Chapter 524 - 524: The Sharingan That Cannot Be Escaped

Two outs.

Runnerless.

Now it was Zhou Hao's turn to bat.

The atmosphere in the stadium instantly changed.

"Hit one out!"

"Give us a home run!"

The Seido supporters erupted into cheers the moment Zhou Hao stepped into the batter's box.

For them, the outcome had already been decided.

The baseball would leave the stadium.

It definitely would.

As for why they believed it so firmly...

Even they couldn't fully explain it.

The only thing they knew was—

The batter standing at the plate was Zhou Hao.

That fact alone was enough.

All they had to do now was sit back and watch Yakushi get overwhelmed.

Their confidence in Zhou Hao was absolute.

Standing on the mound, Sanada Shunpei silently studied him.

As a pitcher, his instincts were sharper than most.

The aura radiating from Zhou Hao made one thing abundantly clear.

If they clashed head-on...

There was a very high chance he would immediately surrender a hit.

Or worse—

A home run.

Only a pitcher standing on the mound could truly understand the pressure Zhou Hao exuded.

It wasn't that Sanada lacked courage.

Nor was he afraid of competing.

The problem was...

From the moment Zhou Hao stepped into the batter's box, Sanada couldn't find a single weakness.

It felt as though no matter where he threw the ball...

It would be crushed.

"A direct confrontation..."

"...is impossible."

For a pitcher of Sanada's caliber, reaching that conclusion was extremely difficult to accept.

But baseball wasn't won by pride alone.

He wanted to measure Zhou Hao's true strength.

Yet for the sake of Yakushi's chances of winning...

Allowing Seido to score in the opening inning would deal a devastating blow to both the team and its supporters.

In the end...

He made the same decision countless pitchers before him had made.

Whoosh!

The baseball flew well outside the strike zone.

Yakushi's catcher had already stood up and shifted to receive it.

This wasn't an accidental miss.

Nor was it an ordinary four-pitch walk.

Sanada had chosen to intentionally walk Zhou Hao.

He refused to give him a single pitch he could swing at.

Thwack!

"Ball!"

The Seido supporters immediately let out disappointed sighs.

"What's with Yakushi's ace?"

"He's completely different from the rest of their team."

Although they hadn't watched many Yakushi games, everyone had formed a basic impression of the team.

Yakushi played aggressive baseball.

They attacked relentlessly.

They welcomed head-on confrontations.

Naturally, their ace should have embodied that style more than anyone else.

Yet Sanada was the complete opposite.

The moment he realized he couldn't gain an advantage against Zhou Hao...

He abandoned the matchup without hesitation.

His decision was so quick that even Seido's players hadn't expected it.

Four pitches later—

Zhou Hao calmly walked to first base.

"Base on balls."

Two outs.

Runner on first.

The reporters covering the game exchanged puzzled looks.

Players from other schools frowned as well.

"Even with two outs..."

"They still refuse to challenge him?"

"The next batter is Yuki Tetsuya."

"What exactly are they trying to accomplish?"

Even Seido's supporters couldn't understand Yakushi's thinking.

With two outs and no runners aboard, this had been the safest possible situation to challenge Zhou Hao.

Even if he got a hit, the damage would likely be limited.

Surely Yakushi wasn't simply afraid...

Were they?

Ironically...

That was the real reason.

Sanada had no confidence whatsoever in facing Zhou Hao directly.

"Fourth batter, number three, first baseman..."

"Yuki Tetsuya."

Most Seido supporters immediately lost interest.

From experience, whenever opponents intentionally walked Zhou Hao early in a game...

Yuki was usually walked as well.

Yet this time...

Sanada had no intention of issuing another free pass.

Although his expression remained tense...

His resolve was unmistakable.

He intended to face Yuki head-on.

Sanada settled into his pitching motion.

Everyone expected the ball to head toward home plate.

Instead—

He suddenly spun toward first base.

Whoosh!

The baseball shot toward first like a bullet.

The crowd froze.

Then realization dawned.

A pickoff attempt!

Their eyes immediately shifted to first base.

At that exact moment, Zhou Hao—who had been preparing to take his lead—seemed to sense Sanada's intentions before the throw was even released.

With a quick sidestep, he retreated to the bag in one smooth motion.

Almost simultaneously—

Thwack!

The baseball disappeared into the first baseman's glove.

"Safe!"

The Seido dugout burst into laughter.

"You think you can pick off our ace with that?"

"Keep dreaming!"

"You're still a hundred thousand years too early!"

In their eyes, Zhou Hao was virtually flawless.

There was no way such an obvious trick could catch him off guard.

But only Zhou Hao himself knew the truth.

That play...

Had been far more dangerous than anyone realized.

If he hadn't activated his Sharingan to read Sanada's subtle movements—the same keen perception he used to analyze Sanada's cutter and Jet Ball—

That pickoff throw...

Might really have gotten him.

Sanada's transition from his pitching motion to the pickoff throw had been flawless.

It was so smooth and natural that even Zhou Hao had nearly failed to react.

"Yakushi's true ace..."

Coach Todoroki Raizo had once said in private that the greatest gift he received after taking over Yakushi Baseball Club wasn't the team's ace number—

It was the player himself.

Sanada Shunpei.

Looking at him now, Zhou Hao realized those words hadn't been an exaggeration at all.

Sanada truly was an exceptional player.

Not only were his pitches outstanding, but every aspect of his game was polished to an elite level.

There were virtually no obvious weaknesses.

While Zhou Hao was still evaluating him, Sanada had already reset himself on the mound.

"After that pickoff attempt..."

"Even Zhou Hao shouldn't dare steal now."

That had been Sanada's true objective all along.

He had never expected to pick Zhou Hao off.

Even he knew how unrealistic that would be.

His goal was simply to keep the nation's No. 1 player anchored to first base.

As long as Zhou Hao couldn't run freely...

Sanada would have the confidence to challenge Yuki Tetsuya directly.

The spectators clearly reached the same conclusion.

In their eyes, Sanada had successfully kept Zhou Hao in check.

Now all he needed to do was concentrate on the batter.

But—

Just as everyone thought that...

Zhou Hao suddenly broke toward second.

Under ordinary circumstances, Zhou Hao naturally had to be wary of Sanada's pickoff move.

But with the Sharingan activated...

Every tiny movement Sanada made was laid bare before his eyes.

There was nowhere to hide.

The instant Sanada committed to his pitching motion—

Zhou Hao exploded off first base.

Yakushi's starting catcher was the first to notice.

He instinctively opened his mouth to warn his pitcher.

But before a single word could leave his lips—

Sanada had already completed his stride.

Too late!

Although it sounded like a complicated sequence...

In reality, everything happened within fractions of a second.

By the time the catcher realized Zhou Hao was stealing...

There wasn't enough time to shout a warning.

"It's up to me!"

The catcher gritted his teeth.

The instant the pitch entered his glove—

Thwack!

Catch.

Rise.

Throw.

Every movement flowed together seamlessly.

The Seido supporters couldn't help widening their eyes.

"What a quick release!"

Even though Yakushi had never been considered one of West Tokyo's traditional powerhouses, the catcher's fundamentals were outstanding.

His reaction speed was exceptional.

His throwing motion was lightning fast.

Whoosh!

The baseball shot toward second base.

Yakushi's shortstop was already covering the bag.

In his mind...

The timing was perfect.

They could definitely throw Zhou Hao out.

Then—

The moment he arrived at second base and looked up—

His pupils shrank.

Zhou Hao was already there.

"What?!"

"How is he faster than the baseball?"

Before the shortstop could even process what had happened...

Zhou Hao's foot had already touched second base.

"Safe!"

The base umpire and the commentator announced the call almost simultaneously.

Neither could hide the excitement in their voices.

Zhou Hao's top speed alone wasn't what made him so terrifying.

It was his explosive first step.

The instant he accelerated, he could cover five or six meters in the blink of an eye.

And between first and second...

Those five or six meters were often the difference between being safe and being out.

Yakushi's catcher had reacted quickly enough.

His throw had been excellent.

Against almost any other runner, it probably would have worked.

Unfortunately...

The runner was Zhou Hao.

By the time the baseball reached second base—

He was already standing safely on the bag.

"Two outs!"

"Runner on second!"

Standing on the mound, Sanada silently swallowed.

The situation had completely slipped out of his control.

Originally...

With Zhou Hao held at first, even if Yuki managed a hit, it wouldn't necessarily produce a run.

Sanada could have pitched confidently.

But now...

Everything had changed.

The runner was no longer on first.

He stood on second.

Just that single stolen base had completely transformed the inning.

What now?

Should I continue challenging Yuki?

Or should I walk him as well?

For the first time since taking the mound, Sanada hesitated.

Meanwhile, everyone in Seido's dugout stared toward the field like hungry tigers watching their prey.

The opportunity had finally arrived.

There was no way they intended to waste it.

Everyone knew exactly what Seido was planning.

Score.

No matter what.

This was only the first inning.

Normally, this should have been Sanada's biggest advantage.

Seido's batters had never faced him before.

They knew nothing about his pitches.

His jet-fast fastball, sharp cutter, and excellent command should have made collecting outs relatively easy.

On the other hand...

Sanada had studied Seido extensively.

He knew their hitters inside and out.

Under normal circumstances, Seido's chances of scoring should have been very low.

This wasn't arrogance.

It was simply confidence born from his own ability.

Yet now...

Even Sanada no longer dared make such bold assumptions.

With Zhou Hao standing on second...

The odds of surrendering a run had risen dramatically.

He took a slow breath.

If he backed down now and intentionally walked Yuki...

Yakushi's morale would collapse.

The psychological damage would far outweigh a single run.

But if he challenged Yuki directly—

Even if he surrendered a run...

His teammates would at least see that their ace hadn't run away.

And...

There was no guarantee Yuki would beat him.

After weighing both options...

Sanada made his decision.

Compared to giving up one run...

Losing Yakushi's fighting spirit would be far worse.

Besides...

This first confrontation could still end in his favor.

After all...

Yuki wasn't Zhou Hao.

He didn't possess those terrifying eyes that seemed capable of seeing through everything.

"I refuse to believe..."

"...that you can hit my Jet Ball and Cutter the very first time you face them."

Having reached his decision, Sanada showed no hesitation.

He gathered himself on the mound.

Stepped forward.

And unleashed the pitch.

Whoosh!

The baseball tore through the air like a perfectly aimed bullet.

In an instant, it was already crossing the plate.

Yuki stood in the batter's box like an immovable mountain.

He didn't move.

He simply watched the pitch pass.

Thwack!

"Strike!"

Sanada seized the first strike.

The successful opening pitch immediately boosted his confidence.

Without wasting another second, he went into his motion again.

Whoosh!

The second pitch screamed toward home plate.

Yuki, who had looked completely motionless just moments before...

Suddenly opened his eyes.

The silent mountain erupted like a volcano.

Boom!