Players who have been following Sai's net matches attended the 20th International Amateur Go Tournament in Japan. A commotion occurs at the mention of Sai's name as everyone is trying to who out who he is. The commotion caught the attention of Ogata and Akira. When Akira and Sai engaged in a match over the net, the former is reminded of his first match with Hikaru. Akira discontinues the match so as not to disrupt the ongoing tournament but fixes a date for a match with Sai which happens to be on the first day of Akira's Pro exams.

HIkaru can't seem to get any better at Go, despite the fact that he plays with Sai every day. If he wants any chance to get into a tournament and face Akira, he needs to get stronger. Sai reveals the ultimate weakness of Hikaru, he's afraid of Sai, and every other opponent he faces.

Ogata and Kuwabara are anticipating their matches for the Honinbou title, both anxious to greet the upcoming wave of pros in the Go world. Meanwhile, a guy who has won many college titles for Go and is well-known among the Insei is planning on taking the Go test.

Isumi return from China, now a stronger and more focused player. When he hears Hikaru is losing his games by default he vows to investigate the situation.