Those who had enough of a clue could easily tell that the Hinodejin weren't playing as well as they normally would. The news had caught up with them too fast. Misei had been targetted by Dreamplanet in a surprise attack, to the point where the war had been declared just an hour before the game even started. The administration of the tournament (ran by people from Lisander) was sensitive enough to attend the request of the Hinodejin Basketball Federation, which was passed along to them by Hinodejin manager Nene Izakura, to replace the usually serene anthem of the Empire for the war anthem that the Empire only used when necessary. It was based after the Sunrisian anthem and it was probably the first and only time ever that the Hinodejin used said anthem for an event.
Alisa Kamakura requested not to play, her boyfriend was killed in the very first attack. The girl was clearly shaken, which was something that Izakura had in mind when calling up her team, youth could lead to players not capable to act in situations that they weren't ready for. No Hinodejin athlete was ever really ready to play during war-time but thankfully most of her team put up a fight, despite their worries. They were worried about themselves as well, not knowing whether they'd be forced to leave the tournament early and go fight, wars aren't exactly things that end quickly.
With their minds not focused on the task at the hand, the Hinodejin were easy prey for Free Republics. At least the war itself ended shortly.
By night time, the Hinodejin had already established a temporary government while figuring out what exactly would be done with the territory. One thing was certain, however: the Hinodejin had tasted blood for the very first time in this realm.
That never ends well.