Chapter 633: Japan vs Portugal VII

Chapter 633: Japan vs Portugal VII



Gasping, Naoto picked himself up, 'That was close. If I had reacted a second late, it would have breezed past me.'

While thinking, Naoto turned to look at his hand. The tip of his glove had a graze mark like something harsh had brushed past him.

It hadn't even been that long since he had entered the field. Yet, he was already feeling under pressure.

'I can't let my guard down.' Naoto averted his gaze from his hand and looked at the clock. "Four more minutes huh?" he muttered after noticing the time that had been added.

"Good job, Naoto."

Ito and a few others patted his back, praising him for the save he had made.

Their compliment lightened his mood and further flared his determination. With a newfound vigor, he shifted his focus to the ball.

Players of both teams were gathered inside the penalty box, preparing for the set-piece. The crowd was as loud as ever. Even louder were the Portuguese supporters, their voices echoing throughout the stadium.

While Bruno was preparing to take the corner, the players of both sides were competing against each other. Hustling and tussling, they fought for a better position.

Even Naoto was being pressured right now. The opposition was doing everything in their power to limit him. His vision was partially blocked while he was being cramped.

Often due to the tussle going on in the box, the referee had to intervene.

Finally, after a lot of intervention, Naoto could move more freely. But yet still, he couldn't get a better view of the area before him.

Compared to the titan-like opposing players, they were relatively short. So, the Japanese players were at a disadvantage.

Despite the height difference, they weren't willing to admit defeat.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Though height difference played a huge role in such a situation, one could lessen the advantage.

Amidst the hustle and tussle, Hiro found it incredibly hard to position himself. Especially, since Felix was keeping him in check.

The fiery sea of supporters buzzed like a fiery pot of lava, their emotions traveled far and wide. Hugging and dancing, the Portuguese supporters started to celebrate the goal. Meanwhile, on the pitch, Ronaldo rose slowly. His teammates rushed to him to help him stand. If it were him from the past, he would have already been sprinting to the sideline to celebrate.

However, unlike those times, he found it hard to stand.

At this moment, Hiro felt that he had indeed gotten old, 'So, you've gotten old. I guess previously you were purely driven by your passion and thirst.'

'How can you be so passionate even when your body is clearly showing signs of deterioration? Just why are you so tenacious?'

Hiro felt a mix of awe and confusion. He couldn't help but wonder what was driving Ronaldo to push himself. But he couldn't bring himself to mock him either.

For a brief moment, Hiro kept staring at him.

Just then Ronaldo glanced at him. Their eyes met for a moment before he averted his gaze

away.

Hiro felt a little taken aback. 'Is he telling me that the game isn't over yet?'

Hiro could palpably feel a burning passion radiating from those eyes. For a while, Hiro stood

there contemplating.

"What's wrong, Hiro?"

Suddenly, he was brought to his senses by Naoto's voice.

"Huh, nothing. Why would you ask that?" Hiro responded.

Naoto frowned, his expression turning hesitant, "You're smiling." Naoto answered, his tone sounding worried.

"Am I huh?" Hiro feigned ignorance. "Let's focus on the game. Don't worry about the goal. It isn't your fault," Hiro added before quickly changing the topic of their conversation.

Hiro could tell that he must be aroused by the determination he had experienced. Probably, he must have started smiling even without realizing it.

Hiro had become normal in an instant. So, Naoto didn't bother about the creepy smile he had witnessed before.