Just like that snowy night.
For the second time since he started playing football, Itoshi Rin felt a sense of powerlessness. The first time was against his brother, Itoshi Sae. After returning from four years abroad, Sae had instantly defeated him with ease, even questioning his level and progress, "What have you been doing these past four years?"
The second time was now, facing Tendou.
On both occasions, Rin had never slacked off; he had always been practicing hard. After Sae went abroad, Rin's goal was to first become the number one in the country, use his own strength to conquer the scouts, and then land in Europe to find his brother.
After that snowy night, Rin briefly gave up on himself, almost quitting football, but then he transformed his hatred for Sae into motivation. Now he had come to Blue Lock. And he had met a guy like Tendou Kageyoshi.
"Did Itoshi Sae absorb too many nutrients when he was born, leaving only a small portion for you?"
"Your level is really just mediocre. I suggest you go back to the furnace and get remade."
Tendou walked past Rin at a leisurely pace. These words were the same trash talk that Rin had spewed at Isagi and the others before, now returned to him by Tendou, word for word.
Hearing this, Rin was furious to the extreme. Not just because of the trash talk, but also because of Tendou's posture, which was identical to his annoying older brother's.
"Shut up."
"It's not over yet!"
He accelerated past Tendou, getting in front of him.
"This time, I'll be the one to attack."
There were many footballs on the field. Rin casually found one. The next second, he took the ball and charged towards Tendou without reservation. He wanted to shatter everything related to Itoshi Sae.
...
Itoshi Rin's speed was not slow; all his stats were top-tier.
Itoshi Sae had discovered his younger brother's talent very early on. It was during an elementary school match. At that time, Rin hadn't even started playing football; he was just a spectator, watching the game. But because he followed his brother around every day, he had learned a lot about football through osmosis.
And then.
To everyone's surprise, Rin's body uncontrollably entered the field, and with zero foundation, he controlled the ball and scored a goal. Looking at his still-dazed younger brother after the goal, at that moment, Sae noticed his brother's potential. His talent was even greater than his own.
Later, Sae went abroad. After seeing what world-class football was like, he realized his own limit; he could not become the world's number one striker. But he wasn't dejected, because he felt that his younger brother might have a chance to fulfill this dream. So he decisively switched to midfield. His purpose was to support his brother, to help Rin ascend to the world's throne.
Who would have known that this idiot brother's mind was only filled with him. Realizing that the reason his brother played football was all because of him, and that his influence on him was too great, Sae could only destroy this way of thinking in Rin. Only then would Rin's talent truly bloom.
...
"I'll destroy you!"
Itoshi Rin gritted his teeth hard, his eyes glowing with excitement. It was a characteristic unique to Blue Lock, a sign of entering an excited state.
But.
On the screen, in Rin's pupils as he faced Tendou, an azure cap occupied the entire screen. Then, under the stunned gazes of the audience, Tendou's Six Eyes seemed to rotate.
Tap!
Rin charged past Tendou in one breath, but his taut nerves shattered at this moment. His expression was extremely complicated: confusion, doubt, disbelief, unease... and so on.
He had passed, but the ball was left behind.
"You, who only play football because of Itoshi Sae, can never reach the summit, Itoshi Rin."
Tendou stood with his back to Rin, one foot on the ball.
And then.
He suddenly turned, his right foot lashing out like a long whip. With a shot release speed of over 17 m/s, he powerfully struck the bottom of the ball.
BAM!
The ball was like a missile leaving the chamber, whistling as it flew. Rin, who was still in a daze, felt nothing. He saw nothing. He only felt a strong gust of wind brush past his cheek.
SWISH!
The ball went in. Only then did Rin notice Tendou's iconic, picture-perfect shooting form.
"Get lost. Go back and think carefully about why you play football."
Tendou retracted his right foot. That dominant posture shocked everyone present. Tokimitsu Aoshi, Aryu Jubei, and even Bachira were in disbelief. The formidable Itoshi Rin was like a toy in front of Tendou.
"So this is No. 1..."
Aryu Jubei was so "trendy" he was about to faint.
Chigiri and Reo also swallowed hard. This was too fierce!
...
Real world.
Shuiping watched the whole thing, his mouth open wide enough to fit an egg.
"The gap is just too big, isn't it?"
"If this is the level of the New Generation World XI, then besides Tendou, the rest of the people in Blue Lock aren't good enough."
"My god! Not even a struggle! This is Itoshi Rin, the one who shattered Isagi's team's Dao heart!"
The moment the "New Generation World XI" setting came out, Shuiping knew this show was not ordinary. The forwards of Blue Lock still had a long way to go. But he never thought the gap would be this big. And this was only No. 2. Against anyone else, they wouldn't stand a chance at all.
'Good! Finally got some payback for my Isagi-Bachira ship!'
'Beat this detestable lower-eyelash to death!'
'Hey, you guys are going too far. Rin didn't offend you. It's Isagi and the others who weren't skilled enough.'
After the flashback, the number of Rin's fans began to increase. Many people began to feel sorry for this "poor little thing" whose mind was only filled with his brother.
This pair of brothers was just like the Uchiha Itachi and Uchiha Sasuke from Naruto. Both brothers had incredibly awkward personalities. What they thought in their hearts was all about the other, but the words that came out were sharper than any knife.
Shuiping noticed this bullet comment and also nodded in agreement.
"Indeed. The personality, relationship, and character setting of the two Itoshi brothers are very similar to Sasuke and Itachi."
"The younger brother is proud of the older brother, then turns to the dark side after being 'betrayed' due to a misunderstanding. The reason he becomes stronger is also to defeat his older brother."
"In that case, I predict that in the future plot development, we will definitely meet Itoshi Sae. Sae will most likely appear as the first New Generation World XI member, in a boss-like capacity."
Just like the Generation of Miracles, appearing one after another, keeping the audience's sense of anticipation at its peak.
"And the anime mentioned the U-20 World Cup, the Youth World Cup, from the very beginning."
"Itoshi Sae's age is just right, and he's a midfielder in the New Generation World XI. Tendou has also definitely reached the level of the New Generation World XI."
"Then basically, the core of the Japan U-20 team will probably be these two 'big brothers.' Aiya, I'm so looking forward to the future plot development."
...
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