out a confident roar in support, their cheers echoing across the field. Almost reaching the nets, Shino pushed himself harder, increasing his speed. "Why the rush?" A cold voice made Shino's eyes snap open in disbelief. Turning his eyes to the side, he saw a mountain named Kazutora next to him, his expressions calm and serious. In a blink of an eye, Shino lost his balance and began falling forward... because the tackle had already been made, and the ball was nowhere on his feets. Shino fell hard on his knees and hands catching himself on the grass before he hit the ground completely... staring down at the grass, his mind was reeling with shock, his eyes open wide at its limit. On the sidelines, Haruma's breath hitched as he watched the scene with equal disbelief, "Just who is this guy?" he thought, his forehead sweating just by watching. Shino slowly lifted his head and met the intense gaze of Kazutora, who stood tall before him, with stern, dark expressions. Kneeling on the ground, Shino's eyes were widened with visible fear, as he kept looking at Kazutora. In a chilling serious tone, Kazutora declared, "He was right! Without Toru, you're nothing but just a bunch of embarrassing fools running around!" Shino's terrified eyes remained fixed on Toru, who was staring back at him. "Keep on trying," Kazutora continued coldly, "But I, The Kazutora Inuzuka, will keep trashing you!" Shino's heartbeat began racing in his chest, disbelief and fear twisting a chaotic storm within him. Meanwhile, Kazutora maintained his stern composure, before turning and walking away with slow, deliberate steps... Shino, with fierce determination struck the ball with all his might sending it flying towards the net, but before it could get any close Kazutora came leaping and deflecting it away with a precise header. On the sidelines, A bead of sweat slipped down Haruma's forehead, his wide, stunned eyes fixed Kazutora. Boiling with frustration, Shino let out an enraged roar before staring at Kazutora. In response Kazutora gave him a cold dismissive shake of the head, a gesture that only increased Shino's frustration... The halftime whistle blew and both teams gathered at their sidelines. "Toru! you need to step up now!" The coach said in a firm, commanding voice. Toru took a long gulp of water, before exhaling in frustration "Coach, I'm trying! but their defender's positioning is just too perfect!" Turning to the wingers of the team the coach said, "You guys need to score somehow." Both the wingers looked down, anxiety and doubt clear on their faces. The coach got worried sensing their unease. His eyes then turned to Masaru and Shino who both remained silent, their expressions still caught up in the shadow of Kazutora's devastating blocks and words. "Masaru, Shino!" The coach called out gently, but neither responded, their anxiousness just growing in silence. Haruma was standing next to Masaru, gazing at him with concern evident in his eyes... The whistle blew again, signalling the start of the second half. The Hanaka boys seemed very cautious with their passing, making sharp, quick passes, never holding on the ball for too long. Meanwhile Toru continued to struggle, desperately trying to break through those defenders. Rukia was watching the game with anxiety, her face etched with worry. "They are just blocking Toru all the time!" one of her friends exclaimed irritatedly. "Without Toru, we have no chance of winning!" another added, visibly upset. The Hanaka supporters were tense and uneasy. All their eyes fixed on their hero Toru, who was struggling. The ball went to Shino who controlled the ball with perfection and with a sharp quick breath, he charged at the nets once again, dribbling past the defenders. Just then his eyes landed on Kazutora standing ahead, his gaze locked on Shino from a distance. With Shino's expressions tightening with fierce determination he continued his rush at the nets, intending to break through. Kazutora, maintaining his calm, sprinted towards Shino, their distance converging with intense speed. Both players rushed at each other, with Shino's face etched with fierce determination while Kazutora seemed focused. As Shino and Kazutora near each other. Shino attempted to pass the ball to his side but Kazutora once again shut down his attempt with a perfect tackle. In a desperate move Shino intentionally let his leg hit Kazutora's, then with a roar of agony Shino crumpled on the ground clutching his feet, screaming in pain. The referee blows out the whistle, pausing the game, While Kazutora keeps standing tall, staring at Shino, who was on ground, writhing in agony. The Hanaka crowds erupted in anger, hurling boo's and insults at Kazutora. Toru rushed over and sat beside Shino, checking on him. Meanwhile, the referee came and stood before Kazutora, preparing to pull out a card. The coach of Hanaka and Haruma watched with bated breaths, their eyes locked on the referee. With a sharp motion the referee pulled out a yellow card, holding it up high for all to see. A wave of frustration swept over the coach and Haruma, their faces twisted with irritation. Seeing the yellow card, Shino and Toru too got frustrated. Meanwhile Kazutora stood unmoved, keeping his calm and composed demeanour. The opposing coach signals for Kazutora to come over, who jogged towards him. Once they were face to face, the coach said with a firm tone, "Kazutora be careful! we can't afford for you to get off!" "It doesn't matter, Coach!" Toru said with a firm, cold tone, "Just let me play my way, the only threat is Toru right? let me take care of him!" The Coach shot him a stern look, "No!" He declined, "You have capability to stop all the attacks all alone, but if I let you focus on Toru too... Then there's a high chance that the others will score! Our defenders are doing great holding Toru back. You just keep your focus on blocking all the others, and wait for our strikers to find their chance to score!" Kazutora, seeming both uninterested and irritated, turned and jogged back into the position... With a fierce roar Masaru launched the ball once again at the nets, only for Kazutora to deflect it in midway... Fueled with rage, another winger made his attempt, charging at the nets, but a defender swiftly tackled him, sending him crashing to the ground, causing the referee to blow the whistle, stopping the game. Exhausted and frustrated, all the Hanaka players were panting heavily, drenched in sweat, but Kazutora Inuzuka stood unfazed, without a sweat, seeming calm and collected, no longer tackling any players but simply deflecting the shots before it could reach the goalkeeper. Toru, filled with anger and frustration, stood with laboured breaths, his eyes fixed on the timer, only ten minutes left in the game. Toru's eyes scanned his teammates who were clearly drained. "I can't let this go to a penalty shootout!" Toru thought, his face tight with worry, "My team is too exhausted, there is no chance they would do any better in the shootout, I have to do something!" His expressions filled with concern. Rukia was sitting anxiously in the crowds, her eyes locked on Toru. Suddenly she stood up on her feets and clapped aloud, and chanted out 'Toru' in their style. Her energy sparked a new hope in others around her, who all began chanting with her, and soon the entire Hanaka crowd erupted, chanting Toru's name in unison, their voice intense and filled with energy. Haruma's eyes widened, as he scanned the crowd buzzing with electrifying chants of Toru. Masaru, Shino and the other players were taken aback, their expressions filled with disbelief as they looked around the roaring crowds. Kazutora scanned the crowd, with blank expressions, showing no signs of interest. Toru clenched his fist tight in anger, his face lowered. "That's right.. I'm Toru!" he thought, his resolve hardening. "I'm the hope, the pride of Hanaka! The best striker!" His face set with fierce determination. Boiling with fury, Toru stared at Kazutora and started walking towards him, seeing his approach, Kazutora matched his pace, walking towards him. Both closing in slowly, their gaze never wavering. As they were about to walk past each other, both stopped, standing side by side facing opposite directions. "If you have any balls, then come after me!" Toru challenged in a chilling tone. Kazutora, with his expressions cold and serious, didn't respond and simply walked past him. Toru remained rooted in his place, his fist clenched tightly, his face hard with anger. His eyes filled with anxiety, Haruma watched Toru thinking, "It's the first time I've seen him like this!" His eyes fixed on Toru. The whistle blew once again, resuming the game. Toru stood still, his face etched with fierce determination, his fist clenched tight, staring at Kazutora, who stood in distance, staring back with same intensity. Both were ready for a showdown between the very best!