Kyokushin Blood

Chapter VIII - Night Club (Part 5)

"Tatsuo..." Shinichi's voice was weak as he looked up at the rooftop, his eyes wide. Unit 4 was also staring at the man, his left eyebrow raised in question.

"You're Tatsuo?" he asked.

"Shinichi!" Tatsuo yelled, his voice tense. "Why is Takashi unconscious? Don't tell me you weren't working in unison again."

"Tatsuo!" Shinichi yelled back, his voice cracking. A slight widening of the gangster's eyes occurred beneath his sunglasses.

"...Hey, kid. Seriously, who is that guy?"

Tatsuo asked, his gaze fixed on the motionless figure lying on the ground, blood pouring from his upper body.

"I don't know!" Shinichi shouted. "They called him Unit 4!"

Unit 4... Tatsuo's mind pondered as he looked at the elderly man whose hand innocently waved. Suddenly, his body shot up, and he threw his cigarette to the side with enough speed to extinguish the flame.

"Shinichi!" Tatsuo barked, causing the teenager to jump. "Back away! That's an order!"

Without further words, Tatsuo leaped from the edge, falling several stories down and landing perfectly between Shinichi and the mysterious man. The impact created a shockwave that echoed through the night, and Tatsuo kept his eyes locked on Unit 4.

"Shinichi, take Takashi and retreat inside. Your shift is over," Tatsuo ordered, his voice firm.

"Wait... Tatsuo, why?" Shinichi asked, his voice trembling.

"I'm not asking! This is a direct order!" Tatsuo yelled.

Shinichi's lips tightened, and he picked up Takashi, placing his arm over his shoulder before rushing into the nightclub without looking back. The two men stared in silence, and Tatsuo unbuttoned his dress coat, throwing it against the dusty road. With his scarred hand, he also removed his sunglasses and threw them on top of the coat.

"You're not the Tatsuo I know," Unit 4 said, breaking the silence. "I was told those brats worked for him, but to think they really do. Are you his son, perhaps?"

"Sorry," Tatsuo responded, his well-developed body pressed tightly against his white long-sleeve shirt. "But the Old Man hasn't been seen for decades. I basically run this area now." He lied.

"Decades, huh?" Unit 4 grabbed his chin. "So I guess you recruited those kids?"

"What's it to you?" Tatsuo hissed.

"That tall kid, you said his name was Takashi? He's a very well-trained fighter. I would've been in danger if he were a bit older. But that brat..."

"Enough," Tatsuo cut Unit 4 off. "I'm tired of hearing you talk. Leave now, or I'll be the one forced to fight you."

"Ah... is that so?" Unit 4 grinned and nodded toward the unconscious men around them. They slowly began to awaken, rubbing their heads and looking at Unit 4 with confusion. Their eyes widened as they jumped to their feet, but Tatsuo's tattooed eyes didn't dare leave their sight on the elder.

"You think 20 people are enough?" Tatsuo scoffed.

"I used to be worth 75 men. But maybe in my age, it'd be around 50 now?" Unit 4 shrugged.

"Okay. So, 70 men in total?" Tatsuo spat onto the ground below before gritting his teeth. "You'd need 200 before even thinking of tiring me out."

"Hah! That's a good one, prick." Unit 4 now had veins appearing along his forehead, beating in sync with his heart.

The two now remained silent again, simply looking at each other. For the first time, Tatsuo looked down, as Unit 4 did the opposite and looked upwards while kicking dirt.