Evanescence

The Emperor of the Field

Kakashi's POV

And there I was, finally within arm's reach of the pinnacle of international football. For years, none of us would have thought that we could get anywhere close to it, as Japan has always been known for its lacklustre athletics. But by some stroke of luck, some miracle sent by the Almighty, we were standing on a platform that no Japanese athlete had ever managed to stand on before. The surreality was overwhelming, and I couldn't contain my excitement. I was almost about to explode from it.

When I first touched the ball back on the nooks and crannies of Kyoto, I dreamed of playing in a way that would bring pride to my nation. I had grown up alongside people who were self-contained in Japan, never daring to take it to the next level and challenge the greater forces beyond the reaches of the kamikaze. Early on, I developed such a yearning that I thought little of the actual money to come from being a professional athlete, and more of my patriotism. Even before I was the well-known Patriot Striker, I was already one who had dedicated himself to his country.

And with such a grand opportunity right in front of me, I couldn't help but get giddy. After three seasons of just being shy of the cut-off, we finally qualified for the Champions' League, where the top teams of every major League would engage in thrilling football. As the third-best team in the Italian Serie A, we were anxious to see how we would measure against the revered La Liga and feared Bundesliga qualifiers. But after defying the odds, we were now at the match that would decide the world's best Club.

"Calm down," a somewhat grim yet confident voice said from behind my shoulder. "You wouldn't want to burn out before we play our match. We're going to need all that you'll be able to muster, Kakashi-kun."

I chuckled at the thought. My childish daydreaming was given a screeching halt. I had hoped to daydream a bit more, but the pragmatic man was right.

"I'll try. It's just hard to keep your head above the water when you like letting yourself get immersed in it, you get what I mean? This was our dream since we could first play, Tougo-kun. Well...not exactly...since we pretty much dreamed of the Japanese League first, but we've always thought that with your goalscoring senses and my playmaking skills, we could get to the top of any League. Aren't you about to burst too? Don't tell me that you're going to keep up that cool guy façade of yours, Tougo."

"Ovvio," he responded in Italian. He then switched back to speaking in Japanese. "Of course I'm about to internally explode from all this anxiety and thrill. Since father first thought me how to play football, I've idolised Italian players, and since then, I've dreamed of Italy. Now we're beyond Italy, carrying the name of the Club that we've served so well for. We're the star players of Paladino, and if we let either of those get to us, we'll be messing up in the middle of play. I doubt either of us wants that."

His tone then softened up, and I managed to get a glimpse of his smile as went to face me instead of standing by my side. The difference in our heights was much more evident now than it was a long time ago. "But for the moment, let's let that sink in. The peak of our careers starts here."

He was enjoying himself. No amount of seriousness could hide that enthusiasm to play. As expected of our overly-eager goalscorer. He just loves keeping the ball and making those shots; in the Champions' League, he would have better nets to smash that ball into. I looked forward to seeing him on the pitch, and I definitely looked forward to seeing the rest of the squad.

Our teammates soon joined us, a squadron of greats in Italian football. We had another fellow countryman, the soon-to-become-a-star Kazami Raikou, as the substitute forward who would play once another is tired. Two great Italian centrebacks covered the goalie, with one being the bulky Paolo di Muraglia, and the other being the enigmatic Fabio Cirro. Our goalkeeper was also an Italian giant, the incredibly tall Luigi Giannetti. The offence had the Portuguese Luis Vôlei dominating the left wing. Others were respected during their own times, but those folk mentioned and the two Japanese starters were usually the centre of the media's attention.