Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [119]
‘For daimyo Kamakura it is,’ replied Dragon Eye. ‘For me, it is about revenge.’
‘Against whom?’
‘Masamoto,’ said the ninja, spitting the name with venom.
‘You must be mad!’ said Jack, stunned by the revelation. ‘You’ve dragged Japan into civil war for a personal vendetta?’
‘THAT SAMURAI KILLED MY SON!’ shouted Dragon Eye, his icy calm demeanour breaking for the first time.
‘And you murdered his son, Tenno!’ shot back Jack.
‘An eye for an eye,’ replied the ninja, regaining his composure. ‘But that’s not nearly enough. His lord, his family, his beloved school, his entire samurai way of life must be destroyed. I won’t kill him, though. Masamoto must suffer the torment I’ve had to endure all these years. He’ll spend the rest of his life grieving for all that he’s lost. And I will finally have my revenge.’
Jack realized Sensei Yamada had been right that time in the Zen garden two years ago when he’d told him that revenge was self-defeating. It had eaten away at the ninja until there was nothing left – but hate.
‘Now give me the rutter,’ demanded Dragon Eye.
‘Never!’ said Jack, reaching for his swords.
He’d decided to take a stand. There would be no more running. No more hiding. It was indeed his time. Jack was ready to face his nemesis, once and for all.
‘I’ve no quarrel with you, gaijin,’ said the ninja, all of a sudden changing tack. ‘In fact, I’ve come to admire you. So I’ll give you one last chance. Hand over the rutter and I’ll let you live.’
In spite of the proposal, Dragon Eye still unsheathed a fearsome ninjatō from the saya upon his back.
Kuro Kumo.
Black Cloud. The last and greatest sword to be forged by Kunitome. The steel shimmered in the reflected light of the castle’s fires, the hamon on its blade swirling like a thunderstorm of clouds.
‘My final offer,’ he growled. ‘Join me. I’ll teach you the Way of the Ninja.’
‘I’d never become a ninja!’ retorted Jack, almost laughing out loud at the idea. ‘Masamoto’s no murderer. You are. You killed my father. You will always be my enemy.’
‘So be it,’ said Dragon Eye.
With lightning speed, Black Cloud cut through the air.
Drawing both his swords, Jack rushed to stop Dragon Eye slicing him from head to toe. He cross-blocked the ninjatō between the blades of his wakizashi and katana. In the flickering light, the name etched into the steel of his swords glinted in direct challenge to Black Cloud.
Shizu.
Dragon Eye snarled his frustration and kicked Jack in the chest. Jack went flying backwards, crashing against the rail of the balcony. Below him, the war raged on as Dragon Eye advanced on him, wheeling the ninjatō in a lethal arc towards his neck.
Jack blocked the attack with his katana, letting the force of the blow whip his own blade round in a counterstrike at Dragon Eye’s head. The assassin ducked, dropping into a spinning leg sweep. He caught Jack’s ankle and sent him crashing to the floor. Dragon Eye jumped into the air. Jack rolled out of the way as the ninja drove the shaft of his sword down at Jack’s chest. Black Cloud pierced the decking as if the wood were no thicker than paper.
Flipping to his feet, Jack went on the attack. He cut across with his wakizashi, at the same time slicing down with his katana. Dragon Eye backflipped out of danger. But he was forced to retreat under Jack’s unrelenting onslaught. Feverishly blocking the blur of blades, he was driven across the chamber. Jack almost had him backed into a corner when the ninja kicked over a lamp, sending flaming oil across the floor. The tatami caught alight in an instant and flames began to lick the walls, blistering the painted mural.
‘Masamoto has taught you well,’ sneered Dragon Eye, circling away from Jack and the spreading fire. ‘But the Two Heavens will only prolong your inevitable death.’
The ninja thrust forward, almost impaling Jack through the heart. Jack deflected the strike at the last moment and countered with his wakizashi, catching Dragon Eye across the chest and slicing through the ninja’s clothing. A line of blood appeared. Though