Chapter 2: Even as a Yakuza, I Would Still Choose the One Who Burns Brightest
Chapter 2: Even as a Yakuza, I Will Choose a Fiery Life!
The tattoo had been confirmed—quite imposing. So, what’s next?
He hadn’t looked closely before, but now, holding up the mirror and inspecting himself—
Good heavens!
This face was truly fierce!
The man in the mirror appeared to be in his thirties, but Takeshi Iwata recalled that he was only twenty-four... Oh, was this the memory beginning to merge?
“Tch, why do you look so impatient?”
One couldn’t help but admit that Takeshi Iwata was sinking deeper into his role, to the point he even scolded himself.
But impatience wasn’t the main issue.
Thick eyebrows, triangular eyes, a large nose, downturned mouth corners...
Not exactly ugly, but naturally forged into the face of a ruthless man.
Sigh—
Takeshi Iwata let out another sigh; the fierce expression combined with the tattoos.
The Yakuza buffs were maxed out—such a man wasted if he didn’t walk the underworld path.
Enough of that. It was better to think about his future.
This time-travel probably had something to do with the second season of “Director XX.”
Compared to the first season, the second wasn’t as exhilarating, nor did it have as many violent scenes, but it was more stirring.
That guy, Tooru Murakishi, had money and became arrogant, lost it and soured. He once held dreams until his life collapsed along with the economic bubble burst.
Now, here he was, in the same era, but starting from an even worse position than Murakishi.
A Yakuza.
Yet this identity was hard to shake off. What to do?
For a moment, he was completely at a loss.
Bored, he picked up the mirror again, stared at the man reflected, and couldn’t help making several expressions.
Yoshi! Any of these would scare children to tears.
Hmm?
“Damn, I actually look a bit like Takeshi Kitano.”
He gave a bitter smile—it was true.
At that moment, unaware that his underlings were eavesdropping outside, the blond one couldn’t hold back and spoke out.
“Boss, who is Takeshi Kitano?”
...
Who was Takeshi Kitano?
Such a strange question. Even without deep knowledge of Japan, most Chinese people had heard the name.
This guy had just powerfully slammed that Five Rings conference: “Damn! Refund!”
Honestly, the host was a bit pitiful—he was really trying to cover things up.
But forget that for now. Liu Qing was currently Takeshi Iwata of 1988.
And these Yakuza didn’t even know who Takeshi Kitano was?
Iwata’s heart stirred.
“Kitano is a friend of mine... Idiots, why do you ask so much? Get me the newspapers, all of them!”
His men trembled and immediately sprang into action.
Iwata now understood why everyone feared him so much as soon as he spoke.
That face was just too... useful!
Soon, newspapers piled before Iwata like a small mountain.
Without wasting time, he flipped through them rapidly.
Normally, in the summer of 1988, Takeshi Kitano would have long been famous, beginning as a manzai comedian.
---
Huh?
Higashino Tsuyoshi? The new king of manzai?
Who was this guy?
After searching through many newspapers, even from previous years, there was no news about Takeshi Kitano.
Iwata was certain—this was a parallel world!
He couldn’t pinpoint where it diverged, but the absence of any news on Takeshi Kitano was undeniable proof.
Most Chinese know Takeshi Kitano from either that surreal Five Rings conference or his film “Kikujiro’s Summer.”
But in reality, Kitano was already renowned before, and in the past few years, he had done something that shocked the world.
Kitano started as a manzai comedian. He had a song called “Asakusa Boy” recounting his rise from nothing to fame.
By 1986, he was a household name. A magazine called “Friday” begged for an interview, and Kitano finally agreed. However, the magazine not only exposed many family secrets but also fabricated that an actress was his mistress.
Furious, Kitano and his “Kitano Army” smashed the magazine’s office.
This incident caused a sensation not only in Japan but internationally. In the 1983 film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,” Kitano’s performance was outstanding, his bald head unforgettable.
So, the parallel world was confirmed, but some things remained unchanged.
Takeshi Kitano was missing, but the top diva was still Akina Nakamori, just like the original timeline.
Master filmmaker Akira Kurosawa was also still around.
As for...
“The Yamamoto-gumi?”
“Yes, the Yamamoto group is our senior superior organization,” said a man with a fish symbol on his chest, stepping forward.
“I need more details.”
“Yes, sir!”
This fish guy was Takashi Saito, originally a fishmonger at Tsukiji Market. How he ended up a Yakuza no one knew—rumor had it he was influenced by samurai films.
Iwata had read a lot of newspapers and now wanted to combine that with the current Yakuza situation.
He left the explanation to Saito since the former fish seller had a loud voice.
Starting from the top, Iwata’s group reported to the Suo-gumi; its boss was Kazuo Suo, nearly fifty years old, of the same generation as Iwata’s father.
At the same level as Iwata’s group was the Moriyama group—the very gang that had just beaten Iwata.
Their boss was Gorou Moriyama, about the same age as Suo.
In fact, Suo, Iwata, and Moriyama had once sworn brotherhood.
Suo was the eldest, Iwata the second, and Moriyama the third brother. Yet despite this bond, why had they turned against each other?
Soon, Saito mentioned a crucial name.
Yasushi Akimoto.
Upon hearing it, Iwata’s spirit perked up; he even instinctively licked his crimson lips.
The fish guy nearly had a heart attack from fright.
He then spoke more seriously.
But in truth, Iwata wasn’t listening so intently—his mind was already calculating.
From what he knew of the original world, during the 60s to 80s, Japan’s entertainment industry was closely tied to the Yakuza.
It was certain that all Japanese stars were supported by the third-generation Yakuza, and the famous actor Ken Takakura had twice portrayed the third-generation boss himself.
But that was not all—the third generation had also backed a certain person.
Japan’s strongest diva, Hibari Misora.
How strong was Misora?
Many said Japanese female singers typically lasted two or three years at most.
Hibari Misora closed the annual NHK Kouhaku Uta Gassen for ten consecutive years.
Some even said she was the voice of an era in Japan.
---
All these things were mostly the same in this world.
Except, it was no longer the Yamaguchi-gumi but the Yamamoto-gumi.
So, what did this have to do with Yasushi Akimoto?
Though Akimoto had always been producing girl groups, he was very talented.
The song “Kawaru Nagare” was Hibari Misora’s last classic, composed by Akimoto.
Iwata’s men probably knew nothing about this, perhaps not even “Kawaru Nagare,” but Iwata did.
That meant the Moriyama group’s ambush on Iwata’s group was, on the surface, about stealing Iwata’s business with Akimoto.
But the real target was Hibari Misora!
And it was certain this involved old grudges with Suo’s faction—they were likely conspiring with remnants of the previous generation.
Figuring this out was crucial for Iwata—it might be the key to breaking the current deadlock.
So, he focused on gathering more news about Big Sister Misora from the papers.
As a celebrity, there was plenty about her in the news.
Yet Iwata also discovered something else.
He had some understanding of the Yakuza-entertainment ties, but now it felt different.
In the original timeline, Yakuza were active in the entertainment world during the 1980s.
Ken Takakura did not admit any ties.
However, Shigeru Ando from Shochiku was a known head of the Anten-gumi Yakuza, later becoming a major figure in Shochiku films.
Also at Shochiku was Koji Goto, not only a top producer but a notable Yakuza with Kinji Fukasaku, Japan’s premier director of gangster films, under his wing.
Add to that Takeshi Kitano.
Although Kitano never admitted being Yakuza, consider the 1986 incident.
Japan defined Yakuza as organized crime syndicates, so what was the Kitano Army doing?
They later made many gangster films, and their portrayals of the underworld were... well, somewhat restrained.
“Brother, you keep claiming innocence, yet you always show up during vice crackdowns.”
Kitano was always a key focus of Japanese police but maintained his fame and status.
Now, from newspapers, his men’s accounts, and the gradually merging memories in his mind—whether one called it memory fusion or not—Iwata could roughly assess this world.
The Yakuza were more active and brazen in the entertainment industry.
Was this an opportunity?
Iwata’s memories were fuzzy, but around ’92 or ’93, Japan passed extremely stringent laws that really started the Yakuza’s decline.
Doing some simple math, without considering this parallel world’s more rampant Yakuza, Iwata had at least four to five years left.
Looking from another angle, Japan’s economic bubble burst and the enactment of strict anti-Yakuza laws happened almost simultaneously.
A time traveler arriving in this era, even an ordinary person, if unwilling to lie flat, had to achieve a comeback before the bubble burst.
As long as his strength was sufficient, he wouldn’t fear the Yakuza’s demise, nor would he sink with the times like Murakishi.
What had Kitano once said?
No, now it was Takeshi Iwata’s words.
Even as a Yakuza, I will still choose a fiery life!
With the entertainment industry as my stage...
At that moment, the blond came swaggering over.
“Ah, Qing, why the rush!”
The blond was Kiyoshi Nanmon, who always called him “Ah Qing.”
“Suo’s calling!”
---
After the recent Olympics opening ceremony rant, many didn’t really know Takeshi Kitano, which inspired this book. His films were violent yet artistic—a slow, dark tale to be told.
(End of Chapter)