The inside of uncle Hatori's mansion was lavish and vast. Decorated with antique paintings on the walls, but outfitted with modern conveniences such as a wall mounted television, a pool table and a large sofa. The interior of Hatori's home exuded a sense of luxury that left Kubo in awe.
"Brother, you probably don't recognize him, since the last time you met he was just a baby, but this is my son, Kubo." Hanzo introduced Kubo to his brother.
"How could I forget the face of your little boy? It's a pleasure to see you again, Kubo." Hatori smiled and shook Kubo's hand. His words seemed amicable enough, but there was something familiar about the way he said them. As Hatori withdrew his arm, Kubo spotted several red marks on the palm of his hand, prompting him to whisper to his mother. "Mother, uncle Hatori has burns on his hands."
"He must have burned them trying to light his fireplace." Sariatu gave Kubo a likely explanation, uncertain why Kubo had chosen to tell her this.
Seeing that he wasn't getting through to her, Kubo whispered urgently with more convincing argument.
"But his clothes smell like smoke and his voice sounds like the man who set the paintings on fire!"
Realizing what Kubo was alluding to, Sariatu urged him to keep his voice down.
Looking around the lounge room to find any new additions to use as a conversation starter, Hanzo noticed several wads of cash littered on the coffee table.
"I see that gambling has played out well for you. You don't have happen to have a good luck charm you can lend me, do you?" Hanzo made a joke about the suspicious looking currency.
"Oh, I have one or three lucky trinkets, I recently acquired." Hatori brought the subject up in a smug way.
Looking around for a means of escape, Kubo noticed something familiar on the coffee table; an assembled mask, consisting of three pieces. Trying to warn his father of the danger that was standing right beside him, Kubo walked around the coffee table and not so subtly pointed to the mask placed upon it.
Getting the hint, Hanzo gave his brother an allusion of his own. "I used to have a lucky charm in my office, but someone stole it."
"Tough luck." Hatori remarked without a hint of remorse.
"Nice mask you got there. It looks just like the one in my office and the piece stolen from the museum." Hanzo retorted to the callous remark.
"You surprise me, Hanzo! You figured it out a lot quicker than I ever expected. But you always were such a fast learner." Hatori used the compliment to his brother to divert attention away from himself, as he slanted his arm to pick up the mask unnoticed.
"Hand over the mask, Hatori." Hanzo demanded with a stern voice. His brother's transgressions making the responsibility of ensuring the return of the mask to their proper owners to fall upon him.
"I can't do that, brother."
"Then I will have to take it from you." Hanzo made his intentions clear.
"I'm not going to harm you Hanzo, but I can't make any promises about your wife and son." Hatori assured Hanzo of his safety and placed the mask on his face.
The power within, enveloping Hatori in golden smoke. Transmogrifying his body into a creature created from the sum parts of the animals depicted on each piece of the mask; the head of a golden heron, the body of a fox and the tongue and fangs of a viper.
"Why are you doing this?" Hanzo asked, horrified at the sight of his brother's transformation.
"Why? Because ever since you met her, her family has treated us with nothing but contempt, because mortals like us aren't worthy of associating with a divine family like theirs. But now that I have power to rival their own, I can show them what our family is truly capable of!" Hatori explained with venom in his voice, shooting a ball of flame towards Sariatu and Kubo as he finished speaking.
"Get down!" Hanzo tackled his wife and son to the ground, making them land behind the sofa, out of harm's way from the surging flame.
"It was bad enough that your father slandered your own husband's company, Sariatu. But nearly bankrupting mine? That was poor taste, even for a politician" Hatori lectured his prey. Waiting for her to come out from her hiding spot.
"When I step out, take Kubo with you and run. He won't harm me." Hanzo instructed his wife.
"Promise me you'll come home in one piece." Sariatu clutched Hanzo's arms as she pleaded for his safe return.
"I promise."
"It's no use Hanzo, I can foresee your every move, smell you wherever you hide." Hatori boasted the powers of the mask with glee.
"Then I'll save you the trouble." Hanzo stepped out from behind the sofa with his arms spread out defiantly.
"Did I mention the mask can even make you do my bidding? So be a good little brother and take another nap."
Having paid close attention to Hatori, Hanzo had no idea that the very eye contact he had given his brother, had made him susceptible to his suggestions. And upon hearing those words, collapsed to the ground like a ragdoll, rendered unconscious by the mask's power of persuasion.
"Father!" Kubo exclaimed out of concern for his father, inadvertently revealing his location to Hatori.
"Your father is catching up on his sleep, Kubo. If you don't want to end up like him then stay out of the way!" Hatori warned his nephew.
Seeing that Kubo had gathered Hatori's attention, Sariatu ran towards a glass case containing an antique fan; an item she could use to channel her magic to take down Hatori.
"I didn't say you could leave!" Hatori blasted a fireball towards the glass case, the shards of glass cutting Sariatu across the face, sending her falling to the ground, unconscious.
"What now, Kubo? Are you going to go down like your mother and father?" Hatori scoffed as Kubo stepped out from behind the sofa, shamisen in hand.
"No, I'm not. You thought you could teach our family a lesson by stealing the mask and using it against us. But it only brought our family together. I spent time with my father, my mother told me she believed in me. Those memories give me courage. The courage to do this!"
Kubo struck the strings of his shamisen with a pick, sending a wave of magic towards Hatori, shattering the mask into pieces and reverting Hatori to his original state.
Running over to his mother to see if she was OK. Kubo gave her a hand and helped her to her feet.
Kneeling down beside his father, Sariatu followed after Kubo to where her husband lay down, still unconscious.
"Hanzo! Wake up!" Sariatu cried out, in an effort to wake her husband.
"I'm up!" Hanzo suddenly rose, his face now inches from his wife's. She smiled with relief now that her husband had finally awakened. He smiled back, but the smile faded when he saw the bleeding cut across her eye.
Furious at his wife's injury, Hanzo stood over Hatori's form lying on the floor.
"For what you have done, I can longer consider you my family." Hanzo cut his ties to his treacherous brother and left his home with his wife and son.
"Your loss…" Hatori quipped.
"It looks like our little fox servant has failed in his task, even with the power I granted him. It's so hard to find good help nowadays. But at least I have the two of you." An old man sitting in his office announced to his audience of two.
"Find the remains of the mask and bring them to me." The old man commanded.
"Yes, Father." The two raven haired women answered in unison and took off.
If Kubo and the Two Strings was about Sariatu's personal story, then Kubo and the Heaven's mask is Hanzo's story. In the original movie Kubo lost his parents, but gained a grandfather. In this one Kubo still has his parents, but loses an uncle and gains a dangerous adversary that could threaten to tear his family apart in the future.