Young Samurai_ The Way of the Sword - Chris Bradford [7]
‘Dokugan Ryu, of course’ said Yamato.
‘Yes, Dragon Eye wants the rutter,’ agreed Jack, ‘but you told me ninja were employed for their skills. Somebody’s hiring him to steal the rutter. It could be someone Masamoto-sama knows. Father Lucius was part of his entourage, so I can’t afford to trust anyone. That’s why I believe the fewer people who know about it, the better.’
‘You mean to say that you don’t trust my father? That you think he may want it?’ Yamato demanded, offended at the implication.
‘No!’ replied Jack quickly. ‘I’m saying if Masamoto-sama had the rutter, he might be murdered for it like my father was. And that’s a risk I can’t take. I’m trying to protect him, Yamato. At least, if Dragon Eye believes I have it, he’s only after me. That’s why we must keep it secret.’
Jack could see his friend weighing the options and for one horrible moment he thought Yamato was still going to tell his father.
‘Fine. I promise I won’t say anything,’ Yamato agreed. ‘But what makes you think Dragon Eye will come after it again? We haven’t seen him since he tried to assassinate daimyo Takatomi during the Gion Festival. Maybe he’s dead. Akiko wounded him pretty badly.’
Jack recalled how Akiko had saved his life that night. They’d spotted the ninja entering Nijo Castle, the home of Lord Takatomi, and followed him. However, Dragon Eye overcame Jack and was about to sever his arm when Akiko had flung a wakizashi sword to stop him. The short blade pierced Dragon Eye’s side, but the ninja had barely flinched. Only the timely arrival of Masamoto and his samurai had prevented the assassin from retaliating. Dragon Eye escaped over the castle walls, but not without promising he’d be back for the rutter.
The ninja’s threat still haunted him, and Jack didn’t doubt that Dragon Eye would return. The ninja was out there, waiting for him.
Akiko was right. While he was at the Niten Ichi Ryū, he was under Masamoto’s protection. He was safe. But he was dangerously exposed outside the school walls. Travelling alone, he would be lucky to make it beyond the city outskirts.
Jack had no option but to remain in Kyoto, training at the Niten Ichi Ryū. He had to learn the Way of the Sword if he was ever going to survive the journey home.
While the choice wasn’t his, the idea of perfecting his skills as a samurai gave Jack a sharp thrill. He was drawn to the discipline and virtues of bushido and the thought of wielding a real sword was exhilarating.
‘He’s out there,’ Jack said. ‘Dragon Eye will come.’
Reaching across the room, Jack picked up the Daruma Doll. He looked it squarely in the eye and solemnly remade his wish.
‘But next time I’ll be ready for him.’
4
A GRAIN OF RICE
‘Why have you brought your sword?’ barked Sensei Hosokawa, a severe-looking samurai with an intimidating stare and a sharp stub of a beard.
Jack looked down at his katana. The polished black saya gleamed in the morning light, hinting at the razor-sharp blade within. Thrown by his sword teacher’s unexpected hostility, he thumbed the golden phoenix kamon embossed near the hilt.
‘Because… this is a kenjutsu class, Sensei,’ Jack replied, shrugging his shoulders for lack of a better answer.
‘Do any other students carry a katana?’
Jack glanced at the rest of the class lined down one side of the Butokuden, the dojo where they trained in the Way of the Sword, kenjutsu, and taijutsu, unarmed combat. The hall was cavernous, its elevated panel ceiling and immense pillars of dark cypress wood towering over the row of young trainee samurai.
Jack was once again reminded of how utterly different he was from the rest of his class. Not yet fourteen, unlike many of the other students, he was nonetheless the tallest, possessing sky-blue eyes and a mop of hair so blond it stood out like a gold coin among the black-haired uniformity of his classmates. To the olive-skinned, almond-eyed Japanese, Jack may have been training as a samurai warrior, but he would always be a foreigner – a gaijin as