The chapter opens with a discussion of the upcoming spring youth karate tournament, which will take place in the Kanagawa prefecture. The tournament will consist of individual fights and the top two finishers will advance to the national tournament in Yokohama. Shinya and his friend, Uemura, discuss the pros and cons of each other's martial arts skills. Ueda says that he is nervous about his upcoming fight with Shinya because he has not yet learned the basic moves of fighting, while Shinya says that his opponent, Kishima, is inexperienced and lacks experience. The two men agree that Kishima is the stronger of the two, but Ueda disagrees, saying that each son is stronger than the other.