The Ring of Earth - Chris Bradford [64]
‘I realize some of you may question the fact that Jack was caught in the first place. But his experience has taught us an important lesson.’
Shonin paused to ensure he had everyone’s undivided attention.
‘The samurai are getting wise to our tricks. Seeing through our disguises. We must take more care in the future. As you know, daimyo Akechi is planning to invade the Iga mountains once again. Thanks to Jack, we’ve learnt it’s a matter of personal revenge, and Zenjubo has confirmed Akechi doesn’t have the support of the Shogun.’
Intense whispering broke out among the ninja. Shonin waited for silence before continuing. ‘We’re already using this information to our advantage. Momochi has sent emissaries to the Shogun’s court in Edo. Covertly, they will petition against daimyo Akechi, spread rumours he’s intending to enlarge his province by force. We’ll also remind the court officials of the shinobi’s loyal service in the recent war, seeking for that debt to be recognized. With any luck, the Shogun will put a stop to Akechi’s plans without a single sword being drawn.’
A round of applause greeted this strategy and Shonin smiled, satisfied with the approval his clan had given him. Jack remembered how Soke had told him the shinobi only sought combat as a last resort, preferring espionage to warfare. Here was the proof.
‘But enough of such dark thoughts; it’s time to accept Jack as one of the clan,’ Shonin declared. ‘The sparrow never lands where the tiger roams.’
Immediately everyone got to their feet. Except Jack.
‘Stand up,’ Miyuki whispered. ‘That’s our clan’s secret password. Anyone who doesn’t stand reveals themselves as the enemy.’
Shonin raised his cup. ‘Jack has woken from death and returned to life. His old path as a samurai is his new road as a ninja.’
Shonin and all the heads of family then toasted Jack.
‘Ninja Jack! May the Five Rings guide you!’
37
THE NOTE
Jack felt like the frog that had finally seen the great sea. Although he was still honour-bound to the samurai, Jack couldn’t deny his pride at being accepted as one of the ninja clan.
Throughout his training he’d wrestled with his conscience, struggling to justify his association with the shinobi against his father’s death at their hands. To begin with he’d rationalized his decision as a matter of survival, then as a means to knowing his enemy. But as time had gone on, Jack realized the ninja were perhaps no longer his foe and that he enjoyed ninjutsu. Not only that, he’d discovered certain skills were better and more effective than the samurai martial arts.
At first, he’d considered this a betrayal of the teachings of Masamoto whose sword work was unparalleled. But now he saw the two styles could be complementary to one another. Just as he’d come to terms with balancing Buddhism and his own Christian beliefs – they’re all strands of the same rug, only different colours, as Sensei Yamada had once said – perhaps ninjutsu and the samurai arts could exist side by side. Maybe he could be both samurai and ninja. That combination had certainly made Akiko a formidable martial artist. He hoped the same would apply to him and that his father up in Heaven would understand his decision.
Whatever, Jack knew his loyalty – his soul – would always remain with Masamoto and the samurai. But the spirit of ninniku, the pure heart of the ninja, was undoubtedly becoming part of him. This was why he was finding it so hard to write the note to Akiko.
Sitting upon the steps of the village temple, shaded from the sun, the white sheet of rice paper he’d taken from Soke’s house remained blank in his lap. Jack couldn’t simply write down the directions to the village for her. If the note fell into the wrong hands, he would be a traitor and Akechi’s army would come and destroy the clan.
The message had to be encoded. He understood the principles of making a cryptogram, since his father had instructed him on how to decipher the code that hid the most important information in the rutter. However, the difficulty in this instance was creating