Three outs! Sides exchanged!
Bottom of the second inning—Arayashiki High School on offense.
In the stands, Seidou's supporters were still full of energy.
Even though their team's offense hadn't found its rhythm yet, not a single fan doubted Seidou's ability to win.
After all—had they seen Zhou Hao's pitching?
"It's all straight balls!"
"The guys from Arayashiki are too useless! How are they even a Koshien regular?"
"They rely on their pitcher and defense. Their batting's always been weak!"
The crowd's chatter carried a mix of mockery and analysis.
It wasn't that Arayashiki High didn't want to improve their hitting—
it was that they simply couldn't attract top sluggers.
Despite their yearly appearances at Koshien, their strength lay in pitching and fielding, not in offense.
Seidou, on the other hand, was a different story.
Even though they hadn't reached Koshien for several consecutive years, their reputation as a powerhouse meant countless elite batters wanted to join.
They produced pros year after year, and that legacy attracted the best of the best.
Arayashiki, however, sent few players to the professional leagues.
For top-tier hitters, that made the school an unappealing choice.
Batting power required both foundation and tradition.
Without it, no amount of willpower could fill the gap.
If every team could do it, they'd all be national powerhouses by now.
In the bottom of the second inning, Azuma Kiyokuni led off for Seidou, determined to break through.
Ideally, they wanted to score early—to relieve the pressure on Zhou Hao.
But Uekusa, Arayashiki's pitcher, was no pushover.
His tricky pitch control, combined with his teammates' flawless coordination, made things tough.
Azuma even missed a pitch he'd normally crush.
The batters who followed didn't fare much better.
Three up, three down. Sides retired again.
It was only then that Seidou's supporters finally understood—
Arayashiki's place at Koshien wasn't luck.
They did have the strength to stand among Japan's elite.
Top of the third inning.
Zhou Hao moved to the outfield, while Yoshida took over the mound.
For the first time today, Arayashiki's director allowed himself a smile.
"This is our chance!"
He'd been waiting for this moment.
In the previous game, Zhou Hao had thrown seven innings—using countless Spiral Balls and breaking pitches.
For a first-year rookie, that performance had been nothing short of monstrous.
But in the end, he was still just fifteen years old.
Still adjusting to Seidou's rigorous training.
No matter how talented, his stamina wasn't limitless.
From the start, Arayashiki's director had predicted it—
the moment Zhou Hao stepped off the mound would signal their counterattack.
The seventh batter from Arayashiki stepped into the box, ready to make something happen.
He wanted to ignite a rally for his team.
But the next moment—
Whoosh!
The white ball screamed past him.
Pop!
"Strike!"
The batter froze.
Before he could even recover, another pitch flew past.
"Strike!!"
Then another.
"Strike!!!"
"Strikeout!!!"
Three consecutive strikeouts.
The Arayashiki batters looked helpless—like middle schoolers facing a pro.
In the stands, Seidou's fans couldn't help but laugh.
"Compared to Zhou Hao, Yoshida's pitching is weaker—but it's still miles above theirs."
"We gave them a chance, and they still couldn't do anything!"
They weren't wrong.
Before Zhou Hao's rise, Yoshida had been Seidou's true Ace.
Three outs. Sides exchanged once more.
Bottom of the third inning.
Seidou back on offense.
Yet again, they went three up, three down against Uekusa's precise control.
Not even a hit slipped through.
Top of the fourth inning.
Arayashiki's strongest batters stepped up, their director watching closely, full of anticipation.
This was their moment—or so they thought.
Ping!
Pop!
"Out!"
"Out!!"
"Out!!!"
Three outs.
Sides exchanged yet again.
By this point, Arayashiki's players fully realized the truth—
Seidou High was not like the teams they usually faced.
Arayashiki relied on their Ace and airtight defense to win tough games.
Seidou, on the other hand, had beaten the likes of the Universe Team and Osaka Kiryu not through one star player—but through collective strength.
They weren't carried by Zhou Hao.
Their entire lineup was a national-level threat.
Bottom of the fourth inning.
The score remained 0–0.
Matsumoto stepped up for his second at-bat but was quickly outsmarted by Uekusa once again.
His grounder was easily handled by Arayashiki's infield—one out, bases empty.
Next up—Seidou's second batter.
"Second batter, number twenty, outfielder—Zhou Hao!"
In the stands, a reporter wearing a baseball cap narrowed his eyes.
"It's about to begin…"
He knew Seidou wouldn't let Uekusa control the pace forever.
Something was coming.
Zhou Hao stood in the batter's box, calm and composed.
His gaze swept across the field—each fielder, each subtle shift in stance, captured by his Sharingan.
Under that crimson glow, every motion was magnified.
And in that instant—he could see.
The trajectory of the next pitch.
The pattern of Uekusa's rhythm.
The faint twitch of the shortstop's glove.
All of it formed a clear picture in his mind.
A smirk tugged at Zhou Hao's lips.
"An interesting guy," he murmured.
Uekusa's strange pitch wasn't as refined as Sawamura's,
but the sheer mastery he'd developed over it was impressive.
If he hadn't encountered him—if he hadn't faced Seidou—
maybe Uekusa really could have led his team to a Koshien miracle.
Zhou Hao's eyes sharpened.
"Sorry," he whispered. "But before these eyes of mine—nothing can be hidden."
The red tomoe in his Sharingan spun slowly.
"I can see your future!"
For the first time since his match against Osaka Kiryu, Zhou Hao felt his blood surge.
His Sharingan—
was on the verge of awakening to the next level.
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I apologize for the confusion caused earlier. Due to some eye strain and fatigue, I mistakenly uploaded the wrong chapter. The issue has been fixed. Thank you all for your patience and continued support.