[ Earlier that morning the interaction between Masanori and Unknown man ]
Mist hung low over the bamboo grove as a lone figure stood before Masanori's small wooden house.
The air was damp and silent, carrying the faint scent of wet earth and bamboo.
Masanori slid open the door and looked at the man waiting outside.
"It's been a long time," he said quietly.
The man smirked. "You've been hiding well, Sensei."
"Not hiding," Masanori replied. "I just have responsibilities now… I'm a grandfather to a little girl, and a teacher to my students.
I'm not the same Masanori you once knew. My body's getting weaker… time doesn't spare anyone."
The man nodded slowly. "Hmm. But the Revolutionaries need you again. We're the only ones trying to change this rotten system."
"I think you've forgotten," Masanori said, his voice calm but heavy.
"Forgotten who were the real seed sowers of this revolutionary movement.
What did I get from it ?
Only betrayal… and loss.
My family, my comrades all buried beneath the sand."
"Loss is inevitable," Unknown man answered sharply. "Their lives were sacrificed for a higher cause.
But look at you now doing nothing. Their deaths will mean nothing if you just sit here and grow old."
"Stop it, Yoshi," Masanori said firmly. "I know why you came to drag me back into that chaos.
But my answer is still no."
Yoshi's jaw tightened. "As I thought… I can't change your mind."
Masanori's eyes narrowed.
"I also know how your Revolutionaries have been playing their cards the dirty games you run behind the curtain.
We never started this movement for power. But now… it's no different from the tyranny we once fought against."
Yoshi froze for a moment. Masanori continued, his voice low and steady.
"Your organization's structure is clear to me one Supreme Commander, five captains under him, each with a vice-captain. The rest are pawns thrown into the fire. And you, Yoshi… you're a vice-captain.
Your superior sent you here to convince me, didn't he?"
Yoshi's eyes widened. It was a top-secret chain of command known only to the inner circle.
How the hell does he know all this?
he thought. Then a small smile crept across his face.
"I almost forgot," he said with a faint laugh. "What kind of man you were in the past, old Man."
Masanori chuckled softly.
"Hah! The number of people who still know my identity can be counted on one hand. Most are gone now. You're one of the few still alive my old student."
His expression darkened.
"We built that organization for a purpose with blood, with pain.
But the revolution lost its way.
There's no difference left between your leaders and the enemies we once fought. Two faces of the same coin."
Yoshi sighed. "Then it was a waste coming here. But if fate allows… we'll meet again, old man."
He turned and disappeared into the mist.