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Dragon Emperor in Pokemon World.

The return of Itachi

I am Sasuke. Why should I defect from Konoha.

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***

On January 1, 2004, the first day of the New Year.

Clay Lee, who had just celebrated his 26th birthday last night, had to continue his busy schedule.

The birthday party was held at his home in Manhattan, inviting teammates from the Knicks and friends from New York.

On the first day of the New Year, after returning to Peninsula Manor, the gathering became more private, inviting only business partners.

After the Manchester United shareholders’ meeting, Lee’s name was thoroughly remembered by the British public.

BBC and The Mirror were both gossiping. Randall, the editor of BBC’s economic section, even joked in an interview:

“Manchester United is so close to being acquired that it’s like parking a tank in someone’s front garden.”

Irish stud farm magnates John Magnier and J.P. McManus recently made a strong move in the London stock market to assert their sovereignty!

They purchased another 3.4% of shares from De Moor, another major shareholder of Manchester United and a Dutch media magnate.

Red Football Capital’s total holdings reached 28.41%, while the two major shareholders’ total holdings in Manchester United reached 28.89%.

British sports media and financial circles have begun to gossip about the showdown between the two sides.

With nearly 29% of the shares, both parties now have significant say on Manchester United’s board of directors.

Interestingly, it was precisely the invasion of Red Football Capital that prevented the Irish stud farm magnates from completely controlling the club.

Both sides could call an emergency shareholders’ meeting at any time.

After appointing three non-executive directors to supervise Manchester United, the board presented a three-way standoff.

Russian billionaire Ralif Safin also wanted to join the acquisition, but the Russian government’s crackdown on domestic economic oligarchs significantly dampened his acquisition enthusiasm.

Perhaps there was an insider at Manchester United, as the news that the board submitted a 13-page written report to both Red Football Capital’s legal team and Magnier’s legal team was also leaked.

The article by The Mirror’s columnist felt as if they were there, describing Manchester United’s CEO Gill questioning the major shareholders:

“Do you truly care about Manchester United?”

The answer to this question was, of course, affirmative.

After all, both sides bought shares with real money, and pounds don’t lie!

Manchester United’s stock price has recently risen, and its market value has reached 700 million pounds.

In response, Manchester United fans have continuously protested, all supporting Ferguson and believing that the major shareholders are bloodsuckers who don’t understand football.

There was no snowfall after Christmas, but the highest temperature during the day was only 3°C, dropping to below freezing at night.

Peninsula Manor is too large, and most of it is covered by forest, making the felt temperature quite unfriendly.

However, this did not affect the atmosphere of the banquet.

Tonight’s protagonist was Stanley O’Neal, the CEO and Chairman of the Board of Merrill Lynch.

Many executives from Merrill Lynch came, along with Axe Capital and the surrounding neighbors, all joining in the fun and gossip.

As Merrill Lynch’s first non-white CEO, Stanley O’Neal was once named “America’s Most Powerful Black Executive” by Fortune magazine.

Stanley O’Neal, with his graying hair and seemingly “old servant” appearance, raised his glass and smiled happily.

Service staff from the party company continuously served delicious food from the kitchen to everyone.

Although the music played by the pianist was rather soothing, many beautiful model girls came tonight, and many people were enjoying themselves, quickly entering a state of self-indulgence.

Lee and a few others did not get caught up in the revelry.

After some small talk, Stanley O’Neal smiled and teased:

“Our Wall Street Sheriff seems to have invited Lee to a musical. Check your emails and remind your traders to be careful. He won’t give up easily.”

The Ziff brothers also attended the party tonight.

All three of them disliked Attorney General Spitzer.

He was accumulating political capital in preparation for his gubernatorial campaign, and many Wall Street firms suffered as a result of his “killing the chicken to scare the monkeys” approach.

(A/N: It means making an example of someone to deter them.)

Dirk Ziff, dressed in a well-fitting black suit, subtly raised an eyebrow, glanced at Lee and Bobby, and also teased the Black CEO:

“He imposed a 100 million fine on Merrill Lynch. Aren’t you going to do something about it?”

Stanley’s rise to power was not honorable.

His predecessor, David Komansky, was his mentor, and his promotion led to his mentor’s early departure. After taking office, he immediately fired Executive Vice President Thomas Patrick.

The latter led Merrill Lynch’s layoffs, putting the company back on track, but when the CEO changed, he became the “scapegoat” to appease employees’ emotions.

Last year, the entire Wall Street was gossiping.

After Stanley took office, he declared that he would change Merrill Lynch’s “mommy culture” of job security and even claimed that he would defeat Goldman Sachs to become a trading giant.

His methods were somewhat similar to those of the Attorney General.

Therefore, when it was exposed that Merrill Lynch analysts claimed in emails that some stocks were junk, and then recommended them to clients, many people believed it was “karma.”

Stanley didn’t care about the rich second generation’s teasing.

Instead, he said meaningfully:

“We only do legal transactions. In fact, I personally support Spitzer. At least he helped Wall Street regain trust.”

“Axe Capital will not be penalized. Our transactions strictly adhere to the rules.”

“Actually, you could have sold the shares to us. Without that portion, we were somewhat passive at the Manchester United shareholders’ meeting.”

Bobby stared at Stanley.

He didn’t like the other party’s manipulative tactics.

Those 3.4% shares were handled by Merrill Lynch, Manchester United’s designated agent.

Lee saw the atmosphere getting a bit tense and chuckled, speaking diplomatically:

“Don’t worry about it, Bobby. This transaction has made us even closer friends, and that’s a good thing. We should drink to that!”

Raising stock prices and earning more profits, Stanley indeed showed no mercy.

He had known Lee since 2000, when he was still the president of the Private Client Group.

At that time, everyone wasn’t as wealthy as they are now, but when Stanley got promoted and received a raise, he pulled a stunt like this, helping the British oppose them.

The few of them stopped talking about business.

Stanley finally chuckled and offered compensation:

“Lee, David Maisel is currently raising funds to bring Marvel comics to the big screen, and he has sought Merrill Lynch’s help.”

“Axe Capital can also participate. We can co-invest. This is a money-making opportunity!”

Seeing the old man wink ambiguously, Lee knew this was his chance to “invest and join the project.”

After smiling and agreeing, Lee secretly complained about the old man’s lack of tact:

“Spending hundreds of millions of dollars on a girl? Do you really think they’re made of gold?”

After the dinner, many people left with their favorite girls to continue their nightlife.

In the study, Bobby talked about his experience at the Manchester United shareholders’ meeting, and then complained about the arrogant Stanley:

“If we had gotten that share, the board could have been completely controlled. He’s warning us!”

Bobby unbuttoned his collar and stood up, pacing around in frustration.

As the fund grew, competitors increased, and troubles followed one after another.

Lee was aware of this, but making money solely by buying stocks took too long, and Wall Street didn’t have the option of harmonious wealth creation:

“I heard he likes CDOs backed by subprime mortgages? We’ll have our chance!”

“At the banquet, I met Nicholas Maounis, the founder of our neighbor, Amaranth Advisors. Did they steal a lot of investors?”

Also a hedge fund founded in 2000, headquartered in Greenwich, Amaranth developed exceptionally rapidly in just a few years.

Maounis previously served as a portfolio manager at Paloma Partners, and Paloma Partners’ founder, Sussman, is a long-time donor to the Donkey Party.

“They did gain more support. Sussman indeed has a lot of prestige.”

Bobby also admitted the excellence of such an established opponent.

Paloma Partners has consistently been profitable, and its founder has received widespread praise for avoiding risk and shielding the fund from market fluctuations.

It is a time-tested hedge fund.

Lee stroked his chin, thinking that it was already 2004, and suddenly said prophetically:

“New Orleans will face a hurricane in the future. Perhaps this is another opportunity given to us by God!”

“?”

Bobby had a puzzled look, seemingly not keeping up with Lee’s leaps in thought, but his memory was excellent.

After a moment of recall, he suddenly said:

“Are you talking about Amaranth’s energy trading? If there really is a hurricane…”

Bobby, pacing back and forth, was breathing a little fast, implying hundreds of millions of dollars in income.

The two talked in low voices for a while longer, and then Bobby left in a hurry.

He needed to prepare everything starting now.

When Ivanka brought the snacks to the study, Lee was lying on the chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.

He decided to do more charity work, buying himself some peace of mind.

“I should have prepared to go to law school earlier. Only Melinda can help you in such situations!”

After Christmas, Ivanka, who had returned to Manhattan, had been busy managing Peninsula Manor, and the blonde Rookie, who hadn’t graduated yet, couldn’t find a sense of presence at such gatherings.

After all, she was still a young woman, and she had spent the past few years enjoying life, so it was natural that she couldn’t connect with the wives’ club who had graduated from law school and entered law firms or Wall Street.

Ivanka sat on Lee’s lap and offered him a snack, which Lee ate in one bite, then sucked her finger.

Still wearing a white dress, Ivanka playfully rolled her eyes at Lee.

Tonight, she had specifically styled her hair into an updo, leaving only a few curled blonde strands at her forehead.

Although she was only 23, compared to her teenage years, she no longer had baby fat, and with her recent good weight control, her figure was curvy, exuding a unique charm.

“Don’t think too much. Melinda has worked for many years. Didn’t your father ask you to return to the group? You’ll soon become a big entrepreneur.”

Lee comforted her in a low voice.

Seeing her troubled expression, he leaned closer to her ear to change the subject, saying:

“Where’s Melinda? You two should eat more too, we still have work to do.”

Ivanka’s face flushed slightly as she thought of Melinda preparing in the bathroom, and her body softened even more when her large soft breasts were suddenly grasped.

The blonde Rookie didn’t speak, her breathing becoming more rapid, and Lee knew what to do.

He picked her up and walked towards the bathroom:

“You two always come up with new tricks!”

After the New Year began, chinese fans also welcomed a new toy: Baidu Tieba was born at the end of the year.

Yao Ming coming to play in the NBA made more fans aware of Clay Lee!

Although the internet was not yet widely popularized in many places, as sports magazines and CCTV’s coverage increased, Lee’s popularity soared.

In this era, the short essays in sports magazines were mostly inspirational chicken soup, but after reading reports about Lee, young fans would all shout:

“Awesome!”

Most students didn’t have time to watch the games, but Lee’s highlight reels were incredibly beautiful.

Currently, the “National Server” was still in its Rookie stage, and students who watched the highlight reels would also shout:

“That’s too awesome!”

As more and more bandwagon fans emerged, sports media felt that short essays were not enough, and magazine content became extremely homogenized.

Those in big cities could get first-hand information, and students from well-off families began to actively buy Lee’s signed sneakers.

The best-selling was the Foamposite Lee Generation, which cost over 1000 RMB.

Color swaps and price gouging couldn’t deter these enthusiastic young fans.

While the shoe’s practical performance was average, its “showing off” attribute was its biggest selling point.

“Ten-year veteran fans” came uninvited, speaking eloquently about the signed shoes, even attaching additional attributes to them:

“Clay Lee defeated Michael Jordan wearing these signed shoes! When I put them on, I feel like my vertical jump has increased!”

“…”

At this time, there were no “Four Great Shooting Guards” anymore.

Most bandwagon fans had become die-hard fans of Clay Lee, and those who liked Kobe, Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Allen Iverson became a niche group.

The logic of bandwagon fans was simple: a straightforward comparison led to the conclusion:

Their look wasn’t as graceful as Lee’s, their fancy moves couldn’t compare to Lee’s, their stats were vastly different, and their honors were few and far between.

With such a big difference, why not support the winner?

Of course, some people would like tragic heroes.

Allen Iverson, Carter, and Tracy McGrady still gained some fans.

Although they never won against Clay Lee, their spirit was commendable!

As for Kobe, due to his recent involvement in a trespassing incident, his image was damaged, and his popularity had declined significantly.

After the New Year, the Knicks played three games. In the game against the Nets, Lee and Kidd both shot poorly, ultimately suffering their first loss of the New Year.

Of course, this was also related to the absence of Pau Gasol and Hill.

In the game against the Chicago Bulls, the former injured his shoulder, while Hill suffered a knee injury.

For safety, the coaching staff promptly sent both of them to the injured list.

On the evening of the 6th, in the away game against the Cavaliers, the Knicks once again finished in three quarters.

LeBron James performed well, filling the stat sheet, shooting 6-for-17 for the game, tallying 14 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, and 4 turnovers.

After losing this game, the Cavaliers’ record stood at 8 wins and 26 losses, still firmly in last place.

On January 8th, the Knicks would host the Houston Rockets.

This game happened to be on a Saturday in China.

The Houston Rockets were playing on a back-to-back, and in their away game against the Detroit Pistons, they suffered a crushing 66-85 defeat.

Yao Ming played 27 minutes, shooting 2-for-5 for 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 4 turnovers.

Leading scorer Mobley shot 2-for-12 for 8 points, and Steve Francis shot 6-for-16 for a team-high 15 points.

After the loss, the Houston Rockets’ record fell to 19 wins and 15 losses, and their declining performance turned Coach Mike Brown from a future famous coach into the current “clown”

The Detroit Pistons once again demonstrated excellent Defense.

Ben Wallace could be said to have regained face.

After moving to the power forward position, he shot 4-for-8 for 9 points, 15 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, 3 blocks, and 2 turnovers.

Similar to last season, the Detroit Pistons still lacked a strong big man, but their 23-13 record secured their position in the upper half of the standings.

The NBA announced the Player of the Month for December at the beginning of the month, much to the dismay of basketball commentators, as Clay Lee won the award again.

The Knicks achieved a 14-2 record in December, leading the Eastern Conference by a wide margin!

Clay Lee averaged 32.8 minutes per game, contributing 29.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 10.4 assists, 2.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 2.4 turnovers per game;

He averaged 17.8 field goal attempts, with a field goal percentage of 51.2%, a three-point percentage of 43.5%, and a free throw percentage of 92.6%.

The Timberwolves achieved an 11-2 record, and Kevin Garnett was awarded the Player of the Month for December.

Compared to Lee’s stats, Kevin Garnett’s Excel looked even better:

He averaged 40.3 minutes per game, tallying 26.4 points, 13.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.5 blocks, and 2.4 turnovers per game;

He averaged 19.6 field goal attempts, with a field goal percentage of 52.5% and a free throw percentage of 76.1%.

Seemingly feeling that his stats surpassed Lee’s, Kevin Garnett boasted repeatedly in the past week or so at the beginning of the month:

“I am the best big man in the league.”

“No one can match my impact on the game!”

With the backing of his record and statistics, Kevin Garnett’s efficient performance was recognized by basketball commentators.

At this point, everyone deliberately ignored Lee’s slacking off, as the league needed new stars!

As the season deepened, the dense schedule naturally caused players to feel fatigued.

Yao Ming, who had come to Manhattan, was somewhat listless.

After losing to the Detroit Pistons, some commentators began to attack him again.

Lee could disregard external evaluations; after all, he could raise his left hand, and championships represented everything.

Yao Ming naturally couldn’t do that.

He still represented chinese basketball, so he would feel down every time he performed poorly.

(A/N: Had to delete 800 words of Lee licking China here lol. Obviously they abandoned him but his yellow chinese blood still burning 😂😂😭.)

In China, across the ocean, CCTV Sports naturally broadcast the Houston Rockets game on Saturday morning.

Facing the New York Knicks in a back-to-back game, coupled with Yao Ming’s poor performance in the previous match, Zhang Weiping in the studio began to preemptively brace for impact:

“This game won’t be easy. Although the New York Knicks lost to the Nets a few days ago, overall, their form is still excellent.”

“They have four games this week, no back-to-backs, and the opponents aren’t strong, so Clay Lee hasn’t expended any energy.”

“Yao Ming won’t be able to do it. Even though Steve Francis is an All-Star, he definitely won’t be able to pass the ball when he faces Clay Lee.”

“The Houston Rockets are going to lose, unless Mobley can explode!”

This kind of road back-to-back game indeed tested the players’ physical stamina more.

Host Yu Jia also agreed with this view and stopped discussing the game’s outcome excessively, instead changing the topic and saying:

“Having won Player of the Month for two consecutive months, does Clay Lee still have a chance to win MVP?”

Upon hearing this question, Commentator A smiled and joked about the NBA’s award selection mechanism:

“Logically speaking, with the New York Knicks’ record and Clay Lee leading the scoring and assist charts, the MVP should basically be a foregone conclusion.”

“But the NBA isn’t like that. The purpose of its awards is, first, to encourage players, and second, to create stars!”

“All-Stars must have honors; a star without an MVP cannot be considered a superstar.”

“So, the current situation is that as long as Kevin Garnett maintains his stats and performance, he can win the award.”

“This year’s All-Star selection marks the seventh time for both Clay Lee and Kevin Garnett. According to seniority, it should be Kevin Garnett’s turn to win the award.”

Hearing the veteran’s seniority theory, the host in the studio could only give a dry laugh and nod.

This game unfolded exactly as the two in the studio had predicted, with the New York Knicks frequently initiating high pick-and-rolls.

In most possessions, Yao Ming could only watch shots go in or get fouled after Lee’s strong drives to the basket.

The Houston Rockets again suffered a scoring drought in the first quarter.

Jim Jackson failed to maintain his efficient performance from the previous game and was completely shut down by Ron Artest.

14:34, trailing by 20 points after the first quarter, also left the two in the CCTV Sports studio feeling dejected.

Before the new season began, sports media had hyped them up immensely:

“The Houston Rockets are aiming for the championship!”

They delved deep into every player on the Houston Rockets, striving to create an illusion of great strength for the fans.

Frequently “called out” by Clay Lee’s pick-and-rolls, Steve Francis failed to fight over the screen in many possessions, which made Yao Ming’s performance on the court very ungraceful.

With a large deficit, the host in the studio began to talk about other topics again:

“When our reporter in the United States interviewed Coach Mike Brown, he asked about Yao Ming’s development direction.”

“Coach Brown believes Yao Ming must increase his physical confrontation, which means gaining muscle, Director Zhang, what do you think of this suggestion?”

Clay Lee, who re-entered the game, made a three-pointer from the left wing.

Commentator A first exclaimed, “Beautiful!” and then, addressing the topic, said:

“To truly establish oneself in the NBA, physical conditioning is indeed the most important thing. Yao Ming needs to increase his physical confrontation; this will make his scoring more consistent.”

“Most importantly, to reach the conference finals in the Western Conference, Yao Ming will encounter more excellent big men.”

“Maintaining competitiveness and refining one’s body are absolutely necessary conditions. Yao Ming can endure hardship, so this won’t be difficult for him!”

As the two chatted freely in the studio, the unenergetic Houston Rockets failed to mount an effective counterattack.

At halftime, it was 36:60, and the game had lost its suspense early on.

Yao Ming, lacking stamina, endured another long period of running back and forth.

He returned to the locker room at halftime, breathing heavily.

The road back-to-back game indeed caused Yao Ming considerable trouble, as the New York Knicks’ game pace was very fast.

Coach Mike Brown returned to the locker room and saw the players’ physical condition, feeling somewhat helpless.

He did want to get the ball inside, but the New York Knicks were very good at defending superstar centers.

Tonight’s game strategy was simple and crude: in some possessions, Steve Francis would pass the ball from the wing to Yao Ming in the low post.

There was no double-team when he was positioning himself, but everything changed the moment he received the ball.

Lee would usually slide quickly, perfectly timing his interference when Yao brought the ball down, coordinating with his teammates for a double-team.

All Pau Gasol had to do was push Yao Ming away from the basket!

Such a simple tactic, yet it led to three turnovers for Yao Ming in the first half.

3-of-8 from the field, 4-of-4 from the free-throw line, 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 turnovers.

With their interior core performing mediocrely, the Houston Rockets naturally trailed by a large margin.

“Cheer up. Don’t worry about the outcome of the game anymore. Playing against the defending champions is also a learning opportunity.”

“Steve, I need to see your response in the second half. I don’t want to see you give up the game too early. The basketball is round, and anything is possible!”

After saying this, Mike Brown pushed up his glasses, then pulled his assistant coaches aside to continue giving pep talks, without mentioning any tactical issues.

In the third quarter, the defensive intensity dropped, and the Houston Rockets managed to save some face.

At Madison Square Garden, the New York fans were already in a self-congratulatory state.

Their commanding record was the source of their happiness.

Yao Ming did not return to the court after playing half a quarter.

Facing the New York Knicks, who continued to pick up the pace, the excessive running back and forth was too much for the big man.

Ultimately, this game, highly anticipated by chinese fans, ended in a crushing defeat for the Houston Rockets.

82:112, the New York Knicks defeated their opponent by a large margin, bringing their record to 34 wins and 3 losses.

The New York fans at the venue were still the same.

They didn’t pay much attention to the Houston Rockets’ situation, continuing to loudly chant Lee’s name after the game.

In New York, Yao Ming didn’t even receive much support from Asians fans.

Everyone here was a pure “winning fan,” and most were die-hard fans of Clay Lee.

Steve Francis had a mediocre performance tonight: 5-of-14 from the field, 1-of-5 from beyond the arc, 5-of-7 from the free-throw line, for 16 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, and 4 turnovers.

Many players didn’t like Lee.

On the contrary, everyone resonated more with Allen Iverson, and Steve Francis was like that.

He didn’t like the New York Knicks’ current team culture at all.

The continuous cheers made Steve Francis’s expression somewhat grim.

After returning to the locker room, Yao Ming, feeling dejected, suddenly whispered:

“This is my problem. It’s hard for me to defend the pick-and-roll. We need to reconstruct our defensive system.”

Steve Francis didn’t expect his younger teammate to suddenly say this.

Mobley also looked up at Yao Ming.

After the Houston Rockets boarded the bus, the assistant coach informed Coach Mike Brown about the situation in the locker room.

Clown coach showed a thoughtful expression.

He also felt that the team’s current “thigh” wasn’t strong enough, and finally quietly assured the coaching staff:

“I will negotiate with the team. Perhaps we need to consider strengthening the roster earlier.”

“…”

…..

By the way, don’t forget to throw power stones and leave a review to motivate me 🙂

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep