March 8th 1963:
The first weeks went by at a rapid pace. Both Kazama and Hirano had climbed a fair way up on the Naito Family rankings and it had gone to show, as the family was gaining record profits. This morning, Kazama had received a call from the office to report in.
"Oyabun, I am here, what do you need?" Asked Kazama as he bowed to Naito.
"Ah Kazama, I just thought that with the success of yourself and Hirano, that it was time to get your ink!" Grinned Naito. Hirano appeared from the door and high-fived Kazama.
"Hey, kyodai, lets go!" Said Hirano, raising his voice due to impatience. Without wasting much time, they both marched towards a local tattoo master.
"So you're saying that there is some master tattoo artist in that dodgy alley" groaned Kazama.
"Trust me, I felt the same way about the Naito family office and look at me now. The only thing you should be thinking about is what tattoo you are gonna get" replied Hirano. "Besides, Utabori here is the best in the business!" Cheered Hirano. Believing in Hirano's judgment, Kazama decided to go inside.
Inside Utabori's shop, there were several intricate designs pinned up on the drywall but other than that, it was a bleak and dusty room with a simple table in the middle for tattooing.
"Hello, I trust you two are here to get your ink?" Inquired Utabori while pulling out a few sketches.
"I think I would like that one" confirmed Kazama, pointing towards an elaborate scheme of an Omoikane.
"Good choice, the Omoikane represents wisdom and intellect, something that I sense in you" told Utabori.
"What about you?" Asked Utabori.
"That one" answered Hirano, motioning towards a sketching of a koi.
"Then, let us begin!" Said Utabori. Kazama lied down on a flat table with a leathery surface to begin. Utabori etched the designs into Kazama's back which, while excruciatingly painful, was yakuza custom to showcase pain tolerence and toughness. After several long hours, both tattoos were complete.
Upon looking at a mirror, Kazama saw the outline of an Omoikane elegantly flowing along the entirety of his back.
"Looking good kyodai!" Praised Hirano.
"How does your's look?" Asked Kazama. Hirano turned around to reveal an intricate design of a koi, spread across his back through a masterfully detailed design. After they praised each other's tattoos, they prepared to leave.
"Thank you, Utabori-san!" Thanked Hirano, bowing towards him.
Once outside, Kazama pulled out a cigarette.
"Hey, you want one?" Asked Kazama, holding out the pack to his sworn brother. Hirano accepted and Kazama lit the cigarette for him.
"So, what now?" Wondered Kazama.
"We've hit the weekly qouta and my back is killing me so I figure we should chill for a bit before heading back to the office" said Hirano. Kazama nodded in agreeance and they walked.
They entered a small bar in Theater Square and sat down on the wooden stools. The bar was crammed but had a calm atmosphere. The counter was set up in the corner near the entrance and on the other side of the establishment stood a pool table, along with other leisure equipment like darts, mahjong, shogi and more.
"So, kyodai. How have you been recently? I haven't spoken to you that much." Asked Kazama while the bartender poured some beer into a glass for the two of them.
"Not bad, I guess. Last night I got into a fight at the disco though. I tought that punk a lesson" answered Hirano.
"What did you do?" Wondered Kazama.
"I tried to hit on his woman. Guess that guy didn't respect my abilities with the women!" Smirked Hirano confidently.
Kazama laughed. "Abilities with the women!? I could flirt better with this beer than you could with anybody!" Mocked Kazama playfully.
Hirano lightly shoved Kazama. "Come on, man. Give me some credit."
Kazama and Hirano continued chatting and laughing about different things as hours went by. Eventually, after they had drunk plenty of beer, they left the bar.
"That was fun, Hirano. You want to go back to the office?" Proposed Kazama.
"Nah, I reckon I might go back to the apartment and sleep. See you later, kyodai."
When Kazama headed back to the office, the only people inside were Naito and Sawada.
"Where's everybody else?" Asked Kazama.
"Lieutenant Kuze needed some extra hands running the casino, so he took some of my men while Lieutenant Dojima rounded up most of the rest of the boys to deal with a little issue with the Korean Mafia" answered Naito.
"The Korean Mafia?" Said Kazama, puzzled at the fact that they had an issue with Naito.
"Yes, the Jingweon Mafia has been fuckin' around with our operations for a while now, so we would like to thank 'em back" said Sawada. Naito stood up from his desk and left the keys on the meeting room table.
"Hey Sawada, I have to head out for a while, so don't have any issues with Kazama, ok?" told Naito.
"Yes boss" Sawada answered respectfully, but that respect was dropped the moment Naito walked out the door.
"Hey, Kazama, ya lucky that ya are Naito's golden boy or else ya would be in a world of pain" threatened Sawada.
"Oh yeah, last time I remembered, I kicked your ass" replied Kazama confidently.
"Let me clue ya in on something, in the yakuza, if ya don't respect ya higher ups, then ya are finished!" Yelled Sawada while proudly showing off his family badge pinned on his aqua jacket. Kazama sat on the couch, silent as a mouse. Sawada moved closer towards Kazama, suddenly changing tone.
"Listen, ya better off hearing this from me, who's experienced more than ya can imagine then someone who's out to get ya, believe me" revealed Sawada, with a distant look in his eye, as if he was deep in thought. Kazama was confused while Sawada continued to stare at him, not uttering a word however still conveying the message that he will beat each other down, if allowed.
"Anyway, I better call it a night" said Sawada. "Remember, be careful who ya trust, it could bite ya in the ass one day." Revealed Sawada while Kazama sat, perplexed at Sawada's sudden shift in actions.
Kazama was curious why Sawada was saying this, was he warning him about something? Despite being concerned, after packing up a little, Kazama closed the lights and headed back home.
It was a rainy night, Kazama got drenched in moments. He let out an annoyed sigh before continuing walking. The streets were crowded, as typical for a friday night in Kamurocho. People flocked into discos and partied all night long. Others went to a cabaret club, to have a nice night with some women and friends. Kazama slowly passed through these gigantuan crowds and finally saw his apartment in sight.
He walked up the steep concrete steps, up to floor 3 and strolled to his room at the far corner, room 309. The door creaked open as Kazama opened the light to his basic apartment condo, with a simple mattress in the corner and a small kitchen. Kazama walked to his bed when he noticed something alarming on the chair in the corner of his room.
Sawada sat there, still as a tree, with five bullet holes dotted through-out his body along with a katana stabbed through his chest. Kazama gasped and jumped back.
"Was this what he warned me about?" Wondered Kazama, staring at Sawada's corpse.
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...
