3rd part: The mysterious Sai

Now that he knows Hikaru isn't at the same level as him, Akira decides to pass the pro exam and to become a go pro.

Hikaru, on his side, carries on learning go at his Junior High school's go club with Tsutsui and Mitani. Tsutsui even brings him to see a go tournament with pro. But quickly, Hikaru is bored and drives Sai to despair when he leaves the place where the match is taking place. Hikaru goes to a stand where there is a net go demonstration. He seems very interested and thinks it's a good idea to let Sai play.

Thanks to Mitani's sister who works in a Cyber café, Hikaru can play net go freely. He choose the name of 'Sai' and let the ghost play.

Quickly, Sai begins to have a good reputation on Internet and many players wants to fight against him all over the world, asking themselves who is this extraordinary player who doesn't answer their questions.

At the time of the demonstration Hikaru and Sai assisted, a young boy faced a player whose pseudonym was ' Zelda'. When he appears again on Internet, Hikaru chooses to play against him. Sai is able to beat him but finds he is at a better level than the other players. Hikaru can't be prevented from wanting to brag and sends a message saying to Zelda: "I'm strong, ain't I? " The other answers him that he is an insei (i.e. student at the Go Institute with the aim of passing pro) and asks him who he is.

Thanks to these many games, Sai learns the modern joseki and becomes increasingly strong while Akira goes the preliminary examination which will enable him to arise later at the pro examination if he success.

Everyone on the Net wonders about this famous Sai. Lots of amateurs throughout the world are involved thanks to this new technology and much intended to speak about Sai, this Japanese player who prevails on Internet. And when the world amateur championships take place, some go there with the objective to learn some more on this mysterious player

Waya, the young insei who plays under the pseudonym of ' Zelda' on the Net, goes there to help Morishita, his Master, who asked him to play against the amateurs to involve them.

He realizes that some players look at the Japanese representative, thinking that he is perhaps Sai. Quickly, they all talks about this mysterious player and even Ogata and Akira who are also there, interfere. Waya exposes his theory according to which ' Sai' would be a child who plays at the time of the holidays summer.

A man give them a computer and Akira begins to play against Sai. Sai and Hikaru ask themselves if this 'Akira' on the Net is really Akira Toya. To have an answer, Sai begins to replay one of the game they played before. Akira chooses to stop the game and ask Sai for an appointment another day.

The appointment Hikaru proposed takes place the first day of the pro exam but Akira accepts even if he'll miss his first match by forfeit.

During his match on Internet, Akira is disturbed 'cause that Sai play like the Hikaru Shindo he met at fist time. He lose.

At Toya Meijin's go center, Miss Ichikawa questions Akira on the pro exam when a customer enters and tells them he has just seen Hikaru in a Cyber cafe. Akira requires the address and runs.

He surprises Hikaru in front of his screen but fortunately, this one was not playing. He asks him whether he is Sai but Hikaru denies. Akira says he will never reappear again in front of him but Hikaru shouts at Akira that if this one continues to run after his phantom, he will catch him up one day.

Seeing Sai playing during all the summer on Internet helped Hikaru to progress. He asks his grandfather to buy him goban and stones in order to play against Sai at his house.

Then, he starts to train all the days and manages to beat Tsutsui and Mitani at the go club.

Whereas he is in a bookshop to buy an English book, Hikaru falls on Kishimoto, the captain of the team of Kaio. This one acknowledges to him that it was intrigued by the eagerness which put Akira to pursue him and proposes a game to Hikaru to test him. He takes him along in a go center.

Kishimoto compliments him on his level but tell him that was not sufficient to worry him. He says to Hikaru whereas if his goal is to catch up Akira, he should also pass pro bus Akira will be pro soon and will progress then at any speed.

Hikaru does not have the level yet to dare to dream to make a success at the pro exam but he decides to try to succeed in passing the Insei exam.

He comes to the Go Intitute to ask for a file but the man at the reception refused to him, the inscriptions being closed. Hikaru insists and Ogata who passed in the corridor recommends him.

At the exam, Hikaru must come with kifu (sheets with the games) of the games he played. As he doesn't know how to fill kifu, he ask Tsutsui to help him. But when he tells his friends from the go club, he realize he won't be able to play at the school tournament if he is an Insei. Mitani asks him to give up presenting himself at this examination but Kaga comes suddenly. He proposes to test Hikaru: if he is able to beat Tsutsui, Mitani and Kaga in simultaneous games, he has the level to become Insei. Hikaru succeeds in beating the two first and loses against the third but he decides to continue his new dream and to seek to become pro.

Hikaru goes to the Insei examination with his mother who wonders what has just passed in his head. The inspector, Master Master Shinoda, plays against him but does not find him very strong. However, he is surprised by seeing that Hikaru just begin to play go a very little time ago. He decides to leave him his chance and to accept him.