The Ring Of Earth Part 14

But it wasn't wasn't nothing. nothing.

There, on Hanzo's lower back, was a small cherry-red birthmark in the shape of a sakura sakura blossom petal. blossom petal.

Just like the one Akiko had described on Kiyoshi, her long-lost brother.

25.

A SILENT M MIND.

That night Jack lay on his futon futon, unable to sleep, his mind whirling with the prospect that Hanzo might be Akiko's little brother.

Akiko had once told him that the boy had been s.n.a.t.c.hed as a child by Dragon Eye during the a.s.sa.s.sination of Yamato's older brother, Tenno, five years earlier. Though many thought Kiyoshi had been killed, Akiko always believed her brother was still alive. Why else would the ninja have taken him?

In spite of a prolonged search by Masamoto and his samurai, the boy was never found. But Akiko didn't give up hope. She'd heard a rumour about a boy of samurai status entering a ninja clan in the Iga mountains, and had convinced herself that it must be Kiyoshi.

This was one of the reasons Akiko had agreed to Masamoto's plan for her to train as a ninja. She'd intended to infiltrate the shin.o.bi shin.o.bi and discover the whereabouts of her lost brother. But Dragon Eye was the only one with certain knowledge of Kiyoshi's fate. When the ninja had died, the secret died with him. And so had Akiko's hopes. and discover the whereabouts of her lost brother. But Dragon Eye was the only one with certain knowledge of Kiyoshi's fate. When the ninja had died, the secret died with him. And so had Akiko's hopes.

Until now.

Jack had once asked Akiko how she'd recognize her brother after the pa.s.sing of so many years. She'd informed him that Kiyoshi had a birthmark like a petal of sakura sakura blossom on his lower back. Just like Hanzo. blossom on his lower back. Just like Hanzo.

It could be a complete coincidence. But Hanzo was the right age. There were aspects of his nature that were very familiar to Jack. His pa.s.sion for life, his independence and his gentle spirit were all reminiscent of Akiko. And, like his sister, the boy was a natural martial artist.

How many other young ninja would have such a distinctive birthmark?

'Are you asleep?' came a whisper from the other side of the room.

Jack didn't answer, caught up in the possibilities surrounding Hanzo. Or could it be Kiyoshi?

'I know you're awake. I can tell by your breathing.'

A shaft of pale moonlight filtered through the bars of the room's little window. Jack turned to face him. In the half-light, he thought he could picture Akiko in Hanzo's features. The high cheekbones. His easy smile. The eyes, black as the pearl she'd given him.

He dearly wanted him to be Kiyoshi. For Akiko's sake.

'Shall we try and steal Soke's pillow?' Hanzo whispered.

'Hanzo, what do you remember of your parents?'

Hanzo blinked. 'My parents?'

Jack nodded.

'Only what my grandfather told me. They died when I was five.'

'Do you remember if you had any brothers or sisters?'

The boy pondered this question carefully, his brow furrowing deeply. 'Sometimes I dream of a nice lady who calls me kachimushi kachimushi, "her little dragonfly". But Grandfather's never mentioned I had a sister.'

That was a problem, Jack realized. Soke had told him that Hanzo's parents had been killed by samurai. But Akiko's mother, Hiroko, was alive and well in Toba, while her father had been tragically killed in the battle of Nakasendo ten years ago. So they couldn't be Hanzo's parents. Even if the boy's past was wrong, Hanzo's grandfather was Soke and he wasn't of samurai origin. How could he be the grandfather of Akiko and and Hanzo? Hanzo?

Despite the birthmark, these facts denied the possibility that Hanzo could be Kiyoshi. It was just conincidence and wishful thinking on Jack's part.

'Let's go and steal the pillow,' insisted Hanzo, getting quietly out of bed.

Jack gave in to his enthusiasm. Pulling back the covers of his futon futon, he joined Hanzo crouched by the shoji shoji. Cautiously sliding it open, they both stealth-walked across the hearth room to Soke's door.

Jack reached for the handle of the shoji shoji. Hanzo stopped him. Then, producing a small bottle of vegetable oil, he ran it along the bottom edge of the frame.

To stop the squeaks, he mouthed.

Jack smiled at Hanzo's ingenuity. The boy certainly has Akiko's cunning The boy certainly has Akiko's cunning, he thought.

Putting his hand to the door frame, Jack pulled on the shoji shoji. It slid silently open. Soke was fast asleep on the far side of the room, his head resting upon the pillow. Jack wondered how they were going to remove it without waking the old man.

They crept closer, quieter than mice.

Yet, before they were even halfway across the room, the Grandmaster opened his eyes.

'You need to silence your mind too!'

26.

THE D DEMONSTRATION.

The blade of the ninjat ninjat almost took Jack's head off. almost took Jack's head off.

Ducking beneath it, he retaliated with a devastating cut to the midriff. Miyuki blocked it with her sword and drove forward to skewer him. But Jack wedged his blade against hers, sparks flying as the two weapons ground against one another. Deflecting the ninjat ninjat, Jack aimed his sword's kissaki kissaki at her throat, the razor-sharp tip stopping short of piercing her neck. at her throat, the razor-sharp tip stopping short of piercing her neck.

A perfect Flint-and-Spark strike.

Her attack halted, Miyuki glared at Jack before retreating to safety.

A murmur of respectful appreciation arose from the crowd gathered round the village square. Shonin, who sat to one side beneath a large parasol, observed Jack with increasing admiration. His eyes never left the young samurai as Jack raised both his swords into a high Two Heavens guard and waited for Miyuki's next a.s.sault.

The challenge was supposed to be a 'friendly' one, for the benefit of Shonin to witness the Two Heavens in action. But the fight had quickly escalated in ferocity, becoming more of a duel than a demonstration. Miyuki was determined to beat Jack to prove the Two Heavens was flawed and show that the ninja were more skilled than the samurai.

Equally, Jack wasn't willing to lose face at the hands of Miyuki. Not only was the reputation of Masamoto's technique at stake but Jack's personal honour too. Having been defeated in hand-to-hand combat during his escape attempt, Jack had no intention of letting her do the same with the sword.

The hot sun beat down and, like Miyuki, Jack was breathing hard from the exertion of combat. Blinking away the perspiration running down his forehead, he tried to manoeuvre himself so that his back was to the sun and Miyuki would be forced to look directly into its glare. His opponent being such a skilful fighter, Jack needed every advantage he could get.

So far Miyuki had tried every ninja trick throwing dust into Jack's face, feigning surrender, and even standing on his toes during one particularly close encounter. But she'd been unable to break through his defence.

Miyuki had one third and final final chance to defeat him. chance to defeat him.

What would her strategy be now?

She squinted into the bright sunshine, looking for a gap in his guard.

'Two can play at that game,' she said, bringing up her blade and angling it so the sun reflected into Jack's eyes.

Momentarily blinded, Jack had to rely upon the blind fighting skills Sensei Kano had taught him. Hearing the scuff of Miyuki's feet and the swish swish of her sword cutting through the air, he instinctively blocked her incoming strike with his of her sword cutting through the air, he instinctively blocked her incoming strike with his wakizashi wakizashi, then brought his katana katana round in a counter-attack. Miyuki neatly evaded it and came at him from the opposing angle, her sword cutting down towards his neck. round in a counter-attack. Miyuki neatly evaded it and came at him from the opposing angle, her sword cutting down towards his neck.

Only then did Jack notice the subtle but crucial shift in her fighting style. She now wielded her ninjat ninjat left-handed! left-handed!

Jack was almost caught out, her blade slicing dangerously close to his right ear. He rapidly retreated across the square. But Miyuki's attacks were even faster now. As he blocked her barrage of strikes, Jack suspected she was naturally left-handed and had hidden this fact in order to surprise him with her true skill.

He was now literally fighting for his life.

Miyuki didn't let up and nearly penetrated his defence on several occasions. Then Jack spotted his chance. Miyuki over-committed to an attack, her sword remaining extended a little too long. Jack swiftly executed an Autumn Leaf strike, twice hitting the back of her blade.

The ninjat ninjat clattered to the ground. clattered to the ground.

Disarmed, Miyuki fumed at Jack as the crowd applauded his supreme skill. Jack bowed in humble acknowledgement.

But Miyuki wasn't finished. Striding over to Kajiya's forge, she s.n.a.t.c.hed a manriki-gusari manriki-gusari chain hanging from a beam. Spinning the weapon above her head, Miyuki threw the weighted end at Jack. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the surprise attack and managed to block it with the back of his chain hanging from a beam. Spinning the weapon above her head, Miyuki threw the weighted end at Jack. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the surprise attack and managed to block it with the back of his katana katana. But the links wrapped round the blade and Miyuki jerked the sword from his hand.

Now Jack had only the wakizashi wakizashi to defend himself with. to defend himself with.

Whirling the chain again, Miyuki called out, 'What are you going to do now, samurai?'

Without hesitation, Jack flipped the sword over in his hand and threw it at her just like Masamoto had once done to him.

The short sword flew like a shuriken shuriken through the air. Miyuki, in mid-swing, her arms above her head, was an easy target. The through the air. Miyuki, in mid-swing, her arms above her head, was an easy target. The wakizashi wakizashi struck her dead-centre in the chest, and she was knocked to the ground. struck her dead-centre in the chest, and she was knocked to the ground.

Mountain-to-Sea technique. To attack in a manner that wouldn't be expected.

A gasp of astonishment was followed by more applause, everyone realizing that if the sword had been thrown point first, the result would have been fatal. Jack, glad as he was to beat Miyuki, hadn't wanted to hurt her. He walked over and offered his hand. 'You fought well.'

'You were lucky!' she growled, ignoring his outstretched hand as she got to her feet. were lucky!' she growled, ignoring his outstretched hand as she got to her feet.

'Samurai skills, more like,' said Jack, retrieving his swords.

Miyuki looked daggers at him. Shonin approached with Momochi and Soke, the Grandmaster beaming with approval at Jack's performance.

'That was most enlightening,' said Shonin. 'Thank you.'

Bowing, Jack readied himself for the inevitable onslaught of questions about the Two Heavens. He'd have to be careful not to reveal too much to the tiger.

'Masamoto-sama must not only be a great swordsman but a great teacher,' Shonin acknowledged. 'The Two Heavens is a truly remarkable sword style. But I wouldn't say invincible.'

With a brief nod of his head, Shonin strode off to the farmhouse, engaged in deep conversation with Soke.

Jack stared after the two ninja, open-mouthed.

'I thought Shonin wanted to learn learn the Two Heavens,' said Jack, more to himself than anyone in particular. the Two Heavens,' said Jack, more to himself than anyone in particular.

Momochi heard him and laughed.

'Shonin didn't want to learn how to do do the technique,' he said, a sly grin on his face. 'He wanted to learn how to the technique,' he said, a sly grin on his face. 'He wanted to learn how to defeat defeat it.' it.'

Jack's heart sank as he realized the implications. A tiger as intelligent and cunning as Shonin could work out how to climb the tree for himself or simply cut it down.

'Shonin was looking for weaknesses in the technique,' Momochi went on, gloating at Jack's evident alarm. 'That demonstration has just saved many a ninja's life.'

Momochi swaggered off to join Shonin and Soke.

Jack bitterly regretted his decision to display the Two Heavens. He could only pray Masamoto would forgive him for this serious error of judgement. At least the ninja were only intending to use their knowledge for defence, rather than to attack samurai.

'You were amazing!' exclaimed Hanzo, scampering over excitedly. 'Tengu technique! I can't wait to learn it.' technique! I can't wait to learn it.'

'Very impressive,' Tenzen agreed.

'I had a good teacher,' replied Jack, allowing himself a smile as Hanzo mock-fought with two imaginary swords. 'Masamoto-sama's the greatest samurai swordsman in j.a.pan. Courageous, n.o.ble '

Miyuki laughed scathingly. 'A samurai, n.o.ble?'

'Yes!' said Jack defiantly. 'He taught me bushido bushido.'

'Bushido!' spat Miyuki, squaring up to Jack. 'You believe in that lie lie?' Miyuki's defeat in the demonstration had evidently roused her anger. 'You need to be told the truth truth about the samurai and their precious code of conduct.' She prodded Jack hard in the chest with her finger. ' about the samurai and their precious code of conduct.' She prodded Jack hard in the chest with her finger. 'Bushido's their excuse for killing, a way of absolving their guilt. The samurai are all murderers! Tyrants! Devils!'

'That's not true,' countered Jack, taken aback by the hatred blazing in her eyes.

'Really?' she challenged. 'My family were murdered murdered by samurai!' by samurai!'

So this this was the source of Miyuki's rage, realized Jack, and immediately understood the pain she was suffering. 'I know how you feel ' was the source of Miyuki's rage, realized Jack, and immediately understood the pain she was suffering. 'I know how you feel '

'How can you? Let me tell you what samurai are capable of. Then you'll see them in their true colours. Have you heard of the great General n.o.bunaga?' she said, her tone thick with sarcasm.

Jack nodded, recalling Akiko telling him about the warrior's famous battles of thirty years ago.

'Well, that "brave" samurai sent forty thousand troops against just four four thousand Iga ninja. Then he ordered them to burn all the villages to the ground and ma.s.sacre every man, woman thousand Iga ninja. Then he ordered them to burn all the villages to the ground and ma.s.sacre every man, woman and and child. What part did the samurai's code of child. What part did the samurai's code of bushido bushido play in that?' play in that?'

Nose to nose with Jack, a thunderous expression on her face, Miyuki didn't wait for his reply. 'And he's not the only one! Daimyo Daimyo Akechi follows in his footsteps, laying waste to any ninja clan he finds. Where's the rect.i.tude in destroying whole villages? What honour is there in killing a defenceless woman, Akechi follows in his footsteps, laying waste to any ninja clan he finds. Where's the rect.i.tude in destroying whole villages? What honour is there in killing a defenceless woman, like my mother like my mother? How much courage does a samurai need to kill a child? My brother was not yet five!'

A tear ran down her cheek, her whole body trembling with emotion.