[ She's right. He was forced out because he was too dangerous, too uncontrollable, too eager to kill; Takechi had trained him to be that way. A useful idiot in the end.

Her question sits like a lead weight as he lights his cigarette with a grateful nod. ]

Dunno. I'd say no one'd even know who I am if I hadn't done it, but they were tryin' t' make sure no one knew who I was at all. They fuckin' erased me from the rolls...Or tried to, anyway.

[ He laughs that same bitter laugh. ]

I woulda lived a whole fuckin' lot longer without 'em...Never woulda gone outside'a Tosa without 'em, either. So I dunno. I was doin' what I thought was right and what was gonna keep th' foreigners from fuckin' us all over.