Gambling: an age-old practice where money was waged upon games of chance in hopes of profit. Some thought the practice to be wasteful and impractical, but those people were just stingy. Ever since he was old enough, Daraku had loved to gamble. Why not? He liked money and gambling was quite simply the easiest way to get it (and perhaps the easiest way to lose it, just as quickly). Large gambling hubs with slot machines, pachinko, lotteries, and high-stakes card games were established more famously in Hi no Kuni and apparently Kaminari no Kuni, as well. Other place banned the establishments altogether, deeming them unethical and suspicious. In a desert city like Sunagakure, there was nowhere to go to get a gambling fix other than in the Sand Dune Slums. It was a dangerous neighborhood, but it was also where Daraku spent a majority of his time from the first day he started as an academy student up until his final days as a Special Jounin before defecting from the village. Spending so much time in a place where the law wasn't exactly "priority", Daraku learned his way around the craft out of the basements with shady characters during sandstorms or in back alleys where hustlers dared passersby to try their hand in a round or two. What measly money he had, either earned from missions or stolen from negligent people, he was gladly willing to spend if it meant he had a chance at getting rich. Granted, aside from small profits here and there, he never did get rich, but he grew to love gambling for the fun of it. It was an adrenaline rush; that feeling of high-risk high-reward tension as beads of sweat slid down your forehead, when the cards were laid out on the table and you could see the glint of ryo in your peripheral vision, so close you could almost taste it.

And shit, Daraku was a high roller! Look at him. It wasn't exactly a rags to riches type of thing, no...his clan lacked any substantial wealth in his younger days. They had become assassins and thieves, their infamy was set in stone and they were paid well for whatever jobs they could get—oftentimes just enough to survive with a little extra. Daraku's missions starting at Genin were what fueled his spending cash, and so being a ninja was profitable. He didn't have many assassin jobs because he was only around 13 years old and inexperienced It was too dangerous to go on a job alone, but he learned from the best. By the time he was a missing ninja, he could kill most things effortlessly and was paid handsomely for it, so that's what he did. Blood money was the best money. He continued to save it, only spending it occasionally for equipment; a couple thousand ryo for each of his favorite swords, a few hundred for a place to stay while traveling. His savings started to pile up and so when he got back to Suna, already 22 years old, he was well-off. He continued to live in the Ishido Castle, but if he wanted to, he had enough money to purchase a home of his own in the village. Financial security was pretty sweet.

Nearly another year later and here he was, staying at a luxury resort in Kumogakure no Sato. Since he arrived in Kumo to see the Chuunin Exams, Daraku had seen advertisements on TV and billboards everywhere about the Golden Horn Casino: a grand hotel for the wealthiest aristocrats and people with expensive taste. What a coincidence! Daraku happened to be fairly wealthy and he had the most expensive taste of anyone he'd ever known, always wearing pure silk clothing, soft cotton garments, extravagant armor and using only the highest-quality weaponry. It seemed he was finally in the right place at the right time. He had plenty of money on his person to spend, and close to an establishment where the craft of luck was legal and even encouraged! It brought him back to his younger days, in a strange way, but even better because now he wasn't gambling in secret or breaking the law. He was gonna fit in with the rich people and love every second of it.

The Sannin arrived at the hotel with his pockets full and his mind prepared. He looked up at the casino that towered over him and its staircase that led straight into an opulent open floor. This was where a lot of the magic happened, and the first thing he did was go to the blackjack tables. Half an hour later and still ecstatic beyond belief, Daraku took a break from the card tables and hunted down one of the waitresses walking around with pristine faces and wearing short skirts. He ordered a tall glass of champagne and thanked her kindly (almost unusual for him considered he didn't care for manners or formalities), and he didn't even try to flirt with her. He was too engulfed in the scene unraveling around him between the floor bustling with movement and people gambling to their hearts' content.

A renewed sense of optimism and the gait in Daraku's step made it obvious to everyone around him that he was happy, and people were attracted by it. A few of those walking by initiated conversation with him, mostly idle talk and introductions, but he welcomed it. Eventually, one man who was more-than-a-little inebriated came Daraku's way, introducing himself as M. "What, your name is just a letter? Or are you not comfortable giving me your real name?" Daraku asked while he sipped at his champagne. It was aged just enough to have a refined taste that paired perfectly with its carbonation. M hiccuped uncontrollably but managed to mutter, "I'm not sure, honestly..." Despite his current state, M was insistent that he and Daraku go to an exclusive area of the casino that was upstairs. It was open to anyone who had the appropriate membership card, which M claimed to have, so Daraku shrugged and went along with it. Within a few minutes, they reached a closed door that read "VIP Access" where a bouncer stood. When asked for verification, M flashed the card and the bouncer let the two of them in without hesitation. Behind the door was a moderate sized room with a bar, a couple of poker and blackjack tables, around a dozen pachinko machines and various seats and lounge chairs. There couldn't have been more than 10 or 15 people in the room, compared to the hundreds downstairs, meaning that whoever was in this exclusive club must've had some serious connections. Daraku wasn't even sure how to get a membership; M didn't bother to explain. He assumed it was expensive, though, so he didn't complain and gladly reaped the benefits of being an invited guest. He finished his champagne, went to the bar, and ordered another.

M led him to one of the lounge chairs where another man and two women were sitting as well, and M introduced him to them. The three seemed happy to see an unfamiliar face and quickly grew to like Daraku. They talked for a long time; it was obvious that one of the women was high on some kind of drug and the other was married to the man in the group, so Daraku wasn't exactly looking out for a hook-up. He was happy enjoying the situation as it was, but after a while, M tapped him on the shoulder. "The person I really wanted to introduce you to finally got here. C'mon, she's sitting at the bar." Daraku nodded and bid farewell to his new acquaintances before following M back to the bar.

Training:

Daraku almost knew what to expect. This all seemed like too much of a coincidence. Of all people, a rich guy with an exclusive club member ship found Daraku and decided to bring him upstairs? And on top of that, Daraku hadn't actually seen M drink anything; in fact, M's drunkenness had seemed to diminish significantly since they entered the club. When Daraku had first seen him down on the Casino floor, he was having trouble standing normally, slurring his words, hiccuping a lot. But since they had gotten past the bouncer, M was balancing fine, speaking clearly, and had no other visible signs of inebriation. So, Daraku figured that was an act. Then came this "friend" he had that he wanted Daraku to meet. Daraku didn't see any harm in it and wasn't worried, but it seemed like so much more extra effort when it was really just as simple as approaching him as is from the get-go. No, that wasn't her style, as he was getting to learn. She wanted to be elusive and enigmatic. It created an air about her, built upon her reputation. She was a woman who was hard to find unless she wanted to be found. Having her want to see you let you know that there was some kind of business to be finished.

The bar stool at the far right was his destination and she waited beside it patiently, standing with an arm leaning against the counter. Her brown hair fell all the way down to her waist. Daraku sat down and flashed his signature smirk. "And to what do I owe this pleasure, Kōsai?" Kōsai didn't answer right away, instead taking a moment to look him over. "You fix up real quick. We fought just the other day and you're already looking good as new." Daraku shrugged. "Well, what do you expect from a medical ninja, really? I'd rather heal myself and focus on getting back my chakra after than suffer through the pain. It just makes more sense to me." She smiled at him and he noticed that her canine teeth were sharpened to a point. Strange, but he supposed it was useful nonetheless. Tearing out throats with a well-positioned bite seemed like an alluring enough concept. "You didn't answer me, though. Why did you bring me up here?" "M" took this opportunity to release his transformation jutsu, returning to his rotund form, a stern expression on his face.

"Lady Kōsai was impressed by your fighting abilities that night at the club and did a little reading up on you over the last few days. There's a lot of secrets you've got buried, isn't there? But you haven't buried them deep enough, because here they are, right behind you again." Daraku rolled his eyes and addressed Kōsai once more. "So you taught your mutt how to use the transformation jutsu? You're good, barely recruited a brand new servant and you've already taught him academy level ninjutsu in under a week. I'm impressed." She chuckled sarcastically, and agreed. "Yes, I've trained many in my time, since working for me is such a dangerous job. They don't tend to live long...Noroi and Nobu were the ones to survive the longest, having protected me for a total of 4 and a half years. But you changed that. I know now that they didn't stand a chance against Daraku Ishido, current heir to the Ishido Clan, Sage, Sannin of Sunagakure no Sato, and trained assassin." Was that all? Daraku felt like the things she was listing in such an "intimidating" manner weren't really secrets at all. Michi decided to chime in again. "I have to say, learning about you made me feel better about losing to you in battle. But you won't be so lucky next time. I'll get stronger."

"Oh, shut up. You two haven't even scratched the surface if that's all you know about me. Actually, I don't even have any secrets. I disclosed them all a long time ago because I don't see the point in having things to hide. Secrets only leave you vulnerable and manipulable as soon as they're discovered." Uninterested by their banter, Kōsai interrupted them promptly. "It's not the secrets that are important, though. You've killed many, you used to be a high-ranking criminal, and there's something questionable about your intentions. That's enough to pique my interest. As for why you're here today, I need you to...continue your track record and do a little task for me. I was going to have Norio and Nobu do it, but you killed them and Michi isn't strong enough to handle it. Of course, it won't be for free. I'll pay you handsomely for your work." Daraku emptied the rest of his champagne glass and burped, unconcerned with her proposal up until she said "pay". "What is this 'task' you want me to do, then? And how much are you gonna be paying me exactly? I want numbers before I consider anything."

Kōsai was reluctant to provide specifics at first, but when Daraku stared at her awaiting an answer, she caved. "Very well, if these details will at least make you consider it. I need you to kill someone who owes me. This is usually the punishment when I do someone a favor and they don't pay me back within my proposed time limit, depending how big the favor was. However, this person is a Jounin of this village and thus will not be an easy kill, and what will be especially difficult will be covering it up afterwards. So, that's where you come in. You find him while he's here, in the Casino, and kill him without alerting anyone. Dispose of the body however you can, and I take care of the rest. If we do it right, it'll be as if he never existed, and I'll get what I wanted out of him. I'll pay 1,000 ryo. What do you think?" Daraku laughed a little, set his elbow on the table, and rested his chin on his hand. "No. Bitch, do you really think I'll be your lackey and murder some guy for 1,000 ryo? Hardly worth it. I don't kill in cold blood anymore, firstly. I was mentally unstable and schizophrenic back then, I had psychotic episodes and borderline sociopathic tendencies which led to violence and crime. Now, I've cleaned up my act  and gotten rid of most of my infamy and I'd like to work on getting the rest of it erased instead of building it up again. I'm on a conditional contract with my village, a probation of sorts. If I break it, I'm done, no more Sunagakure for me, and I'm not willing to do that. That's my home." You could tell by the look on her face that Kōsai was ready to bargain with a higher reward, but she stopped herself, thinking of a better offer. "What if I could do that for you? Do this job for me, and I'll give you a golden reputation. I have connections; within a week, you'll be known as a hero across the great nations!."

She still wasn't getting it. Daraku understood that her game was money and power, and he respected that. He would've easily accepted the offer at age 20, as a fresh missing-ninja on a killing spree. People change, though; his path had deviated from hers prior to this, and now he had more important things at risk. "Still a no. That doesn't mean I can't help somehow, though. I won't do the killing and I won't break any serious laws, but if there's anything specific I can assist in—for a decent enough reward, of course, I don't care enough about you to do it free—I'll do it." She nodded, considering his counter proposal carefully. Michi stood nearby, attempting to look as stoic as possible but still apparently unfit for the job of a bodyguard.

Training:

Once they had come to a reasonable enough agreement, Daraku followed Kōsai to the back of the exclusive room into a small corner where a stocky, thin man stood looking out the window. "Where's the last place you saw him?" she asked, her eyes set on the person who was likely her informant. "He was outside speaking with a group of people a little while ago, but when he was finished, he went out back to the pool. He's still there now, having a drink." Kōsai nodded, a look of contemplation settling over her soft features. Her eyes shimmered like blood diamonds. "Good. Daraku, Michi. Let's get going. We'll figure out a plan once we have in our sights." Daraku nodded and went out through the small door, giving the bouncer a wave on the way out. Michi shuffled out afterward and Kōsai came out last, walking confidently in her tall heels. Michi caught up to Daraku and made an attempt to whisper in his ear, but Daraku pushed him away and glared. "What the fuck do you want?" Whatever it was, he didn't want Kōsai to know; that much was obvious. Daraku didn't care enough to listen to whatever secrets the sad sack had. He had saved his life in their last encounter, but only on a whim because that girl (he had already forgotten her first name, but she had very large breasts) wanted him to. Michi was lucky enough that Kōsai had taken him under her wing. "It's...it's nothing. Sorry." Daraku rolled his eyes and continued ahead, moving briskly downstairs and turning outside to the pool area. It was a wide space, with people surrounding the pool and a few swimming or lounging in it. The three found an isolated space toward the back and watched the people closely. Within seconds, Kōsai lifted her right hand and pointed an accusing finger at a balding old man. "There." Well, there was the target. Surprising that an old man would be so dangerous; he hardly looked capable enough to be a Jounin. The hard part, though, would be seeing exactly what help Daraku could offer without being the assassin.

"Maybe I could remind him that you owe him. Y'know, give him a nudge in the right direction, and he'll pay up." Kōsai let out an exasperated sigh. "Don't you think I've already done that multiple times? It's been two years, that's my deadline on all monetary repayments. I give reminders every five months. After that last warning, I'm done, and I take what I need by force. It doesn't hurt that killing establishes my dominance in the process. This man, Yutaka, has exceeded his grace period." She sat down and leaned against a golden statue, some sort of mythical creature. "But if you insist on not getting your hands dirty, there is something you can do. I'll have Michi line his hotel room with traps. In the meantime, you keep him distracted and away from his peers. When I give the signal, all you have to do is make sure he gets back to his room alone and the traps will do the rest." Daraku figured this was as good a plan as any. "Seems fair enough. I'm on it." He left the two and made his away around the pool and across to the other side, where Yutaka was sitting with a group of other Kumo ninja. He interrupted their conversation with a large smile. "Excuse me! I need to talk to Yutaka. Alone, please." Yutaka's eyes squinted and his balding head shimmered in the natural light, and all the other ninja turned to him. One of them chimed in, "Who's this guy?" Yutaka shrugged nonchalantly and waved a hand to dismiss his friends, and they left one by one until it was just Daraku left near him. Well...that part was easy. he thought to himself. Yutaka stood and was face-to-face (or rather face-to-chest, considering the difference in height) with Daraku. "You must be an idiot. Trust me, I'm not the one to be fooled here. I saw you sitting with Kōsai."

"Then you're also fully aware that you're out of both warnings AND time. Not the most reliable person, are you?" Yutaka's eyes were still squinting. He opened his mouth to say something but ended up coughing loudly instead before he could get any words out. "Don't think that means I'll just let you kill me. I'm fairly confident in my power." Daraku took a few steps back. "Relax. I'm not looking for a fight, I only want to talk," he lifted his hands into the air to show that he wasn't planning anything, "it'd be much better for both of us if there was no bloodshed." The crowds moved around them and the sounds of people laughing and talking around the pool were louder than anything. Daraku noticed something on Yutaka's hand, a seal of some sort. It started to stir and glow softly. Shit, he's about to attack. I don't know what to do... Yutaka lunged at Daraku, going for a punch but missing barely. Daraku turned and lifted his leg for a kick, but Yutaka blocked it and his opposite hand glowed fiercely. The seal! Dammit! Daraku recoiled and jumped into the pool, just in time. A massive blast of Katon chakra shot out of Yutaka's hand like a laser, and it hit the far wall behind the pool, causing a minor explosion. Immediately people started screaming and running, and it was becoming a scene. Daraku looked for Kōsai but couldn't catch sight of her anywhere. "Shit, shit shit shit..." Without time to hesitate, Daraku started to run away, using his kekkei genkai to shroud his escape. Yutaka didn't give up so easily and chased after Daraku as best he could. Security chased Yutaka since he had caused the blast and damaged casino property. Everything was going to shit, but Daraku was certain that he would be able to find a way out of it. He just needed to buy more time for Michi to set the traps in Yutaka's hotel room...

Training:

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Daraku ran as fast as he could across the casino grounds, just outside of the building. The mountainside was a bit steep along the edges, so he kept one hand close to the surface just in case he needed to grab onto something in order to keep from falling. Yutaka's footsteps were somewhat far behind him, but that wasn't much of a relief; his katon seal jutsu had a long range and if Daraku made a wrong move, he could get blasted by it and probably be reduced to ashes in the process. He reached the rear end of the casino and without further ado started scaling it. He was far enough away that his kekkei genkai masked him completely and thus Yutaka could not see him or sense his presence. When he reached the third floor of the Golden Horn, he hopped off and landed on a balcony overlooking the village. From there, he spied on Yutaka to figure out what his plan was. It seemed that the casino guards had caught up to him and he was explaining the situation to them. They seemed adamant, likely because Yutaka had caused so much reckless damage by using his jutsu.

A little while later, the guards and Yutaka went back around to the area of the casino that had been damaged by the blast, and Daraku watched as he handed over ryo to pay for the expenses of repair. The guards, pleased enough with the ryo they'd received, left Yutaka alone and thus it was just him and Daraku. Thing was, Daraku still had an amazing advantage simply because now Yutaka couldn't see him and he had the opportunity to make the first strike. He considered his options for ranged attacks for a long while. When ready, he released his kekkei genkai before it started weakening him from extended use and brought his arms together to form a tiger seal. By filling his lungs with Katon chakra, Daraku started releasing small fireballs from his mouth using Fire Release: Phoenix Flower Jutsu. The projectiles converged on Yutaka and caught him off-guard, but he raised both of his hands and pushed them together side-by-side with palms facing out. The seals started to glow again, and Daraku didn't stick around to find out what he was doing. He sprinted to the right, mostly to avoid Yutaka catching sight of him based on where the fireballs had come from.

Surely enough, Yutaka's seals weren't only used offensively. The fireballs made contact and were immediately absorbed, their chakra sealed away. Yutaka then clasped his hands back together in a snake hand seal, letting his palms touch one another. His whole body became shrouded in chakra, a deep golden chakra that created a volatile aura around him. Daraku recognized it well; it was the same appearance that his chakra had when he was at full power and it was visible. Thus, it was now clear that Yutaka had sealed Daraku's chakra from the jutsu and absorbed it, and now he was planning to use it to retaliate. Once Yutaka released the snake seal, he held one hand outward with the palm facing out again. He kept the other at his side clenched into a fist, and then he called out, "You don't wanna see my Inferno Cannon Level 2. I suggest you run away while you can!" Daraku rolled his eyes, fully aware that Yutaka still couldn't see him. How was he planning to hit Daraku with this Inferno Cannon thing if he didn't know where the fuck he was? In one deft movement, Daraku prepared hand seals for a water clone technique while he ran back into the building. His clone formed within seconds and he let it go outside to face Yutaka.

Back down to the first floor near the pool, the clone emerged and confronted Yutaka head on with its blade drawn. Yutaka didn't dare use his cannon for fear of damaging any more property, but he had a plan. He threw a kunai at full speed toward the clone's lower body, causing the clone to jump into the air to avoid it. Daraku manipulated the clone to start preparing a Whirlpool Dragon Bullet jutsu, but he didn't have enough time to execute the technique. Yutaka aimed and fired from the seal on his hand, and golden flames that looked to be made of Daraku's chakra erupted forth in a concentrated ray. It blasted clean through the clone and evaporated it in an instant, and narrowly missed the highest floor of the casino. Daraku, being inside the building, wasn't sure what to do next. He didn't wanna lose track of Yutaka because he needed to make sure he didn't go back to the room too early, but he didn't wanna continue fighting Yutaka because it was already creating a scene as is. He sighed and figured he'd have to use his charm to get out of this one.

Just as Yutaka was about to go out onto the gambling floor in search of Daraku, Daraku came up from behind him and grabbed him. He pushed Nisebi onto Yutaka's neck and they slammed against a wall in the far corner, away from anyone who could've noticed. "Listen, man..." he said, thinking of the best possible lie he could. "I told you to relax. I'm not here to kill you, I'm a friend of Kōsai's but I'm not her servant." Yutaka tried to talk but Daraku slammed him against the wall again before he could get a word out. "I was going to offer you a personal mission with a large reward, but that offer is long gone. You just straight out attack me like that...you're lucky I haven't already slit your damn throat. I know for a fact that it would make me feel better." Yutaka was breathing hard, but his expression was still stubborn and angry. He spat in Daraku's face and said, "I don't care who the fuck you are, get off of me." Daraku resisted the urge to kill the bastard and instead threw him to the ground hard and kicked him in the stomach. He then wiped the spit from his face and spat back at Yutaka. "If I ever see you again, consider yourself dead." Funny, since his fate already was sealed. Daraku's part of the job was already done...all that was left now was hoping that Michi had enough time to do his job. Daraku turned and walked away from Yutaka, not bothering to see if he got off the ground.

Once he was back up the stairs, Daraku went to the exclusive club room and was let in by the bouncer. Kōsai was in there, sitting at the bar and sipping at a lychee-flavored drink. "I bought some time, or at least I tried to. Guy attacked me and made a huge scene, there were people running and screaming and shit and the guards made him pay for what he did to the wall." Kōsai chuckled to herself, but didn't for a moment take her eyes off of her drink. She didn't bother looking at Daraku. "How sad...poor little man can't afford to pay back a noblewoman, but he can easily pay off some repair bills for the mess he made. Pathetic. Can't wait to make him squirm. But anyway, you did good. Michi just finished and he's on his way back. It's a trap set up underneath Yutaka's bed that will go off when he sits on it and fill the room with poison smoke. Wish I could watch." Daraku thought about it for a moment and then gave her a big grin. "Yea, I guess it wouldn't hurt to see the asshole die...but it's not important, I'm not involved really. I'm just doing my job and getting paid, that's it."

So, when Michi came back, they negotiated Daraku's payment and ultimately decided that he would receive a small sum of ryo, a fresh, positive reputation in Kumo and Kōsai's contact information in case he was ever in the area and looking to make money. He collected his reward for a job well done, but was given one more task. "I'm going to need you to go check on the body to make sure he's dead. Don't want to risk any unexpected--" and just as she was about to finish her sentence, someone burst through the exclusive club door; surely enough, it was Yutaka, standing there with anger everpresent on his face. "You bitch! Trying to poison me with smoke bombs? I might owe you money but you can't just come around and try to kill me for it. By that logic, I think it's time we settle this!" Kōsai immediately rose from her stool and pulled the scroll from her back in order to summon her giant scythe. Yutaka's hand seals started to glow and Daraku backed away a little bit. Michi stood in front of Kōsai, with a stern expression and his fist's raised. Daraku knew better, though; Michi had almost no combat prowess aside from physical strength, and he would get killed in a minute if he tried to protect Lady Kōsai. Yutaka definitely had the upper hand here, and no one was trying to stop them. They stood there, waiting for one another to move, for a long while.

Lady Kōsai made the first move, pushing Michi out of the way and dashing toward Yutaka to closing in for a melee attack. Yutaka's hands went from open palm to closed fists with his index fingers sticking out. He and Lady Kōsai exchanged blows and expertly dodged and maneuvered around one another but neither managed to land any successful hits. It seemed that Yutaka was able to release enough power from the seals for short range or melee attacks without blasting giant lasers so long as his hands weren't fully open. Kōsai's weapon style was the same as it had been when Daraku had battled against her, and it was interesting watching her fight rather than being her opponent. She really was a powerful woman; Daraku didn't understand why she insisted on having a bodyguard when she was that capable of protecting herself. Yutaka finally managed to get an opening and he nearly blasted Kōsai in the torso, but he missed very narrowly. Having gone out of her way to avoid the blow, she lost her balance and fell to the ground. Everyone else in the exclusive club had either already left when the fight began or were starting to leave, so it was just her, Yutaka, Daraku, and Michi in there alone. Yutaka prepared to land a killing blow on Lady Kōsai while she was down, but Daraku figured it was time he finally intercepted. There was no way she could defend herself like that, so he had to do something to help.

With lightning-fast speed, Daraku got in front of Yutaka and sliced his hand clean off using Nisebi. Yutaka screamed in agony and fell backwards, gripping at his bloodied wrist. His severed hand bled profusely while it sat on the floor, seal facing upward. "Can't use your fancy cannon without a hand! And don't make me cut off your other one. This fight is over, get away from Kōsai." Yutaka continued screaming mindlessly, likely in too much pain to make sense of the situation. Kōsai got back to her feet and released her summoning jutsu, returning her scythe to whatever realm it was from. "Thank you, you saved my life Daraku." Daraku smiled at her and jingled the ryo in his pocket. "No problem, I already got my reward but I couldn't just stand by and watch you get killed. Take care of this asshole however you want, that whole stealthy thing is out the window now but I'm sure you'll figure it out. I'm gonna go." Michi watched the whole scene from the background in awe, as useless as bodyguard as anyone could ever be. Just as Daraku made his way to the door, he caught eye of Kōsai standing over Yutaka's crumpled figure with a sinister look on her face. He liked her, for whatever reason. Maybe it was because they thought alike and he could respect her bloodlust and desire for wealth.

And with that, Daraku exited the club and went downstairs to the casino floor. He left the Golden Horn Casino with a couple hundred more ryo than he had come with, both from Kōsai and from gambling. A pretty good profit! Not only that, but he got to cut off some dude's fucking hand! How cool was that? The excitement was evident on his face as he made his way back to Mt. Ikkyu for the night.

[Exit, Thread Closed]

Training:

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