The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [27]
Jack’s eyes were drawn to the sway of the branches. Only now was he aware of an evening breeze rising up from the valley.
‘Wind can be light or tear a house apart,’ explained Soke. He bent down to pick a dandelion from beside the shrine. ‘The Ring of Wind teaches us to be open-minded. To respond to any situation and be ready for any attack as it occurs. In other words, to go where the wind blows.’
Holding up the dandelion, Soke blew at its snow-white head and the seeds drifted away on the breeze.
‘A ninja’s presence should be like the wind – always felt but never seen.’
By the time they reached the temple, night had fallen and the stars shone bright in the heavens. Jack could hardly make out Soke’s face in the darkness.
‘This is one of the few places along the ridge from which you can see our village,’ said Soke, pointing to the distant glow of Kajiya’s furnace.
At the entrance to the temple, Soke lit a stick of incense and bowed before an effigy of the Buddha. Jack did the same. Though he was Christian, he’d come to respect the teachings of Buddhism. But he also followed the rituals so as not to draw attention to himself. Sensei Yamada had advised that the more he appeared a Buddhist, the more likely people would be willing to help him on his journey.
‘We’ve nearly reached the end of your lesson,’ said Soke. ‘Only the Ring of Sky remains. This is the most powerful of the elements. And the hardest to obtain. As I’ve explained the Sky is the Void, the unseen power of the universe.’
‘If you can’t see it, how do you know it’s there?’ asked Jack.
Soke looked up. ‘Tell me, is the sky empty?’
‘No, it’s full of stars.’
‘Likewise, the Ring of Sky isn’t empty either. And though you cannot see the stars during the day, they’re still there. The Ring of Sky is the basis for mikkyō, our secret teachings – meditation, mind control and kuji-in magic.’
‘Magic?’ questioned Jack.
‘Yes. The ninja’s spiritual origins lie in Shugendo, an ancient religion that teaches us to connect with nature and harness its power. A ninja trained in these arts can invoke ki, the spiritual energy of the void, and bend it to his will.’
Having experienced the power of ki, when Sensei Yamada once knocked him off his feet solely using the secret art of kiaijutsu, Jack could well believe the ninja were capable of magic.
‘The Ring of Sky also symbolizes the ideal of a clear mind. A ninja attuned to this element can sense his surroundings and act without thinking – without using his physical senses.’
‘You mean like mushin?’ said Jack, who’d been taught the concept of ‘no mind’ by his swordmaster Sensei Hosokawa.
‘Good, you’re beginning to understand,’ replied Soke. ‘From now on, everything around you – even the mountains, rivers, plants and animals – should be your teacher.’
Soke had all but disappeared into the darkness. Only his voice remained.
‘Master the Five Rings – learn to endure like the Earth, to flow like Water, to strike like Fire, to run like the Wind and be all-seeing like the Sky. Then, young samurai, you’ll be a ninja.’
16
THE ART OF STEALTH
‘Come on!’ insisted Hanzo. ‘We don’t want to be the last.’ Jack finished fastening the ties of his trousers round his knees and slipped on his long tabi boots. Over a shirt with close-fitting arms, he’d donned a jacket and secured it with an obi. He left the face-scarf and hood on the bed as they weren’t required for training sessions.
Standing up, Jack took a look at himself. He never imagined that one day he’d wear the shinobi shozoku of the ninja. It sent a chill through him as if the ghost of Dragon Eye had possessed him. Jack prayed his father up in Heaven would forgive him and also that Masamoto would never find out.
In this instance, each piece of shinobi clothing was dyed the same dark green. To blend in better with the forest, Soke had told him.
Folding his own clothes and putting them next to his pack, Jack remembered the rutter inside. He wasn’t happy about leaving it so vulnerable, but he didn’t really have a choice. His only reassurance was that Soke had shown no interest