Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [14]
If it were true, then it wouldn’t matter whether he was in the Circle of Three. His life would be in greater danger than ever before, not only from Dragon Eye and his ninja clan, but also from Kamakura and his samurai.
Perhaps he should start planning how to get to Nagasaki before it was too late, thought Jack. But first, he needed to find out whether Kazuki was lying or not.
‘Where are you going?’ asked Akiko as Jack headed purposefully out of the Chō-no-ma.
Glancing over his shoulder at Kazuki and Nobu, who were still sniggering to one another, he replied, ‘Somewhere far away from those two!’
7
RANDORI
Jack lay there, unable to move.
The impact upon the dojo floor had knocked the wind clean out of him.
‘I’m so sorry,’ said Akiko, looking down at him with concern. ‘I didn’t mean to throw you so hard.’
‘Don’t… apologize,’ replied Jack, gasping for air and trying not to throw up his breakfast from earlier that morning. ‘It was… my fault… for not break-falling… properly.’
Akiko had tossed Jack over her shoulder like a sack of rice in a move called seoi nage. Not that her remarkable fighting abilities were anything unexpected. He’d learnt early on never to underestimate Akiko, having witnessed her single-handedly despatch two ninja with only the knotted obi of her kimono.
He was also more than capable of break-falling and should have landed safely. However, Akiko had told him something that completely broke his concentration.
‘What did you just say?’ asked Jack, sitting up carefully.
‘You’re in the trials for the Circle of Three.’
‘I don’t understand. How can that be?’
‘Kiku’s entered for you,’ she explained, a mischievous grin on her face. ‘I asked her to write down your name instead of hers.’
Jack stared at Akiko in disbelief. She’d got round the entry rules for him.
He smiled. The Two Heavens was suddenly a possibility again. His training now had real purpose. And with only five places available in the Circle of Three, he knew he would have to work hard to get selected.
‘Why have you stopped?’ demanded Sensei Kyuzo, standing over Jack, his mean black-pebble eyes boring into him.
‘I’m just catching my breath, Sensei,’ replied Jack, grinning up at him, unable to hide the glee he felt at Akiko’s news.
Sensei Kyuzo eyed Jack with suspicion. ‘Get up! Are any of the other students resting? Is Kazuki-kun over there tired?’
The sensei nodded his head towards his favoured student, who was driving Saburo into the ground with a devastating seoi nage of his own.
‘No, Sensei,’ replied Jack through pursed lips.
‘Some samurai you’ll be!’ spat Sensei Kyuzo.
He spun on his heel and crossed to the centre of the Butokuden.
‘Yame!’ he ordered.
Every student ceased their training, kneeling down on one knee to listen to their sensei.
‘Taijutsu is like boiling water: if you do not keep the flame high, it turns tepid!’ bellowed Sensei Kyuzo.
‘HAI, SENSEI!’ shouted the students in unison.
‘Don’t be like Jack-kun and stop merely because you’re tired!’
Jack felt all the eyes in the dojo turn towards him and he fumed with rage. Why did the sensei always have to make an example of him? There were numerous other students who weren’t half as competent as he was and several had stopped training long before Jack.
‘If any of you have put your name down for the trials for the Circle of Three, you’ll need greater stamina and strength than this. Do you want to give up?’ Sensei Kyuzo challenged.
‘NO, SENSEI!’ responded the exhausted students, their breathing rapid, their gi soaked in sweat.
‘Good. Then it’s time for randori!’ he announced. ‘Line up!’
Hurriedly the students knelt down one side of the Butokuden in preparation for free-sparring.
‘During this session, I want you to practise your nage waza and katame waza only,’ said Sensei