Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire (12 page)

‘Please help our village,’ he beseeched. ‘We’re all children when it comes to fear.’

18

THE RELUCTANT LEADER

That evening, the young warriors received a proper welcome. Sora and his wife gave over their entire house to them, Junichi arranged for straw beds and the contrite villagers brought offerings of rice, fish and steamed vegetables. A roaring hearth fire was built, before Jack and the others were left alone to eat and recover from their journey.

‘This is more like it!’ said Saburo, digging into a bowl of sticky rice.

The six of them ate in contented silence, Neko pouring out tea and water whenever required. Once they’d had their fill, they sat back and listened to the crackle of the fire. Staring into the flames, Jack became lost in his own thoughts – of Akiko, of his sister, Jess, in England, and how one day he’d find his way home.

For a moment, everyone appeared to have forgotten why they were there.

‘So what’s the plan?’ asked Hayato, breaking their reverie.

Jack blinked. ‘I … don’t have one.’

‘But you said earlier you did.’

He smiled sheepishly. ‘That was to convince the farmers.’

There was an exchange of concerned looks all round.

‘Well, you must have
some
idea,’ said Saburo, abandoning his meal.

Jack shook his head. ‘I really hadn’t thought that far.’

‘Every good leader has a plan,’ observed Hayato.

‘Leader?’ queried Jack.

The five recruits looked unwaveringly at him.

‘This is your crusade,’ said Hayato. ‘You brought us together, so
you
should lead us.’

Jack felt his mouth go dry and his stomach tighten into a knot. He hadn’t considered the consequence of his actions. He’d simply been driven by a desire to help. Now he found himself unwittingly positioned as their leader – responsible not only for the mission’s success, but for their lives too.

‘I … I think we need to discuss this first.’

‘We could just put it to a vote,’ suggested Yori.

‘Well, I’m for Jack,’ said Miyuki, raising her hand.

‘Me too,’ said Saburo, his hand joining hers.

Hayato’s hand also went up, soon followed by Yuudai’s. Figuring out what was occurring, Neko raised her hand too.

Yori smiled artfully at Jack. ‘You have my vote – so it’s unanimous.’

Jack couldn’t sleep, his mind whirling with worries. The black moon was less than three weeks away and he had no idea how to prevent forty bandits raiding the village with only six warriors.

Getting out of bed, he crept over to the door, slipped on a ragged overcoat and stepped outside. The night air was chill and his breath blew out in ghostly clouds as he made his way along the deserted street. Shuddering against the cold, he walked down to the pond and gazed across the desolate paddy fields. The sky was crystal clear, its stars gleaming brighter than diamonds. And under the silvery moonlight, the snow-clad land looked like a shimmering white sea.

Jack could almost fool himself that he was back on the
Alexandria
, sailing the oceans with his father. But he knew that life was long gone. He just wished his father was with him now. As always, Jack looked to the stars in hope of guidance from him. Along with the precious
rutter
that he’d stowed carefully beneath the floorboards in Sora’s farmhouse, the constellations were the only other connection to his late father. As a pilot, his father had spent many a night teaching him how to navigate by their positions. But tonight Jack felt well and truly lost, with no guiding star.

As he stared into the blackness, Jack became aware of someone approaching.

‘When it is dark enough, you can see the stars,’ observed Yori.

Jack laughed at this. It was one of Sensei Yamada’s sayings, meaning there was always hope even in the worst of times.

‘My father used to say,
a clear sky makes a clear mind
,’ replied Jack. ‘But I still can’t think of a plan.’

‘Give it time – it’ll come.’

‘How can you be so certain? I don’t know the first thing about battle tactics or strategy.’

‘Of course you do,’ replied Yori, his conviction taking Jack by surprise. ‘Masamoto taught you the Two Heavens.’

Jack was a little bemused. The Two Heavens was his guardian’s secret double-sword technique.

‘But
that’s
for duelling with swords, one-on-one,’ he argued.

‘Won’t a strategy that works against one enemy work against ten … twenty … a thousand?’

As Jack considered the possibility of Yori’s suggestion, Masamoto’s teachings from his final lessons came to mind.
The true Way of this style is not solely about handling two swords. The essence of the Two Heavens is the spirit of winning – to obtain victory by any means and with any weapon.

‘It might work,’ Jack admitted, a few ideas from his samurai training already taking hold. ‘But I’m no leader.’

‘You’re a natural, Jack,’ insisted Yori. ‘A leader guides by example, whether he intends to or not. Your courage and determination to protect this village inspire the rest of us.’

Jack had an overwhelming sense that Yori, while not much older, was definitely wiser since he last knew him. It was like talking with a younger version of Sensei Yamada.

‘But no one else was given the chance to be leader,’ Jack argued, thinking Hayato might have been a better choice.

Yori looked up at Jack. ‘There was no need. The vote proved we
all
believe in you. You’re the only one who can lead us.’

19

A NINJA’S INSPIRATION

‘What are you doing up here?’ asked Miyuki, finding Jack the next morning on a rise overlooking the village. ‘Everyone’s waiting for you.’

She handed him a cup of green tea, which he gratefully accepted, its warmth taking the chill from his bones. He’d managed to get some sleep during the night, but had risen early, his mind still churning with thoughts.

‘Every battle strategy I’ve come up with has major flaws,’ explained Jack. ‘Either not enough samurai, not enough time or simply too risky.’

‘Why not ask the others for suggestions?’

‘But as leader
I’m
expected to come up with the plan,’ said Jack, a hint of desperation entering his voice.

‘Just because you’re the leader doesn’t mean you have to decide everything,’ reassured Miyuki. ‘In our clan, Shonin often asks the Grandmaster and the family heads for their ideas.’

‘Really?’ said Jack, feeling the weight of responsibility lift a little from his shoulders. He’d considered the others would think him weak to do so.

Miyuki nodded. ‘The Grandmaster always says
to lead people, you should walk beside them
.’

Familiar with such pearls of wisdom from his time at the
Niten Ichi Ryū
, Jack instantly grasped the old ninja’s lesson. He’d been so wrapped up in the idea of
being
leader that he’d forgotten the importance of working as a team.

Prompted by her mention of the Grandmaster, he asked, ‘How is Soke now?’

‘He’s strong-willed, but the cold is getting to him,’ Miyuki replied, her eyes betraying a deep-rooted concern. ‘He’s concentrating on preparing Hanzo to be the next Grandmaster.’

Jack nodded sympathetically, knowing Soke hadn’t looked forward to their clan’s enforced relocation even deeper into the Iga mountains. He was saddened to hear of the old man’s fading health. The Grandmaster had been his
ninjutsu
mentor, saving him from the Shogun’s samurai and teaching him the necessary skills to help survive the perilous journey to Nagasaki.

‘And what about you?’ asked Jack.

Miyuki forced a smile. ‘The refuge is fine, but not like our last home. Life’s tougher the higher up you are. The weather’s more severe and the land not so fertile.’ She gazed at the farmhouses below with a wistful smile. ‘Tamagashi reminds me of our old village. The square, the pond, the open fields – although our houses were in far better condition and the paddies set out more efficiently.’

‘That’s because you’re ninja as well as farmers,’ Jack reminded her.

‘True, but it doesn’t take much thought to organize things. I mean, look at their paddy fields. If ninja had plotted them, they’d be –’

‘
A defence!
’ interrupted Jack, his face suddenly lighting up. ‘Miyuki, what would I do without you?’

Miyuki looked bashfully at the ground, then glanced up at him. ‘I missed you too, Jack.’

But Jack was too inspired by her observation to notice the tender look that passed across her face.

‘Why didn’t I think of it before?’ he exclaimed. ‘The Five Rings!’

During his
ninjutsu
training, Jack had been taught about the Five Rings by the Grandmaster. These five great elements of the universe – Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Sky – formed the basis of a ninja’s fighting techniques and tactics. In fact, the Five Rings influenced their whole approach to life – including how they built their villages.

To the uninitiated eye, a ninja village looked like a simple farming community. In truth, it was a cleverly constructed fortress. By applying the Ring of Earth, the ninja exploited their natural surroundings – flooding paddy fields to form moats, building paths into confusing mazes, growing hedges into barriers, and using the hills and steep slopes as battlements.

‘We need to
ninja
this village!’ said Jack, a triumphant grin on his face.

He ran back down to the square, Miyuki hot on his heels, to find the others waiting by the pond.

‘You look pleased with yourself,’ remarked Saburo.

‘I have a plan!’ announced Jack.

The young samurai hurriedly gathered round in anticipation. Neko, eager to be a part of the action too, pushed her way to the front beside Yuudai. Emerging from the main farmhouse, Junichi, Toge and Sora watched from a respectful distance.

‘Our priority is to stop the bandits reaching the rice store,’ stated Jack, indicating the large barn overlooking the square. ‘So we need to turn this village into a fortress.’

‘In three weeks!’ exclaimed Saburo. ‘This isn’t exactly Osaka Castle!’

‘With teamwork and the help of the farmers, we can do it,’ replied Jack confidently.

‘I must agree with Saburo,’ said Hayato. ‘Defence is more difficult than attack, and this village is wide open to any assault. Where would we even start?’

‘That’s what I was going to ask
you
!’ said Jack.

Understanding that a combination of ninja and samurai tactics would offer the best chance of success, he recited one of Masamoto’s strategies. ‘
In order to know your enemy, you must become your enemy
. So how would
you
attack this village?’

20

THROUGH THE EYES OF THE ENEMY

‘Coming from the mountains,’ said Hayato, ‘the most obvious raiding route would be the northern road. Akuma won’t expect resistance, so why make any detours?’

‘Agreed,’ said Jack. ‘That’s where our first defence must be.’