Chapter 71: The True Meaning of Military Strategy: Wind, Forest, Fire and Mountain
"The match begins. Rikkai University Affiliated Junior High School's Genichirō Sanada serves."
call……
He adjusted his breathing slightly and suppressed the distracting thoughts in his mind. Regardless of whether Ueyama Yu had any relationship with Tezuka, he had to win this game.
Snapped!
Snapped!
The sound of rackets hitting tennis balls could be heard, and the noise outside the court soon died down.
Not only because this is probably a wonderful game, but in most games, silence is necessary when receiving and serving in order to avoid off-court noises affecting the performance of the players on the court.
After feeling that the ball on the racket had reached a relatively good point, Sanada threw the ball upwards, and then suddenly raised his right hand and smashed it hard on the empty tennis ball.
boom!
With a crisp sound, a yellow light flashed from half court, and the tennis ball flew towards the court where Ueyama Yu was at an extremely fast speed.
"Such a strong force, such a fast speed... His strength is improving very quickly."
Outside the court, Tezuka's eyes flickered. When he played against Sanada several months ago, his ordinary serve did not have such power.
"As expected of Sanada, the combination of strength and speed is great."
A hint of admiration flashed in Uesugi Yu's eyes. This kind of serve was very much in line with the style of someone like Sanada who practiced kendo.
Fast, accurate, and ruthless! Go straight to the enemy's vital points.
"However, this kind of temptation is too simple."
With a light laugh, Shang Shanyou tapped his toes lightly, and a grayish-white figure flashed across the court.
The moment the tennis ball bounced, Uesugi Yu swung his arm as fast as lightning.
Boom!
A loud bang echoed in the air. Uesugi Yu did not use any techniques to deal with it, but directly chose to confront Sanada's serve.
whoosh!
The tennis ball vibrated slightly in the air, stirring up a fierce airflow and heading towards the baseline opposite to Sanada.
"Clear and neat!"
There was a flash of surprise in Yukimura's eyes. When he fought back, Uesugi Yu's arm didn't shake at all, which was enough to show that his strength was equally strong. At the same time, his handling of the tennis ball was also very clear and concise.
"There is a sense of returning to nature..."
Yukimura thought in his heart that the study of the essence of tennis was the path he was taking at the basic level.
"And...his counterattack is very similar to what Sanada usually does..."
As if he had thought of something, Yukimura's face showed more interest. No wonder he arranged this guy as the second singles player. Hyotei was very confident this time.
On the court.
Uesugi Yu's decisive counterattack gave Sanada a very familiar feeling, which was the momentum that only came from meeting someone of the same kind.
"That's a sword-like slash!"
Sanada's mind turned slightly, and the somewhat familiar temperament of Uesugi Yuu was instantly remembered by him.
"very good……"
Sanada was filled with fighting spirit. As a player who had been practicing kendo since childhood, there was no reason for him to lose.
Drink
With his feet as fast as the wind, Sanada's speed was equally fast. In just a few steps, he had caught up with the tennis ball and moved to the diagonal baseline.
boom!
He stretched the muscles in his arms, then lifted the racket upwards, and this powerful shot directly drew a beautiful arc.
"Nice curveball, but unfortunately..."
Step on...
As if it had been expected, Uesugi Yuu leaned forward slightly and rushed straight to the net.
"This Internet speed..."
Fuji's eyes were solemn. Every time he watched Shanyou's game, he felt that this man had a deeper level of strength that had not been revealed, just like when he faced Tezuka.
Sanada also noticed this astonishing scene. Seeing Shangshan You waving his arms and ready to strike in the air, his toes suddenly stepped on the ground and turned, and the center of gravity of his body shifted to the other side.
However, to his surprise, as if seeing through his heart, Shangshanyou flipped his wrist, and the original striking posture turned into a backhand cut in an instant.
Swish.
As Shangshanyou laughed playfully, he gently cushioned the tennis ball.
Ta-da...the tennis ball rolled gently in front of the net.
"Hyotei Academy Uesugi Yuu scores, the score is 15-0."
…
"What a beautiful fake move~"
Tezuka's eyes were bright. It could be said that the path of Sanada's ball was completely seen through by Uesugi Yu.
Whether it was the amazing surfing of the net or the clever , he guessed Sanada's thoughts clearly.
"This person is so strong..."
Renji Yanagi stared at all the moves of Yu Kamisama on the field. There were not many people who could play Sanada around right from the start.
"Is this why Akuto-nii asked me to remember this match?"
Yanagi Renji's mind turned and he quickly figured out Hyotei's tactical arrangement. If Uesugi Yuu really had the ability to suppress Sanada off the court, then the match would end in this game and their captain would not have a chance to make a move at all.
"What a good plan..."
Yanagi Renji sighed heavily in his heart. Although it felt a bit like Tian Ji's horse racing, it also required the opponent to have the strength to support such a tactic.
…
Looking at the tennis ball rolling in front of the net, anger burned in Sanada's heart.
"very good……"
Shangshan You is more proficient in the various rules of kendo than he is.
"Oh~ Are you serious now?"
Uesugi Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at the serious expression on Sanada's face, and he smiled slightly in his heart.
"Let me see the true meaning of your military tactics..."
It is as fast as the wind, as slow as the forest, as aggressive as fire, and as immovable as a mountain. This is the true meaning of the art of war from the Chinese book "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, which was later introduced to Japan and quoted by Takeda Shingen during the Japanese Warring States Period as a banner, and then slowly passed down in Japan.
Sanada's unique skills were inspired by the true meaning of the art of war, first in kendo, and then in tennis. It is similar to how he incorporated the breathing method and sword moves of demon slaying into tennis.
Swish!
The tennis ball was thrown high up by Sanada, and then his arm created a phantom.
boom!
In a flash, the tennis ball flew out of Shangshanyou's half of the court.
"15-15"
"Huh? So fast!"
Atobe's eyes narrowed, and his eyes were full of solemnity. He only saw a vague shadow of Sanada's serve just now.
"What a fast one!"
Uesugi Yu's eyes lit up. What he remembered and what he experienced personally were two completely different things. He had to admit that Sanada's wind-like swiftness, which made it impossible to see the backswing of the racket, was quite powerful.
“Hehe~”
Sanada sneered. Kamishima Yu's reaction was within his expectations. He didn't know how many people had fallen under his speed before.
boom!
Sanada waved his arms again, and the racket in his hand disappeared in an instant. The audience outside the court only heard a crisp sound of hitting the ball, and the tennis ball had already fallen to the ground.
“There’s no tennis ball in sight…”
"What a fast serve..."
The audience outside the stadium exclaimed quietly, and Sanada's serve would amaze anyone who saw it for the first time.
"It's a very strong serve, but you don't think you're the only one who knows the true meaning of the art of war."
Uesugi Yuu chuckled at Sanada. He took two steps forward to the left and swung the racket in his hand at the air above the ground.
boom!
There was the sound of a tennis ball being hit by a racket.
Swish~
The racket was then pulled slightly, and Sanada's wind-like speed was directly hit back by Uesugi Yu.
"Don't forget that in addition to the insight of the eyes, the hearing of the ears is also something that tennis players must train."
Shangshan You spoke in a relaxed tone. He had seen the terrifying Mach serve, so he couldn't see the swiftness of the racket backswing.
"You are indeed very strong, but..."
Sanada was not disturbed by Uesugi Yu's words. Just like what he did in the first ball, Sanada also ran to the net the moment Uesugi Yu returned the ball.
The racket tilted slightly and gently hit the tennis ball in the air.
Like a dead leaf in autumn, the spin on the tennis ball was eliminated and it fell directly not far from the net.
"This is Xu Rulin!"
Yanagi Renji quietly admired that not only did Sanada have good strength and speed, he also had his own unique understanding of technical tennis.
“It’s not that simple~”
Tap tap tap…
With a strong push of his toes, Shang Shanyou's body left a trail of afterimage and rushed towards the net.
His arms extended and the racket cut straight down from the top.
Snapped!
He kicked the tennis ball high into the air.
"Excellent! This ball was saved!"
Shishido Ryo's eyes lit up. Uesugi Yu's terrifying attack speed was exactly the move he had always dreamed of.
Drink
"Accept my raging fire~"
Sanada leaped up with a light breath, and the racket in his hand seemed to be stained with a layer of flames.
boom!
With a blazing flame, the tennis ball was blasted down from the sky by him.
Aggression is like fire!
A super powerful smash that can penetrate even a brown bear that falls into the net.
"It's a blow with raging fire, it's really powerful~"
Without any intention to answer it, Shang Shanyou stopped right where he was, with a calm smile on his face.
"30-15"
"Great, Vice Minister Sanada has taken the initiative!"
Some members of Rikkai University saw this scene and were excited. They were terrified by the thrilling confrontation between the two people off the court, and now their vice-chairman finally seized the initiative.
However, there was no sign of happiness on the faces of the other selected players.
In the first game alone, Sanada was forced to use all his tricks, but his opponent remained calm, as if he had expected it all.
"Sanada, what's wrong with you..."
Yukimura's face looked solemn, and Sanada's condition was somewhat abnormal.
…
"It's just missing the ability to stand still like a mountain. However, this defensive move doesn't have much effect on me."
After seeing the combination of Sanada's three moves of wind, forest and fire, Uesugi Yu had a general idea .
"Come on, continue~"
With sharp eyes, Uesugi Yuu looked directly into the eyes of Sanada across from him.
