Young Samurai 06 - The Ring of Fire, page 8
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.’
Leaving the square, they walked to the outskirts of the village, where the main track petered out at the mouth of a narrow valley. A dirt road snaked its way up the slope and disappeared over a rocky ridge.
‘There’s nothing to stop the bandits here,’ observed Hayato grimly.
‘Then we need a barricade,’ suggested Jack. He scored a line in the snow with his foot, marking the boundary of the village. ‘At this point.’
‘I can build one,’ offered Yuudai, ‘with the help of some farmers.’
‘Great!’ replied Jack, pleased the boy was so willing to volunteer. ‘Toge says the bandits have horses. So it’ll have to be high enough to stop them jumping over and strong enough to resist a charge.’
‘Don’t worry,’ said Yuudai. ‘When I’ve finished, even a dragon couldn’t get past!’
‘Still, we won’t have much warning of an attack,’ Miyuki noted, eyeing the closeness of the valley ridge.
Jack recalled the Grandmaster’s Ring of Fire lesson. This element represented energy and motivation for a ninja and was closely aligned to weapon work. Its key influence was in kajutsu – the Art of Fire – which included explosives, gunpowder and the use of fire for diversion and destruction. But Jack had also learnt that it could be more subtle, acting as a ninja’s first line of defence.
Jack pointed to a nearby hill. ‘We need a smoke beacon up there, to give us advance warning.’
‘I’ll ask the villagers to make a woodpile,’ said Yori, ‘and organize a lookout rota.’
‘Thank you, Yori,’ said Jack, already feeling more confident in his role as leader.
‘But what if they attack from a different direction?’ questioned Saburo.
‘Good point. We should also build a watchtower in the square. That way we can keep an eye on all approaches to the village. I’ll take charge of that.’ He turned to Saburo. ‘So, looking through the eyes of the enemy, where’s our next weak point?’
Saburo’s brow crinkled in thought. ‘Probably the road from Okayama.’
The band of young samurai headed back into the village and down to the river, where the icy waters churned and flowed freely from the mountains.
‘This is easier to defend,’ said Hayato with relief, noting the opposite bank was some ten metres away and the river too deep for horses to ford it. ‘Akuma can’t cross here if we dismantle the bridge.’
‘No, we must keep it,’ said Miyuki.
They all looked at her, Hayato glaring with annoyance at being contradicted.
‘We leave it as a trap,’ she explained. ‘Like fish to a cat, the bandits will want to cross here. As they do, we blow it up!’
‘That’s dishonourable!’ said Hayato. ‘A samurai doesn’t fight like that.’
‘Do you think Akuma cares anything for honour?’ countered Miyuki.
Clenching his jaw, Hayato conceded, ‘Probably not. But what will you blow the bridge up with?’
‘Gunpowder.’
Hayato eyed Miyuki dubiously. ‘Do you have any?’
‘A little,’ she said, patting a small tube attached to her obi, along with various other pouches.
Hayato laughed. ‘That wouldn’t be enough for a firework!’
Now it was Miyuki’s turn to look annoyed. ‘We could make more. All we need is charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre.’
‘Do you think these poor farmers have all that?’ mocked Hayato.
Miyuki glared at him and Jack intervened before the quarrel got out of hand.
‘Both ideas are strong,’ he said. ‘If the farmers have what Miyuki needs, then we can go with her plan. If not, we proceed with Hayato’s. Whatever, we’ll have to sacrifice the two houses on the far side and the mill.’
‘You can’t do that!’ said Toge, walking up behind them. ‘Junichi owns the mill. His mother, Natsuko, still lives there.’
‘But we can’t protect everything,’ explained Hayato.
‘Natsuko’s a stubborn old woman.’
‘She’ll be less stubborn when Akuma’s at her door.’
Toge shrugged. ‘I’m telling you she won’t like it.’
21
LOCKED HORNS
As the farmer headed over to deliver the message, Jack asked him, ‘Where’s the next crossing point on this river?’
‘There’s a ford, a few miles to the south,’ Toge replied, pointing towards the paddy fields. ‘That track over there eventually leads to it.’
‘Then that’ll be Akuma’s next route of attack.’
The young samurai trekked across the fields. They followed the network of paths, many only visible as a slight ridge in the snow.
‘Open land is hard to defend,’ muttered Hayato, biting his lip pensively.
‘At least we’ll be able to see them,’ said Jack. ‘And with your bow, you could pick off bandits as they ride in.’
Hayato nodded. ‘But we still need to slow them down. They’ll overrun us otherwise.’
‘We could flood the fields,’ suggested Miyuki.
‘That should work,’ agreed Jack. Such a strategy was part of the ninja’s Ring of Water techniques and he remembered how effective it had been against the army of samurai invading Miyuki’s village.
‘But that won’t stop them,’ argued Hayato. ‘They’ll just use the paths.’
Jack studied the walkways bordering the fields. The ninja would have made them narrow so only one person could pass at a time, and their arrangement would form a maze to slow down intruders. But the farmers’ paths were wide and led directly to the village.
‘How about a ditch?’ suggested Saburo. ‘We could fill it to become a moat.’
‘A far better idea!’ said Hayato, clapping him on the back.
‘It’ll have to encircle the whole village,’ noted Miyuki. ‘That’s a lot of work.’
‘Well, I bet Saburo’s the very man to lead the digging!’ said Hayato, dismissing Miyuki’s objection.
Saburo smiled awkwardly, not sure how he’d volunteered for the task but nonetheless pleased with the praise. Yori saw the frustration on Miyuki’s face at being cold-shouldered again, and stepped forward.
‘Hayato, it may be wise to do both,’ he said.
‘Of course,’ replied Hayato heartily. ‘There can never be enough defences.’
‘Which leaves us with the last approach – the forest to the west,’ said Jack, and led the way.
As they walked out of the paddy fields, Jack felt a tug on his sleeve. Neko was beckoning him to follow her.
‘Hold on!’ said Jack to the others, as she steered him over to the pond.
Once there, she gestured to the ice now covering its surface. Jack wondered what her point was, until she stepped out on to the pond and walked straight across it.
‘Neko’s spotted a problem!’ shouted Jack, waving the others over and giving Neko a thumbs-up in recognition. ‘The bandits could circle the paddy fields and cross here.’
‘Not if the ice breaks,’ said Miyuki.
