The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [33]
‘You’ve made excellent progress,’ Soke commended. ‘I’ll teach you the whole piece over the next few days.’
‘Thank you,’ replied Jack. ‘But what does this have to do with ninjutsu?’
Soke raised his eyebrows, as if to say You tell me.
Jack thought for a moment. ‘The Ring of Wind?’
Soke smiled. ‘Exactly. Learning the flute has other advantages besides meditation for a ninja. As you’ll have discovered, it helps you control and extend your breathing. Which is what my next lesson is about.’
On cue, the other students began to turn up. They sat in a semi-circle at the entrance to the cave, overlooking the valley.
‘There you are!’ exclaimed Hanzo, taking his place beside Jack. ‘I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’
Miyuki sat as far from him as possible, on the opposite side of the semi-circle. Next to her, Shiro began to sniff the air and wave his hand in front of his nose. This encouraged a round of sniggering. Rather than ignore it, Jack played along. He sniffed the air too, then pointed at Hanzo and held his nose, grimacing at the supposed stink. This caused more amusement. At this point Hanzo farted and the whole class erupted into laughter.
Soke, grinning too, held up his hand for silence. ‘A good laugh is like manure – it doesn’t do any good until you spread it around. But we should make a start. Now that Jack’s been initiated, I trust you’ll all support him in his training.’
The gathered students gave a courteous bow in Jack’s direction. His good-natured acceptance of the joke seemed to have won him some support. Miyuki, however, kept her eyes on Jack as she bowed, challenging his presence. She wasn’t so willing to accept him.
‘This morning we focused on concealment and escape,’ Soke continued. ‘But hiding isn’t only about not being seen, it’s about not being heard.’
‘Or smelt!’ Shiro added.
Soke shot him a disapproving look and the boy offered a half-hearted bow of apology in return. ‘On occasion, a ninja must be able to hold their breath for a long time. You might have to conceal yourself close to your target and the sound of your breathing could give you away. Other times you might be forced to stay underwater, or even feign death. Breath control is a subtle but crucial ninja skill.’
Jack listened intently. Having experienced the power of Dragon Breathing, he was eager to learn other ninja tricks.
‘In order to hold your breath for a long time, begin by breathing in and out slowly and deeply from the belly,’ explained Soke, demonstrating a long drawn-out inhalation and exhalation. ‘Clear your lungs completely, then take a large gulp of air and hold it.’
A few of the students copied Soke, Shiro looking as if he was about to explode.
‘How many times have I told you?’ said the Grandmaster despairingly. ‘Don’t take in so much that you’re straining.’
Shiro let out his breath in one big whoosh.
Soke, ignoring the boy, continued with his instruction. ‘You need to relax every muscle in your body. Combine this with meditation, slowing down your heartbeat, and it’s possible to hold your breath for several minutes.’
Jack was astounded by this revelation. When he and Akiko had escaped Osaka Castle by swimming through a well tunnel, he’d barely managed a minute and had almost died drowning. Only Akiko’s kiss of life-giving oxygen had saved him.
‘To achieve this feat is as much about mastering the mind as the body,’ said Soke, tapping a finger to his temple. ‘You have to consciously suppress your need to breathe. The best way to do this is to think about something else, something pleasant. I want you all to practise this now.’
As the circle of students began deep breathing in preparation for the task and filled their lungs, an unspoken challenge arose among them. No one wanted to be the first to have to take a breath.
They sat in silence, some with eyes closed, all of them in meditative postures. Jack focused on relaxing his body