Mirror |[Sasusaku Story]

Chapter 8

Sakura gathered all her energy in her legs and jumped as high as she could before spiking the ball with all her strength. Like a bullet, the ball sped in the other half of the field as the libero tried to catch but failed.

"Yooosh!" Sakura cheered, rising her fist high in the air as the rest of her team cheered.

The class 1-2 was having P.E in the gymnasium. The class was divided into five-team of six students. To her greatest joy, Sakura was on the same team as Naruto. The two of them were the best duo when it came to working together. However, as Sasuke was also in the team, the atmosphere was quite awkward and electric at first. The two of them kept bickering about who would be the outside hitter. Having enough of them, Sakura took the position instead and it turned out pretty well.

"Good job, Sakura-chan! You're killing it!" Naruto cheered as they high-five.

Naruto was the middle blocker of the team, mainly in charge of the defense. And at the opposite side of Sakura was Sasuke who was the opposite hitter. At first, both Naruto and Sasuke were quite frustrated that Sakura got to be the lead attacker but their mood quickly calmed down when they saw how good she was. Naruto was not really surprised as he knew his best friend better than anyone else (though Ino could compete with him), but Sasuke was indeed very surprised. He never assumed she was weak or fragile. When he first saw her temper when she scolded Naruto, Sasuke knew she was a strong woman. He just did not expect her to be this athletic. She was with no doubt the best and strongest female athlete in the class.

Sakura's team was leading but they knew they should not slack off. Their opponent was Shikamaru and Akihiko after all. And they should not underestimate Ino and Hinata. Shikamaru was the setter. His high intellect and sense of strategy and analysis gave him a strong advantage when it came to timing. He always set the ball perfectly into the hands of the outside hitter who was Akihiko. And the latter was very good at volleyball. It was not really surprising since he was the actual outside hitter of the volleyball club. And seeing him playing, Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura knew why. He was strong and jumped really high. Even higher than Sakura. But they two were not the only ones to beware of. Hinata had always had a good vision and was really reactive. So she was a very talented libero. And Ino and Shikamaru's teamwork was unparalleled which contributed to her being a very good middle blocker.

Everyone was watching the game with the greatest attention. But what interested them the most, they had to admit, was the confrontation between Sasuke and Akihiko. When the two of them would face each other, the tension could be felt. It was as if Naruto was no longer Sasuke's rival but Akihiko was. The two of them were very intense players, taking the game as seriously as they could. The victory was the only thing in their minds. And the fact that their opponent was someone strong and skilled only lit their blazing competitive spirit. Sasuke would not accept to lose against Akihiko. And Akihiko would not accept to lose against Sasuke. They wanted to beat each other.

"I gotta say, for a beginner, I'm impressed," Akihiko smirked.

"Although I'm a basketball player, I'll have no issue beating your ass at volleyball," Sasuke shot back. Akihiko slightly laughed but he smirked widened as the blazing fire in his eyes only became more ardent.

"We'll see then," he said.

The match was an intense one, a true roller coaster. And the competition between Sasuke and Akihiko kept growing. The match was far from stable. One time Sakura's team was leading then the next one it was Shikamaru's team.

Sakura's team was leading of a few points. Naruto was giving his all at blocking Akihiko's blow. The time was almost out and he wanted to keep their advance. But it was becoming harder and harder as Akihiko seemed to have completely changed. It was as if he was a totally different person. He was not joking anymore, he was not picking fights, he was not flirting with Sakura nor Ino or Hinata. The brunet was calm and composed. But the blazing fire in his eyes did not subdue. He was in a state of extreme concentration. Everything around him just disappeared as he focus completely and solely on the match.