March 8th 1963:
"Shit! What do we do? I'm starting to panic a bit " trembled Hirano, shocked at what happened.
"I don't know kyodai, Sawada warned me about something, about being careful about who I trust" explained Kazama.
"I think we should tell Naito, that way we might be in the clear." Hirano told, more calmly than before.
Later that night...
"Was it the Jingweon!? They must be mad after our raid last night!" Questioned Dojima.
"No, the Jingweon aren't flashy like this. It's more likely to be the Nakajima Clan, they've done this sort of thing before and Sawada has had a few run ins with them recently" Naito clenched his fist thinking about it and then stated.
"Tomorrow, there is a Tojo Clan officers meeting where I'm going to sort this out."
The next morning...
The main Tojo Clan officers sat huddled in a long rectangle, with sofas for every patriarch so they could engage in a council meeting. At the head of the table sat...
MAKOTO TOJO
CHAIRMAN OF THE TOJO CLAN
"Everybody, listen up, we've got some issues to sort out within the clan" Tojo took a lengthy puff of his cigar before continuing.
"Bring him in" ordered Tojo which resulted in Naito being ushered into the meeting room. After Naito took a seat, a formal looking man in a dark blue jacket appeared.
"It's you" Naito whispered, enraged at the mere sight of the man who entered...
AKIRA MATSUSHIMA
PATRIARCH OF THE NAKAJIMA CLAN, A NIHARA FAMILY SUBSIDARY
Matsushima immediately held out a small white towel in a bundle. Naito opened it to reveal Matsushima's missing pinky.
"I hope this is enough for you to forgive me!" Matsushima bowed down to the ground at Naito's feet. Naito chuckled at the thought of it and threw the towel into the fire place. Everyone at the meeting began whispering intensily about Naito's actions.
"Naito! What are you doing!?" Reprimanded an ominous elderly man.
"Nihara-san, me and Matsushima's rivalry ain't gonna be sorted by a simple finger choppong ritual!" Naito stormed off, out of the meeting room and slammed the door behind him. The elderly man was disgusted by Naito's actions.
"What do we do now?" Questioned Matsushima, Facing down the ominous man, otherwise known as ...
TAKASHI NIHARA
PATRIARCH OF THE NIHARA FAMILY, CAPTAIN OF THE TOJO CLAN
"Takeda will know what to do" answered Nihara.
Meanwhile, Kazama and Hirano were hanging out at Kuze's casino...
"Damn! That's some of the best wine I've ever had!" Hirano held the glass up to his chest and gave it a hug.
"What are you doing man!?" Kazama questioned, looking embarassed at Hirano's display.
"I'm just showing a little gratitude to the wine, besides you have to admit this wine is too good" Hirano said, still hugging the wine glass.
"Well, uh yeah it's pretty good" Kazama stated.
"Just stop hugging the glass, if Lieutenant Kuze sees you doing that, well I doubt he would do something nice" Kazama warned. Suddenly, a family member approached Kazama.
"Kuze-aniki wishes to speak with you, Kazama-san" the man told. Kazama got out of his seat to go see what's happened.
Kazama opened the doors to Kuze's inner sanctum and saw a boxing ring setup in the center of the room. Inside the ring, Kuze was training hard. His slicked back, mullet like hair waved around with every punch he gave.
"Kuze-aniki, what do you ask of me?" Kazama bowed towards Kuze.
"Nothin' much, just wanna test your toughness" Kuze answered, motioning towards the ring. Kazama walked into the ring, his knees were buckling with nerve as Kuze was a legendary boxing champion, still in the prime of his career.
"Don't worry kid, I aint gonna kill ya, I just wanna see what your made of" Kuze reassured. Kuze then threw off his shirt to reveal an Enma tattoo stretching across his back, around his arms and finishing on his chest.
"Your turn, let's see your ink" asked Kuze.
Kazama accepted this request and took off his navy grey jacket to show his Omoikane tattoo.
"By the way, we ain't doing this by normal boxing rules, only by street rules, NOW LET'S GO!" Kuze screamed at the top of his lungs while charging towards Kazama.
Kazama went for a punch but since Kuze was charging at Kazama they both punched each other at the same time. Both of them fell back, but Kuze fell onto the ring ropes which then the momentum caused him to headbutt Kazama. Blood flew out of Kazama's mouth as Kuze continued to punch him.
"Still think you can hang on?" Kuze pummeled Kazama in the corner of the ring. Kazama yanked Kuze into the turnbuckle and roundhouse kicked him. Kazama then charged towards Kuze but Kuze kneed him in the jaw. Kuze and Kazama continued to go constantly back and forth for over 20 minutes, both pushing each other to their limits.
"You're more than some punk kid, huh?" Wondered Kuze as he went for one last swing but Kazama uppercutted him in the jaw, causing Kuze to fall to the ground. Kazama then collapst to the ground in tiredness. Both men were cut, bruised, bloodied and beaten however Kazama won the bout.
"Hey, kid, with that strength, you're really gonna get somewhere, in this yakuza world, thats all you need, strength and will. Without either, you ain't worth shit" revealed Kuze.
The doors bursted open suddenly. "Kyodai! They're coming for you!" Hirano limped out, wounded from a gunshot. Some SWAT police entered the room. Kazama was too tired to escape so the police forced him to the ground and arrested him.
YOU ARE READING
Yakuza: The Assassin
Mystery / ThrillerShintaro Kazama is a young man who is recruited into a third tier Tojo Clan association, also known as the Naito Family when he is only 18 years old. Kazama is desperate to prove his loyalty to his boss, Masakazu Naito. But when one of the family's...
