I became Hokage in Tokyo

Chapter 44 (047) Heading Towards the River of Three Crossings

Just to be on the safe side, Naruto Uchiha kept one or more crows stationed at his home, school, workplace, and other important locations such as the Metropolitan Police Department, to monitor for any unusual situations at any time.

It was noon, and the Takasaki-ku Izakaya was not yet open. After exchanging a few words and gestures, the blond thug and the young monk went into a barbecue restaurant not far away.

Two scumbags getting together, especially near an izakaya, is definitely not a good thing.

Unfortunately, crows were too annoying for the restaurant, so they couldn't go inside to listen to what the crows were saying.

After a meal, the two men emerged from the barbecue restaurant, their faces greasy and their bellies protruding.

The young monk was not dressed in his monastic robes as he had on the day he came to preach; instead, he was dressed in casual clothes and a hat, disguised as a monk.

The two exchanged a few words at the shop entrance and were about to part ways when they saw the blond thug grabbing the young monk's sleeve tightly, pleading with a fawning expression.

The young monk, growing impatient with his harassment, casually pulled out a few Fukuzawa Yukichi bills and threw them on the ground. The blond thug, all smiles, crawled over and picked them up. Then, watching the young monk's retreating figure, he spat at him, satisfied with the money, and hailed a taxi.

Naruto Uchiha had a sudden thought, and the crow that had been perched on the power line followed.

…………

The blond-haired thug took a taxi to Edogawa Ward, which is named after the Edogawa River flowing to the east and the Arakawa River to the west, sandwiched between the two rivers.

Like its fellow wards Adachi and Kita, Edogawa Ward is at the bottom of Tokyo's urban hierarchy, plagued by crime and poor economic development.

After getting off the taxi in Minami-Kasai-cho, the blond-haired man waited at the intersection while making a phone call. Soon, a white van with the words "Nishino Freight Company" printed on the outside drove up.

The blond-haired thug climbed into the car.

"So, did you get the keys to the izakaya?"

Four men were sitting in the back of the van. One of them, a middle-aged man with a fleshy face and a scar on the corner of his mouth, spoke up.

If this person were twenty or thirty years younger, he would definitely be a vicious villain who could stop children from crying at night. But now that he is old, his hair is gray and his face is full of wrinkles, so he looks rather ridiculous.

"Brother Pig Mouth, the key is right here!"

The blond thug pulled out a bunch of keys as if presenting a treasure.

Yoshio Inoguchi took the key, nodded in satisfaction, thought for a moment, and then asked:

"Didn't your father sever ties with you? Why would he give you the key?"

"After all, I'm the old man's only son. I haven't seen him for years. As long as I kneel down and cry my heart out, promising to turn over a new leaf, he will soften and give me one last chance," the blond-haired man said smugly.

"In that case, I've done something worthwhile, so I should be allowed to join the Iijima family, right?"

"Mhm," Yoshio Inoguchi replied casually with a perfunctory expression.

"Is the group going to take action against those two bastards? Count me in! And that bald guy from the Zhengxinhui said he wants to send them to Saitama Prefecture before the Dharma assembly starts at 6 PM tonight."

The blond thug still had bruises on his forehead that hadn't subsided, his right arm was wrapped in bandages, and his face was filled with resentment as he spoke impatiently.

"You're still a newbie with no experience, so you won't be participating in this operation. The team has high expectations for young people like you, and there will be more important tasks for you in the future. Go back to headquarters for now."

"Then the agreed-upon money..."

"When the final payment from the Zhengxin Society arrives, you will naturally receive your share."

With a few words, he dismissed the blond thug. Inokuchi Yoshio spat and said disdainfully:

"This scumbag would even sell his own sister, and he wants to join our yakuza! Who knows if he'll betray us next time?"

"Yes, we in the Yakuza are all about chivalry and loyalty, how could we want trash like this?" Several other men around fifty years old chimed in.

Yoshio Inoguchi looked at these Yakuza men, who were about the same age as him, and was speechless.

The aging population is a problem plaguing Japanese society, and yakuza groups are no exception. According to statistics from the Metropolitan Police Department, the number of yakuza members has decreased from a peak of 70,000 in the 1990s to 18,000 now, with more than 40% of them being over 50 years old.

Moreover, the government's crackdown on riot groups has become increasingly severe. The 2000 "Exclusion of riot groups" directly stipulated that members of riot groups could not open bank accounts, take out loans, sign contracts, etc., and passed a series of policies to exclude and discriminate against riot groups.

The economic downturn is endless, making life difficult for ordinary people, and even those in extreme circumstances are having a hard time.

Yoshio Inoguchi touched the faded tattoo on his arm and couldn't help but recall the glorious years when he first entered the industry in the 1980s.

Those were truly the golden age of the Yakuza; you could do whatever you wanted!

Once the money from the Zhengxinhui arrived, the first thing I would do was go to a tattoo shop to touch up the colors of my tattoo.

The white van started driving along the central ring road of the capital.

"Speaking of which, why did the Zhengxin Society want us to kidnap these two female students?"

Yoshio Inoguchi still had reservations about this matter. This was no longer an era where yakuza could do whatever they wanted. Moreover, this was Tokyo, not some rural area. If the Metropolitan Police Department caught even the slightest clue, not only would Iijima's family be wiped out, but even the Seiji Group above them could be wiped out.

However, the deposit from the Zhengxin Society was too much, and the leader had lost a large batch of goods in the group, leaving him desperate and in dire need of money to survive. Otherwise, they would not have taken this risk.

"Maybe those bald guys, their female followers, got tired of them and wanted to try twin high school girls?"

"That's great! The new religion has money and women. I want to join it too."

Several middle-aged and elderly men started making lewd jokes.

"I know that!"

Among the four men was a fat man in his thirties who was picking at the pimples on his face and said...

Seeing that everyone's attention had been drawn, the fat man smiled smugly and said:

"I have a fellow villager who is a follower of the Zhengxin Church. He has attended many Dharma assemblies. So I know a little about it. The Zhengxin Church worships twin Buddhas, and they believe that twins are the best offerings."

"Twins, why?"

"It seems to be related to the doctrines of the Orthodox Church. But that's quite normal. In Japan, we've had a custom since ancient times that twins are considered unlucky, and twins are even killed. The new anime I'm watching this season, 'Spirit Exorcist,' features a female protagonist who was born into the family of a shrine's head priest and was used as a warning from the gods about natural disasters, becoming a living sacrifice."

"As expected of a young person, they know so much."

Among this group of stylish young men over fifty, the chubby man in his thirties is naturally considered a young man.

And it sounds like this fat guy is actually an otaku.

It's quite unusual for otaku to become yakuza (a derogatory term for young people who are considered reclusive or nerdy). One theory suggests that the aging of yakuza groups is inextricably linked to the popularity of otaku culture. Young people with dark personalities, ostracized by school and society, and unable to find jobs were originally potential yakuza recruits, but with the rise of otaku culture, they've instead become otaku themselves.

Just like when gacha games with pay-to-win mechanics came out, pachinko parlors all experienced a decline in business.

"It is said that the leader of the Zhengxin Society possesses extraordinary powers!"

The fat man lowered his voice and said in a mysterious tone, "That fellow villager once told me when he was drunk that the leader of the Zhengxin Society has been gaining supernatural power by sacrificing living people!"

"Extraordinary? How is that possible? Which of these fraudulent cult leaders doesn't boast about their boundless magical powers?"

"It's different. Although I haven't joined the church, the Zhengxin Society is very famous in my hometown. The Zhengxin Society was able to grow to tens of thousands of believers in just a few years because the leader of the church has repeatedly manifested his extraordinary power at the Dharma assembly."

"That's what all those religious believers who are blinded by their faith say."

One of them, Yakuza, said disdainfully. Although he was not very cultured, he still felt a sense of intellectual superiority over the believers of the new religion.

"Alright, that's enough. Whatever the Zhengxin Society does is none of our business. All we need to do is deliver the goods."

Yoshio Inoguchi impatiently interrupted the conversation: "Check everything. Have you brought the anesthetic, towels, sleeping pills, handcuffs, and masks?"

Having not done this kind of kidnapping work for several years, Yoshio Inoguchi felt that his skills had become somewhat rusty, although he had done this kind of thing quite often when he was young.

The other members of the yakuza checked their pockets and then nodded to Yoshio Inoguchi.

"Then let's proceed according to plan. We'll open the shop door and hide on the second floor. Once the sisters come in, the four of us will take them down two-on-one, quickly drug them, put them in the car, and drive them straight to the Zhengxin Society. After that, don't come back. Take the money and hide in the countryside to lay low for a while!"

The other Yakuza responded in unison, their faces contorted with a mixture of excitement and cruelty.

"Ito, when we're in action, you drive the bread truck and block the shop entrance. Be careful not to let outsiders see us," Yoshio Inoguchi instructed the driver.

But Ito didn't reply. Instead, he stepped on the gas and continued driving the bread truck forward without saying a word.

Suddenly, a crow darted out from the passenger seat, staring at him with its scarlet eyes.

Crows? When did Ito start keeping crows?

"But now is not the time to worry about such trivial matters," Yoshio Inoguchi shouted.

"Ito, did you hear me? And why are you driving so fast?!"

Ito ignored him and instead intensified his efforts, slamming on the gas pedal. The van sped along the highway at an exaggerated speed, like a Grand Theft Auto, and crashed onto the Arakawa Bridge!

Feeling extremely uneasy, Yoshio Inoguchi quickly grabbed Ito by the neck from the back seat and roared loudly:

"Are you crazy! Driving that fast, are you heading towards the Sanzu River?!"

"The River of Three Crossings? That's right, this is the death carriage that leads to the River of Three Crossings."

Ito turned his head, his gaze unfocused and expressionless, speaking in a strange, indifferent tone that sent chills down Yoshio Inoguchi's spine.

Before he could do anything, Ito floored the accelerator, turned the steering wheel, and the van crashed through the guardrail of the Arakawa Bridge, rolling and plunging into the Arakawa River!

A huge wave burst forth on the wide, desolate river.

But it quickly returned to calm, and even with some dregs, it could not stop the Arakawa River from continuing to flow forward.

(End of this chapter)