The Ring Of Earth Part 15

'Miyuki, calm down,' interjected Tenzen, stepping between them. 'Jack's not to blame '

'Calm down? Samurai like him him are the cause of all our troubles.' She turned her attention back to Jack. 'Do you know there were nearly a hundred ninja clans in these mountains? Now they can be counted on the fingers of one hand!' are the cause of all our troubles.' She turned her attention back to Jack. 'Do you know there were nearly a hundred ninja clans in these mountains? Now they can be counted on the fingers of one hand!'

Miyuki thrust her hand in Jack's face to emphasize the point.

'So don't tell me you know how I feel. You're a samurai at heart. And always will be. I hate everything everything you stand for.' you stand for.'

Her rage suddenly spent, Miyuki began to sob uncontrollably. 'I lost my mother ... my brother ... my father ... everyone ...'

'I'm truly sorry,' said Jack. 'But I do do understand how you feel. My father was murdered too.' understand how you feel. My father was murdered too.'

Miyuki stared at him through her tears, her eyes a mixture of shock and suspicion.

'By the ninja Dragon Eye,' explained Jack, to both Tenzen's and Miyuki's astonishment.

'Maybe you do know a little of how I feel,' she relented, shaking her head in dismay. 'But Dragon Eye was never a true true ninja. No matter how hard Soke tried, he was a lost cause.' ninja. No matter how hard Soke tried, he was a lost cause.'

'Soke knew knew him?' said Jack, the heat of the day suddenly turning icy cold. him?' said Jack, the heat of the day suddenly turning icy cold.

'Knew him?' replied Miyuki. 'Soke taught Dragon Eye everything everything he knew.' he knew.'

27.

SOKE'S S STUDENT Clouds were gathering on the horizon, and the sun appeared like a blood-red eye peering over the mountaintops when Jack confronted the Grandmaster outside his house.

'Is it true?' he demanded.

Soke leant heavily upon his cane and sighed deeply, the weight of the world seeming to rest upon his bony shoulders. He looked at Jack with eyes sorrowful and full of regret. For once, the Grandmaster appeared as frail and old as his age.

He nodded slowly. 'Yes ... Dragon Eye was a student of mine.'

'Why didn't you tell me?'

'Would you have stayed if I had?' asked Soke.

'Of course not.'

Jack had considered leaving the moment Miyuki had told him. How could he trust the man who'd taught his arch-enemy? The one who'd been the source of the deadly arts that had killed his father?

'Then you have your answer,' replied Soke, seating himself on the bench in his yard.

Jack was confused. Was the ninja playing some cruel game with him, like a cat taunting a mouse until it died of fright? The Grandmaster surely knew of the rutter rutter and its importance. He was just biding his time to strike. and its importance. He was just biding his time to strike.

'What do you want want from me?' from me?'

Soke smiled kindly. 'Only to help you.'

'But why?'

'Please sit,' said Soke, patting the bench beside him. 'Then I'll explain everything.'

Reluctantly, Jack sat down, keeping a wary distance from the Grandmaster.

Soke took a deep breath and began, 'Dragon Eye, or should I say Yos.h.i.+ro as he called himself then, came to our village much like yourself alone, a fugitive of the samurai. He'd been a farmer until his village was ransacked during the Nakasendo War. He'd lost his eye in an arrow attack. Out of compa.s.sion we took him in '

'Yos.h.i.+ro wasn't his name,' Jack corrected. 'And he wasn't a farmer. He was Hattori Tatsuo, a samurai lord. The defeated daimyo daimyo of northern j.a.pan. And he pulled the eye out himself.' of northern j.a.pan. And he pulled the eye out himself.'

Soke blinked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. Then he gave a hollow laugh, thumping the ground with his walking stick. 'That explains a great deal. I had my suspicions the man was more than he claimed to be. He was a master of deception, possibly the most talented student I've had the honour of teaching.' explains a great deal. I had my suspicions the man was more than he claimed to be. He was a master of deception, possibly the most talented student I've had the honour of teaching.'

Jack visibly recoiled at the praise the Grandmaster had just heaped on his enemy.

'Only in respect of his skill,' Soke added quickly. 'Dragon Eye in respect of his skill,' Soke added quickly. 'Dragon Eye never never embraced embraced ninniku ninniku. He didn't understand the importance of a pure and honest heart to being a true ninja.'

'So why teach him at all?'

'I didn't realize what a rotten core he had. And he was such a natural at ninjutsu ninjutsu I even contemplated him succeeding me as Grandmaster!' Soke shook his head in disbelief that he of all people could so easily be deceived. I even contemplated him succeeding me as Grandmaster!' Soke shook his head in disbelief that he of all people could so easily be deceived.

'But then I saw his true nature on missions his cruelty, the pleasure he took in killing. I hoped to change him, guide him back on to the true path. But it was too late; he'd learnt all he needed and left to form his own ninja clan.'

'You created that devil,' said Jack, his words more a statement than an accusation. Angry tears welled up in his eyes as he thought of all the pain, the suffering and devastation that Dragon Eye had wreaked upon his life and those of his friends. created that devil,' said Jack, his words more a statement than an accusation. Angry tears welled up in his eyes as he thought of all the pain, the suffering and devastation that Dragon Eye had wreaked upon his life and those of his friends.

'Most regrettably,' Soke admitted, his eyes downcast. 'So I feel responsible for your predicament. As soon as you told me of the fate of your father, I wanted to make amends.' He gripped Jack's arm in earnest. 'I thought if I could teach you you the ninja skills you need to get to Nagasaki ... in some small way, I'd gain absolution. And maybe you'd find it in your heart to forgive me.' Soke let his hand fall and bowed his head, like a sinner in prayer. the ninja skills you need to get to Nagasaki ... in some small way, I'd gain absolution. And maybe you'd find it in your heart to forgive me.' Soke let his hand fall and bowed his head, like a sinner in prayer.

Jack had never seen the Grandmaster appear so vulnerable. He seemed truly repentant. Even though it was the old man's teaching that had made Dragon Eye the deadly ninja he became, Jack couldn't blame Soke for his student's evil deeds. Dragon Eye himself, along with Father Bobadillo, were the ones truly responsible for his father's death.

'It wasn't your fault,' insisted Jack. 'And your teaching has has given me hope for the journey ahead.' given me hope for the journey ahead.'

Soke raised his head with relief.

'I just can't believe Dragon Eye could fool someone like you you, a Grandmaster.'

'Dragon Eye was very cunning,' said Soke through gritted teeth. 'Any time I became reluctant to teach him, he'd show signs of ninniku ninniku. I saw these as indications of progress. But he was merely tricking me into unlocking more ninja secrets even Dim Mak Dim Mak. He played me like a shakuhachi shakuhachi!'

The two of them sat there in silence as the setting sun blinked shut behind the mountains. The ghost of Dragon Eye seemed to hang over them in the encroaching darkness.

'Once I really thought he'd changed,' said Soke, clearly relieved he could talk through his guilt. 'The man performed a compa.s.sionate, courageous act, something wholly in the spirit of ninniku ninniku. He saved a boy.'

'Who?'

'Hanzo,' Soke revealed, smiling happily for the first time that night. He lowered his voice so that Hanzo couldn't hear them from the doma doma, where he was preparing dinner. 'In truth, he's from another ninja clan. Five years ago, his home was attacked by samurai. Dragon Eye rescued Hanzo from certain death and then asked me to look after him.'

Jack stared, open-mouthed, in astonishment at Soke. 'Hanzo isn't your grandson?'

'No, he's an orphan. But it made it easier for him to think I was.'

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing.

Hanzo had been taken by Dragon Eye. So had Kiyos.h.i.+. Both five years ago. And both had the same birthmarks. There were just too many coincidences.

Hanzo's no orphan, thought Jack. And he's no ninja either. He's samurai. And he's no ninja either. He's samurai.

28.

THE P PILLOW.

A light summer rain was falling across the valley. Jack, sheltering beneath the eaves of the farmhouse, listened to the paddy fields ripple and resound to a million raindrops.

Soke and Hanzo had both gone to bed, but Jack couldn't sleep. The revelations of the day played upon his mind. Although he'd found the Grandmaster's explanation convincing, he felt uneasy staying under the same roof as Dragon Eye's teacher.

Ever since encountering Soke, the truth had been like s.h.i.+fting sands beneath his feet, and he wouldn't put it past the Grandmaster to be misleading him again. After all, the ninja were were masters of deception. masters of deception.

Yet, in his heart, Jack felt certain he'd finally discovered the real real reason why this ninja was helping him. It had nothing to do with the reason why this ninja was helping him. It had nothing to do with the rutter rutter, and all to do with guilt. He'd seen the sincere remorse in the old man's eyes. This at least explained why Soke had argued so adamantly for Jack to stay, in spite of the risks to the village. And the Grandmaster had had fulfilled his promise to teach Jack fulfilled his promise to teach Jack ninjutsu ninjutsu. For that Jack was grateful; and with these new skills, he was ready to leave. But he couldn't, could he? But he couldn't, could he? Not now he believed Hanzo was Akiko's lost brother, Kiyos.h.i.+. Not now he believed Hanzo was Akiko's lost brother, Kiyos.h.i.+.

Earlier that evening, he'd been struck by a dilemma as to whether to share this knowledge with Soke. He'd been about to make up his mind when Hanzo had begun jumping from the doma doma into the rain and back again. into the rain and back again.

'Look, I'm hardly wet,' Hanzo had cried excitedly.

'But why try to dodge raindrops?' Jack had asked.

'I'm perfecting my lightning-fast technique.'

Hanzo had insisted Jack join in and they both leapt in and out of the rain.

'Very amusing,' Soke had said, chuckling at their antics, 'but I'm even faster.'

The Grandmaster had then stepped out into the centre of the yard and promptly got soaking wet.

'What sort of lightning technique is that that?' Hanzo had demanded.

'My speed doesn't depend upon a simple trick of avoiding raindrops. When it rains, you get wet. That's to be expected. The real test is whether you can avoid me me!'

'Of course I can, Grandfather,' Hanzo had exclaimed, running around the yard with Soke play-chasing him. I can, Grandfather,' Hanzo had exclaimed, running around the yard with Soke play-chasing him.

That scene had brought home to Jack just how happy the boy was as a ninja. Would it really be fair to turn Hanzo's world upside down?

On the other hand, Akiko was heartbroken and Jack's loyalty lay with her. She had a right to know her little brother was alive. Kiyos.h.i.+ had been kidnapped. He justifiably belonged with Akiko and their mother, Hiroko, in Toba.

Jack had decided not to tell Soke. He didn't know how the Grandmaster would react. Soke, after all, loved the boy as his own. Besides, what if somehow he was wrong?

The only way to prove Kiyos.h.i.+'s ident.i.ty, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was for Akiko to see the boy for herself.

But how?

First, Jack didn't know where where he was. Second, he had to get a message to Akiko. Third, he was sure the ninja wouldn't welcome another samurai in their village. he was. Second, he had to get a message to Akiko. Third, he was sure the ninja wouldn't welcome another samurai in their village.

Until he worked out how to contact Akiko and reunite her with her brother, Jack had no option but to remain. He'd use the excuse of needing extra training. This would delay his journey but, if he was honest with himself, he wanted wanted to stay. The possibility of seeing Akiko again filled him with joy. to stay. The possibility of seeing Akiko again filled him with joy.

With that pleasant thought, Jack stepped back inside the doma doma and quietly headed for bed. In the hearth room, the embers of the fire glowed red in the darkness and he noticed Soke's door ajar. Remembering the Grandmaster's challenge, Jack wondered if his stealth-walking was now good enough. After much practice, he'd managed to cross the rice paper without tearing it. This test would prove if all his extra training was paying off. and quietly headed for bed. In the hearth room, the embers of the fire glowed red in the darkness and he noticed Soke's door ajar. Remembering the Grandmaster's challenge, Jack wondered if his stealth-walking was now good enough. After much practice, he'd managed to cross the rice paper without tearing it. This test would prove if all his extra training was paying off.

He slipped like a ghost into Soke's bedroom, his mind silent, his feet treading with the lightest touch.

The Grandmaster didn't stir. But the pillow was beneath his head.

How could he remove it without waking the old man?

Jack suddenly felt a drip of water run down his neck. Looking up, he saw the thatch was leaking slightly.

The Ring of Water, he thought.

Reaching up, Jack gently tugged at a loose piece of straw.

He waited.

As the rain seeped through the thatch, a bead of water formed at the end of the protruding straw. It dropped on to Soke's forehead.

Moaning sleepily, the Grandmaster rolled aside, lifting his head out of the way. In that moment, Jack s.n.a.t.c.hed the pillow.

Soke's head settled back on the tatami tatami and Jack smiled to himself. He'd done it! and Jack smiled to himself. He'd done it!

The Grandmaster's eyes blinked open. Looking at Jack, then at the pillow and finally at the roof where another drop of water had just fallen, he laughed.

'Jack, it appears you're ready for the Test of Truth.'

29.

TEST OF T TRUTH.

This is madness, thought Jack as he knelt down upon the large flat rock that jutted out from the mountainside. Far below, he could see some villagers in the paddy fields, appearing as small as ants. Above was a cloudless sky. Behind him stood Soke, a sword in his hand.

Being in such a vulnerable position, Jack had little chance against the ninja.