Young Samurai _ The Way Of The Dragon - Chris Bradford [47]
Jack felt the eyes of his fellow students upon him. Most were sympathetic to his plight, but a number were openly hostile.
‘Daimyo Takatomi, however, believes the way forward is a unified Japan that welcomes guests from other lands. He doesn’t see religion as a barrier to a samurai’s duty to their Emperor. Indeed, he is a convert to Christianity. He has, therefore, been seeking a peaceful solution to the situation, confident that his old comrades-in-arms will realize a campaign against foreigners would divide Japan, not strengthen it. For if daimyo begin to take sides, the whole of Japan could be dragged into another civil war.’
There was an anxious murmur among the students. Jack glanced over in Kazuki’s direction. His rival was smirking at the announcement, no doubt pleased to hear war was a real possibility. So far Kazuki’s Scorpion Gang had only been a focus for their bullying of him, but now it threatened to fulfil its true purpose – ‘Death to all gaijin’ – that the gang had pledged during their secret irezumi initiation ceremony. Jack shuddered at the thought.
‘But do not be fooled by daimyo Kamakura’s crusade,’ warned Masamoto, slamming his fist upon the table. ‘His call to arms suggests this isn’t just about banishing a supposed enemy from our country. We now have good reason to suspect he’s playing upon prejudice to raise an army, not only to expel our foreign friends, but to overthrow all of Japan and rule it for himself.’
There was a collective gasp of disbelief.
Masamoto had evidently informed his sensei of the news beforehand, for they showed no surprise. They sat impassively either side of Masamoto upon the wooden dais, studying their students with the steely determination of warriors ready to do battle.
‘We should therefore be prepared for war, if needs must. That is when I will turn to you, my young samurai. I trust I can count on your loyal service.’ He paused, gazing intently at the rows of trainee warriors. ‘In the meantime, we’ll intensify our battle training and await daimyo Takatomi’s command.’
Unsheathing his katana from its saya, he held the gleaming blade aloft and cried, ‘Learn today so that you may live tomorrow!’
The school thundered its response.
‘MASAMOTO! MASAMOTO! MASAMOTO!’
The conversation during dinner was animated. Clusters of students discussed the prospect of war in excited whispers, while others silently picked at their food, coming to terms with the news.
Jack sat between Akiko and Yamato only three tables down from the dais where Masamoto and his sensei ate. With a few more years’ training they would earn the right to sit at a table directly in front of the sensei. That was if they had a few more years to train. Or, for that matter, to live.
‘Do you think we’ll all have to go to war?’ whispered Yori, who sat opposite Akiko and Kiku, anxiously biting on his lower lip.
‘Probably,’ said Yamato. ‘It’s what we were born to do.’
‘But a lot of the students haven’t come of age yet,’ pointed out Kiku.
‘I don’t think the younger trainees will have to go,’ said Akiko. ‘But those at the top table certainly will.’
‘What about us?’ asked Saburo, the only one not to have lost his appetite, tucking into the bowls of rice and steamed fish with gusto.
‘Perhaps we get to choose,’ said Yori hopefully.
‘There’s no choice in war,’ Jack stated, his eyes fixed on a grain of rice that had got stuck to the end of his hashi. ‘War chooses us.’
Reflecting on his own predicament, he crushed the rice grain between the tips of his hashi. He was caught between two conflicts and had chosen neither. Portugal had been at war with England for as long as he could remember, but the only Portuguese person he had ever met was Father Lucius. Yet he was still their sworn enemy. And now he found himself trapped in the centre of another power struggle, one in which his race and religion were being used as pawns in the fight for Japan’s throne. Jack realized that as one of Masamoto’s students, he too would be called upon to fight. Not only for his survival,